Lori

Tim Graham has a more complete version of the "money quote" on his blog: Kelly to Bills: 'Show up, or just pack your bags' (Comparing it to what I typed as I listened to it live should tell you why I record all my interviews ... ) Tim also mentions something I didn't know -- previous "Countdown to Canton" interviews, including Billy Shaw, Joe DeLamielleure, Marv Levy, and Thurman Thomas, are archived on http://www.sirius.com/nfl.

Here's the unabridged version: http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/columns...ory/677981.html

Correct.

A couple of notes to add, and then I sincerely hope I'm done with this thread. First, from Tim Graham's chat: And Scott Pitoniak's blog: Repeat after me, "Michael Vick is NOT coming to Buffalo"

Do I really need to explain the difference between legal and illegal gambling? Really? Paragraph 15 of the standard NFL player contract: And after reading some of the opinions expressed in this thread, I'm honestly beginning to wonder if I haven't overstayed my welcome on TBD.

And this relates to a human being dropping a dog into a fighting ring how, exactly?

Funny you should ask about Joel Bell. Tyler Dunne just wrote a decent piece about him for the OTH: http://www.oleantimesherald.com/articles/2...7e099748704.txt

Not by choice; Wade had to take him to court to get the rest of his money.

Are the zebras and gazelles penned in so they don't have a chance to escape the lions and cheetahs?

They have a marketing partnership. In fact, they're looking for "beat writers" for each NFL team for the upcoming season: http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=1051313 Naturally, this was a hot topic on a certain sportswriting message board I frequent. One reply:

The humans make a choice and sign a waiver before the opening bell. I don't recall hearing that the dogs get the same option.

Can't disagree with any of that. Just for kicks, I pulled this up: The Lycos 50 Top 10 Search Terms for 2008 are: 1) Poker 6) Britney Spears 2) Paris Hilton 7) Clay Aiken 3) YouTube 8) Pamela Anderson 4) Golf 9) Facebook 5) Sarah Palin 10) Holly Madison Games, celebutantes, Internet stuff, a mediocre-but-famous singer, and a Playboy model. Oh, and a U.S. governor and Vice-Presidential candidate whom everyone Googled simply because none of us knew who the heck she was. We are a shallow bunch, aren't we?

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Valid points all the way around, Dan.

Thanks, John. True, he's certainly no Kournikova or Rodman. It's just interesting to see ESPN et al. keep moving toward celebrity-driven coverage instead of actually, y'know, covering games and such. (Tim, if you read this, nothing personal. I'm speaking mostly about the broadcast side.) When people ask me what I think about the deal, I have to admit that the Bills did need an upgrade at WR, and he was by far the best guy out there. I'm not worried about him coming in out of shape or not working hard; those have never been issues with him. If he stays happy -- and that's the big if in my mind -- this could end up being a brilliant football move, to go along with the marketing windfall that's already paying massive dividends. If not ... well, we've seen that before, too. And he certainly does make your job more interesting ...

Thanks, Tim. I'll edit the title to reflect the change, then catch the transcript when I get home from work tonight.

To follow on that, here is the complete text of the league's policy on gambling: Read No. 4 closely, then decide if you think Goodell will reinstate him the second his sentence officially ends on July 20.

"Well, we wish we were undefeated, but we're not, so ..."

Knowing him, who's to say he went to bed at all? He did sound reasonably lucid, though.

Interesting to hear him essentially call out last year's team with the "you couldn't tell whether they won or lost" statement. There's something to be said for staying on an even keel, but at some point, you have to get pissed off enough about losing to want to do something about it, no?

A question along those lines, if I may. The three other athletes you cite are all recognized as among the very greatest to ever play their sport, certainly in the top two or three of all time. I wouldn't put Owens on a top-five-WRs-of-all-time list. So how much of his celebrity is manufactured, either by him or by the "infotainment" sector of our business? And it's good to hear that your byline is getting out there. It's about time people outside Buffalo know who's been churning out all that copy.

A few short paraphrases: Being enshrined: I never imagined I'd be here. I dreamed about playing pro football, but the HOF wasn't even in my vocabulary. Young QBs struggling in OTAs: Learning the playbook all over again, reading NFL defenses -- he's got so many things to think about. College playbooks don't compare to the NFL. Just have to get in there, get as many reps as you can, start learning your WRs, and take your playbook everywhere you go. You do need a couple days off from time to time, though, to refresh the brain. Sanchez (and the other young guys) will be all right. He said things started clicking for him about halfway through his first season. He came in late, only had about a week to prepare for the season opener against the Jets. Predetermined where a lot of his throws were going to go. He prepared hard, though -- was one of the first guys to buy his own projector, had his own film room. Lucky to keep the same coach throughout his career, so he didn't have to learn an entirely new offense. The Super Bills: How many teams that went to the SB and lost even went to the playoffs the next year? If it wasn't for a dropped pass against the Browns, we might have gone to six AFC Championship games in a row. Fans recognize that, but even other players have told me, "Jim, you never have anything to lower your head about." Trading the HOF for a SB win: You really can't compare them both, because if you go to a bunch of Super Bowls, that kind of comes along with it. So there's really no way to compare the two. Asked about T.O.: When it starts getting really cold? (Laughs.) Is he a distraction in the locker room? I hope he is. We haven't had anything in the locker room. When you walk into the locker room on Monday and you can't tell whether the team won or lost, something's got to change. He's only got a one-year contract, and you know what, so do the coaches. Mr. Wilson's not settling for anything short of making the playoffs this year. The pressure's on. Time to show up, or pack your bags because there's going to be a lot of changes.

Sully snuck his in yesterday. Here's the transcript: Live Chat With Sully Gaughan's at the plate right now: http://blogs.buffalonews.com/billboard/200...ive-chat-2.html Graham's on the ESPN schedule in his normal 3 p.m. slot: http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=26575 Edit: Nope, scratch that. Tim's on at 4, as he notes later in this thread.

bump ...

Technically, he went to jail for the federal offense of Conspiracy to Travel in Interstate Commerce in Aid of Unlawful Activities and to Sponsor a Dog in an Animal Fighting Venture, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. BTW, did you know that associating with known gamblers can trigger a lifetime ban under the league's Personal Conduct Policy?