Wilson or Golisano. Can it get any worse?

[Wilson's Ears]

The answer to that question is an emphatic NO...!!!

[PromoTheRobot]

Golisano would be terrible owner for the Bills. People complain about Ralph being cheap? Check out Tommy-boy and his lap dog Larry Quinn and how they run the Sabres.

 

PTR

[May Day 10]

its a little different though. The Sabres are set up to get to almost the break even point. As things are I dont think of them as "cheap". The problem is we have a minority owner who runs the show and doesnt really know much about the on-ice aspect of the sport.

[bills_fan_in_raleigh]

Golisano would be terrible owner for the Bills. People complain about Ralph being cheap? Check out Tommy-boy and his lap dog Larry Quinn and how they run the Sabres.

 

PTR

Actually over the last 10 years I get the feeling they are running both teams, only difference is sabres seem better at drafting but neither team has made a large free agent move in a long time

[mattsox]

Being a Sports fan in Buffalo this year has been rough. Incompatence across the board for both of these organizations. 2010 is gonna go down as one of the worst years in Buffalo Sports History!!

[Typical TBD Guy]

Golisano is WAY better than Wilson. It's not even close.

 

For one thing, Golisano actually cares about the WNY community and wants to see Buffalo's pro sports teams remain long term.

 

For another, Golisano's only financial request has long been that the team be capable of breaking even - not even making a profit. Wilson, on the other hand, routinely makes millions per year regardless of the on-field product. In Golisano's case, his cries of "small market" status are fair given the very different nature of NHL vs. NFL finances.

 

Also, the fact of the matter is that the Sabres have been way more successful than the Bills in the time that Golisano became owner. 4 playoff series victories, 3 playoff seasons, 2 division titles, 1 President's Trophy. Regier and Ruff, despite their obvious faults and culpability for the Sabres' recent woes, are widely respected around the NHL and would have jobs the day they are fired. It's hard to fault Wilson for the Donahoe disaster (though he was rumored by Mortenson and Co. to be a major meddler during those years), but no one was clamoring for Levy/Jauron/Nix/Gailey...other than the bumbling Bills. In Golisano's case, his hockey people have generally failed him; in Wilson's case, he has mostly himself to blame for the sorry state of his front office personnel.

 

Oh yeah, and Golisano is owner of the Buffalo Bandits pro lacrosse team, perennial playoff contenders and 2008 Champion's Cup winners. To rabid WNY lacrosse fans like myself, that matters a lot.

 

EDIT: didn't mean for this to be such a pro-Golisano rant...I actually don't think he's been a great owner...it's just that I think Ralph Wilson is a REALLY bad owner.

Edited November 1, 2010 by Internet Tough Guy

[JohnC]

Golisano would be terrible owner for the Bills. People complain about Ralph being cheap? Check out Tommy-boy and his lap dog Larry Quinn and how they run the Sabres.

 

PTR

 

The Bills will be bad for a generation under the ownership of Ralph. Although the Sabres are presently struggling last year the Sabres won their division and were in the playoffs. Tom Golisano literally saved the Sabres from being dissolved. No one knows what the wretched owner of the Bills is going to do because he refuses to publicly say.

 

The Bills are not only the worst team in the NFL they are also the most irrelevant team in the league. What is very mystifying is how anyone can justify how the shyster owner of Bills manages the embarrassing Bills and be critical of an owner who saved the hockey franchise. I guess you don't have to be a dog to be a lap dog.

[DDD]

Golisano would be terrible owner for the Bills. People complain about Ralph being cheap? Check out Tommy-boy and his lap dog Larry Quinn and how they run the Sabres.

 

PTR

 

Wilson has always been about squeezing money out of the community for profit but I do believe he wants to win. Golisano on the other hand is a smart business man who I don't think cares about winning as long as the team is profitable.

[Mr. WEO]

Golisano is WAY better than Wilson. It's not even close.

 

For one thing, Golisano actually cares about the WNY community and wants to see Buffalo's pro sports teams remain long term.

 

For another, Golisano's only financial request has long been that the team be capable of breaking even - not even making a profit. Wilson, on the other hand, routinely makes millions per year regardless of the on-field product. In Golisano's case, his cries of "small market" status are fair given the very different nature of NHL vs. NFL finances.

 

Also, the fact of the matter is that the Sabres have been way more successful than the Bills in the time that Golisano became owner. 4 playoff series victories, 3 playoff seasons, 2 division titles, 1 President's Trophy. Regier and Ruff, despite their obvious faults and culpability for the Sabres' recent woes, are widely respected around the NHL and would have jobs the day they are fired. It's hard to fault Wilson for the Donahoe disaster (though he was rumored by Mortenson and Co. to be a major meddler during those years), but no one was clamoring for Levy/Jauron/Nix/Gailey...other than the bumbling Bills. In Golisano's case, his hockey people have generally failed him; in Wilson's case, he has mostly himself to blame for the sorry state of his front office personnel.

 

Oh yeah, and Golisano is owner of the Buffalo Bandits pro lacrosse team, perennial playoff contenders and 2008 Champion's Cup winners. To rabid WNY lacrosse fans like myself, that matters a lot.

 

EDIT: didn't mean for this to be such a pro-Golisano rant...I actually don't think he's been a great owner...it's just that I think Ralph Wilson is a REALLY bad owner.

 

All of this.

 

Galisano is a self made man. He built a large company that sits right here in Rochester. The Sabres are not a source of income for him. He gives a ton of money away every year.

[JohnC]

Wilson has always been about squeezing money out of the community for profit but I do believe he wants to win. Golisano on the other hand is a smart business man who I don't think cares about winning as long as the team is profitable.

 

Golisano has publicly stated how he wants the team to be run. He wants the team to be mananaged in such a way that it stays within its budget and is a self-sustaining operation. I have no problem with that responsible approach. The NHL's fiscal environment is much more challenging than the NFL fiscal environment.

 

There is no doubt that Ralph wants to win. The problem with him is that he is clueless as to how to do it. Hiring incompetents certainly sabatoges his efforts to be successful. His desire to "squeeze" money out of the franchise undermines his ability to be successful on the field. It is like a dog chasing his tail.

[jr1]

If Tom had owned the team in the last 11 years I think we would have at least had a wild card birth

[JohnC]

All of this.

 

Galisano is a self made man. He built a large company that sits right here in Rochester. The Sabres are not a source of income for him. He gives a ton of money away every year.

 

He is a very charitable person. One thing you would never see him do is be at the podium in Toronto and lament how he could have made more money in a better market than the market he currently is in. No one can be as crass as Ralph.

[Mr. WEO]

Golisano has publicly stated how he wants the team to be run. He wants the team to be mananaged in such a way that it stays within its budget and is a self-sustaining operation. I have no problem with that responsible approach. The NHL's fiscal environment is much more challenging than the NFL fiscal environment.

 

There is no doubt that Ralph wants to win. The problem with him is that he is clueless as to how to do it. Hiring incompetents certainly sabatoges his efforts to be successful. His desire to "squeeze" money out of the franchise undermines his ability to be successful on the field. It is like a dog chasing his tail.

Golisano doesn't get a $120 million check at the beginning of the season from the NHL to cover his expenses for the year.

Wilson is a carpetbagger. He's like Phil Knight and OBD is his chinese sweat shop and the players 12 year olds gluing together crappy sneakers.

Edited November 1, 2010 by Mr. WEO

[JohnC]

Golisano doesn't get a $120 million check at the beginning of the season from the NHL to cover his expenses for the year.

Wilson is a carpetbagger. He's like Phil Knight and OBD is his chinese sweat shop and the players 12 year olds gluing together crappy sneakers.

 

What is remarkable is that a large proportion of people continue to pay homage to the baron owner. This prostrating group considers him to be a benevolent owner who bestows his generosity on the community.

[Doc]

There would be no difference between Golisano owning the team and Ralph, except that issues of what happens after the owner dies would be put on the back burner. Larry Quinn and Darcy Regier are to Sabres fans what Jeff Littman is to Bills fans.