That Aud Smell

That's an odd way to proceed on a message board. When? Link? I missed it, is all. This is a good point. Consider that McDermott essentially hired Beane into that position. Which is not how those things generally work. Collaboration is clearly a Pegula calling card. That's where I am, all of it. We may come to find/feel that RaKru was little more than a snake oil salesman - fit for conducting leadership conferences, but unfit for being a HC in the NHL. In prospect ranking terms, his floor is incredibly low and his ceiling quite high. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

Huh. I missed or forgot that.

Honest question: Why wouldn’t CAR pay him like this? Absence of Pegula bucks? Roster structure?

I believe this is a modern trend in hiring into the HC ranks. Heck - Liverpool FC just won the Champions League with a manager (soccer's version of the HC) who was very much in this mold (Klopp). Honest question: Is the Belichick model essentially the inverse (converse? obverse?) of this? Isn't Belichick like a total savant about the entire playbook, all the Xs and all the Os? Is the Rams HC similar? Maybe things are different in (American) football. Maybe basketball is a better parallel?

GAH! Maybe it depends on the kind of broken jaw? Lafontaine was (is?) a maniac.

Jesus with the Chara stuff. I mean - is his jaw not broken? How is he even a possibility to play in that state?

Oh, for sure. A lawyer suing a consumer fraud action would absolutely request, and be entitled to, evidence relating to the asserted fraud in the defendant's possession. I'd bet dollars to donuts that Sportservice sells 5 oz. wine pours in other areas of its operations -- whether in that arena, other places in Buffalo, or other venues around the world. I'm also betting that those 5.75 oz. cups are destined for those "5 oz. wine pour" Sportservice-managed venues. I'm thirdly betting that -- as a result of centralized inventory shuffling and logistical fulfillment -- those 5.75 ounce cups sometimes end up at Sportservice bars where they ought not to be (because they sell 6 oz. pours). It just feels more like an error than a fraud. Now, if that error is committed enough times, it can start looking like a fraudulent act. I just love that line. That, and when the bourbon talks to him.

The guy has pictures of the clear plastic sleeves that the cups come in. And presumably he’ll get documents in discovery reflecting what Sportservice ordered for its wine cups. And I suspect there’s a whistleblower or two who may sing for the plaintiffs.

what about lindy's whistling?

I'm trying to dig into my memory banks. For several seasons in and throughout the 90s, a friend from the old neighborhood had access to seats right near the Sabres bench. I sat there with him probably 12 times. I'm trying to think if I could ever recall one of Muckler, Nolan, or Ruff call guys off the ice. I seem to recall some very loud whistling - from time to time. The other thing that immediately comes to mind is how players on the ice will routinely signal for a change. If they were being called off the ice, why signal? Bro - he played hockey. I thought we were clear on that.

Part of his job description is to be a wind bag. But I don’t necessarily credit the idea that his reported source is a figment of his imagination. Hasn’t he previously acknowledged that it’s basically a Twitter DM’ing source? If so, YMMV, for sure.

Egg on his face, for sure. You contend that he’s spinning a fiction when he says he has a (heretofore) reliable insider source with the Sabres?

I have it on trusted authority -- two different people (one a contemporary of Jerry's the other more of a mentee) that he's a good guy. Also, when he posted content about his daughter, I got a clear sense that he was a loving and proud father (which reflects well on any man). And now I'm going to give back into his content to term-search "dubious."

Fair. Sullivan also made a fair point in the context of that article -- saying that Carolina had managed to succeed without Skinner by getting balanced scoring. So, does Buffalo absolutely *need* Skinner as a LW1? Essentially no matter the cost? Another thought on Sullivan: Sometimes coaches move on because their shtick wore thin with the players.

I've heard and read many times that special teams and goaltending are how you win in today's NHL. So, yeah. That'll do.

I don't think he ever had it in him to create the connections that those guys did. I'll disagree with this. And agree with this. Also, re this : Sullivan's alter ego - the fictional guy at the bar (Rex?) - was an accurate reflection of who and what Sullivan was and what he was comfortable being.

I'm not sure whether Sullivan actually thinks the Pegulas had something to do with him being separated. I would not blame him for thinking they played a role, even if only silently and passively. The economics and overall philosophy of TBN made Sullivan's (and others') separation inevitable. The former factor is widely known regarding legacy newspapers. As to the latter, TBN has charted a clear course to catering to the ~1% wealthy of WNY. This is most frequently seen in the absolute kid gloves treatment TBN gives to the developers feeding at the trough of public money and to the Governor's $800M RiverBend boondoggle. I glossed that piece. And I don't entirely disagree with Sullivan taking some shots with the anticipated Skinner signing. I mean ... Sullivan's not all wrong in that article. I tired of his shtick. But he's not a dummy. And he knows well the histories of the local franchises. Good find. I didn't realize it had been discussed so openly.

Good reco on Devo. I was very late to that party - was young when Whip It hit - didn’t get it. In my early 20s, saw the light. Auto Mowdown was recorded in 1974. 1974!! And it *still* sounds like it’s from the future.

How ableist of you.

Blissing out like a mofo listening to this and catching up on paperwork before beer o'clock.

More obviously in her wheelhouse, I guess. But I think Perry's booming range and depth at the bottom of it gave the song ... a lil' extra something. huh. what a strange history that ride had.

Peak Katy Perry. Sign me up. Rawr.

This is a huge factor IMO as well. I really, really like Skinner. But I do not relish the idea of any* ~27 y/o winger getting an 8 year deal with the Sabres. * I'm sure I could dream up a few exceptions. I don't think Skinner's one of them.

Flattery will get you everywhere. I guess I view him mostly as an entertainer, of sorts. If he were my team's guy, I think I'd find him pretty entertaining. I think that's right. Like I said, he's an entertainer. Going over the top comes with the territory. Not for nothing, Ray Hudson is way, way over the top -- especially when it comes to Messi.

If he were my hometown team's PBP guy, I reckon I'd love him to pieces.