Lori

Hey, if any of you want to put some money toward a good GREAT cause, WGR's Jeremy White will be participating in Chip In for Carly's Club 2008 on Monday, June 16. I'm in -- if he can make it through 100 holes of golf in one day, I guess I can toss a few bucks his way, no? For those of you who may not be familiar with Carly's Club, here's the description from their United Way page: "Carly’s Club for Kids & Cancer Research at Roswell Park Cancer Institute exists to offer support programs to make life more manageable for children diagnosed with cancer and their families, and to raise funds for pediatric cancer research seeking cures at Roswell Park Cancer Institute." And before anybody tries to hijack this into a WGR rant, this isn't about them. It's about helping kids with cancer. Here's Jeremy's page, or you can hit the main link above to see who else is signed up to play. Oh, and sign Bob's petition while you're here, too. Thanks.

It's hard to disagree with that, Pete.

Sorry to hear that, John.

R.I.P.

Holy $*#. I knew Mitch before he came to Buffalo -- dated his cousin for a while when we were all in college. Was always going to look him up and see how he was doing, but, well, you know how that goes ... Thoughts to friends and family. BB, if you're still out there somewhere, God bless.

Ha, ha. Okay, that could have been more precise. Thanks for keeping me on my toes. Here: "I'd rather see Ogden go in as a first-ballot Hall of Famer than Strahan."

Answer: no. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Schiller Lv, I wouldn't speak too unkindly of him -- he plays pro lacrosse.

Ravens left tackle Ogden to announce retirement Thursday It's funny, Schobel always roasted the guy when Buffalo played them ... but I'd sooner call him a first-ballot Hall of Famer than Strahan. Good read from John Clayton: Ogden was prototype tackle of his era

Him on one edge, Lights Out on the other, Jamal Williams (assuming he's healthy) in the middle, and Cromartie back deep? Bad things, man.

Pretty much. Hey, you're here, aren't you?

I think they won't release him, because they figure they can get at least one decent draft pick for a guy who's been to the last four Pro Bowls. And even if they did, Taylor's not built to take on right tackles, which is what he'd be doing if he replaced Kelsay. Backup? See: last four Pro Bowls. On the other hand, if they wanted to try some 3-4, he'd be hell on wheels as a rush 'backer. Probably don't have the right DL mix to do that, though. If Armando Salguero's Herald blog is to be believed, Taylor wants a shot at the Super Bowl on his last go-round ... and I doubt he thinks he'd get it here.

Would have been nice if Ailinger's bio had mentioned that he played for an NFL team IN BUFFALO, no? They could mention the hockey Bisons, but not the football version? sigh ...

Ruh-roh. Peters Not At Mandatory Minicamp

Press release Congratulations to the entire Class of 2008. Byrd's selection for the Ralph Wilson Stadium Wall of Fame seems unlikely at this point, and it's hard to comprehend the idea that he wasn't already in the GBSHOF, but at least one error is now being corrected. The current list of Bills-related inductees: Ed Abramoski (1996) Shane Conlan (2005) Joe DeLamielleure (1996) Elbert Dubenion (1993) Booker Edgerson (2001) Joe Ferguson (1995) Kent Hull (1997) Jim Kelly (1997) Jack Kemp (1992) Marv Levy (1998) Paul Maguire (2002) Van Miller (1999) Bill Polian (2007) Andre Reed (2004) Lou Saban (1994) George Saimes (1999) Tom Sestak (1993) Billy Shaw (1994) O.J. Simpson (1991) Fred Smerlas (2000) Bruce Smith (2006) Mike Stratton (2005) Steve Tasker (2001) Darryl Talley (2007) Thurman Thomas (2003) Ralph Wilson (1992)

The day after the first home preseason game. This year, that's Detroit. Start with the 8,000 they told Jack they were holding, then subtract any seasons sold between now and the end of August. Random locations. I don't think they have an official waiting list, but a few years back, I scored two tickets to the Miami game by asking them to notify me if/when anything opened up. (Remember, though, that was with a season-ticket account ... and at a time when there were 15,000 fewer of us than there are now.) Five together, for one of just three home games before the end of October? Good luck with that, and I'm not trying to be sarcastic.

With the Detroit game on a Thursday night, any leftovers should become available the next morning.

Brett Favre, Steve McNair, Warren Sapp, and Jonathan Ogden. Favre's the only first-ballot lock I see on that list. If Richard Dent and/or Charles Haley haven't made it in by then, they could siphon enough votes to keep Strahan out for a year. You're right about the Miss Congeniality aspect of the competition, though ...

Try rereading the title of your post, then the content. And then, if you don't mind, explain it to the rest of us in English. Thanks.

Why would they pass up an opportunity to sell a seat for eight games because someone wants it for one?

Not yet, but it won't be long. Probably before next year's game.

Compensation: $10-$15 per column? JFC. That's what, two cents per word for a standard 750-word piece? Wow. Them's slave wages. Fine if you want to treat it as an internship, but that's about it.

I'll be honest -- I'm thinking about getting a few more, solely to have some extra single-game seats available. (And I don't scalp. Broke even on the four extra Dallas tix I got last year, but I made sure they all went to Bills fans, so it's all good.)

The mind boggles.

Fun with numbers: Ask your friend how he thinks Strahan would have done in a 3-4. Next, ask him how many times Strahan was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The answer is once, in 2001. Bruce is one of only five players in league history to earn the honor two or more times, along with Mean Joe Greene, Lawrence Taylor, Mike Singletary, and Reggie White. Strahan managed double-digit sacks in just 6 of his 15 seasons. Smith? 13 of 19. (That's a record, by the way. Reggie is the only other player with as many as 12.) Did Strahan make the 1990s All-Decade Team? Nope, the DEs were Reggie, Bruce, Neil Smith, and Chris Doleman. Of course, Smith also made the 1980s squad. Pro Bowls: Smith 11, Strahan 7 All-Pro selections: Smith 12 (8 first-team), Strahan 6 (4 first-team) Sacks: Smith 200, Strahan 141 1/2 Strahan was a very good player. Odds are he'll make the Hall of Fame someday. Better than Smith? Laughable. If he needs any more info on Bruce, just send him my way ...

I originally didn't think so ... but if people are starting to figure out the seasons-versus-StubHub cost, they might actually come close.