Offside Number 76

Well, his brand already is destroyed, isn't it? And even if it isn't, if he thinks he can make a point that athletes don't give up their right to express opinions simply because of sponsorship deals, and he wants to put his time and his money where his mouth is, I can admire his commitment to making the business world a little more friendly for other players (there's the Curt Flood comparison).

1. How many future deals is this really costing him? 2. Maybe he's the type of guy who would rather stick to HIS (not mine, yours, Champion's, but his) principles than get paid. Like a Curt Flood type. Nothing wrong with that.

I remember that very well. I was deeply offended... ...that anyone in my country is that stupid. (I have since been similarly offended on innumerable occasions.)

Without knowing what services the other counties provide, I'd guess there's a one-word answer to this: Medicaid.

Sevens is kind of like Arena football.

Only semi-pro, AFAIK. What I'm watching is English, and it's definitely a replay (since it's about 2am over there). It's still better than post-'94 baseball.

Since 1994, the game has been a freaking farce. I'm not watching; I think that ESPN missed a golden opportunity by showing Friday Night Lights instead of something live. TWC13 has rugby; I'm lovin' it.

Just watched it about five more times, because, well, why not? Anyway, look at Rapinoe after that kick; she looks JUST like a QB trying to see what happens with the pass. The whole damned thing was a football play but with a head, instead of hands at the end, and with the pass coming off of a foot and not an arm. And it was freaking perfect.

That's a good comparison.

So much. And not getting enough credit, IMO. If it were a different kind of football, Rapinoe would be the quarterback, and all we'd hear about is the beautiful pass just over the cornerback's hands and right on the receiver's numbers. (Now, imagine doing that with your foot.) To be sure, Wambach got to the right spot, called for the ball, and buried it, and she definitely deserves the credit she's getting. I just wish Rapinoe were receiving more attention than she appears to be receiving. That cross was absolutely SICK.

Losman wasn't overhyped. There was no hype.

"[N]o head coach is capable of doing more with less than Gailey." So he's the Lindy Ruff of the NFL. Hopefully his roster will improve like the Sabres' roster is improving.

Yeah, this is what's going to happen--but with fists instead of guns.

This, and West's post, are troubling. If the author can't stand the criticism, he should simply disable comments on the site.

Guess not.

Ditto.

Yes, but HSBC Arena found a way (I know Rich is larger, but they could set up several similar corrals). There are ways to accommodate both smokers and those who are over-sensitive to cigarette smoke--in fact, the smoking areas of years past were one such way--but the Bills have chosen not to. Which is fine by me (as I've said before) but I think there are going to be some really aggravated people who start trouble in the short term. In the long term, of course, people will just get used to it.

Here's the difference: When a smoker steps outside of one of those places to light up, they let him or her back in.

I think you're right on sheer market size. Now, on whether our market is well-off, well, it isn't. We don't have as many large corporate HQs as other markets do, so luxury boxes don't generate nearly the revenue that they do in other markets. It doesn't help that the luxury boxes are crappy, with crappy food. As usual, the Bills could take a page out of the Sabres' book on this.

Idiots like Cowherd always seem to forget how big Green Bay and New Orleans are. Just huge, booming metropolises.

You definitely have to commit to not smoking for a while after you remove the patch. You can't just rip it off and light up. And it's very dangerous to smoke with one on. That's why I've found patches to be the best way for me to avoid cigarettes; unlike gum, smokeless tobacco, etc., I am forced to plan ahead if I want to cheat. And that discourages the cheating. As to your other point: of course it's just the smell. Walking past a few smokers in open air is no more dangerous than walking by an idling car or truck, which I'm sure most people do every day without giving it a second thought.

It's not naive. I think there are a lot of people who don't understand how this particular addiction works. For me, it's a 95, unless I'm having drinks, in which case it drops to about a 50. That, combined with the losses of inhibition and willpower that result from having even two drinks, makes it really difficult to "stay good." But I made it through an entire Sabres season without making one single trip out to "the corral," so I know it's possible. The problem, as I said early in the thread, is going to be the people who have many drinks (and there are a LOT of them at Bills games and a LOT of them smoke), who need their cigarette to calm down, and who get surly. I do see a short-term rise in idiocy and violence as a result of this policy, and I don't see why the designated smoking areas weren't a good compromise. But ultimately, I don't care that much.

The headline would have been just as funny were any of those other teams inserted. It's just our turn this time. Relax. Huh?

It is funny.