Bills 28, Jets 9

The Wilson Hockey League, which plays outdoors on winter Thursday evenings at Otter Creek rink - and has done so since 1996, has seen many players come and go over the years. Some have played for years then moved away or hung them up entirely and some have played only once or twice as guests. Last week, on the day after Boxing Day, the WHL welcomed its best known guest player ever, a former NHLer and well know TV hockey analyst. I am leaving his name out in order to best preserve any chance that he might join us again. I realize that readership of this blog is not big but I want to play it safe. Plus, I can say lots of other stuff about him without risk of him ever seeing it. Not that what I am going to say would displease him.

On the contrary, here's what I saw. This was a player whose role when he played in the NHL was that of part enforcer, part checker, part general toughness and grit. No fan would have perceived him as a high skill player at least not in comparison to his pro colleagues. Yet, some 15 or so years after his retirement from the NHL, he is a supremely skilled hockey player compared to the rest of our lot (and we have some decent players, myself NOT among them) whose stick-handling and passing was a pleasure to watch and a thrill to be part of. He hit me with several perfect passes, most of which I managed to screw up but I did thankfully follow through on one. Nice guy too. And it sure seemed like he had fun. He is welcome back any time.

I've seen a couple of good films recently. Life of Pi earned 4 stars from the Globe and Mail, and deservedly so. It is a visually rich (and worth seeing in 3D) interpretation of the Yann Martel novel and, with the help of CGI, a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker seemed very real to me. A couple of days ago, I saw the new Tarantino film, Django Unchained. The D in Django is silent as Jamie Foxx sometimes points out before blowing peoples head off. I loved it but I'm a big fan of Tarantino. I realize that not everyone is and I completely understand that. This film features another stellar performance by Christoph Waltz, the Austrian actor who Tarantino brilliantly cast in Inglorious Basterds. The Globe gave it only 2 and half stars and this mystifies me. If Life of Pi was worth 4 (and I would probably have given it 3 and half), then this film, although different in every way, deserves the same. Both are worth seeing.

Well, the Bills finally beat the NY Jets yesterday, although they waited until it did not matter and the only real result was that the Bills now draft 8th overall instead of higher had they managed to lose. Unfortunately, 6 of the 7 teams drafting ahead of them also need a quarterback so perhaps it's time to trade up like the Redskins did this year to get Robert Griffin III (who lead his team to the NFC East title last night). Ralph Wilson is 94 years old and he alone will decide the fate of GM Buddy Nix and head coach Chan Gailey. My best guess is that both will be gone and, if that is the case, could Bill Polian be headed back to One Bills Drive (as has been rumoured)?  If he is, he has the credibility to attract a quality head coach but the ongoing uncertainty over the ownership situation and the fact that the Bills have done it on the cheap through their 13 years out of the playoffs could keep the top tier candidates away. Ralph Wilson will have about 5 weeks before he sends out season ticket renewal invoices. My bet is that there will be a new GM and coach in place by then. I guess change and renewal helps to get people like me to pay up. I would any way. The Bills are still in the National Football League after all.
    

Dolphins 24, Bills 10

Brad Barker of Jazz FM was in the TVO studio last week with Steve Paikin to try to explain some of the genius of Dave Brubeck, American jazz master who passed away earlier this month. Brubeck was a true musical star - which is unusual in the world of jazz which has always produced brilliant players who mostly toil in total obscurity. Barker explained to Paikin that Brubeck's innovative time signatures set him and his quartet apart from most other music we know - often popular "blues based" music - as he pushed the limits of progressive jazz. Time signature refers to the number of beats per measure. Blues based music is easy foot tapping or dancing music because its time signature is often in 4/4. Most casual music listeners are fully aware of that time signature without knowing it. The Brubeck quartet's best known piece "Take Five" (which was written by Brubeck's long time saxophone player Paul Desmond and is from the 1959 album Time Out) is written in a 5/4 time signature. Other time signatures he used included 6/4, 9/8 and 13/4. Brubeck was a serious professional musician who did not drink or take drugs. He always wore a shirt and tie when playing. He was a musical giant. As Barker said, when you listen to Take Five, it just makes you feel good. I am happy to have learned a little more about Dave Brubeck last week. And I purchased Time Out so that I can feel good anytime I want.

In the US, the National Rifle Association took a full week to comment after the Newtown shootings. But for those of us hoping that the organization shoots itself in the foot as often as possible, it was well worth the wait. NRA spokesman Wayne Lapierre held a press conference to explain that "the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun". Lapierre also called for the posting of armed federal agents in all schools and went as far as to say that if that idea seems crazy, "then call me crazy". As Lapierre was making his statement, a gunman in Ohio shot four people in an apparent random act. Whether or not the timing was by design is not clear but on Twitter, someone commented in "defence" of the NRA: "you try holding a press conference at a time when there isn't a mass shooting going on. Its just not that easy." The good news, it seems to me, is that Americans seem more and more to be rejecting extreme views such as those of the NRA and its most recent position about armed guards in schools. In the long term, these views will become more marginalized and this should pave the way for meaningful gun control in the US. Not soon but eventually.

It's Christmas Eve. I am sitting in the warm cottage looking out over the just barely frozen lake. I was able to get in 2 hours of skiing yesterday through 8-10cm of snow which is not really enough for skiing but too much for mountain biking. There is a crusty frozen layer on the ground which helps keep the skis off the rocks as I move through the forest. The ice on the lakes is too thin to ski safely on and the ice on the beaver pond to the north of the road probably is thick enough but is flooded with slush at the surface. This is the shoulder season I guess. It's about a month late based on a 100 year average.

My Christmas shopping is done. It consisted of the purchase of a crown roast of pork from Upper Cut Meats at the St. Lawrence Market. It sits in the fridge ready to be transported to St. Catharines tomorrow for our family dinner. I made a batch of apple/ginger jam a couple of weeks ago and I made my second annual cash donation to the Daily Bread Food Bank through the Sounds of the Season website. That's it. A jar of jam and knowing that I donated to the food bank is all anyone is getting for Christmas from me. And the pork roast too. Happy Holiday everyone!

The Bills close out another sad season on Sunday December 30th at Ralph Wilson Stadium against the New York Jets if anyone cares. I do because I am trying to get rid of my tickets for it.

Seahawks 50, Bills 17

David Frum was doing the rounds on CBC radio this morning as I drove to Muskoka. I heard him speaking first with Matt Galloway as the reception faded then to Wei Chen about 45 minutes later. He feels that the gun control issue in the US is so sensitive that it probably can not be dealt with by elected politicians in the current highly polarized environment. If the President were to initiate gun control legislation, the NRA and the Republican party would dig in and success would be virtually impossible. He is hopeful, however, that a citizens group could succeed in building a broad, non-partisan consensus in the US around this issue which could then lead to legislative changes down the road. He used the example of Mothers Against Drunk Driving which was able to effect significant change in the 1980's not only in law but in creating full public consensus for stronger laws and stiffer punishment around drinking and driving. The difference in this case is that there is no organization which speaks for the constitutional rights of drunk drivers the way the NRA does for American gun culture.

Yesterday at the Rogers Centre, the Buffalo Bills gave up points Gangnam Style (sorry, had to use it) as they clinched their 13th consecutive non-playoff season and their 8th straight losing season. Chan Gailey is now officially on the hot seat and Bills management probably realizes that bringing him and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick back for a fourth season would alienate a significant chunk of the fan base and put a serious dent in season ticket sales. Unless something remarkably positive takes place over the final two games, it seems likely that a new head coach and quarterback will be headed to Buffalo in 2013.

PSY took the stage at halftime yesterday and performed his signature (and only popular) song, Gangnam Style. He is a good showman with a catchy Korean charisma (from the alliteration department) and a commanding stage presence. I don't know what he was paid, but for four and half minutes work, it's probably pretty lucrative for him. May he ride it as long as he can.

Yesterday also marked the sad conclusion to the ill-fated "Bills in Toronto" series. When it was announced in early 2008, I thought that it would be hugely popular and highly successful in this, North America's fifth largest market. So obviously did Rogers Communications. That's why a friend and I jumped on the chance to pay more than $3,500 for two 500 level tickets to all eight games in the series. It ended up being only seven games and I can't recall the total amount of the rebates we received after the first year. I do remember that the face price of the tickets to the two games in 2008 was $255 and the same tickets yesterday had a face price of $95. Even with the steep price reduction, there were significant chunks of empty seats in the top corners of the 500 level for yesterday's game. So, what is the lesson for the Bills and for Rogers? First, the Bills relationship with Toronto is not the same (or even close to being the same) as the Green Bay Packers relationship is with the city of Milwaukee - the example that Rogers probably looked to when the idea was conceived. And, Toronto is home to many NFL fans but not as many fans of the Buffalo Bills as Rogers had assumed. And, the Rogers Centre atmosphere, even if it were sold out, is so different from that of Ralph Wilson Stadium that it is barely comparable. If the Bills in Toronto deal is renewed, Rogers and the Bills will have to come up with a different way to promote and sell the games in the Toronto market. The league is probably not pleased with the take-up of these games in Toronto but if there is any organization in North America which is capable of harnessing its marketing machine to come up with a way to make these games more compelling, it is the National Football League itself. If the NFL can't help to figure out a way to make it work, then it simply can not be done.

Rams 15, Bills 12

Last Thursday, the six candidates running to replace Dalton McGuinty as leader of the Liberal Party of Ontario and serve, however briefly, as Premier, assembled in the TVO studios at Yonge and Eglinton for a "debate" which was moderated by Steve Paikin. I watched the entire hour and here's my take: First of all, there are three candidates who should really not be there at all as they just take away time from the other four. Charles Sousa, Harinder Takhar and Eric Hoskins, a few more of us know your names now but, honestly........ Of the four top tier candidates, Glen Murray impressed me the most. He seemed best able to speak from the perspective of the party and its need for a teamwork and a collective approach - regardless of who wins the leadership. The former Winnipeg mayor, former head of the Canadian Urban Institute and most recently the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities is a thoughtful and well-spoken urban affairs advocate and generally an impressive guy. I was trying to picture each of the four candidates up against Tim Hudak and Andrea Horwath in a televised election debate and Murray looked to me like the one who would best handle that. I like Kathleen Wynne but, as a current and long time member of the government, she will not be able to distance herself from the McGuinty legacy in a credible way. Sandra Pupatello is aggressive and confident but I"m not sure that she can handle Hudak in a campaign. Gerrard Kennedy, after losing his federal seat to Peggy Nash last year, seems to want to apply for any and all available Liberal leadership jobs. He is a decent guy but looks like someone who would end up as opposition leader after Hudak wins a majority.

Regardless of who wins, it will be extremely tough for the provincial Liberals to win yet another election unless Hudak self-implodes with some crazy policy like having prisoners pick up garbage in chain gangs along our roads. Wait, he did that last time..... This time, I suspect that he will make no such radical promise and he and his party have done a good job over the past several months in releasing a broad set of policy directive "white papers" on a range of important topics. More recently, he has re-cycled the "beer in corner stores" idea and taken shots at the LCBO and their new fancy stores built at taxpayer expense. These messages play well. He pointed out that when you leave Ontario in any direction - to Manitoba, Minnesota, Michigan, New York or Quebec, you will enter a jurisdiction where you can buy beer and wine in corner stores and grocery stores. So, why not have this in Ontario too? I'm not sure that there is a good answer. The election in the spring is going to be Hudak's to lose. He is fully capable of doing just that but I'd be surprised not to see him as Premier before the summer. And as a Toronto resident, and depending on what happens with the mayor's office, the prospect of having Stephen Harper in Ottawa, Tim Hudak at Queen's Park at Rob Ford at City Hall is about as depressing a scenario as I can imagine.

Speaking of depressing, I did watch the entire Bills game yesterday. The defence could not get off the field on third down and also, here is a newsflash: we need a quarterback. With 3 games left, it's really about draft position now. The latest draft analysis I have heard says that there are, once again, several good quarterbacks available in the draft - although maybe not as highly rated as Andrew Luck or RG3 were. I just hope that Buddy Nix can pick the guy who will not be the second coming of JP Losman.

This weekend, we have the annual "who cares bowl" as the high-flying Seattle Seahawks (who beat Arizona yesterday 58-0) come to the Rogers Centre to play the Bills. The game will serve as the undercard for the halftime performance by PSY who will play a 10 minute version of Gangnam Style (I presume). Last week, I saw Leonard Cohen and Dave Matthews Band at the ACC so having the chance now to see PSY as well as an NFL exhibition game as an opening act is just about all I could ask for.

Bills 34, Jaguars 18

An email from Mary Ito arrived last Tuesday. The subject line was :"Join us Saturday at Lula Lounge". A few Saturdays ago, I was up early as usual, working on the computer and listening to Mary host CBC radio's Fresh Air. She invited readers to submit stories about dates gone wrong. So, I took a few minutes, submitted a story and hoped that she would read it on the air. She did not and I either missed her saying or forgot that she had said that she would select 8 lucky winners to join her and other CBC staff at Lula Lounge for dinner and evening of Salsa dancing. I know more about Salsa dancing than I did before Saturday (which was virtually nothing) and I enjoyed meeting everyone but I can't see myself taking it up anytime soon. For those who do this, it's hard to imagine a better place for it that than Lula Lounge. There were couples whose dancing skills were good enough for a TV show and the band was fantastic. It was an interesting peek into a world I knew nothing about. And Mary Ito is delightful in every possible way.

Here's my take on the Rob Ford saga: assuming that he is successful on Wednesday in his application for a stay of last week's order and assuming that his appeal of the same order in not successful in January (big assumptions but probably the most likely scenarios), rather than go the $7 million expense of a by-election, I firmly believe that council should exercise their right to appoint someone to hold the position on an interim basis until the regularly scheduled election in 2014. An argument could be made that it be Doug Holloday, the current Deputy Mayor and former mayor of Etobicoke. His more tempered personality and right-of-centre leaning could be considered an acceptable replacement for and extension of the Ford mandate. I have a different view as to who should be appointed and it may not be what anyone who knows me would expect. I would support the appointment of Rob Ford as "interim" Mayor. He won the election in 2010 fair and square and has the right to hold the office until 2014. Despite the existing law (which should and I expect will be changed to allow for judicial discretion), his actions and/or omissions were not serious enough, in my view, for him to be removed from office. His ideology, policies and demeanor in office are different things entirely and clearly are going to be key considerations for voters in 2 years time. Plus, appointing Ford, as I suggest, would shut the Mayor and his brother up about the "left wing witch hunt" and make them run for re-election on their record alone. Speaking of judicial discretion, it was interesting to see the reaction from Ford supporters who could not understand why the judge had no discretion in the application of the penalty of removal from office after finding that the Mayor broke the conflict of interest law. "What do we pay these judges for anyway?", they asked. These are generally the same people who support more mandatory minimum sentences for certain criminal offences. Like we have now, thanks to the Harper government.

On to some football now..........Mike from Buffalo, whose seats are next to mine in section 113 at Ralph Wilson Stadium, bought my tickets to yesterday's game. He also texted me a photo of the stadium during the game and it looked pretty bleak. Rain, wind and tens of thousands of empty seats. It looked like there were less than 25,000 actually in the stadium. I saw none of the game but had John Murphy and Mark Kelso on the radio for much of it. The Bills are now 5-7 with a mathematical but unrealistic shot and at a wildcard spot. The best news? Mario Williams has really picked it up and is beginning to play like something approaching the player they hoped he would be when they signed him in March.

Up next: the St. Louis Rams come to Orchard Park after a thrilling OT win against the 49ers yesterday. Up next for me: finding a buyer for these tickets.

Colts 20, Bills 13

I am sitting here in the cottage looking out over one of my favourite scenes - which can be seen only in these last days of fall. With the lake still open, through the evening hours and overnight, we had about 8cm of snow fall with the temperature holding at minus 3. A winter wonderland but with shimmering lake. I must take a few photos when the sun comes up.

I saw the Movie "Lincoln" this past week. Daniel Day Lewis has to be the one of the best film actors ever. He chooses characters with such depth and he interprets and develops them brilliantly. He portrays Abraham Lincoln as sometimes plodding, quirky, humble and genuine but with a fierce drive for the results which the country needs, balancing complex competing interests as he works to end the civil war and pass the 13th Amendment (which abolished slavery). Today's House members could take a lesson from this film as an example of how the American legislative system needs compromise to work properly. It isn't always pretty but, in Lincoln's case, the results are what really matter. It's a Spielberg film but you wouldn't know it. Mostly people talking in smoke filled rooms. Worth seeing.

As I write, it is now just after 7am Monday. In less than 3 hours, we will know if Toronto mayor Rob Ford will be ordered to leave office for breach of the city's conflict of interest rules. I am worried. If he is removed from office, the city's business will be paralyzed first by whatever process is used to select a new interim mayor (with a highly questionable mandate) but then by Ford's re-election campaign for 2014 which will begin right away and has the potential to generate significant sympathy for him and therefore the frightening possibility that he could win another election. My hope is that the judge will find a way to avoid removing him from office while humiliating him in the strongest possible terms. Sounds like a tall order. Maybe that's why the judge has reserved his decision for so long.

I guess there was some football over the weekend. The Canadian football season concluded with 2 games at the Rogers Centre. A record crowd of more than 37,000 saw Laval win the Vanier Cup on Friday night and then last night the Argos won their 16th Grey Cup with a convincing win over Calgary. In US College football, the BCS Championship came into focus: Notre Dame completed their undefeated season with a win at USC and will play the winner of the SEC Championship Game between Alabama and Georgia.

And, lastly, the Buffalo Bills made me very angry yesterday. As Buffalo News columnist Jerry Sullivan said this morning, there is no way that the Bills fan base will be satisfied with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback next year. Despite some flashes of quality play from time to time, he is crap and clearly not good enough to lead an NFL team to the playoffs. At 4-7, this year is done. Just like the past 12 seasons before it. I am also done. My last three sets of tickets for games against Jacksonville, St. Louis and the Jets are listed on NFL TicketExchange right now. I guess we'll go the the Seattle game at the Rogers Centre but I officially don't care any more for this season.



 

Bills 19, Dolphins 14

This is the peak of football season - especially for Canadian fans. Sunday's Grey Cup will mark the end of the Canadian football season but this week, there just couldn't be any more football and it's all important.

The Don Boscoe Eagles, coached by Toronto mayor and village idiot Rob Ford, easily handled the Northern Red Knights 31-0 in the so-called "Toronto Bowl" to earn a spot in the Metro Bowl semi-finals this week against the St. Andrews College Saints. The winner earns a trip to the Metro Bowl at the Rogers Centre on November 27th. Whether the Eagles make it to the final game or not, the Toronto high school football season is almost over and that probably means that Ford will be spending more time at City Hall. It was a good run while it lasted.

Last year's Vanier Cup was one of the best football games of the year and should be a good one again this time around as the same two teams, McMaster and Laval, earned trips to Friday night's big game at the Rogers Centre. The Vanier Cup was first awarded in 1965.

In US College football, the BCS standings were turned upside down as 2 of the top teams lost for the first time this season. The Oregon Ducks lost at home to Stanford and Kansas State fell to Baylor. Things are looking good for Notre Dame who remains undefeated and will almost certainly earn a trip to the BCS National Championship game with a win on Saturday at USC. The University of Buffalo Bulls won for the third straight week with a 29-19 win at UMass. Grand Island Native Alex Neutz lead the way with 9 catches and a touchdown.

The 100th Grey Cup is now set for the Rogers Centre on Sunday. The Toronto Argonauts managed to hang on for a 27-20 win in the Eastern Final at the Big Owe before over 51,000 fans. Alouettes receiver Brian Bratten seemed startled to have the tying touchdown pass bounce off his chest on a third down play in the dying seconds to seal the win for the Argos. Calgary won in Vancouver in the Western final to earn their trip. CFL rules require that Toronto hosts and plays in the Grey Cup game every 30 years. The 1982 game featured wet and windy weather as the Edmonton Eskimos earned revenge for their 1952 defeat at Varsity Stadium. I have already ordered my tickets for the 2042 Grey Cup game which will be played at the 90,000 seat RIM Stadium (I'm bullish on the BlackBerry 10) which the Argonauts share with Toronto's wildly successful NFL team which moved here from Buffalo following the 2016 season.

And, on the Bills big win in prime time last Thursday. We left Toronto around 2pm in fine clear weather and, despite the pesky Buffalo afternoon rush hour traffic on Route 5, arrived in good time to Drive 5 ready to tailgate in the dark. The entire parking surface area of Drive 5 has now been asphalted which makes it seem somewhat more civilized than the gravel surface it replaced. But the asphalt absorbs nothing. And it's too bad because we now know that the gravel served to absorb the considerable amount of liquid which ends up on the ground during a tailgate party and the slope of the parking lot now means that the liquid runs in long streams throughout the entire surface area. Thankfully, the liquid is all beer - in one form or another.

The Bills defence showed up in a big way in the first half and, despite red zone difficulties, CJ Spiller and the offence played well enough to get the win. Jairus Byrd, the "ball hawk", made a fantastic interception late in the fourth quarter by sprinting full speed toward the sideline and making the catch fully extended and right in front of our seats. They would need one more pick to seal the win. I walked in the door at 3am.

Next up for the Bills: a trip to Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis on Grey Cup Sunday. Luck isn't going to win the game for the Bills but they will have to find a way to deal with him if they are to make a run at a wildcard spot. If they can win this one, 2 easily winnable home games against Jacksonville and St. Louis follow.

Enjoy this week football fans. It doesn't get any better than this.

 

Patriots 37, Bills 31

Saturday night was the Ronin Dragonboat end of season party and this one was a little more tame than others before it have been. Got home at 1.20am - hardly out of control but late enough and certainly enough red wine to make things a little rough yesterday. Especially that last bottle of Trius Red which Kevin and I shared as we walked along Bloor Street chatting about football, Conrad Black and other things I'm sure. Thanks to Amanda and Willie for welcoming us into their home.

So I got up Sunday morning, wrapped up the Monday Morning News and decided to drive to Muskoka to watch some football, have a hard bike ride and a sauna to sweat out the impurities of the previous night. As I settled into the 1pm time slot, I was certain that I would end up watching mostly the Argo playoff game after the Bills were on their way to being blown out of Gillette Stadium, a place where they have never won since it opened in 2002. The early stages of the game featured a Bills defence which could not stop Tom Brady and an inept offence which was repeatedly penalized as they dug themselves an early 17-3 hole. Only a few more minutes before I would be free to switch to the CFL playoffs, I thought to myself and, in this the year of the 100th Grey Cup, that seemed like the right way for it to be.

But the Bills hung around and started to match the Patriots in offensive production as the game still looked competitive. When Ryan Fitzpatrick lead the team to 5-1 start last season and signed a $59 million contract extension, Bills fans began calling him Fitzmagic. But since they won in Toronto against the Redskins in October of last season, he has rightfully earned the names Shitzpatrick and/or Fitzputrid.  Opponents realized that he can not accurately and consistently throw the ball down the field which leaves the offence limited to short passes, running plays, draws and screens. But yesterday, Ryan Fitzpatrick played one of his best games in a Buffalo uniform as he threw for 337 yards, completing 27 of 40 attempted passes. Thanks to his leadership and quality play yesterday, the Bills earned a team record 35 first downs and almost won the game. They would have if rookie TJ Graham had run his slant pattern in the endzone in front of Patriots safety Devon McCourty rather than behind him but he didn't, McCourty intercepted the pass and the game was over. The Argos won big before the usual small crowd which was "announced" at 25,792. A win in Montreal next week puts them in the big game.

Last Tuesday, after Ohio was called for Obama (even after Carl Rove was satisfied), the glow of victory lasted less than a day as the reality of the fiscal cliff came into focus. John Boehner was quick to reiterate his preposterous position on income tax rates for high income earners (or as Fox News calls them, the "job creators"). The battle lines are drawn and the House Republicans remain dug in - at least for now. The following day, speculation began about the 2016 Iowa Caucuses. My prediction: Jeb Bush will lose the 2016 election to Hilary Clinton and Bill will get to move back in to the White House where he belongs.

This week, we go to Buffalo for a Thursday night game against Miami. It will likely be a later night for me than Saturday was so we will need to rest up, be thorough in our preparation and just go out and do the best we can in the late night cold conditions.

Texans 21, Bills 9

In the days leading up to the 2000 US Presidential election, the Buffalo Bills were well into the third season of a quarterback controversy which pitted Rob Johnson, the tall, NFL prototype Californian with the big arm, against Doug Flutie, the diminutive former Boston College and CFL star known for his leadership, intelligence and his ability to scramble and improvise. Bills fans were conflicted between the two, each of whom had enjoyed their own degree of success in the previous 2 seasons, as the Bills made the playoffs in both. It almost looked liked each of them was running for vice-president as fans carried signs featuring and incorporating all 4 names: Gore, Bush, Johnson and Flutie, confusingly and randomly mixed and matched .

This year, as the election looms, the state of US politics is about as depressing as the state of the Bills quarterbacking and most of the rest of the team. The "Citizens United" Supreme Court decision, which created essentially unlimited political spending by interest groups through Political Action Committees (PACs) and "Super PACs", has resulted in unprecedented spending on political advertising, mainly in about 7 key swing states. Thanks to the Electoral College state by state "winner take all" system, the campaigns and their Super PACs generally ignore states which consistently vote one way or the other and focus on the swing states. If you live in Sacramento, CA, Binghampton, NY or Austin, TX, you have been spared from most of the Super PAC TV ads but you will also have had virtually no chance to see either of the presidential candidates in your area. But, if you live in Cleveland, OH or Tampa, FL, you could have seen them on almost a daily basis for the past 2 months.

The list of endorsements for President Obama has grown in the past week and include The Economist, New York mayor Bloomberg and The Globe and Mail. Mitt Romney's math has been correctly called into question as has his party's position on social issues like abortion and same sex marriage. But as New York Times columnist David Brooks has been pointing out for months, the President's campaign has been sorely lacking in the presentation of a real vision for his second term. The Democrats have instead chosen to focus their entire campaign on attacking the Republicans. While the first term is always cut short by focusing on re-election, most 2 term presidents use their second term to think big and accomplish the key policy initiatives which will define their presidency and form their legacy. If Obama wins tomorrow, he may well be able to do that but it will require him to break the Congressional deadlock which has ground the legislative branch to a halt for the past 2 years, and move forward with some support from House Republicans. He has been unable to make any headway on this in his first term and the Republicans probably deserve most of the blame for that (especially the Tea Party members who pledged to never compromise with the Democrats). The responsibility, however, lies with the President to create the political momentum to move forward with bi-partisan support. This will be his biggest challenge and if he succeeds in getting the US Congress working the way it is designed to and the way it always has, that will define his presidency.

Titans 35, Bills 34

It's just before 9pm on Saturday evening. The finishing touches on my weekly newsletter for MCAP are done. The folding table, bar-b-que, charcoal, lighter fluid and seat cushions are in the car. The gas tank is full. The hot Italian sausages, sauerkraut, mustard, veggie tray and beer are packed together in the fridge, ready to be loaded into the cooler in the morning. I'm going to chill for an hour or so and see if Miami can hold off the heavily favoured Florida State before I turn in. I then get a text message from my friend in Greg in Ottawa who is scheduled to be on a 6am flight to Pearson where I will pick him up before we drive to Orchard Park. He has taken a puck in the face at one of his son's hockey games and he's in the emergency room. It could be a broken jaw. It's not looking good for tomorrow.

At that late hour, I knew the chances of finding someone to go with me are slim. I made a few calls but there were no takers. What to do? I decide that I'm going anyway. I have never failed to meet friendly and energetic fellow football fans at the tailgate and I have gotten to know most of the fine people from Buffalo who sit in my area of section 113, so why not go? I decide that I might be able to sell my second ticket to someone before the game.

After a much better drive than last time, I arrive in Drive 5, on the north side of the stadium, right around 10am. I pull in between two spaces, one occupied by two young women and the other occupied by three young guys. I would spend the next two and half hours with these 5 - and others. The guys, it turned out, all play football for the University of Buffalo Bulls which is a Division 1 football school, although not a highly ranked one. Scott Pettigrew is a linebacker from Tennessee who admitted that he is much more of a hockey fan than a football fan. He was wearing a Nashville Predators jersey. Alex Neutz is a 6'4" wide receiver from Grand Island, NY and Fred Lee is a 6'2" wide receiver from South Carolina. He knows Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore. I have a million questions for them. They opened the season playing at the University of Georgia, which was ranked 7th in the country at the time, before over 92,000 fans. The Bulls were blown out but the experience was quite a thrill for them. They were nursing their bruised bodies, having lost at home the previous day to the University of Pittsburgh, Dan Marino's alma mater. Next week, they are home to Mid-American Conference rival, University of Toledo. I will be checking the stats to see how each of them does. The 2 young women were pounding beer bongs and freely offering - and strongly encouraging - beer bongs and free face painting to everyone. I pass on the beer bong but agree to have a small Bills logo painted on my cheek. I was offered 10 bucks for my spare ticket by a scalper. I pass, hoping for a better offer but none came.

Once inside the stadium, a few things became clear: The Titans defence is terrible but the Bills defence is somehow worse, even with all of the high priced talent they acquired. The Bills defence was able to make Matt Hasselback look like Tom Brady - not an easy thing to do. Ryan Fitzpatrick had what looked like his best game of the season, connecting on a couple of very nice touchdown passes to Donald Jones and Stevie Johnson. For those hoping to see him benched sometime soon, he redeemed himself near the end of the game with an interception on a very poorly thrown ball which gave Tennessee the ball on the Bills side of the 50 and a chance to overcome a 6 point deficit and win the game. They did that by way of a Matt Hasselbeck pass to Nate Washington in the endzone on a 4th down and 9 from the Bills 15 yard line. Game over.

At 3-4, the Bills now enter their bye week. They will need the extra time as the next 2 games after the bye see them travelling to Houston and then to New England before coming home on a Thursday night against the Dolphins. I'm looking forward to following my tailgating buddies on the Buffalo Bulls, my new favourite Division 1 college football team. Go Bulls!

Bills 19, Cardinals 16, OT

When Shea Emery intercepted a perfectly thrown pass - perfectly thrown to him that is - and returned it for a touchdown to give the Montreal Allouettes a 24-12 lead over the Toronto Argonauts in the 4th quarter of yesterday's CFL game at the Rogers Centre, I knew that I soon would be able to leave, get on the subway, make my way home and settle in to what I hoped would be a turnaround game and a better effort from the Bills in the desert.

There is something about being inside the Rogers Centre when the roof is closed. Something bad. Even when it's close to full for regular season NFL games, the sounds coming from the public address system echo off the concrete and steel in a way that makes the building still feel empty. The Argonauts have given up on drawing more than 30,000 as the entire 500 level is closed, save for a few large fabric advertising banners (including one I noticed for the company which makes fabric advertising banners). The 100 and 200 levels were close to full on the east side of the stadium - the Argos side - but the west side looked to be less than half full, except for the 2 full sections of Montreal fans. The official attendance was over 25,000 but the feeling I had for most of the game was one of listless emptiness. The game itself was poor by CFL standards but the building is just not well suited for football - especially CFL football. If the Argos had an outdoor facility with about 30,000 seats, they could create at least some sense of a real football atmosphere. With the exception of the Bills/Seahawks game in December for which I bought tickets 4 years ago, I will not soon be back to the Rogers Centre for football.

The Bills were leading 9-3 when I turned the TV on just after 4.30pm. After 2 weeks of embarrassment, the defence showed up this week. Mario Williams recorded 2 sacks and the front 7 created constant pressure on Cardinal quarterback Kevin Kolb. Ryan Fitzpatrick, unfortunately, played poorly again. His passing accuracy is simply not good enough to win consistently in the NFL. But with the defence playing closer to expectations and CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson performing very well as one of the leagues best sets of running backs, the Bills found themselves leading by 3 with just over 3 minutes left in the game and driving with the ball at around the Arizona 35 yard line. That's when the game went wacky.

Brad Smith came in at quarterback to run a wildcat play and, for the first time this year, he threw the ball. And he threw it deep. And very poorly. It was intercepted in the endzone by the Cardinals who then drove to just inside the Bills 45 yard line. Facing a 4th down and long, Jay Feely came in to try a 61 yard field goal. He made it easily to tie the game. Then the Bills then went 3 and out and the Cardinals again drove deep into Bills territory and lined up to try a game winning 38 yard field goal to win the game. But Alex Carrington got enough of a finger on the kick to steer it to the goal post where it bounced out, leaving the game tied. In overtime, Jairus Byrd's second interception of the game set up the winning kick. Before the Smith wildcat pass, the game was under control with a couple of more first downs probably being enough to secure the win. Despite playing much better than they had the previous 2 weeks, it certainly looked like they were going to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

All 4 teams in the AFC East are tied at 3-3. The Tennessee Titans come to Orchard Park on Sunday. They, like the Cardinals, will have had 10 days to prepare, having beaten the Steelers last Thursday. The game is winnable and it's sold out. I am going with a friend has not been to Orchard Park for about 20 years.

49ers 45, Bills 3

The usual practice in the NFL is for teams to return to their home facilities each week to prepare for each game, regardless of where it is going to be played. But the Bills are not coming back to Buffalo this week as they prepare for their second consecutive game in the west coast time zone. Maybe the dryness and clear blue skies of Arizona will help them achieve some semblance of a defensive identity as they prepare to face the well rested Cardinals who played last Thursday and will have had 10 days to game plan against the high priced Buffalo defensive line. Maybe the Bills defence will find a way to set another dubious NFL record this week so that they can face the home town media only after having done that. Maybe they should just go to Sedona, walk out into a canyon, stare up at the famous red rocks and think about what is to become of their season. At 2-3, the season is nowhere near lost. It just feels that way when they give up yards and points like they have the last two weeks.

The 49ers set an NFL record yesterday, becoming the first team EVER to run for 300 yards and pass for 300 yards in the same game. The first team to ever do this. Thankfully, and for the second consecutive week, I saw none of the game as family Thanksgiving activities took priority. Maybe these were the two games to miss this year - anomalies in the course of a successful season. If so, and even if not, I'm glad I missed them.

The schedule does get easier in the the second half but after the upcoming game in the desert, they are home to Tennessee which should be a winnable game but then two more tough road games are next: at Houston then at New England. It's unlikely that they will have a record better than 3-6 going into the prime time Thursday game against Miami on November 15th. For that one, I'm looking forward to getting a good sleep the night before, tailgating in the dark and seeing what Bills fans are like after an extra 7 hours of drinking. They better win that one or it could get ugly. And I'm not just talking about the one scary guy in my section who seems like he may be about ready to exorcise his demons at any minute. For his sake, for our sake and for his poor wife's sake, they need to win that game.

The Toronto Argonauts, on the other hand, don't have a rich tailgating tradition or a strong influence on the psychi of the citizenry and community identity of the city the way the Bills do for Buffalo but I'm still a fan. They play at the Rogers Centre against the green Riders this afternoon and then at home again next Sunday against Montreal, a game for which I purchased tickets a few weeks ago. If the Bills season continues to slip away, the Argos and the CFL season will become the focus - at least until the 100th Grey Cup is played at the Rogers Centre later in November.

Patriots 52, Bills 28

I downloaded the Bills mobile app during the week because I knew that I wasn't going to see any of the game on account of a family reunion yesterday afternoon. I checked it only a couple of times as I enjoyed a great spread of food and wine and caught up with relatives I hadn't seen for a while.

In the car on the way over the my aunt's house, the Patriots took an early 7-0 lead. I saw the score only twice more during the party: The first time I took a moment and checked the app, the Bills were leading 21-7 in the third quarter. This sounded very promising. The defence must have stiffened and the Bills running game must have been chewing up the clock, scoring on long drives and keeping the ball out of Brady's hands. The next score I saw was 42-21 New England. I figured the mobile app had a bug. I mean, how could they have scored 35 points while I was chatting with my uncle Dave and eating ham, salad and my cousin's fantastic baguette? It only seemed like was about than half an hour. How does a football game change so quickly?

Well, having listened to the post-game call-in on the way home and having seen the highlights and reading some of the obituaries this morning, I guess turning the ball over 6 times played a role but the team's inability to stop the Brady and the Patriots offence was the reason - as it has been consistently over the past 10 years. The high priced defensive line was not up to the task in stopping the run or pressuring the passer, tackling was poor and the defensive backfield couldn't cover. Not much else to say.

Next week's game will probably be even more difficult as the Bills travel to San Francisco who walked into the Meadowlands yesterday and pounded the Jets 34-0. The following week takes them to Arizona to play the Cardinals who sit at 4-0 after yesterday's OT win over Miami. That's a formula for going from 2-1 to 2-4 in 3 easy steps.

Last Tuesday, the day after the Monday night debacle in Seattle and the day before the NFL officials labour dispute was resolved, I saw this "headline" come through my Twitter feed: "Romney Leading in Presidential Race - According to NFL Replacement Officials".

I'm looking forward to Tuesday evening for 2 reasons: the first is that I'm going paddling with the Komodo Dragons and the second is that my post-paddling bike ride from the Outer Harbour should get me home just in time to see the start of the first Presidential debate. Romney needs a knock-out and I'm looking forward to seeing him swing wildly. I wonder of he will release his tax returns today. Maybe he could bring them to the debate and hand them to Jim Lehrer.

Bills 24, Browns 14

As Tashard Choice prepared for the 2012 NFL season, I wonder how many touches he thought he might get during the season. In blowout games, for sure, he would get some carries and, other than that, I would be surprised if he really thought that he would get more than 1 or possibly 2 carries per game. His main focus would be on special teams with the added title of third string running back. With Fred Jackson as the number 1 running back and CJ Spiller a very strong number 2, Choice was probably perfectly happy just to occupy an NFL roster spot. Until yesterday.

With Jackson going down in week 1 against the Jets, CJ Spiller had stepped up for the rest of the Jets game and in last week's game against the Chiefs, perhaps creating a difficult decision for the Bills coaching staff on who would be the number 1 back when Jackson returned. Spiller was fantastic in both of the first 2 games and was off to another excellent afternoon yesterday when he was tackled after a big gain on a screen play. His own weight and the entire weight of his tackler landed squarely on his left shoulder and he left the game on a cart in obvious pain. With the number 1 and number 2 running backs out with injuries, the Choice was an easy one. And he delivered by running strongly for the rest of the game (gaining 92 yards) and, as Chan Gailey pointed out in his post-game press conference, by successfully protecting the ball on a wet afternoon in Cleveland.

When Spiller went down, the Bills were up 14-0 and driving again with a chance to almost put the game out of reach against a demoralized Browns team still looking for its first win. His departure clearly changed the momentum of the game and by the 4th quarter, the Bills found themselves clinging to a 17-14 lead. But, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Stevie Johnson combined for a touchdown to give the Bills a 10 point lead to conclude the scoring and send them to a 2-1 record for the year. It was their first road win since opening day of the 2011 season.

Looking ahead to next week, the challenge seems large indeed. Not just because the Patriots are coming to Orchard Park but because they have lost 2 consecutive games, including a one point loss to Baltimore last night. Could they lose for a 3rd straight time? It seems unlikely.

Bills 35, Chiefs 17

Ryan Fitzpatrick rolled out to his right while tight end Scott Chandler broke free from his blocker and was wide open for an easy first down on the Bills first possession of yesterday's game in Orchard Park. Fitzpatrick missed badly and the ball landed at Chandler's feet. This pattern would repeat itself a few more times before the Bills quarterback made a couple of good passes while avoiding turnovers - something he was unable to do last week.

How did the Bills win yesterday? By running the ball and playing excellent defence. CJ Spiller looked like an NFL number 1 running back, gaining over 100 yards on the ground and scoring 2 touchdowns. The offensive line was outstanding all day, both in run blocking and protection. The much anticipated pass rush showed up as well, registering 5 sacks. Mario Williams recovered one fumble after a sack and was double-teamed most of the time, allowing Marcel Dareus, Kyle Williams and Mark Anderson to keep Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel off balance all day. It was a dominating win - the kind of win that, as the WGR post-game crew pointed out, those who predicted a Bills playoff berth for this year undoubtedly had in mind. The fans were energized and the players responded. It was a great reply to last week's disaster against the Jets.

But, the quarterbacking remains a very large concern. Fitzpatrick just seems unable to throw the ball accurately enough of the time. His pass to Chandler for a touchdown was very well thrown - as were a few others - but there were just too many bad misses, too many balls landing at the feet of receivers, too many times where it seems like the team really doesn't have a quarterback who can lead them to a winning season,  let alone the playoffs. The rest of the offence seems solid - even the depleted wide receiver core - and the defence looks much better than last year but without a quarterback who can get it done consistently, it will be a tough road.

The weather was beautiful. The traffic was not. On the way in, from the 219 to Milestrip to Abbott to Southwestern and finally into to Drive 5 took over an hour and we had to park behind the grass practice field which was fine except for getting out which also took about an hour. And a short delay on the Whirlpool Bridge - due to construction. This allowed us a few minutes to absorb the view of the awesome Niagara River gorge and the rapids downstream. Overall, a very good day, a good game and a good trip. And, we were encouraged to have seen only one Romney/Ryan bumper sticker.  

Jets 48, Bills 28

Most pre-season forecasts predicted that the Bills much improved - and perhaps the NFL's best - defensive line would lead them back to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Chan Gailey has now had three full pre-seasons to choose the best personnel for his offensive philosophy. He likes Ryan Fitzpatrick because he's a winner. The appointment of Dave Wanstaedt as Defensive Coordinator, the re-installation of the 4-3 system, the addition of speed edge rusher Mario Williams and number one draft pick Stephan Gilmore as the new stud cornerback would improve the Bills defence to playoff contender status. All of these improvements, along with a seemingly soft schedule would propel the team to at least 9 wins, probably 10 and maybe even 11. The patriots would probably still win the division but a wildcard berth was seen as a likely outcome for the 2012 Bills.

I saw none of the game but I did follow it, for a while, on The Score's mobile app (which I recommend to anyone) while at Marilyn Bell Park on the Toronto waterfront. Ftzpatrick was bad enough that Peter King tweeted "Buffalo starting quarterback Tavaris Jackson?" at around 2pm. The last score I saw was 41-7 before I got home around 6pm and started reading the stats and the early commentary. The Fitzpatrick interceptions, I have read, were not the result of his "gunslinger" approach trying to squeeze the ball into the hands of double-teamed receivers. They were just awful, bone-headed decisions which get NFL quarterbacks benched quickly, unless they're rookies on rebuilding teams.

Last season, Buffalo started with a big 41-7 road win at Kansas City. They went on to a 5-1 start before collapsing to finish 6-10. Maybe this season will be the reverse. A huge week 1 wake-up call might end up being a good thing. This week, the Chiefs come to town (after losing at home in week 1 again) trying to live up to their own playoff expectations. Neither team can afford to go 0-2 so, as week 2 games go, it's a big one for both teams. Time to get the bar-b-que out of the storage unit, dust off our Nexus Cards and make our way down to Orchard Park to open that first can of beer around 10.30 next Sunday morning.

This past weekend, our dragonboat team had a successful conclusion to the paddling season with a 30th place finish at the 18th GWN Dragonboat Challenge. Saturday morning was miserable - heavy rain and wind - but better as the day progressed and Sunday was lovely. We made the C Division final which we were happy with considering that we had many new paddlers in what was a rebuilding season. As one of my teammates reminded me after the last race as we lingered around the tent enjoying a couple of beers, "if we enjoy eachother's company and have fun together, we'll do well". She was right - as she usually is. Thanks Amanda.

Training Camp, Pittsford, NY, August 2, 2012

As a Bills fan, the best thing about watching training camp is that the Bills are successful on every play - without exception. If a running back is tackled behind the line of scrimmage, the defence was all over it and if a deep pass goes for a touchdown, the offence looks strong.  So, it's really quite relaxing knowing that success will truly come with every snap.

We stepped off the shuttle bus at St. John Fisher College at about 2.30pm yesterday, giving us a half hour to peruse Bills branded merchandise before the 3pm practice start. No one drunk or drinking at all - at least not that I saw. So, I got my fix of new Bills swag (including a Mario Williams shirt) and we settled comfortably in the stands beside the grass practice field at about the 30 yard line and about 12 rows from the field - just about where my actual Ralph Wilson stadium seats are.

An NFL training camp practice when a team is still carrying over 80 players is an exercise in  logistics, choreography and organization. Warm up drills come first and are not really worth watching but by 3.15, the quarterbacks were throwing into rotating one on one receiver/cornerback drills which then added a second one on one match-up for a while before they grew to 7 on 7 drills. Then, finally the 11 on 11 plays with some special teams formats thrown in as well. Players rotate in and out of the action and the pace is fast. It was not until the 11 on 11 that any running plays were executed at all. The quarterbacks throwing to receivers in single coverage in the earlier drills when there was lots of open field to work with was really impressive to see. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tyler Thigpen seemed to get about the same number of reps with Vince Young getting somewhat less. Just watching these guys throw the ball over and over again in these drills made me realize how good they really are. And some spectacular catches were made by every receiver taking part. Although the tempo is fast, the hitting is completely dialed back. When a defensive player gets in position to make a tackle, the effort made represents maybe the first 20% of a what a real tackle under game conditions would involve, but no more. I saw Mario Williams take only 2 snaps: he tried a speed outside move the first time but Fitzpatrick got the ball away before he got there and he tried an inside spin move the second time but was blocked by the right guard. He looks big and strong and fast.

We left just before 5pm, got back to the car and found a roadhouse in Rochester which was good but the portions were laughably huge. One of the entrees could have fed four people easily. Then, back across the Rainbow bridge, a sundae at DQ on Geneva Street in St. Catharines and then home. 600km for the day. Worth doing maybe every 5 years. Overall, a good day. And the Bills were awesome! 

2012 Bills Season Preview

When it became known that Bills GM Buddy Nix was planning to pursue coveted free agent Mario Williams, the outstanding edge pass rusher picked No.1 overall by Houston in 2006 and easily the top free agent on the market, I filed that information away as being in the same category as when Russ Brandon et al flew to Denver to try to land Mike Shanahan as coach in early 2010. Or when they said they were going after many of the other top free agents over the past few years - you have to tell your fans that you are interested and that you plan to pursue these top players. It's just that the top free agents, for various reasons, have recently tended to favour teams other than the Bills in choosing where to play next. But, as I followed my Twitter feeds as NFL free agency officially began at noon on March 13, it was reported that the Bills had chartered a private jet to pick Williams up in his home state of North Carolina that very minute, fly him to Buffalo and try to sign him before he spoke to any other teams. Then, it was reported that he was on the plane. Then I saw photos of him arriving at OBD and it started to get a bit more interesting after that too, as it was then reported that his fiance was apparently arriving the following day to tour the area and perhaps even look at houses. That did happen the next day and, after the tour (which we learned later included a visit to Jim Kelly's Orchard Park home), the group was back at OBD for further discussions. Then, Mario and his fiance left in the late afternoon and retired to their hotel, promising an answer the next morning. Ok, so that sounded pretty encouraging. But then I started to picture their conversation in their Buffalo hotel room, after a tour of the city, some driving on the Thruway and the 219 and a tour of a few houses listed for sale as well.

"Look, I agree that these people are nice but have we heard anything from the Chargers or the Dolphins? Even the Cardinals need a better pass rush than they have now. Let's see what the other options are", she would be saying, I expected. And, what houses were they looking at and where were they? I was having a hard time believing that either Williams or his fiance would have been impressed enough with the Buffalo area (sorry, have to say it) to accept an offer from the Bills - in first city they visited and from the first team they spoke to - and a team which has not enjoyed much success over the past decade. But, they returned the next morning and were holding a press conference in the afternoon. $16 million a year for 7 years - the highest paid defensive player ever in the NFL. Buddy Nix had followed Williams closely during his SEC scouting days and knew him to be a private, quiet and reserved family man who liked open spaces and being left alone. Williams and his fiance bought a palatial house and acreage in Orchard Park and he can probably live a more low key lifestyle in that setting than he could anywhere else in the league. Good for him. And good for Buddy Nix for landing him and good for Ralph Wilson for paying him. I'm predicting 16 sacks this season for Mario Williams- at a million per.

Today marks the opening of Bills training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, NY. The late July ritual is all too often a relief from a Blue Jays baseball season gone off the rails - and this year is no exception. I'm hoping to make it down to the camp for an afternoon and if I do, I will post a full review - as I will for pre-season games I'm able to watch. I have tickets for both home pre-season games if anyone wants them.

Giants 21, Patriots 17

By the time the Superbowl rolls around, I've usually watched enough football and seen and heard enough analysis of football that I often can't generate much more than a passing interest in the game itself. Also, my team last played a meaningful game more than 2 months ago.

Yesterday afternoon, I heard about 15 minutes of an interview Jim Gray did with Patriots owner Robert Kraft. He is beloved by his players, apparently, and, after hearing the interview, I think I understand a bit about why. He lost his wife last summer and he and the team dedicated the 2011 season to her memory. Until yesterday, I was just hoping for a close game (which we got) but when the game started, I was cheering for the Patriots.

Maybe Lee Evans and Wes Welker will commiserate this off-season about what it might have meant to just hold on to the ball at a critical time in a critical game. Evans could not hold on to a pass in the endzone near the end of the AFC Champioship Game but if he had, the Ravens would have played the Giants last night in the Superbowl. If the usually sure-handed Welker had closed his hands on a pass late in the Superbowl, the Patriots would probably have been able to run out the clock and win the game.

For various reasons, I cancelled my Rogers cable, efective this past Friday. I bought an HD TV antenna for which I had great expectations since I live on the 11th floor of my building with a clear south exposure. I do get as many as 20 channels at certain times of the day and in certain kinds of weather. The problem with digital signals is that if the signal strength does not meet a certain minimum level, it cuts out. You either get the signal in stunning 1080 HD or you get nothing. Gone are the days of adjusting the rabbit ears to get a "watchable" picture with minimum fuzziness. I had planned on watching the game on WGRZ, the Buffalo NBC affiliate, which would have allowed me to watch the US commercials during the game. The signal was good on Sunday afternoon, but when darkness and kick-off approached, it dissappeared. So, I watched the game on CFTO with the Canadian commercials like everyone else.  I may invest in a more expensive antenna.

Amazingly enough, the City of Toronto and its outside workers in local 416 came to an agreement yesterday and there will be no work stoppage. This is obviously good news for our outdoor Thursday night hockey games. There is no question that the union felt that it had little room to resist some of the conditions which the City threatended to unilaterally impose, beginning this morning. Public sentiment and the memory of the strike of the summer of 2009 weighed heavily on the union as it feared a backlash if there had been a work stoppage. The contract negotiated over the weekend will form the basis for the next round of negotiations with local 79, which represents the City's 22,000 inside workers. Rob Ford looked like he was trying to take credit for the agreement yesterday. He needs all the positive press he can get as Karen Stintz seems to be circling her wagons for a showdown with him on the transit file.

The next event on the NFL calendar is the scramble to sign free agents which begins next month. Then the college draft comes in April. Training camps start in late July. I will probably receive my 2012 season ticket invoice this week. Ralph needs the money as early as possible, I guess.

Patriots 49, Bills 21

When the Bills went ahead 21-0 against the Patriots last Sunday, I foresaw the symetry. Think back to week 3 when the Patriots went up 21-0 in Orchard Park only to lose the game on a Rian Lindell field goal as the final seconds ticked away, sending delirious Bills fans home on that warm summer like afternoon. I haven't seen such symetry since the 2003 season when the Bills beat New England 31-0 in the season opener, only to finish 5-11, losing the final game of the season at Foxboro by a score of - you guessed it - 31-0. The Patriots went on to win their second Superbowl a few weeks later. The Bills fired Gregg Williams who had completed his third season as head coach.

I was grateful for the early season success of the Bills this year as there was something to be excited about - if only for a short time. After the game on Sunday, Chan Gailey said that the team needs to learn how to finish. I wasn't sure of he was referring to the Partiots game and the 21-0 lead or to the season in general or to both. Yes, I agree. They need to learn how to finish.

I've been suffering from a cold virus over the past few days and this has allowed me to wait until the Iowa Caucuses were completed before creating this post. It's been fascinating to watch as each and every candidate in the race (except John Huntsman, I guess, whose endorsement by the Boston Globe yesterday may propel him forward) caught up to Mitt Romney and then faded under the scrutiny which success brings.

Rick Santorum peaked at exactly the right time - for Iowa anyway - and finished in a virtual tie with Romney. As the candidates turn their attention now to New Hampshire, the knives are out for Santorum. There's certainly a lot to aim at and a couple of things have caught my attention. Santorum is, in my view, an extreme social conservative. He is a catholic and is the father of 6 children. In 1996, his wife, suffering from pregnancy complications and a high fever, gave birth at 20 weeks to a boy who lived for only 2 hours. Santorum and his wife then slept with the dead baby between them and then brought him home to show the other children their "brother". The children then spent the day taking turns holding him. I know very little about catholic tradition but I'm certain that this falls outside it. It's weird and it's creepy.

Santorum's views on homosexuality are, not surprisingly, quite intolerant. They are not playing very well in New Hampshire either. Yesterday, he was speaking to a college group and he was asked why he is opposed to marriage within a same sex partnership between consenting adults. His response was: "What about a marriage with 3 men? Is that ok?" He was booed rather loudly as he wrapped up his remarks. In previous statements, he has compared homosexuality to beastiality. As a senator, he also pushed for an amendment to the Bush "No Child Left Behind" initiative which would require the teaching of the concept of "intelligent design" as an alternative to the Theory of Evolution. It became known as "the Santorum Amendment" but, thankfully, was not part of the final bill. New Hampshire is, apparently, the least religious state in the union which will limit his upside there but the next primary is South Carolina where, apparently, (according to CNN's John King) 45% of the population describes themselves as evangelical christians. Rick Santorum has neither the money nor the organization to have a realistic chance at winning the Republican nomination but when Mitt Romney chooses a running mate, Santorum will be in the conversation as he can help deliver the religious right and social conservative elements of the Republican party - where Romney's appeal is tepid at best.

I heard another of those partisan quips I love on CNN which seem always to come from party "strategists". In commenting on the race for the Republican nomination and the rotation of co-front runners with Mitt Romney, a Democratic strategist described the machinations of the Republican party by suggesting that "it's almost as if the right hand doesn't know what the extreme right hand is doing".

The NFL playoffs are finally here and the Bills will sit them out for the 12th consecutive year. With the Detroit Lions making the post-season this time around, the Bills now own the longest current run of non-playoff seasons.

In this weekend's games, I like Cincinnati, New Orleans, Atlanta and Pittsburgh. 2 home teams on Saturday and 2 road teams on Sunday.