dwight in philly

at least it is not walt coleman.i said in earlier thread i was hoping it would not be hoculi or coleman, but nothing we can do about it except hope the game is not determined by a crucial call. that is a huge leap of faith when it comes to hoculi though. he is as egomaniacal as they come.

was he the guy that officiated the pittsburgh -seattle super bowl? if there was ever a reason to believe in a "fix", that game sure would qualify.

i agree with you. i always wanna know what crew we are getting, whether it is walt coleman, who we all know and "love", to the "show", ed hoculi. i am hoping beyond hope we get mike carey. i have never felt he had a bad game , whether it is us, or whomever. i also give credence to the "big market" theory. so we shall see.

not for me! i am a traditionalist i hate what domes have done to the ambiance of all sports. updating the ralph works for me. i really do not feel the area needs to make a "statement".

that is for sure PTR!.. i have been saying that. citifield and yankee stadium, we deserve our slice of the taxpayer , state pie!

well, there are always going to be losers, quite frankly. as i have said in a similar thread,we, in WNY, might be deemed "losers" based on the fact that ny state funded 80 mill to the ny mets to assist in funding citifield . i heard absolutely no outcry in WNY when that happened because most were not aware, OR affected by it. you have valid points, most i would agree with in the real world, but in the case of the BILLS and securing taxpayer funds, or whatever resources that are necessary , i say it has to be done. i will not bore anyone with the numerous mistakes the region has made over the years, but losing the bills would be the death knell.

ok, i kinda grasp your premise, but respectfully disagree with it. the bills are a "mindset", a way of life, autumn and early winter sunday's are built around bills games. i do not see that happening in other facets of which you referenced i e "favorite orchestra", the bills, (rightly or wrongly) permeate a great many of the populace's souls, hence the need to spend the necessary resources to keep them.

i am not the smartest guy in the room, im not sure what you are talking about.

i do not live in ny state anymore, but if i did my feelings would not change, i have said it before, why not see a tangible result from all the tax revenue? all the drivel about roads, bridges, etc, does not matter. the politcos continually pi$$ away tax dollars , why not on something that actually contributes to the "quality of life" in buffalo? all the hand wringing "taxpayer watchdogs" really get loud when it comes to sports. sure it doesnt add up that taxpayers have to pony up for ralph, but the alternative is unacceptable!common sense should prevail, not a bunch of self-righteous rhetoric. just do it and shut up! i am sure if the bills leave, people will be flocking to see the "new roads and bridges".

i am torn between lonnie johnson or ronnie harmon, but in reality, hands down, darryl talley!

i am 99.9% sure that bills season ticket holders do not have to purchase the toronto game. but it is the buffalo bills, take it or leave it. i am glad the toronto people come down for the games, thats great, but otherwise, sink or swim in buffalo. i have a sneaking suspicion that they, the bills, can make it in buffalo.

i do understand that, but i think the NFL, by its actions of not having franchise shifts "willy nilly" or allowing teams to use nicknames like the "buffalo stampede", or minnesota wild" want to maintain an "above the fray" mentality. maximizing revenue, all fine and well, but there is always the danger of it becoming major league baseball, i e: the yankees, boston,and bigger markets, being in the hunt every year. the kansas city's, the pittsburghs usually out of it. sooner or later it MAY catch up with them. but your point is certainly well taken.

with all due respect john, i feel that the team realizes a nice profit regardless of the toronto series. a simple question needs to be asked:if ralph and co are not satisfied with the money made in this market, sell the team . i am quite sure that there are enough parties in buffalo that would be interested in purchasing the bills and living with the profit margin that the buffalo market(minus the toronto game) would be realized. it just reeks of a money grab, plain and simple. not every franchise can be DALLAS, THE NYC market, it is what it is. i feel the team as is , is an asset to the league based on the historic and tradition it represents. the league seems to be smart enough to realize this. they need the "green bay's", the "bills" to maintain its identity.

ok, after i wrote that i realized i misunderstood. . that rule does suck for sure, i was very happy when i saw that the next two eagles games were on sunday and monday night affording us the opportunity .

ABSOLUTELY!.. it is a money grab , we all know that, all that bullsh-t about regionalization, etc, nonsense!, it is detroit telling ralph to get as much as he can! home field advantage be damned!

are you saying that the dallas game will be the nationally televised game? sweet, just have to see how it works out in regard to the eagles, but info much appreciated!

i know this is a rather specific topic, but in addition to the skins game being televised sunday, just learned that the jet game the following week will be on in the philly area as well.

still unable to shake the bitterness of the toronto money grab, i see the bills showing up and getting the job done, 31-13. glad it is a beat up skins team that they play in toronto though.

yea, i am pi$$ed that ny state taxpayers had to help fund citifield for the mets, you aware of that?? i dont give a sh-t about the ny mets!....On April 6, 2006, the Mets presented plans for their new, open-air ballpark to be built in the parking lot next to Shea Stadium. Several features, including a rotunda at the entrance, evoke memories of Ebbets Field. This was the intention of Mets owner Fred Wilpon, who was raised in Brooklyn when the Dodgers played there. The park features irregular outfield fences, elaborate steel bridgework and a cantilevered deck in right field. The total project costs are estimated at $600 million. The approximately $444.4 million ballpark will be financed by tax-exempt and taxable bonds to be issued by the city's Industrial Development Agency. The city will contribute approximately $85 million in fiscal 2006 capital budget funds for necessary infrastructure improvements and an additional $4.7 million in capital reserve for the new stadium. The state's Empire State Development Corporation will contribute $70 million for the construction of the infrastructure improvements and $4.7 million in capital reserve for the stadium from bond proceeds. The total infrastructure improvement costs are estimated at $177.2 million. The Mets will be responsible for the construction of the ballpark and related infrastructure improvements. A report by the Independent Budget Office, which was released on April 20, 2006, claimed that the ballpark would cost the city of New York approximately $177 million over forty years, and the state about $89 million during the same time. It also stated that the Mets would save close to $298 million from the use of tax-exempt bonds. ......so.. my point, WE ARE OWED!!!!

all i know is that people can carp all they want about "taxpayer dollars", but to me, i want my "taxpayer dollars" used to solidify the bills future in buffalo. if one thinks the 80 million will be "wasted" "corporate welfare" whatever, i say forget about it! the tired argument about money to fix roads, education etc, doesnt matter. the politicians pi$$ away the money anyway, why not use some of it on a tangible project like a stadium upgrade? i say do it!

again, i am totally on board with the idea, to me, it is a no-brainer. in the event it becomes cost prohibitive to add a facade, or the like, i hope, they sink the money into whatever upgrades are necessary. i know there is a thought process of building a new stadium downtown, but to me, that would take away from the tailgating experience that is unique to the ralph. the satellite lots could not be duplicated , the somewhat rural, college-like environment, just all adds to the mix. i say, just enhance it all.

i am the one that mentioned lambeau and the ralph possibly sharing the same aura. i concede that lambeau is a mecca, no doubt, my point was that was that we(bills fans) should emulate what the fine folks in green bay did. just build on the tradition that we have, which is considerable.

please!, why the negativity?, i am a BUFFALO BILLS fan, not a packers fan. the essence of this thread is about a fair comparison of football venues.

that is kinda of clever..