That Aud Smell

I have little to no optimism regarding this team right now. Hope for the best. Probably more than any team in the league, the Canes frustrate me relative to the Sabres' fortunes. Both clubs had been non-playoff teams since the Sabres last made the post-season. And yet here we are, with the Canes being the picture of a good, modern team on the rise, and the Sabres being ... well, I'm not sure what they are. Also: Great job, @jsb.

An old family friend of a friend - the late John Putnam (RIP) - used to do spot substitute duty for Joe Byron. But he was never a regular.

I guess he was a good singer. He immediately came off to me as so damn smarmy - I never cared for him.

Vesey. Now there's a disappointment.

Back when I was doing more air travel, I experienced first-hand that kosher was superior. I think its superiority was largely a function of the fact that the meal would be more fresh than the other meals and would also be less mass-produced.

This is a huge bummer, if true.

Ha. That’s the entirety of it. If they’re serving a meal, ask for a kosher one. It is always far superior to whatever the standard meal is. Now, admittedly, I haven’t done that in a while.

It's a bit like the air travel hack of ordering a kosher meal.

It's a little sad and even maybe pitiable how things ended for Grapes. I generally enjoyed him. And, I mean, it's no mystery that he harboured xenophobic feelings for a whole variety of non-white, non-Anglo Canadians. I always likened him to everyone's "crazy Uncle Donny." He's over there in the recliner. He's a little drunk. He's often full of sh1t. He's funny. He's got some backwards ways of thinking about things, talking about things. He's got all kinds of stories. He's got a good heart.

i always loved this bit, but, for whatever reason, i just now realized how absurd it is that they were playing risk on the subway.

This is true. I had a business lunch at Chef's a while back, and was surprised when someone in the group ordered a GF pasta dish. I can't recall if he had the traditional house red sauce (which may not be GF), but he definitely got pasta, it was definitely GF, and he definitely took his leftovers to go. So good. The Gate is my preferred #1, but I do find that your mileage can vary. I think there's some inconsistency with the help they have. Gabe's? It's T/the Gate, homie. The thing with Bar Bill is that, not only are they so good, they always bring their A-game. Consistency is worth a lot. Then again, they are in East Aurora. Elmo's is excellent, and convenient to UB. Sidelines? Solid, but not great.

(Leafs in 2017 made the playoffs but finished below DeLuca 500 -- 40-42, by that measure.) (Flyers in 2016 made the playoffs and finished at DeLuca .500.) (I think these are the exceptions that prove the rule.)

P.S./Edit: Just looking at last year's final standings. The teams that made the playoffs were all above @deluca67 .500. The good teams were well above it. The teams that squeaked in were a few games clear of it. Whither @deluca67 btw?

Good post, good topic. The @deluca67 .500 paradigm continues to be a useful one, for me. It's not a determinative value, but, as a practical matter, it has proven to be a reliable signpost of whether your team's headed in the right direction. I can do without that, thanks.

*le sigh*

I guess I don’t know the rule. I don’t understand the call.

It's expecting a bit much for the team I support to be ... the better team on the ice?

it's a bad time for tampa to start looking like tampa again. ullmark has kept the sabres in this one. he's just a specialist at this point.

Some sustained control of play would be ... good.

wait - it was waved off on the ice?!

JESUS, Jack.

Eichel did have an end to end rush in the 1st that was fantastic. But I'm pretty sure that the 5v5 goal was against his line.

from what i've been able to see, this is a fun game to watch. and the sabres are being outclassed.

I really, really want to see this team emerge with a winning style of hockey. If they keep up with the play that's brought them to this point, they will, I predict, skid into a being a non-playoff team.

@jsb: i'm sorry if you're not getting the appreciation that's deserved for the opening posts of your GDTs. the time, thought, and attention you devote to them are all very evident and appreciated.