purple haze

I actually took that tweet to mean that Dan is doing things that Jim/Jill might not have full knowledge of. I find it hard to believe the Kelly group could be so tone deaf as to even allow the appearance of a discussion with Bon Jovi's group. It's madness.

I get what you're saying. However, when a man lies about his intentions to pull one over on you, that is personal. The TO group looked at stadium sites in the greater TO area. It has been reported, by John Kryk, many times over recent years, that sources say the group intended to move the Bills to Toronto. Now, all of a sudden, Bon Jovi writes a letter informing us, the fans, that he, and by proxy, his backers intend to make things work in WNY; while at the same time giving NO assurance that they will do so. The Wilson family trust itself was skeptical of this new viewpoint of the TO group. The TO group are telling half-truth's at best or outright lying at worst, all in efforts to buy a team we've supported, and potentially steal them away to Toronto. That cloak-and-dagger seems like an attempt at victimization to me.

Everything is personal to somebody. Most people just keep it to themselves when another person crosses their line. In terms of the Bills, fans aren't shy about letting it be known our line has been crossed. No, Bon Jovi isn't the devil. Mr. Bon Jovi very well might be a nice guy. Yet, he has aligned himself with men who wanted to hi-jack the team out of WNY; an institution that was born and bred in Buffalo, NY, and supported by the WNY region for over 50 years. That is very personal as you are seeing. Some of the venom is over the top, true enough. But what you suggest is just business for TO group is personal to many others. So, to Bon Jovi, Tannenbaum and Rogers I would say it's not business on my end, it's just personal. They aren't akin to terrorists or dictators as one t-shirt I saw ridiculously put Bon-Jovi in the company of. However, they have proven to be disingenuous, sneaky and disrespectful to Bills fans everywhere, including our brethren from Ontario who enjoy the Bills in WNY, the good and valuable citizens of WNY, and the legacy of AFL-NFL stalwart, Mr. Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. The Bills were founded when my father was 9 years old. He's a 62 year old man now. And over that time our team had one owner, who in spite of our feelings about the product at times, remained fiercely loyal to the area when he could have moved the team out of town many times. That means something. Business doesn't have to come at the expense of tradition, relationships or character. When Pegula is named owner he will want to make money too. But unlike the TO group it won't strictly be about cash and carry. Go Bills.

Yep. I remember that. The OJ Underwood years.

UB's teams from each major sport implement black in their uniforms/accessories. Especially the football team. It seems the University has added black to their color scheme, whether it's "offical" or not. Football team wears black pants often. They have already worn black jerseys too. UB is out for attention, and like a lot of schools they use uniforms as part of that. I prefer the blue and white too, but that genie is out of the bottle now. Nike can't force them to use black. The university liked the idea of it because it's a popular trend. Same way they're turning UB into New York State University... Those helmets do look sharp though, I can't lie.

No. Back in the day, they were blue and gold. Then when the program returned to life in the '80's they were red, white and blue. Then eventually just blue and white. Then they added the grey. Then they added the black in recent years. I didn't like it, but what's done is done now.

But black is in their color scheme. Blue, black and grey. They wear black pants often.

From John Kryk: Glum Toronto group privately rating chances as 'slim' it can match Pegula in #Bills bidding, source says: http://blogs.canoe.ca/krykslants/nfl/toronto-group-bidding-on-bills-rate-chances-as-slim-they-can-match-pegula-source-says/ …

Especially Henderson. Had a JPP in check consistently.

I prefer the Pegulas as well. Just a gut feeling I have about them. I think owning the Sabres and, if it came to pass, the Bills plays into a bigger plan on their part in terms of developing the city. I don't think the Harbor center is the last stop and a stadium for the Bills would be part of a bigger development plan for the area, not just a stadium. Just my gut feeling they have bigger plans in mind surrounding a Bills purchase.

Thanks for the specifics on the Golisano/Pegula transaction. I didn't know he had turned Pegula down before agreeing to sell to him or about that clause. I think that is even more indicative to people that Golisano is a friend to WNY. I understand concern about his age though. But all we have to go by is his prior history and that history indicates he wouldn't sell out the people of WNY. And even though the cycle of life indicates an older person is "supposed" to go first, a forty year old could really be a ninety year old for all they know. Life is uncertain. Mr. Wilson's daughter Linda, the one who scouted for the team, passed away at a youngish age. That's someone who I bet would have been interested in keeping the team in the family. I'm saying all that to say if we get an owner who has proven to be dedicated to the region of WNY based on prior actions we should take it, run and enjoy without letting thoughts of down the line hang over our heads. I think if Pegula or Golisano were the owners we have little or nothing to be concerned about going forward.

If they want the most money then Pegula is their man. I don't have inside sources or know any more information than the next person on the board, but from looking at all the information Pegula is the one if he wants it. He's known to NFL owners already. He's well known to state and local authorities. And he has the most cash liquidity based on reports. And his cash will continue to grow, more than likely, based on his primary industry holding. He's not a man who would need to sell off the team in ten years because his business holdings have been devalued to the point of threatening his solvency. The trust and the bank is doing what those types of entities do; look for more money. Because they seek out more bidders does not mean the trust will sell to just anyone. If that were the case there would be no lease agreement. That is what kept bidders down. Individuals who would have paid crazy money to move the team backed off because it would be too difficult to achieve. We all want the process to be over now, but we have to be patient and understand that this process, even as it is, is still moving very quickly. I think what we're waiting for, honestly, is too see how much money the trust can get Pegula to kick in. Not concerned with the TO group at all. They can't swim in the deep water as currently constructed. Golisano is not worth as much as Pegula. Trump? Unless his ego gets the best of him, he won't swim in the deep water either if Pegula leads the process out that way. I think we're good.

If he did don't you think it would be to a WNY centric owner? His history with the Sabres indicate that would be the case. He didn't have to sell them to Pegula. He could have sold the Sabres to someone who would have moved them. He didn't. I wouldn't be worried at all if Golisano is the owner. But I, like everyone else seems to, prefer the Pegulas.

1.45 billion.

Totally agree. If he's starting at one billion he's willing to go to the wall. The Peguals ain't playin' games.

True. But it's also true the Bills do have a lot of talent. There are not many reasons, outside too many injuries, they should be 6-10 again.

I predict the Pegula's lay down a formidable bid right from the jump. It's HOF weekend. 'Dre Reed finally being recognized. Machine Gun acting as Bills captain and the Bills kicking off the preseason. Bills fans all over Canton and the Bills situation being disucssed in general. I would think they would want to make a preemptive move and let word sift out on this of all weekends that their bid was a demonstrative one. Imagine that rumor of a stunning bid from Pegula is making the rounds on television by Sunday night? The Pegula's have more than enough cash to bid against any of the known bidders. The question is is there someone else out there who moved in total stealth with deeper pockets? I'm not counting on that. I think this process is really all about the Pegula's and what they want. I don't believe they will play games with low bids, etc. But we shall see soon enough.

It's only been a week. Can we wait for the team to play some games first? Maybe a couple? It's only another three weeks to wait.

I understand the sentiment. Believe me. But ultimately, it's a bad idea. The chants, the signs? Ok. Running on the field, etc. No good. People will get hurt. Fans and players would be in jeopardy. The best way to express displeasure is to keep your money in your pocket and not attend games. A TV broadcast with an empty stadium would be more embarrassing for the league than anything else and keep public perception with the city. Empty stadium would get the point across and the point would be powerful.

Not necessarily... If reports are true that the Trust is asking any potential owners to provide a plan for the team in WNY, then it would seem that the process is about more than who has the most money; although the Pegula's probably fit into that profile as well.

Why doom? They're only reported to be potential bidders. And there is nothing that says they would want to move the team. I think from everything we've heard already the team will be where they've always been. Just a matter of who the ownership is. I'm done worrying. But I agree, I'm looking forward to it being done with. Then we can talk about that new stadium or no new stadium.

I'm just going by this tweet from a few weeks back: Jeff Russo ‏@JeffRussoWKBW Source: #Sabres owner Terry Pegula and his wife Kim interested in making a bid on the #Buffalo #BIlls. Determined to win bid. We'll see now determined they are. My sense is that, for the Pegula's, the Bills are part of a larger plan for the area. They aren't just buying the Bills to keep them in WNY. That is the main thing, but it seems to me the Sabres, Bills and community development is the Pegula plan. Just a hunch. I can't say I'm at all concerned about someone "over-bidding". That over-bid could just as likely come from a WNY centric owner. Including a WNY centric owner not from WNY who has no designs on moving the team, but just wants to be in the NFL country club and have a team to claim and play with on a national stage. As long as the NFL has revenue sharing the spiel about the Bills or any small market team being worth so much more in LA doesn't hold water for me. If it were the NBA or NFL, then yeah, but in the NFL the important thing, television money, is shared; teams can't cut their own tv deals like the Lakers and the Yankees. At this point I'm not worried about the Bills leaving at all. I'm more interested in what WNY centric owner it will be. I'm hoping Pegula.

They wouldn't need wiggle room with Pegula. He's can bid competitively with just about anyone. Unless the Bills go for more than 2 billion to some guy out of left field whose worth 20-30 billion and just wants a toy. And I don't think any of us thinks that will be the case. What if Bon Jovi is a minority owner with a Pegula or Golisano,etc.? Bon Jovi might not be as in bed with Toronto as we think. Not that I want Bon Jovi as owner, just throwing out food for thought. And lookie here. The field gets smaller: https://twitter.com/johnkryk

Info isn't released in a vaccum. It's probably done so they can give fans the opportunity to stop worrying about the intentions of the trust without an official member of the trust being on the record and hurting potential bids. Same as media reporting information "off the record" from a "source". A lot of his info does turn out to be true. And in this case, if the trust wanted to prepare fans for the worst that would be coming through leaked info too. I've said it before, I think we can stop worrying. I said a couple years ago, Mr. Wilson's legacy is tied up in the Bills being the Buffalo Bills. He won't leave the area hangin'. His heirs will be beyond wealthy whatever bidder they would theoretically sell too. So why not a WNY owner?

Most definitely. But as you say I'm optimistic, I say you are being pessimistic. Goodell has not been definitive about the Bills staying in WNY. He has been positive about it. Most people, up to this point, have said there were no guarantees about the Bills staying, mainly because no one knows the mission of the trust which is based on Mr. Wilson's will. I think as things have unfolded, recently, the Bills aren't going anywhere. Goodell can meet with whomever he wants, but he is not the one selling the team. I'd be more concerned if MLSE reps and/or Bon Jovi were meeting with Russ Brandon. I've said before, years ago, that I don't believe Mr. Wilson would leave WNY hanging and I think we've seen evidence of that fact. There's a lot of tea leaves to read and statements to parse for what is and what isn't said, but if one does those things I think Bills fans can breathe much easier. Even the journalists covering the situation, from our own Wawrow, to Kryk to Graham and others, have said, in so many words, they believe it's likely, the Bills will remain. Pegs being a bidder, to me, is the deal sealer. He has what the NFL says it wants: WNY focused ownership, cash liquidity above and beyond potential purchase price, etc. The question is how the stadium issue impacts the team going forward. And if Pegs or Golisano are the owners even that issue becomes moot. I do think a new stadium is on its way though, in spite of the Ralph being a great place to watch a game. I hope this sale process proceeds as quickly as we hear the Bills/trust want it to. So we can move forward with a new era and some of us can stop worrying! ;-)