That Aud Smell

I read the Friedman link, got super pumped, and then had a rubber band snap moment of perspective — it’s necessary to do this, but there’s still a level on which it *sucks*. I hadn’t thought about that in a while. Ah well - onward.

I am intrigued by this Gibson talk. As for Ullmark, is his save % influenced by the low event hockey being played by the team in front of him? I’m wondering if there are some #fancystats that could shed light on the matter.

I just love this creation. I'd recommend you orient yourself off Big Tree Road, which intersects Abbott. IIRC, Abbott northbound (?) will be closed at Big Tree, as Abbott heads up towards the stadium. That's a good starting point. Walk up Abbott, towards the stadium. You will pass, among others, Hammer's Lot. Plenty of activity in there. The crazy sh1t goes down in the larger private lots. The Bills, in their lots, have clamped down on some of the lunacy.

How does this timeline compare with Milano's? Did Milano not have a 5th year option because he wasn't a 1st round pick? (I am just making things up.)

This is a big year for him, for sure. I hope he plays well enough that he puts the Bills in a position where they have to figure out how to extend him beyond Year 5. I know that some here think very highly of Edmunds. Are we to make anything of the fact that he's not yet been signed to a multi-year deal? Is that a function of the year he was drafted and in what round? Or a sign of the FO having some unanswered questions?

Presumably. Otherwise, there's NFW the County would allow people in there, especially in the 300s. The posturing about how the old stadium is falling apart is really just part of PSE's efforts to expedite approval for a new stadium.

For sure. Of course, the Pegulas went from Terry's infamous quip in February 2011 about "I'll just drill another well" to the internal PSE memorandum that indicated that the Pegulas needed to maintain their lifestyle (i.e., mega-yachts are super expensive). I expect them to come up with 1/3 - 2/5 of the total budgeted cost.

Curtis Brown agrees.

we're talking about the existing stadium.

is that facility likely to create much of a hole? i feel like it's built mostly or entirely at-grade.

Agreed with this and others who said something similar. It's a little concerning that he will have to face tougher on-ice competition. But, whatever - sink or swim, pal (or, if the water is frozen ... skate). If I had to wager, I'd bet on him out-performing this contract in a significant way.

They are clearly not roofing or doming this new stadium. There's the talk of how it will create substantial coverage (from rain/snow?) for some/many of the seats. That's interesting, I guess.

Yeah - that definitely doesn't work. I'm at a point where, while I believe massive stadium subsidies are an inappropriate and wasteful use of public money, they happen routinely and it's probably going to happen here with the Bills. I mean, $1B or more in public money for this stadium is ridiculous ... but, then again, NYS gave $750M to Elon Musk for a high tech factory that has proven to be a complete and total boondoggle. Wasteful though it will be, at least the new stadium will provide the community with something it loves.

I caught a few moments of Ron Raccuia on WGR this morning - talking stadium. Raccuia is a Buffalo guy who parlayed his sports apparel business into becoming a part of PSE, and apparently a bit of a face and voice for the Pegulas as well. I'll try to relisten to the interview and post a summary here. Of course, if anyone did listen and wants to post the highlights, that'd be great.

I had a sad today when it struck me -- belatedly (which is pretty typical) -- that Eichel's decision to have surgery could just as well be an indication of "well, fuggit, a deal's not getting done anytime soon, and I don't want to report to camp for the Sabres, so I'm just having the fusion surgery that the Sabres will consent to, and then we'll see what's what."

I'm glad to see this thread back on track ... perhaps just in time?

Lot of truth to that. OTOH, I heard that he asked for his release. He probably thinks he can slot into a bigger role elsewhere. LV has significant young talent at WR.

Yeah - this latest report talks about a price tag of $1.4B for the football stadium. And 60,000 would be the smallest in the league, but that is, as others have noted, the trend. I am sure they've worked up the economics of it. These modern stadiums don't throw cash by piling in 80,000 unwashed commoners -- they make money by having high-end price points for luxury suites, club seats, PSL's.

@john wawrow with a solid scoop here. https://apnews.com/article/kathy-hochul-sports-nfl-business-buffalo-bills-77b347e94170316c76a9c9bd380b80ae

Lol - when did this become a thing?

With regard to surgery, there have been discussions of a traditional fusion or the experimental replacement.

Make sense. OTOH, which surgery is it?

I have at times grown weary of what seemed like an agenda on Hamilton's part. That said, the team has stunk for a long while now -- is it wrong for a beat reporter to have strong views regarding a sh1t team/franchise? One thing I can relate based on a single degree of separation: Hamilton is good people. A super solid dude.

That is also possible, of course. It just feels like ... changed agent, an apparent surgery ... things are moving.