The Barrister

It sure has been a while since I dusted off my gloves and took the media to task for its latest absurdity in the sports world. Sometimes, these venomous hit jobs are directed at The Network - an easy enough target, what with the willingness to sit on apparent evidence of child molestation at Syracuse, only to run the story without even giving the authorities the opportunity to vet that evidence and find that, in sum, it was demonstrably false. And sometimes, these hit jobs are directed at Buffalo sports media - also an easy target, what with the spelling errors, the apparent desire to merely yuk it up with a failing, entrenched hockey coach and the pathetic derision of a blogger community which has arguably provided better and more insightful sports analysis over the past couple years. (Not here at the Deeg, of course. We are more than happy to be the slime scraped out of the bottom of the barrel, presented as food for your more carnal cravings. It's what we do.)

One of the things I've noticed about Buffalo sports fans is that they can tend to believe that their town is getting jobbed at every opportunity. It's certainly no surprise, given the history, but it can leave people with a lingering sense that, in essence, whatever we get in Buffalo is a class below what everyone else gets in other cities. Sports teams? Inferior from top to bottom. Local theater and music? Undeveloped and of poor quality. Government? Corrupt and ineffective in a way unseen throughout America. Schools? Underfunded and forgotten. Cheerleaders? Sixes instead of tens. (This one may be right). 

Some of this is true. In many ways, other cities do have it better. In a lot of ways, though, Buffalo has the exact same problems as other cities, but has convinced itself that the grass is greener in New York City, in Boston, in D.C., in Philly. I've found this to be especially true when it comes to how we digest our local sports media in Western New York. There always seems to be a lingering sense that Bucky and Harrington and Hamilton and Sully are on a lower tier than the guys who cover sports in the big markets. With the internet, though, we can verify that this is simply not true, and never was this more apparent to me than during the post-game presser following last Friday's Rangers-Devils Game 6. 

Dear God, it was brutal. 

So, in keeping with the overlap between "media hit piece" and "mailing it in," here is the transcript of the questions asked to Rangers coach John Tortorella following Game 6. My thoughts are in italics.

It's funny what a difference two weeks can make in the NFL.  Yesterday's selection of team captains for the 2010 season should have been the simple end to a Bills offseason in which the team drew up a plan to attain their goal and end their streak of seasons without a trip to the playoffs.  Instead, it comes across as a fairly meaningless act following a month of turmoil and uncertainty for team with a season probably headed nowhere pretty.

Still, the players got together and decided that Lee Evans and Brian Moorman would be two of their team captains for the fourth year in a row.  Joining Evans and Moorman for their respective units will be second-year captains Trent Edwards and safety George Wilson.  Linebackers Paul Posluszny and Kawika Mitchell will captain the defense.

If I there's something worth reading into any of these selections, it's the choices on defense.  Noticeably absent from the captainship are defensive end Aaron Schobel and safety Donte Whitner.  While they certainly haven't been big playmakers in the last few seasons, Schobel and Whitner have been seemingly the most vocal leaders of the locker room from a spectator's perspective.  But beginning last year and through this offseason, both men have come under fire for not delivering on the expectations they helped build up through their actions and words (or lack thereof).

Could their really be a changing of the guard in the locker room?  Have I not just been apologizing as usual for Poz?  Remember, this is a guy whose real rookie season was last year.  Maybe he'll never be the Urlacher-caliber linebacker we were all hoping for physically, but perhaps he's ready to be closer to it mentally.  If there were one unquestionable leader, holding the defense accountable and truly leading this team on the field (which there obviously hasn't been the last three years AND YES, DICK, I'M INCLUDING YOU MOST OF ALL IN THAT HEAD COUNT), then maybe this defense will actually be able to make some of those big stops we've needed at the ends of games over the years!!

[Sidenote: I will probably be typing in ALL CAPS every time I talk to Dick this year since I can't even imagine talking with him without shouting in his face.  I mean... You're gonna cut Langston Walker, then offer a contract to basically the same guy, but not until Tuesday, cuz then his contract won't be guaranteed through the season, so instead you're gonna send some poor rookie out to slaughter, care of one of the nastiest d-line's in the NFL?  Say what you will about their linebackers and secondary, that d-line still has Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork.

(AP) - Bills backup tight end Derek Fine and nickel cornerback Drayton Florence are likely to miss Buffalo’s season opener Monday night at New England.

Fine has been nursing a hamstring injury, while Florence injured his knee in the Bills’ second preseason game against the Chicago Bears. Both players were held out of practice on Friday.

Reserve defensive tackle Spencer Johnson was limited in practice on Friday for the second day in a row because of a bruised thigh, but coach Dick Jauron said he’s hopeful Johnson can play Monday.