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By Shawn Krest
Normally when a player makes bold statements to the press, the rest of the team makes like a defensive back and begins backpedaling. Not so in Western New York.
A month before training camp, Bills safety Donte Whitner told The Sporting News that the Bills were making the playoffs in 2008, guaranteed. Meeting with the local media for the first time after the statements appeared in print, Whitner refused to backtrack, and his teammates and coaches agreed with him.
By Leonard J. Mytko
Last season, the Saints were predicted and destined to win 12 games, the 49ers were going to win the NFC West with emerging running back Frank Gore, and Tiki Barber’s retirement was supposed to cast a nasty shadow on the G-Men’s chances of winning. Then a year later, the Saints went from the Big Easy into the Big Ugly, Frank Gore scored only six times as the Niners finished third in their division, and the Giants won 11 consecutive road games in capturing their third Super Bowl victory. So go figure.
By Charles Roberts
With the gunslinger coming to town, find out how the AFC East teams stack up as preseason gets underway.
By Shawn Krest
In 1965, the Buffalo Bills won their second straight AFL Championship, establishing themselves as one of the early dynasties of the freewheeling upstart league. Among the nine players catching touchdown passes that season were Ernie Warlick—a lanky tight end who was the first Bills rookie to have a 100-yard receiving game, Ed Rutkowski—a receiver from Notre Dame who would later play backup quarterback for the Bills, and Charley Ferguson, a Texan who came to Buffalo after being released by the Vikings two years earlier.
Two decades later, the three ex-Bills decided to give something back to their city. After another two decades and nearly one million dollars, the Bills Alumni Foundation is still going strong.
By Ed Kilgore
Ch2 Sports Director
So it only makes sense that the Toronto Raptors would want to bring some NBA games to Buffalo to show their gratitude for the fact that Buffalo will be loaning Toronto the Bills for a few games, right?
Well, the answer is both yes and no, as I see it.
From the Bills’ perspective, they need to make inroads into Toronto’s lucrative market to hopefully solidify their future in Buffalo after the Ralph Wilson era. Even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell jumped all over that concept recently, assuring Bills’ fans the regionalization expansion northward is great for the Bills’ future in Buffalo, and would by no means augur the Bills eventual move up the QEW.
By George Kuhn
It may be difficult to believe but it has been nine years since the Sabres drafted goalie Ryan Miller in 1999 in the fifth round, 138th overall, at the height of the Dominik Hasek era. Miller, age 28, and recently signed to a long-term contract by the Sabres, represents not only the present, but also the near future of the organization. The signing of Miller and 26-year-old Paul Gaustad, along with last season’s huge economic commitment to young Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek, represents the direction not only of the new Sabres, but the new NHL. If the league were to borrow from last years academy award winning motion picture, “No Country for Old Men,” might be an appropriate title to describe it’s direction in recent years.
By Brian J. Mazurek
If you’re looking to watch some of the top North American harness drivers compete for a $10,000 winner-take-all pot then Wednesday nights at Batavia Downs is the place to be starting on Sept. 10.
The $10,000 All-Star Driver’s Challenge will be conducted at Batavia Downs for eight consecutive weeks. One all-star driver will compete in eight races and earn points on a sliding scale with the top point-getter taking home the $10,000 prize.
By Brian J. Mazurek
Finger Lakes Race Track is preparing for a huge Labor Day weekend for race fans, jockeys, owners and trainers.
There will be plenty of stakes action over the weekend to keep the horsemen on top of their game while for the horseplayers, giveaways, music and family fun should make this a big weekend for everyone.
By Brian J. Mazurek
Ben Webster has been given many awards throughout his career as a harness driver. This October, the Goshen-Monticello Harness Writer’s Association will honor him as the recipient of the prestigious Excelsior Award.
But before that, Webster will come back to where it all started for him as Batavia Downs honors this legendary driver on Sat., Sept.13.
By Mark Bowers
When the Rochester Raiders left the CIFL last summer, there was little doubt that they were clearly the best team in the league. For anyone that saw them last year - during which they won 26 consecutive games - there was little doubt that they were one of the best indoor football teams around. This makes it more than a little strange to hear a team from Sioux Falls, S.D., walking around declaring themselves to be champions of indoor football. Of course, it gets stranger when you consider the fact that Rochester and Sioux Falls were scheduled to play a game with each other earlier this summer to actually see who the indoor champions were. That is, until Sioux Falls backed out.
By Shawn Krest
While the Rochester Red Wings late-season run might be too late to earn a playoff spot, several key players have managed to turn their personal seasons around. Here’s a look at four of them.
By Chris Colleluori
Snow? They don’t need no stinkin’ snow.
The father-son combination of Bob and Brent Antkowiak has turned their favorite winter pastime – snowmobiling – into a year-round venture. How? By drag racing the machines on grass.
It all started one autumn day in 2000 in Marilla, N.Y. After hearing about the “grass drag” state championships, the Antkowiaks decided to spend a day at the races. During the day, a simple thought occurred to both of them.
“Heck, we should be doing this,” Bob said.
Actually, Brent had another idea.
“Ahh, I can do better than that,” Brent recalled thinking that day. “That’s what stuck in my head.”
It snowballed from there.
By Dave Sully
When 34-year-old Tim McCreadie, a driver quite familiar to local race fans through his stellar dirt modified and dirt late model careers, joined Richard Childress Racing, one of the top NASCAR teams, it seemed like a dream come true. His talent had been recognized, and, as many former dirt racing stars, notably, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and others had done, was ready to make the switch to the pavement, with the potential for the accompanying fame and fortune. Sadly, that has not happened and may never happen. Things started out well enough for McCreadie, a Watertown native, and son of all time great Bob McCreadie who was a regular at Ransomville for many years. He drove some ARCA races and had good finishes, and then he moved to the NASCAR Nationwide Series (formerly the Busch Series), and seemed poised to make the next step, racing’s ultimate goal, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Then, all of a sudden, he was out.
By Bob Plezia
Don Colpoys, president of the WNY Baseball Hall of Fame, named a team and 14 individuals that will be inducted into the WNY Baseball Hall in Sept.
The team will be the Voyageurs that dominated the MUNY league for 15 years. They were MUNY AAA Champs from 1977 to their last year, 1990. They also dominated national amateur baseball as they were national champs of the National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) in 1979 and went to the finals in 1981, 1984, 1987 and 1990. The Voyageurs were managed by Bob Ponto for all of their 20 years.
By Mike Fox
The 2008 baseball season is fast drawing to a close, and many fantasy owners are already beginning to seek out potential impact prospects for next year. If you’re one of these owners, we offer five must-know names that should already be programmed into your fantasy radar. If you’re not familiar with the name Yu Darvish, do your fantasy team a favor and have a look at this month’s issue.
By Mike Fox
The Games of the XXIX Olympiad have begun. What better time to reminisce about some of the legends that have established themselves in past Olympics? We’re still not sure how old Orlando Hernandez is, but if you find yourself wondering if he’s ever won a gold medal we can help.
Community Sports Report
This is the second of a series of articles featuring the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2008. This month, Sports & Leisure Magazine is happy to salute Buffalo Bisons Baseball Hall of Famer Jeff Manto, former LaSalle High School basketball coach Pat Monti and legendary WNY football and wrestling coach Joe Shifflet.
These three men will join eight other inductees at the 18th annual induction dinner and cocktail party, presented by Dunkin Donuts, on Wed., Oct. 29 at HSBC Arena. Others to be honored are former softball star Cindy Breski; former Bills cornerback Butch Byrd, former Canisius College hoops star Ray Hall; former Sabres’ administrator Fred Hunt; former Syracuse and Dallas Cowboys fullback Daryl Johnston; former Depew High School and NFL star Don Majkowski; former long-time NFL assistant coach Jim McNally and former Niagara Falls and NCAA basketball official Hank Nichols.
By Matt Ladewski
Do you run miles on end with no plan? Are you running slower times than a year ago or are you injured from running miles on end. It might be time to make some changes. Periodization of your training cycles will make it easier to track your training and make progress. Try one of these three cycles to jump start your workouts and give them new life.
Community Sports Report
It’s May 4th, 2008 and Queen City FC is playing Danbury United in the prestigious Lamar Hunt US Open. The weather is a chilly 45 degrees, and the crowd is sparse, but cheers of City Till I Die ring throughout All-High Stadium, led by the drum banging, song singing, crowd pleasing, O-Block, Queen City FC’s official supporters club.
The O-Block was founded in 2007 during Queen City FC’s inaugural season when several die-hard soccer fanatics turned out to watch the Blues. Early on, the fans had a discussion on how to bring about a better soccer atmosphere to the games, and it was obvious that a true supporters club was needed. The fans purchased scarves, drums, streamers, horns, and yelled their heart out for the Blues every game.
Community Sports Report
On given Mondays during the Buffalo Bills football season, the faithful gather for a Monday Quarterback Club luncheon event. They share opinions and discuss the previous day’s game; the why and wherefores that fans care about. And maybe Bills President Russ Brandon or another of the Bills brass will be there to question directly. Even owner Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. may be on hand to present an award to a former Bills player for distinguished service or to recognize an individual whose name was put on the Bills’ Wall of Fame the previous day. Shake his hand. Ask him a question.
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