Sabres Hockey

The Sabres called goaltender Ryan Miller up from Rochester on Monday in an effort to shake up the rut the team was in. The plan was to have Noronen and Miller alternate with Martin Biron being the number three goalie. Alas, things never quite work out how you plan. When Chris Drury fell backwards into Noronen, his skate slicing into the goaltenders neck, the Sabres almost had a repeat of Clint Malarchuk . The injury will force Noronen to the bench for the next week or so. Ryan Miller got a start last night against the depleted Red Wings, and was shellacked, allowing seven goals, five of which came in the third period.

Besides a goalie situation which is growing out of control, there appears to be a lack of production, and effort, from some of the Sabres bigger names. Drury, Dumont, Pyatt and especially Satan have struggled. Some, like Drury, are hard to explain. Some, like Satan are easier. Satan, who re-upped for two years and $10 million after a holdout has been all but invisible this year, and is now skating on the fourth line. Considering that he is the both the Sabres most marketable and overrated player it seems he would be ideal trade bait before the deadline.

Bottom line with Buffalo. If they give less than an outstanding effort they will lose. And even when they do bust their humps, they still might lose.

College Hoops

St. Bonaventure evened up it's record at 3-3 last night, defeating Siena 65-62 in Olean. I've never been a big Bonnies fan, but after the debacle that was last season, it's hard not to cheer for head coach Anthony Solomon and his crew. St. Bonaventure officials have been meeting with the NCAA, and sanctions are expected to be handed down soon. Combine those with the impending loss of senior guard Marques Green, and it will be a bleak five years in the southern tier.

Canisius is 4-3 after beating Bona Saturday night. My brother and I took Son One down to the arena last week to check out Canisius/Niagara and I was surprised by Canisius' athleticism. Perhaps the year for them will not be as bleak as I thought.

UB has won three straight to even their record at 3-3, with all three wins being of the blowout variety. It looks like Coach Witherspoon has these guys on the right track after getting a few recruits under his belt. A .500 season is not out of the question.

Niagara University is the team making the most noise, and I continue to pin my NCAA tourney hopes on them. They ran their record to 4-0 with a win over Siena, and are ranked 64th in the Sagarin poll. Tremendously athletic guards and solid interior play should keep Niagara in contention for the MAAC crown.

This and That

A nice article here on the high school hoops powerhouse that is Niagara Falls.

For anyone who is wondering, I haven't had my shovel out yet. I'm pretty sure the Today Show hasn't had a lead story based on Buffalo's nice weather this time of year.

It was nice seeing the Arena pretty full for college hoops when Canisius played Niagara. I would say they brought in around 5,000 people. It was pretty full from baseline to baseline. I promise I will get to some UB games this year and check out some of the talent in the MAC.

I almost forgot to comment on the "Baby" Joe Mesi fight. Mesi started out strong, winning the first six rounds, and dropping Barrett in the fifth. He got sloppy in the seventh and got knocked down. Barrett dominated the rest of the way, but Mesi had banked enough rounds to win the fight. Mesi had to win and he did. I've said here he needed to get hurt, and he did. He struggled with a ten round bout, now he knows the shape he has to be in. If he can take another moderate step up come May he should be able to fight a top ten guy come August or September. He has to be careful not to rush back too soon. He has to heal, study and train. Then fight an older guy with some ring savvy, then go for some bucks in the third HBO fight with a name opponent. It's very fashionable for the boxing elite to look down their noses at Joe, but find me a bigger drawing heavyweight who doesn't have a belt. See, that's why everyone wants a piece of Mesi...The Gate Money.

Hey look! My old Little League has it's own website! Oddly, they lack pictures of my Dad and the other coaches drinking beer err, strategerizing until the wee hours while the kids watched scrambled porn in the basement. Ah, youth!