John Gianelli

Look at him managing to smile, through what must be an arduous ordeal. May his deep faith, and our prayers, help pull him--and his family--through.

For a softball question, you could ask if there are any local restaurants, or any local food specialties, that he especially enjoys or that he finds to be truly unique from what he could find in Cincy or Indy. On Wikipedia it says his father is a bishop, so I imagine he was brought up going to church. Has playing at a major university (Ohio State) and in the NFL had an impact on his faith life? I'd also be interested in hearing his perspective on special teams today. Does he think kickoffs should be eliminated? Does he like the longer PAT distance? Finally, if he had the chance to play with any quarterback in the league except for the Bills' quarterbacks, who would it be? p.s. - if you want to ask a typical sideline reporter question, does he think the Bills have a chance to win this season?

In the upper stands, along the Dodge Street side, there was a guy named Old Sam. He was very drunk, and tried sliding down the handrail. I still remember how loud the thud was when his head struck the ground. My favorite beer vendor was the one who, on a freezing cold day, would yell "Get your ice cold hot warm Genesee Beer here!".

Thanks for sharing that. Reaffirms what a good guy Thurman is.

I just want the Bills to win a Super Bowl before any of this happens: http://www.buffalonews.com/home/futurists-sketch-a-bold-look-at-sports-over-the-next-25-years-20160205 New stadiums that can handle 250,000 fans will redefine the game-day experience. There will be an inner-bowl with seats and an outer concourse that gives other fans a way to enjoy the pageantry and party atmosphere. • An online company like Google will outbid television for the broadcast rights to a sports league, pushing viewership from the flat screen to the laptop or mobile device. • The wealthiest sports teams will ditch their leagues in order to make more money on global barnstorming tours. • Women will become the No. 1 target for franchises, with many clubs creating female teams to build good will. • Decisions on and off the field will be made with near-instantaneous input from fans or algorithms that predict fan reaction. • Natural and genetically enhanced athletes will have their own leagues, with championships pitting the sides to determine whether gifted individuals are better than those created in labs.

Not many, I suppose.

Who are the opposing coaches you loathe the most, either because of their personality, or how they dominated the Bills? These are my top five. 1. Bill Belichick 2. Don Shula 3. Jimmy Johnson 4. Bill Parcells 5. Bill Cowher Belichick is #1 by a mile, for so many reasons. There is a big drop off between every other one, except Shula and Johnson, whom I could have rated 2.a. and 2.b. If this topic already exists, could someone please refer me to it? Thanks. (If you could include other sports, I would have Tom Heinsohn in there.)

You say that Oakland "snatched him away." I heard from an old-timer that the deal was made so that Oakland's fortunes would improve, and they did. Oakland's record and attendance were both improving even before Lamonica, but with him they rose from the middle of the pack to second in the AFL (to the Jets) in attendance. I don't necessarily agree with the old-timer, but he was quite sure that the trade was dictated by the league. http://www.oursportscentral.com/boards/showthread.php?t=1789

Prayers for Doug and all the Fluties.

Praying for Bill from NYC. God bless you!

It finally occurred to me what WGR reminds me of: a high school radio station. Schopp is the cranky faculty adviser.

Apparently the Bills are following the recently enacted NFL rule 31.3.2 which says when guys get injured, you can only sign new players with the last name of someone already on the team. So Bryant and Wood were really the only choices. It's designed to cut down on the expense of ordering so many different letters of the alphabet for the backs of the unis.

I've always enjoyed your responses, Chandler#81. Plus, he was one of my favorites. Remember his catch in the final WMS game against the Lions? Regarding the names, I think it's more about an aversion to change rather than the logic of it. If the names had always been below the numbers and somebody proposed today to put them above the numbers, everyone would say, "No, besides, you wouldn't be able to read them if the guys have long hair!"

Should the NFL start placing the players' names below the numbers, as they do in the WNBA?

Originally they were the Cleveland Rams. This could get confusing, and fun!

Do you also remember... The beer vendor way up on the Dodge Street side who, when it was freezing cold, would yell "Get your ice cold hot warm Genesee Beer here!" Going to meet the Bills at the airport when they came back from a road game, before they started using Prior Aviation, and being able to get autographs from most of them. J.D. Hill's red shoes.

You and I are probably the only two people in the world who remember Mailon Kent!

- you remember watching AFL Hilights, with Charlie Jones - you remember the taxi squad - you remember thinking, "How did the Dolphins get better than us?" - you remember them as the Boston Patriots - you remember wondering, why aren't Flores and Powell as good with us as they were with the Raiders? - you remember the first number O.J. wore as a Bill (36), and you remember who had 32 (McDermott) - you remember fearing having to play against Bambi - you remember how exciting it was to play teams like the Rams or Vikings for the first time, even if it was preseason - speaking of preseason, you remember when it was six games

Good for them!

I haven't ever played Madden, but could they set it up to just have the two teams play each other on Madden? That might attract more people, especially young gamers, than the actual Pro Bowl.

Has anyone mentioned yet "Mavis, Discount Tires"? Can't get that darn jingle out of my mind!

If we hire Polian, and he wants to hire as coach someone whose best record in the NFL was 9-7, and whose most recent record was 3-6 in a shortened season, and whose claim to fame was winning Grey Cups, what would we say?

You said it well. The only thing I like about Schopp is that he is confident in his opinions. Too many of the other WGR guys fill their comments with "perhaps," "maybe," "kind of," etc. Having lived in New York Boston, D.C., and the Philly area over the last 27 years, I can say that the difference in sports-radio quality really shows between a major and a minor market. Schopp's brand is to be insulting to listeners. There are guys who do that in the other markets who are at least still listenable because they have enough wit and humor. Schopp is just plain painful to listen to. If I were the General Manager of WGR I would do this: conduct a poll on The Stadium Wall of which posters would be the best to host a Bills pre-game and post-game show. Then find out if the top vote-getters are available, and if so, hire them, even if they have to call in remotely. Regardless of whether they have a good radio voice or not, they would be an improvement over the current broadcasters. Whose perspectives on the game would you rather listen to, Bill from NYC's, or Schopp's?

Please no...