Lori

You didn't really go there, did you? Seriously? Holy hell.

The in-game policy became an issue during the Phoenix game, with one poster becoming particularly upset when his thread was deleted. I didn't appreciate the way he responded, but he had a valid point about there being no mention of said policy in the TOS. I figured an announcement was the quickest and most visible way to deal with it ...

Thanks to all, and best birthday wishes to everyone else sharing the date. That includes Bobby Knight, by the by. If all the zodiac-sign stuff is true, that makes sense, because Knight's and my personalities aren't all that dissimilar at times. Not sure how quickly I'll get used to saying a word that starts with "for" when someone is impolite enough to ask my age ... but it beats the alternative, right?

No apology necessary. I figured you mentioned me because of the writing gig; guess I overestimated my notoriety ... That said, perception can be a funny thing sometimes. In one of Tim Graham's early ESPN chats, I'm pretty sure he fielded "you're obviously a ____ fan" AND "why do you hate the ______?" comments regarding all four AFC East teams ... funny stuff for a guy who grew up a Browns fan in Ohio. He's not a Dolphins fan, he just happened to cover that team last season. There is a difference. Now, if someone has a really good relationship with a source -- Peter King with Brett Favre, say -- do they lose a little of that objectivity? Yeah, although it doesn't happen often, I think they can. And in my fact-free opinion, I do think Mort's relationship with Donahoe (and his perception that Ralph did TD wrong) still colors his reporting on the Bills. I'm sure he'd disagree.

Yeah, really. Details, dammit! (And yeah, Losman is definitely taller than Nick, who was once mistaken for the Notre Dame leprechaun ...)

And a P.S. regarding the posts I just deleted: save that stuff for PPP. Not here.

Far as I know, he's from California, and the only NFL team he ever covered as a beat writer was the pre-Deion Sanders Falcons (while he was with the AJC). Believe he currently calls Arkansas home, and has a son playing for the Razorbacks. And he's been a national writer for so long that he's certainly suppressed any fanboi instincts by now. (Yeah, Berman plays favorites, but broadcast guys are different that way.) I cover the same high school I graduated from. In the back of my mind, do I hope they win every game? Sure. But I do not cheer in the press box, or sing along with the alma mater, or interview opposing coaches with a we/you mentality, or take it easy on "my" team ... and I hope my copy never reads that way, because if it does, I suck at my job. The Bills stuff is different, because I know I've got a better chance of witnessing the Second Coming than of scoring credentials to RWS any time soon. (And I'll be honest -- after spending so many years out in the stands, I'd probably have a tough time with the "no cheering" edict. Old dogs, new tricks, and all that.) I do still try to keep the previews as impartial as possible, although I have let some opinions filter through this season ...

According to Tim, the impending arrival is a girl, but I guess naming her Brett would still be a viable option for some people ...

2005. Troy Smith, meet Paul Posluszny and Tamba Hali. That was a night game too, as I recall. Yup, this one should be wild.

http://www.twobillsdrive.com/articles/game...me_day_preview/ Since last season's previews went away with the server crash, I tossed links to the Olean Times Herald's postgame coverage in both of the "last meeting" recaps instead. Enjoy ...

I was wondering how that was going. Not that I'm biased or anything, but Oct. 25 would be a fine date of birth for the little one -- she'd share it with Bobby Knight, among others. Best wishes to both of you from this corner of the country ...

Not to mention which, Channel 4 is NOT easily picked up via antenna in the Olean area (which has TWC) because of the distance and geography involved. You either get a dish, or you don't see the game -- even though it's well within the 75-mile blackout radius of the stadium. Fortunately, we don't have TWC on this side of the state line. My mom and stepdad are coming down for the weekend, and staying to watch the Miami game before they drive back to Amherst.

As long as 200 of those questions weren't by the same guy asking 10 questions 20 times each. Yeah, we made a point of sending people your way, Tim, but they wouldn't keep coming back if you weren't such an entertaining read. Thanks for keeping us informed, and doing it with a wicked sense of humor. If you hadn't noticed, we like snark around here. One more thought, apropos of nothing: I know Mort's CV and impressive body of work, but damn -- even I have to sometimes wonder if Tom Donahoe has some incriminating information on him. That said, as long as we Bills fans continue to take potshots at CM in his chats/e-mail, he's not likely to think fondly of us any time soon ...

Cheers, all.

Agreed. The Browns and Steelers already have their rivalry game, with the Battle of Ohio not far behind. What makes anyone think a game against Buffalo could ever hope to approach the level of intensity on display in those matchups? And for the record, I live in northwestern Pa. I know plenty of Steelers fans. And none of them give a damn about the Bills.

Scott Card has a column? Bookmarked.

Sooooooooo busted.

Still haven't responded to the fact that Buffalo has a winning record in JoeRobbie ... er, ProPlayer ... um, Dolphin Stadium, including three of the last four. Yes. Yes, he does.

Untrue. 2008 prices: LL sidelines: $85/75 in CLE, $70/60 at RWS LL corners: $60 in CLE, $51 at RWS End zones: $50 in CLE, $45 at RWS UD (500 level in CLE, 300 level here): $75/60/50/45 in CLE, $60/51/45/35 here Also, don't forget to include the PSL attached to almost every seat in Cleveland Browns Stadium -- $2,100 each for lower-level sideline seats like mine. The only available single-game seats, at $32 each, are in the far reaches of the corners of the upper deck.

Tim Graham had a bunch of stuff about it on the blog: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast And yeah, if it gets bad enough, not playing football again may be the LEAST of his worries.

Since Jeff D'Alessio (formerly of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) took over as managing editor, TSN has radically changed its print product, along with adding Sporting News Today in July. The mag has gone to a biweekly schedule and signed up quite a few heavy hitters to contribute stories. John Feinstein now has Dave Kindred's old back-page spot. So far, I like what I see.

There's something weird going on with all the Entercom Buffalo sites -- available one minute, gone the next. I just managed to get the GR home page, but trying to click on some of the links still "failed to connect." To me, that reads one way: problems at the hosting end. The webcast, which is not hosted at wgr550.com, is live: http://den-a.plr.liquidcompass.cc/etm_plr/...ayer.php?id=WGR

I'm going to the Toronto game solely because it's against Miami. I'm ticked that I won't be there this weekend. And when the 0-for-the-70s happened, I was a little kid who still liked the Raiders. The rivalry didn't end in 1981, or when the Bills kicked Shula's ass into retirement, or when Jimmy Johnson stomped on a box of Flutie Flakes. And I get grouchy when someone tries to tell me what I should think. One more thing: BEAT MIAMI.

Psst ... EZC was there too ...

You know, this was kind of funny the last time someone tried it. Er, maybe not so much then, either. The least he could have done, when talking smack about how "his" team doesn't lose on their home turf, was check the recent record. And discover that Buffalo won the last two games played in Habana Norte.