ChevyVanMiller

So many of his great roles have already been mentioned in this thread. I'll add one more, he was superb in his turn as a husband considering an affair with a younger, sexy woman in "Love Actually." Hit just the right notes of being torn between devotion to a marriage that had gone stale and wanting to chase some forbidden fruit. RIP Mr. Rickman

I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek there, but I live in the Northtowns and we barely saw snow last winter. This year we have .001 inches total, my plow guy probably has forgotten where I live and I just came back from a walk in 50 degree temps.

For those that moved away and have fallen out of touch, it's not the Buffalo you left anymore. I recently went to Riverworks, what a gem, and can't wait to see the new hotel that Croce is about to unveil. Millennials are pouring back by the thousands. Global warming has turned the winters into Carolina North. The proximity to two of the Great Lakes has made the summers some of the best in all of America. Yeah, Buffalo is the new place to be. Seriously! http://www.visitbuffaloniagara.com/2016/01/10-ways-2016-will-buffalos-best-year-yet/

That was a fun read. Especially loved this paragraph: Can: Schlitz's can features attractive script, and a reminder across the top that this is the "Classic 60's Formula" parent company Pabst says it was able to recreate in 2008. This way you can enjoy Schlitz the way your father did -- by drinking several of them before drag racing through the abandoned quarry, or whatever other nonsense that generation was allowed to do and still go to college. Also, can't imagine what type of crowd is in the bar mentioned for beer number 9.

Happy Birthday, Beerball. Hope you have a great day.

He said it was exactly the type of movie he would have wanted to see when he was a kid, so he had to star in it.

Yeah, that was a great line. As was him describing a poster he once saw on a production set that became a mantra he lives by: "Be careful of the toes you step on because they may be attached to an a$$ you may one day have to kiss."

Not sure that he's referencing Buffalo. Could be his relationship he's alluding to. Still, makes one want a bit of clarification from the guy that looks very much the part of our RB of the future.

Not sure what he's referencing, but it has some Bills fans nervous. "Have you ever looked at your surroundings and realized that no matter how much you tried that the place you are isn't for you. Don't fit in." https://mobile.twitter.com/Karlos_29_SR/status/684920955240628224

Awesome!

Awesome site. Here's a great pic from a few years back when a double decker bus shaved off it's top going under the Whirlpool Bridge in NF, ON. ** No Japanese tourists were injured. **

RIP Riley. On an unrelated note, yesterday's interview with Samuel Jackson was truly captivating. For the people that gave up on Howard years ago, you are missing out at witnessing a master at the very top of his craft.

Nice find, Thanks, Doc. I'm good friends with the Michael Rizzo quoted in the piece.

My good friend Joel Holka coined that nickname and I hope it sticks. Speaking of great lines, how about this one quoted in David Staba's latest column: As local native, former colleague and stand-up comic Ernie Green put it, “The #Bills playoff drought is so old, you can legally have sex with it in 30 U.S. States.”

Rapid Reaction - 10 Observations About the 2015 Season 10) Two non-losing seasons in a row (the Bills first since the 1998 and 1999 seasons) aren't exactly compensation for missing the playoffs for 16 years in a row, but I think there is much to be hopeful for going forward. This team could have completely quit after they were eliminated from the playoffs in Washington, but they pulled out two gritty wins the last two weeks and knocked the Jets out of the playoffs. Many Bills teams of recent years would have folded it down faster than an origami master. To their credit, this squad never quit on their coach, their fans and themselves. 9) Sammy Watkins finally arrived as a premier NFL #1 WR. After 7 weeks of the season, and battling a myriad of injuries, he had only 147 yards and was starting to hear the dreaded "bust" label being attached to his name. He called out his coach and then backed up his tough talk with some rugged walk and was one of the best WRs in the league over the second half of the season. Sammy finished with 60 receptions for 1,047 yds and 9 TDs in only 12 games. If he stays healthy next year he will establish himself as one of the very best WRs in all of the NFL. 8) If, before the season, you had assured me that the Bills would go 4-2 in the division, I would have declared that there was no way they miss the playoffs. It didn't play out that way, of course, but don't dismiss the accomplishment and what it means going forward. The Bills are a better team than the Dolphins and the Jets and over the past couple years they have shown that pretty consistently. Brady (I know, I know) is finally starting to look like the decline is beginning. He's still great, but his best days may finally be moving behind him. A great goal for next season would be another Jets/Dolphins sweep and a *New England split. 7) Probably the biggest story of the season was the defense's inability to embrace Rex's system and, as a result, they took a tumble down the overall rankings. I'm no Rex apologist, but I'm excited to see the defense next year when he has a full off-season to bring in and draft players that fit his scheme. I fully expect the defense to get back into the Top 5 in 2016. 6) With that said, I think Rex should take a long, hard look at moving on from DC Dennis Thurman. He often seemed overmatched in his head-to-head battles with the OCs he faced this season. In addition, there was a major disconnect between him and some of his key players understanding their assignments within his scheme. Mike Pettine is rumored to be soon fired by the Cleveland Browns. He fared well as Rex's DC and in serving the same role with the Bills. Rex might want to drop him a text - just sayin'. 5) I'm also glad that Doug Whaley is coming back. He wins trades in landslides, unearths great talent in the FA pool and drafts pretty well without many true busts. It has been a long time since the Bills gave continuity a real shot with their coach/GM tandem. How long? Oh, 16 years or so. Hmmmmm? 4) If they can stay healthy, and it's a big if, the Bills trio of running backs are the very best in the NFL. Shady McCoy was the real deal, Special K was a special rookie, and "Dizzy" Gillislee was a great late-season find. The Bills run the rock better than anyone, if they can just bring the passing game up a notch - look out. 3) It's time for a few people to bid a fond adieu to Buffalo. Mario Williams is most certainly gone. The Bills save $12.5 million by letting Super Mario shrink in another uni next season. Whether it was scheme or deterioration of skills, Mario was anything but Super this year. Chris Hogan also needs to be sent packing. 7/11 may always be open, but his hands turned to slushies at too many crucial times this year. There is no place in the NFL for a possession receiver with a penchant for dropping passes. Maybe late-season pick-up Greg Salas is the answer. Special Teams Coach Danny Crossman needs to be put on the first Jet Blue flight out of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. I don't care what flight he's on just so long as his ticket is marked "One Way." The Bills special teams were pretty awful most of the year. Almost every punt and kickoff return drew a yellow flag and the FG kicker could scarcely go through a game without missing an XP. Speaking of which, I wouldn't can Dan Carpenter outright, he was 21-25 on FG attempts, but I would bring in some stiff competition to training camp. The Bills already have to employ a kickoff specialist for Danny, he has to be able to make XPs with great regularity. 2) Another big goal for 2016 should be for the Bills to regain supremacy on their home field. The fans at the Ralph do their part by making it one of the rowdiest, nosiest places for opposing players to compete. Too often, the home team fails to match the energy of their 12th Man. 7-1 at home in 2016 should be a goal that the team works all offseason to prepare to make a reality. 1) The number one story in the positive column for the 2015 Buffalo Bills was the emergence of Tyrod Taylor as a bonafide NFL signal-caller. No, he's not elite yet, but he damn sure knocked on that door in his first crack at an NFL starting gig. For the season, he passed for 3,035 yards with 20 TDs and only 6 INTs. His passer rating for the year was an impressive 99.4. He also rushed for another 4 scores. It was far and away the best season by a Bills starting QB since the 2002 campaign by Drew Bledsoe. Should the Bills reward Tyrod with a big contract extension? Remember how badly Fitz fell apart after the Bills handed him millions of dollars in an extension. It says here that the Bills should hold off on the extension and see if Tyrod takes yet another step forward. They should also spend a 2nd or 3rd Rd pick on a QB if they think there is a guy there that might be the next elite QB. For my money, Tyrod was a revelation and I'm betting that he has another step to take and next year will lead this team to the playoffs. Thank you, dear readers, for another thrilling year. Keep the faith, next year, is our year. Go Bills!

Came across this pic recently. I've got a lot of nostalgia for the 1970's. As much as I can appreciate an arcade like the one at Dave and Buster's, I'd give almost anything to be able to spend an hour or two at a vintage arcade like this one at the defunct Two Guys Dept. Store. Big Ball Bowlers, Pinball, Home Run Baseball - man, those were the days.

Normally, I think many of the thread titles here are hyperbole. In this case, it is spot-on and Thurman should be dismissed immediately.

I learned that there are but two types of people in the world, the humble and the soon to be humbled.

To me, he and Curly Neal, were the Globetrotters. R.I.P.

Not that I feel the need to defend my integrity, but the smile on the kid's face really made my Christmas. I also gave my Jets tickets to a single dad to take his teen.

I gave my seats away so a single mom could take her 14 year-old son to his first Bills game. For that reason, and that alone, I find joy in this win.

If the Oilers win it again there should be rioting in the streets.

Imagine if the Sabres win the draft lottery and add Auston Matthews to their young nucleus.

While I agree that scoring being down league-wide is a drag and that the arena needs more to engage fans, the reason attendance is down is completely contained in these four words from the piece, "the falling Canadian dollar." Canadians make up about 40% of a typical Sabres crowd. I work in Canada and know many Canadian Sabres season ticket holders. Most of them aren't Sabres fans, they have the tickets because they are NHL fans. When their dollar was par with ours they went to most games ( and sold the Leafs games for a big profit to offset their season ticket costs). Now, the Canadian dollar is worth about .65 compared to the USD. Once the Canadian dollar rebounds in a couple of years, combined with the maturity of the Sabres' young guns, it will be near impossible to spot an empty seat at a game.

Merry Christmas, Westside. I hope the memories of your wife warm your heart and I wish you new love and happiness in the New Year.