Buftex

Actually, I don't really have that much of a problem with what Odom or Bynum did. At least Odom admitted it was a bad play on his part, and, as a Celtics fan, I would be a hypocrite if I condemned Bynum for his play on Barrera. It may have been cheap, it may have been dirty, but at least it showed someone was upset. And, honeslty, I don't think the hit was that bad...just like I think it is possible, as ghastly as it may have looked Saturday night, Rondo didn't really get hurt that bad in his tet-a-tet with Wade. I just think guys have learned to overreact to everything, to draw fouls. And the ESPN chuckleheads love to make everything epic! Bynum, taking his shirt off, as he walked off the court, would bother me more as a Laker fan. It just shows a bit of immaturity, and lack of respect for the game, your teammates, and yesterday, most importantly, Phil Jackson. I have done my fair share of hating on Jackson since he went to La-la land (but I liked him in Chicago!), but the guy just deserved a much more professional effort out of his "kids", as he referred to them as. What he has done as a head coach is amazing, and would be in any sport. I know it has been rumored that Howard will go to LA, but I don't see it happening, at least not next season. I don' think the Magic will agree to trade him, unless they got something stellar in return (not Bynum and his iffy knees), so, like Cleveland, they may just play the season out with him, and hope that he decides not to leave... To me, as a Celtics fan, it is kind of bittersweet. The Celtics/Lakers rivalry is, maybe, the defining mathcup in all of sports for me, and my love for sports. I realize the Celtics "mini-run" is over, or close to it. It would be awesome to see them come back and knock Miami out, make it past Atlanta/Chicago, but going to the finals and playing Dallas or Memphis/OKC just does not get my adrenalyn going like the Lakers/Celtics. Oh, I would still root, hard as hell, but it still bothers me that the Celtics were 1-2 against the Lakers in the finals, during the Showtime Lakers era... I don't think the Lakers are done either, they just need to sit this one out... who you think will end up coaching them? btw- if the Heat run the Celtics out of the gym tonight, I wouldn't be surprised to see KG and Wade get into it...something is brewing there...and I will love it! If the Celitcs beat Miami as convincingly tonight, this thing is going 7!

I loved season 3, but I think season 2 was near perfect...can't wait for July, season 4!

I apply this pricnciple to the NFL, but not as much to the NHL.

Wow...that was a meltdown. Lots of rumors coming out of LA about what is "really going on" in the Lakers locker-room. No wonder Phil seemed like he couldn't wait to get out of there....he actually said that he was "happy this season is over, and that this is my last game coaching." They are saying that the problems stemmed from Kobe's wife playing a role in breaking up Pau Gasol and his fiance...Vanessa discouraged Gasols' fiance from marrying him...it caused a blow-up between Kobe and Pau, where some not so nice words were said about eachother's ladies...pretty ugly stuff. There really did seem to be something up with the Lakers. The Mavs are pretty good, but not 4-0 good, on the Lakers? It kind of reminded me a bit of LeBrons apparent dis-interest in going to the finals, about halfway through the Celtics-Cavs conference finals series last year. Apparently, Gasol admitted that he let some off the court stuff affect his game...Jackson really deserved a better send-off than that, from these players. They should be embarassed and ashamed, IMO. Whoever coaches the Lakers next has a big job ahead of them. I can't help but think, if they can work things out off the court, that Bryant, Gasol and Bynum are still a pretty formidable trio. Just keep the ladies out of it!

Yes, I get that...but, I bet, if they had called travelling, you wouldn't have heard many arguments.

You just, unwittingly, exposed yourself as a major nerd! Na-nu Na-nu!

Rush, Paul Shanklin...are these the great "patriots" they used to rail on and on about? Yes, I am sure they are trying to hide something insidious...

Pooj...I love the NBA, at least as much, or more, than anyone here. Please don't misconstrue what I said...I am not one of those "the game was so much better before" types. I do think it went through a pretty miserable period after Jordan retired, for the final time, from the Bulls. I really think that teams like the Spurs and Pistons, in the 2000's, kind of saved the game...and returned it to the great team game that it can be. My point was really, if there is one problem I have with the game now, it is the officiating. You can make the same complaint about any sport, I suppose, but in the NBA, home court, and status of the players involved play too big of a roll in how a call goes. Lebron made a nice play, no doubt...however, I still think, if that same thing had happened in Boston, it would have been a charge.

No, it wasn't traveling, because they didn't call it. They rarely call it in the NBA, particularly when a player is making a "power move"...and I am not implying that LeBron, or Wade are the only ones who get away with it...they pretty much let everyone (or at least "superstars") get away with it...when I played hoops, a zillion years ago, most of these type plays would get a traveling call...the NBA (and Stern has admitted as much) has a looser interpretation of what traveling is. You see it all the time...guys hold the ball, almost like a running back, as they "turn the corner" into the lane, and then launch themselves, with a running start, over the defenders. They let it go, because it is an exciting way to score, for many viewers. On this play, perhaps it wasn't traveling, but what they used to call "palming" (after he knocks Rondo over and changes direction), or double dribbling. I am a Celtics fan, I know Rondo is one of the better defensive players in the NBA. What I meant was (my fault for poor choice of words), LeBron has had his way with guys who are much closer to his size...guys like Garnett and Pierce, who are not defensive slouches either. When Lebron is making a power move, a guy Rondos size can offer very little resistance. Windshield beats bug, every time. Pooj, did you miss Lebron's left shoulder to the chest of Rondo, as he was catching the pass? Lebron is about 150 pound heavier than Rondo...

My hatred for the Miami Dolphins is so great (I was born into it), I can not, under any circumstance, root for any team, at any level, from the state of Florida. If the Dolphins and Bucs ever made it to the same Super Bowl, I think my head would just explode...but I would pull for the Bucs, no doubt!

Yes, Lebron has been having his way, with much better defenders than Rondo. He is also getting away with a lot of contact, and, unbelievably (for the NBA!!-sarcasim) traveling. Wade and James carry the ball better than Jim Brown. I suspect, the next two games, in Boston, Miami isn't going to get away with as much...the officiating the first two games was pretty one-sided. That is just the way it goes in the NBA...on another night, in another city, James "sick move" might have been a charge. Miami obviously has two more vastly talented players than Boston, but I still think Boston can be a better team, when they play the way they are capable. They seemed to be stymied, defensively, by Miami. If Shaq returns, and can actually contribute something, that would help...just my sour grapes! Whatever happens, happens.

I get the feeling that Brandon realized he couldn't run the team successfully, as far as the product on the field. But, I think he may excel at certain parts of the job, the more administrative parts. I give him credit for realizing, and accepting that.

The first video I ever watched on this new Youtube thing:

And twice a year, BB blows smoke up our ass and waxes poetic (for him) about what a difficult time his Patriots will have, just scoring points on the Bills, let alone win a game... I would be shocked if the Pats added Ocho Stinko...

Ralph Wilson said himself, upon Modraks firing, that Modrak didn't determine who was picked, when, he only did scouting, and recommended...he really didn't have the final say on who was drafted. I know for a fact, he was very against Losman as a first round pick. Modrak thought Losman was a high-second to third round pick, at best. But, the GM was hell bent on getting a first round QB, and Losman was the next best thing. No tellling how often that kind of thing happened over his tenure. http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills-nfl/article412832.ece "He's a hard worker," Wilson said. "He knows the game. In the draft, there's no question it's a big disappointment that we haven't had more impact players, players that make a big difference, go to the Pro Bowl. Tom does a good job, but he doesn't make the last call. He puts the [draft] board up. We have a lot of hard-working scouts. But it comes down to making the last decision. That's not Tom." Ironic, in the end, that Modrak is the guy who convinced Buddy Nix to return to Buffalo...

No love for Nate Clements, huh? He was the first, 1st round pick of the "Modrak-era", made 2 Pro Bowls (or at least one), and was a playmaker...I might actually put him in my top two: 1- Lee Evans-Doesn't get the big numbers, and perhaps, this past season showed more shortcomings in his game than we might have expected, but he is a good WR, in what has been a mostly un-productive offense, and a class act. Hard not to like him. 2- Nate Clements- guy was one of the few real playmakers on the Bills D over the last decade 3- Eric Wood- appears on the way to a long career, and an anchor on the Bills line 4- Marshawn Lych- Maybe his best attribute was his potential, never broke any big ones, but hard not to enjoy wathching him on the field. Tough runner. 5- Willis McGahee- I always kind of liked him... 6- Donte Whitner- In the right situation, this guy would look a lot better...Bills D wrong situation for most 7- Mike Williams- If this guy was a third round pick, he might still be here, not as awful as made out to be. 8- Leodis McKelvin- takes one step forward, two steps back. Has looked close to breaking through at different times. Tough position to play... 9- Jp Losman- Love the kids personality, but he was not a good QB...couple of fun moments in 2006. 10- Aaron Maybin- If you give Spiller a pass, you have to give Maybin and his 2 seasons a break, over McCargos unbelievable 5 seasons or utter uselessness.

Like anything, there is good and bad. Unfortunately, when it comes to country, the worst stuff is what most people here...there have been, and still are, some great country song writers. I think Clapton has been sucking ever since his first hook-up with Phil Collins...his last good "single" was "Rita Maye", around 1981 or so?

Except that you remember, the Bills hired Sam Wyche, specifically, to serve as Losman's coach? Wyche was to leave no stone unturned with the kid, from the field, and how to handle himself in the media...

I can never root for a hockey team from Florida...or the Bruins...so I have to pull for San Jose or Vancouver. Probably Vancouver.

I can tell you, Mularkey was not in favor of jettisoning Drew Bledsoe after the 2004 season, because he knew JP Losman was not ready to be a starting NFL QB. In fact, almost nobody in the Bills organization, other than Tom Donohoe, viewed JP as a first round, franchise type QB. Not to say that they didn't like him, or his potential, but they knew he was a project. Mularkey, and Sam Wyche, both had concerns about Losman's studying habits. You remember when JP made his debut, against the Pats, on a nationally televised Sunday night game? He looked awful, and unprepared? That was done on purpose, to teach the kid a lesson about being prepared. If you recall, the Bills were getting killed, and Bledsoe was taking a beating...remember, the cameras caught Shane Matthews warming up on the sidelines...instead, Mularkey surprised everyone, and told Losman to go in. Mularkey knew there were reasons to concerned about JP's maturity.

Wasn't Nate Clements a Modrak era pick? He would be near the top of the list, for the good.

"Thanks,so much..it has been such a long journey...I am not going to thank everyone here, it would just take too long, but you all know who you are...but I really have to thank my mom, cuz without her, I wouldn't be here...love you mom, happy Mother's Day! And, of course, I have to thank my dad too...everytime he said "You can't do it, you will never amount to anything...well, that really kept me determined to prove him wrong...so thanks for the tough love dad! And if my kids are watching...what are you doing up so late?"

My Bills years start in 1972, being born in 1965, I missed out on those old AFL teams. However, I can tell you, Cookie Gilchrist left the Bills on very bad terms, and had a grudge agaist Ralph, and the Bills, for decades, until he passed away. From all that I have read of Gilchrist, as great as he was, he sort of set himself apart from his teammates, in an era where that really had no place. IIRC, he took himself out of a game during the 1964 season, becasue he didn't like Saban's play calling. Saban suspended him the next day...Jack Kemp had to convince Saban to let Cookie back. They won the championship that year, and Cookie was a huge part of that...it didn't help though. Saban shipped Cookie off to Denver in the off-season. At a time when black athletes were not as predominant as they are today, Cookie really stood out, and was never afraid to speak up. When the AFL had their All-Star game in New Orleans, black players were openly being discriminated against, by the locals. Cookie, it is said, grew infuriated when he tried to hail a cab...when two or three passed him, a cabbie finally told him, "you have to find a colored cab". There were other stories, of black players having guns pulled on them by doormen at clubs, etc etc... Pissed, as rumor has it, Cookie gathered other black AFL All-stars togehter, and organized a sit-out on the game. To their credit, numerous white AFL all-stars said that they, too, would refuse to play the game, if their black teammates were not afforded the same treatment as them. The AFL, in a panic, moved the game, at the last minute, to Houston. The Bills had tried to reach out to Cookie in recent years, but his venom toward Wilson and the Bills hadn't subsided. He said he would be more than willing to appear at Bills alumni events, only if he got paid. Different times...I have heard/read football writers from the 60's say that Cookie Gichrist may have been every bit as good as Jim Brown (generally considered the greatest football player in the modern era), but his off the field controversies overshadowed his amazing on field performance. if it were up to me, Cookie and Lou Saban (who also left the team on bad terms, resigning in the middle of a season) would go up on the WOF before anyone. But, it is Mr Wilson's perrogative... I was there too! 1987 and 1988 were great seasons...back in my season ticket days. Of course, moved away after the 1989 seson...my impeccable sense of poor timing!

As long as we are taking credit, I was the first one to use the term "fanboys" in relationship to the Losman vs Edwards QB "controversy"...then everyone started doing it...