JohnC

The below link is Paul Hamilton's comments on WGR about the Columbus game. His observations matched my observations. I consider him to be a fair-minded observer. I have never considered him to be a homer when it comes to evaluating players and games. What I'm seeing seems to be different from what some others are seeing. I thought Hutton played a good game in a loosely played game. And that shouldn't be surprising after a week long break. So it's not unexpected that on the defensive end there was some slack play. Other than one soft goal I thought Hutton played well and came up with some big time saves at critical junctures. I thought Hunwick played solidly for a player who has been out all season long. He wasn't too noticeable. And that is a good thing! He, like Scandella, is at best a third pairing caliber of player. And from what I saw he fulfilled his role. Scandella is what he is. I don't understand the bashing. Where Scandella becomes exposed as a liability is when he is asked to play beyond his role of a third pairing defenseman. In this game I thought he, as with Hunwick, played reasonably well. In the big picture its about the young players getting better. I thought Mittelstadt played very well. And Tage's goal was a typical Tage shooting goal from the slot. From a visual standpoint Eichel is the most eye popping player in the game. On the other hand I thought that Dahlin was one of the best players in a game full of very good players. There is a smoothness to his game that belies the actual dominance of it. What a gem. When making a judgment on this game let's remember that Columbus is a good team with a lot of very good players. Let's put things in perspective: We beat them on the road. I'm not going to predict that the Sabres are going to make the playoffs because there is little margin of error for us to qualify. What I can comfortably predict is that we will be in the playoff hunt until the end of the season. Looing back from last year I consider that tremendous improvement. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/01-30-paul-hamilton-howard-and-jeremy-0

I don't see us passing Boston. They are the better team. However, I do see us being able to pass Montreal. What was encouraging about this game was that we were getting secondary scoring. Sheary scoring is encouraging. What I continue to find troubling is the lapses on defense around the net that leaves the goalie exposed. I continue to believe that the Sabres will be in the playoff hunt until the end of the season.

Is the ball solid rubber like a hockey puck? I'm surprised that players don't have some shoulder or arm protection because they are constantly getting whacked by sticks. It's a tough sport. This is a sport where you have to be in superb condition to play at a competitive level. I good debate is whether lacrosse or soccer players are better conditioned because of the constant up and down the field action in both sports.

You are fortunate. The bag men employed in my Italian neighborhood used to use their bats not for hitting baseballs but for hitting knee caps. Sometimes learning from the school of hard knocks can be both painful and memorable.

You have the Pete Rose crouching batting stance. I hope you didn't gamble as much as he did.

I'm not sure if he would be willing to restructure his contract or if the organization is even considering it. Why be bothered with his hefty salary for one more year when there is plenty of room to handle it? I doubt that he is going to be a prime or workhorse back any longer. Those days are in the past for him. That is not to say that he can't be effective as a situational runner and a receiver out of the backfield. This team has few offensive threats in its arsenal. I still believe that he can be one for the short term. Some people are trying to portray him as a problem on the team. He has not been. Whatever issues he has had off the field have not affected how he has worked and behaved with the team. It wouldn't be surprising if the Bills bring in another challenging runner or two. That wouldn't be surprising because it is part of the normal rhythm of rosters constantly being changed.

Just curious if lacrosse players where chest protectors like the hockey players? I still can see an individual being seriously hurt with the protector if hit squarely. I remember that episode. Really sad.

You are missing the point. Whether his tardiness was intentional or not, so what! If he was unhappy about his diminished role and having to play behind an incapable line, so what! If he was acting out because of his frustration with his situation, so what! What's so unusual about a former primary player having a year in which his role and performance have precipitously declined? You are treating this trivial incident as a blockbuster event. It's not. Every team and coach has to deal with players' roles changing. That's simply part of the transition of older players declining and younger players are ascending. There is nothing unusual here that doesn't occur with every team in the league. I don't know why your critical juices are so activated about this one incident. There was no recurring pattern of bad behavior. It was a one time incident that was quickly dealt with. Just let it freaking go!:

Hughes can serve as his tutor on how to draw a personal foul by cursing at the ref at the most inopportune time.

WEO, You are perplexingly taking a trivial issue and magnifying it and making it into a broader statement. For one, McCoy is not a star. That's an exaggeration. His sparkling playing days are over with. The incident happened in a season where he was ineffectual, much of the due to the fact he was running behind a dysfunctional line. So maybe he expressed his frustration by being late for the bus. The HC called him out for his tardiness and symbolically punished him by not starting him. Both he and the HC met in the HC's office and hashed it out. That's the end of the story. You act as if McCoy is still a primary and influential player. The reality is he is no longer that type of player. What you are doing with your inexplicable fixation on this one incident that was appropriately handled is wasting your zealotry on triviality. Let it go and find another more worthy cause.

You won't get any contributors from the Alabama crowd. When NYC Bill was solicited for a contribution he contemptuously responded that he won't give a penny to any of those damn Yankees from OSU until they erect a statue of Robert E. Lee sitting on his beloved horse Traveler in the middle of the campus.

It's a waste of time to argue with anyone who thinks that Luck is not a good qb. Luck is one of the best qbs in the game. He's simply been plagued with injuries and a stupid organization. The front office has been changed, the OL was a point of emphasis last offseason and his arm is going to be stronger next season. The point is that he is one of the best qbs in the game.

You make me and NYCBill happy with your first pick. I would love to have Winovich but don't see him lasting to the third round. I see him more of a second round pick.

You can dislike a player and still be able to exhibit a degree of objectivity and proportionality regarding an incident. Zealotry can skew one's ability to assess and judge.

Why are you so fixated on this one reported tardiness? Even if it was done out of frustration or pique it was a one time incident. The HC dealt with it and he accepted the symbolic punishment in an adult fashion. The incident and punishment were handled/discussed in a face to face meeting with the boss (HC) and him coming to an understanding. The HC wanted to make the point that everyone on the roster from top to bottom was going to be held accountable. And the person involved in the minor violation accepted the fact that he was in the wrong and the punishment was warranted. When all is said and done this minor infraction was handled well by all the parties involved.

You are in the land of moon-shine. Too potent for my delicate system. Have fun and don't get rowdy with the rebel crowd. Just to remind you they hate Yankees. So don't bring up the sore topic of the moral imperative to take down those ignominious Confederate statues with the losers sitting on those lame horses.

At times his wiener is a noodle

When you talk abut the caliber of play of an Eichel or Dahlin you are describing generational players. There are good reasons why neither of these scintillating players played in the minors: They were demostrably too good for that level of play. You don't have to be a hockey fan or know anything about hockey to know that when you are watching them they stick out from the pack. I agree with you that none of the Ameriks stood out. I am a little more upbeat about some of the players currently playing there being able to, in time, be contributing NHL players. Are those prospects ready now to make the jump? Probably not. But in a year or so (some cases less) I see some of them moved up to the NHL and phasing out some of the sluggish veterans. I still believe that sometime near the end of the season there are going to be callups. If the GM feels that a playoff run in Rochester is more important to the developmental process of his players then I will support his judgment. It simply takes time,

A long time ago I was running in a 10K race. While huffing and puffing and slogging my way through I heard a lot of laughing behind me. I looked over and saw what the reason was for the commotion. It was a guy running in a thong. He was very comfortable wearing his skimpy attire. While maintaining a good pace and keeping a smooth stride he didn't let the catcalls distract him from his focus.. Apparently, this exhibitionist was so proud of his firm and muscular arse that he was generously willing to display his assets for all to see.

I did watch a little of the game. As you stated no one stood out. One noticeable characteristic of their style of play is that collectively the Amerks are fast. Sometimes in these fast paced games it is difficult to determine the quality of individual play because it is such an up and down game with little puck possession and continuity.

If you watch the Amerks game would you give a report on Nylander's play. Please don't say anything too bad about him because Plezmd would go into one of his spasms of rage about the necessity of trading prospects for expensive old goat third liners with long term deals. Sometimes it's difficult to tell whether he has better judgment when he is sober or has his regular night time buzz?

I have two favorite players who I'm not advocating to draft at our current spot but wouldn't mind seeing either one of them being selecting with a lower pick/s: DE Winovich from Michigan and TE Hockenson from Iowa.

I don't subscribe to the theory that he is shell shocked from the peril he was subjected to last year. When you watch him play when has the puck he is tough to knock off the puck. He also is willing to battle behind the net and along the boards either to pursue the puck or maintain the puck. He can be a bulldog. That's what is so baffling about him. I don't any player other than Reinhart who consistently mixes it up in front of the goalie. When Sam doesn't have the puck that is the location he usually claims. From a physical standpoint Okposo is more suited to do what Reinhart does. I have not been much of a critic of Housely because in general his team plays consistently hard. That's not to say that his players always play smart. What has crushed them is not their effort so much as their egregious lapses. How many times has a Sabre lost his man leaving him free for an open net? Hockey is a fast moving sport so you can't always be on your man but that doesn't mean that it is acceptable to be oblivious and lose sight of your man/responsibility in the high scoring zone. Housely has shown that he is not afraid to sit players. He has constantly preached the necessity to get traffic in front of the net. Well when your words don't resonate with the players then scratching a player from the lineup will get the recalcitrant player's attention. Okposo is built like a bulldog. He has a squat build with a muscular arse. He needs to either do what needs to be done for his team or be dispatched to the team's box in the stands and forlornly watch the games from there. The irony is that Okposo is now playing better than he previously has. That's not good enough for me. He needs to more frequently muck it up in front of the net to be a bigger asset for his team. I agree with you that the Larsson and Girgs line has played it role as well if not better than any of the other lines.

Too many participants here are punctilious. I'm too imprecise to fall in that category. Your are a rascal and a provocateur.

I'm not taking away anything from Milano. His football instincts are stupendous. I disagree with you your judgment on Star. You don't assess Star by his stats so much as what he does for the unit. He plugs the middle and creates a jam so little gets behind him. Thus the smallish LB can be unfettered to chase the play.