Category: Sports

Right tackle/right guard/left guard/fat waste of space was released by the Bills on Thursday, putting an end to his lackluster career in Buffalo, and putting a punctuation mark on Tom Donahoe’s biggest miss as former general manager of the team. The 4th overall pick in the 2002 draft, Williams never lived up to lofty expectations, never taking his place as the franchise tackle the Bills had envisioned when they drafted him. He’d been wildly inconsistent playing at right tackle, and never really had a realistic chance of having success at the marquee offensive line position, left tackle, much to Buffalo’s dismay. In fact, he was so bad at right tackle, that the team moved him to guard in the second half of the 2005 season, cementing his “bust” status. The Bills will save more than $3 million against the cap, and had they kept him, Williams would have counted $10.8 million against the cap. That’s a staggering number when you factor in where he was drafted, what position he was playing, and how little effort he seemed to put into getting better. He had been beset with injury problems throughout his career, though I’ve always thought he was simply being a lazy load not willing to put in the extra effort and push himself to a higher level.

I’ve never been a fan of players from the University of Texas; they all seem to have a sense of entitlement about them, not to mention what I kindly call “questionable” work ethics. Williams was no different; the proverbial “light” never turned on for him. Back in 2004, I remember being at a local video game store around midnight, the night Halo 2 was due to be released to the masses (nevermind the implication that I was at a video game store at midnight on a weekday; I will get a hold of my life on my own time). While waiting in line, a giant, black SUV/Truck with blinged-out rims comes pulling up to the curb and stops. Out of the truck comes Mike Williams with an apparent friend/bodyguard of his. Williams and friend amble past the line and walk right into the store and exit a minute or so later, brand new copy of Halo 2 in hand; Williams obviously ready for a night full of pwning n00bs (i.e. “gaming”).

Putting all the disdain I have in context, this is the week following a game Williams missed because of what was called a “neck injury.” This same neck injury didn’t seem to get in the way of being out late at night to pick up a video game. I’m probably a tad off-base on this, but how does a guy like this, in the middle of football season, have time to be out at that time of night to buy video games, when he should be at home either getting better, sleeping, or reading his playbook and studying film. I’m sure there are plenty of players who do stay out, party, and even buy video games. But those players also put in 110% every week and–gaps–actually play on Sundays! Williams never “got it” and was never willing to put in the effort that would have justified him being a #4 NFL draft pick.

So this brings to an end the Buffalo chapter of Mike Williams’ NFL career. I’m sure someone else will pick him up for training camp this summer, and they too will come to the realization that Mr. Williams’ priorities rank as follows:
1) Eat some chips.
2) Take a nap.
3) Play videogames.
4) Play football…Madden NFL 2005 Football on the PlayStation 2, that is.
5) Make some time on Sundays to be at the stadium.

Marv Levy and new Bills’ coach Dick Jauron have their work cut out for them in making the Bills a contender again, and getting rid of some dead weight (quite literally) like Williams is a big step in the right direction. It was time to cut the cord. Good riddance.

I’ve become convinced that when I attend a Sabres home game, their success or failure is directly related to whether or not I wear my vintage blue-and-gold Pat Lafontaine #16 jersey. My track record while wearing the sweater is 100%. Last night, I decided to look all presentable and wear “normal” clothing. Lo and behold–the Sabres lose (albeit in overtime). I’ll not make that mistake again. Let that be a lesson to all of you: always dress like a drunken hobo sports fan when you have the opportunity.

Anyway, enough about my attire, fascinating though it may be. The Sabres eked out a point in the game against the Canadiens, scoring a goal with about 0:30 left in the 3rd period. Buffalo had played rather poorly the entire game, though a lot of that had to do with refs putting away their whistles while the Sabres were interfered with at every opportunity. So much for the “crackdown” that was supposed to reinvigorate the league. As has happened in every other year when the league says it will crack down on obstruction and interference, the refs get short memories each year around this time, and stop calling it. This could spell doom for the Sabres. They’re built to take advantage of the new rules, and if teams like the Canadiens are allowed to put their version of the neutral zone trap on the ice each night, what’s the point of even having referees? Call the damn penalties!

I must again recommend HSBC Arena’s beef on weck at the Harbour Club. DELICIOUS! Though, I was again smacked in the face with the horseradish upon said sandwich. It’s perfect for clearing out your nasal tract.

…in the coming months. The Sabres now embark on a tough January/February stretch where they play most of the Western and Eastern Conference powers. This should show us whether Buffalo’s truly belongs among the NHL’s elite. They outwork pretty much every team they play, despite a perceived talent deficiency compared with other clubs. They’re reminiscent of the ’99 team that went to the Finals, so I think their work ethic is a good omen. Time will tell. They’ve definitely won over the fans in Buffalo after a rather lacklaster start (attendance and support-wise) at the beginning of the season, even though they’d consistenly been one of the best teams in the league early on. HSBC Arena was packed with a raucous crowd on Saturday night; the old “1-2-3-4-5-6-we want seven” [goals] chant from the old days at Memorial Auditorium even made an appearance. Fans are starting to believe.

a. A minor or major penalty, at the discretion of the Referee, based upon the degree of violence of the impact with the boards, shall be imposed on any player who checks an opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to be thrown violently in the boards.
(NOTE) Any unnecessary contact with a player playing the puck on an obvious “icing” or “off-side” play which results in that player being knocked into the boards is “boarding” and must be penalized as such. In other instances where there is no contact with the boards, it should be treated as “charging”.

b. When a major penalty is imposed under this Rule for a foul resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent, a game misconduct shall be imposed.

c. Any player who incurs a total of two (2) game misconducts for Boarding under Rule 44 (b), in either Regular Season or Playoffs, shall be suspended automatically for the next game of his Team. For each subsequent game misconduct penalty the automatic suspension shall be increased by one game.

d. When a major penalty is imposed under this Rule, an automatic fine of one hundred dollars ($100) shall be imposed.

* * *

Went to the Sabres/Mighty Ducks game this past Thursday night. It was disappointing to see a rather sparse crowd (around 12,000) in light of the team being one of the best in the league. No matter, as Jones and I had a good time seeing the Sabres win in overtime. We’re now 10-1-1 in “our” last 12 games. Booyah! I highly recommend the beef on weck in the Harbour Club restaurant, with a smattering of horseradish (be careful, though, I think I blew out my sinuses, if that’s possible). After the game, we stood behind the cameras and watched a bit of the postgame show being filmed live, with Kevin Sylvester, Rob Ray and Mike Robitaille. I think Rob Ray kept staring me down when he saw the blue-and-gold Lafontaine jersey I was wearing. I nearly yelled out “let’s drop the gloves!” but thought better of it. Our last brush with celebrity occurred on the way into the parking garage, as we ran into Sabres’ great Danny Gare. Good capper to the night.

ESPN, what in the F has happened to you? Nevermind the Bills’ awful loss tonight, I’m too enraged to even dissect that; that was perhaps the worst “professional” sports broadcast I’ve ever seen in my life. The fact that Theismann, Maguire and Patrick still have their jobs after so many years of utter incompetence is a testament to the fact that there is no God, and if there is, He hates all sentient life.

Two huge turnovers missed because we had to see interviews with Pats owner Robert Kraft and crap about the all-inspiring comeback of Tedy Bruschi. In fact, it was so inspiring that Bruschi’s missed tackle in the first quarter was deemed one of the finest plays in the history of professional organized sports.
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