All posts by Kevin Smith

Week 4 Recap and Sabres Opener

Hi Everyone,

A Bills win really begins the week on the right note doesn’t it? Monday flies by and the next thing you know it’s Wednesday and you are already looking forward to Sunday. JP, in only his 11th career start looked much improved compared to the Jets game and is really growing into a quality NFL quarterback (keep in mind Peyton Manning was 3-13 in his first 16 starts). Willis had some devastating blocks as well as a great goalline leap for a TD. They are both going to have to be at the top of the game this week for the Bills to have a chance in Chicago.

Jets Tailgate Thanks!
Wanted to pass along a quick thanks to everyone that stopped by our tailgate at the Jets game in Buffalo. The weather and game were a little bit of a downer but once again we had a great tailgate. Thanks again to everyone and I’ll be sure to pass along when Michelle’s NFL films piece will air. Everyone mark their calendars for Dec 10th, the Jets game in the swamp and our 5th Anniversary Tailgate Party!

Sabres
The Sabres kick off the new NHL season tonight at 7 and once again we will be partying hard at the Blue Moon (75th and 1st). The Sabres are widely considered one of the best teams in the NHL and the seats are always more comfy if you hop the on bandwagon early. Also, we will have the Mets (yeah!) and Yankees (boo!) playoff games on as well. As an added bonus, we’ll be picking one fan at random to be the starting pitcher for the Mets in Game 3 (just kidding, maybe). Labatt Blue Bottles are $3 during the game and there will be extended Happy Hour food and drink specials as well.

Sabres Tickets
Like last year we have purchased a number of seats to the Sabres/Rangers game at MSG on Nov. 26th, which is the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We had a great time last year and both teams are looking good this year so it is shaping up to be a very exciting game. Tickets are $35 a piece and please email me if you are interested for more details.

I’ll be at the game in Chicago this weekend so keep your fingers crossed I make it out alive!

— Kevin

New York Jets at Buffalo, Home Opener!

Hi Everyone,

The Bills are taking on the Jets this weekend for their 2006 Home Opener and their 3rd straight AFC East game. A win and a Pats loss would leave them tied for 1st place in the Division, and a strong contingent of NYCBBBers will be there to lend their vocal support to the team.

Game Preview
Nick Flickinger is back with a summary of the Fins game and preview of this week’s game, along with some fun Fantasy picks and predictions. Check it out:
https://www.nycbbb.com/columns/092006.shtml

Tailgate Reminder
We’ll be partying at 8am sharp in the private grass lot East of Lot 1 and Pinto Kenny on the Big Tree Road (20A) side of the Stadium. There will be 2 kegs of Blue Light and coolers with mimosas and bloody marys for your enjoyment. $5 gets you unlimited booze and any additional money we collect over the costs of the booze goes to pay for our website and email server costs. Your generosity at last years tailgates allowed us to cover all of our costs without the need of additional fundraising! Thanks again!

Unfortunately, the weather prediction is currently not so pleasant so when you are packing for the weekend don’t forget a jacket. In addition if anyone is driving to the game and has a canopy they can bring please do so! We had similar weather predictions last year and they never materialized so lets keep our fingers crossed for similar luck. If the weather insists on doing something, let’s hope it’s a freak snowstorm instead!

Need help fining it? Here’s map and a few overhead images:
https://www.nycbbb.com/images/map.jpg
https://www.nycbbb.com/images/overhead1.jpg
https://www.nycbbb.com/images/overhead2.jpg

Message Board
Need tickets this weekend? Wondering what people are up to on Saturday night? Feel free to post a message on our message board. There’s also a link to a great video of highlights of last weeks game.

Little Buffalo
Both bars WILL be showing the game Sunday, so if you can’t make it up to Buffalo be sure to come out and support the team with your fellow fans!

Email me with any questions about the tailgate and I look forward to seeing everyone bright and early Sunday morning!

J-E-T-S
SUCK! SUCK! SUCK!

— Kevin

Fish are Squished, Road trip!

Hi Everyone,

“It’s All Over, Clap Clap Clapclapclap!” was the cheer going up from Little Buffalo with about 8 minutes left in the game yesterday. With an unbelievable performance by the defense, the Bills thoroughly squished the Fish on their home field in the searing heat. Gone were the memories of last years 4th quarter collapse, this team clearly got stronger and more confident as the game went on. Truth be told, the moment I truly knew the game was over was when the Calico Jacks crowd when from booing Mike Mularkey to cheering him. As Phil points out in his excellent article, Mularkey did more for the Bills this week than he had the previous two seasons.

Recap
Since he is a much better writer than I am, I will leave the recap to Phil and his weekly feature “This Week at Calico Jack’s…”
https://www.nycbbb.com/columns/091706.shtml

Also, Phil is planning to do a future column about Bills fans’ superstitions, and would like to get your input.

Feedback
Once again, for those of you that attended yesterday, we need to hear your feedback. Had a great time? Terrible time? Let us know!

3rd Annual Buffalo Road Trip
This Sunday will mark our 3rd trip to the Motherland to watch the Bills stomp the Jets. Like last year, the tailgate is going to be held in a private lot off of 20A/Big Tree Road. We’ll be located next to Kenny Johnson’s Pinto tailgate in Lot 1 – Pole 5 on the other side of the tree line. The festivities officially start at 8am, but the private lot we’re in opens before the main lot we’ll most likely be there even earlier than that! We’ll have 2 kegs of Blue Light and some special coolers with Bloody Marys and Mimosas which were a huge hit at our last tailgate so get there early if you want some. We’re going to charge $5 per cup to cover the cost of the beer and drinks. We’ll also have plenty of grill space, so feel free to bring some food to throw on there. Here’s a map, we’ll be in the white area directly to the right of Kenny’s tailgate (its pole 5, NOT 6,) so if you find him, you’ll find us!
https://www.nycbbb.com/kenny/

As a reminder, this game will mark Kenny’s 200th straight Bills game and our friend Michelle Girardi will be there with some new friends from NFL Films to check out the scene. Don’t miss it! Also, if you’re planning on tailgating with us, please let me know by replying to this email.

Little Buffalo
Both bars WILL be showing the game next week, so if you can’t make it up to Buffalo be sure to come out and support the team with your fellow fans!

Sabres Email
Despite the stellar play of the Bills this week you didn’t really think I’d miss an opportunity to highlight the Sabres, did you? The team plays it’s first preseason game (already? Yup!) against the Leafs in Toronto and here’s hoping they follow the Bills lead and destroy their main rival. This year we have started up a new email for the Sabres fans, so if you are interested please head to our homepage and sign up or just email and let me know.

Finally, I hear that Culpepper got sacked again on his way to get coffee this morning. Poor guy.

— Kevin

JP Named Starter, Calico Reservations, Sabres

Hello All 1,531 Bills Fans,

That’s right, we’ve added 33 fans in one week! Welcome to everyone that is hearing from us for the first time, glad to have you aboard! The season is fast approaching and we’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s go:

JP Named Starter
After another solid performance against the Browns in the 3rd preseason game last Saturday night, JP Losman was named the starting quarterback by coach Dick Jauron yesterday. He has clearly been the best QB in practice and has said he feels much more comfortable than last year. The team needs to find out if JP is the real deal so this is the best possible outcome. Now he must win over his teammates and play smart football.

More Bills Notes
Takeo Spikes made his first appearance on the field since his Achilles tendon tear and true to form made the tackle on the Browns first play from scrimmage. The Bills lost 20-17 on a last second field goal but the starters played well, including a beautiful 54 yard TD from JP to our old friend Peerless Price. The Bills play their final preseason game tomorrow against the Lions and there are lots of positions still up for grabs. Backup WR, RB, LB positions are being hotly contested, and tomorrow’s game will go a long way to determining who makes the team.

Calico Reservation Info
Your NYCBBB staff has just about finalized all the details for the upcoming season at Little Buffalo and we’ll be sending a detailed email next week with all the info. One thing we wanted to mention is that Calico’s will again be accepting reservations for tables. They will begin accepting reservations at noon on Tuesdays and you can reserve up to 8 seats. The number is 212 – 557 – 4300.

3rd Annual Jets @ Bills NYCBBB Tailgate on Sept. 24th
I just got word yesterday that we sold ALL 100 tickets we had reserved for this game! This is going to be our biggest and best tailgate to date so if you don’t have tickets yet what are you waiting for? Call your friends and relatives, scour the internet, do whatever it takes to get yourself up there! It’s the legendary “Pinto Ron”/Kenny Johnson’s 200th straight game, and as an added bonus our very own NYCBBB ex-pat Michelle will be there with her new friends from NFL Films to catch some footage of the best tailgaters in the NFL for a piece for ESPN’s NFL Films Presents! The details of the tailgate are going to be almost identical to last year (check out our email archive) and I’ll be sending out more info as the date get closer. As a reminder, we aren’t arranging transportation or hotels in Buffalo so if you need a ticket, a ride or a hotel recommendation, post a message on our message board. If you’re planning on tailgating with us, please let me know by replying to this email!

Sabres Email
The Sabres run to the Conference Finals last year generated a LOT of enthusiasm and we had a great time following the team together. This year is shaping up to be even better and we are planning a lot more fun for everyone. In order to better serve you we have set up a new, Sabres only email list! We’ve updated the sign up link on our homepage to allow you to subscribe, and in less than a week we already a ton of names. If you are interesting in receiving additional Sabres emails, please sign up or reply back to this email and let me know.

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend and I look forward to seeing you all at the season opener in 11 days!

—Kevin

First Preseason Game Tomorrow!

Hi Everyone,

Anybody else notice the air this morning? I paused as I stepped out of my apartment – the air was clean, there was no humidity, and just the tiniest, faintest hint of a chill. It was, dare I say it, the first indication that football weather is coming. I’m pumped.

Speaking of football, our Buffalo Bills are kicking off the preseason tomorrow night at 7pm! The game will be shown as part of a package on the NFL Network where they do live cut-ins of 6 games. If you don’t get the NFL Network at home we will be showing the game at the Blue Moon (75th and 1st). At this time we are still confirming that the bar can show it, so please give them a call tomorrow before heading out. Their number is (212) 288-9811. Your favorite bartenders from the Sabres game, Harvey and Ritchie, will be behind the bar so it’ll be a great time.

We have a few tickets left for the home opener against the Jets. Ticketmaster is only selling single seats so we are your best option for tickets! Please email me if you are interested in heading up there with us.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather. We’ll be sending out more info on the upcoming season and home opening tailgate soon!

Let’s Go Buffalo!

— Kevin

3rd Annual Buffalo Road Trip

Hi Everyone,

With the end of the Sabres season the Buffalo Sport Summer Drought has officially begun. However Marv decided to create a little excitement this week by trading off-injured backup tight end Tim Euhus to the Saints for linebacker Courtney Watson. Watson was a 2nd round pick out of Notre Dame in 2004 and has a great opportunity to be a solid backup for the Bills. As always, check out Bills Daily for the latest off season news: http://www.billsdaily.com.

3rd Annual Buffalo Road Trip
This year the NYCBBB will be making its third trip up to Orchard Park for the Bills/Jets Home Opener on Sept. 24th at 1pm. We hope to build on last year’s successful journey which included huge tailgate party and a butt kicking of the Jets! Once again we encourage everyone to invite their NY friends that haven’t been to Buffalo and show them a great time. We’ve put a bunch of tickets on hold and you can order them NOW. Please contact Chris Costanzo at the Bills for details and to purchase seats, and be sure to tell him you are part of Matt Kabel’s NYCBBB group package. His phone number is (716) 648-1800 x 8912 and his email address chris.costanzo@bills.nfl.net.

Sabres Thank You Party
Don’t forgot on the Sabres Thank You party on Monday at the Blue Moon (75th and 1st). It’ll most likely be the final NYCBBB get together before the preseason games in August AND they’ll be giving away tons of Labatt Blue and Sabres stuff, including two jerseys. The festivities start at 8pm along with Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and has fun on Monday night!

— Kevin

Buffalo Bills Road Trip, Sabres Wrap Up

Hi Everyone,

It has taken a while for the disappoint to subside, but it’s finally time for me to admit the Sabres season is over and to send the season ending email. First, for Bills fans I have some news on our 3rd Annual Buffalo Road Trip! After that it’s a pretty long email, so I’ll give you the highlights first: We begin with a wrap up of the Sabres season, then a Thank You from the Staff at the Blue Moon and details on one last party, finishing another thank you from me.

Bills Road Trip
The NYCBBB will be hosting its 3rd Annual Buffalo Road Trip this year to watch the Bills take on the Jets. An added bonus this year is that the Jets game is the Home Opener! I’ve been to the last 3 home openers and they are always a great time. Once again we have reserved tickets so everyone can sit together, and we’ll be sending out more info about this on Friday!!

Sabres Wrap Up
The season ended a week ago today, and I’m still a little shocked that it’s over. Since I’m not a very good writer, I’m going to sum up the season by copying the editorial that appeared in the Sunday Buffalo News entitled “Buffalo Proud of Gutsy Sabres”. I think it does an amazing job of summing up the feelings that this Sabres team inspired, and the hope for the future:

“Disappointment runs deep in Buffalo these days. But pride runs deeper.”

Playing with far more heart than health, the Buffalo Sabres fell one period short in their quest for a trip to the Stanley Cup finals. There was no shame in that loss. When you enter Game Seven with a depth chart that already looks like a scratched-off lottery card, it’s tough to hit the jackpot.

Make no mistake, this Sabres season was all about heart, and hard work, and team play through round after round of adversity. The 2005-2006 Sabres refused to make excuses, but they also refused to quit despite injury after injury. They played their last deciding game on the road with what one Carolina writer called their “37th-string defense” – and that was before Jay McKee got sick. Yet they still led after the first two periods.

With all due respect to the still-standing ‘Canes and Edmonton Oilers, no team in this postseason played with more heart than the Sabres. They demonstrated just how far drive, guts and speed can go in the “new” NHL, and they were good not just for Buffalo – when was the last time you felt this elated about sports in this city? – but for the sport of hockey.

The Sabres are a young team, with still-emerging stars and organization-nurtured talent. They also have major forces behind the bench in master psychologist Lindy Ruff, and in the owner’s box, where Buffalo owes a huge emotional debt to B. Thomas Golisano for launching a championship team from a platform of disarray and prior-owner bankruptcy. Much of this team will stay together. And that’s good. Scary good.”

Blue Moon Thank You
This post season would not have been nearly as exciting if we hadn’t had a great place to gather and watch the games. A big thank you goes out to all the members that suggested places to catch the games, and especially the folks that brought the Blue Moon to my attention. We all had a great time there and the Blue Moon had a great time hosting us. Here is a copy of the thank you that the staff wanted me to pass along to everyone:

“Dear Sabre Fans:

On behalf of the entire staff of The Blue Moon Mexican Cafe, I wish to thank you all for joining us throughout The Sabres exciting playoff run.

We hope that you all had as much fun with us as we did with you. I believe that many new and lasting friendships were formed. I want to invite you all back for a “thank you” party during The Stanley Cup Finals. We still have two Sabre jersey’s to give away (one was sent to us by James Patrick),and Labatt will be sending us more items to raffle off.

I have posted the Stanley Cup Finals schedule on our website, along with pictures from Game 7, so have a look.

Thanks again and see you all real soon!

Carlos, Dave, Harv, Richie, Jodi, Tara, Mari and the rest of the staff at “The Moon”

Thank You Party
As mentioned above the Moon still has a bunch of Sabres stuff to give away. On Monday, June 12th we’ll be hosting a Thank You party for all Sabres fans during Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Hopefully Edmonton will have figured out how to win a game by then an keep the cup north of the Mason-Dixon line like it belongs! (whoops, I tried not to be bitter. Oh well.) The jerseys mentioned include a Ryan Miller jersey and an authentic Sabres jersey (fight strap and all)! I’ll be on vacation in Florida and can’t make it but good luck to everyone! Also, they have extended their offer of $3.50 Labatts during the remaining Cup finals games. Great deal.

Thank You
Finally, I want to thank everyone for their enthusiasm during this playoff run. The crowds at the Blue Moon were incredible and I can’t wait to top it all next season. Remember that the last time the Sabres lost in the Eastern Conference Finals, they made the Cup Finals the next year (98/99)!

Sabres Tomorrow, Willis in Town!

Hi Everyone,

I’m sure any non-Sabres fan is sick of hearing from me by now, so this email will be short AND include some actual Bills News.

Willis on Quite Frankly
Willis McGahee will be in town next Thursday, May 18th to appear on Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith. This will be very similar to the Jim Kelly show that they did in March. Once again they are inviting our members to be in the studio audience. Willis just had a very, um, interesting interview about his lifestyle in the NFL published in the Orlando Sentinel this week that I’m sure will be a topic of conversation. Here’s the link to the article as well as the info for the show:

Please call Jackea Chan at 646-708-7150 or email Jackea.X.Chan.-nd@espn.com. Please provide your first and last name, telephone number with area code and spell your email address. Someone from Audience Services will contact you if your reservation has been accepted. The studio is located across the street from Madison Square Garden. Again the show date is Thursday, May 18th, at 5:00pm with a 3:30pm check-in.

Sabres Saturday Night at the Blue Moon
Tough game last night for the boys, but they’ll be back in action and looking to stamp their ticket to the conference finals this Saturday at 7pm. The game will be on OLN and we’ll be hosting our usual game watch at the Blue Moon (75th and 1st). We had another GREAT capacity crowd on Thursday night and I have high hopes for an exciting Saturday night.

Finally a very HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all of our mom’s out there.

Sabres Could Sweep!

Hey Everyone,

“One Shot, One Hero”

That was the cry in the Buffalo dressing room during the intermission before the first OT. 5 minutes into OT, on the first shot of OT, we had our answer. J.P. Dumont grabbed a deflected puck out of mid air, dropped it at his feet and fired home the game winner. I’m not sure what happened after that because I was yelling, jumping, screaming, hugging and high fiving everyone in sight at the Blue Moon. Buffalo is now up 3-0 with the chance to close out the Sens TONIGHT!

One of our members emailed me this morning, “I love football, but playoff hockey is the most exciting sport on earth.” Couldn’t have said it better. Once again the Sabres scored first, and if it wasn’t for hitting 3 posts in the first peroid the game would have been a blow out. They’re already partying in downtown Buffalo, and I know the players want win it for the best fans in the world. Who will be the hero tonight?

Game time is at 7pm, and the game is on OLN. The Sabres could sweep the Senators, the favorites to win the Stanley Cup! We had a near capacity crowd last night, and we polished off 14 cases of Blue. I expect more of the same tonight (with MORE Blue in tow) so arrive early. It’s at 75th and 1st. If you are watching listen closely to James Patrick’s commentary during the intermissions. The owner of the Blue Moon talked to him this morning, and he is going to try to work in a shout out to our group! Also, the owner talked to the Sabres PR group, and they are going to send us a package (hopefully for the next round – knock on wood!!)

Finally, one of our members (the guy who introduced us to the Blue Moon) brought his good luck charm to the game last night. It was a Gilbert Perreault rookie card given to him by his neighbor – Gilbert Perreault! Unfortunately during all the hoopla surrounding the overtime win, it went missing. If you happened to have found it in the bar or on the street, PLEASE let me know.

We need to find Gil!!!

I’M FIRED UP!!!

LET’S GO BUFF-A-LO!!!!!! SEE EVERYBODY TONIGHT!!!

Kevin

Let’s Go Buff-a-lo!

Hey Everyone,

Remember the end of the ’04 Bills season? Here’s a quote from our 12/14/04 email: “After holding the Browns to 17 total yards, the Bills have fought back from an 0-4 start to go 7-6 and above .500 in December for the first time in 5 years! Sitting there in the SNOW this Sunday watching our dominating defense de-humanize the Browns, I felt an electricity in Ralph Wilson Stadium that I haven’t felt in years. Western New York is fired up, and we should be too!”

The atmosphere at the Blue Moon on during the game on Monday night was exactly like it was when we were all watching those games back in ’04. There were between 75-100 fans there, and in between polishing off EIGHT cases of Blue (15 CASES ORDERED FOR TONIGHT) the bar was rocking and the red light (yes, they have a red light for when the Sabres score) was blazing. The Sabres stole Game 2 with a 2-1 win and now lead the series 2-0 with the next two games on back to back nights in Buffalo. If that doesn’t fire you up, try this quote: “This game is going to be crucial for us,” Sabres winger Ales Kotalik said. “It’s the most important of the series for us because if we end up winning this game it’s pretty tough, and I don’t think Ottawa is good enough to come back from a 3-0 deficit.

“We have a helluva chance to go past them. . . . When you’re playing the third game at home you’re going to be fired up. We’re going to win this game.”

Game 2 is TONIGHT at 7pm. The game is NOT being shown on OLN so the only place you can see it is at the Blue Moon at 7pm (75th and 1st). They’ve even included some new specials: Blue bottles are now only $3.50 at the bar and the early bird special (a draft beer, nachos and a dinner entrée for $10) will be offered all night for Sabres fans. Get there early (6:30) for a seat at the bar!

Once again, since the game is not on OLN, McFadden’s will NOT be showing it. There was confusion about this on Monday, as McFadden’s was telling people on the phone they will show the game. They will have the game on Thursday. For those fans that can’t make it out tonight, the game will be shown on the internet athttp://www.comcast.net/sports/nhl/hockeylive/. I have yet to check this out but a number of members have said they’ve watched the games and the quality is pretty good.

I fully expect everyone that was there Monday to be there tonight. We need to keep the Karma Train rolling so we can finish this series out at home and get some rest for our injured players. Go Sabres!!

Kevin