Don't Shoot the Hockey Player

by Anne

So Amy at Shots Off the Crossbar who is always on top of Buffalo News articles and other media relating to the Buffalo Sabres brought to our attention good ol' Bucky's latest article about newest Buffalo Sabre: Anthony Craig Rivet.

Now, Craig has completely honestly voiced his dissatisfaction and disappointment at being traded to Buffalo. He also quickly adds that his displeasure stems from the fact that he loved San Jose so much. I can understand that. It wasn't so much about Buffalo, it was about leaving San Jose. I'm sure that the members of the Rivet family had a few choice negative ideas to bandy about when discussing their new move to Buffalo.

I'm sure most people on here won't do this, but bear with me. Listen to WGR, you'll hear 'em.

Before people go ripping Craig Rivet a new one for saying bad things about our beloved hometown, let's pause and reflect.

Downtown Buffalo is gross. Its a dump. Trust me, I work in it. I'm in downtown Buffalo as I'm typing this. Come down to Court Street at like 7:00 p.m. in Februrary and see the desolate wasteland the heart of downtown becomes after working hours. There are way too many boarded up stores and buildings that need inhabitants and it's gross. That's what hockey players see when they come to Buffalo. That is ALL they see. They probably (I really have no idea) stay at like the Hyatt downtown or some hotel off of the 290 in Amherst, hop on the Kensington and head to the arena and that's their entire impression of Buffalo. If you asked me the worst view of our fair city, that probably wouldn't be #1 but it'd be top 5, easily.

However, what makes Buffalo so great is the people in it. I know this has been said before, but its really true. People in Buffalo who embrace our sad little city know that our home is a dump. We know how terrible we look to the outside world. We're poor, we're dirty and sometimes it feels like we have more politicians than constituents. It's not an ideal situation. That perception reflected in our attitude, but not the dark side of it. Most Buffalonians act on the flip side of the coin. We're not called the City of Good Neighbors for no reason. We people of Western New York compensate for the sad state of our city by making the people of Buffalo its most popular attraction.

Craig Rivet couldn't believe how cheap housing is in Buffalo. A 5,000 sq foot home for $2 million?!?! CRAIG, YOU COULD BUY A HOUSE TWICE THAT SIZE FOR HALF AS MUCH IN BUFFALO, ISN'T THAT AWESOME?!

That's another reason I like Buffalo so much, salaries are lower than the national average in Buffalo but cost of living is lower too, so you can live a wealthier lifestyle in Buffalo for less than it would cost elsewhere. Take a notice of how many BMWs you see driving around town and you'll see what I mean.

I love Buffalo and I never want to live anywhere else for very long. I'd try living somewhere else just to see what its like, but I would always come back. Buffalo will always be my home and I could never replace it. I love Chicago and Pittsburgh but I couldn't live there because I don't think I could ever feel as happy living so anonymously. Almost every time we go out on the weekends, I see someone I went to high school with and that, while kind of annoying, gives me a feeling of belonging that I enjoy. "Buffalo" is really fun to say too.

Anyway, I hope Craig Rivet learns to like it here. There are some lovely newer houses in Clarence and Williamsville and that general area I think you'd enjoy, Mr. Rivet. Those are excellent school districts for your wee youngin's (I actually don't know howmany kids he has, but if he's building a 5,000 foot home, I'm gonna go ahead and assume its more than 1).

It isn't surprising that Soupy, Mike Grier or Doug Gilmour say nice things about Buffalo. They didn't like the way the organization handled things, but Larry Quinn is not Buffalo. Elmwood Avenue, Hertel Avenue, Tim Horton's, Niagara Falls, Delaware Park, Bison dip, Thursday at the Square, Kissing Bridge, Chestnut Ridge, the Albright Knox, Bills games, Ralph Wilson, Van Miller, Sabres games, Rick Jeanneret, NLL Champion Bandits games, the REAL John Tavares, sports in general, chicken wings, Rob Ray, random protests being staged on Bidwell, Bisons games, the Earl of Bud, the Conehead, Anchor Bar v. Duffs, Jim Kelly, snowstorms, snow days, Don Paul, Rich Foods, Tops v. Wegmans, "Wide Right", "No Goal", The Taste of Buffalo, Lake Erie, Chippewa, Jim's Steak Out, Mighty Taco, Allentown, beef on weck, our odd looking City Hall, putting "the" in front of route numbers, Labatt Blue, Garden Walk, Spot Coffee, that crazy lady who wears all white and walks around by Allen St., loyalty and hard work. THAT's Buffalo, not a man in an office making decisions about a hockey team.

This has been my pro-Buffalo rant of the day. We now return you to your regularly scheduled foolishness and trickery.