Strange fruit.

I am proud to say that Tick2 will carry on the values of our venerable institution by renewing her season ticket package. I am paying penance for all the fun I had, so no tickets for me. But I have many fond memories, and will do my best to never miss a Sabres game when they're in town. Until then, we leave you with fond memories of Banana at its best...

Yeeeeeeeeah, Buffalo!

Tick bailed on us last night, but we have to forgive her. It's not every day you have cat-astrophes of that proportion.
It wasn't a rout or anything, and Vanek scored the only goal of the night to give Buffalo a 1-0 victory. I had this weird dream last night that I was dating Ryan Miller. That was really bizarre.
Matt, Alex, and I had a blast seven rows from the ice. Sami & Twiggy helped the masses devour club level. I was psyched to get a Labatt Blue and wear my blue & gold. I'm looking forward to next month's game at HSBC with M.C. Eagan, who may be sporting the logo as a tattoo by then. Stay tuned...

I've been morose about how the Sabres have been playing, and I'm thinking I jumped the gun a little bit. They're moving up in the power rankings with every passing week, and more than one of us have duly noted that the Senators came out of the gate this season very much like the Sabres did last year. We all remember how that turned out.

Eleven years after the old Jumbotron came crashing down after a Buffalo-Boston pre-game practice, the new high-definition unit is unbelievable. Every play is crystal clear, and it the replays are that much better with that kind of resolution. When I was home a couple weeks ago, my best Buffalo pal, Jason, and I watched the Habs get beat while drinking Blue on tap. It doesn't get better than that.

It was a near shutout last week against the Hurricanes, and unfortunately I was at the Panthers-Capitals game instead of at home watching the Sabres massacre the former Stanley Cup champions 8-1. The only thing keeping me awake at the Panthers game was the freezing temperature in the BankAtlantic Center and Alexander Ovechkin's penalties. But I'm not too upset about missing the near-shutout: The current Stanley Cup champs are on deck tomorrow night, and the tides are turning...

Habs been?

Rounding out the bottom of the Northeast division are my beloved Sabres, who now have the league's third worst record in the standings. When I made plans back in September to make this week's trip to Buffalo, I thought for sure I would be paying out the nose for Sabres-Habs tickets. Now I think I'll just take my chances and talk to the scalpers at HSBC. With the Bills playing the Patriots on Sunday in Orchard Park, there's sure to be extra seats for Friday night's matchup against the 9-4-3 Canadiens. Fair weather fans they aren't, but coming down from last year's magic season is more than just a little disheartening.

But the Panthers, despite losing last night to Carolina (in a good, close game), are actually looking as if they're coming together as a team. Vokoun was a great replacement for the belligerent Belfour. We can all do without chicken dances and the other antics Eddie was constantly up to.

Vacation's all I ever wanted...

And what a trip! We had so much fun and had a great time cruising the Mexican Riviera and hanging out in San Diego.

But I think the Sabres took a vacation also, as I'm watching the Bruins rack up the points against them right now. Lydman sacrificed his face to protect Miller, and they still lost. Admittedly, the game picked up in the last period, and definitely in OT. But they seem lethargic. Hmmm.

Hats off to WCI/ADT/AvMed/your corp. here club!

My favorite quote from club level is now "They'd sell their mother for a nickel." But you should also only pay a nickel for that hat. HELLLLLLO, dolly!

Oh for Two!

The Sabres, so far this season, suck. I don't need statistics to tell me that it's not a great sign when Spacek seems to be the only one getting pucks in the net. I am loathe to even speak the words, but Drury and Briere were both an aberration in their own right. They are now leading their respective teams, despite the lack of a 'C' on either's sweater.

There's a lot of yakking from the 'fans,' calling any criticism a sign of bandwagoning or fair-weather friendliness. I have been a Sabres fan since I was old enough to stand in line and wait for Alexander Mogilny's autograph at a sports shop in Lockport back in the day, and I sat in an empty HSBC arena the year before the Lockout watching Miro Satan and Max Afinogenov lose to mediocre teams.

But thinking that this is going to be as strong a team without either Drury or Briere (And, uh, folks? We're missing both) is wishful thinking, of which I'd love to be a part of if I could muster a false sense of enthusiasm. I, as much as anyone, want to see them do well this year -- but if this past weekene is any indication of how the season will go, then let's not hold our breath. We need our $50 million dollar man to step up, and the blue-liners to wake up already. I hope Ryan gave them a good ass-kicking after the game. All IMHO. Let's go, Buffalo...