SouthernMan

Neither. Deacon Jones. Unfortunately for him, sacks weren't included in official NFL statistics in his day. Of course, they were all great. It's like saying who's the better RB - Brown, OJ, Sweetness, Sanders, Emmitt...? Different eras, different schemes, different levels of conditioning, speed, size, etc. Hard to make a fair comparison. It's always interesting to debate how 60's-era Bills like Sestak and Gilchrist would have fared in today's NFL. And yes, teams did run right at Bruce, especially in later years when he was lighter and didn't have run support from Conlan, Smerlas, et al. Not saying he couldn't ever stop the run, but when he was playing at 265 lbs., it wasn't that difficult for a RB to get behind tackles like Webb or Armstrong and plow forward on Bruce's side for first downs. Since Smith and White both played in approximately the same period in NFL history, it would be interesting to see which player did what against common opponents over, say, a 7 or 8 year period during their respective primes. Who excelled in matchups against the same left tackle, for instance.

I think Sal Morona is not giving enough credit to Fine and Schouman. Both have shown promise. It's not as if they were given feature roles. Fine made some nice grabs last year in his limited exposure. I'm not too worried about the TE position. I believe the offense will open up tremendously as Owens and Evans require a little more attention from DBs and LBs. If defenders want to key on our high profile skill players (Lynch, Jackson, Evans, Owens), our TEs (as well as slot man and possession ace Josh Reed) will be in a great position to act as outlet receivers on shorter gains, consistently moving the chains, getting first downs, eating up the clock, and keeping our defense fresh. Add to that the mix of a fast break no-huddle scheme, and we could have a very exciting offense. (I think we can all agree it will depend largely on the success of the revamped O-line). I don't know how much they intend to use rookie TE Shawn Nelson this year, but with his size and pass catching skills, I'd love to see him incorporated as a rookie as a redzone specialist. That could be his primary gameday focus for this season. If Edwards maintains passing accuracy, the Bills offense could give defenders fits with Owens, Nelson, Evans, Reed, and Lynch as potentential redzone targets. That would creates some hellacious matchups for most defenses. Fine could be something of a breakout player this year. Anyone know if he added some poundage? He needed a little more bulk, but he did what was asked of him when put in position. Don't recall him dropping any passes. Sal Morona might find himself eating his own words before the season is over.

So, what you're saying is that they're real fair-weather fans. If everything is hunky-dory, the fans will show up, otherwise, it's back to hoserland, eh? And I believe they were only able to sell the tickets at greatly reduced prices. Most of the fans in the stands displayed about as much enthusiasm as I would muster up at curling match. Yeah, that's just what the NFL needs - not. That would be so much better the Buffalo, right? Too much opposition from the long-established CFL, fans in Buffalo, and all the Toronto hockey moms and dads who have to have their kids at the Oakville rinks on Sunday at 5am. The hardcore NFL fans in the greater Toronto area already come to OP for the games, and from many accounts, they prefer the games and tailgating parties stay in WNY. Other than a few wealthy corporations courting American business interests, I don't believe they would give any substantial support, particularly after hockey is in full swing at the beginning of October. Toronto would effectively tell the NFL team to puck off.

Have had the Sunday Ticket since '98. The NFL (not Directv) keeps jacking the prices up more and more. I can almost tolerate the raised Sunday ticket price, but the one that really gets me worked up is that they(the NFL again) want to charge an additiona $100 (superfan) just so I can watch it in high def. What a crock. I'm altready paying DTV added $$ for the high def package and a high def DVR. Now, after ponying up $279 for the Sunday ticket, they want another $100!!?! I don't blame the NFL - it's just being capitalistic. But they need to know that fans are at their breaking point. I called DTV yesterday and told them to cancel the whole NFL thing, and as soon as my obligation to Directv is up, I'll cancel their service too, since the Sunday ticket was the only reason I got DTV in the first place. Truth be told, I like the Directv service and quality, but our voices need to be heard. Happily, a service rep with the authority to do so, offered my a $20 per month credit for 6 months if I'd keep the Sunday ticket & superfan package. OK - that takes my football deal to $259 for the year. I can live with that. Too bad for Directv...the NFL is still getting their full fee, and Directv is the one giving up $120 to keep me as a customer. Not like it's really any skin off their back, mind you. If you have a team that's in the national spotlight and often on locally, it's hardly worth it to have the Sunday ticket. Suppose the Stillers were my team. They'll probably be on local channels 10 times this season, including all the primetime games. Why would I put out $379 for the 6 games not shown? $63 per game? I'd be better off buying the games a la carte for the day at $44 per Sunday (yes, you can do that), or just heading to the local watering hole. Question for some of you more in the know about the technical stuff: Is it possible to split the Sunday ticket cost with a friend by giving them on-line access to the games? Isn't that a feature of the Superfan package? And then, couldn't they just hook up their video cable from the laptop to their plasma TV and pretty much get the same thing? Anyone done that? If so, how's the picture quality? Is it compromised by streaming?

Disagree. If this were true, why then, does a Barry Switzer immediately coach a team to a superbowl championship? Why does Jon Gruden win a superbowl in 2003 and miss the playoffs the following year? It's a combination of several factors - all the stars aligning. You have to have a good front office who can restock the roster and know when to cut bait with overpriced prima donnas. There has to be a competent head coach and coordinators who can steer the talent on hand in the right direction. There has to be a cohesive group of players with a winning mentality. A little luck and the right bounce of a ball could mean the difference in playoff seeding. Funny how good teams always seem to have the ball bounce their way. Without any of these factors, the team probably doesn't win the superbowl. We've seen teams with average coaches do well. We've seen average QBs win superbowls. The one thing I don't have any recollection of is a team with a crappy front office winning it all.

I'd think San Antonio would come up against the same problem the Jaguars have faced - trying to gain football fan allegiance in an established market. In Jacksonville, the locals were/are already wrapped in Gator blue and orange, and the NFL team is always the Dolphins. In San Antonio, the Cowboys are the longtime heros, and they've got the Aggies and Longhorns nearby too. I don't believe the NFL team would do much better in San Antonio. Dallas isn't that far to the north, and the expansion Houston Texans are even closer to the east. Not much south (maybe Mexico?) or west of San Antonio to draw from. By all accounts, San Antonio is a really nice city, but I can't see they'd get great support, unless there are plenty of deep corporate pockets who will gladly fill the lucrative luxury suites and make it worthwhile. (sad, if that's what it's really come to) Portland - it's about the same distance from Seattle as Buffalo is to Syracuse. Don't think the Seahawks would be too happy about a Portland team. L.A. seems like the logical choice, if they have to go anywhere. O.K. by me - that would be one more city we could cross off the list as a potential home to the Bills. The USA metro areas are about saturated, and I think the NFL is running out of cities to run to. I think team owners are running out of places to use as a bargaining chip for new digs and other municipal concessions. I just don't believe Toronto could support an NFL team. They can barely sell out the Bills games. Didn't they just about have to give away tickets for the Dolphins game last year? getting off track here, but...... The more I hear, the more I think the Bills are safe and should be in the Buffalo/Niagara market for many more years. I love the Niagara Falls stadium idea. A retractable dome (could be used for conventions, superbowls, etc.) in the falls would be convenient for Canadian fans, tourists, WNYers, and I believe would attract wealthy business people from NY, Toronto, Buffalo, and elsewhere to buy up the necessary luxury suites to keep the team competative. What a great weekend for entertaining clients - the background of Niagara Falls, wining and dining, and topped off with a catered NFL luxury box, with views of the falls from the suite. Picture that! Can you imagine the panoramic shots from the Metlife blimp? That would be a must see venue for NFL fans doing the stadium circuit. The Bills future could be very bright if handled properly. Jacksonville - screw 'em.

The sex. Buffalo chicks really get into it. What? You expected another comment on food? Well, yeah. That too of course. A Buffalo Chick in the sack with a MIghty Taco on the nightstand for dessert. George Costanza would be in heaven.

I get such a kick out of every damn place around that proclaims on their signage, "best wings in town". And they're more often than not, just plain terrible. It's a joke. WHY do so many have such trouble making the basic frigging Buffalo-style chicken wing. Jesus, if you don't have a decent internet connection, the recipe is right on the label of the Frank's hot sauce bottle! It's as if it's just too simple. It can't be that easy - right? These hack wingmongers are compelled to add a million unnessary ingredients. I asked the owner of one of the local establishments why they make 'em the way they do. His reply was that everyone has their own way of doing it - that's what makes them unique. Fine. But quit calling them "Buffalo Wings" for crissakes. Call them Retarded Atlanta Halfwit wings or something else. I don't put Heinz ketchup on a slice of ham and call it Kansas City style barbeque. When the base of your sauce is oil and vinegar dressing and tabasco, they ain't "Buffalo Wings". They're some kind of in-bred Atlanta bullshitte that has little resemblence to the wings that Buffalo is famous for. Compound that by baking 'em on the broiler and you have a real treat. Oh yeah, nothing like rubbery, half-baked, sometimes breaded, marinated wings in an oil based sauce with some kind of asian spice sprinkled on them. WTF? MMMmmmm BAD. I don't know what douch bag came up with the idea of marinating fried wings, but that's how they do it at the Publix deli. Some kind of rub and marinade is the way they're done before they deep fry them. And then the sauce is just god awful, whatever it is. BTW - another place in Atlanta, Taco Mac - a chain started by Buffalo boys. Even they have mediocre wings that they brag aboutwith the overused winged-buffalo logo. They also serve Beef on Weck on Wednesday. Haven't tried that yet, but it's gotta be better than their wings and burritos. I thought I had put this in the post, but I must have left it out. Chicago Dogs - I like them better than Ted's - maybe....sometimes. Several places around Atlanta feature this Chicago favorite. If you've never had one, they're a steamed Vienna Beef frank, served in a poppy seed hot dog bun, with dill pickle spears, neon green relish, tomato wedges, onions, sport peppers, mustard, and toped with celery salt. Absolutely delicious. No Ketchup -ever! That's the equivilant to baked, breaded Buffalo" wings. Here's an image: http://www.hotdogchicagostyle.com/images/chicagodog.jpg Atlantans wanting Ted's - here it is, on Windy Hill in Marietta: http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/9/394214/resta...d-Hots-Marietta Same thing as Ted's. Sahlens over lump charcoal. They even serve Loganberry. About the only Buffalo thing I can't get or produce in Atlanta is Mighty Taco, or anything even remotely like it. I've been trying for 30 years to duplicate the recipe, and can't come close. What the hell is in those things? Still haven't eaten today. Now I'm starving. I better go eat something.

Just got off the phone with a friend. He's a football fan, from north Florida, but doesn't have any great allegiance to the Bills or any other team - just enjoys a good game. We talked about going to the see the Bills/Falcons December 27 at the Dome. I'm still up in the air about it. I swore the last time I went there, that I'd never set foot in that poor excuse for an NFL venue. There's little to no tailgating to speak of. There's one main entrance on one side of the stadium through which all patrons are herded as if it's cattle drive. The lack of parking almost forces fans to ride MARTA, the mass transit system. Whoopee! What fun. Ride the sardine-packed train, get herded into the sterile stadium, then get blasted out by canned hip-hop music. The lack of natural sunlight makes it feel like you're inside of a cavern or some big indoor mall. I get claustrophobic in there. The ironic part is that as crappy as Atlanta's heat and humidity-filled summers are, the autumn weather is spectacular. Late October, early November are absolutely beautiful in the Atlanta area. It's depressing to leave the beautiful crisp azure-skyed afternoon and go into that batcave. I always think that other than maybe San Diego, there's probably not an NFL city with nicer fall weather than Atlanta. I was indoctorinated on autumn afternoons spent in War Memorial and Rich Stadium. From my perspective, there's just something unnatural about football being played under a roof. Don't know if I'll go to the game Dec 27. I've kind of gotten to the point where I can enjoy more watching my HD telecast, in the comfort of my recliner, and not have to put up with all the extraneous crap and expense that goes along with the Georgia Dome experience. On the other hand, it is the Bills.

Congrats on the new addition to the family. I mean the baby, not the beef on weck. Must've taken a run up to Galla's. I hate to be the one to tell you, but she didn't want the beef on weck so much as wanting to get rid of you for a few minutes. The poor woman was probably exhausted. There's a bakery called My Bakery, not far from you, that supposedly will make Kummelweck rolls. My wife has talked to the owner, who is apparently from the WNY/Buffalo area and will make the k-rolls on request. This was a couple of years ago, so I don't know if it's the same owner still there. If you was to head towards the Home Depot on 92, near 575, on the same side of the road, there's a little strip shopping center (IIRC, it's behind Folks, across from Checkers). If I'm having a big Buffalo bash one day, I might see if they can bake me up a batch of the rolls. But, there's a fairly easy solution to making a home-made version. Not quite as good as a BOW from one of the WNY establishments mentioned in this thread, but it'll do in a pinch and curb the craving. I'm not about to slow roast a 12 lb bottom round roast just for us, so I'll try to get some decent sliced roast beef from the deli. Yeah, I know, it's not the same as what you get at the carving station, but whadya gonna do? If you can find a local butcher, they might have a better quality roast beef than our typical in-store deli processed crap. The rare-er the better. Not much in the way of butcher shops around here, though there's a new one on Hwy 92, heading the opposite direction, that I haven't checked out yet. Get the roast beef and also buy some Au Jus envelope mix at the store (French's, McCormick, etc). Try and find a decent kaiser roll. Preferably braided on top to hold the salt and seeds. I wish I could get one steam-baked like the Chicago rolls that Publix makes. It's produces a crustier roll. I might try to get Publix to bake a kaiser-style roll using Chicago bread dough and the same baking method. That'd be about perfect for the kind of Kummelweck roll I'd make. Don't like the roll too soft. Turns to mush with the addition of Au Jus. Back at home.....warm up the Au Jus in a shallow pan. As that's warming up, take the kaiser roll and brush the top with an eggwash mixture of eggwhite and milk. Don't need much. Then sprinkle the top with kosher (sea) salt and caraway seeds. Throw it into a warm oven for a couple of minutes, just enough to "glue" the salt and seeds to the eggwhite mixture. Next, dunk the roast beef into the heated Au Jus mixture for a few seconds. Long enough to warm it and soak it with Au Jus, but not long enough that it cooks it. Then pile the roast beef onto the bottom half of the kaister roll, and slather the meat with fresh prepared horseradish. Put the salted and seeded top half roll on and dig in. If you want more Au Jus on your sandwich, you can give the underside of the roll's top half a quick dunk in the au jus pan. I've done this many times, and it makes a reasonable facimile of a WNY beef on weck. BTW - Gallas make very good wings too. And very good haddock fish frys. Sometimes I'll meet the Mrs. on a Friday at the Peachtree Rd sit-down Gallas and have a real Buffalo-style fish fry. Buffalo's cafe, up on 92, has great authentic wing sauce, but lately, the wings are ridiculously small. Had some a couple of weeks ago, and had to call the server over to show her one of my wings. I had to ask her how long the bird had been out of the egg before they took it's wing. Last time I go there. But this weekend, I'll be in Buffalo. Might have to check out this Bar Bill joint. Haven't hit Duff's in years. Might have to be another stop. Damn, it's 9am and I'm starving. What's up with that?

Mcnair's wife - probably going through the same thing as the relatives of these people...... http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/buffalone...te=0&type=1 Don't know for sure about him, but I'll bet most of these folks didn't make an unwise decision that led up to the situation, as might have been the case with McNair. I suppose we'll find out soon enough. I feel no more or no less for McNair's, MJs, Farrah's, or Billy May's survivors than I do for anyone in the Buff News listing. It's sad and it's a great loss for those who loved them, and I (we all) can sympathize from personal experience, but don't think Mrs. McNair deserves to be singled out. The NFL has a nice pension programme, and hopefully, McNair had a few assets accumulated as a result of years with multi-million dollar contracts. I have a feeling the Mrs. will get through it emotionally, and unlike many survivors, she shouldn't have too much in the way of financial concerns.

Thanks for bringing me up to speed. Until now, I had never heard of a soundboard. I guess I'm getting further and further outside of the pop culture loop. I still don't exactly get the attraction to the concept. Is it designed for people to use as a prank phone call tool? Sounds retarded. I wonder if they have one from the Poltergiest movie - "go to the light ........." - AJ knows what I'm talking about.

So let me get this straight...this is actually someone editing Rome sound bytes to make prank calls sounding like Rome is making the call, right? It didn't think it was possible, but this just got even stupider. Anyway, would have been nice if the original post had mentioned this somewhat relevant fact. Doesn't make Rome any more beloved for me. Now, if someone could just find an edit of the 2005 AJZepp/Jim Rome sex romp in Tribble Mill Park, that'd be a hoot.

Funny stuff Zepp. My sister died last year after a long hard battle with cancer. Maybe you'd like to see the tape of me laying the pipe to your former old lady. You know, the one that threw you out of the house before you had to go flop with relatives down by Lake Lanier. You're barking up the wrong tree a-hole.

When I started reading this thread, I thought you meant smartass callers pulling a fast one on him - a la the old Ed Kilgore, Mike DeGeorge, Wes Goforth Sunday night 11:30 Sports Extra call-in show. Some of those were sorta funny, but only because it was semi-rebellious - the channel 2 sportscasters being the "authority figures" getting caught like deer in headlights with off color questions they weren't quick enough to respond to. Thank god someone invented the "dump" button. Are you telling me that Jim Rome, a nationally recognized sports commentator and interviewer, is making prank phone calls? Seriously? And you find this entertaining? Didn't most of us grow out of those juvenile acts around the time we started sprouting pubes? So if I understand this correctly, Rome, a well compensated national radio figure, calls some $7 and hour video store employee trying to make an honest living, probably living paycheck to paycheck, just so jackass Rome can attempt to make a fool out of him/her. This guy is an even bigger **** than I thought he was. I first became aware of him after he deliberately provoked Rams QB Jim Everett (a real standup guy, by the way), by referring to him as "Chris" (Everett) - as in the female tennis player. Rome has obviously taken a cue from today's pop music stars - if you don't have enough talent to make in it your field of endeavor, come up with gimmicks that'll keep you in the on the radar screen, since you'd be ignored otherwise. An adult version of the class clown. Just took a few seconds to listen to Capital One prank call. You've got to be kidding. Someone thinks that is clever or funny? The guy (Rome) is a bully. He's picking on a low-level customer service rep that is at a great disadvantage in the exchange, as she has to act with a level of civility and decorum in order to preserve her low paying job. Oh yeah...she has an Indian-sounding accent - ha ha funny - a real knee slapper there Jimbo! I swear, if I ever see that prick Jim Rome, I'll take a good hard swing at that smug face of his. I wish someone would put him in his place. Jim Everett should have knocked the crap out of him, but Rome, the big puss-ee that he is, knows he can peak out from behind the law and his lawyers because they'll will protect him from such harm. Just a little girly man running for cover. Rome, if you have any balls, instead of picking on a defenseless CSR, why don't you contact Capital One CEO Richard Fairbank if you have an issue? Rome's photo should appear on the packaging for Massengill. Why do any of you waste your time listening to that jerkoff?

The problem I have with the Bills uniforms is the dullness of the color. Nothing says "blahhh" more than the faded navy blue look the Bills wear from top to bottom for home games. It has all the "pop" of a washed-out ink stain on a white shirt. At least with high def it jumps out a little more, but on your basic analog broadcast, they look god awful. The throwbacks make them look like they came to play good old fashion smashmouth football when they step out on the field. The current unis give the impression they came to play superhero's with their neighborhood playmates, but their moms left the capes in the dryer. Side note: I see the AAA Bisons have ditched their "smiling wolfman sliding into base" logo. That was the one where the bison (I presume)logo looked like a teenage werewolf. I wonder what nitwit originally ok'd that look. I can't figure out how the manimal's got both hooves and fingers! What kind of genetic mutant was representing the Bisons?! http://buffalo.bisons.milb.com/about/page....sp&sid=t422

I was labeled "a racist" last week (on the mainTSW board)after offering my opinion of Travis Henry's salute to fatherhood. I don't think anyone can argue that he's an irresponsible douche, and somehow, my opinion got turned into me being a racist. Not a word in my post about color, race, ethnenticity, etc. - yet someone drew that conclusion. I guess anyone of a minoritiy persuasion is off-limits for criticism. Needless to say, the thread was deleted. The word racism is thrown around so casually, it hardly has any real meaning anymore. The same goes for "harrassment". Say an off color word in the presence of a female at the office and be at risk of her crying, it's "sexual harrassment". This kind of crap only hurts the case of the poor woman who actually is being harrassed by the office playboy, who thinks he's god's gift to women and can't take "no" for an answer. Anyway, agree whole heartedly that the ones first to defend the others by crying racist are in fact the most likely to actually be racists. They feel they need to cavalierly rush to the aid of whom they really percieve to be less capable. They'd be the first ones to shitt a brick if their little princess brought home a new boyfriend from the other side of the tracks. I lived in Buffalo for many years, and will tell you that it has to be one of the most racist (towards blacks) city in the country. There's little integration compared to other cities. The prevelent attitude seems to be that they can just stay in their part of the city in East Buffalo and in the fruit belt. Ask any African-American who's lived there. They'll tell you. Ask Bruce Smith. I'll even tie in Michael Jackson, who was still among the living when this thread started. The Jackson 5 were a tremendously talented singing group, who in the early 1970's were scheduled to play Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium - shortly after they made it big. I was amazed by them and particularly Michael, who was a grown man in a child's body. (funny how that got completely reversed in later years) I was kid at the time, actually born the same week as Michael, and wanted to get tickets to see them. Unfortunately, the concert never happened thanks to threats of some type by anonymous callers. Was it racially motivated? Don't know for sure, but if I had to lay odds..... On the other hand, it could be they weren't selling enough tickets, and that was the excuse that was made. Could be parents around Buffalo just weren't as open minded about buying tickets to shows headlined by blacks, and at a place where there would probably be a fair amount of them in the audience. Anyway, I find it funny when a forum dominated by Buffalonians, past and present, have the nerve to call me or most others racist.

Don't deny that for a second. God bless 'em. I wasn't mocking them at all. I respect them and am sort of envious that they still find such joy in their golden years. If I make it that far, I'm bound to be a crotchety old pain in the ass. I really was commenting on the antiquity of the event in today's rapid paced culture.. The pace is more reflective of the slower paced world Abner Doubleday came from. The post was very tongue in cheek. Different strokes for different folks. For me, it's boring as a spectator sport. Obviously, it's a game much loved by many people.

Baseball is a great sport (if you're somebody's grandmother). Don't you just love those old widows who sit in the stands with the stadium blankets on their laps, listening to the game on the transistor radios, diligently filling in the scoresheets with every exciting pitch ? Such a frenzy! I can hardly keep up with all the action! My goodness - slow it down! Geeesh. I've tried to be a good American and get into it, but for me, it's right up there with ESPNs poker teleccasts for sheer excitement. Not only that, it borders on being gay (not that there's anything wrong with it). What other coach or manager wears the friggin' uniform. Couldn't you just see Marv on the sidelines wearing a full Bills ensemble? The fan's obsession with statistics used to escape me until I figured out that it's got to be the most exciting part of the game. Let's see....a foul ball counts as a strike, although it can't count as the third strike. WTF? Why not? That's bullsht. They could make the game more interesting if they instituted some other sporting rules, such as having a penalty box. When one of the fkers has en error, let him sit out the rest of the inning. If it's the catcher commiting the offense, make the pitcher go and get the ball from the backstop after each pitch. That'd teach him. Screw 'em all! Maybe they could walk off yardage. If the pitcher throws " a ball", give him a 10 yard penalty and make him back up 10 yards for each ball he throws. Let's watch him throw a pitch from center field. Hell, I'd make it really interesting and give each guy in the field a bat. Lessee what happens then. Baseball could be a great game if they'd just give me a whack at the rule book. I'm sure it was quite a thrill back in the day when women's skirts only revealed their ankles, but c'mon, baseball should be prescribed for anyone with a sleeping disorder. Here's the real question: If there's such apathy for the Bluejays in WNY, what makes anyone think the Torontonians are going to give two shiites about the Bills? Eh?

No. It's just that Keith knows when to say "when". Jackson - Guarantee it'll turn out to be a drug O.D. Mark my words on this one...the story will be that in the course rehearsing and preparing for the upcoming UK concerts with the rest of the Jackson clan, he had recurring back pain and upped his pain meds, accidentally overdosing. Personally, I think he was emabarrased about his face, which some reports say was being treated for skin cancer, and probably found that at 51 years old, he was no longer physically able to perform up to his standards. Being a perfectionist, he may have suffered excess depression resulting from the face and the body giving out, thereby prompting him to take more meds to ease his anxiety. He may have realized that by doing the UK shows in a substandard manner, his legacy would be tarnished, permanently ruining him. On the other hand, he needed the cash the concerts would generate. He was supposedly millions in debt, with Neverland about to be foreclosed on. A real no-wn situation for the poor freak. Let's face it, he would have been even freakier looking (if that's possible) as he got older, his body was giving out, and his music had become irrelavent. Could be he wasn't all that opposed to leaving the world in a grand Elvis-like way, preserving his image forever. Total Mr. Show-Biz. It was as calculated as everything else he's done for publicity. And by the way, there's no damn way those children were from his loins. What are the odds of having 3 totally caucasian looking children, without the slightest resemblence to the father? Considering the strong allegations of pedophilia, I'm suprised there wasn't more question about why this strange single guy has these unrelated kids under his guardianship. Was there ever a formal adoption or did everyone just take his word that they were his blood? Tell me that wasn't fishy as hell. I wonder who's gonna get the kids now? Are La Toya or Tito up to it?

And for dad - plenty of tanned and buxom Italian-American chicks falling out of their tube tops. Not actually a carnival game or ride, but all the same......

Since food is big on everyone's list, I'll chime in. McPartland's has great Fish Frys and Beef on Weck, at least it used to. Been many years since I was there. Charlie the Butcher - very good beef on weck, is nearby also if you're near the Cheektowaga/Williamsville border. Schwabl's. The name itself is so Buffalo. Oh, the Germanity* (* not a real word). This place is to Beef on Weck what the Anchor Bar is to wings. http://schwabls.com/ By the way, if you're at the concourse in the Buffalo airport, the lunch and breakfast joint right next to the Airtran boarding gates has a fine, fresh-carved beef on weck. Bocce's - never been a big fan. If you like sweet sauce and greasy-ass crust, fine. I don't much care for the "Crisco- shortening-greased-pan style of pizza baking that's all the rage in many Buffalo pizzerias. It starts by stretching the dough onto a greased up snow saucer looking thing, and once the pizza is 80% baked, pull the pan and let the pizza brown on the brick oven surface. I prefer a traditional NY pie that's made on a pizza peel (the wood paddle board) with some cornmeal to reduce sticking, and baked in hot brick oven. None of this conveyer belt crap either. I don't know where in Buffalo you get a real NY pie. Anyway, just about any neighborhood pizza joint is going to have decent pizza that blows away the retail chain offerings. That said, LaNova, Pizza Junction, and Bocce all seem to be local favorites. In Williamsville, I like Sorrentino's. Good subs and wings there also. Mighty Taco. I crave those Super Mighty's. In my younger, non-productive days, used to go bar-hopping til 4:30am, and hit Mighty afterwards. Back then, had a choice of the long gone Taco Junction or Mighty, both on Bailey Ave. First thing I do when I visit Buffalo is hit Mighty. Super Mighty (burrito), medium hot sauce, extra cheese. I'll be having one in a couple of weeks. Wings - Gabriel's Gate and Anchor Bar are good, but still love Duff's wings (Sheridan and Millersport Hwy). There's not that much difference. Unlike the "best wings in town" places all over the country, the local wing dives don't usually screw with the basic Frank's and Butter recipe too much. Again, when you're in Buffalo, you can't go wrong. Gotta be better than Pizza Hut (though I've never had them). There are some good wing places here in Atlanta, but I've had my share that have some sort of Asian spices, cayenne marinated wings (what the?), or some oil-based salad dressing crap. I don't mind these places have their own recipes so much as I mind that they have the balls to call these monstrosities "Buffalo Wings". I was in one place that is almost nothing but wings (Wing-Dings, or something like that) and after asking them to make sure they're a little on the crisp side, learned they bake the wings. Bake? Buffalo-style wings? They didn't even have a deep fryer. I walked out. Subs - Any decent pizza or sandwhich joint in town should have good subs that put Subway or Quizno's to shame. I still like John & Mary's (Royalé - toasted roll, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, oil & vinegar, cappicola & sausage, fried green peppers and onions, melted provolone cheese). Most Italian or pizza places should have steak, sausage, meatball hot subs, and all the traditional cold cut subs. Costanzo sub rolls are the difference. Just found a sub place here in Atlanta that gets it's sub rolls from Costanzo's in Buffalo. Amazing. For clams and other casual seafood, fries, wings, etc. and outdoor dining- try Old Man River or Mississippi Mud, sister outdoor eateries in N Tonawanda with great Niagara River views. http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/42/461457/rest...River-Tonawanda. Hot Dogs - Ted's is the concensus here, but don't overlook Louie's foot-longs. Great dogs. Is Pat's still around? Another good one from way back when. If you go to Ted's, try a shake with your dog. Frozen treats - gotta be Anderson's Frozen Custard. http://www.andersonscustard.com/ Of course, there's plenty of fantastic sitdown and higher end dining throughout the metro Buffalo area. I'll have to defer to some of the other readers for that advise. When I'm in Buffalo, I go right for the fast food treats I can't get anywhere else. My folks can never understand why I don't want to "stay home" and have dinner with them when I visit. Suggestion: if you follow our advise for WNY dining, bring your "fat pants" for the trip home.

Surprised nobody has yet suggested checking out a Bisons baseball game. If they're in town when you visit and the weather's good, this would be a good family-friendly evening activity after all your day tripping, and it won't break the bank. Here's a link to Bison's schedule: http://buffalo.bisons.milb.com/schedule/index.jsp?sid=t422 Another destination not yet mentioned was the Buffalo Science Museum off of Humboldt Pkwy, in Buffalo. It doesn't have the prestige of the Albright Knox art gallery, but would probably be more appealing to the 6-year-old. All my years living in and visiting Buffalo, I've never done the Niagara Falls Cave of the Winds or Maid of the Mist tourist attractions, but by all accounts, they're well worth it. Again, both are relatively inexpensive and both very family friendly. Top the day off with with dinner on the Canadian side (in one of the observation towers!) and stay 'til dark for the illuminated falls and fireworks (see photo link below). Did this last year - great fireworks display! The falls is a must. Plan a whole day there if your schedule allows time for it. The evening fireworks experience is the cherry on top of the sundae. The Skylon and Panasonic towers can be a little pricey, but, after seeing the falls from the Maid of the Mist, you get to see 'em from the other angle up high. At night, the Clifton Hill Canadian side is packed. If you don' mind crowds and want that Mardi-Gras, festival atmosphere, go for it. There's plenty of things that would interest the 6-year-old. Tower links: http://www.infoniagara.com/attractions/minolta/ http://www.cliftonhill.com/niagara_falls_a...s/skylon_tower/ http://z.about.com/d/gocanada/1/0/t/2/-/-/...bassySuites.jpg My perfect agenda for the family would include a tour of The Ralph (more for you than the others), Buffalo Zoo, Bisons, Niagara Falls attractions (also including Marineland). Depending on how much time you have, maybe even consider Darien Lake (Six Flags) if it's not too our of the way. Though if Buffalo and the Falls is the main goal, and you already have amusement parks back home, skip it. If you're doing Canada and want to do the beach thing, you might want ot head up to Sherkston Beach and/or the quarry for beach and swimming. If your kid is as simple-minded as I was at that age, make sure to go by Delaware Park and see the replica of the Statue of David. He's naked and you can see his wiener.

Great post. You really hit the nail on the head. The lack of progress is frustrating as hell. In Atlanta, they talked about a new stadium. That was in the late 80's. By '92, the Falcons were playing there. No big deal. Same with Phillips arena and a million other projects that didn't get halted by some jackleg with political motivation. I forgot to. mention something about my little fantasy with Buffalo finally being revitalized... I imagine a bunch of ex-Buffalonians returning, after seeing how it's done elsewhere, and B word-slapping WNY with a dose of reality and finally polishing the gem that Buffalo could be if old dickwads in power would just step aside.

Left Buffalo in '86 for better work options. Living in Atlanta since. I think huge response to the original querry shows the passion for city - love it or hate it. Being away all these years may be clouding my memory, but for me, the winters in Buffalo aren't nearly as dreadful as summers in Atlanta. Aghhhhh. You can't stand outside for two minutes without sweat rolling off your back. I have such great memories of summers in Buffalo. It's when people came out from hibernation and made the most of the 4-5 months (say, mid May through mid October) ideal temps. As far as snow goes, I have fond memories of the first snowfalls of the year. Plenty of great recollection of brisk, clear, still evenings in December with several inches of snow in the neighborhood roofs, and a classic Rockwell-like vision of christmas lights reflecting off the snow in the darkness. The only sound was the crunching of snow under my boots. Maybe it all comes down to who's an optimist and who's a pessimist. The weather was not a factor for me. Those glorious summers were the payoff for the months of cold wind and snow blowing off the lake. The snow always made it seem more like Christmas to me. In reality, it was only the period from around mid-January - mid March when it started to get old. But, there was always the spring thaw and subsequent summer months only weeks away. It's not even technically summer yet, and I've already had it with the heat here in Atlanta. High 90's all week. And it ain't a "dry heat". It is fking miserable. Except for some activity at the neighborhood pool and the occasional walker, there is hardly any sign of life around the neighborhood throughout the summer. It's like a ghost town. In Buffalo, you could hear the boisterous screams of children playing, all day long from late June through Labor Day. Sadly, it's Buffalo's backward thinking power brokers who keep Buffalo in the dark ages. It's easy to blame politicians, but let's face it - they're elected officials. Any proposed endeavor or project that could be a boost to the future of Buffalo is quickly squashed by political infighting and the lack of anyone to stand up and make a friggin decision. The degree of apprehension is astounding. And of course, the taxation issue doesn't attract or retain businesses (translation -jobs). Would I move back to Buffalo? We've talked about it for years. I could see it happening. Unless you're in Atlanta society or philanthropy, there is not much of a feeling of community here. The most interaction Atlantans have with each other is when they're giving the finger to another motorist during the work commute. Buffalo is a friendly place. The knock that "there's nothing to do" is absurd. Obviously, if you're into surfing it's not a great place, but I swear, I could come up with list of recreational activities and attractions located within 1-2 hour drive that would beat that of almost any other American city. I have this fantasy that one day the state and local politicians will realize that their only hope is to reduce property taxes and eliminate the state income tax. Ex-patriots like myself would be flocking back. New jobs would be created at a pace not seen since the industrial revolution. So much potential. I believe one day the area will thrive again. I just don't know that it will be in my lifetime.