Buftex

You know, I don't have a Jordan rookie, and likely never will...so I am not sure. My collection is very Buffalo/me oriented...I don't necessarily care about superstars, unless they play for my teams...there are exceptions. For instance, my formative sports fan life started in the 1970's, in WNY. As a result, I own every card ever issued of a Buffalo Braves player, during the 70's...virtually every Buffalo Bills and Sabres card from that era (and many, many more from before and after, in the case of the Bills). I also happen to be a big Celtics fan. But I hated them, before the Braves left Buffalo. So, while I appreciate the history of the Russell era Celtics, as well as Havlechek, I don't really collect cards featuring them...but I do collect 80's Celtics (Bird era)... In other words, my collection, I would guess is fairly valuable, but, because it is tailored to my tastes, it doesn't have the value that it might, if I collected everything...if that makes sense. I would more likely drop $20 for a certified autographed Dennis Johnson card, than I would $30 for a certified Tom Brady card...the Brady card would be a far better value, but, to me, personally, the Johnson card is way more valuable... not to say, I wouldn't pick up good value cards of guys I don't care about...they are great for trading!

Yes, Roger moment of the week: Don: "So, what happened to your whole new "awareness"? Roger; "Eh...it wore off."

I have no doubt she will appear again, but I don't think it will be as a regular. I know the "Sopranos" comparisons are probably tiresome, but this show is so similar in so many subtle ways...one of them is they are not afraid to say goodbye...and sentiment is not a high priority. As we know there are only two seasons left of the show, I am reminded by something that Weiner said, a few times, in all the publicity leading up to the new season, after the long hiatus. Namely (paraphrasing) "people come and go when you least expect it, just as in real life", and "this is one man's story"...that one man, I assume, is Don Draper. I could see this show being set in a different city, with all new faces, except Don. It may sound like a recipe for disaster, but I trust Matt Weiner knows what he is doing.

Yes, that was really funny...I have been predicting that either Pete or Layne was going to be dead by the end of the season...but I was still surprised. They handled it very well. I am wondering if Laynes' death, and Don's role in it, are going to be a turning point for Draper...I can see, by the end of the series, Don Draper being very disillusioned with his world, and "dropping out", so to speak, on the west coast somewhere. His whole "rant" at the meeting with the Dow/Corning people seemed to indicate a new awareness in Don. Loved the conversation with the kid in the elevator at the end.... Speaking of creepy kid, could Megan be the new object of his affections...ala Betty way back in the first season? Can't say it enough how great this show is...who would think we would lose two major characters in back to back weeks? The world is changing on "Mad Men". Joan got ahead the old fashioned way, while Peggy got ahead in a more masculine way... the intersection of the old and the new...and Don Draper seems kind of caught in the middle of the road.

Your warm.

I don't recall that either. I ran into him at a 1998 Bills game in New Orleans...they still had a smoking lounge in the dome...he was huffing and puffing on cigerrettes (my buddy smokes, I do not), he and his son were both decked out in Bills gear. He was super cool, and as I recall, loved Buffalo. Honeslty, I think, more than anything, he was thrilled to be recognized, especially in front of his son. He baught me and my friend each a beer. Hate to say it, I was so hung over from the night before the game, I only took a few sips... Of course, this was after he was done playing, so maybe his stance softened some. Those were pre-internet days, so perhaps I missed this back then...

I remember that show too. I used to listen every Monday night...as the losses piled up, they got nastier and nastier toward callers...it was a really contentious show...as I recall, they ended up cancelling it mid-season, as nearly every show would have Smerlas calling a caller some name, and telling them he would be happy to meet them in a parking lot somewhere, to "discuss" their differences. I also recall, when they were in the midst of a good season (I think it was 1980, maybe 1981) Smerlas and Haslett got into a fight in a parking lot with teammate Isiah Robertson...one of the older vets that Chuck Knox brang with him from the Rams, to be an steadying influence on the defense. There were lots of rumors of racial discord in the locker room during those years, either Smerlas or Haslett was normally at the center of things. All that said, I will say, Smerlas' book "By A Nose" is one of the better Buffalo Bills books I have ever read...it is full of anecdotes, many of them on the tawdry side, the kind you don't normally hear about the Buffalo Bills. One of the few real "juicy" Bills books that I have ever come across.

I know "Ralph is cheap" is a bit of a cliche, but to deny that financial considerations haven't played a substantial role in the product the Bills have put on the field over the years, is to live in a bubble. Of course, Mr Wilson is spending money this year, and has had the occaisional stimulus package over the years...to say he is cheap may not be accurate, but to say he has been "penny wise and pound foolish" may be more accurate.

Pierce made an incredible three-pointer earlier in the game, under much more duress than Wade was under. Mind boggling thing, to me, about Wade's shot, he could have easily moved to the net, and hit a two-pointer to tie it up..."hero shot" is what Doc Rivers calls that. As cliche as it is, in the NBA, you live by the 3pt shot, you die by the 3pt. The Celtics couldn't miss them in the first half, but in the second, as they started to ware down, they just kept throwing them up, and missing, while Miami chipped away at the Celtics lead. As happy as I am for the win, that is why I don't feel overly confident about the C's pulling this out...not saying it won't happen, but Miami still has a physical edge. And as great as Boston has been shooting the last 3 games, overall, they are just as likely to have one of their brick-heavy games tomorrow night. Rondo really is the key for them, at this point. He has to keep up the great play, and not get too caught up in the verbal sparring. The kid is a tough little ****, but he has a bit of a temper... if he says the wrong thing in front of the wrong ref, he could have a short night. The refs don't want to lose control of this series.

I have an enormous sports card collection...going all the way back from the late 50's to the present. I inherited my older brother's collection (mostly baseball, football) and then started getting into it myself...my interest has come and gone, and come again over the years. Just purchased a certified, autographed Dennis Johnson card this past weekend...only $20! A steal! Also, have an almost equally enormous record/cd collection. When I do things, I overdo them!

brambills knows...he posted the same thing in another thread...for some reason, brambills has it out for McEntyre. http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/146440-favorite-player-on-each-team-current-and-all-time/

I know you are not directing this to me, but, essentially, Cribbs wanted the money he was worth, Mr Wilson would not give it to him, because he was under contract...so Cribbs used the only leveredge he had, and went to the new USFL, after playing out his original contract with the Bills. Chanlder81 is right, Cribbs departure put a big hole in what had been an upper echelon offense...but I contend, if Mr Wilson had done the right thing with Cribbs, as some owners (not all) would have, we would be remembering Cribbs as one of the all-time great Buffalo Bills, rather than discussing if he was a "creep" or not. Ultimatley, Cribbs departure was bad for the Bills, and bad for Cribbs. He ended up playing, IIRC, effectively, 4 football seasons in 2 years, and was a shell of himself when he returned to the Bills, after the USFL folded. He went on to be somewhat productive as a back-up for the 49ers, but was never the same.

Kinnebrew story is not for public consumption...Smerlas was a great player, but a real jerk off the field, when he was in Buffalo. What makes Smerlas a "creep", in my book, is that he has done nothing but bad mouth the Bills, the Bills owner, and the city of Buffalo, as he tries to warm himself to the New England area sports scene. It pains me to say it, because he was a great player, on some of my all-time favorite Bills teams. If you have ever had the (dis)pleasure of listening to Smerlas on New England area radio, or, on his occaisional fill-ins as a weekend host on FOX Sports Radio, the guy still has a grudge against Marv Levy for letting him go, and still takes pot-shots at Buffalo and Buffalonians. He is, in my opinion, an ingrate...or, a creep. There is a big difference, IMO, in the way he treats Buffalo, as opposed to the way Willis McGahee treated Buffalo, when he was run out of town. Smerlas has said far worse things about WNY, and he is on the Bills Wall of Fame, for chissakes! For me, the word "creep" doesn't really apply to someone whose only crime against Bills humanity is wanting to get paid their worth. So, that takes Cribbs out of "creep" contention as far as I am concerned.

Agreed. I just think there is still some up-side to the Bills passing game.

Larry Kinnebrew & Fred Smerlas...biggest Bills creeps of all-time..oh yeah, OJ and Jim Dunaway too!

Sorry, I meant Daniels...Marquis Daniels. Don't know where I got Jamison. As for Wade, I think he is feeling more pressure than LeBron, because, overnight, he went from being "the man" in Miami, to the second option...LeBron has always gotten too much crap... to be fair to Wade, at this point in time, he is more affected by Bosh's abscence than Leron is. Sounds like Bosh will be back for game 5.

No, I don't think it is a bad idea for anyone to get control of their finances, but at what cost?

Somewhere in that interview, Fitz made the distinction between "completing a pass" and "being accurate"...which I like hearing....of course, he still has to put it into practice. I really think, in some ways, our receivers (Johnson, Jones, Nelson, Hagan, Chandler etc) put up some pretty decent numbers last year, considering how inaccurately Fitz got the ball to them. They really had to work to catch a lot of that stuff. If Fitz learns how to place the ball where it leads the receiver, they could look a whole lot better as a receiving corps. We still have to see it in game situations. A lot of guys take the time to improve their mechanics in the off-season, only to have them break down again, when the bullets start to fly, and instinct kicks in.

Agreed...there is a Hollywood disconnect with reality. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/03/chuck-norris-wisconsin-recall-scott-walker_n_1566338.html

Happy Birhtday good Dr. ieatcrayonz? I don't even know who that is.

I think Wade was betting/hoping that Daniels was going to foul him on that last shot...Daniels, wisely, just let him shoot it, with almost no resistance...almost like, "okay, if you want to take the hero shot and win this game, go for it...you can win it with a 3, but you aren't going to beat us on the foul line." I don't mean to bag on the Miami Heat (because few want them to win, me included), or brag on the Celtics. But, there are teams that normally can come up with plays in those situations, to ensure they will get a quality attempt. Miami is just not one of them...and honestly, I think sometimes, they (LeBron, Wade especially) feel the pressure of the moment, because they listen to the clowns at ESPN too much, instead of just playing the game they way they, obviously, know how. How many times, in the last 5 years, have the Celtics run a pick and roll, only to kick it out to Ray Allen, or Paul Pierce, coming off a screen, for an open shot? It almost always works...they don't always hit the shot, but they almost always get a quality attempt. Like this...bread and butter play: Miami, as talented as they are, just doesn't seem to have that kind of comfort with eachother. This series is a little confusing for me. I still feel like Miami will win (younger, stronger, home-court advantage), but then I remember, the Celtics "could have" won game 2 of this series, and they would be up 3-1. Crazy. btw- JSP, I will concede, you may be right about the Spurs/Thunder series....the Thunder, IMO, have seized control of that one...should be a good game tonight...likely won't get to see all of it...

Funny, I am not sure I love this show as much as you, but I have seen both seasons, and did enjoy it. But, Emmy is awesome! You must be talking about Jessie's "girlfriend" Windy...or is it the ATM woman? Two very scary creatures!

gulp... Wow! Can't believe there is only one week left....

My condolences plenz...to your family and your brother's family.

The hands are the last thing to come to some guys...he is still young. For all of Jones' drops, he made some really tough catches, particularly when the Bills were winning, that kept them in those games.