That Aud Smell

There's no real comparison, imo. I respect and appreciate what Kelly was able to do. But I also can't forget the Houston Gambler stuff, the heavy partying behaviour once he came to town (widely known), and him generally being sort of a d1ck. Setting aside that Allen can do so much more than Kelly ever could on the field, there's also the matter of Allen being a uniquely incredible guy. This Q&A was just another little chestnut that I can't help but adore (the question is something about "how did it feel to play the game as a soon to be married man?") That little "heenyaah" is ... sorry ... pretty adorable.

Post the clip(s), you hoser.

the point that you and others are making is a stronger one. the fact that harrington refuses to acknowledge its relevance is symptomatic of that guy being a world class derp.

I didn't say he had a good point. Just that there's a point to be made about the decisions Adams made to lock in a slew of very young players and rely on them to carry the load.

Yeah, I mostly despise Harrington, but he's got a point here. Also - and not sure if it was observed upthread - but there is something (viciously) poetic about a MacKinnon-led team exposing this Sabres team as the Avalanche did. There is no bigger, harder motherfu**er in the NHL than MacKinnon. You could see it last night: He kicked things into another gear and brought his team along with him.

Hamilton infers it's just because they're having a closed door video session where Lindy is ripping people new ones.

Per some Tweets. Something afoot?

Agreed 100%. I struggle to articulate the renaissance that I've experienced as a sports fan. The accepted wisdom in all professional sports is that fans are "long suffering" if their fans (I prefer the English term: supporters) haven't experienced a championship. People embrace it. They wear it as a badge of honour, of sorts. I reject that. I defy that. That sort of "suffering" is a choice that is made in response to events over which we have no control.** The Allen-led Bills have already provided me with more joy and delight than I thought I would ever fit into my time as a Bills fan. My son and I have been perched in the first few rows of the 300-deck for play after play after incredible play by Allen -- two of the best occurred in the past few weeks! And I won't taint any of those memories, those feelings with a "yeah, but ... ." That's a choice other people make. Allen is beyond generational. He's a once in a lifetime athlete. ** I note that the persistent and futile mediocrity of the Sabres is another matter. If I remained invested, there would be sports fandom suffering there.

We’re done here. Pegula out now.

i've heard and seen it said elsewhere: dude's a human golden retriever.

Where'd you see Cliff? Was he in the locker room?

for sure. “get your f**king hands off him, you f***king pigeon, or i’ll knock your goddamned teeth in” is way closer to what Biz actually said to the drunk golf bro. and far more likely that Biz grabbed a fistful of shirt rather than placing a hand on dude’s arm.

Not unfair. Context matters, of course. But nowadays, you never do know. This is why I’d never do more than try to diffuse the situation. Perhaps a well placed distraction! “Yo, fellas, there’s two chicks making out in the parking lot!” Is this akin to “how many Kindergarteners could you take in a fight?”

I would never do what Biz did in that situation. I'm not cut out for what often follows such an intervention. But if you're a person who can handle themselves? And you do something reasonable -- such as place your hand on an offender's arm or shoulder and tell them to knock it off or else -- as part of an effort to protect someone innocent? You're getting a gold star from me. Hmm. Really?

I will always have love for Diggs and what he brought to the Bills. And I have no doubt that he was a difficult personality to manage in the locker room.

Good looking out, Biz. Here's part of his quote about the incident: "I go to dinner at this place called Houston’s. I go there three, four times a week. The staff’s incredible, the food’s incredible and just like good people and I love going there. And, um, the bar where I normally sit was packed. I sat in the dining area and at one point there was a bit of a ruckus going on in the bar. It was a bunch of drunk golfers. Things continued to escalate. They asked one guy to leave and then one guy kept getting in the manager’s face, put his hands on him and that went on for about 30, 45 seconds. And you could tell he was a little shocked and surprised and stunned. It’s a family restaurant. I don’t think there was anybody in there who could maybe help them out, so, I went over and I just grabbed the guy’s arm that was on him. I said, ‘Sir, if you continue to harass and assault the staff, we’re going to have problems,’ and then they just started chucking." He's not everybody's cup of tea. And, lord knows, he's not some sort of perfect guy. But I really like Biz. I think his heart's in the right place. And he's got a good sense of humour.

Buzzing?

the barn will be buzzing, for sure.

lol - i see that he had 20 points in 8 games there. i appreciate the optimism about the current team, but, man, that 05-06 team was effing loaded.

What sort of waivers were those? Were they just the standard "you're going to the A, but you need to clear waivers before you go because of the amount of time you've been a pro"? If so, Pominville was further along in his career at that time than I'd thought.

I scoffed at this thread title the first time I saw it. But I am fixing to catch a vibe now.

marra probably needs to do it for business reasons. strikes me as a mistake insofar as football is concerned. wait - what?

YOU may not be. Remember how good Kotalik was at the SO, though? Speaking of players who were (in fact) waived in connection with the 2005-2006 season, I have such a fond memory of watching the CBC guy being on-ice after the final game of the 2006 eastern conference semi-finals where he was interviewing Pominville (who'd just scored the series clincher in OT). CBC guy pointed out that the Sabres had placed Pominville on waivers before the season started -- no one claimed him (and I am not sure what kind of waivers those were) -- and that Pominville then spent a fair amount of time in Rochester before making his way back to the big club. It was such a good thing to point out in the moment -- you could see Pominville get emotional, thinking about it.

Standing by an equivocal statement. A neat irony.