...

Because if tanking is such a principled blow to the players and/or the league, this would be their chance to affect it directly. What are a few games worth of stats when you can stick it to the poster-boy-team of NHL tanking? Besides, if the GM or coach altered the rosters to do this, the players would have no choice anyway, and they aren't intentionally throwing the game. WTF? It's just an idle thought and now I feel like I have to explain fancy stats. Why would a pro athlete EVER lose on purpose - period. Yet, here we are, talking about our tanking Sabres. How does that happen? Not by the players' doing, right? Pittsburgh or the Islanders might want to help spoil the Sabres chances at McEichel because they don't want that player in their division.

A team out of the playoffs, but too high to get anywhere near the bottom, or a team comfortably high up in the playoff rankings, might have an objection to the tank. If they have this objection, why wouldn't they want to act as a spoiler? And, acting as a spoiler, in this instance, means LOSING. So, I think there's no trying here, the strategy would be no different than Murray has had all season. Why would a team out of the playoffs want to act as a spoiler to a playoff team? What benefit is there to doing that? Yet, lots of games near the end of the season are set up that way. Anyway, I'm not saying it WILL happen, all I am saying is that it CAN happen.

I'm only suggesting that as much as a team can be a spoiler for playoff teams, teams not in the bottom 4 or 5 can be spoilers for the tanking teams.

Well, I wonder what the other teams in the league think of all of this, and if they plan on "contributing" to it. They can easily derail the tank as much as a team not in the playoffs can mess with playoff slots.

It's not done yet. I would say when the Sabres have 2 games left, if they still have a +4 lead, then you can feel content. It's not over until the fat lady sings.

I WON! I'm a WINNER!

Oh! Jeremy is now using our points as well! (16:30)

Oh! Listening to the first hour replay from the Howard Simon show, he's using our points starting from page 12 at about 12:00 in on the audio.

Short-term, principled actions always trump long-term, strategic, reasoned actions. Right? It's the American way.

I thought they've been playing hard and trying all season. You mean they have more to give?

Howard Simon's rant. He sums up half of the SS conversations in under 8 minutes: http://media.wgr550.com/a/103684907/327-howard-loses-it-over-tbn-column.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VwmyItsU-4

No, the players have to suck it up, is what I wrote. Plainly. In English, even. Right there in the post you quoted, in fact. The players aren't the only people emotionally vested in this scenario. The players, actually, are getting paid to be emotionally vested in this scenario. And most players, when offered more pay, will become, instantly, emotionally vested in another team. We fans, however, remain emotionally vested, and, we pay to be so. So, yes, the players can grow up a little, recognize the fans, especially the fans from way, way back, have a lot more invested into this scenario than the players do. They can recognize this is a business, and they are free to not be here if they can't intellectually, morally, or emotionally handle the situation. You have the same options when you're asked to suck it up at your job.

Absolutely. We are Sabres fans (or whatever fans) for life, essentially. These guys are Sabres until the next big contract comes along or their career fizzles. There is so much overhead attached to this tank, and these games do not occur in a vacuum. Be a big boy, Weber, and suck it up. If I feel like pretending everything is rainbows and unicorns with sports, I have my son's soccer league for that.

And, here we have WGR55 at the same time fanning the flames, yet saying how bad people are for enjoying fire. WTF?

Then I think those players are free to leave. This isn't a poker hand, this is a chess match. The media have riled up the fans. There is over 40 years of losing as baggage. It's ugly. If the player can't intellectualize this, then, please, go. This situation requires thinking to make it through it. Hamilton doesn't help by, again, taking the undertaker's role and extracting as much grief as possible from the players. And, frankly, the Sabres played like crap tonight, so what's with the caveat "if the Sabres played poorly..."? That caveat is invalid.

Can you believe it?

We suck more. No, we suck more! No, WE suck more! No, no, WE SUCK MORE!

The most boring tense game ever.

Hackett is not durable enough to be a goalie.

Yup. They had the camera on him as he went down the tunnel. I'm a bit surprised the broadcast team missed that when it happened.

It's pretty clear why Arizona sucks, their D is horrible.

Fitting they're wearing the PJs for this one. Does Hackett's mask say "Hack"?

100% Red Tart Cherry Juice from Trader Joe's. Yuuuummmmmmmmm.

I've said ot He owes us a solid. Well, I guess he did keep the team here. He still owes us a solid...for something. As far as the lottery goes, there's as good a chance it's rigged as there is it ain't. You're kidding yourself if you think that the league brass hasn't considered influencing the outcome if they thought they could get away with it.