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for September 2011
 Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula certainly wasn’t all talk when he said he’s committed to bringing the city multiple Stanley Cups. He opened up the vault to bring in a trio of new talent with Robyn Regehr, Christian Ehrhoff and Ville Leino. Reportedly, he’s making sure one of his own is in for the long haul as well.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie is reporting that the Sabres are close to finalizing a long-term deal for defensemen Tyler Myers that will pay him about $33 million over six years.
Arguably the team’s most talented player, Myers won the Calder Trophy for the NHL’s best rookie in 2009-10, scoring 11 goals and 48 points. Myers struggled early last season before putting his game together late and finishing with 10 goals and 37 points. Myers had a goal and five assists in Buffalo’s seven-game playoff loss to Philadelphia this past spring.
Continue reading ‘Report: Sabres, Myers Close In On Six-Year Deal’
 Buffalo State (3-7) snapped its four-match losing skid, topping host D’Youville (2-6) in straight sets, winning 25-18, 25-13 and 25-22 in a non-conference match Tuesday evening.
Ray-Ray Algbedo pounded out a team-high eight kills to lead Buffalo State. Kelsey Bashore dished out 20 assists and had three aces, while Chelsea Moore had nine digs and eight aces. Allyson Pierce chipped in seven kills and three aces, and Paige Ottaviano had five kills and eight digs.
Buffalo State will open its home schedule on Thursday when it welcomes Hilbert to the Sports Arena for a 7 p.m. match.
 The Canisius College golf team battled strong winds and a late charge from local rival St. Bonaventure, but in the end the Golden Griffins had enough in the bag to secure the 2011 Little Three Championship Tuesday afternoon at Niagara Falls Country Club. The Blue and Gold finished the 36-hole event with a team score of 619, besting the second-place Bonnies (626) and the host Niagara Purple Eagles (660).
This marks the second-straight year where the Griffs have won the Little Three event, an event that dates back to the 1956 season. A total of five Canisius players posted final round scores in the 70s on Tuesday, led by junior Michael Carrig (Buffalo, N.Y.) and his second-round tally of 76. Carrig shot 74 in the morning session and ended up in second-place in the field with a two-round score of 150, one stroke behind individual champion Brian McKenna from St. Bonaventure, who shot 74-75 for a total of 149. The individual crown for McKenna earns the junior an automatic bid into the 2012 Porter Cup, which will also be played at Niagara Falls Country Club.
Continue reading ‘Canisius Wins Second-Straight Little Three Golf Championship’
 The Buffalo Sabres today announced that a select number of the team’s preseason games will be broadcast on MSG and streamed live on Sabres.com, as well as Wednesday’s Traverse City Championship game between the Sabres and the New York Rangers. MSG will also carry the team’s home preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sept. 24. In addition to the games being broadcast on MSG, the Sabres’ preseason home opener against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sept. 19 will be streamed live online.
The Sept. 14 game between the Sabres and Rangers is the championship game of the 2011 NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Mich. and will be shown on MSG at 7 p.m. in both the Buffalo and Rochester markets.
Continue reading ‘Select Sabres Preseason Games To Be Broadcast On MSG’
 Buffalo Bills wide receiver Marcus Easley was playing himself towards significant playing time if not a starting spot all together in the preseason, but came down with a mysterious illness the week before the season opener at Kansas City, forcing him inactive Sunday but hopeful he would be back to practice this week.
That’s not happening. In fact, his season has come to a premature end for the second consecutive year.
The Bills officially placed Easley on season-ending Injured Reserved Tuesday afternoon with an undisclosed illness. In his place the team brought back Ruvell Martin, who was cut last week.
Continue reading ‘Season Over For Marcus Easley, Levi Brown Cut’
 Buffalo Bills wide receiver Marcus Easley missed the team’s season-opening victory at Kansas City with a mysterious illness that hasn’t been reported. Head coach Chan Gailey in speaking to the media, already stated Easley would miss the home opener this Sunday against Oakland and said that while he knew what the illness that’s plaguing Easley was, it wasn’t his place to report it and left it up to Easley.
Apparently, this ailment is serious.
Wide receiver Ruvell Martin, cut by the Bills last week leading up to the opener, said on his Facebook Monday evening that he’s headed back to Buffalo.
“I’m going back to Buffalo! It’s crazy how it’s so up and down but welcome to the other side of the NFL. They don’t talk about this stuff on tv cause honestly not too many people care, lol. I know you guys do tho, so hopefully I’ll make this stay longer than my last one. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks again for the support.” Martin wrote on his page.
Continue reading ‘Looks Like Ruvell Martin Is A Buffalo Bill Again’
 Following up on his national recognition where he was honored as the National Defensive Performer of the Week by College Football Performance Awards, sophomore linebacker Khalil Mack was named the Mid-American Conference’s East Division defensive player of the week on Monday.
Mack was a force to be reckoned with during Saturday’s 35-7 win over Stony Brook.
The Fort Pierce, FL native recorded a team-best eight tackles (four solos), 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles that were recovered by the Bulls, an interception and three quarterback hurries. Mack’s second forced fumble snuffed out a Stony Brook scoring drive at the UB three-yard line and, for the game, he helped limit a Stony Brook offense that had 410 yards last week at UTEP to just 298 total yards.
Continue reading ‘UB’s Mack Named MAC East Division Player of the Week’
 With precious few exceptions, the Buffalo Bills were regarded as an afterthought headed into the 2011 season. Most the national media and analysts projected the Bills to be last in the AFC East and dead smack in the middle of the 2012 Andrew Luck derby. Only a handful of “experts” predicted the Bills would give the Kansas City Chiefs a close game Sunday, let alone beat them.
It’s only one game, but the winds of change surrounding the Bills are already in full bloom.
On the heels of the 41-7 shellacking Buffalo put on Kansas City in front of their frustrated, home crowd at Arrowhead Stadium, people who cover the league are taking notice. Standing tallest among them are Sports Illustrated’s Peter King and ESPN analyst Merril Hoge.
After seemingly every publication listed the Bills in the 29-31 range league-wide in power rankings before Sunday, King has Buffalo all the way up to ninth in his “Fine Fifteen” via his Monday Morning Quarterback column. King writes “As Bill Parcells says, I go by what I see.’ And the Bills handled Kansas City, on the road, in all phases.”
Continue reading ‘Bills Getting Some Love From National Media’
 The Week one slate of NFL opening week concludes this evening with a pair of Monday night match ups; New England traveling to Miami while Denver plays host to Oakland. Not like they need extra incentive, but smart money says the Buffalo Bills’ staff as well as the players will tune in tonight with eyes glued to the television set.
As they should. All four teams in action tonight will square off against the Bills this season and in fact, 40% of the team’s remaining 15-game schedule is on the field this evening. Buffalo has six games on the docket in 2011 against the four teams.
The Bills host New England on September 25 before traveling to Foxboro for a rematch on January 1 to conclude the regular season. Buffalo gets Miami on November 20 and again at home on December 18. Denver travels to Ralph Wilson Stadium on Christmas Eve to wrap up the Bill’s home slate and of course, Oakland is in town for the home opener this Sunday.
At least in Western New York, Monday Night football this evening will be interesting.
 Whoa.
I’m not going to lie. I thought the Buffalo Bills had a fighting chance in their season opener at Kansas City Sunday. At worst, the Bills were expected to be competitive based on last year’s overtime loss and the run defense seemingly vastly improved.
But truthfully speaking, I didn’t think the Bills would leave Arrowhead Stadium on the winning end, and certainly didn’t anticipate what became essentially a 41-7 pistol-whipping of the Chiefs in front of a frenzied crowd that saw them go 7-1 at home last season.
But that’s exactly what the Bills did. Buffalo jettisoned the uniforms that symbolized a decade of mediocrity this offseason and brought back an old school look. Sunday, the Bills looked an awful lot like the team that wore similar jerseys in the 1980’s and 90’s as they rolled the Chiefs from the opening kickoff in every aspect of the game.
Continue reading ‘Bills Pound Chiefs – Random Smatterings’
 The Buffalo Bills kick off their season in Kansas City Sunday and a pair of reserves were ruled out Saturday evening. The team announced that defensive tackle Torell Troup (back) and Marcus Easley (illness) will not play and didn’t make the trip to Kansas City.
The loss of Troup is a particularly hard blow to the Bills defense. Though not a starter, Troup was a monster in the middle throughout the preseason and would’ve received extended playing time against the Chiefs. Easley had big moments during the season but the coaching staff went with Donald Jones to start at receiver earlier this week before Easley came down with his illness.
Both players join Arthur Moats as spectators Sunday. Moats has been out for the past few weeks with a calf injury and may miss another week or two.
 This is the best weekend of the year if you’re a Bills fan. Opening Day. A new season. A new beginning. A new reason to believe. Because until the season actually begins, and the Bills begin to dash our hopes, anything is possible.
It’s not the biggest game of the year. It’s not the most important. But it’s the first. It’s the season kickoff. And it’s special.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t always been kind to the Bills. They lost their very first season opener. Not to mention their second, third, and fourth before they finally won the opening game of their fifth season. Marv Levy lost his first opening day. So did Lou Saban (twice). So did Chuck Knox. So did every single Bills head coach except…believe it or not….Joe Collier.
But over the years, there have been some truly memorable opening games. And some of them were memorable in a good way. Here’s my list of five that stand out.
Continue reading ‘Five Biggest Buffalo Bills Opening Day Memories’
 In May of 2009, Kristin Crandall attended the annual Blue Moon Gala; an event that helps support and raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Association of Western New York. She anticipated going to the event, having a good time and lending her support to the cause. Little at the time was she aware by the time the night was over; her role in the association, as well as her life would be forever altered.
It was there she met Tracey Callisto. A member of the Alzheimer’s Association who spent years raising money via the annual Memory Walk, Callisto already had a personal bond to the cause. Her Uncle became a victim of Alzheimer’s before sadly succumbing to the deadly disease. Sometime during their conversation as a quick bond was struck, the subject of powder-puff football came up as a way to raise both awareness and money for the dreadful illness.
In 2005, Sara Allen Abbot & Ryan Triplette organized the first ever Blondes vs. Brunettes flag football game to increase awareness among young people of Alzheimer’s disease. The event was a huge success in Washington, D.C. and since then the duo has helped support similar events in several major cities around the country, including Dallas, Denver, Austin, Houston and Kansas City.
Continue reading ‘Blondes vs. Brunettes, Round Three Set For Saturday’
 The Basketball Coaches Assn. of New York and ADPRO Sports are hosting the Seventh Annual WNY High School Basketball Showcase Exposure Event for high school boys on Sunday, Oct. 2nd at St. Mary’s High School in Lancaster.
The Showcase is limited to the first 60 players on a first come first served basis and the Event has completely sold out all 60 spots the previous 6 years. Last year 28 college basketball coaches attended the Showcase to evaluate this area’s best high school talent. The Showcase is open to all high school players as long as they have previous varsity experience.
The cost is $70 per player and the deadline for registration is Sept. 27th in order to get the players information into the college coaches program booklet. For more information please contact Al Monaco(Williamsville South HS) at amonaco@williamsvillek12.org or 997 – 5946.
 The Buffalo Bills take the field in Kansas City Sunday afternoon to kick off their 2011 campaign. Of course, while 53 men comprise the active roster, only 46 get to put on their uniform and represent the team on the field.
This year’s roster rules are slightly different than the past, with no emergency quarterback taking up an inactive space. That means seven players will find themselves in the press box at Arrowhead.
Here’s an educated guess on which members that will be.
Arthur Moats: A lock to be inactive Sunday, Moats has already been ruled out with a calf injury. He’s expected to miss one to two weeks. After a promising rookie season, Moats is behind and coupled with a move to the crowded inside linebacker position, Moats may have trouble getting on the field often in 2011.
Continue reading ‘A Stab At The Bills’ Sunday Inactive List’
 Last year fans of Western New York boy’s high school basketball were treated to one of the great single-season performances in recent memory. Jamestown junior Jaysean Paige tore up the local circuit, averaging over 26 points and eight rebounds per game as the Red Raiders finally defeated Niagara Falls to win the Class-AA Section VI crown, defeat Rochester in the Regionals and advance all the way to the New York State finals in Glenn Falls.
For his efforts, Paige was the overwhelming choice for both the Buffalo News WNY Player of the Year, as well as the Buffalo Sports Daily Player of the Year.
Unfortunately, area hoop fans are unlikely to see a senior encore performance.
Reports surfaced over the internet that Paige has left Jamestown and transferred to Perry County Central High School in Hazard, Kentucky. Buffalo News high school coverage anchor Keith McShea is the lone person to speak directly by phone with Paige, and reported on his conversation in the paper Thursday morning.
Continue reading ‘H.S. Player of Year May Be Gone (For Good) To Kentucky’
The good news is that we’ve upgraded our web server to accommodate a steady rise in traffic, which will make your visits to Buffalo Sports Daily much smoother and hopefully more entertaining. The bad news is that the process took far longer than anticipated and in the process, completely shut us down for the past 48 hours while the new server uploaded all current and previous content.
Finally, we’re back— and we’re back to stay.
While this isn’t strictly a Buffalo Bills’ based website, we know the significance of opening week. Therefore, we’re going to try and cram as much down your collective reading throats as possible over the next 72 hours to get you prepared for the start of the NFL season, and the Bills’ opener at Kansas City in particular.
Stay tuned for several season preview articles and new regular features as we start to make up for lost time.
Without question, sleep is hardly an option going forward.
 Ten games against schools that reached the postseason last year, six televised games and three matchups with squads from BCS conferences highlight the 2011-12 men’s basketball schedule released on Tuesday.
The Bonnies, who return senior All-America candidate Andrew Nicholson and four of five starters from last year’s squad, will be featured on national television three times in 2011-12: at Illinois Dec. 7 (ESPNU), at Xavier Jan. 14 (ESPNU) and in the Reilly Center opposite Temple Feb. 15 (CBS Sports).
After an exhibition tune-up against Mansfield Nov. 4, the season officially opens Nov. 11 when Ivy League-member Cornell comes to the Reilly Center for the first time since 2004.
Continue reading ‘2011-12 St. Bonaventure Men’s Basketball Schedule Released’
 University at Buffalo men’s basketball coach Reggie Witherspoon has been selected to receive the 2011 Newman Award. The award is made in recognition of his outstanding service to UB and the Western New York community. Witherspoon will receive the award at the 35th Annual Convocation and Mass of the Holy Spirit at St. Joseph University Parish on September 18 at 11:30 am.
The Newman Award is given each fall at the opening Liturgy to the individual who exemplifies great values both on campus and in the broader community.
“It’s humbling to win this award and I’m really grateful that they’ve mentioned me in the same breath as the past recipients,” Witherspoon said. “It’s a tremendous honor and a recognition of not just me, but everyone in our program and our families.”
Witherspoon is entering his 13th season as the head coach at UB and his 164 wins rank third in school history. He has taken a once struggling basketball team to new heights since his hire. The Bulls have won at least 17 games in six of the last eight seasons. To put that in perspective, prior to Witherspoon’s hire, Buffalo won 17 games just nine times over the first 85 years of the program.
Continue reading ‘Reggie Witherspoon to Receive 2011 Newman Award’
 At least one former Buffalo Bill player has found employment on Labor Day. Geoff Hangartner, cut by the Bills on Saturday, has signed with the Carolina Panthers according to the Charlotte Observer.
Hangarter was scheduled to make $2.55 million this season and still owed $5.35 million over the final two years of his deal. His spot on the roster came into serious jeopardy after losing his starting center spot to Eric Wood. Simply put, the Bills weren’t going to pay that much to a backup linemen, one who didn’t look very impressive during the preseason.
The release of Hangartner was somewhat controversial after he told the Associated Press four days earlier that he received assurances from the staff he’d be on the team. Bills head coach Chan Gailey denied any assurances during a press conference Saturday following the round of cuts.
Hangartner returns to Carolina now, where he began his NFL career in 2005. Hangartner played for the Panthers for four seasons before signing with the Bills as a free agent before the 2009 season.
 Williamsville South trailed 14-7 after one quarter but roared back to beat Bennett 38-14 last weekend.
“We made some defensive adjustments and got after them a bit,” coach Kraig Kurzanski said. “We had scored 31 straight points by the end of the third quarter.” Quarterback Trent Ferguson completed 29 of 41 passes for 316 yards and 5 TDs to lead the Billies offense.
“Trent is as good as anybody I have coached,” Kurzanski said. “We coached him for three weeks. I think he has some of the abilities to be a great quarterback.”
Kurzanski said that Ferguson has already shown himself to be a good leader.
“He has some of the intangibles to be great,” Kurzanski said. “One is leadership and being humble. He’s the starting quarterback and he still carries our bag footballs to practice every day. He’s good with his teammates.”
Continue reading ‘Williamsville South: Replacing Licata’
 In the first of what’s likely to be at least a few moves over the next couple days, the Buffalo Bills have claimed tight end Lee Smith off waivers a day after he was cut by the New England Patriots. Adam Schefter of ESPN was the first to report.
Smith was a fifth-round draft pick by New England out of Marshall this year. With gigantic size (6’6”, 269lbs) Smith caught 38 passes for 358 yards and three touchdowns for Marshall last season. His best game came against the University of Alabama-Birmingham last season when he caught nine passes for 81 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
To make room for Smith the Bills will have release a player from their 53-man roster. While nothing has been reported yet, this may be bad news for undrafted free agent tight end Zack Pianalto, who survived yesterday’s final rounds of cuts. It’s highly doubtful the team will carry four tight ends on the active roster.
The other Bills tight ends are Scott Chandler and David Martin. Martin could also be a candidate to get released because of his age (32).
In other Bills news, defensive tackle Michael Jasper confirms on his Twitter that he’s been signed to the Bills practice squad. The seventh-round draft pick was cut by the team Saturday. We’ll have plenty more on him and any other transactions that occur today later.
 Final cutdown day is no fun for any team in the NFL, and the Buffalo Bills are no exception. By now everyone knows who did and didn’t make the 2011 Bills’ final 53-man roster.
It wasn’t a particular good day for several guys who at one time played for Buffalo either.
11 former Buffalo Bills got their walking papers Saturday from several teams scattered throughout the league. On that list is Coy Wire (Atlanta), Alvin Bowen (Denver), Sammy Morris (New England), Peirson Prioleau (New Orleans), Jamon Meredith (NY Giants), cornerback Ellis Lankster (NY Jets), Trent Edwards (Oakland), Anthony Hargrove (Philadelphia), Xavier Omon (San Francisco), Dominque Harris (Tampa Bay) and Derek Schouman (Washington).
Continue reading ‘Rough Day For Former Bills & UB Alumni’
 Second-year head coach Jeff Quinn told the assembled media back in August that this was not last year’s Bulls. In the 2011 opener at Big East power Pittsburgh, Buffalo proved it.
Fighting through the adversity of opening on the road in front of over 48,000 fans and trailing throughout the contest, the Bulls showed uncommon fight and determination, constantly rebounding when things looked bleak before finally succumbing to Pittsburgh, 35-16 at Heinz Field.
Similar to the Bulls contest here in 2008, Buffalo was down by less than a touchdown inside the final 12 minutes before the Panthers could put things away.
Continue reading ‘Bulls Hang Tough in Season Opener at Pittsburgh’
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While the NFL lock out was capturing headlines across the country, a South Buffalo semi pro team spent the summer ascending up the national rankings. The South Buffalo Celtics(10-0) are currently ranked #12 in the nation, according to 
