Next Monday September 24 the Buffalo Sabres head up to Grand Forks, North Dakota, to play an exhibition game against the Minnesota Wild. For not one, but two Sabres, this will be a homecoming of sorts. Paul Gaustad was born in nearby Fargo, North Dakota, while Drew Stafford played his college hockey for the University of North Dakota. For Gaustad, it will be an eagerly awaited trip.

“Yeah even though I live in Portland, Oregon during the offseason, I still call North Dakota home and have many friends and relatives who live there.” said Gaustad.

Gaustad admitted that there will be a huge contingent of his followers coming to Ralph Engelstad Arena to catch the game. “Most of the people I know live within a half hour drive of the arena, so I’ll be seeing a lot of familiar faces while I’m there” said Gaustad.

And Gaustad’s take on The Ralph? “I’ve been there it’s really one of the nicest arenas anywhere, even better than some of the NHL ones” said Gaustad. I asked Gaustad what the player facilities are like, and he replied “as good as you’ll find in the pros. They even have underwater treadmills in the training area.”

Gaustad says he is 100% healed from his brutal foot injury last spring and is eager to begin the season. “We have such a nice infusion of new talent and the nucleus is still intact. Everyone here is so upbeat about the season and it’s just been two days of camp.”

After an entire week of calibrated “presales”, first to season ticket holders seeking additional seats, then to members of the season ticket waiting list “Blue and Gold Club”, and then on to the “Sabres Insiders”, general sales of regular season tickets finally started this morning at the HSBC Arena box office and online through their ticket vendor, tickets.com.

By 9 AM, there was a long line out the door for fans wanting to be the first to snap up tickets to their favorite games. “We are down to single seats for nine home games as of 10:30 AM” Sabres PR spokesman Mike Gilbert reported. “We’ll never declare a game a sellout unti every last seat is taken, but nine are already down to a scaterred few seats.”

Gilbert predicted that the entire season should sell out soon. “I can’t predict it will be today, or tomorrow, but interest in Sabres games remains very high.”

The variable pricing plan introduced in 2005-06 after the lockout has been a huge success, and other teams are emulating the business model. “We’ve gotten calls and inquiries from other teams about how we do it, and this year the Nashville Predators have joined those teams who offer variable pricing for their games” said Gilbert.

My advice - plan early. Jump on those tickets. I’m betting that there will be nothing left to buy by Opening Day October 5.

The official line is this: “The Jumbotron has been sent out for spring cleaning”. But the chatter around the arena today is that a brand new scoreboard is on the way for fans to enjoy, and should be in place by the season opener on October 5.

The Sabres officially maintain the “no comment” position, while at the same time saying when there’s something to announce it will be announced. In other words no denial. So that’s a good thing.

While we have seen some real amazing hi-def scoreboards in other arenas, I am really hoping that the creative gurus at the Sabres come up with something that is really unique and special and something we can call our own. The Charlotte Bobcats Arena scoreboard is crowned with a replica of their city skyline - the buildings can light up and the backdrop offers all sorts of neat effects like moonlight, shooting stars etc. Remember folks, the snazzy goalie net, the orange ice… the Sabres have a tradition of always thinking outside the box. So when the announcement does come, I will be eagerly awaiting the details!

Pete excitedly texts me last night, saying “we’re getting a new scoreboard!” And indeed, Tim Graham at the Buffalo News reports that a new state of the art video board is in the works for an opening night debut.

Well, we’ve been only beating the drum for state of the art electronics enhancements for about seven years now. We continually sent former Sabres Exec VP Ron Bertovich ideas from our road trips; we pushed for a new board in a 2006 Artvoice Puck Stop column Making Over HSBC Arena. A couple of times we’ve also sent Larry Quinn digital jpegs of scoreboards which blew our socks off.

So upon reading this news, one of my first calls this morning was to Sabres PR Honcho Mike Gilbert to get the details. “Mike, Andrew Kulyk here! I see we’re finally getting a cool new scoreboard. Will the Sabres have an information packet out on this soon? I want to do a story!”

Gilbert’s reply? “What makes you think we’re getting a new scoreboard?” Me: “Well, umm, it was reported last night on the Buffalo News Sabres blog.” Gilbert: “What makes you think everything you read on blogs is true?”

The bottom line - the Sabres have no official announcement. Gilbert twice gave me a firm “no comment” on any details regarding this issue. I thanked him for his time, told him I’d see him down at the arena later this week, and bid him good bye.

We’re hoping Tim Graham’s assumption and source is true. When I get down to training camp later this week I will certainly do my own snooping.

Meantime, wet your whistle with these amazing photographs from Boston and Charlotte, and imagine HSBC Arena with something similar as its centerpiece.

Another peer venue is getting the full state of the art scoreboard and electronic amenity upgrade, this time Washington, D.C.’s Verizon Center. From reading the specs it looks to me like this whole set up wll be amazing and breathtaking.

Meanwhile, here in Buffalo we soldier on with this tinkertoy at HSBC Arena, manufactured by Sony Jumbotron, a company which no longer even makes scoreboards. Yes, when the arena opened in 1996 our scoreboard earned oohs and aahs and accolades. Today it is just a quaint old relic, kind of like that 5 foot boxy big screen TV which you tucked into the basement years ago in favor of the snazzy new wall hung plasma.

I spoke to Sabres Managing Partner Larry Quinn early last season about plans for a replacement scoreboard, and he assured me that the thought process was well underway for not only a new video board but a complete overhaul of the arena’s sound system. 2008-09 seemed to be the target.

I’ll be seeing Larry around the arena once training camp gets underway. I will certainly share the news from D.C. with him at that time.

I have to wonder if the Sabres are pushing the envelope to see exactly what the market will bear in terms of pricing for their seats.

The team released their pricing and designations for their gold, silver, bronze and value games for this season, and as you can see from this chart on the team’s website, the disparity between the season ticket price and the window price has grown even larger than that of last season.

Furthermore, more games have been assigned that gold and silver category; while last year there were just 5 gold games and 17 silver games, this year 9 games have been assigned gold status, with 22 more earning silver designation. In what is the cruelest irony of all, the December game vs Philadelphia and the February game against the Rangers have also been placed in the gold category, and I am assuming this is based on front office’s premise that fans will want to come out to see the return of Daniel Briere and Chris Drury.

So what does this all mean? Basically this - those fans who have been casual ticket buyers all these years, or who have not been part of a season ticket partnership group, are going to pay through the nose to attend hockey games. Look at that chart again… the $200 single ticket threshold has been breached, and judging from some of the other prices up there, one would think that this was a Leafs game at the Air Canada Centre.

Now in today’s Buffalo News comes this article outlining the formation of a club for those on the season ticket waiting list. For a $100 deposit, which I assume gets applied to an eventual season ticket, the member gets first dibs on a presale of single game tickets, before the general public. Throw in coupons for merchandise discounts, Bandits tickets, newsletters, blah blah… actually not a bad concept and a way to keep that waiting list fresh and engaged with the team.

What will be interesting to see is this… will the ticket buying public jump right in and snap up all the remaining seats at those eye popping prices? What exactly will this market bear, especially with all the bad news coming out of HSBC Arena this past off season?

I am guessing that fans will swallow hard and take the plunge, but be much more judicious with their ticket buying decisions. I am also guessing that the lowest priced tickets will be the first to go, leaving those 100 level preferred seats and the club seats as the toughest sell. Lastly, the September 13 presale gives another layer of purchasing opportunities for true Sabres fans, meaning that those beady-eyed, flapping-head folks from 416 country will have a much tougher time snaring ducats to see their beloved Leafs. And that’s a good thing!

We’ve had four season tickets in section 113 since the arena opened, and upper blues in sec 11 in the Aud before that, and have split them up among shareholders all these years. We have always enjoyed the attention and the discounts and the perks that have come with season ticket ownership. If you are a late arrival to this party, well all I can say is that sux for you!

Yes, a game at The Ralph on the preseason list.

No, not that game, and no, not that Ralph. We’re talking Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota, home of the Fighting Sioux and the college home for Sabres winger Drew Stafford.

Here is the complete schedule, which will include two home games at HSBC Arena:

Friday, September 21 Buffalo vs. Columbus, 7:00 p.m. (HSBC Arena)
Sunday, September 23 Buffalo at Columbus, 5:00 p.m. (Nationwide Arena)
Monday, September 24 Buffalo at Minnesota, 8:00 p.m. (Grand Forks, ND)
Wednesday, September 26 Buffalo at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. (Air Canada Centre)
Friday, September 28 Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. (Mellon Arena)
Saturday, September 29 Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m. (HSBC Arena)

For the record, the USRT did make a visit to The Ralph back in January of 2005, as part of a trip which also included Winnipeg’s new MTS Centre 150 miles to the north.

Our take on The Ralph? One of the most amazing and most opulent hockey venues on the planet.

For you Sabres fans, and you Sopranos fans, this clip is really cool.

Thanks to Derrick Dale from our posse at the Buffalo Roadtrip Herd for sending this along.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYZB1xIDLZY]

But apparently the Buffalo News’ Bob Dicesare doesn’t think so.

The story about Michael Peca being interested in returning to the Buffalo Sabres has been swirling for a couple weeks now, ever since the team’s debacle earlier this month in losing their two most prized assets.

Peca’s departure from Buffalo was an acrimonius one - back in the late 90’s he demanded a 4 year deal from Buffalo which would have paid him somewhere between $14-$16 million dollars for the life of the contract. The Rigas ownership balked, Darcy Regier said no way, and Peca ended up holding out, while the Sabres dug their heels in. In the end, the team ended up trading him to the New York Islanders, and picked up Tim Connolly and Taylor Pyatt in return.

Says Dicesare…

Peca got his trade, to New York, and an excessive salary that typified the Islanders’ penchant for overpaying.

An NHL player being overpaid for the value of his services? No way Bob! Say it ain’t so!!!

Here is the curious part relating to Peca’s departure from the Sabres. Peca really never left. He and his wife Kristin kept the same home they lived in when he played for Buffalo despite three team changes. They have since started a family and the Pecas and their two children make their offseason home in Getzville. When I talked to Michael last winter and asked him why he lives here when he has the financial means to buy a place anywhere he wants, he replied, “Why would I want to move elsewhere? The people here are so warm and friendly, it’s a great place to raise a family, and it’s close to my wife’s family and mine as well.”

Here is what Peca brings to the table - immediate leadership in the locker room, a probable claim for the “C” on the jersey, the grit and toughness that this team so needs and might have propelled them further on this past year’s squad. Make no mistake - had Peca’s year not come to an early conclusion in Toronto because of a broken leg, the Leafs would have been in the playoffs. At age 33 he may not be the prolific scorer he was when he played here in the late 90s, but the intangibles and the toughness can’t be measured on the stat sheet. When he left the Buffalo Sabres, the team was worse off because of his departure. I see him as a poor man’s Chris Drury.

Read through Dicesare’s piece and a lot of personal slant and nastiness comes bubbling through. I can’t dispute where much of this is coming from, for I have heard stories of Peca’s past aloofness with the media, his obstinance and apparent greed in holding out for a breakout contract, even wife Kristin was not immune from public ridicule.

But that was then. People change, people mature as they get older; the Pecas are dealing with parenting, middle age and eventually life after hockey, and their commitment to Western New York has been solid and unwavering despite all the bad feelings of the failed contract dealings in the past.

Michael Peca is exactly the type of athlete that Buffalonians love to embrace - tough, gritty, lunch bucket. He is a Buffalo guy through and through, and even as a fourth line center, his return to the Sabres would instantly make the 2007-08 squad a better team. Perhaps a much better team.

If so, the Sabres are looking for YOU!

Today’s press release…

SABRES ANNOUNCE JUMBOTRON EMCEE CONTEST

BUFFALO, N.Y. (July 19, 2007) — The Buffalo Sabres today announced they will hold a competition to find the next in-game Jumbotron host for select home games for the upcoming 2007-2008 season. With the help of on-line fan voting, the winner will be chosen by the Buffalo Sabres.

The initial entry for the contest will consist of an on-camera audition, explaining in two minutes or less why the contestant would be a unique and interesting in-game host. The winner of the contest will receive the opportunity to host 10 home games during the regular season. The contest will be a four-round elimination where the top four finalists will compete during portions of two Sabres home games at the beginning of the season (October 11 and 13). The winner will be announced live during the Sabres game on October 19 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

There are three ways for interested candidates to enter. There will be a live casting call at HSBC Arena on Saturday August 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Members of the Sabres staff will be available to video tape candidates. A DVD, VHS or Mini DV, along with a headshot photo can be submitted via mail. Video messages and photos can also be dropped off in-person to the Account Services office at HSBC Arena during normal business hours.

Application forms and official contest rules can be found at Sabres.com or at the HSBC Arena Account Services office.

I’m hoping the online voting also has a choice called “none of the above”. How about a season free of the noise and cacophony of these moronic game night hosts, and just organ music, cool music bumps and video clips during stoppages in play.

We’ve hacked this story to death… and Pete and I have very differing viewpoints on the topic of how hard the media should go after the Sabres ownership and management about the way they run the team, and as a result that has led to spirited debates between us. We’ve also engaged in mutual commentary with our partner sports sites at WNYMedia, and yesterday Kevin Pritchard at Bfloblog checked in with this piece touching on the latest pile-on, that being Bob Dicesare and his take on the goings on with the team. Once again, Kevin’s spin had me nodding in agreement.

Not to be outdone, Donny Osmonde’s latest pile of crap yapping about “big box stores” runs today, this one night after an assortment of macadamias gathered at this so called “forum” to tear apart the Canal Side vision yet again.

So is there a conspiracy at the News? Is there a jihad, as I have called it?

I got a detailed commentary from a good friend an unnamed source at the Buffalo News this past weekend, someone who is a regular reader of this space and whose opinion I greatly respect. Here’s what was shared:

A lot of people are talking about Bucky’s combative nature with Quinn et al. I guarantee you this is intentional. The News didn’t fail to re-sign BOTH captains, the team did… And then arrogantly defended their decisions by saying there was nothing they could have done about it when everyone knew better.

Should the paper do a better job supporting the team?

Not our job. Period. Not any paper’s job. Don’t get confused by Ch. 2. It WAS their job to support the team because they carried the games so they’re never going to say anything perceived as negative. You said in your post “we need to move forward and rally around the team now more than ever.” Perhaps the fans do. But we’re not rallying around any team. That’s not the media’s job.

The corporate philosophy at The News was clearly for them to WIN the whole thing. Paper sales would have been wild during the finals and we were going to do a coffee table book had they won. So to say The News doesn’t support the team — and you hear that constantly from callers on WGR — is missing the big picture.

Why does the News keep hammering the point of the poor decisions made by the team over and over again?

What are Bucky and Sully supposed to write through all this? That the Sabres are doing a great job of maintaining fiscal responsibility? Of course they’re going to hammer the team. This is a team that’s getting laughed at across Canada. What would any big-city US paper write about their MLB team for instance if they let their top two players just walk in free agency — when both guys would have stayed had the team not been so cheap? Has that EVER happened anywhere other than maybe the ‘97 Marlins? This is an instant, historic dismantling of a franchise in the four major team sports, not just some bump in the road for our beloved Sabres. We covered it that way — like any paper in any big city would.

This is where I part company with my unnamed source and I replied in kind. I don’t see all of Canada laughing at the Sabres, more of an attitude like “gee that sucks for you”. The loss of two co-captains doesn’t even begin to touch the garage sale that happened with the Florida Marlins. This is still a team that will be exciting, competitive and hopefully in a position to again make a run for the Cup.

Lastly, is there a Jihad within the Buffalo News?

There is none of that. There are no back-door meetings, no plans to get anybody…Just imagine the stories about “Regier the builder” had they won the Stanley Cup. To say they’ve done pretty good with four trips to the final four is absolutely true. But this season was a failure because of their own marketing campaign — the media didn’t start up One Team, One Goal. They did. So they failed to meet their own expectations.

Most of our staff meetings frankly discuss things like graphics, photos, how long each story is going to be, who is doing what story. There is ZERO talk of any agenda. It’s the No. 1 fallacy people have of journalism, that we sit there and conspire and plot what we’re doing. Nope.

My unnamed source admits that the Regier “devil photo” was silly and called it a cheap shot. As well as stating that Bucky is all wet in terms of his oft predicted meltdown in ticket sales and the soon to come yawning gap of empty seats.

I’m sure that anyone is welcome to join the Bucky and Jerry show in the News’ cafeteria, they are always eager to share a plate of falafel and other delectables permitted under the Halal diet. And I am VERY appreciative to my unnamed source for sharing these thoughts and opinions with me. It certainly gave me a new perspective on things.

As a member of the media, what will be very interesting to observe this coming season is how Sabres representatives and management will interact with the Buffalo News journalists at hockey games, practices and other Sabres events. Will it be business as usual? Will the chilly frost be in the air? Watching this scenario as it unfolds might be one of the more interesting side stories of the 2007-08 season.

The Buffalo News’ Bucky Gleason is just so desperate to see his prediction come true.

On no less than two occasions, he has pontificated in his columns about the coming meltdown in ticket sales, and how Sabres fans are on the cusp of abandoning the team in droves after the team’s front office incompetence in failing to resign their marquee players. But the reaity is quite the opposite, interest in Sabres tickets remains strong and even he admits that for the most part, the calls the Sabres are fielding are from fans asking if they have moved up on the season ticket waiting list. (Something you already learned days ago if you are a reader of this space.)

But Bucky won’t give up easily… his latest plan? RAISE TICKET PRICES! And to back up his rationale, he turns to one of the greediest money mongerers in the city, someone who has given almost nothing back to this community, Delaware North’s Jeremy Jacobs. (By the way Jeremy, how’s Seth doing?) Says Jacobs…

Jacobs was recently elected as chairman of the board of governors. He said Rochester billionaire Tom Golisano is the right owner for the Sabres, but Jacobs believes higher ticket prices would ease the financial pressure on the organization.

“We’re still driven very much by our ticket revenue,” Jacobs said. “The attendance in Buffalo is strong. Buffalo has had a very low ticket price for a number of years. As long as the interest is strong as it is, it may be painful, but people may have to pay more for tickets. . . . On a comparative basis, when you’re paying comparative salaries, you need comparative income.”

Bucky goes on to suggest that a modest $2 hike in ticket prices would be the panacea… raising $1.5-million.

This is where Bucky needs to get out of his popcorn munching, free-wified pressbox cocooned world and spend some time in the stands with the ticketed consumer. For the Sabres DID indeed raise season ticket prices, and the average increase was? Yes, $2. Furthermore, single ticket prices and gold, silver, bronze and value categories have yet to be announced. My guess is that you will see a more substantial increase for those single tickets, and more games being designated into that gold and silver category.

I will say it again… when it comes to marketing this team, selling tickets, and keeping fans satisfied, the Sabres get it. They understand this market, and while they could always do some things to improve, this is one area of the organization where they should be commended.

Your next fatwa oh al-Bucky? Inshallah, we all await!

Scott Brown from Channel 2 asked the asinine question at the Drury/Briere press conference… will the Sabres issue refunds to season ticket holders who demand them?

So today I had a chance to talk to my contact at Sabres account ser…. errr… “an unnamed source” at the Buffalo Sabres, and posed this question… has the Sabres ticket office fielded calls from irate customers? Have their been requests for refunds?

Well yessiree, the Sabres have been fielding calls from customers since the Drury/Briere thing broke. Here is the gist of the inquiries…

Have their been any cancellations? Can I purchase season tickets now?

Or this one…

I’m on the waiting list. Am I higher up on the list now that Briere and Drury are gone?

Yes, and even though it’s only July, this inquiry comes in almost daily…

When are single tickets going on sale?

What can we learn from this? Despite all the spin the Jihadists in the Buffalo News sports department are throwing out there, the fact remains that interest and demand for Sabres tickets remains extremely strong. Season ticket sales have been capped at 14,800 and a waiting list for new customers remains in place. Mini packs and single tickets are expected to be snapped up as soon as they hit the market. Pricing for season ticket holders, and variable pricing for single ticket buyers, makes today’s Sabres ticket price a bargain compared to the rest of the NHL, and especially in light of the free spending lunacy going on around the league.

Folks, we’re losing a bit of prespective here.Last I checked, Jerry Sullivan didn’t bolt for the Flyers, and Bucky Gleason didn’t take the next train to New York.How in the hell did the loss of the Sabres’ two co-captains to free agency turn into a bashfest of the News’ Sabres coverage???I’m ticked, not at the News but at the Sabres for not getting at least one of the two of our star free agents back in uniform for a few more years. I could give a rats for the line of questioning and columns written by the News lately. If they want to go Mike Wallace on the Sabres then God bless ‘em.Briere and Drury are gone. Is that Sully’s fault?No.Is that Gleason’s fault?No.That responsiblility falls on Sabre management alone. They knew for quite some time that it was imperative to keep at least one of them in the fold and had plenty of opportunities to do it long, and I mean long before the useless last minute offers they put on the table.They blew it a week ago, and I was ticked as were many out there in SabreNation. Apparently so were a pair of News writers, so when the July 1 press conference came they went after them(Quinn, Regier).As they should have. The Sabres allowed their leading scorer(and All Star MVP) and their heart and soul out the door for less than a 99 cent meal at McDonald’s. The team as it stood had just lost any remaining viability as a Stanley Cup contender. Somebody sure had to answer for this, right?Come October the Sabres will host their home opener. The Presidents Trophy Banner will be raised, as will be a division championship banner.Cherish that moment, because odds just got better, much better that you won’t be seeing anything like it at the arena anytime soon. Let’s not forget that amidst all the bitching and moaning about the negative columns/agressive tactics of a couple of hometown beat writers. Last I checked they had nothing to do with creating the current personnel situation at Seymour Knox Plaza.

Day 5 of the endless blasting, the inane blather, the accusations, the punches and counterpunches. Will it ever come to an end?

Today Jerry Sullivan chimes in, skewering the Sabres on the whole Vanek thing. I won’t rehash the points made, since Kevin at Bfloblog pretty much sums up everything I am feeling right about now.

But read on, my friends, because the cancer is spreading beyond the sports department at One News Plaza. TV critic Alan Pergament checks in today to blast the three TV stations for not joining in on the Quinn/Regier pile on.

We start off by lambasting Channel 2’s Ed Kilgore…

“You might have thought that Channel 2 Sports Director Ed Kilgore, who weeks ago optimistically speculated twice that the Sabres might be able to keep both captains, surely would be animated enough about how foolish he had been made to look by the Sabres brass to say something.”

Channel 7’s John Murphy doesn’t escape the scorn either…

“Channel 7’s John Murphy’s Monday commentary also was restricted to his story introduction. “It looks like the Stanley Cup window has closed for the Buffalo Sabres,” said Murphy. “Sabre fans expect the club to take a few steps back.” And what do you think, John?”

Oh and those bad bad guys Paul Peck and Dennis Williams at Channel 4? How dare they take vacation days during the slowest sports time of the season!

“Channel 4’s Dennis Williams and Paul Peck were off Monday, leaving Robin Adams to cover the story. Rather than give her own opinion, Adams took the safe route. She headed to the Amherst home of Hockey Night in Canada analyst Harry Neale for his diplomatic analysis.”

Pergament goes on to mention the asinine comments put forth by Luke Moretti and Scott Brown at the Monday presser, but then wonders aloud why, oh why, didn’t the seasoned sports journalists ask the same questions.

Perhaps, Alan, the sports departments at the three TV stations don’t share your paper’s ridiculous position. Maybe they have some belief and some hope that something good might come out of all this. Does that resonate at all in your mind Alan?

I’ve been at Dunn Tire Park all week for the Bisons homestand and have been in touch personally or via email to a good number of other media representatives who cover this team, and most are horrified and disgusted at the way the Buffalo News is handling coverage of this whole situation. Did the Sabres make mistakes and misjudgments? Probably. Would we have liked to see at least one of the co-captains back in a Sabres uniform? Certainly. Are the economics of the NHL spiraling out of control and hurting teams like the Sabres? Most definitely. But what’s done is done, and we need to move forward and rally around the team now more than ever.

Yeah there were some mistakes made to be sure. A crystal ball would have been nice. But I am going to give my vote of confidence to a hockey department that has taken our team to the NHL final four on four occasions this past decade; I give my vote of confidence to an owner who put a chunk of his personal fortune to rescue this franchise from the abyss; I give my vote of confidence to the managing partner who has dedicated his career towards doing good for this city, and who truly gets it when it comes to meaningful development for downtown Buffalo.

Perhaps tomorrow the sports department will lay off a bit… maybe Donny Osmonde can pick up the slack with another of his slam pieces about Quinn and the Inner Harbor. To use Muslim parlance, I am convinced by now that the News has launched a Jihad on the Sabres franchise and their front office. They will not let this rest until they bring the people who run this team down, and if it also means killing the Canal Side project for another ten years, then so be it. It’s personal. It’s a grudge. It’s appalling. And I can only hope that the responsible media in this city, me being a small part of it, is strong enough to offer a counterpoint.

Don’t stop flipping those Buffalo News pages yet folks, because Off Main Street offers a photo of Darcy Regier in their column today. Guffaw! Guffaw! Look at the horns growing out of Darcy’s head! He looks just like the devil! Hah hah hah hah hah!

Disgusting.