Page 2 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE April 2008

By Shawn KrestThere seems to be very lit-

tle suspense leading up to theBuffalo Bills’ 2008 draft. Theteam needs a big wide receiv-er to line up opposite LeeEvans, and they are going totake Oklahoma wide receiverMalcolm Kelly. End of story.Give him the team hat, writethe headlines about a “newKelly era” in Buffalo, getready for training camp.

A Bills draft pick hasn’tbeen this obvious since lastyear, when everyone “knew”that Buffalo was taking OleMiss linebacker PatrickWillis. Sure enough, Willisimmediately became a starterand ended the year as theleague’s top rookie defender.Of course, he did it for theSan Francisco 49ers.

Not many fans com-plained about the Bills’ draftday performance last year.Their first-round pick,Marshawn Lynch, providedplenty of big plays, and theBills addressed their line-backer need when they trad-ed up to select Penn State’sPaul Posluszny with theirsecond pick.

The lesson? Perhaps weshouldn’t start placing ordersfor those “No.81: Kelly” Billsjerseys just yet.

Kelly would be a greataddition to the Bills passingattack. The 6-foot-4 wide outwould add height to a posi-tion where the Bills havebeen, well, short on size inrecent years. Kelly reachedthe end zone 21 times inthree years with the Soonersand was the fastest player toreach 1,000 career receivingyards in Oklahoma history.

There are some concernswith Kelly. He missed most ofthe last two Fiesta Bowls withmid-game injuries. Concernsover both of his knees have

him as low as the secondround in many recent draftprojections.

If Kelly really does slide aslow as that, it’s possible thatthe Bills will be able to pull

him out of his long day in theESPN Green Room whenthey choose in round two.Other big name receiverprospects, such as Texas’Limas Sweed or LSU’s EarlyDoucet could also be avail-able for Buffalo’s second pick.Long story short, it’s possiblethat the Bills will follow thesame strategy as last year, andfill what is perceived to betheir biggest need with theirsecond pick.

Who would they take inround one, then? The otherbig need areas for the Bills areadditional depth at defensiveback or on the defensive line.If Buffalo goes big, NorthCarolina tackle KentwanBalmer has been mentionedas a possibility. At defensiveend, Clemson’s Phillip

Merling might be the pick.If Buffalo decides to devote

their first pick to the second-ary, South Florida’s MikeJenkins has been mentionedas a potential pick.

If Buffalo is set on choos-ing a wide receiver, andMichigan State’s DevinThomas (the best receiverprospect in the draft) is offthe board when they pick,the team might trade downin Round One to take Kellyor Sweed in the late twenties.Buffalo was recently awardedtwo additional picks as com-pensation for free-agent loss-es, however, lessening theirneed to stock up on draftpicks this year.

What is Sports & Leisure’sforecast? Buffalo will indeedgo with defense in the firstround, adding a cornerback.Look for small-school stand-out Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie of Tennessee Stateto slip to the Bills’ pick atnumber 11 overall.

The 6-foot-2 Rodgers-Cromartie has been calledthe best small-school cornerprospect since AeneasWilliams of SouthernUniversity in the late 1980s.Rodgers-Cromartie was dom-inant at the Division II level,and has been slotted as highas the seventh overall pick.

Assuming Buffalo nabsRodgers-Cromartie, theycould use their second pickto take LSU’s Doucet. If thetop receivers are off the boardby then, Florida’s AndreCaldwell could be availablein round three.

For a team whose draftpick was a done deal, thingsappear to be wide open. Andif the Bills manage to get arunning mate for Lee Evans,the big-play receiver mayappear to be wide open nextseason.

Bills draft preview: Wide open, or case closed?

Photo University of OklahomaOklahoma receiver MalcolmKelly was considered a lockfirst-rounder for the Bills,but don’t be so sure.

By Charles RobertsLike years past, most have

their opinion on which col-lege standout will be takenfirst overall in the NFL Draft.Generally, barring trade, amajority of football fans canfill in the blanks on the topthree or four slots. This yearhowever, the process is a bitmore ambiguous. The MiamiDolphins, who hold the firstoverall choice in this year’sdraft, are coming off a horridseason, where they narrowlyavoided an entry in the NFLrecord books with a nearwinless season. With thatsaid, it’s of no real surprisethat their team needs reportis about as long as a 7-year-olds Christmas wish list.

Although he was terriblelast season (putting it mild-ly), the Dolphins may givesecond-year quarterbackJohn Beck a shot at redemp-tion. Keep in mind, whenhealthy, running back RonnieBrown is capable of putting

up Pro Bowl numbers, whichcertainly helps quell thegrowing pains young quarter-backs have a propensity of

going through. It seems likeproviding Beck and Brownwith a little protection mightbe the best route, shouldMiami not maneuver out ofthe first choice. If that isindeed new head of football

operations Bill Parcells’thought process, the pick issimple; Michigan left tackleJake Long. At 6-foot-7, 313pounds, Long provides amassive frame that mostteams would be hard-pressedto pass up as a cornerstonefor their offensive line foryears to come. He’s not themost athletic offensive line-man, but what he lacks inagility, he makes up for intechnique and strength.Combine reports had himbench pressing 225 pounds awhopping 37 times.

Wait a second though.There is another guy with thelast name Long that mightjust be appealing enough tochange the normal pattern ofthinking. Remember formerOakland Raiders’ great andcurrent FOX analyst HowieLong? Have you seen his sonlately? Virginia defensive endChris Long is coming off amonster senior season that

Desperate Dolphins leaving the door open tomany first round surprises

Photo University of MichiganJake Long may be packinghis bags for Miami.

continued on page 15

April 2008 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Page 3

By Robert PleziaI was fortunate to travel

to Florida again this Marchto watch Spring Traininggames and talk to man-agers, hitting coaches, play-ers, and scouts while find-ing some time to watch 11teams play in nine games.

It seems like a lot ofknowledgeable peoplethink this could be the yearthat the Cleveland Indianswin it all. And it appearsthe management thinks thesame thing because arumor had it the Indianswere in the market forsome veterans to stock upin Buffalo for their run at theWorld Series.

When I was in Florida Ihad a chance to spend a fewminutes to talk baseball withPeter Gammons, the syndi-cated sportswriter, ESPN TVanalyst and reporter.Gammons is one guy whothinks that the Indians’pitching, hitting and bench,could take them all the way.Gammons also thinks thatthe Braves could be theIndians opponent in theWorld Series this year.

I spent some time inWinter Haven, the springhome of the Indians, watch-

ing them beat the Blue Jayswith a hitting barrage, clos-ing the day with a 9-5 win on15 hits. Not to mention thatthe Indians didn’t even playGarko, Sizemore or Peralta.

Every hitting coach I metwith I was sure to ask twoquestions: when you are get-ting hits but not runs whatdo you suggest and what doyou do to motivate playersand then have them considerand try your recommenda-tions?

Dave Hudgens, theIndians current MinorLeague player developmentcoordinator, used to work

with the A’s as a hittingcoach. He said that a playeris more apt to listen to youwhen he’s in a slump andthat you have to watch eachplayer when they are playingwell so you may notice a dif-ference when they are nothitting well. In the past I hadtaken some clinics with Daveand it was good to talk abouthitting. He concluded bysaying that a lot of hitting inthe big leagues is about play-er confidence.

The Tigers look like they’llhave a great hitting team thisyear but parts of theirbullpen are suspect. Iwatched a game where theTigers lost to Washington asthe middle relief failed theboys from Detroit.

In his second year manag-ing the Nationals, MannyActa, 38, is the youngestmanager in the majors. TheNats have a very young out-field and Nick Johnson isback after missing 2007 witha broken leg. This team is ateam to watch over the nextfew years.

The Nationals also have apromising new hitting coachin Larry Harris. Harris had agreat career as a MajorLeague pinch hitter with

m o r ethan 15p i n c h -

hits over four straight years.Harris said he took his bat-ting tee everywhere he wentand practiced with it. He alsoused a “two strike mode” onevery pitch so that whenopponents realized he was afirst strike hitter and startedto throw curves he wouldlook for the second pitch.

The Cards-Dodgers matchwas interesting because LAplayed with a split squadwith part of their club inBeijing, China for two gamesand LaRussa, the ever-inno-vating manager, hit thepitcher in the eighth spot.This was after the Cards dida study that showed theninth hitter had more oppor-tunities for RBI’s than theeight. This, however, didn’tproduce much in the twogames I watched.

Pujols, however, was a dif-ferent story. I watched himtake 30 minutes of BP in thecage and he is like a machinewith an unbelievable consis-tency in each swing. Somepeople still say that hiselbow is giving him troublethough.

I also got to spend sometime with Hal McRae, theCards hitting coach, whoplayed second with the

Bisons in old War Memorial.McRae is one of the best hit-ting coaches in the gametoday and worked with LarryHarris as well as Sean Berry,the hitting coach of theAstros, who both playedunder McRae. Both playerslearned a lot about hittingfrom him and both still teacha lot of McRae’s approachesto hitting.

McRae also spoke abouthow the game is differenttoday with players beingpaid to hit home runs, andthose that do, getting paid alot more than just the aver-age hitter. He pointed outthat the people who hithome runs also strikeout alot and that the concept of“protecting the dish” withtwo strikes is therefore not asimportant today.

Berry said that whenyou’re hitting but not scor-ing you have to force runs inwith ‘hit and runs,’ suicides,steals and hitting behind therunners. He also stressedincorporating “situations” inyour batting practice tomimic game-time hypotheti-cals.

The Blue Jays, Cards andDodgers will have long sea-sons this year but they all aremissing too many parts to gothe distance.

With Reyes, Beltran,

Wright and Santana, theMets should have a good sea-son and could win their divi-sion or be a wild card. TheBraves will be real toughwith good pitching and asolid hitting line up and thePhillies could pose someproblems.

The Orioles are starting torebuild. After ten straightlosing seasons, they certainlyneed to do something andthe appointment of DaveTrembley as manager is astep in the right direction aswell as a few trades thatimproved pitching anddefense, a good draft to bol-ster their minor leaguedevelopment system andhaving the owners, managersand players on the samepage. Unfortunately theOrioles are in a very toughdivision and it could be along, losing season for theOrioles as well as the Astrosand Marlins.

Probably the most unusu-al event of this trip occurredat the Indians’ Senior StrollDay. After the game, seniorcitizens could leave thestands and “stroll” aroundthe bases from first to homefor about 15 minutes. Manygot to take a picture at home,proving once again thatbaseball is truly a timelessAmerican tradition.

2008 Spring Training: Indians all the way

Peter Gammons (right) andBob Plezia discuss the 2008season at Dodgertown.

By Shawn KrestThe Yankees will feature

a new look in 2008. Twoscenes from the springpaint a picture of why.

The first took place inVero Beach, Calif., shortlyafter Valentine’s Day. It wasthe first day of full-squadworkouts for the LosAngeles Dodgers. All-Starsecond baseman and infa-mous malcontent Jeff Kentwas meeting with themedia in front of his lockerwhile Dodgers new and oldtook part in busy activityaround the clubhouse.

The door to the manag-er’s office opened a crack,and out stepped theDodgers new skipper.Future Hall of Famer JoeTorre walked deliberatelyacross the now-silent room.The group of reportersparted, and Torre extendedhis hand to Kent. The twospoke briefly, then Torrestepped through a door onthat side of the room. Just asquickly as he’d arrived, hewas gone, but not beforemaking a point of welcom-ing Kent publicly—just thetype of low-key clubhousemaneuvering that had sev-eral Yankee veterans readyto follow him out of town,including the Yankees’Donnie Baseball himself,Don Mattingly, now wearingDodger Blue as part ofTorre’s staff.

The second scene tookplace on the other side ofthe state, just before St.Patrick’s Day. Yankees firstbaseman Shelly Duncanwent Ty Cobb on the TampaBay Rays. Spikes high in theair, he slashed into secondbase, retaliating for a violent

collision at home plate fourdays earlier—a collisionthat sparked the ire of newYankees manager JoeGirardi.

Girardi brings a fierypresence to a Yankee club-house that had been master-fully subdued under thesteady hand of Torre for thelast twelve seasons—all ofwhich finished in the post-season. He has promised amore National League stylefor the Bronx Bombers,extolling the virtues ofbunting, running, and whoknows, maybe even somedouble switches.

“Of course I’m differentthan Joe,” Girardi said ofTorre. “I’m made up differ-ent. As time goes by, you’llprobably understand morejust how I’m made up differ-ent.”

Never has apair of Joesseemed suchopposites. WhileTorre managed tokeep the volcanictemper of GeorgeS t e i n b r e n n e runder wraps,Girardi lastedjust one seasonwith the Marlinsbefore being firedafter a clash withmanagement.

“The Boss isthe Boss,” Girardisaid ofS t e i n b r e n n e r,promising thatmost of his argu-ments with thet e m p e s t u o u sowner will beover Big Ten foot-ball.

While theYankees have scrapped andfought this spring, Girardishies away from any conclu-sions made on his manage-rial style. “Your styledepends on the players inthe clubhouse,” Girardisaid. He points out that fourYankees stole more than 30bases last year.

Girardi also seems excit-ed by the young talent onthe mound. Despite theteam’s reluctance to chasehigh-profile pitchers likeJohann Santana in the off-season, the next generationof Yankee arms seems readyfor the bigs. JobaChamberlain, Phil Hughesand Ian Kennedy all hadtheir postseason baptism byfire, and, in Chamberlain’scase, locusts last October.The kids were able to

Yankees move from Joe Cool to G.I. Joe

Photo NY YankeesNew Yankees manager Joe Girardishould bring a fire not seen in the laidback Joe Torre era.

continued on page 15

Page 4 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE April 2008

While the calendar saidspring started in March, ittakes another month forthe season to really takehold.

Baseball season is in fullswing, and Sports &Leisure is ready to taketheir cuts in the cage thismonth. We preview theInternational League sea-son, which might end upwith another Governor’sCup trophy in WesternNew York. Whether it willbe earned by a loadedRochester Red Wings teamor the always formidableBuffalo Bisons…well,you’ll have to wait untilSeptember to find out.

While the twoInternational League teamsare the closest option forbaseball-starved fans, thehearts of many WesternNew Yorkers are in theBronx. The New YorkYankees have a new lookthis year. While a Joe isstill managing the team,Girardi and Torre are polar

opposites. We take a lookat the new boss and checkin with the old one thismonth.

Golf season is also in fullswing, and we gear up forthe links this month.Whether you plan on play-ing a round or watchingthe pros that will be invad-ing the area this season,golf will be an option forthe Western New Yorksports scene for the nextfew months.

Our annual pull-out golfdirectory boasts a compre-hensive listing of publicgolf courses from SouthernOntario to Rochester andbeyond. Our directory alsofeatures articles on “golfingat great local courses for$36 or less” and “what’snew in golf technology.” Besure to hang on to yourcopy!

We also check in withour out-of-season proteams. Many years, theBuffalo Sabres wouldn’t fallinto this category—at least

not this early in the season.But the hockey seasonaround here ended withthe close of the regular sea-son. Meanwhile, the 2008football season opens withthe NFL Draft. The big dayis at the end of the month,and we take a look at whatto expect from the Billsbraintrust.

Fitness fans don’t forgetto check out the NorthernStates Super NaturalBodybuilding & FitnessChampionships on April26 at McKinley highschool, Buffalo, NY(evening show, 6pm). Thisall-natural show will show-case some of the finestlocal and regional fitnessathletes. Come and join inthe fun. The show willsurely motivate you to getin shape for summer! Formore information call 716-445-5603 or go towww.northernstatessuper-natural.com

From the Publisher

Sports & Leisure Magazine469 Virginia Street, Buffalo, New York 14202Tel.: (716) 876-2738, Fax: (716) 874-8289

Email to: publisher@sportsandleisuremag.comCheck us out on the web at www.sportsandleisuremag.com

Publisher & Editor Marian GiallombardoFeature Writers Ross Brewitt, Robert Caico, Rick Davenport, Peter Farrell, Mike Fox,Greg Gardner, Shirley Giallombardo, Ivan the Impaler, Ed Kilgore, Shawn Krest (BuffaloManaging Editor), Brian Koziol, George Kuhn, Andrew Kulyk, Jeffrey Levine, BrianMazurek, Brian McFarlane, AdamMcGill, Brian Michalek, Ron Montesano, Len Mytko,Gary Reeves, Charles Roberts, Dave Sully, Tim Wright, Rick Zurak (golf editor)Chief Photographer Jeff BarnesStaff Photographers Ryan Bartholomew, Nick LoVerde, Joe ValentiCover photos Joe Girardi courtesy NY Yankees, Joe Torre by Job SooHoo/LA DodgersContributing Writers Mark Bowers, Corey Erdman, Glen Jackson, Christopher Koenig,Gregory Kowalczyk, Matt Ladewski, Stephen Marth, Chris Nentarz, Bob Plezia, Phil Taylor,Al Valentin, Ryan WolfeLayout & Cover Scott Appleby, Graphic artist Liz SeivertAssignment Editors: Shawn KrestCopy Editors and Office Assistants Jeffrey Levine, Ben Muchnik, Len Mytko, MarkRichardson, Justin VernoldPlease send your letters, questions, and comments to: Sports & Leisure Magazine, 469Virginia Street, Buffalo, NY 14202 or e-mail them to publisher@sportsandleisuremag.com.Please include your name, address and phone number or your letter can’t be published. Allletters and responses become the property of Sports & Leisure Magazine, they may be print-ed, and are subject to editing. Sports & Leisure Magazine is circulated throughout WesternNew York and Southern Ontario. All rights and trademarks reserved. Reproduction in wholeor in part without the express written consent of the publisher is strictly prohibited. ©1997,1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Sports & LeisureMagazine.

By Ed KilgoreCh. 2 Sports Director

It’s going to be alooooong summer for theSabres, and not only that,they’ve joined some selectcompany for the wrong rea-sons. Bummer.The Sabres nowshare the raredistinction ofbeing the firstNHL team towin theP r e s i d e n t ’ sTrophy andthen miss theplayoffs the fol-lowing yearsince the NewYork Rangers had that hap-pen to them in the ‘92-’93season.

This happened to theSabres and Rangers for a lotof different reasons, but theRangers fall was a lot steep-er dive than the Sabres dropoff in 2007-2008. TheRangers went from bestoverall in the regular seasonto five games under .500 in‘92-’93. It’s worth mention-ing, because the NEXT sea-son, the Rangers roaredback to win the StanleyCup! Oh, don’t worry, I’mnot about to predict that’swhat will happen with thedisappointing Sabres, whoreached the EasternConference finals the pastcouple seasons, but it alsogoes to show you a bigbounce back isn’t out of thequestion.

The Sabres have them-selves to blame in manyways for where they are,with the benefit of hind-sight, because they greatlyunderestimated how quick-ly salaries would escalate indealings with key playerslike Daniel Briere and ChrisDrury, the unfortunate sur-prise of Thomas Vanek andlater Brian Campbell. Butthe Sabres are also at a dis-advantage that can’t beshoved aside as a meaning-less excuse. In order to stayin business and remaincompetitive down the roadin one of the smallest NHLmarkets, they have to makesome tough decisions basedon the future rather thanthe present.

The Rangers aren’t think-ing at all about two yearsfrom now when Drury isstill making over $7 milliona year at 34 years of age andis under contract at thatguaranteed money for

another coupleyears. Similarly,the Flyers aren’tall that con-cerned aboutBriere, at a yearyounger in acouple of sea-sons, when heisn’t evenh a l f w a ythrough hiseight year, $52

million dollar deal. Theseare big market teams thatcan afford it, but that does-n’t mean the big contractswon’t have consequencesfor them.

As their younger playersget better, the payroll willcontinue to climb as well,and eventually, they’ll beforced to lose someYOUNGER players. Thatwon’t show up now, or in acouple years, but it willeventually show up asDrury and Briere and othersfade away.

Although it’s an oversim-plification, the Sabres basi-cally felt they should payThomas Vanek and DerekRoy and now hopefullyRyan Miller and JasonPominville, rather thanshell out more than the $5million or so per seasonthey actually offered Briereand Drury who’d alreadydecided they were goneonce their final Sabres sea-son began anyway. After aslow start, Vanek actuallylooked the part of a $49 mil-lion dollar player by fin-ished with 36 goals, andRoy led the team with 81points on 32 goals and 49assists, and his plus 13 wassecond only to JasonPominville’s plus 16.

The Sabres are not spend-ing all the way to the capnow, but managing partnerLarry Quinn was recentlyquoted in USA Today as say-ing the Sabres payroll WILLclimb as the talented youngplayers on the current teammature and improve. Still,

their payroll is currently atjust over $46 million, andnot making the playoffs willbe a hit on the bottom line.

Were the Sabres goodenough this year, evenWITH Briere and Drury, toWIN the Cup? No, and thatincludes Brian Campbell aswell. The Sabres still haveplenty of skilled players,and they flirted with leadingthe NHL in scoring all yearlong. The skilled players arealmost ALL fairly young,and decisions will probablyhave to be made on TimConnolly or MaxAfinogenov or others, butessentially, this team is stillpretty good.

It’s defensively, and ingoal, where the really bigdecisions must be made.Miller’s numbers are actual-ly better than they were ayear ago, but by no means ishe among the NHL leaders.Miller played about 700minutes more this year thanthe year before, and attimes, he LOOKED tired. Itlooks like the Sabres thinkhe’s their future though, andI think they’ll throw a lot ofmoney - $6 million per orhigher for multiple years -to keep him in a Sabres uni-form while the young teammatures.

In general terms, theSabres need more toughnessboth up front and on theblue line, if they want to getwhere they want to go. Theyhave a terrific head coach inLindy Ruff and an astuteGM, despite his many crit-ics, in Darcy Regier. Whilethis season has been a hugedisappointment, eventhough expectations weredown after the key losses, itisn’t the time for wholesalechanges, and many impa-tient fans and media will besaying and writing exactlythat in the coming months.

Changes? By all means,but the ingredients for anoutstanding team - yes,even a Cup contender - arestill here, so don’t throwaway those Vanek or Millershirts just yet, and hopemaybe history can repeatitself once again.

Summer too soon

April 2008 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Page 5

By George KuhnGoaltending: C+Ryan Miller: B-

His swoon in March mayhave been the result of toomany games played. TheSabres ranked only 22ndthis season in goalsallowed. Among playoffteams, only Ottawa allowedmore goals. Miller was only19th in goals against aver-age among NHL goaliesplaying at least 25 games.While the team was clearlybelow average defensively,Miller’s above averagegrade reflects the fact thatgoals against average isactually a team statistic,reflecting an entire teams’commitment to defensiveplay.

Miller’s grade this seasonwould have been a solid Bbut for his rather ordinaryrecord in shootouts. Lastseason, he stopped over 80percent of shootout shotshe faced, this year hestopped just over 50 per-cent. His slip in efficiencylikely cost the Sabres fourto six points in the stand-ings and a playoff spot.Jocelyn Thibault: D

He may have been out-standing in shutting outthe Montreal Canadiensteam in his hometown, buthis inability to deliver qual-ity performances in reliefhave forced the Sabres toride Miller every game.Defense: C +

The defense had a dis-turbing tendency to turnthe puck over with ill-advised passes out of thedefensive zone. Also,defensive zone coveragewas weak at times withphysical play lacking in aleague where physicalaggression has been on therise.Jaroslav Spacek: B

No. 6 was the team’s bestall around defender. Hisstrong point shot helpedinvigorate the power playand his thundering openice body checks are onlyexceeded in their ferocityby Patrick Kaleta.Henrik Tallinder: B-

Supremely skilleddefender became soliddefensive defenseman thisseason, scoring only onegoal all season, into anempty net, although he didbeat Martin Brodeur for amemorable shootout goal.Tallinder’s strong skatingability allows him to lugthe puck out of his ownzone with authority.Toni Lydman: B-

Skilled player is like aBill Hajt with Phil Housleytype skills, excellent skaterand puck handler concen-trates on defensive gamebut manages to work downlow to score some big goalswhen the team needs them.He has been susceptible toa strong physical forecheck, but name one NHLdefenseman who isn’t.Mike Weber: B

The young rookie showsremarkable poise and

demonstrates physicalitysorely needed on the blue-line. He is a strong skaterand makes a strong firstpass in the defensive zone.

He had an outstandingplus 12 in only 16 games.Weber projects to be anoutstanding defender, anddon’t let that beard foolyou, he just turned 20.Andrej Sekara: B-

This outstanding skateris the reason the Sabrestraded Brian Campbell,other than the money. Heprojects as the heir appar-ent to Campbell’s role ofpuck rushing defensemanand is much farther alongin his development thanCampbell was at the sameage. His acceleration isexplosive and his speedhelps him to blow past forecheckers at times. Pairedwith Weber as they werewith Rochester, they makethe classic duo where thesteady defender and thepuck carrier complementeach other well.Nathan Paetsch: C

A strong skater withgood offensive skills whohas filled in at forward andis an effective power playpoint man, Paetsch hasspent a good deal of time inthe press box. He is per-haps deserving of more icetime next season.Dimitri Kalinin: C-

Once viewed as the heirapparent to former defen-sive leader and puck rusherAlexei Zhitnik, Kalinin’soffensive prowess has fadedand his lack of physicalitymakes him a marginalasset. His sub par playoffperformance in 2007 foundhim glued to the bench inthe conference finals andhis play this season has notredeemed his career. Therule of thumb in profes-sional hockey is if you’renot a scorer you had betterhit. Kalinin does neither.His unrestricted free agentstatus coupled with theemergence of young MikeWeber and Andrej Sakerameans he will not be backnext season.Forwards: B

The leagues’ fourth high-est scoring team featured a

balanced attack withVanek, the team’s top scor-er, tallying 36 goals andwas tied for 13th across theleague. Their overall gradehas been reduced to reflectsub standard defensiveplay.Jason Pominville: B+

Team leader whose quietdemeanor reflects his styleof play. He’s not the fastestskater or most clever stickhandler. Rather, Pominvilleplays with intelligence andis proficient in all areas ofthe game. Since the all-starbreak, he has quietly beenthe fourth highest scoringplayer in the league, whichbodes well for his contin-ued development.Derek Roy: B+

Roy took his game to thenext level and began to jus-tify his new $4 million peryear contract with 31 goalsand 70 points. He has madethe adjustment to playingagainst opponents’ toplines after playing on lastyear’s third line and hasbeen the NHL’s third lead-ing scorer since the all-starbreak. Roy is the Sabresmost effective and skilledforward, in contrast to theincreasingly ineffectiveMax Afinogenov. His puckhandling abilities give theSabres their best opportu-nities to enter the attackingzone with puck possession.He has developed into aneffective goal scorer tocomplement his playmak-ing ability and his plusminus reflects his continu-ing commitment to playinga strong two way game.Jochen Hecht: B+

The team’s best allaround player, Hecht is astrong two way forwardwhose defensive game hasbeen nicely complementedby his career high 24 goals.Adam Mair: B

For an illustration ofwhat character looks like ina hockey player, watchMair demonstrate his workethic for a Sabres teamsometimes lacking in thatarea. Mair was chosen byThe Hockey News as an all-star as the top fourth lineright winger in the Eastern

Sabres Report Cards

Photo by Joe ValentiJochen Hecht has complimented his two-way play with 24goals.

By Brian KoziolWGR Radio Host

The blame forthe failures of theBuffalo Sabresthis season can bedirected ton u m e r o u savenues. Fanshave had an easytime finding peo-ple and areas topoint the finger at- rightly so - andnow the team isleft trying to getback to the levelthat once hadthem at the top ofthe NationalHockey League. Itseems that all fans feel that alack of leadership in such ayoung team has producedresults that couldn’t get any-where near last year’s stan-dards.

Start with the front office.Tom Golisano and LarryQuinn clearly have to behaving second thoughts onhow they handled the previ-ous off-season in which theylet their two captains walkand got forced into signingThomas Vanek for muchmore money than they werehoping for. The team alsodecided to pass on payingBrian Campbell big timemoney in order to keep himaround. While I agree thatthe contract of Campbellthis off-season will likelyexceed his true value, hispresence in the locker room,along with the other depart-ed captains, cannot beunderscored. How manytimes did the Sabres blowlate leads at home and haveno one there to steer theship through the final rockyfew minutes of a game?More than you can count onone hand. Campbell couldhave been signed before thisseason and a great puck car-rying defenseman wouldhave finished his careerright where it started.

Lindy Ruff is still one ofthe best coaches in the NHLbut he does need a model onthis team to help carry outhis messages and keep theteam from falling apart atthe seams when things get alittle rough on the ice. Therotating captaincy seemslike a cute idea but it really

shows there is no trueleader. It’s like that old foot-ball analogy, ‘when you havetwo quarterbacks, you reallyhave none.’ The rotatingcaptain seemed like a nicereward to a player who ele-vated his game duringrecent weeks but I’ve seenenough of it. In my eyes, thebest captain for this teamthe entire season was sentpacking to San Jose. So isthere enough leadership onthis team now to help itregain elite status in 2008-09?

Jason Pominville devel-oped before our very owneyes and if no one is broughtin during the off-season thatwould fit the role of captain,I would say Pominvilleseems like a decent fit forwearing the permanent C.He’s well-liked by his team-mates, he’s popular amongfans, he answers all thequestions from the mediaduring good and bad timesand he clearly seems tothrive off of the responsibil-ity as his game elevated toan even higher level in thefinal months of the seasons.Jochen Hecht, Jaro Spacekand others do lead by exam-ple on the ice, but they’renot the type of guys to rallyaround in a tough spot orwhen something needs to besaid in the dressing room.

Another player whoalready is showing signs ofleadership is Derek Roy. Roywas forced into a largeroffensive role out of necessi-ty this season after theSabres were unable to bringback Chris Drury and

Daniel Briere.Roy was greatoffensively andseems to sparklinemate ThomasVanek to hispotential at timeswhen Vanekneeded that extrapush. The teamwas criticized bysome for overre-acting to the hor-rendous off-sea-son by signingRoy to a six-yeardeal worth $24million. Turns outthey got oneright. It seemslike a bargain now

where you compare Roy’snumbers to Briere’s inPhiladelphia. Briere made10 million this season withthe Flyers. Roy’s antics lastseason and early this yearseem to be an unhealthy dis-traction to a player who dida lot of good things on theice. His chirping with offi-cials and dives are a thing ofthe past and he now getscalls from officials that earli-er would have been passedover. Roy won’t be mistakenfor Chris Drury with theplayers, but he’s definitelymatured into a player thatcan be a leader in somecapacity.

Missing the playoffs youwould think would give astrong wake up call to theorganization that improve-ments need to be made,especially in the leadershiparea. Since the lockout, JayMcKee, JP Dumont, MikeGrier, Marty Biron, ChrisDrury, Daniel Briere, andBrian Campbell have alldeparted. Those playersarguably were some of thebest leaders this team hashad in recent memory.Removing those names fromthe stalls in the locker roomand expecting the sameresults from a team areridiculous. They provided somany quality attributes evenbeyond their goals or savesor blocked shots. The teamneeds to act and fill the voidthis off-season otherwiseanother year of inconsistentplay may be what Sabresfans will have to endure.

Will the real leaders please stand up

Photo by Joe ValentiWill Jason Pominville wear the “C” full-timenext year?

continued on page 15

Page 6 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE April 2008

By GregoryKowalczyk

The BuffaloBandits’ (7-5) high-powered offense con-tinues to shine withconsistent scoringthroughout the line-up. The Bandits rankfirst in the NationalLacrosse League with158 goals for andcurrently sit onegame back of firstplace in the divisionheading into the Aprilstretch.

John Tavares (45 assists, 67points) and Mark Steenhuis(26 goals, 63 points) areranked among the top five inthe NLL for total scoring, butopponents have to focus onkey role players. Scoring cancome throughout the lineup,as the Bandits have six playerswith 30 plus points. DelbyPowless’ 31 assists rank thirdon the team, behind onlyTavares and Steenhuis.Forwards Cory Bomberry andRoger Vyse both pose seriousthreats offensively as each has20-plus assists, spreading theball out and creating a defen-sive nightmare for opponentsto cover.

“Any guy on the floor canscore, not just the forwards,”director of Bandits operationsDave Zyagj said. “But ourdefense [can] step up at anytime and I think that’s whatbrings us balance.”

The Bandits continue toadd to their arsenal trading for

All-Star forward and formerBandit, Mike Accursi. Accursiwas acquired at the tradedeadline, dealing forward DanTeat, Buffalo’s second roundselection in the 2008 EntryDraft and first selection in the2009 draft. Accursi has 11goals in nine games this sea-son. He is an 11-year veteranwho has scored 264 times in144 games, and his pin-pointaccuracy only adds anotherdynamic player to the potentBandits offense. Accursiplaced first in the 2008 All-Star Accuracy competition.

“I’ve made a career of work-ing hard and doing things off(the) ball,” Accursi said.“That’s what I’m going to con-tinue to do.”

Accursi will help bolster thelackluster faceoff win percent-age which ranks dead last inthe NLL. Accursi ranks 13thall-time in faceoff percentage,winning 48.9 percent. TheBandits through 12 gameshave won 35.6 percent of their

tries.“Adding Mike to

the lineup is impor-tant,” Zyagj said. “Hebrings experienceand competitive hardworking nature witha little unfinishedbusiness to attend.”

With the regularseason windingdown and teamsfighting for playoffpositioning theBandits will bolstertheir already high

scoring offense as forwardBrent Bucktooth returns to thelineup after his torn cartilageinjury. In his first game back,Bucktooth added a goal on hisfirst shot of the season and anassist versus the TorontoRock.

The defense helps con-tribute to the success of theBandits scoring. While theircontributions may not alwaysshow up in the box score, ClayHill and Billy Dee Smith arevital to the team with a physi-cal style of play that preventssecond chance opportunities.Hill ranks third on the teamwith 62 loose balls. Thesepickups help jumpstart theoffense and consistently limitopponents to one-and-doneopportunities. Forward PatMcCready ranks second onthe team in loose balls, onlytrailing Steenhuis’ 91, whichrank sixth in the entire league.

The Bandits close out Aprilwith three games and a one-day contest at Rochester.

The Bandits scoring surge

Photo courtesy Buffalo BanditsAccursi joins the Bandits for his second stintwith the team.

By Charles RobertsIn the topsy-turvy busi-

ness that is Triple-A baseball,there is very little certainty.Players are promoted,demoted and re-promoted inrapid-fire style. Coming intothe 2008 season, however,the Buffalo Bisons’ studpitching staff has given theteam a degree of confidenceunfamiliar to many of theirminor league peers.

The Herd’s starting rota-tion includes three highlytouted pitching prospects inAaron Laffey, Jeremy Sowersand Adam Miller – all ofwhom the Indians will bewatching closely. Laffey, 22,probably enters the seasonwith the most bragging rightsamong the three, beingnamed the team’s MostValuable Pitcher in 2007, andseeing action in the ALCSwith the Indians – not badconsidering he started theseason in Double-A Akron. In16 games with Buffalo, hewent 9-3 with a 3.08 ERA. Healso became the first Bisonspitcher in the modern era towin six games in a month,when he went 6-0 in June.During that span he posted aremarkable 0.87 ERA.

Sowers is an entirely differ-ent story. His return to Buffalois one he may not be toopleased with, as a year ago hefigured into the starting rota-tion in Cleveland, where hehad been since his June 23,2006 promotion from theBisons. Sowers carved up theInternational League in 2006prior to his call-up, going 9-1with an absurd 1.39 ERA in15 games. What is perhapsthe most upsetting for the 24-year-old is that he was quiteeffective in Cleveland thatseason as well – posting a 7-4record in 14 starts. Last sea-son however, the big leaguesweren’t as kind. Sowers wasshelled to the tune of a 1-6record and a 6.93 ERA. A fullseason in Buffalo might be

just what the doctor orderedto restore confidence. Heseemed to have realized hewas in for the long haul lastyear when Clevelandoptioned him down aroundthe midway point of the sea-son.

“I just want to put myselfin a position where I’m readyto go back there (Cleveland)and be successful,” Sowerssaid late last season. “There’sno time-table on that at all.”

Then there’s Miller. Riddledby injuries, the top prospectcould have and should havestarted the season in anIndians’ uniform. Finger andelbow problems slowed himdown a bit last season, while ablister on the middle finger ofhis right hand all but sabo-taged his chances of edgingout Cliff Lee for the fifth spot.He didn’t see any spring-train-ing action until March 20, butby that time, the Indians’brass essentially had its mindmade up. Regardless, if Millercan effectively work throughhis injuries, he should be aforce at the Triple-A level.

••••••••Despite the fact that

Cleveland and Buffalo havenow enjoyed each other’scompany since 1995, rumorscontinue to swirl amongst thebaseball community that thetwo may part ways after thisseason, when the Indians’

contract with the Bisonsexpires. The speculation is noslant on Buffalo, nor is it aresult of any sort of strain onthe two organizations’ rela-tionships. The WashingtonNationals’ contract with theColumbus Clippers alsoexpires at the conclusion ofthis season, and Ohio’s otherteam, the Cincinnati Reds,have made it clear that theyhave no desire to move theirminor league affiliate out ofLouisville. Couple that withthe fact that the city ofColumbus is building a state-of-the-art stadium down-town, set to open next season,and the move makes geo-graphic sense. Whether or notthe move makes fiscal senseor has any merit is yet to bedetermined, as it is justhearsay at this point.

••••••••One of the classier and

most mild-mannered peopleyou will meet in baseball isBuffalo manager ToreyLovullo. He was a key compo-nent for two championshipteams during the 1990s as aplayer and is now entering histhird season as the team’smanager. Despite the fact thatthe Bisons have failed to makeit into the postseason withLovullo calling the shotsinstead of fielding ground-balls, he has earned highpraise in baseball circles.There was a lot of discussiontoward the end of last seasonthat Lovullo was considered afront-runner to take over themanager role in Pittsburgh, asthe Pirates are now under theleadership of general managerNeil Huntington – who lastworked as the special assis-tant to the general manger inCleveland. The Pirates even-tually opted to hire JohnRussell, one of their formerthird-base coaches, but thefact that Lovullo’s name is outthere should spell a move tothe next level sooner beforelater.

Armed and dangerous: Indians stock Bisons with pitching depth

Photo courtesy Buffalo BisonsReigning pitching MVPAaron Laffey looks to pickup where he left off last sea-son.

Fantasybaseball

By Mike FoxAssembling a pitching staff

is arguably the most challeng-ing task in all of fantasy sports,simply because there are somany things that can go awryin the course of a season. Thevery act of throwing a baseballplaces remarkable strain onthe human body, and even aslight muscle pull is oftenenough to adversely affect apitcher’s delivery, much less asevere injury. Then considerthat two of the five majorpitching categories (wins andsaves) are often determinedmore by the flow of the gamethan by the performance ofthe pitcher, and one starts toget an idea of just how daunt-ing a task it is.

This month, I humbly sug-gest some pitchers for you totarget. None are exactly deepdark secrets, but all haveenough question marks sur-rounding them to make thempotentially available in yourleague.

Tim Lincecum will be thetop-rated Giants pitcher onmany draft boards, but mymoney will be riding on MattCain. Cain will be drasticallyundervalued after producingonly seven wins last seasonbut this kid can pitch, as evi-denced by his 3.65 ERA and

1.26 WHIP in 2007. Heshould produce close to 200K’s and a double-digit wintotal in his all-important thirdseason, despite the likely lackof run support from the ane-mic Giants’ bats.

John Maine’s final 2007stats were solid if not spectac-ular, but some owners mayhave forgotten that he postedAll Star-caliber stats (2.97ERA in his first 22 starts)before wearing down inAugust. If he can maintainthat pace over an entire sea-son, 18 wins and 200 K’s arenot out of the question.

Is this the year that KingFelix finally assumes thethrone? Even the most obtusefantasy owner knows that it’s amatter of when, not if, FelixHernandez will rise to the topof the fantasy pitcher rank-ings, but he still hasn’t pro-duced like a true ace. If thisfact leaves you with an oppor-tunity to lock him in at a rea-sonable cost, do so. We got ataste of what he’s capable oflast April. Once he does thatover a full season, he’llbecome virtually untouchable,so act now, especially if youplay in a keeper league.

After a long list of free-agent pitcher flops, the NewYork Yankees are finally posi-tioned to give some of theirhomegrown talent a chance toshine. Twenty one-year oldPhil Hughes has a cannonarm, and his off-speed stuffhas shown marked improve-

ment. Now all he needs to addto his resume is durability.

Ian Kennedy was grantedthe No. 5 spot in the Yanks’rotation over JobaChamberlain, but that waspartly because Chamberlainproved invaluable as aneighth-inning bridge to “Mo”Rivera last season.Nevertheless, Kennedyshowed last year that he’s abudding talent in his ownright. He ripped up the minorsat three levels, followed bythree strong September startsin the Bronx. He’ll struggle attimes like every young pitcher,but should receive enoughrun support to post double-digit wins, even from the No.5spot.

Coveting injury-pronepitchers is usually contrary tomy philosophy, but I’m willingto make an exception in thecase of Rich Harden. His MarkPrior-like past has caused hismarket value to drop dramati-cally, but his huge potentialupside makes him a worthytarget for fantasy gamblers.He’s started strong again thisseason. If he can stay healthy,he’ll be the four-category studwe’ve been expecting for thelast three years. Yeah, I know;it’s a big “if.”

Others to consider:Jeremy Bonderman, JeredWeaver, Ben Sheets, TomGorzelanny, and DontrelleWillis.

April 2008 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Page 7

Fantasy NBA: A 2008 draft

previewBy Phil Taylor

If you’re reading a fantasyhoops article at this time of year,chances are that you’re an incorri-gible hoops addict. Your fantasyseason is likely over now, butfresh off the NCAA Tournamentyou’re already doing your home-work for next season. To be incontention for your league titleevery year you’ve got to put inalmost as much work as a realNBA general manager but hope-fully with far less time spentresponding to sexual harassmentallegations. But then again, whoever said Isaiah Thomas is a realNBA general manager? Withoutfurther ado, here is an educatedestimate of this season’s lotterypicks with a forecast on their procareers:Michael Beasley (freshman):Kansas St.

The freshman power forwardburst onto the college scene inNovember with consecutive 30+point games to open the seasonand hasn’t looked back. He’ll needto bulk up his slender 220 poundframe to withstand the rigors of arugged 82-game NBA season, butif he’s taken by the abysmalMiami Heat he should get plentyof playing time early on, makinghim a solid mid-round draft pickfor your fantasy team.Brook Lopez (sophomore):Stanford

You can’t teach tall and 7-foot-ers don’t grow on trees. The

Seattle, soon-to-be OklahomaCity, Sonics may be picking sec-ond for the second consecutiveyear and need a presence in themiddle to clean the glass for lastyear’s No. 2 overall pick, KevinDurant. The Sonics scored bigwith the Durant pick, but won’twith this one. Despite his sizeLopez is a surprisingly softrebounder and his height won’t benearly as intimidating to the pros.O.J. Mayo (freshman): USC

Mayo has been hyped since hewas in eighth grade, making himjust barely the second mostfamous O.J. to attend USC. We’llfinally get to see if he measures upto his press clippings when hesteps onto an NBA court. I thinkhe’s at least as talented as KevinDurant, but he’ll need a little sea-soning to really make an impact

in the NBA. He’s likely to be ahigh volume/low percentageshooter initially, with the poten-tial to become a good scorer.Derrick Rose (freshman):Memphis

In a draft rich with pointguards, Rose may be the best ofthe bunch. As a freshman he ranthe high scoring Memphis Tigersoffense all the way to theChampionship this season. Heplays a team oriented game thatincludes rebounding and defense.He won’t be a perennial All-Star inthe NBA, but he should be a nice,‘glue’ guy for a team that needs afloor leader.Stephen Curry (sophomore):Davidson

Curry was a relative unknownuntil he carried tiny DavidsonUniversity to the brink of theFinal Four. Unfortunately, againstKansas the clock struck midnighton Davidson’s Cinderella run, butCurry made himself a lot ofmoney in the tournament. Hisseason long field goal and threepoint percentages were good,meaning he should be a very goodshooting guard at the next level.Eric Gordon (freshman): Indiana

Bottom line: Gordon can fill upthe basket in a hurry. The onlyproblem is his size. He’s too shortto play and defend the shootingguard position in the NBA. He hasa point guard’s size, but a shoot-ing guard’s mentality. Some teamwill take him as a potential sixthman spark-off-the-bench typeplayer in the hope that he learnsto distribute the ball.

Phil Taylor is author of Ask theDr., a column appearing everyThursday on www.fantasybasket-ball.com.

Photo courtesy USCFuture NBA star?

By Mark BowersGenerally speak-

ing, when opponentsstart referring to low-ering the margin ofloss from one gameto the next or of“moral victories”then you know thatyour team is in agood position todominate. TheRochester Raiderskicked off their 2008title defense seasonwith two victories,giving them 14 con-secutive wins datingback to last season.

The Raider’s first contestof the season, on March21, proved to be a muchcloser call than they wouldhave liked on the roadagainst the ChesapeakeTide, using all four quar-ters to chalk up a victory.Unlike previous encoun-ters with the Tide, includ-ing a 76-43 victory in theirlast meeting in the 2007playoffs, Chesapeake wasable to keep this one close.Leading 21-20 at halftime,Rochester knew it was infor a battle in the secondhalf. Fortunately ourhometown heroes were upfor the challenge.Chesapeake took the leadon two separate occasions,but both times Rochesterbattled back. MauriceJackson once againshowed off his magnificent

hands and running abilityby pulling in what manycalled the catch of the dayfor his third touchdownmid-way through the finalperiod to put the Raidersup for good. Still, Raidersfans were unable to resteasy until the final whistleblew after the Raidersintercepted one final Tideattempt to bring thechamps back down toearth. The final score was43-36 and the Raidershave now outscored theTide 250-144 in four meet-ings.

Rochester kicked off itshome season againstLehigh Valley in its newlocation downtown at theBlue Cross Arena in frontof 3,279 raucous fans.Again, much like its gameagainst Chesapeake, theRaiders flexed their defen-

sive muscle. In fact, ifit weren’t for thedefensive side of theball, in particular dur-ing the first half, thefans of the champsmay have gone homedisappointed. Instead,the defense held theOutlawz to just twoyards of offense in thefirst half and directlyset up all three Raiderscores. Indeed, theirformula for victorylooked more likesomething out of theBaltimore Ravens’

playbook than what thefans of the RochesterRaiders are used to seeing.

Granted, this win wassignificantly more con-vincing than the seasonopener at Chesapeake, butfans still have to wonderwhere last years offense,which averaged 59 pointsper game, has gone. Mostbelieve that this is theresult of two things. Thefirst is an influx of talentaround the league and thesecond is the addition ofnew players to the Raidersoffense that might stillneed some time to getused to their new roles.

But regardless of theway it happens, a win is awin. If fans are concernedwith margin of victory orplayer stats, then thingsmust not be all bad.

Raiders off and running

Photo courtesy RaidersThe defense has carried thedefending champion Raiders thusfar.

Page 8 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE April 2008

By Gary ReevesContinuous

foot movementsimply meanskeeping yourskates movingas much as pos-sible while play-ing the game ofhockey. If youbreak yourstride and makea little glide, your powerdevelopment is interruptedand speed is automaticallycurtailed.

When I first watched theRussian National Team, Iwas simply amazed at theirquick reflexes when shoot-ing on goal. The puck wasin the net in the blink of aneye. There was absolutelyno indication that they wereabout to shoot the puck. Afew years later I managed tofind a book written by thegreat Russian coach AnatoliTarasov and discovered thereason why.

Tarasov stated, “To be agoal scorer you must learnto shoot the puck unexpect-edly.” In other words the

Russians weretaught to shoot“in stride”,which meansthey did nottelegraph theirshot by glidingand settingt h e m s e l v e sbefore shooting.All you younghockey players

should study AlexanderOvechkin of theWashington Capitals, andthey will see what I mean.

Learn to use continuousfoot movement while dek-ing your opponent. It’s veryhard to stop a player whocontinues to develop power,especially if he’s skatingwith a low center of gravity.Remember the dominoeffect, a good knee bendequals a low center of gravi-ty that leads to a better bal-ance factor that results inbetter power development.This is why it’s so difficult totake the puck away fromSidney Crosby of thePittsburgh Penguins.

In my opinion, many of

the hooking, tripping andslashing penalties are adirect result of a lack of con-tinuous foot movement. Ifyou turn off the power youropponent pulls away fromyou and you automaticallyreach out and take foolishpenalties. Two of the mainreasons that causes this tohappen is firstly fatigue(staying on the ice too long)and secondly the oldproverbial “just plain lazi-ness.” At some point in ahockey game we all breakstride and take a little glide.We’re not all perfect!However, by striving tokeep your skates movingwith continuous powerdevelopment it willundoubtedly bring yourgame performance to anoth-er level.

For more informationregarding Pro Skating HockeySkills Clinics or Individualand Team Clinics call GaryReeves (905) 384-0508 or fax(905) 384-0430.

Continuous foot movement

By Peter Farrell and Andrew Kulyk

In past columns we havemade reference to the bigselection of American HockeyLeague arenas in close prox-imity to us here in Buffalo. Ifyou like sports road trippingand checking out someunique and distinct venues ashort drive away, then theAHL could be a good bet.

For the Ultimate SportsRoad Trip, two more AHL are-nas are in the books, as wehad a chance to visit andexplore the Wachovia Arena atCasey Plaza, home to theWilkes Barre/ScrantonPenguins, and also The Arenaat Harbor Yard, where theBridgeport Sound Tigers play.The Penguins are the minorleague affiliate of, who else, thePittsburgh Penguins, while theTigers are hooked up with theNew York Islanders.

Now mind you, we got verydifferent reviews of both thesevenues from other fans andmedia folk who had alreadybeen there. Once we had thechance to see these two placesfor ourselves, we got complete-ly opposite impressions.Wachovia Arena at CaseyPlaza. Wilkes Barre,Pennsylvania

This arena opened its doorin November of 1999 when theWilkes Barre/ScrantonPenguins made their debut.The arena is located just southof downtown Wilkes Barre,plainly visible from I-81, and issituated amid office parks,shopping centers, chain restau-rants and an adjacent mall.

While the arena looks prettyglitzy from the outside, thebuilding itself is pretty cold andsterile. The concourses areworn and dated in this 8,000-seat arena, and the seatingbowl bears too much concreteand not enough color.

So what is it that makes thisexperience special? Basically,the community here in WilkesBarre/Scranton packs this placenight after night, and is verypassionate about their team.Go to the team’s website, and ascrolling ticker will display thenumber of single ticketsremaining for the next game inreal time. “We pride ourselveson sellouts and having big

crowds here” team communi-cations director Brian Coe said.

The Penguins have hadsome success on the ice in theirshort history here, but have yetto win a Calder Cup. Andwhile one would think thattheir nearest geographic oppo-nent, the PhiladelphiaPhantoms (who were theopponent the night we visited),would make for a great naturalrivalry, it is the Hershey Bears,one of the league’s oldestteams, that raises the ire ofmost Penguins fans.

Wachovia Arena at CaseyPlaza is about a five-hour drivefrom Buffalo, and the tip here isto get your game tickets early.The Arena at Harbor Yard.Bridgeport, Conn.

Harbor Yard is actually a twovenue complex. The Arena atHarbor Yard is a 10,000 seatvenue that opened just fiveyears ago, and is the home ofthe AHL Bridgeport SoundTigers and the FairfieldUniversity college basketballprogram. Right next-door is asplendid 5,000-seat minorleague ballpark that is thehome to an independent leagueteam. Both buildings sit on theharbor that opens to LongIsland Sound.

We had gotten poor reportson this arena, so we were a bitsurprised to find freshly deco-rated and carpeted concourses,themed concessions areas, anda sparkling and bright seatingbowl. Here in Bridgeport thereis no center ice scoreboard.Instead a series of dot matrixboards and small video panelsline the sidelines just under-neath the roof.

The Sound Tigers are whollyowned by Charles Wang,owner of the New YorkIslanders, and local fans inBridgeport are quick to grousethat the Islanders do little tosupport their minor leagueproperty. No promotions, noplayers, and nothing to gener-ate excitement in the commu-nity. The result is clear, as theteam is near the bottom of theleague in average attendance.On the night we attended, aSaturday night no less, about2,000 fans were in the building,and that included two busloadsof patrons who had made thetrip from Wilkes Barre to seetheir Penguins in action.

Although the arena is locat-ed right downtown, Bridgeportis not exactly your hoppingtype of nightlife action city.They pretty much roll up thesidewalks once it gets dark out-side, so even with a gleamingand shining nice new venue,Bridgeport is not exactly hock-ey nirvana.

With Bridgeport and WilkesBarre/Scranton in the books,the Ultimate Sports Road Tripis closing in on yet anothermilestone – completing all thearenas in the AHL. Still remain-ing are Chicago, Iowa, QuadCities and Rockford. Wouldn’tit be cool to just head out to theMidwest and knock these offall in one fell swoop? Hey, that’swhat makes road trip planningso much fun!

‘Till next month!For more information about

the Ultimate Sports Road Trip,check out Peter’s and Andrew’sweb site at www.thesportsroad-trip.com.

The “Stadium Guys” continue their AHL tour

Photo courtesy “The Stadium Guys”Plenty of empty seats on a Saturday night in Bridgeport,Connecticut, home of the Sound Tigers.

By BrianMcFarlane

Buffalo hock-ey fans willnever forgetBrett Hull’stainted goal. Itended the 1998-99 NHL season,a season inwhich gameofficials stoppedplay over 200times to seek video help indetermining goal crease vio-lations.

Incredibly, on the oneoccasion when officialsshould have sought helpand called for a review of apossible winning goal forthe Stanley Cup, they neg-lected to do so and the sea-son was over.

Who can forget the DallasStars dancing around the iceholding the Stanley Cupwhile the Buffalo Sabreswere left reeling, crushed bythe defeat?

Writing in The HockeyNews, then editor-in-chiefSteve Dryden called it “amystifying conclusion,” andadded, “The NHL left piecesof their credibility on theice.”

Game 6 of the StanleyCup finals between Buffaloand Dallas was in tripleovertime when the Stars’Brett Hull shoveled abouncing puck past theSabres’ Dominik Hasek,ending the second longestCup final game in NHL his-tory.

But should it have ended?Buffalo fans have beenscreaming “We wererobbed!” ever since. Hull’sfoot was clearly in thecrease when he slipped inthe winning goal. NHLDirector of officiating Bryan

Lewis and hisc o l l e a g u e slooked at thegoal andallowed it tostand.

“The debateseems to be: didHull have or nothave possessionand control ofthe puck?”Lewis said.

“Our view was yes, he did.He played the puck from hisfoot to his stick, then shotand scored.”

Buffalo coach Lindy Ruffand millions of others wereoutraged by the swiftness ofthe decision. Ruff could notunderstand why there wasno official video review ofthe series-ending goal. “Itried to get CommissionerGary Bettman to answer thequestion and he just turnedhis back on me,” Ruff said.“It looked to me like heknew this was a taintedgoal.”

Buffalo fans were baffledand bitter. They howled thatHull’s goal was tarnishedand they demanded proofthat it wasn’t. But they did-n’t get it.

“What a gutless move!”Buffalo’s Joe Juneau snarled.“Everybody will rememberthis one as the Cup that wasnever won in 1999.”

As for Hull the hero, heshouldn’t even have been onthe ice. Nursing a torn liga-ment in his left knee, agroin muscle ripped apartand other aches and pains,he was told his season wasover after game three in theseries. But he refused tobelieve it.

So there he was, limpingthrough the second longestfinals game ever played

until he ran out of gas.“Hull is done. He can’t go

anymore,” assistant coachDoug Jarvis told head coachKen Hitchcock.

Hitchcock agreed andreplied: “I won’t play himanymore.”

But two other Stars wentdown and the coach wasforced to send Hull out forone last shift. He limpedtoward the Buffalo net, gothis stick on a loose puckand lifted it in.

The Dallas players leapedoff the bench and mobbedhim. They were allowed toswarm and celebrate. Therewas no public announce-ment that the goal wasunder review, as was alwaysthe case in that era.Confusion reigned.Grudgingly, the Sabres linedup to shake hands with thevictors, even while the vic-tory was in doubt.

“I couldn’t have played aGame 7,” Hull would latersay.

“No one knows howmuch grit it took for him tobe out there,” coachHitchcock marveled.

Rosie DiManno, writingin the Toronto Star, stated:“The gallant Buffalo Sabreswill go to their gravesbelieving they were robbedand jobbed by that 2-1defeat at 14:51 of tripleovertime. Who can blamethem?”

Coach Lindy Ruff shouldhave brought all his playersback to the bench to awaitan official announcement(of the goal’s legality), or toforce one from the officials.He should not have allowedhis players to participate inthe hand-shaking ritual thatdeclares the series over. But

It happened in hockey

continued on page 15

April 2008 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Page 9

By Greg GardnerI find the differences between

having an average goalie and agreat goalie, regardless of age,comes down to concentration.Young goalies don’t have to bethe best technically, they justhave to avoid distractions andconcentrate on stop-ping the puck. Oldergoalies tend to feelmore pressure andseem to get ahead ofthemselves, whentruly they need tostay in the momentand concentrate onone series at a time.How does one stayin the moment whilethere are hundredsof distractions? Here is a simpletechnique of managing a hockeygame by breaking down thegames into smaller intervals.

Concentration is the “abilityto focus on the task at handwithout being distracted by irrel-evant stimuli” says sports psy-chologist Scott McFadden. Hetalks about concentration as thetotal mental and physicalinvolvement in the game beingplayed. It is impossible to stay100 percent focused on the puckduring the whole game withoutburning out. In fact, relaxing alittle at times will allow thegoalie to regroup and focus onthe task at hand. Therefore, thegame should be broken downinto four zones of concentrationas follows:

Zone 4: The offensive zone:far blue line down to goalie line(10 percent concentration level)

This is a low priority area.Allow yourself to physicallyrecover and mentally recoupfrom the previous series. Calmlystand in the crease and watch thepuck and look for possiblebreakdowns.

Zone 3: Between the far blueline to the Red Line (25 percentconcentration level)

The puck has now exited theoffensive zone and a rush mayensue. Goalie needs to mentally

prepare himself for upcomingshot.

Zone 2: Between the red lineand near blue line (75 percentconcentration level)

The series has now entered“your” side of the ice and a shotcould be dangerous. A goalie

should be set andprepare for a series.The goalie shouldalready be aware ofwhat kind of rush itis (a 3-on-2, a 3-on-3etc.) and be narrow-ing in on the puckand setting his anglecorrectly.

Zone 1: Near blueline to the net (100percent concentra-

tion level)The goalie now simply needs

to follow the puck and be in agood position to stop it: Totalfocus only on the puck, feel theplay develop, shut out self-talk,no scoreboard, ready for any-thing.

A lack of concentration cancost a goalie the game, while afocused goalie can make all thedifference. The goalie that isconcentrating makes the gamelook easier and is able to comeup with that big save when he orshe needs to. The four-zonetechnique is one way to helpdevelop one’s concentration leveland make a 60-minute gameshorter.

These suggestions should aida goalie’s development. If youhave any other questions aboutthese training methods or futuregoaltending clinics, contact Gregdirectly at goalie@greg-gardner.com or by phone, (716)286-8758.

Greg Gardner is an assistantcoach with the Niagara UniversityMen’s Hockey Team, and is a goalieconsultant for goalies all overWestern New York. Greg is theowner of Gardner Goaltending andcan be found online atwww.GARDNERGOALTEND-ING.com

Goalie concentration aids: How to manage a hockey game By Stephen Marth

On March 18, Ilio DiPaolo’sRestaurant held “A Night with theTough Guys,” honoring ex-Sabre RobRay as he was inducted into the “ToughGuy Hall of Fame.” The event, in addi-tion to honoring Ray, helped raisemoney for charities such as PeopleInc., Women’s and Children’s Hospital,as well as the Ilio DiPaolo ScholarshipFund and the Pro Wrestling Hall ofFame.

There were many local faces inattendance, ranging from Buffalo BillsHall of Famers Jim Kelly and ThurmanThomas, CBS broadcaster and formerBill Steve Tasker, and local boxer“Baby” Joe Mesi. Professionalwrestlers and boxers from the 1960ssuch as The Destroyer, DominicDeNucci, Billy Red Lyons, CarmenBasilio, and Angelo Mosca also wereat the event, representing athletesfrom an overlooked era.

The night revolved around RobRay and his prolific career as an NHLenforcer; from his days as a juniorhockey player on the CornwallRoyals of the Ontario Hockey League,to the day he was drafted by theBuffalo Sabres in the fifth round of the1988 amateur entry draft with the97th overall pick.

Ray has had many interestingmoments in his 15-year career as anNHL player. He scored on his firstshot in his first NHL game, and usedhis quickness as well as his fists tohelp his team win by whatever meansnecessary. He currently sits sixth onthe NHL’s all-time penalty list, with3,207 career penalty minutes. Whilehis statistics might seem like he was afighter at heart, Ray claims he wasn’tuntil he donned a Sabres jersey.

“I know for a fact that I did not playtough all the way through, but when Igot up here they more or less said that’sthe way you’ll have to play,” Ray said.“If you want to fulfill the dream andplay in the NHL, then you had to dowhat they told you. That’s what theyexpected from me, and I had to changemy ways. It was a hard craft to learn,but you know, you learned it.”

Ray has been in the middle of manyfights, ranging from his annual fightswith Tie Domi, to fighting an actualfan. In a game versus Quebec in 1992,a drunken fan ended up on the ice andcharged for the Sabres’ bench.Thinking quickly, Ray took matters

into his own hands,battling the man onthe ice until policearrived.

“This guy satthere and he stared,”Ray said in an inter-view after the game.“We were kind ofwondering ‘whatthis guy is going todo?’ As soon as hejumped, we threwhim off. He cameright back, so that’swhen we took some

force to him and tried to slow himdown and get him out of there. By thattime the police came and took himaway.”

Ray perfected the art of ripping offhis jersey during a fight. The practiceled to the “Rob Ray Rule,” which callsfor stiff penalties on fighters whose jer-seys are not secured.

“Back then, guys used Velcrosleeves...they’d have stuff sprayed allover them so you couldn’t hang on,”Ray said in an interview with TheSpectrum. “A couple times the jerseycame off, and I realized when that hap-pens and your shoulder pads aren’tthere, they have nothing to hang on to.I ended up using the shoulder padsthat were Velcroed to your jersey so Ididn’t have the straps to hold them on

... and without a T-shirt or anything,they have no lever-age. They have noway of keeping bal-ance, and you’ve gotthem in a pretty vul-nerable spot. Trustme, it took a lot oftime, and a lot oftrial-and-error tocome up with some-thing that actuallyworked for you.”

Ray’s finest hourcame in 1999, theyear the Sabres facedthe Dallas Stars inthe Stanley CupFinals. The NHLawarded Ray theKing ClancyMemorial Trophy forhis leadership andhumanitarian contri-butions in theBuffalo and WesternNew York area. Raysaid his commitmentis due to one simplereason.

“This is my town,this is where I livenow,” Ray said. “Thisis where my wife isfrom; it’s where myfamily is … it mademe comfortable earlyin my career. Myfather told me whenI left home,‘Whatever you do,

always surround yourself with goodpeople, and good things are going tohappen.’ And so they have.”

After playing for 14 seasons as theSabres’ main enforcer, Ray was tradedto the rival Ottawa Senators for futureconsiderations in 2003. Ray onlyplayed 11 games in two seasons withthe Senators. Now retired, Ray coversthe Buffalo Sabres as a sideline reporterfor MSG Network and co-hosts “TheEnforcers” on Time Warner Cable withex-Sabre Matthew Barnaby.

While Ray might not play for theSabres anymore, his legacy still lives oneach and every game. As fans watchhim report on the current team, theystill remember “The Razor” that enter-tained them for 15 years, on and off theice.

Slicing with “The Razor”

Photo by Stephen Marth

Photo by Joe ValentiRob Ray is a classy guy on and off the ice.

Page 10 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE April 2008

By Adam McGillBuffalo StateCollege:Kyle Fenner

Fenner, a confi-dent and gifted run-ner with unparal-leled work ethic,anchors the BuffaloState College men’sdistance team. The6-foot-3 junior fromnorthern Syracusehas a long stridewhile runningwhich gives himdeceptive speed. Inhis first outdoor meetof the season he posteda team best in the3000-meter steeple-chase and the 3000-meter run. Fenner isthe cream of the cropfor the men’s team, andthis outdoor season hehas the ability to dis-tance himself from thelocal competition.LaVonne Barfield

At 5-foot-6, Barfielddoesn’t look like theprototypical long andtriple jumper becauseshe lacks the ideal sizefor jumpers desired bymost coaches.However, she happensto be the strongestjumper on a deepBuffalo State women’strack and field team.She has great speed thatallows her to buildmore momentum andget more distance inher jumps. At heropening outdoor meether best jump wasrecorded at 5.17meters, but since it is onlythe beginning of the seasonexpect her jumps to get bet-ter and better as the seasoncontinues. Barfield is fromRochester and in her junioryear has already establishedherself as one of the team’smost reliable field stars.Erie Community College:Anna Bogdanets

After an amazing fresh-men season with the Katslast year, Anna Bogdanets isquickly becoming one of thebest female distance runnersin Western New York.

Bogdanets races in the3000-meter, 5000-meterand 10,000-meter runs forECC. It seems that everyrace Bogdanets participatesin, she finishes first, whichis steadily propelling herselfto a spot as one of the bestrunners in ECC track andfield history. In the 2008NJCAA Indoor Track andField Championships,Bogdanets had two top fivefinishes for ECC in the 3000meter and 5000 meter runs.The Kenmore West HighSchool graduate has an

innate will to wincould establish herlegacy even more thisyear.University atBuffalo:Daniel Schichtel

The sophomorebusiness major is oneof Buffalo’s best andmost diverse athletes.Schichtel plays soccerin the fall, runsindoor track in thewinter, and now runsoutdoor track in thespring. The Eden,

N.Y., native is runningoutdoor track for thefirst time in his youngcareer, but has alreadyshown a great deal ofpotential. Schichtel’sbest indoor time for the200-meter dash was22.74 seconds, but inhis first career outdoormeet he ran an impres-sive time of 22.69 sec-onds. He was alsonamed to the 2008 All-Academic Mid-American ConferenceIndoor Track Team,which only honors 22men and 22 womeneach year. Schichtelwill prove to be a mon-umental addition to theoutdoor team and willonly getter better as theseason wears on.Jessica Cooper

Nicknamed “ThickChick” by her team-mates and peers,Jessica Cooper is one ofUB’s best jumpers.Cooper, a sophomorewho majors in English,

is originally from LongBeach, Calif. (perhaps thereason why she remains inthe sand). She is a very tal-ented long jumper andtriple jumper with a naturalability to lead. Cooper isonly 5-foot-7, but has thespeed to allow her to carryherself into the pit when shejumps. She will be a bigpoint-getter for the teamthis outdoor season and, asa sophomore, should be afixture of the university’sfield team for years to come.

Local track and field shining stars

Photo courtesy Buffalo State AthleticsThe Buffalo State men’s distance teamis led by juniour Kyle Fenner.

Photo: Paul HokansonDaniel Schichtel isa key addition tothe team.

By Don LockwoodErie Community College

baseball coach Joe Bauthwon his 600th career victo-ry on Thursday April 3,when the Kats defeatedHerkimer CountyCommunity College 8-2 inthe first game of a double-header.

Bauth’s career record of600-318-2 and winningpercentage of .654 both arefirst all-time in ErieCommunity College histo-ry. He is also the 33rd activecoach with 600 or morewins.

Bauth has won theRegion III title four times(1998, 2000, 2003, 2005)and the Western New YorkConference three times(2004, 2006, 2007). Histeams have made the postseason fifteen-straight yearsafter the school had missedthe postseason five yearspreviously. The Region IIItitle in 1998 was also theschool’s first since 1977.

The Kats have been inthe Region III final foureight straight years.

Bauth wins 600th game

Photo courtesy ECCJoe Bauth, a Lancasternative and former coach atCheektowaga Central, justwon his 600th career gameat Erie.

Photo: Buffalo State Buffalo State longjumper, LaVonneBarfield.

April 2008 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Page 11

By Brian J. MazurekThe last of the area horse

racing tracks will open for the2008 season when Fort ErieRace Track, located justacross the Peace Bridge inCanada, will open its gates onSaturday, May 3 with posttime slated for 1:05 p.m.

The picturesque track willconduct an 80-day seasonwith the season finale sched-uled for Tues., Oct. 28.

After the weekend openingon Saturday and Sunday, May3-4, the track will be open forracing with a Sunday throughTuesday schedule for theyear. There are also severalSaturday cards planned forJuly 19, Aug. 30 and Oct. 25.

There’s a buzz in the air atFort Erie as horses havealready hit the track to begintraining. “This is a great timeof the year,” racing secretaryTom Gostlin said. “We’relooking forward to anotherexciting season racing and weexpect to have over 1,000

horses stabled here through-out the meet.”

The biggest day of the yearis set for Sunday, July 13when the $500,000 Prince ofWales Stakes, the secondjewel in Canada’s TripleCrown, will be run. This raceattracts attention from allover the racing world and isby far the highlight of FortErie’s season.

Along with the Prince ofWales, the $50,000 DarylWells Sr. Memorial Stakes forthree-year-old and up coltsand geldings and the $50,000Ernie Samuel MemorialStakes for three-year-old andup fillies and mares will becontested on July 13 as well.Both with be five-furlongaffairs on the turf.

The Rainbow ConnectionStakes will be run on Aug. 17for three-year-old and up fil-lies and mares who will betested over five furlongs onthe turf.

On the May 3 opening day,

there will be $1 hot dog andsoda all day with live music.

Old Fashioned Day, withgiveaways, live music and $1hot dogs and soft drinks, willbe held on Monday, Sept. 1.Saturday, Oct. 25 is Breeder’sCup Day, and Fort Erie willhold a handicapper’s contest.

There are also several“Family Fiesta” Sundaysscheduled throughout theseason.

Robert King Jr., who is thedefending jockey championat Fort Erie with 106 wins, isexpected back with runner-up Chad Beckon, who had 73victories, likely to return toride as well.

Mark Mournier, who had46 wins to top the 2007 train-ers standings, is supposed tohave a strong stable again andwill be challenged by veteranNick Gonzalez, who notched34 victories.

Besides racing, Fort ErieRace track has slot machinesthat are open daily.

Fort Erie Race Track ready to open in May

By Brian J.Mazurek

Forgive themanagement atNorthfield Parknear Cleveland ifthey ban thesong “Shuffle offto Buffalo” frombeing played onthe publicaddress system.

Once again, atop-notch driverat Northfield Park has backedhis bags and moved toBuffalo Raceway.

The “Buffalo Shuffle” hasincluded the likes of KeithKash Jr. and his powerful sta-ble, Ken Holliday and hishighly competitive barn anddriver/trainer J.D. Perrin.

Now in 2008, it’s 39-year-old veteran Ray Fisher Jr.’sturn to move east as he decid-ed leave Northfield Park andsplit his racing duties atBuffalo Raceway and at TheMeadows near Pittsburgh.

“It all has to do with theslots,” Fisher said of leavingthe Buckeye State. “I liveright near Northfield Park(Macedonia, Ohio), but thebottom line is money. Thepurses just aren’t there atNorthfield. It’s a nice place torace with great people butuntil the people in Ohio real-ize they need slots to supportracing, the trend will be forowners, trainers, drivers andhorses to leave and go wherethe purses are bigger.”

Fisher was literally born todrive and intends to driveevery day of the week. Andwe are talking both mechani-cal and animal horsepower.

The current plan is for himto race Monday, Tuesday,Thursday and Friday after-noons at The Meadows (witha post time at 12:15 p.m.) anddrive at Buffalo Raceway onWednesday, Friday, Saturday

evenings and eventuallySunday afternoons.

When looking at thatdaunting schedule, includingracing twice on Fridays, itlooks tough but somethingFisher absolutely thrives onand loves to do.

“I can’t wait for Fridays, itis my best day of the week,”Fisher stated. “I love the dou-ble duty. As soon as I get doneat The Meadows on Fridayafternoon, I hop in my rigand head to Buffalo Raceway,which takes about threehours, and race there atnight. I love it.”

Living in Ohio, Fisher saidhe could make either Buffaloor The Meadows in less thanthree hours from his homeand driving to Pittsburgh orBuffalo isn’t that bad.

“I stay in great shape. I goto a gym seven days a week, Ieat right,” Fisher said. “I lovecanned tuna and chicken. Iam not a fast-food junkie asone might suspect with theschedule I keep.”

When asked about drivingon the five-eighths of a miletrack at The Meadows andthen a few hours later testingthe challenging BuffaloRaceway course, Fisher saidit isn’t too difficult.

“On any five-eighths miletrack you have to be patient.And with Buffalo’s long homestretch, it’s almost like racingon a five-eighths mile track

because you haveto be patient aswell.

“If it wasNorthfield’s half-mile track, it’s aquick half and hasa short stretch sothere is a lot moreactivity in theearly stages of therace,” Fisheradded. “Thatwould take a little

adjusting.”Through the beginning of

April, Fisher is currently thesecond-leading driver atBuffalo Raceway with 26wins in 127 starts with aUDRS of .353 and nearly$100,000 in earnings. Hetrails Jim Morrill Jr. for thetop spot. At The Meadows,Fisher has 207 starts with 11wins, 18 seconds and 20thirds for over $132,000 inearnings.

“I’ve raced against JimMorrill for years at Yonkersand the Meadowlands and hemakes me a better driver justby racing against him,”Fisher said. “Morrill doesn’tneed a whip. He knows howto make a horse go fasterwithout using a whip and ifthey ever took the whip outof racing, he’d be just asgood, if not better.”

As far as his first twomonths at Buffalo, Fishersaid: “I think I am holdingmy own. I never win enoughfor my liking. I am my ownworst critic. If I finish second,I’ll always question what Icould have done differently.”

Fisher added that he neversets specific goals for himself.

“I just want to do the best Ican.”

For now, Fisher is puttingplenty of miles on his odome-ter, and he’s enjoying everymile he races at BuffaloRaceway and The Meadows.

Ray Fisher Jr. latest driver to “Shuffle off to Buffalo”

Photo by Paul WhiteRay Fisher Jr. is shown driving home another winat Buffalo Raceway recently.

Page 12 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE April 2008

Springturkeyhunting

Wild turkeysare hunted inboth the springand fall in manyareas, but I thinkthat springbrings the bestand most excit-ing hunting. The spring sea-son coincides with thebirds’ mating season duringwhich male turkeys can belured by hunters imitatingthe mating calls of the henswith the help of a turkeycall. Calling a gobbler intoshotgun range is one of themost exciting experiences ahunter can have.

In order to accomplishthis you must understandthat wild turkeys have manydifferent ways that they useto communicate. The mostcommonly used calls byhunters are the gobble,cackle, yelp, cluck, cuttingand the purr or whine. Ifyou want success during thespring, you must learn sev-eral of these calls. I thinkthe most important is thekee-kee run, the yelp andthe cluck in that order.

You can learn these callsthe easiest on a box caller oron a strike caller. Don’t get

discouraged with just onecall; there areliterally dozensof callingdevices. Ifyou’re a begin-ner you mightwant to use apush-bu t toncall; it’s the eas-iest to use. Butjust like any-thing else, itspersonal pref-

erence and trying a combi-nation of several calls mayeven work for you. It isimportant to remember thata hunter must develop anunderstanding of which callis appropriate for certaincircumstances. Subtle varia-tions in the volume,rhythm, and pitch of aturkey’s call can be asimportant as the type ofcall. Take the time to learnprior to going hunting.

At a minimum, a prospec-tive turkey hunter shouldlearn several of the mostcommon calls and becomefamiliar with the circum-stances in which theyshould be applied. Forexample, the Yelp, the LostCall, the Purr, and Cluckare good starters. Also awell-placed turkey decoy ortwo can be helpful in areaswhere the woods are fairlyopen and especially whenyou’re setting up in or at the

edge of a field. A decoy notonly helps lure the gobblersto particular spots but alsoattracts the bird’s attentionaway from you, the caller,and toward the decoy. Becareful when using decoysbecause another hunter caneasily mistake them for thereal thing. Generally, it’sbest not to use them inheavily hunted areas.

It’s also important toknow that turkeys can dif-ferentiate colors, and hearand see extremely well. Sowith this in mind, whilehunting you should be cam-ouflaged from head to toe,including a facemask or facepaint. You should also makeyourself as comfortable aspossible so you can sit com-pletely still for long periods.Bring a cushion to sit on,and even if you’re huntingout of a blind you shouldremove any leaves or debrisso you won’t make noisewhen have to change posi-tion for a tricky shot.

Once you learned to “talkturkey,” you’re ready to gohunting. Spring turkeyhunting season begins inour neck of the woods onMay 1. As always, check thestate hunting regulationsbefore you adventure outjust to make sure you aredoing everything right.

Good luck.

By Dave SullyAs the local

tracks preparefor the 2008season, theN A S C A RSprint Cup bat-tle has been onstage sinceFebruary. Withchanging spon-sorships (threedifferent namesfor its topseries in fiveyears), therenaming ofthe BuschSeries (nowNationwide), and thedemise of the once popularIROC Series, along with lowTV ratings and a growingnumber of empty seats atNASCAR events, it might betime for the hardcoreNASCAR fans to check outthe area’s short tracks thisseason. Thousands of fansattend our dirt and asphalttracks each weekend, andthere are a number of rea-sons why I believe it’s a bet-ter deal than NASCAR.

I’ve been attendingNASCAR races since 1988,and local short track racingfor most of my life, so Ithink I’m in a position toargue the point. While

NASCAR offers highly visi-ble personalities, plenty ofhoopla (some say toomuch), before and after theraces, and some good racingat times, most of the finish-es are decided on pit road,not by the drivers. That iseven more obvious todaythan when I started going toraces, with the advent of theCar of Tomorrow removingany semblance of brandidentity with its cookie cut-ter design.

I believe there are goodreasons to go short trackracing in our area. A typicalgood NASCAR ticket cancost hundreds of dollars,and that’s before you pay to

travel to the venue, with theclosest one to our area beingthe road course at WatkinsGlen, hardly a classic racingsituation for the fans or theparticipants. If you musttravel out of the area, youare at the mercy of our bal-looning fuel prices andraised hotel prices, some-times three or more timesthe usual rate, with mini-mum stays often required.Parking fees have risen dra-matically as well. When Istarted going to Daytona,you could park for free atthe Volusia Mall across thestreet. It now costs upwardsof a hundred dollars to park

The case for short track racing

Photo by Jay PeesFour wide dirt late model action at Little Valley. The 32 of Vic Coffeyended up winning the race.

April welcomesback open water

fishingOld man winter’s stubborn

grip on Western New Yorkloosens up this month; hardwater gear goes back intostorage in favor of openwater pursuits. Most fish areeither in spawn or in pre-spawn, and as the days growwarmer, so too does the fish-ing.Great Lakes Trout Action

April is all about trout,with the official season open-er being April 1. A lateMarch snowstorm blanketedmuch of Western New Yorkwith several inches of whitestuff, assuring a longersnowmelt period sure to keeparea creeks and streams run-ning well.

Lake Erie streams arechoked with lake-run rain-bows from the mouth to firstimpassable barrier.Cattaraugus, Chautauquaand Eighteen Mile Creeks allshow number of steelheadabout to commence theirspawn. When rains muddythe major streams, actionremains steady in the smallerfeeders, such as Big Sister andSmokes Creek.

Anglers find success earlyin the day, and again later inthe afternoon, with a varietyof baits and lures sure to drawsome attention. Fly anglerspresenting egg patterns earlyin April, changing to suckerspawn patterns as the white

sucker begins their spawns,are hard for a hungry trout toresist. Spinning gear anglersconnect with an assortmentof offerings, including nightcrawlers, salted minnows andegg sacs, either bouncedalong the bottom or driftedunder a float. Do not over-look working an in-line spin-ner, like a Vibrax or PantherMartin through riffles, espe-cially later in the day. A smallfloating Rapala, too, can workwonders on April trout.

Northern tier anglers findeager rainbows in everystream, with heavy precipita-tion through the winterreturning creeks to theirmore normal flow levels.Smaller streams, like Keg,Johnson’s and East Branch of12-Mile Creek offer ideal

alternatives to themore popular places asOak Orchard, BurtDam and OlcottHarbor. Pier castersfind big brown troutgathering near the out-lets, and a large spooncast and retrievedsteadily to be likemagic when condi-tions are right. Streamwaders casting woolybuggers and suckerspawn connect withsteelies, while mud-dler minnow presenta-tions garner moreattention frombrowns.Inland Trout

April 1 openedinland waters to trout

fishing, and streams through-out Cattaraugus, Wyoming,Genesee and AlleganyCounties have received theirannual loads of year old andtwo-year old hatchery trout.Ultra-light gear and redworms or salted minnowsdrifted along the cut banks ofthe East Koy, Oatka, ClearCreek and UpperCattaraugus can have creelsfilled in no time. Remember,most streams limit creels tofive fish per day, but only twocan exceed 12 inches.

While most streams havereceived their annual stock-ing, many inland trout lakesstill show ice cover, and at thetime of this writing, no inlandwater showed enough openwater to fish. As April wears

April is the month for trout and theGreat Lakes streams show world-class fishing this time of year.

Doctari’s Fishing Forum with Rich Davenport

Woods and Water with Tim Wright

continued on page 14

continued on page 15

April 2008 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Page 13

By Bob CaicoRon Resnick

put on a profes-sional boxingshow at theArmory featuringRochester’s topyoung fighterson March 27. Alarge and spiritedcrowd enjoyedsix fights at agreat venue.

Kenny Abril ofRochester wonthe NY State Jr.w e l t e r w e i g h tchampionshipwith an eighth-round TKO overfriend and spar-ring partnerJonathan Tubbs.There was nofriendship in thering, as bothf i g h t e r sunloaded oneach other dur-ing the 10-roundmain event.Tubbs seemed to suffer a cutover his right eye in the sev-enth round. In the eighth,Abril was starting to applymore pressure and landedthe stronger punches.Referee Charlie Fitchstopped the action andbrought Tubbs over to seethe ringside doctor. Afterconsulting with the refereeand Tubbs the bout wasstopped. Scores were 67-66Tubbs and 67-66, 68-65 forAbril at the time of the stop-page.

“It was a tough fight but Ithought he was weakeningas the fight went on. I felt hedidn’t want to fight anymoreso he quit,” the new title-holder said.

Abril improves to 7-3-1while Tubbs drops to 10-6-1.

In the eight-round semifi-nal, Ella Nunez of Rochesterscored an exciting fifth-round TKO over BrookeDierdorff of Chicago. Bothfeatherweights went toe-to-toe at times, but the power-ful right hand of Nunez wasthe difference. A perfectstraight right droppedDierdorff in the fifth round,but after regaining her feet atthe count of seven, refereeDick Pakozdi waved off thecontest. Nunez is coming offa tough majority decisionloss to Melissa Fiorentino inJanuary.

“I would like to fightMissy in a rematch but once

I fight somebodythey usually don’twant to fight meagain,” Nunez said.

Rochester’s SeanThompson improvedto 3-0 with a TKOwin over RobertEvans (0-4) in thethird of a scheduledsix in a cruiserweightbout. Thompsondropped Evans whoseemed to hurt hisshoulder as he hitthe canvas and hecould not continue.

Three Rochesterfighters made theirpro debuts. DwayneHardaway and GarriBagdasarov ofBrooklyn (0-0-2)fought to a fourround draw in a Jr.welterweight match.

Jr. welterweightJeradial Figueroaoverwhelmed ShaunWilson of WestVirginia, who was

also making his pro debut.Figueroa dropped Wilsonthree times in the first andthe fight was stopped at1:18.

Willie Monroe ofRochester and ErixQuinteros of Georgia madetheir professional debuts in amiddleweight contest.Monroe’s superior skill levelwas apparent from thebeginning and finallystopped Quinteros at 2:25 ofthe third of a scheduled four.

“I want to thank my cor-ner for keeping me off thestreets and hopefully thiswill convince others to putdown their guns andstraighten out their lives,”Monroe said.

Abril wins New York State title

Kenny Abril of Rochester proudly wears hisNYS jr welterweight title belt.

By Mike FoxFor the NHL, April is

synonymous with playoffsand this month’s quizrecalls some of the leg-endary and not so leg-endary names from thepost-season annals of theworld’s fastest game.

1. Five players havescored three shorthandedgoals in one playoff year,but it’s only been done oncesince 1983. Who did it?

a. Jarome Iginlab. Todd Marchantc. Michael Pecad. Paul Gaustad2. Who holds the record

for fastest goal from thestart of a playoff game (sixseconds)?

a. Don Kozakb. Derek Royc. Henry Boucherd. Wayne Cashman3. Two players have

scored 19 goals in one play-off year. One is Jari Kurri.Who is the other?

a. Kevin Stevensb. Jaromir Jagrc. Reggie Leachd. Joe Sakic4. Whose name has been

misspelled a record fivetimes while being engraved

on the Cup?a. Toe Blakeb. Frank Mahovlichc. Jean Beliveaud. Jacques Plante5. Who is the only player

to play for 11 Cup-winningteams in his career?

a. Johnny Bowerb. Maurice Richardc. Henri Richardd. Doug Harvey6. Who is the only goalie

ever to win 14 consecutiveplayoff games?

a. Tom Barrassob. Miikka Kiprusoff

c. Patrick Royd. Donnie Edwards7. Who was the first play-

er to raise the Cup overheadand skate a victory laparound the rink?

a. Milt Schmidtb. Stan Mikitac. Ted Lindsayd. Dave Keon8. Two players have

scored 24 career playoffgame winning goals. One isWayne Gretzky. Who is theother?

a. Brendan Shanahanb. Brett Hullc. Teemu Selanned. Glenn Anderson9. Who holds the record

for most points in a playoffyear by a rookie (21)?

a. Bobby Orrb. Guy Lafleurc. Jason Spezzad. Dino Ciccarelli10. Who is the only play-

er to register at least onepoint in 27 consecutiveplayoff games?

a. Bryan Trottierb. Mark Messierc. Paul Coffeyd. Mike Modano

Trivia Quiz

Photo by Joe ValentiDid Goose get loose forthree shorthanded goals inlast year’s playoffs?

This dessert would be nice for any special day.You’ll need:

2 boxes strawberry Jello • 1 prepared pie crust1 8oz carton thawed Kraft Cool Whip or 1/2 pint heavy cream whippedFresh strawberries or any berry

Prepare the Jello, following the “pie” recipe on side of box, which uses less cold water.

Place in refrigerator until it starts to “gel”. Meanwhile, line the bottom of pie shellwith sliced strawberries (or any berry).

Remove Jello from refrigerator when lightly gelled and beat in thawed cool whip untilsmooth. Pour this into the pie shell. If calorie counting, omit pie shell and pour intoa lightly sprayed jello mold.

Spread the top with Cool Whip or fresh whipped cream.

Decorate pie with strawberries and any other items such as coconut, chopped nuts,or jelly beans.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Fluff

By Bob CaicoSeneca Allegany Casino

& Resort offered 40 roundsof professional boxing onMarch 28 with 22 of thoserounds on national televi-sion courtesy of ESPN2’sFriday Night Fights. Therewere no knockouts but plen-ty of action in the sevenbouts for the boisterous casi-no crowd. The main eventhad former world champi-on, Kassim Ouma, upagainst Cornelius Bundrageof “The Contender” fame.Bundrage out hustled Oumato gain a unanimous deci-sion and improve his recordto 28-3. Ouma has now losthis last three fights to drop to25-5-1 but vows to fight on.“He was holding me all nightbut it’s all good, I will beback,” Ouma said.

The first bout on ESPN wasan eight rounder betweenundefeated Mike Jones ofPhiladelphia taking a unani-mous decision over veteranGermaine Sanders ofChicago. Jones improved his

record to 13-0, going the dis-tance for the first time andSanders slides to 27-6.

The third televised fightwas the best fight of the nightwith Rochester’s Darnell Jilesand Philadelphia’s HenryLundy putting their undefeat-ed records on the line. Thefight was originally scheduledfor six rounds but ESPNchanged it to four to accom-modate television. All three

judges had it a draw withscores of 38-38, but boxinganalyst Teddy Atlas and manyat ringside had Jiles a one-point winner. With the drawboth fighters remain unbeat-en, Jiles at 8-0-1 and Henry at10-0-1.

The last fight of the eveninghad another Rochester boxer,Murray Cunningham, whomade his professional debut.The 18-year-old jr. welter-weight won a unanimousdecision over Dan Morales (0-2) of the Bronx.

The other results, EdwinRodriguez (3-0) won a unani-mous four-round decisionover James North (8-20-2).Martinus Clay (12-18-4) andMustafah Johnson (5-2-1)battled to a six-round draw.Alberto Amaro (3-0) gained aunanimous four-round deci-sion over Joseph Llovet (2-1).

The event center at thecasino is a wonderful venuefor boxing and let’s hope theybring more fights toSalamanca.

Salamanca provides big time boxing

Murray Cunningham gets hishand raised in his profes-sional boxing debut.

Answers1. b 2. a 3. c 4. d 5. c6. a 7. c 8. b 9. d 10. a

Local boxinghappenings

By Bob CaicoDon Patterson held the

Niagara Districts regionalsfor the Golden Gloves atMichael’s Banquet Facility onMarch 20 and 27. The win-ners will compete thismonth in Syracuse for theNY State Glove titles withthe open division winnersadvancing to the nationaltournament. Geneva’s AleemWhitfield (165 lbs), Buffalo’sLionell Thompson (178 lbs)and Excell Holes (201+ lbs)of Buffalo are the area’s openhopefuls after taking thisregions championship.

••••••••Professional fighter

Guillermo Sanchez of Buffaloimproved to 4-0 with a six-round unanimous decisionover Harvey Murray (2-1-2) ofRochester at the Mohegan SunCasino in Connecticut onMarch 21. Sanchez who istrained by Jimmy Ralston andmanaged by Rick Glaser wonby scores of 58-55, 57-56twice.

Jermell Barnes (18-16-2) of

Rochester dropped a unani-mous eight-round decision toCarl Davis (11-2) in Chicago

on March 28.••••••••

Puerto Rico laid claim totwo IBA champions withBuffalo connections on March22 in San Juan.

Victor Fonseca (11-0, 7KOs) of Bayamon earned ahard fought unanimous deci-sion over previously unbeatenJose Nieves (16-1) for thevacant IBA bantamweighttitle. Fonseca was down twicein the first round but came

back to drop Nieves in thesecond, forth and ninthrounds to gain the nod in the

thrilling bout.Scores were113-110, 112-110 and 112-111.

In the co-f e a t u r e ,Orlando Cruz(15-0-1, 6KOs) of SanJuan scored au n a n i m o u s1 2 - r o u n ddecision overC a r l o sGuevara (11-6-1) by scoresof 117-111and 116-112

twice.The win earned Cruz the

vacant IBA featherweight belt.Both fighters have trained atthe Northwest CommunityCenter in the past.

Juan DeLeon who is thecurrent trainer for heavy-weight “Baby” Joe Mesi man-ages the new champions. Thefighters plan to re-locate toBuffalo to be coached by four-time cruiserweight championCarlos “Sugar” DeLeon.

Aleem Whitfield (left) defeated Matt Holsherby 5-0 score to advance to the NY StateGolden Gloves championships.

Page 14 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE April 2008

By Ivan the ImpalerThey claim to be country

music superstars. They claimladies of all sizes love them.They claim to be students ofcryptozoology (the study of“hidden animals”). Theyclaim there will be moreshedding of “Yankee widowtears.”

On top of that, they claimto be the best pro wrestlingtag team in Western NewYork. Individually, they’reknown as Frank the Tankand Buddy Delmar (aka TheTennessee Strangler); collec-tively, they’re both hated andfeared as “Rhythm andBooze.”

They wandered up Northapproximately two years agoin a pickup truck driven byUncle Boxcar and their man-ager, Col. Johnny Kayfabe.Along the way, they’vebrought along Sweet Lou,known down south as “theMontgomery Madman,” towreak havoc in “wrasslin’rings” across the region.

Rhythm and Booze is theonly team to simultaneouslyhold both the NWA UpstateAND NWA Empire tag teamtitles. They won the Upstatebelts on Sept. 30, 2007 fromDunn & Marcos and haven’tlooked back. R & B was thefirst ever NWA Empire tagchamps, beating Thurstonand Smythe on Nov. 11, 2006in North Tonawanda. Theykept a stranglehold on thetitles until a controversial lossto the McCloud Brothers thispast Dec. 8.

This Reporter caught upwith the boys on their recenttrip to Rochester. I offered tointerview them down homein Strangler’s Knob, Tenn.,but was warned that theirneighbors “don’t take tookindly to Northerners.” Idon’t get paid enough towrite for this publication, so Iheeded their advice.

Strangler’s Knob is locatednear Lynchburg, Tenn., homeof the Jack Daniel’s Distillery.Ironically, the distillery andStrangler’s Knob are bothlocated in a dry county (i.e.,alcohol sales are illegal),which leads to the tale of how

Buddy met Frank.Kayfabe explains that

“Frank’s and Buddy’s dads gotbusted together runningmoonshine back in ‘84, sothey got put in the same fam-ily.” Buddy noted they were“raised together like brothers,even though we’re cousins,kind of like Bo and Lukefighting the system. We havea huge extended family; infact, Lou is our brother-in-law.”

Frankie’s dad, Carl, patent-ed his recipe for “beer-bat-tered bologna flap sandwich-es,” and passed it down toBuddy’s Uncle Boxcar.

The Colonel adds “aftertheir daddies got thrown inthe slammer, Uncle Boxcarraised them and taught ‘emhow to wrassle. Of course,Uncle Boxcar’s time in andout of penitentiaries in thesouth helped him learn howto fight.”

The boys recently defend-ed their title in a violentLynchburg Death Matchagainst Dunn & Marcos.Kayfabe explained that “thismatch was created back inthe Civil War, 1862, byConfederate Secretary of War,Leroy Pope Walker. They’dpit suspected northern spiesagainst confederate soldiersin a battle to the death, whichled to the shedding of Yankeewidow tears, which is whatwe aim to keep doing. So wetrained by wrestling bears…”

“Alligators, too!”exclaimed Frank. “That’show I got my alligator boots.”

What of their countrymusic career? Col. Kayfabe,President of ChampionshipVinyl, says their debut CD(“All Roads Lead toBrowntown”) went triple-platinum, and their hit single(the self-titled “Rhythm &Booze”) topped the billboardcharts for six straight weeks.The Colonel says “All Roads”was “an acoustic mellow set.You know, the kind of albumyou want to put on the play-er, take out the pills, a bottleof J.D. and call it a night.”

The song “Rhythm andBooze” was written by SweetLou, who bitterly denounced

his uncle, Phil Collins,“because he didn’t let mecome backstage with him;he’s kind of a jerk to me. So Idumped rock & roll andwent back to my countryroots.”

NEXT MONTH: Part Twoof our conversation withRhythm & Booze, includinginformation about their newCD and everything you want-ed to know about the dreadedSkunk Ape.Upcoming events

Saturday, April 12 - NWAEmpire- St. Johnsburg FireHall, 7165 Ward Road, NorthTonawanda (Wheatfield)N.Y. - Bell Time - 6:15 p.m.

Saturday, April 26 - PWANiagara - Club Social, 810 E.Main St. - Welland, Ontario,Canada - 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 27 - RoughWrestling (Tentative date) –Knights of Columbus Hall,66 Empire St., Welland,Ontario, Canada - 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 17 - NWAUpstate - Minnett Hall, 2695E. Henrietta Road, Henrietta(Suburban Rochester), N.Y. -6 p.m. Rhythm & Booze willperform with The Boy andHis Machine.

Keep up on local andnational developments withthe best in wrestling journal-ism:TELEVISION: TheWrestleVision Network isseen as follows:

Suburban Erie County:Time Warner Cable Channel20 on Saturdays at 4 p.m.with replays Mondays at11:30 p.m.;

Niagara County: Channel20 Saturdays at 4 p.m.;

Rochester: WBGT-TV (My18) on Sundays at 3 p.m.with replays late Tuesdaynight/early Wednesday at 1a.m.RADIO: The Pain Clinic onWHTK (1280 AM) inRochester on Saturdays at 10a.m. Plus, there’s TurnbuckleTalk in Buffalo on WBNY-FM(91.3), Mondays at 8 p.m.INTERNET: Catchwww.mondaynightmayhem.com, with new shows weekly.

Pro wrasslin’, country music and “hidden animals”

The strange world of Rhythm & Booze (Part one of a two-part epic)

By Matt LadewskiThe human body is amaz-

ing. With the right amount oftraining, it will adapt andbecome stronger. But toomuch training will result in adecrease in performance dueto overtraining, while notenough training stimuluswill yield no progress.

So how do you determinethe right amount? With somework on your end you will beable to determine the optimalamount of live practice,intense lifting and runningsessions.

Most coaches have a gen-eral plan they follow year inand year out. Your goal as acoach should be to optimizeyour practice schedule tokeep your players as fresh aspossible and ready to performwhen it comes time to com-pete. You need to monitor thenumber of live plays duringpractice. Another example,wrestling coaches need tomonitor the amount of timespent live wrestling. Oncethis is determined you canspend more time performingskill work and reinforcinggood habits rather than justletting two guys practice theirway out of placing at theweekend tournament. Yourjob is to find the right balanceof skill work and live prac-tice.

Unless you are in a blessedsituation and have a strengthcoach, your athletes’ liftingschedule will need to be

monitored. The central nerv-ous system can only handlethree sets over 90 percent inexperienced lifters. Newlifters can handle more but Ido not recommend it. Yournervous system will thenneed to rest about 72 hoursbefore performing anotherheavy workout for the samemuscle groups.

Muscles recover at a differ-ent speed than the nervoussystem. Small muscles liketriceps can recover in about24 hours. Larger muscles likelats and pecs will take 48 to72 hours to recover. So evenif you are not sore it does notmean your nervous system isnot fatigued. This all must beaddressed in the big schemeof things.

The last part that needs tobe addressed is conditioningwork. Running, just like lift-

ing, can fatigue the nervoussystem. Running hard gassersor a large number of 40’s mayresult in a decreased perform-ance for the next practice.Sprinting at full speed at theend of practice is nothing butasking for trouble. You wouldbe better off performing moreskill oriented tasks such asdriving the sled for linemen.Wrestlers can perform drillsthat work basic moves suchas stand-ups, sit outs, or spindrills. In a match when yourwrestler is tired they need tobe able to perform these basicskills to win the match. Othersports can perform agilitydrills that mimic the sportbut adapted to more of theconditioning side.

It is up to you, the coach,to monitor every aspect of thetraining process. If your kidsare sluggish and tired theymight not be out of shape.Instead, they may be over-training and it might be yourfault. Start today and trackeverything. Will it be easy?No, but it will be worth itwhen your team starts toimprove and you can getmore done with less work.The person who does themost work is not always thewinner. The one who doesthe best work will be ready.

To find out more aboutimproving your teams trainingprocess visitwww.ladewskistrength.com orcall (716) 479-0745.

Optimal training

on, many trout lakes (andstreams) start showing insecthatches, making dry flyangling exciting and produc-tive, especially in the after-noon. Blue-winged olives,light Cahill and gnats drawrises from hungry troutbrought to frenzy by the myri-ads of midge flies, caddis andearly mayfly hatches.Crappie Runs

When ice out arrives, so toodo the crappie runs.Chautauqua, Cassadaga,Findley and Bear Lakes inChautauqua County offersome of the finest crappie fish-ing in Western New York.

Shore anglers workthe emerging weedsfound along deep

edges of inlets, canals andchannels, working a minnowand bobber combination tocoax slab crappie into biting.Schools numbering in thehundreds gather to feed andspawn, and when you find theright depth, one can literallycatch fish all day long. Boatersseek emerging weed beds andbrush piles/deadfalls for num-bers of keeper crappie.

Crappie also show in excel-lent numbers and size in theErie Barge Canal, Buffalo Riverand sheltered bays and inletsalong the Upper Niagara Riverand near vertical structure inBuffalo’s Inner Harbor region.

Concentrate on deadfalls, oldpier stanchions and rock pilesfor active schools of feedingcrappie.Pre-spawn bass

With Bass fishing opportu-nities now available for catch& release, artificial lure onlyfishing, now is the time of yearto catch a bass at its peak bodysize. Largemouth bass moveinto shallow areas easilyreachable from shore, andwith weeds still down, now isa great time for bass fishingwithout a boat. Twitching afloating Rapala, size 9 or 11just under the water’s surfacecan be deadly on pre-spawnbass. Remember to releasethem promptly.Dates to remember

April 26, is the thirdAnnual Outdoorsman Raffleand Wild Game Feast inhonor of John Long, Sr., atNiagara Active Hose Co.,Lockport, N.Y. Event runsfrom 1-5 p.m., with tickets$25.00 at the door. ContactNiagara River Anglers Assn.,Mike Henderson, 716-282-8099, or visit www.nia-garariveranglers.com.

April 27, the Bison CityRod & Gun on Ohio St. in

Buffalo will host a Teach Me toFish youth clinic from 2-4p.m. For information, contactDave Barus, 716-597-4081.

May 3, the first Saturday inMay, opens Walleye, NorthernPike and Lake Erie’s trophybass season.

May 24, will have a Learnto Fish family picnic inLetchworth State Park,Wyoming County from 12-4p.m. Contact George Dovolos,585-493-3636.

Remember, take a kid fish-ing, and give the gift that lastsa lifetime.

Rich Davenport is co-founderof WeLoveOutdoors.com, anavid outdoorsman and memberof the NYSOWA. His works arealso published in N.Y. OutdoorNews, Walleye.com and theBuffalo News. Rich is also therecording secretary for the ErieCounty Federation ofSportsmen’s Clubs. Emailrich@weloveoutdoors.com.

Fishing from page 12

April 2008 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Page 15

included 79 tackles, 14 sacks,two forced fumbles and aninterception. At 6-foot-3, 272pounds, with a 4.75 40-yarddash time, Long brings acombination of size, speedand athleticism that has somescouts declaring him the bestdefensive end prospect sinceReggie White. ConsideringWhite may very well be thebest to ever play the position,that’s quite the compliment tosay the least.

Miami’s pick, of course,truly sways the outcome of atleast the top 10 to 15 playerstaken. If, for some unforeseenreason, they decide againsttaking one of the Longs withthe first selection, don’t forgetthat Parcells is a guy that likesto mold quarterbacks. It wasParcells that pulled the trig-ger on drafting Drew Bledsoein New England, and mostrecently, it was Parcells whoreplaced Bledsoe after mold-ing Tony Romo into thestarter in Dallas. The ques-tion is, does Boston Collegequarterback Matt Ryan war-rant the first pick in the draft?Realistically – not so much.But could it happen? Sure.

Only after careful analysisof the first team on the board,can one truly predict the out-come of the teams that follow.With that said, after lookingat the Dolphins, here’s howSports & Leisure Magazinesees the first round’s top 10panning out:Miami Dolphins: OT JakeLong, Michigan

After hemming and haw-ing, Parcells’ football intu-

ition kicks in and he realizesthis Long will not only pro-tect his most valuable asset inBrown, but likewise will helpgive him a fair take onwhether or not Beck is hisquarterback of the future.St. Louis Rams: DE ChrisLong, Virginia

The Rams would like toadd another big man to theoffensive line, and likely werehoping Jake Long wouldsneak past Miami, but Chrisis simply too much of a talentto let slip through the cracks.Atlanta Falcons: QB MattRyan, Boston College

At No. 3 overall, theFalcons may consider thispick a bit of a reach, but Ryanis clearly the best quarterbackin this year’s pool and as itstands, their options are pret-ty limited.Oakland Raiders: DT GlennDorsey, Louisiana StateUniversity

With Warren Sapp retiring,the tenacious Dorsey is themost logical pick here. Keepin mind, this is the Raidershowever…Kansas City Chiefs: DEVernon Gholston, Ohio State

The Chiefs were probablydaydreaming that Jake Longwould fall into their laps, butonce reality set in, adding thesize (6-foot-3, 265 pounds),strength (37 reps on a 225-pound bench press) and ath-leticism to their pass rushmakes the most sense.New York Jets: RB DarrenMcFadden, Arkansas

The Jets’ war room poundsits fist into the table when

Gholston goes a pick aheadof them and decides to rollthe dice on McFadden andhis “character issues.”New England Patriots (fromSan Francisco): CB LeodisMcKelvin, Troy

Risky pick since he camefrom a small school, but thePatriots’ personnel generallydoes a good job scouting,even if only through the stan-dard camcorder.Baltimore Ravens: OT RyanClady, Boise State

Desperate for a quarter-back, but realizing that Ryanwas the only true top-10prospect and the fact thatJonathan Ogden’s future is upin the air, they opt to protectthe quarterbacks already in-house.Cincinnati Bengals: DTSedrick Ellis, University ofSouthern California

One of the top-tier widereceivers may be appealing inlight of Chris Henry’s release,but the more pressing issuefor the Bengals is stoppingthe run. Ellis has the poten-tial of being the immediateimpact player they need.New Orleans Saints: CBDominque Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee State

The Saints could probablyuse help at linebacker, butcan’t overcome Cromartie’ssheer athleticism and pickhim for his playmaking abili-ty.

For a complete first roundanalysis, visitwww.Sportsandleisuremag.com.

Draft from page 2

answer the bell.“Championship teams are

built on pitching,” Girardi,a former catcher like Torre,said. “That’s something theYankees have stressedrecently. They’ve stressed itin their minor league sys-tem and that excites me.”

Meanwhile, on the othercoast, the laid-back Torremay have met his matchwith a fan base known forleaving early to beat post-game traffic. Torre hasmoved from the fire of thefamously burning Bronx, tothe ice of a SouthernCalifornia too cool to needthe NFL; from back-pagesports headlines and an in-house TV network to atown more interested in

thumbing through the latestissue of Variety. The bestnumbers to underscoreTorre’s move are these:Girardi becomes the 22ndYankees manager sinceSteinbrenner bought theteam in 1973. Torrebecomes the eighth Dodgersmanager since the teammoved to Los Angeles in1957.

“I’ve said goodbye to oneprestigious organizationand hello to another,” Torresaid. “I certainly had a won-derful run in my hometownof New York. I never experi-enced winning like I experi-enced in New York … butthis [Los Angeles] is one ofa handful of organizationsthat you automatically say

yes to.”“This is the New York

Yankees,” the new Joe in theBronx said. “They aren’tgoing anywhere. They’regoing to be here long afterwe’re all gone. The team’sexpectation is always to winthe World Series. That’s notgoing to change. The ulti-mate goal is to win theWorld Series. It was thatwhen I was here [as a play-er] from 1996 to 1999. Itwas that last year. It’ll be thesame this year.”

“How am I different fromJoe Torre?” Girardi asks.“Just give me a chance, andyou’ll find out.”

Yankees from page 3

Conference, showing thathis abilities go far beyondgoals and assists and arerecognized in the hockeycommunity, not just inWNY. He is the ideal rolemodel for local product,teammate Patrick Kaleta.Thomas Vanek: B-

He would have earned aB but had a slow start. Hisproduction is down fromlast year although his 36goals were 13th overall inthe league, and his 19power play goals were sec-ond. His biggest weakness-es are turnovers and histendency to draw hookingpenalties. Vanek had diffi-culties adjusting to playingagainst top lines after beingon the third line last yearand it just took him a fewmonths to find his way.Vanek is still young, andshould continue to adaptand be a consistent 30-40goal scorer through hisprime years.Daniel Paille: B-

He has been this season’srevelation, along with MikeWeber. Paille’s outstandingskating ability and new-found scoring touch makeshim a very effective playerwhatever line he plays on.Paille has come back strongfrom game day, overcomingsetbacks and showing men-tal strength that hints ateven better days ahead.Ales Kotalik: B-

Fans always expect morefrom Kotalik because they

see how he can influencethe outcome of a gamewhen he plays well. Hislarge size and boomingshot always leave observerswanting more. He can wingames with one shot and isthe Sabres shootout ace andtop power play point man.Unfortunately, penaltykillers know about his shotand take away his shootinglane. The Hockey Newschose Kotalik as the bestthird line right winger inthe Eastern Conference.Playing on the third linelimits his offensive oppor-tunities, but he still tallied22 goals.Paul Gaustad: C+

Fans chant “Gooooose”for their favorite NHL bigman. His imposing size isan important componenton the fore check and infront of the opposition neton power plays. He con-tributes everything a teamneeds except his scoringhas been capped at 10 goalsper year. But this teamdoesn’t need him to scoremore goals, they just needhim to continue being PaulGaustad.Max Afinogenov: C-

His scintillating skills areonly equaled by his abilityto pass the puck to oppos-ing players. He should havebeen traded last seasonwhen his injury shortened61 point season suggestedthat he had finally reachedhis potential. But the

Sabres missed that oppor-tunity and are now saddledwith a 10 goal $3.5 millionplayer whose best days arebehind him. Unlike team-mates Derek Roy andThomas Vanek, Max hasnot adjusted well to playingagainst better opponentsafter spending last year onthe third line.Patrick Kaleta: C

An average grade reflectsthat he needs to developother skills besides hisintimidating bodychecking.His aggressive physical playis sorely needed on thisfinesse team and drawsquite a few penalties fromopponents. Kaleta shouldcontinue to evolve andbecome an outstanding roleplayer on his hometownteam.Tim Connolly: C-

His grade reflects timelost due to his frequentinjuries, as well as hisapparent reluctance toenter the prime goal scor-ing areas where angelssometimes fear to tread.And who could blame himfor avoiding physical playwith his concussion histo-ry. His tremendous puckhandling skills and pointshot help run the powerplay when he’s healthy. Inspite of his ailments, he hasaveraged nearly a point pergame this season.

Report card from page 5

there. Restaurants bumptheir prices as well with acaptive audience in town.Visits to the souvenir trail-ers and concessions at thetracks will also lighten yourwallet considerably, with$30 hats and $35 T-shirtsthe norm at the trailers,with corresponding highfood and beverage prices.

Now consider what localshort track racing offers. Atypical ticket is in the $10 to$15 range, with specialevents somewhat higher.Tracks also offer free orreduced admission to chil-dren, with the most attrac-tive being Little Valleywhere those under 12 areadmitted without charge.Parking is free. Food pricesare much more reasonable.There is a variety of racingto enjoy. Dirt tracks likeRansomville, Merrittville,Little Valley, Humberstone,and Genesee have differentclasses, with 358 modifieds,super late models, sports-man, street stocks, prostocks, super stocks (alsoknown in some circles as360 late models), sprintcars, and four-cylinder divi-sions, along with an assort-ment of special events, suchas DIRTCar Series, andLucas Oil Series Tours,intense enduros and the still

popular demo derbies.Asphalt tracks, most

notably Dunn Tire RacewayPark (formerly Lancaster),Holland, Wyoming County,and Lake Erie also providedifferent classes, with DunnTire Raceway Park provid-ing drag racing as well.Modifieds, late models, SSTmodifieds, street stocks, TQmidgets, and a number offour cylinder divisions pro-vide variety, along withHolland’s Crash-A-Ramas,and Race of ChampionsTour races at WyomingCounty and Dunn TireRaceway Park among otherspecials. What’s more, all ofthese tracks are within easydriving distance, so youdon’t spend half your timein traffic. The shows in gen-eral are in the three-hourrange, a lot more palatablethan the prodigiousNASCAR events, whichroutinely last four to fivehours, not counting traffictime.

The races are typically 35laps for the top divisions,with 15-25 laps for thelower classes. Since theraces are short, they areintense from start to finish,unlike NASCAR raceswhere even the driversadmit that the early laps ofthe races are basically used

to dial in their cars, with thereal racing not occurringuntil the late stages.

When a NASCAR race isover, fans get to fight traffic.At local tracks, fans can goto the pits to talk to thedrivers and get autographs.Most of the drivers reallylike to meet and chat withthe fans. I’m sure there areNASCAR drivers who enjoythat at times, but their livesare so choreographed bytheir public relationsdepartments that even thoseof us in the media have ahard time getting connect-ed, much less the fans.

If you are a fan of thehighly profiled NASCARSprint Cup Series, with itsattendant glamour, hype,and occasionally good rac-ing, but you don’t alreadyvisit our local tracks, youmight want to try them out.I think you’ll be pleasantlysurprised, and you won’thave to empty your walletto do it.

For information, you cancall the tracks or log on totheir websites. You can alsofollow local action by tuningin to my radio show, “PitStop,” at noon on Saturdayson WJJL 1440AM, throughSeptember.

Short track from page 12

that’s hindsight in a leaguethat has no foresight. Aleague blinded by its ownincompetence.

During the season—andon into the playoffs—creaserule violations were so ram-pant that the league hadalready decided to adopt a“no harm, no foul” rule forthe following season.

Hull’s controversial goalovershadowed teammateJoe Nieuwendyk’s six game-winning goals in the play-offs, tying a playoff record

and earning him the ConnSmythe Trophy.

And it far overshadoweda goal by teammate CraigLudwig. In game two,Ludwig scored his first play-off goal in eleven years, thelongest time between goalsby any player.

Hull retired in 2005 fol-lowing a brief stint withPhoenix. Hull is third onthe all-time goal-scoring listwith 741 (behind WayneGretzky and Gordie Howe)and ahead of his father,

Bobby Hull, who is ninth ofthe list with 640 careergoals. There has never beena father-son combination asprolific as the Hulls.

Throw Dennis Hull intothe mix with his 303 careergoals and you’ve the bestfather-son-uncle combina-tion in the business.

“Too bad my sisterMaxine didn’t get to play inthe NHL,” Dennis says witha wink. “Maxine couldoutscore any of us.”

It happened in hockey from page 8