The Buffalo News: Sports Columns

Favre’s itch getting under Pack’s skin: Allen Wilson
Updated: 07/09/08 6:59 AM; Imagine you’re Aaron Rodgers. Since Brett Favre announced his retirement in March, you have been operating under the assumption that you are going to be the new starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers.

Spellbinding match was a masterpiece: Allen Wilson
Updated: 07/08/08 6:50 AM; To the avid tennis fan, Wimbledon is must-see TV. It is, after all, the granddaddy of all Grand Slam tournaments. But the performances by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in Sunday’s final had to make even the most casual observer sit up and take notice.

A Rivers runs through Celtics’ rise: Allen Wilson
Updated: 06/19/08 6:39 AM; Doc Rivers was “the other coach” in this year’s NBA Finals. Rivers’ bench skills were widely believed to be inferior to Phil Jackson’s. Jackson owned nine NBA championships, while Rivers coached in only one playoff series before this year.

Bob Dicesare

Willy’s prep for UTEP is letter-perfect: Bob DiCesare
Updated: 08/28/08 9:19 AM; The envelope arrived at the school football office the week after freshman Drew Willy made his first start at quarterback for the University of Buffalo. Inside was a letter from Peyton Manning, Willy’s football idol.

NFL Preseason: Cut it down to size: Bob DiCesare - News Sports Columnist
Updated: 08/27/08 8:59 AM; One area where the NFL has it all over other major sports is in significance of schedule. NFL games carry discernible meaning from the get-go, unlike those in baseball, basketball and hockey.

Reed’s role a vital one in offense: Bob DiCesare
Updated: 08/25/08 6:54 AM; Fast food for thought . . .

Normality not easy after Olympic high: Bucky Gleason
Updated: 08/26/08 6:56 AM; Monday morning was pleasant if only because, for the first time in 2zweek 1/3 , I woke up without having the remote control indented in my face. It reached the point where Last Channel was written backwards on my cheek, humorous because it was righted by the grisly scene in the mirror.

Equestrian picks himself off the ground: Bucky Gleason
Updated: 08/13/08 6:54 AM; Darren Chiacchia’s priorities already were in order, so it wasn’t as if he emerged from a coma one day last spring and was suddenly a new man. He always cherished his family and his friends, who were forever there for him, and his horses, which carried him around the world and made him a good living.

Adams’ plans for hockey could last a lifetime: Bucky Gleason
Updated: 08/10/08 6:58 AM; Kevyn Adams could walk away from the National Hockey League today with no regrets, knowing he long ago exceeded his wildest fantasies. He was a first-round draft pick. He played nine full seasons in the NHL, more than 600 games in all. He won a Stanley Cup.

Olympics are a relentless blur of magic moments: By Jerry Sullivan - News Sports Columnist
Updated: 08/26/08 9:39 AM; BEIJING — Already, people are asking me to rank my favorite moments from the China Olympics. How does it rate with other Games I’ve been to? Who were the biggest stars? Which event was the most exciting of them all?

Redeem Team brings home the gold: Jerry Sullivan
Updated: 08/25/08 8:05 AM; BEIJING — At its best, an Olympics knocks the cynic right out of you. You watch the athletes rise to the moment for two weeks and you’re convinced that the whole spectacle is worth it in the end. The Games really can reflect our most noble qualities.

U. S. team, softball get bagged: Jerry Sullivan
Updated: 08/22/08 8:19 AM; BEIJING — You can’t say they didn’t warn you. For more than two years, the U. S. women’s softball team had been telling anyone who would listen that they weren’t nearly as dominant as people thought.

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Are Brewers asking too much from Sabathia?: Mike Harrington
Updated: 08/24/08 6:43 AM; Everyone knows CC Sabathia is a rental player in the Brewers’ desperate quest to reach the postseason for the first time since 1982. And it looks like manager Ned Yost is determined to squeeze every last drop out of the big guy. It also looks like the Brew Crew just wants to get to October and doesn’t care if it sticks around too long either.

Indians take steps backwards: Mike Harrington
Updated: 08/20/08 9:18 AM; Here's all you need to know about what's gone on in Cleveland this season: Neither Victor Martinez nor Travis Hafner has played a game in Cleveland since early June and now we're approaching the end of August and they both are playing in Dunn Tire Park.

When a trade deadline really isn’t a trade deadline: Mike Harrington
Updated: 08/17/08 10:11 AM; And you thought the trading deadline came and went July 31. So how is Paul Byrd suddenly with the Red Sox?Adam Dunn with the Diamondbacks? Chad Bradford with the Rays? And we haven’t seen the last of the deals either. A key name who could move this month is Colorado reliever Brian Fuentes and another might be temperamental Tigers slugger Gary Sheffield, who ripped the team last week for limiting him to DH duties. The next deadline to watch is Aug. 31. That’s the last day players can be on a roster and still be eligible for postseason play.

Sports on the Air: Ch. 2 revisits UB’s rejection of bowl bid: By Alan Pergament
Updated: 08/09/08 10:29 AM; If you haven’t seen the story reported by Channel 2 sports reporter Matt Pearl about the stand the 1958 University of Buffalo football team made in declining to accept a bid to the Tangerine Bowl, check it out on the station’s Web site, wgrz.com.

Sports on the Air: Technology is definition of these Games: By Alan Pergament
Updated: 08/02/08 11:35 AM; The Beijing Games illustrate how quickly change can come. This isn’t a political statement about the recent openness in China. It refers to the pace of technology.

Family beholden to U. S. athlete: Updated: 08/24/08 6:43 AM; I am writing to make you aware of the special nature of Stuart Holden. Stuart is a member of the U. S. Olympic soccer team. He scored the goal in a 1-0 victory over Japan.

Suhr, Stuczynski heading for London: Updated: 08/24/08 6:43 AM; Coach Rick Suhr and his silver medalist athlete Jenn Stuczynski had a frank discussion moments after the Olympic pole vault competition had concluded. Over 100 million viewers in the U. S. heard this discussion and many dissected the tone and content of the talk the next day. In the heat of the moment on the world’s biggest stage, emotions flow about the result and perhaps what might have been. What you didn’t see or hear afterward was the hug between athlete and coach, and sincere congratulations on a job well done. There was also a vow to put all the lessons learned in Beijing to practical use in the years and months leading up to London in 2012.

Sabres could use a seasoned Stu: Updated: 08/17/08 6:41 AM; I’ve been very pleased with the smart hockey moves Darcy & Co. have made this offseason. They stayed within budget, neither buying into hype nor panicking when the free agents they targeted signed elsewhere. That being said, there is still a glaring need on this team at center.