That Aud Smell

Saquon Barkley's 1-year deal notwithstanding, the dark clouds just continue to gather over NFL RB's. It's pretty astonishing how bottomed out the value of that position is. (I'm looking above at the tweet re Dalvin Cook out there begging for a deal.) If you're a 15 year-old soon to be blue chip recruit in Florida - and your HS coach has you playing RB and DB (I assume that elite football prospects still play on both sides of the ball (??)) - and Florida State comes calling - you and your family are definitely asking to be recruited as a DB, not a RB, right?

ADEA was passed in the late 60's and these companies are just repeatedly citing your age as an obstacle to hiring? I mean, FFS. It's gracious of you to frame is as a duty-related inquiry. But it's effing unlawful. And has been since before you were born. I'm also glad to hear that the turntables have turned (shoutout Michael Scott) and that the dynamic is shifting in your favour. No surprise there, as employers in our region are just hurting for qualified people in skilled positions like yours. Stupid on their part not to understand that dynamic.

brief as it is, this story took some *turns*.

Tyler Myers was going to be a Norris Trophy candidate. Perhaps my early enthusiasm was influenced by the fact that Myers was the dance partner for none other than Patrice Bergeron's first (and only?!) fighting major.

I definitely recall Quinn and Peterka sort of hitting a wall last season (and, in fact, being bashed into several walls (boards)) and consequently having their ice time cut way back for a long stretch. The team was expecting and needing both of them to take a substantial step forward in that department this season. So I wouldn't view Quinn's ice time from last season as particularly relevant to what's needed to "fill that void" for this upcoming season. That's to say nothing of replacing his actual production, nor to touch on finding a player who looks like a smooth criminal out there.

I'm (risking) being a pedantic as#hole, but sometimes the shoe fits so I wear it. Lance wrote that the Sabres would be looking at Murray, among other fringe forwards, in order to fill the void left by Quinn. If he'd written that Quinn's absence opens up a roster spot for a fringe forward to claim - as you suggest - I would have glossed right over the statement of an obvious truth.

he was wearing a silky bathrobe. not precisely this robe, but one very much like it. Come to think of it ... maybe it was that robe.

Bergeron announced his retirement. (Thank God.)

I feel like this must be the case. I say that because, when a local t-shirt company came out with a "BRETT HULL IS A CHEATER" t-shirt with a graphic of an icy crease, goal posts, intruding skate, and puck, Hull bought dozens of them (nearly 100, I think). He apparently distributed them to friends, former teammates at the charity golf tournaments he went to that summer. He also took a picture wearing one and used it as his first Twitter profile pic. He's a beauty for that.

I’ve got several stories, but I’ll stick with this occasion: I attended a few Chet and Muffy preseason STH/corporate sponsors luncheons at the arena’s club setting (what is it even called? Lexus Club? What was it called then? Harbour Club?) The one I’m remembering is from a year that they had players and other notable personalities (RJ, Ray) sitting as guests at each sponsor’s table. We had an utterly morose young European goalie at our table, who, I predicted to colleagues after the event, would be back in Europe within 12 months or less. I’m pretty sure I was correct. I can’t recall his name. Not sure if he was Finnish, Swedish … . As the event was dispersing, I asked for and got a picture with Nathan Gerbe. Nothing but basic pleasantries exchanged. What I remember is that, when I bro-clapped my hand on his back for the picture, I felt like that I’d slapped a slab of granite. A small slab, sure. But holy crap. Dude was a rock. This was also the luncheon where I almost literally bumped into Kim Pegula outside the venue and, after she regally said “hello,” I said something to the effect of “DURR DURR HAHN MAHN NK NK.”

The level of inexperience amongst jet ski operators -- in areas where there are lots of them -- is astonishing to me. I feel like it's a situation that is begging for regulation (licensing). But there's too much money being made for the fun to be reeled in. Also, lol at the Belichick joke. I would not put it past him.

Ha. Oops. I took it the other way, based on how commonplace it is and how dangerous it looks for a group of inexperienced jet skiers to be idling around a dock. VROOM! (sh1t!) WHAP!

That point is more than fair. And it reminds that I meant to ask: Is this something that a coach needs to be able to do?

That's an interesting insight @Eleven. I've done winter vacations to southern Florida over the past several years. There are jet ski rental outfits everywhere. You regularly see groups of tourists (be it a family or whatever) idling on those marine crotch rockets as they prepare to go out into open water, and it's there, in that situation, where the problems occur. Someone doesn't know how to operate the machine, and then BOOM, they've put half the machine up on a dock or whatever. ("Or whatever" apparently also refers to causing a catastrophic knee injury to a neighbouring jet ski operator.)

His management of the Twitter platform and brand has been absolutely bizarre. He may as well have taken a billion or whatever dollars - in paper money - and burned it.

Those two kick returns for touchdown notwithstanding (in that post Damar Hamlin game), Hines' biggest asset was how sure-handed he was on kick returns. The team needs someone -- not named Jordan Poyer -- who can reliably field kicks (mostly punts now (wasn't there some rule change that makes kickoff returns even less important?)). You would? Bro. They're Twitter reply guys. A total puddle dive, at best.

Yeah that's big dumb. Which is par for the course on Twitt-- ahh, I mean on "X".

One thing is for sure: TP picked a helluva time for a significant change in senior leadership. That stadium's gotta get built (and there's already a lot of squawking about how contracts are being handed out). Personal seat licenses gotta get sold (and that is gonna be TRICKY). There is an absolute sh1t ton of work ahead of the franchise. And who's TP got riding up front with him? (1) Roth. A financial planner whom he met and got to know (and like and trust) because the guy was helping the Pegulas with wealth management. No prior experience with professional sports management. (The guy does have an MIT MBA, so there's that.) (2) D'Angelo. A still somewhat junior lawyer (just shy of 40 years old by my math) who didn't get hired directly into a job right out of law school. She spent a couple years with the DA's office and then a few in private practice with a local law firm that the Bills use. The Bills hired her in 2016 to be part of the in-house legal group. (3) Josh Alphabet. A Michigan-educated CPA (who's about 42 years old). He did three years with a public accounting firm and then joined the Bills in 2007. I wish them well. We need them to succeed. As presently constituted, I don't especially like their chances. TP would do well to add a seasoned war horse. Otoh, his past experience with such hires probably tells him that those kinds of people don't add much to the mix, may not be a fit with what he's got going on, and aren't worth the money they get paid.

Former … newspaper.

There are of course many possibilities here. The simplest explanation (Occam’s razor!) is that TP decided to move on from Raccuia (because reasons), and everything else followed from there.

I figured people would be chirping him. I put any manner of beans in chili when I make it. But I know most Texans are insistent that beans have no place in chili.

Beans in a Texas chili?

Oh good - please don’t then. Sir. SIR! Yes, it is.

We cook with and eat mostly whole foods (but don’t shop there much). And I stand by my Duncan Hines brownie and Giant Eagle sheet cake takes above.

Addictive chemicals you say? *Cuckoo*