The long layoff Tweetbag!

    No game on Wednesday, no problem... let's catch up!

    Jeremy White
    November 13, 2019 - 5:11 pm
    Categories: 
    Bills News
    NFL
    NHL
    Sabres News
    Our Opinions

    It’s been forever since I’ve posted a Tweetbag!, and it’s been forever since the Buffalo Sabres played a game.

    So here you have, for your entertainment, my musings on issues that you present via tweet. We laugh, we cry, we forget about the sports teams not winning a meaningful game in quite a long time.

    One thing to start us off... this was, by far, the most I’ve ever received from you guys. 146 responses means I can’t possibly post and answer all questions, but I have an idea. I’ll post a few tweets with long answers, a few more tweets in rapid-fire, and save five for a segment on the show on Thursday. Some of those five maybe posted here, some may be “deep cuts”.

    Ok, so here we go. Hope we have some fun.

    *****

    First lesson of the Tweetbag! is that all condiment questions move to the top.  

    Second lesson is, I need more specifics for questions such as these. I’m assuming this means that I can only have the condiments I choose, right? I should assume that every establishment will have salt, pepper, ketchup and mustard, so hot sauce is the only answer in that world. This isn’t some place for the psychopaths that claim they would make their own condiments from their spices... we don’t do that here.

    Ok, the answer is... ketchup and mustard. If given the choice, of only these the rest of my life, I need the two pillars of the condiment community. I’ll miss hot sauce, I will... but what am I dipping pretzels in? What’s going on a turkey sandwich? I need mustard above all others, and am I able to bring all the mustards? Or just one? Either way, it’s ketchup and mustard. I’m sorry.

    *****

    Great question. 

    I wouldn’t bet on it, and my answer is going to sound snarky, but it’s how I feel. As long as the Buffalo Bills and Sabres can push the idea of growth and togetherness, they’re going to. It’s the mantra of the whole sports operation in town. In our conversation with head coach Ralph Krueger on Wednesday, he pointed to how good it is that all the players are “buying in” and working hard. Rasmus Dahlin’s play of late is not a concern because he’s working hard. Last year was sold as a success halfway through the season because they were better than last place. The second half went so badly that the coach got fired, and the general manager made it seem like it was a hard decision. Did he even want to fire Phil Housley? Jason Botterill missed the tone of that presser by a country mile, lamenting a coach that may have done more damage to fan faith than the tank years did. 

    So what’s that mean for Botterill? He’s probably safe. Krueger’s still working on it, right? We’re not a finished product, right? The Rochester Americans are just starting to come along, right? Don’t know enough about how they get sub-80 to answer definitively. If he stands around and watches it happen, he should go. His inaction last year was awful. Just awful.

    Also, I’ve said it a few times and I’ll say it again. In hiring Krueger, Botterill hired a man that could be qualified to be his replacement. I don’t know how, or when, but I’ll have my ears open, if things go poorly, for the hockey media world to start openly wondering, “I wonder if the Sabres would consider popping Ralph upstairs.” Krueger is a guy with front office experience or pedigree. Hopefully everything works out and we don’t have to deal with any of this, but I’m just going to keep saying it.  

    *****

    Absolutely not. No chance. No way. No how. He doesn’t get fired if they go 6-10. I think Sean McDermott is a good front door to the franchise, and the Bills haven’t had that in a while.

    *****

    It will come down to how good the Bills' guy is. If Josh Allen turns out to be great, it’ll all be fine. If Allen flames out, then it will haunt the Bills until they get someone on the level. One thing to consider: if Lamar Jackson wins the MVP this year, that’ll be two MVPs in a row that the Bills passed on when they had a need for a franchise quarterback. We might finally get Brady out of our lives, only to replace it with an OSHA style counter that reads, “Years the MVP has been a quarterback the Bills passed on”. They won’t be alone in that club, of course. You get out of that club once you get a quarterback that carries you out.

    *****

    Warranted. 

    I see Mr. Cherry brought his exploits to the news network that spends time carefully toeing the line of wrapping bigotry in the flag. That’s what Mr. Cherry did. His claim about “you people” and his anti-immigrant stance was provided cover by talking about supporting the military and veterans. The defenses of Cherry involve, “He wants everyone to support the military” or some version of that. “You people” love “our”... what milk and honey, or whatever he said. His comments create two groups, insiders and outsiders. It’s wrong, and brought about a dismissal that’s probably long been overdue. Sportsnet’s Jeff Blair had a good response about his family that emigrated to Canada, and served in the military... a family full of servicemen and servicewomen...

    Watch it here:

    *****

    Coming out of college I wasn’t much of a talk show host. I was a guy that had worked in radio, doing a little of everything, and parlayed that into a part-time job at WBEN and WGR. I was a foot-in-the-door guy that caught a couple of breaks along the way. Things have worked out well, and I didn’t have any other options at that time, to be honest. I also didn’t look all that hard. Have had opportunities to go elsewhere since, but I’m pretty good where I am.  

    *****

    Competitive is a subjective term. I could make the case I’ve never played any sport competitively... or that I’ve played a few. But I might be game, and if I were to pick half the events, I’d go:

    1. Golf (Not cause I might win but because it’d be fun)
    2. Basketball
    3. Cornhole
    4. Auto racing - Come on coach, let’s do this
    5. Flip cup

    Your move, Coach Belly.

    *****

    RAPID FIRE TIME!!!

    Yes.

    *****

    Breaking Bad on the re-watch. Season 4 currently, and the Walt/Gus dynamic is just fantastic.

    *****

    There is, and I mean this, no hope for Arsenal.

    *****

    Maybe once... but the game we played when I was in high school was called “Top Secret”. Same genre of game, but with more modern idea. It was like Die Hard in a game - someone designed the mission for the agents, and you went from there. My character’s name was John McLean. Yes, seriously.  

    *****

    Six.

    *****

    Yes, unless you have your own dip. It colors the dip, and that’s the issue. The Dorito, however, is underutilized in modern society and can be eaten on or with anything.  

    *****

    Not today, Satan.

    It goes without saying at this point, but in his quarterbacking life, Joe Burrow is miles better than Allen was at the same time. That’s all. A nice, safe, tame take that will in no way anger anyone. Any issues, take them up with Nick.

    *****

    Yes. Last year it was the San Jose Sharks. The year before it was the Tampa Bay Lightning. I place a futures bet in the NHL every year. I pick a team that is good, and has good value.  

    This year, that’s the Carolina Hurricanes at 30-1. Save your anger. I’m at more than at peace with it. It’s not just the bet... they’re the kind of franchise that earns their fan support. My hate is gone. Now I just accept that they were lucky.

    *****

    • Option 1 - Fake illness
    • Option 2 - Acquire actual illness

    *****

    • Drunkard’s Walk - How Randomness Rules our Lives
    • Unbroken
    • American Kingpin

    *****

    Checking my "shmandango" account, I’ve seen four. The answer is Endgame.

    *****

    We’re doing ok. We have our days, and then we have our days. Thanks for your concern, and support. Our friends and family were wonderful and thoughtful enough to give us an incredible gift to remember our quads. When it’s done, I’ll be very happy to share it with everyone. It is something to be shared. Stay tuned.

    *****

    That's that. Thanks for all the material. 

    See you Thursday morning for the "deep cuts" segment.

    - Jer

    Comments ()
    Tags: 
    Buffalo Bills
    Buffalo Sabres
    NFL
    NHL
    Jeremy White