Quick Things

by Anne

• Bandits games are the worst and I hate them for reasons completely unrelated to lacrosse
  

• I don't want Rositslav Klesla. Send an oft-injured top 6 playmaking center in exchange for an oft-injured stay-at-home defenseman who produces goals at a rate of one per season? This does not strike me as the right move

• In the same article linked above our very own Buffalo News says that Florida wants a top 4 defenseman and a veteran forward in exchange for Jay Bouwmeester. Ummmmm how about Max and Hank? I don't know that Hank is definitely a top 4 guy but we could pretend he is and Max is super speedy and kids like him for reasons no one understands

• Big Bear scored the game winning goal last night as the Canucks beat the Lighting 2-1. Woo!

• The Devils did us a solid and beat the Panthers 7-2 this afternoon. Thanks!

• Unfortunately the Butter Snaps are playing Atlanta tonight so I don't know that the Thrashers will do us the same kindness.

• I was just thinking about how great that 05-06 team was and then I clicked onto NHL.com and saw that Danny has been activated from IR

• I have my house to myself all weekend and its great

• I don't understand why people keep changing their names on Facebook to be their middle name or some crazy other spelling of their current name.
  

• I took a nap for like an hour today and when I picked up my phone I had three missed calls two voicemails and 45 text messages. I've never felt more popular

• You know what? This whole "Ovechkin v. Crosby" battle is swayed by one thing: whichever one of their teams is doing better. I distinctly remember last season both Millbury and McGuire saying they'd rather have Crosby on their team and we all know how well the Pens did last season. This year? They both disown Crosby and verbally fellate AO. Next year? Who knows.

• I'm really bummed that I'm not watching the game tonight. Because of this it will more than likely be a 10-0 blowout. That would be a good thing.
  

• Rihanna supposedly being back with Chris Brown makes me sad

• This might be the Sabres' last game without Vanek. Hooray!
  

Saturday Shenanigans

by Anne

I would really like the Bandits to score fewer goals, please. I'm glad that the Bandits are so successful and I hope they continue to be, but after a while the sound of the goal horn gives me a headache. And that friggin' announcer dude is so annoying and there are so many cheers and drums and I have to yell a lot and AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

I was just trying to figure out if the Bandits have lost this season and yes, once. Never at home. They have 105 goals on the season, the next closest team has 85. So yes, they do score lots.

They also have a player named Brett Bucktooth. Words cannot describe what an awesome name that is.

I'm about 99% sure Chris Butler was at the game tonight, wandering about the 200 level. All I could think was "Aw, Buts, don't you have a lady to spend Valentine's Day with?" He probably does but I just felt sad at the possibility that he was just like alone in Buffalo where he probably doesn't know anyone. My mother of course was like "Why didn't you talk to him?" I had a hard time explaining that we're not supposed to bother players regardless of the event going on at the Arena.

I worked on the 200 level and I've never been there before but it was cool. I set up near where they film the post-game show. I can definitely see the perks to sitting in the 200 level. Except for the major perk that I'm on the 300 level. Speaking of which, I saw Kim on Friday! Hooray!

Around the league tonight, the only thing that interested me was I saw that WCBs Matt Greene and Ethan Moreau got five minute majors for fighting each other. Former teammates dropping the gloves. Ok, it wasn't really that much of a fight but if you had to pick a winner, I suppose Greener would have been it.

Sergei Gonchar is finally back for Pittsburgh!! Yay! So many people were hoping he was the shot in the arm the Pens needed ............... he was a -1 and the Pens lost 6-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ok, it was just his first game back, it'll take a few for him to get up to speed. I guess a Pens loss is good for us, but they're five points back so they become less of a threat all the time.

I saw The Reader today. It was quite good, recommend it. So far Slumdog is still my pick for winner, but The Reader is a very close 2nd. If you want to see a lot of Kate Winslet's boobs and a lot of love scenes and lots to do with Nazi war crimes, The Reader is for you.

What a Ridiculous Day

by Anne

Today was pretty awesome.

It required a great deal of logistical planning on my part. Basically I had to do half of my normal getting ready for work routine at 11:00 am instead of 3:00 pm because the Sabres and Bulls had to be homers and play in the afternoon.

That Sabres game today was highly enjoyable, I must say. For those keeping track, my 3rd jersey is 3-1 when watching a game at home... cuz I can't wear it to any games.

Matt Ellis was THIS close to having a hat trick. Matt. Ellis. He seems like such a genuinely likable and hard-working guy, the kind of guy you can really feel good about cheering for. He's proud to be a Sabre and he wants to stay here. His recent interview with The Sabres Show, coupled with his career-high performance this afternoon makes this one heck of a weekend for Mr. Ellis.

I like Matt Ellis because he's doing exactly what all players should do: he's playing for his job. Matt Ellis knows that if Matt Ellis doesn't play his absolute best and eat minutes and play a solid game, he watches the game from the press box or he gets a ticket back to Portland. Clearly he doesn't want that, so he's playing to stay in the NHL. Can you imagine the difference in this team if all players played that way? This recent calling out of top players has definitely reflected that attitude: play like you want this job and you'll keep it. Play with apathy and Lindy just might start being a little bit apathetic about your ice time. Basically Matt Ellis is the hero of Buffalo today.

Ryan Miller had no business making some of those saves. Like, straight up, how did he do some of those? Much like the "Did Gaustad or Pominville tap in that rebound?" debate, my feeling is basically the same: I don't care how it happened, I'm just glad it did. He was sprawling around and flailing and throwing the glove around like he's Scott Hartnell (click on the link if you've never seen it).

Excellent game with some unusual injuries. Britney, as Cory put it "Who gets injured on a pass?" I'm sure it just hit a nerve or something and just stung a little and you're fine, but yeesh. Reggie, uhhhh, I hope you enjoy your new life as lead soprano for the BPO chorus.

So, tonight I experienced my very first Bandits game. It was.... different.

First of all, the completely different structure of the quarters completely changes the way I sell food and beverage. I sell wwwaaayyyy more in the seats than I do during Sabres games which means I was VASTLY unprepared for the demand I was faced with. Couple this with the fact that there are TONS of kids and Bandits games, and I made out like, well, a bandit.

Also, its wwwwaaaaaaaayyyy hotter because the building is not 60 degrees like it is during a hockey game.

I have no idea what the rules of lacrosse are but I can now name at least 4 Buffalo Bandits and I am happy to report that they won 15-11. Yay!

UB lost today :( I didn't watch much of the game, but what I did see was decent. We made it farther than anyone thought we would and those boys have nothing to feel bad about.

Today's win and Pittsburgh's loss puts us in 7th and the Pens in 9th. I know this will be meaningless by, like, tomorrow, but its just a snapshot to see how the Pens are struggling lately.

Later today, we will be posting a very special commemorative post, as today, January 4, 2009, Sabretooth's House turns 1 whole year old. Awwwww.

Christmas Break

by Anne

I'm not going to go on an official hiatus but something about blogging on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day seems weird, especially when there's no hockey going on. Therefore, until we meet again:

1. Please stop whining about the Crosby goal or not a goal or whatever. It's over, its been decided. Bitching about it further will not take away the goal and will not give the Sabres and Pens another chance to play out OT. Besides, the Pens were just shutout by the Lightning. Yick. Give them the win, they'll need it to keep them warm over Christmas. The NHL is not "out to get" the Buffalo Sabres. For like 2 years the NHL loved us, remember the lovefest that was 2006-2007? Danny Briere was going to cure cancer and Ryan Miller was the second coming, things change, but the NHL is not out to get the Sabres because Sidney Crosby scored a goal. If this had been Tyler Kennedy or Max Talbot, would we still be having this debate? No.

2. Christmas is Thursday!!!!!

3. Jeff Carter has taken the goal scoring lead. I can guarantee you Thomas Vanek does not care. I'm sure he cares that he hasn't been scoring, but I'm sure he doesn't care that he's #2.

4. The Bandits season starts on the 3rd!! Which, unfortunately is also when the International Bowl is. Fortunately they occur at different times of the day.

5. I've already gotten some sweeeet hockey related Christmas gifts, one of which I plan to dedicate an entire post to, post-Christmas day. Let's just say that I can't wait til May.

6. Merry Christmas everyone!