Archives for March 2013

‘But none of our duplicative government spending is as wasteful of public money as giving millions of dollars to cash-rich professional sports teams. Cuomo’s willingness to throw $54 million into Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium is a stain on his fiscal crusader cape.’

‘So taxpayers help fund upgrades for a stadium for a wealthy NFL owner – and they underwrite the governor’s men schmoozing with the high and mighty. But, hey, that’s what the taxpayers are there for, right?’

‘Hardwick, R-Tonawanda, said he will utilize the information collected by the team of five Canisius students from a public administration class he teaches to form a resolution in the legislature next month that calls for a 12-month land option for a development proposal in the Buffalo Outer Harbor.’

‘The distasteful detail in this deal is the luxury suite that will be reserved for the Cuomo administration. It’s not clear how often the governor himself will be going to watch the Bills play, and the defenders of the deal say the seats will be used to help New York promote its business. Some who use it might even be asked to pay for the seats, although the accounting can get complicated. At the very least, the state should release the list of those who occupy the seats after every game so we can see if they are being used properly.’

‘Ask any fan or anyone who covers the NFL for a quick, one-word answer to the question, "Will the Bills make the playoffs?" Conventional wisdom says 100 out of 100 people will scream, "No!"’

‘There’s no doubt the Bills are important to the psyche of Buffalonians, similar to the way Syracusans identify with Syracuse University athletics. That blue-collar city bleeds for its underdog team. But the franchise’s psychic value may outstrip its economic value to the region.’

‘Each NFL team is allowed to bring 30 draft prospects to its headquarters for visits. Those visits do not include on-field workouts. Private workouts that are held on-campus or in a prospect’s hometown are not included in the 30-visit limit.’

‘The Buffalo visit is tentatively set for April 8-9, with a dinner with team reps on the evening of Monday the 8th before meeting the club at its Orchard Park, N.Y., headquarters on Tuesday the 9th.’

‘The beefed-up police presence stands to make a real difference. Doubling the force on duty counts as a serious effort to combat a festering problem. The Bills have taken an important step to regain control of their stadium and, just as important, to ensure that fans who dig deep to enjoy the thrill of a professional football game get to do that. Here’s hoping the free-for-all is over.’

‘Mr. Brennan said in an interview that former Gov. David A. Paterson “was fined $62,000 by the state ethics commission for getting free tickets for seats at Yankee Stadium, so I think there’s an issue about the appropriateness of state officials getting free tickets to sporting events.”‘

‘”You have to swallow your pride a little bit,” Fitzpatrick said. “I felt like Buffalo was the best place for me to start next season and it didn’t work out. So when that relationship ended, I knew I was going to be looking at a backup role. I am a competitor. I want to be out there and helping the team win on Sunday, but that’s the reality of the situation right now.”‘

”’I thought we had made some progress, not necessarily in the record, but you want to build a place and finish what you started, and we weren’t able to do that,” Fitzpatrick. ”But that’s what happens in this league. You move on and you find another opportunity and another great spot, and that’s what I’m looking for here.”’

‘The 6-foot-4, 225-pound signal caller spent three seasons as the full-time starter at Oklahoma, taking over for former first overall pick Sam Bradford in 2010. Even in 2009, Jones played in 13 games as a freshman while Bradford struggled with an injury. Over his four year career, Jones has thrown for 16,646 yards, 123 touchdowns and 52 interceptions.’

‘”I like his junior tape better than his senior tape,” said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock. “I know he can make all the throws. I’ve seen him make all the throws, but like a lot of this year’s quarterbacks, it’s consistency.”‘