Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Tough Times for the Bills
The Seattle Buffalo
The Seahawks were led
by their remarkable young rookie quarterback, Russell Wilson. He scampered for
three touchdowns in the first half, establishing a team record in the process.
He ran nine times for 92 yards, and completed 14 passes on 23 attempts. Drafted
in the third round out of Wisconsin , Wilson
Marshawn Lynch also
aided the Seahawk cause by adding 113 yards on 13 carries. Lynch entered the
game with a career-high 1 266 yards on 261 carries, ranked sixth in the NFL.
Remarkably, neither
Wilson nor Lynch stands six feet tall. In the game today, most quarterbacks and
backup throwers are well over six feet. After all, they need to hit receivers
with accurate passes, picking out their targets downfield. All the while, they
must be able to see over the outstretched arms of thundering defensive linemen
who often stand 6’ 6” and taller.
The Bills’ Kraig
Urbik is one of those typical giants. An offensive guard, he stands at five
inches over six feet and tips the scale at 325. He spends his weekend
afternoons making holes for running backs, and protecting his QB.
C. J. Spiller had
another good game for the Bills, picking up 103 yards on 17 carries. His
quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 21 passes for more than 200 yards. The
statistics are similar to those stacked up by the Hawks. The Bills had an edge
in the time that they possessed the ball. One look at the scoreboard tells you
that something was amiss for the Bills.
They turned the ball
over far too many times. They could not find the end zone when opportunity
knocked. They shot themselves in the foot with untimely penalties. These are
the same criticisms made about all teams that do not make the playoffs. It has
been thirteen years for the Bills. They will regroup in the spring following
their final two games.
Naturally the game
began with plenty of hoopla. Fireworks and guns roaring while the players took
the field. Plenty to entertain the near capacity crowd. Many were there to
catch a glimpse of the high-priced half time act: PSY.
I threw a photo I
took of the remarkable South Korean rapper yesterday on Face Book. Without a
lie, someone wrote back; “Who is that?” PSY has appeared on every American talk
show that exists. There is a clip on You Tube of PSY teaching Brittany
PSY was flanked by
his entourage as he took centre stage. The playing field was lined with the Buffalo Rogers
The Bills have now
lost four regular season games in Toronto Buffalo
I had the good
fortune to sit with Mike McCarthy, now scouting for the Montreal Southwestern College in Kansas Hamilton Tiger Cats in 1985,
and has worked for the Argos , and the Ottawa
He has gained a
wealth of knowledge from his days in the game, working with the likes of Barry
Switzer and George Allen. I truly appreciated his insights from the game.
I know that you would
agree with me that it is now the time to drop the puck. The winters are far too
long in this country without the NHL.
December 18,
2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Singin' the Blues in Buffalo
There has been a
whole truckload of weeping and gnashing of teeth in Buffalo
The main Buffalo
“Mike and Mike” in
the morning is a popular show. The hosts are well versed in the game, and they
are not afraid to share their opinions.
In the afternoon, as
is the case with many of these sports stations, fans are encouraged to call,
email, and text, communicate somehow with the hosts. In this case, the comments
are mostly venomous. And the hosts, “Shopp and The Bulldog”, are not shy with
their opinions.
The hosts had this to
say about the team: “They are just incompetent. There was poor clock management
and dubious decisions were made. There were serious blunders made by the
players, and the coaching staff. December football is again meaningless in Buffalo
“The Bulldog” went so
far as to say that Bills coach Chad
After the game, Coach
Gailey, in his southern drawl, was asked what his plans were now that the team
has been eliminated from post season play yet again, barring a miracle. “We
have to try to get better every time we walk out on the field,” he told the
phalanx of reporters after the game. He is a proud individual, and you could
sense that all of this bashing hurts.
In his defense, the
team has been decimated by injuries the entire season. He has lost key interior
linemen, and other players at key positions. If you haven’t got the troopers,
it is difficult to win the battles.
Arguably, the players
on the field should be held responsible for some of the damage. The St. Louis
C. J. Spiller,
arguably the Bills’ best player, only got the ball 8 times in the game. The
other running back, Fred Jackson, carried the ball 9 times, managing to move it
just 14 yards! Not exactly getting the job done.
C. J. Spiller
Fred Jackson
Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Bills’
oft maligned quarterback, completed 25 passes on 33 attempts. That result is
superb, although many of those completions were for short yardage. The team
picked up only 247 yards in the air.
Marshawn Lynch
The Seahawks are in Toronto Arizona
I apologize. I am
starting to sound like a whiney radio guy. Upstate New Yorkers and die hard
southern Ontario
It is time for
change. And not just for the sake of change.
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
Season's Greetings 2012!
Last Monday I
attended the annual Christmas luncheon of the National Hockey League Players’
Association. There is a monthly luncheon, held at a dear old Shopsy’s north of
the 401 in Toronto
At the past few
December meetings, a member of the group has taken to the makeshift stage to
share a few tunes with the gathering. Michael Burgess has always known how to
captivate an audience. This group is special to him, as he has played with the
Legends of Hockey for several years. He loves the game, and he makes it clear
that it is his honour to be there
amongst the old pros.
Michael brings along
an accompanist, and strolls around the room, warming the crowd with some of his
personal favourites, and a few Christmas carols. He began with Love,
then added You Raise Me Up. He sang Music of the Night from the Phantom
of the Opera, and quipped, “Not a bad tune!”.
He had to contend
with carts full of rattling plates, and noisy patrons at the back of the
restaurant. Always the consummate act, he was never fazed by the interruptions.
He finished with Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, O Holy Night,
and Silent Night, encouraging the rabble to join him in song.
I met “Bo” Elik for
the second time in my life. As kids, playing street hockey and a variety of
other sports, we all had nicknames. On the football field, I was “Spider”, as
in Spider Lockhart, a defensive back who played for the Giants. Another one of
the crew was “Bo”, taken from “Bo” Elik. He was likely the original “Bo”,
predating Bo Jackson and all the other Bos.
In the 1960s, many of
us took to the roads, and dangled our thumbs for transportation. We hitched
rides up and down the 401 for years. On one occasion, I hopped in and introduced
myself to the driver. He told me his name was “Bo” Elik. I then explained to
him why I was impressed. He thought little of it. When I explained that to him at the luncheon,
he was equally nonchalant about the whole situation.
I also met Sue
Foster, the tiny yet powerful pen behind the undoing of Alan Eagleson. She
wrote the book, “The Power of Two-Carl Brewer’s Battle Belleville
Frank Mahovlich does
not often attend the functions. It was like a great homecoming for him. Many of
the other NHL players naturally played for the Leafs, as did Frank. He was able
to renew acquaintances with many of them.
We lined up for
lunch, and I was directly in front of Frank. I turned to give my pal Will his
twenty dollars for the meal, and Frank stuck out his hand. “I will be out of
work soon,” he pleaded. I remembered that he was about to turn 75. Senators in Canada
Needless to say, I
felt sorry for Frank, but not that sorry. I put the $ 20 back in my pocket. I
made the mistake of discussing Frank’s junior career in Toronto St.
Mike’s”. Ah, yes. That’s quite correct.
To his credit, he has
experienced a fine life. Many of the group at the luncheon remember the
Mahovlich kids at the Leaside arena, where his dad sharpened skates. His
brother Peter also enjoyed a wonderful NHL career, and now works with the
Panthers in Florida
At no time was there
mention of a lockout or labour negotiations. That was a good thing.
