Buffalo Bills to Get New Stadium on Waterfront?

I know this has little to do with Boston or New England, but half my family is from Western New York, so shut up and read the post.

Some crazy millionaire proposed building a 70,000 seat retractable roof stadium as part of an "entertainment complex" on the waterfront in Buffalo. This is not a proposal by the Bills, or the NFL, or the city of Buffalo, or the state of New York. It's just some guy with some money with an idea.

The guy is Nicholas Stracick, a former MLB umpire who sued Walt Disney and won a huge settlement. He accused Disney of stealing the idea for their Wide World of Sports theme park.

So this guy is insane, and this scheme is still in the backroom plotting phase. It's not a real plan.

Although it makes sense in some ways. The Bills currently play in an antiquated aluminium bowl in Orchard Park, 15 miles south of Buffalo. But the Bills are a regional team. They draw fans from Rochester, Syracuse, and southern Ontario. And a stadium in Buffalo would be easier to get to than the current one in Orchard Park.

I don't know how much of an economic boon this would be for Western New York. This millionaire wants to include a hotel and a museum in this complex. And wants the taxpayers to shoulder 30% of the $1.4 billion bill.

But for the team, it'd be good. For the NFL, it'd be good. The Bills need a new stadium, and the NFL needs the Bills to have a new stadium. Maybe this particular plan isn't the right plan, but something needs to change with the Bills and their stadium.

And good luck to the architect that has to design a retractable roof that can withstand 50 inches lake effect snow.

Carlton Fisk Charged for DUI

What happens to someone when they park their F-150 in a cornfield? Maybe an embarrassing conversation with the property owner. What happens when they are found unconscious in that F-150 with an open bottle of vodka? A citation for DUI. Even if they are Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk.

Police in New Lenox, Illinois received calls about a pickup truck in a cornfield. They found Fisk passed out in the truck, with an open bottle of vodka. Fisk agreed to go to a hospital, but refused a blood alcohol test. Police issued him a citation for DUI, and for a lane violation (yeah, seriously), and illegal transportation of alcohol. He posted bond and was released.

This comes one day after the anniversary of Fisk doing this:

Maybe he was celebrating, or maybe he misses the thrill of the game, or maybe he didn't start drinking vodka until he parked safely in the cornfield. Perhaps a voice told him "If you drink it, he will come."

Bobby Valentine Throws David Ortiz Under the Bus

Bobby Valentine didn't make easy for himself in Boston. He tried to use the media as a tool but wound up injuring himself, like a child playing with a rotary saw. He still hasn't learned his lesson.

In an interview with Bob Costas on NBC Sports, Bobby V accused David Ortiz of quitting on the team once the Sox traded Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford on August 25th.

Hey Bobby, you're lucky Ortiz was trying until August 25th. And why should he push himself in a meaningless September? Why jeopardize that Achilles? Both David Ortiz and the Red Sox need that Achilles in functioning condition next year.

And that's assuming Valentine's accusations hold any merit. Which is quite an assumption. In the same interview Valentine denied that he ever said "Nice inning, kid," to Will Middlebrooks. What's particularly insane about that is that Valentine was the one who told the media he'd said that to Middlebrooks.

Bobby V has some deep-rooted psychological issues. He thinks these lies he tells are the truth. He's like Matt Damon in The Informant!.

Valentine also mentioned that front office personnel were frequently in his office before and after games. Although he had nothing but praise and sympathy for Larry Lucchino and ownership.

In Spring Training, Valentine berated Mike Aviles for not executing a relay drill properly. Valentine had never explained the drill to the players, so they confronted him about screaming at Aviles. In the interview with Costas, Valentine alluded to this attitude from the players: "I think that is unique to that group of guys. I don’t think it’s indigenous to all of baseball, or at least I pray it’s not."

The Sox have plenty of attitude problems, but this instance was Bobby Valentine's ego getting in his own way. And the incident probably ruined any chance he'd have at being respected by the players here. Why would you respect a manager who doesn't tell you what he expects you to do, then yells at you for not doing it?

That incident with Aviles was the beginning of the end for Valentine. And ironically it was Aviles who was sent to Toronto in exchange for Valentine's replacement.

Bobby Valentine is the least credible personality in all of sports. Because what he views as reality just isn't real.