Dwight Drane

Ok.....I will offer $42.00 for the website! What a freak that horse is. I thought that the tight turns and hard surface might have gotten to the shoes, but they used some Efferdent on those babies. This horse is a true freak of nature. Smarty Jones was a great horse, but horses don't make that sort of move on dirt that Big Brown made today. You see it on turf because many turf races run slow, then sprint to the finish...but all the other horses were just trying to hang in there when this sucker took off. I would advise anyone that wanted to try and see a triple crown winner to head to Belmont. There is a chance something can still pop up before the race, but it looked like he didn't even try today.

When I say talented, I don't mean "6 foot 7 inches" talented. I mean a guy who can compose a full orchestral suite in 3 hours, yet dies of a drug overdose at 35. A guy who can write a top selling novel, yet has determined since the last 2 generations of men before him killed themselves, he would kill himself. Stuff like that. Deep down, when you read Hardy's quotes and look at his actions, he looks to be saddled with some combo of stupidity and/or mental illness that is writing the script for him. Thug life is the only thing he knows, and in a sad sort of way is a comfort and a fallback it looks like. Usually when a person has to keep talking about how their life is turned around, they really have doubts and are just trying to self-enforce the idea so they can believe it. Maybe the guy has a successful life and a successful career. I wouldn't bet my Preakness dollars on it.

Here are some quotes from an article written on 8/2/07 in the HeraldTimesOnline. I would post a link but you need to register. The title of the article is "Fatherly Advice Helped Hardy". Here is a blurb of Hardy describing his childhood: Two choices James Hardy Jr. was smart. “He was always on the honor roll,” says James Hardy III, the 6-foot-7, 220-pound receiver for Indiana. “I still call him just to ask him questions about anything. He’s a smart man.” But when Hardy Jr. sought a way to support his young family in Fort Wayne, he saw one way that could work quickly. He sold drugs. And of course you’ve heard this story too many times, the one about the inner city and the poverty and the decrepit commercialism of survival that rules there. You’re numb to it by now. Hardy is, too. In a different way. He shrugs his broad shoulders. “It’s everything,” he says. “It’s the only thing.” Then: “It’s almost like you do or don’t. You go to this side or that.” Finally, wearily: “All of my friends are either dead or in jail.” Hardy moved out of his mother’s home when he was 13 years old. By then his father had been in jail for eight years. He stayed with relatives — a grandparent for a month, an uncle who had just been released from jail for a while — but otherwise provided for himself. “I’d ride my bike through the snow to the grocery store and then go home and cook,” he says. “And then it was just me in the living room with my air mattress and my little TV.” That’s why Hardy never wanted to go home and why he rarely did. He stayed out on the basketball court as long as he could. James Hardy III becoming a Division I athlete is not the American Dream fulfilled; it is what happens when this country loses another young man and he finds, almost entirely on his own, the right side. “I was almost there,” Hardy says. “The streets, that life, it was all I knew. What else was I supposed to look at?” Then this is what Hardy says about the father/son relationship last summer: “I wish I could see my son more,” Hardy says. “But I know that I’m doing something to make it better later. Daddy’s busy.” Hardy’s own father never misses a chance to be with his son and grandson. Most of the angst that James Hardy III felt is gone. “I blamed him for a long time,” he says. “But he tried to make it work for his family and he took the wrong route. He should have gone another way. “But we use each other, now. He gives me wisdom. He had 10 years to think about everything. And I show him what I’ve learned about life and the way I’m trying to make it work." I know intelligent, hard working, God fearing, good intented, talented people that can't turn around their lives with a story like Hardy's. I am far from convinced Hardy has any of those traits. It's easy for someone on an internet board to dismiss another and pass judgement, but if I looked at Hardy's credentials for him to fill any job, I would say PASS. I'll leave it at that.

I think that makes a total of 6 of us on the board. Nobody has any discernment anymore. The way some of the clubs downtown have been going, I would open the line at 3-1 that we hear a story involving shooting, Hardy, and a bar in the general Chippewa district by January. At least when Willis did stupid things, they were innocent enough. I can't blame a guy for being stupid. I can however blame a stupid guy that likes to throw violent tantrums against 3 generations of his family. As our friend Tom Donahoe would say....Stay Tuned!

Has anyone mentioned the fact that the Pats traded Bledsoe to Buffalo knowing full well some of his success was directly related to cheating? The Bills should receive compensation for the fraudulent trade.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you will be able to get into the game for less than face value on a ticket. Unless the Bills are 10-2 when the game is played, I smell a trap. This whole thing smells of a big PR move and I have a hard time believing that people are going to kill each other for $300 tickets. What the Toronto venture was hoping for is what some here are doing....create a false demand by saying tens of thousands want to buy tickets, then hope people believe you and buy up the tickets themselves to try and scalp. You may see the game sold out, but if the Bills are anything but studs, I would look to grab those $300 tickets for $100-$150 or better in November. If these guys can really get people to pay the numbers they are talking about, the team is as good as gone from Buffalo. I call bluff however.

Sure...why not!

I don't know how much stronger he can get. His frame doesn't look like it can support much more, which is why I can see some problems setting up. I'll have to look at the combine numbers to see the agility drills. If he gets off of the line quick that is one thing, but a long legged guy like that who is not supported with muscle in the butt/groin/hip area is asking for problems and mediocrity. In reality, if the Bills push him to get mojor production out of him this year, he can be a ticky-tack injury nightmare. The guy just does not look like a stud athlete at WR. Maybe at shooting forward in basketball..... I hope I am wrong on this one. I also feel that Marshawn Lynch is going to have a short career because of the bow-legged way he runs. I love the guy's style and attitude, but the high ankle sprain might be a regular for him. If the Bills are smart, they keep doing what they have been and use the daylights out of him figuring he has 4-6 productive years before he goes Eddie George on us. I think Marshawn would just as much hug you and give you his wallet before he pulled a gun on you though.

I think I'll hit more than 1. If he gets arrested or suspended or injured big time, the rest is moot anyway. As for 40 catches, he was one of the top receivers taken, so I think 40 is a reasonable expectation. I think three things will hinder him on the field...limited to straight line speed, poor execution in general, injury risk. The character thing is a bonus. I'm getting a Reggie Rogers vibe comin' on.

The Sundowner to the Bills WR's is like Guam to the US Government. Both are seen as having freedom for the most part, but every now and then the boys throw down a caucus or two to let them know who's boss. I haven't been up there in ages myself. When I was up there last, Lee was a shy rookie who was afraid to ask for a phone number and would blush coming out of the back room.

I understand.....I am not saying the guy is all bad news. I would say though that if I were an unbiased observer, I would have to move young James a bit to the right on the troublemeter given what has gone on with him. In my opinion he was a risky pick because of his on-field ability. When you throw in the character stuff, he really has no room for error before the pick starts looking geared towards foolish. In fact, I will make a few predictions for the rest of 2008 for Hardy. If one of the following doesn't happen to James Hardy by the end of the 2008 season, feel free to ban me from the website. 1) Suspended for NFL substance violation 2) Getting Arrested 3) Misses Team Flight to Away Game 4) Catches less than 40 passes 5) Misses at least 1 full game for bruised/broken ribs 6) Misses at least one full game for a hyperextended knee/patella injury (bone,connective tissue, bursa) If all 6 of those happen, I want $1 from all who mocked my stripper analogy, in word or privately (there had to be at least 20), so I can go get a lapdance. I'll even splurge for the 81 jersey to put on the girl, and I'll take a picture of us as I'm giving a double bird to everyone. I'm guessing I'll be off the hook by September 30th at the latest.

Hey, the Bills WR's have a history at those places, and Hardy seems to have a history of doing some crazy things. Maybe you can make your wish a reality.

I love how everyone cries "we don't have the facts". We do have the facts....Hardy didn't deny anything happened in his statement, he was playing the sorry card. This is 3 weeks after there was a major debate about his character. Listen, I still have fond memories of Biscuit even after he went backdoor, and of Bruce even though he took a nap on a 6 lane highway with the motor running, and of Jimbo even though he...well, who REALLY knows what he did. But the free pass that is being given to a guy who has been in town for 21 days and has a shady past is interesting to say the least. I would say that in the good ol' days the Sheriff would run this guy out of town, but I don't want to complicate such a simple idea of lack of facts with another analogy. 3 weeks people....3 weeks the guy can't keep his nose clean. He is either a thug and/or stupid. Before you get your old Peerless jerseys redone, you might want to hold on and see if the guy even takes the field opening day. I hear he has a 14 year old sister that's been "Mouthin' Off".

Reality is jumbled these days cale. I'm all for fans of a team or the front office to come up with some rah-rah BS to explain off the situation. What I would like afterwards is the fans admit that it is rah-rah BS. People here are defending Hardy like they are some ambulance chasing lawyer. Do you think the Bills front office is 100% with all this. HELL NO! I think when Dick Jauron heard the news, even he went "Aw F#@K". Let's try to translate this situation into another grimey area. Let's say everyone here is one big happy family, and the Buffalo Bills as a whole are our brother. Well it seems as if our Brother was interested in this girl and started dating her without anyone knowing. Things started to get a little serious over time, and our Brother thought this girl could be the one he's been waiting for. He proposes to her and she accepts. Now here's the thing about the girl......she has been working as a stripper the last 4 years. She says she only dances on stage, and sometimes will do a lapdance if the guy looks presentable. Word got around though that she was doing favors in the back room. Now...she tells our brother that dancing is in the past and people were blowing a situation out of proportion so to speak. Our Brother accepts that as fact and puts the ring on her finger. Three weeks ago our Brother brings the girl to a big family party to meet everyone. He tells the rest of his family about her history. Some are fully supportive and trust Brother's judgement, some don't feel very good about the situation but are willing to give everyone a second chance, and some think that Brother has lost his mind and is only asking for heartache. Fast forward three weeks. Brother gets home early from work and walks into the bedroom where he sees his best friend pulling up his pants, and his fiance is in her bra and panties. This is obviously an innocent event and it should be clear to everybody that the friend came over to drop off something he borrowed, the fiancee brought out a pitcher of Cherry Kool-Aid and offered the friend a drink, and she spilled the pitcher all over the two of them as she was pouring, so they had to get their clothes off so the stain wouldn't set in. Now who here would believe that????

I guess it was a misunderstanding. Hardy said so himself. The family was just playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey, it was James' turn....and Mrs Jackson across the way has a little bit of the glaucoma and thought the tail that Hardy was blindfoldedly trying to put on his dad's head, was a gun. It's all cool now.

I agree in full. Cowards pull guns and don't use them. It's a bluff, and of all the people to pull a gun on, your own dad. Here is a 6'6" professional athlete in his 20's needing to pull a gun on his 40 something dad. Nothing amazes me anymore when it comes to reactions. You earn respect. The reason you wait for the full story to come out on a guy like Marvin Harrison is because he has been pretty classy the past decade and beyond, so I will extend him the benefit of the doubt. This Hardy is a kid who 3 weeks ago was being talked of as a guy who wacked his babymama and infant kid around, yet everything was behind him. Now he pulls a gun on his father. Sweet. Mr Hardy....welcome to Buffalo, where there are plenty of savy football fans who are scuzball enough to draw your hothead into an altercation in order to get a piece of that signing bonus you have coming. Marv must be rolling over in his driveway.

Ditto

Let's see....babymama....check.......infant son......check........absentee father......check...... James Hardy' Grandmama.....you on da clock, Biatch!

I triple it. I've been to the DC area 10+ times and have stumbled around the Smithsonian almost every visit. So much to see and learn. As dysfunctional as our politicians are, it's still tough not to get chills when diving into the history of the city. One of the neatest things I've done was to take in a big Memorial Day concert while sitting on the steps of the Capitol. It's surreal.

The average lottery game pays back 60% to 70% of funds put in. The average track pays back 80% to 90% of funds put in. So using the Derby as an example...Churchill Downs takes out 16% on win bets. You could have bet $2 on every horse to win and that would cost you $40 total. You would expect to get back $33.60 when you average out the odds on all the horses running. When the gates open, you just need to hope a horse at 19-1 or better ends up winning for you to make money. There were 14 horses that would have paid back more than $40 if they won. There were 2 horses that would have paid between $33.60 and $40. There were only 4 horses out of 20 that would pay you back less than the $33.60 you should expect. So, assuming all horses had an equal chance of winning, you had a 70% chance to make a profit, and an 85% chance to beat the expected return. In the Lottery, every number does have an equal chance of being drawn, and if you bet $2 on every number in the pick3, it would cost you $2,000. After the 40% takeout, your expected payback would be $1,200. The difference here is that no matter what number comes up, you will never have a chance to make a profit. You are going to win $1,200. That is what is so great about horseracing. The mutual odds are supposed to level the rate of returns, but people are betting big money on potential outcomes that could backfire. So when Big Brown is 2-5 in the Preakness and will pay $2.80 to win, yet his feet have a decent chance to fail him, he may be a bad bet. Every other horse running will probably be 8-1 or higher, and if you think you see a horse that has a chance to beat him, you can take advantage of the overbet situation and really make some good money. That is the name of the game. I would usually never reccomend betting every horse in a race to Win, but the Preakness may be one of those rare times that you are sure to make a profit as long as one horse doesn't win.

Great...a German named Shoots. Next up is signing the French defenseman...Pierre Surrendier.

If you want, I can go round up some poop from his stall and you can sell it on line. I don't know.....I don't think he'll make it to the Belmont. His feet are so bad, and the Pimlico surface is such that he will be hurtig big time if he runs back so quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if a few days before the Belmont, or even the Preakness, he "develops a fever" that prevents him from running. They want to retire him undefeated. His front feet are missing over 50% and he is being held together by an artificial substance that molds to the foot. They have to glue his shoes on because there isn't enough to nail them into. Those come off pretty easily. He is a freak, so anything is possible if he makes it to the track.

The irony is that everyone has been preaching the Bills are moving and nobody has worried about the Sabres. It looks like the Toronto venture is shaky. I don't know for sure, but I don't feel the Bills would have let the Miami game go unless there was some worry they need to fill the seats in Toronto. Nobody has put down a dime yet, so it will be interesting. The luxury good income is drying up in the US. The NFL put out a notice for owners to get debt off the balance sheets if possible so the appraisers don't come around and bring the repo man with them. A team like Buffalo will actually be a strongsuit if the economy stays in a prolonged slump. Ralph is clean as a whistle, and doesn't rely on giant coporate support, new stadiums and crazy seat prices. Much like the housing and job market......Buffalo might actually see an uptick in support as the city becomes an escape route for large service firms. All this is good news for keeping the Bills in Buffalo. It is possible that if the Toronto venture goes soft, a local group will have a fair chance to keep us here. I don't really think Golisano will be a major part of it, but I can't say for sure.

Golisano is going to sell the team by August '09. He is going to lose tax benefits of $20 million in long term gains tax (going from 15% to 28%+) if he sells after Obama is in office and passes the bill, and would be stupid to sign Miller and Pominville to extended contracts right before a team sale, as those salaries would be viewed as a team asset, and Golisano would get taxed at 35% on the remaining depreciable salary on the team at the time of sale. This is an added reason the team has not signed their top players as it would mean another $10 or so million in taxes for Golisano. I gave up on preaching at the sister board as hockey fans just want to burry their heads and smile. This has been coming down the pipe for all to see. Golisano will use the Bills as an excuse to sell. Golisano is not liquid enough to compete with a market value spender on his own. He would need to come up with $600 million. Even if he sold the Sabres, he would have to dump 30-40% of his Paychex stock in order just to come up with the $600 million in order to finance the other $600 million. He could be part of a group, but I don't think he has the stomach to put up the money needed on his own, and there aren't enough deep pockets around here. Jim Kelly is looking to get the team on the cheap, and Wilson isn't going to spit up the Bills for $700 million when they are worth $1.2 Billion in Toronto. Golisano only took on the Sabres because Quinn grabbed him and told him it was a can't miss deal. Quinn was able to waive millions in debt through his connections, and will still own the Arena if the Sabres move to Hamilton/Kitchner. This management group has been in hiding all year and now you see why. Golisano has no leverage, and would like to see the team stay in Buffalo all things equal...but he is holding out for the start of next season and may agree to a Final Offer from Basillie. Buffalo is a strong market, and if a closed door deal between Bettman, Quinn and Basillie lets the team move to Canada in a year or two, look for Buffalo to be first in line for an expansion group once Quinn has the canal project up and running. It would be much like the Cleveland Browns. 80% the Sabres are sold by September 2009. 60% Sabres are moved by September 2011.

Not only will Josh Reed not be cut....he will be the leading receiver on this team in terms of catches. We are going to a pseudo-west coast offense which relies on timing, intelligent route running, and underneath hits. Roscoe....dangerous quickness with his skills, but not upstairs. Hardy....I was thrown off by his selection, but you can't assume a rookie is going to make giant strides in a first year system to boot. I am not counting on him for much...just a big body for specialty situations. Lee Evans....smart, fast, skilled, but hesitant to take control between the hashes. He should be better than last year and should lead in yardage, but this leaves us with Reed. Trent Edwards went to Reed when he needed to make a play. Edwards trusts Reed to make the correct breaks, and the new system and slot position SCREAMS 70+ catches to me. Reed has football smarts and is going to be our Wes Welker, minus the shiftiness but plus blocking skills.