tom webster

On Kane, no big surprise. His Dad was the biggest ass I ever dealt with in business. Maybe second biggest. On Hoss, exactly. Its no different then me talking about the Sabre exec that screamed that Babcock was a liar and ordering the channel changed during his press conference. There were probably four employees in there and no customers within earshot. If I gave details I jeopardize those employees. You can choose to believe me or not, I am ok with that. If we don't want uncorroborated rumors on this board, I am ok with that as well.

He's really not doing anything that the Buffalo News and local stations are already doing, reporting that something is being investigated but nothing released yet. It's no big secret who Hoss works for and who he gets his info from so it would be career suicide for him to release what he heard.

No, I think there is a difference between mental focus and edge although I think most would agree he could play with more edge. In the end he has pretty much established what he is and you are correct, Winnipeg could do better on their top line.

And I will say it again for the three hundredth time, those close to the situation say Stafford's troubles are two fold, he is actually super hard on himself and he lacks basic hockey sense. The tools are there but knowing where be when to be there is lacking and he tends to go into long funks in a crisis of confidence. He is not too unlike Vanek without the hockey sense.

Come on, you are better then that. He has already shown that he knows how to move up and will do just that if there is someone he thinks is worthy but as has already been discussed, its not like they are the only team looking...

I'm pretty sure Sawyer is Caucasian and please be careful, I wouldn't want to lose your input over a Colin Cowherd type comment like that although you did capitalize it so there is a certain amount of respect shown. There are several Black people in Hockey management doing splendid jobs.

I wonder how many on this board get the reference. One of my favorite episodes.

I get your point but I think your use of the word excuses implies that there is blame to place for not getting it done. You are right, if there is one available, you figure out a way to make it happen. Like Blue said, however, there isn't one available.

Only reason I am a little more versed on timeline is because I have had this discussion before. It does seem a lot longer and as someone has said, it all blends together.

Again, job descriptions. Marrone was 4 months before Whaley is GM. He probably had a role in picking Marrone, may even have talked total money but that out clause has to be on the money men. And haven't heard "devil may care" in awhile, thanks. I will admit that the Watkins' trade is questionable but I don't agree that its as egregious as some believe.

You get all the blame when things go wrong and only some of the credit when things go right. A lot of it is timing and luck. That is why in the real world, in the business world, we only recognize the actual titles and job description, not supposition of how much influence someone had or didn't have before he/she got the actual position. If Manuel was a star, most would tell us how it was Buddy's pick. The record shows that he was promoted in May 2013 and in my world that is all he gets credit and blame for. Worst for you, in Terry Pegula's world this was his first off season.

And to say Whaley had three off seasons is also incorrect. He was promoted to GM mid May 2013 after free agency and draft where over.

Whaley was named GM two months after Alex Smith was traded. The fact that Cutler is still a Bear given the climate of NFL quarterbacking should be your answer. The only quarterback drafted during Whaley's tenure that they had a shot at that may be a true NFL QB is Bridgewater.

You obviously haven't been paying attention to the state of quarterbacking around the league, they may not be extinct but they are definitely on the endangered species list.

The difference is there is a finite number of quality quarterbacks available. It is not like they can go and create one. So they are doing the next logical thing, they are trying to create a team that minimizes the need for one. The only other option would be to keep tanking until the next Andrew Luck becomes available.

That has been my constant refrain. Of course the QB situation is horrible but what exactly could Whaley have done differently?

I mentioned this in another thread. Thanks for giving it its own thread. I have many fond memories.

Speaking of 1970, in case anyone who followed the Buffalo Braves missed it, Bob Kaufman passed away at the age of 69. The Braves first true star and the consummate over-achiever.

I agree with this but I think he might start the process hoping to drag it on for awhile.

I heard someone else talking about this a while back. There certainly is a trend developing with teams signing their draft choices early. Not sure why although I have heard some theories,

Smart teams have worked their way through the cap since the cap became the norm. Sure you can't sign everyone and some hard choices have to be made but several franchises have shown that you can keep the players you want and maintain a certain level of excellence. The Saints are more a tale of terrible talent evaluation and evaluating team needs rather then a tale of cap mismanagement.

You are talking about running two companies worth a combined $1.7 billion. He is easily in the 7 figure range.

By the way, Black was not the executive screaming at the TV calling Babcock a liar during the Toronto press conference. Sometimes Presidents have to make difficult decisions for the greater good.

None of that matters because that is not what he is doing now. There is no doubt he was promoted to positions outside his realm but he is being used properly now. As for the Toronto series, it was a financial windfall for the team regardless of how you view it. If anything, being President of both takes him even further away from the hockey or football side of things.

You know its funny, I have very few clear memories of the last thirty years but there are two girls that I knew for a total of thirty minutes that I can still picture in my head in HD quality. The very first girl we invited on Daytona Beach wearing a purple bathing suit and a girl wearing a yellow tank top playing pool at Cassidys while "Shattered" played on the sound system. Fun times.