Hello all you 927 Bills fans!

“Rain with a few rumbles of thunder”

That’s the forecast for this Saturday, April 23rd. Instead of staying home and staring at the rain, or going to either Shea or Yankee Stadiums to get soaked watching the ballgames, why not come down to McFadden’s for NYCBBB’s 4th Annual NFL Draft and Anniversary Party! They’re calling this the most exciting draft in years because nobody knows who’s going to be picked when, and teams are looking to trade away first round picks like never before! Because of this and GM Tom Donahoe’s love of making big draft day stories, it’s HIGHLY likely that the Bills will be trading up into the early second round, or even the FIRST round! Travis Henry will likely be traded, and there are even rumors of Nate Clements being traded for a first rounder! So you don’t miss out on any big trades, come on down to McFadden’s!

From 12-7pm we’ll have all-you-can-drink Molson Canadian, Labatt Blue, Bud, and Bud Light draft for $30. Wings aren’t included, but the kitchen will be open. Buying the special will also get you entered into a raffle for 2 Yankee tickets! We’re going to have the draft on, as well as the ballgames and any other sports we can find on TV (curling, eh?) Our own Michael Bly will be performing from 5-7:30pm, and will be taking requests from his repertoire of 500 songs! It promises to be a great afternoon of drinking beer, watching sports, listening to live music, and talking to all your Bills-fan friends for the first time since January! It’ll also likely be the last time for talking football with Bills fans until pre-season starts in late summer, so c’mon down and also check out the NEW permanent NYCBBB fixtures on the walls at McFadden’s!

In the following article, Bills Daily’s Steve Saslow expresses that this is one draft that Bills fans shouldn’t miss because it’s probable we’ll drafting much earlier than our slated 55th pick:
http://www.billsdaily.com/draft/2005/preview.shtml

Help Your Fellow Fans!
We’re always trying to find Bills fans in the Tri-State area so they can share in the excitement of watching games at McFadden’s and Calico Jacks! Forward our emails and don’t hesitate to stop people on the street wearing Bills paraphernalia! Your NYCBBB staff does it all the time (including me stopping a kid in a Sabres jersey yesterday, only to discover he was an imposter!) so help out your fellow fans!

Shane Matthews
Yesterday, the Bills re-signed QB Shane Matthews to a one year deal, solidifying that position for the Bills.

SEE EVERYBODY ON SATURDAY!!! GO BILLS!

—Matt “talkin’ proud and fired up for our biggest off-season event!” Kabel

Hello 925 Bills fans!!!

Can you say Buffalo Bills ‘New Years in New York City’ Weekend? Also, check below about our interest in having a wing eating competition at McFadden’s!

Check out the 2005 Buffalo Bills Schedule! I’m waiting for confirmation on this, but it looks legi Looks like we’ll be opening at home against the Houston Texans, with NYCBBB making its 2nd Annual trip to Buffalo on October 16th for the Jets/Bills game. The Bills/Jets tailgate at the Meadowlands is going to be on New Year’s Day! That means that NYCBBB will likely be making that a Bills New Years weekend by throwing a party on New Year’s Eve in the city! Here’s the full schedule:

9/11 HOUSTON AT BUFFALO 1:00
9/18 BUFFALO AT TAMPA BAY 1:00
9/25 ATLANTA AT BUFFALO 1:00
10/2 BUFFALO AT NEW ORLEANS 1:00
10/9 MIAMI AT BUFFALO 1:00
10/16 NEW YORK JETS AT BUFFALO 4:15
10/23 BUFFALO AT OAKLAND 4:15
10/30 BUFFALO AT NEW ENGLAND 8:30
11/13 KANSAS CITY AT BUFFALO 1:00
11/20 BUFFALO AT SAN DIEGO 4:15
11/27 CAROLINA AT BUFFALO 1:00
12/4 BUFFALO AT MIAMI 1:00
12/11 NEW ENGLAND AT BUFFALO 1:00
12/17 DENVER AT BUFFALO 8:30
12/24 BUFFALO AT CINCINNATI 1:00
1/1 BUFFALO AT NEW YORK JETS 1:00

Draft Party
Again, the Draft Party is going to be held next Saturday, April 23rd, at McFadden’s! All you can drink beer for $30 from 12-7pm. I’m working on a wing special as well and will let you know more when we know more! Rumors are spreading that we will be trading up into the first round!

We’re also thinking of having a wing eating competition, where the Wing King Champion will have to defend his/her title throughout the season! Email me if you’re interested!

Buffalo Central Terminal
Found this website about the old Buffalo Central Terminal, which is similar to Grand Central Station. Has some amazing pictures and stories and they’re fixing it up. Check it out:
https://buffalocentralterminal.org/

— Matt ‘talkin proud and can’t believe we play the Jets here on New Years Day!’ Kabel

Hello all you hundreds of Bills fans!

What a nice day out, can’t wait to have lunch outside for the first time in months! We’ve go some info for ya on potentially having Jim Kelly at McFadden’s, and more details on the draft party!

Hunter’s Hope
Jacque Waggoner, who is Jim Kelly’s Mother in Law and Hunter’s grandmother, contacted me this week about the Chevy SSR raffle. She said whichever team captain sells the most raffle tickets will get a visit from Jim Kelly himself. Since I’m the team captain of NYCBBB, that visit would be with us at McFadden’s should we buy the most.

NYCBBB Draft and 4th Birthday Party!
On Saturday, April 23rd, NYCBBB will be holding its 4th Annual NFL Draft and Birthday Party! I still remember Matt Soreco and I standing around a TV with twenty other Bills fans and watching the Bills select Mike Williams out of Texas, thinking how cool it would be to watch actual games with this many fans! 900 Bills fans later…

Even though the Bills don’t hold a first round draft choice (yet?,) we’re working to make this year’s party a blast! We’ll have an all-you-can-drink beer special from 12-7pm during ESPN’s coverage of the draft. We’ve got the Rangers playing the Yankees and the Nationals playing the Mets, both of which will be on TV’s at McFadden’s. We have NYCBBB member Michael Bly, a lawyer-turned-musician, performing late in the afternoon. Also Doug Moore, one of the owners of McFadden’s/Calico’s, has donated 2 Yankee tickets that will be raffled off to those who purchase the beer special. We will also be unveiling some permanent NYCBBB fixtures on the walls of McFadden’s, making it the true home for Bills fans along with Calico Jacks!

Since this is an overall sporting afternoon, we encourage you to bring your non-Bills fan friends for an afternoon of sports watching at McFadden’s. Show them where you spend your Sundays during the fall, and share with them the outrageous happenings of NYCBBB! You never know, you may be able to convert some of them!

I’d love to hear any suggestions or comments on the Draft/B-day party. Also, let me know if you think you’ll be attending!

— Matt ‘talkin proud and fired up to be less than a month away from the draft” Kabel

Hello all 924 Bills fans!

As we announced a few weeks ago, NYCBBB is teaming up with Hunter’s Hope, which is raising money to establish the Hunter James Kelly Research Institute in downtown Buffalo. The Institute, located in downtown Buffalo at the NYS Center for Excellence in Bioninformatics and Life Sciences at the University of Buffalo is scheduled to open in January 2006. The Institute’s research will focus on repairing myelin (brain and nerve tissue), a finding that would help not only children with Krabbe Leukodystrophy, the disease Jim Kelly’s son, Hunter, suffers from, but will also help patients with Multiple Sclerosis, stroke, and other diseases in which there is white matter destruction of the brain and nervous system.

Hunter’s Hope needs our help! They are raffling off a 2004, sling-shot yellow Chevy SSR, which is one of only 7,000 made! NYCBBB staff has worked with Hunter’s Hope to allow for our members to purchase these raffle tickets online!

Tickets are $20 each, with all proceeds going to the Hunter James Kelly Research Institute. Below is the link with information about Hunter’s Hope and the raffle, which will take place on May 24th. I just purchased a ticket to test it out and it only took me 2 minutes to do! After purchasing a ticket, it will be sent to you via the mail.

IMPORTANT – When filling out your info, please type NYCBBB in the ‘Business’ box. Hunter’s Hope would like to know what different groups are purchasing the tickets.

C’mon NYCBBB, let’s help out this very worthy cause!

Happy Easter to all!

— Matt “talking proud and always happy to give back to the community” Kabel

Hello all!

Yes it’s been a long time. But don’t you worry, the NYCBBB staff has been working hard planning for next season! As we speak, some signed memorabilia is being framed to be permanently hung in Little Buffalo on 42nd Street and Second Avenue! We’ve got good news, and some potentially horrible news in regards to our team.

First off I want to congratulate my co-founder, Matt Soreco, on accepting a new job on Friday. No, Matt’s not going anywhere; he’ll still be working in midtown and hanging out in Little Buffalo on Sundays. For anybody that has Matt’s work email address, that will soon be gone so you should remove it from your address books.

There hasn’t been too much Bills news. JP Losman has reportedly been a machine watching tape and working out. It’s said he never leaves Sam Wyche’s side, which is great news. The Bills did sign former Browns QB Kelly Holcomb to a four year contract to backup JP. Holcomb is a very good QB, and could easily take over the starting role if need be. The Bills also signed Chicago o-lineman Mike Gandy, who provides great depth, and are hoping to sign former Colts Guard Rick DeMulling, who has protected Peyton Manning for the past few years. The Bills did say goodbye to starters Jonas Jennings and Pat Williams, who signed on with other teams.

Now, onto the potential bad news:
As I said in my last email Erie County (which is home of Ralph Wilson Stadium) is in the worst budget crisis in the county’s history. Hundreds of jobs have been lost. The problem is that over the last 50 years, the number of residents in Erie County has greatly decreased, but the number of government officials and Erie County workers has increased! Many of these workers are simply patronage jobs draining the economy, some as a result of kickbacks. The corruption in WNY politics has finally boiled over, and we’re about to pay for it. The good news is that I’ve been amazed speaking to people at home that both Democrat and Republican citizens agree that this is the best thing that could have happened, because they want the corrupt politicians to cut the fat (patronage jobs, kickbacks) out of the budget instead of raising taxes. Unfortunately the fat isn’t being cut, and instead school nurses and others are paying the price, as well as the Buffalo Bills.

Two county legislators have sent the Bills a letter asking them to allow the county to forego a $3.56 Million payment that is needed to maintain the county owned stadium. If the Bills agree to this they will be picking up the tab. If they don’t, and the county doesn’t pay it, they will be violating the terms of the lease giving the Bills a free out and a chance to move. As you can see, these two politicians (who are in the thick of the corruption) took it upon themselves to put the team’s future in Buffalo in jeopardy. I assure you that we’ll be following this closely, and will keep you updated.

Draft Party
April 23rd – we’ll let you know more details soon!

— Matt “talking proud and these corrupt politicians better not mess with OUR Bills!” Kabel

Hello all,

Some breaking news… The Bills right now are holding a press conference announcing that Drew Bledsoe will be officially released from the Bills on 2/22. This confirms the rumors that have been circulating the last few weeks.

That makes JP Losman the starting QB in 05!

Like him or not, Drew played hard for the Bills during his tenure. He always conducted himself with class and grace. I wish him well, wherever he ends up.

Other news
Nathan Neuman, our US Army contact to the troops overseas, confirmed that our care packages were received by the troops and they were greatly appreciated!

For you newbies, in December we ran a fundraiser for care packages to send our troops overseas. Check out the info:
https://nycbbb.com/emails/2004/122004.shtml
https://nycbbb.com/emails/2004/121704.shtml

“Stay tuned” for more news and events.

— Matt Soreco

Hello Bills fans!

Happy Valentine’s Day! I also want to send a happy birthday to Jim and Hunter Kelly (I guess I have to wish one to Drew Bledsoe too don’t I?) and use this day to announce the teaming up of NYCBBB and Hunter’s Hope. More on that below, but I first want to update you all on our Bills and some major trouble brewing in the city of Buffalo.

Eric Moulds re-structured and extended his contract last week, which means we have him for 3 more years with extra cap space. Even more cap space may be on the way, as MANY reports from reliable sources say that JP Losman will be the starting quarterback for the Bills next season. These same sources say that Drew Bledsoe has turned down the option of serving as Losman’s backup, and has asked to be released. We will find out the validity of this before March 2, which is when Free Agency begins. All signs point toward the beginning of the Losman era in Buffalo! Check outwww.BillsDaily.com for the latest news.

Anybody that has been following the news in Buffalo over the last week is aware that the city is in a MAJOR financial crisis. I know many of you are out there saying, “C’mon Matt, Buffalo has been in a crisis for 30 years” but this is very serious, and may be the final nail in the coffin for the city that hosts our beloved Bills. Due to politicians looking out for their own interests, they have driven the city into the ground. It culminated last week when a penny tax increase was defeated, which has resulted in worst-case MAJOR cutbacks in Erie County. Hundreds of jobs are about to be lost (including school nurses,) parks such as Chestnut Ridge are closed, roads will not be plowed.

As you can see, this spells disaster for the city. You may ask what this has to do with being a Bills fan. Well, if this isn’t taken care of asap, it’s very likely the Bills will leave Buffalo in the near future since there will simply be no money to operate them. Bass Pro may even be backing out on their intended new store in the Aud. It amazes me how a few selfish politicians have destroyed the city we love. I’m thinking of ways NYCBBB members can not only voice their anger about this, but make sure its heard loud and clear. Email me if you have any suggestions.

Hunter’s Hope
NYCBBB has decided to team up with Hunter’s Hope, Jim Kelly’s foundation in Buffalo, and make them our official charity. We’re going to work with them not only to raise money, but to spread awareness about increasing newborn screening. There are over 60 diseases that a newborn can be diagnosed with, many of which can be treated if caught at this early stage. The problem is that most states are only required to test for less than 20! That means over 40 diseases aren’t being diagnosed! One of those that was not diagnosed in time was Krabbe Disease in Hunter Kelly.

Throughout the season, we’ll be holding fundraisers for Hunter’s Hope, and spreading awareness about Newborn Screening. Also, Hunter’s Hope is building a research center at University of Buffalo, which means the foundation will remain in Western New York! Please check out https://www.huntershope.org/ for more information on the foundation.

— Matt ‘talkin proud, fired up for the Losman era, and ready to kick some political butt!’ Kabel

Hello All!

First, I would like to introduce myself. Maybe you haven’t met me yet or maybe you wondered, “who is that taking all those pictures?” I’m Anna Bazzini, NYCBBB’s photographer.

I’m going through Buffalo Bills withdrawal right now. I’m sure a lot of you are too. If you were at the book signing, you may have seen my new Bills tattoo – a quick fix for my withdrawal! (It still itches…) Speaking of the book signing, can you believe that Marv Levy was in McFadden’s?! He’s a wonderful and truly classy man.

Another cure for my withdrawal has been going through the pictures that I’ve taken over the season.

My real love is sports photography. At first, I found it difficult taking pictures of people, but you all were such great subjects and so patient. I’m sure some of you didn’t want my camera pointed at you all the time, so I want to thank all of you for being so helpful!

I put together my favorite pictures from the season, and would like to share them with all of you. From the draft party to the book signing, I think these pictures reflect what a great time we all had together, win or lose.

Check them out:
https://nycbbb.com/pics/anna.shtml

I also want to thank McFadden’s staff for letting me stand where I shouldn’t have at times in order to get some of the shots I wanted!

Thanks again to all of you for making my job as your photographer so much fun. I apologize to those of you I may have missed. We’ll do it all again next season!

Enjoy!

— Anna

Hello all 908 Bills fans!

As I apply for marketing jobs all over the Tri-State area, I laugh as I have to keep updating the NYCBBB section of my resume. It started with 700 members, and I’ve had to keep changing that number as we grew. This week, I had to update it to “Over 900 members”! We are definitely on our way to 1,000, and the NYCBBB staff members have a pool going as to when we will reach that mark. Please spread the news of our group to lonely Bills fans that want to both watch games with hundreds of fellow fans, and to promote Western New York to our fellow New Yorkers!

NYCBBB is featured on the homepage of www.buffalobills.com in regards to Marv Levy visiting us last week.

Michelle’s Corner
If you didn’t have the opportunity to attend the Levy signing, please take time to read Michelle’s Corner so you can get a feel for what it was like to be there. Also, she touches on the stress that we staff members felt planning an event for one of our heroes…with a week’s notice!
https://nycbbb.com/columns/012505.shtml

Michelle worked hard on this column, and is an aspiring writer, so please let her know what you think!

Pictures from the Levy Signing:
https://nycbbb.com/pics/marvlevy.shtml

Molson
If you can believe it, Molson and Coors are about to merge. A water downed “beer” and a quality Canadian beer under one roof. If that’s not a sign of the apocalypse, I don’t know what is!

Bills Daily
Please check out www.billsdaily.com for up-to-date Bills news!

— Matt “talkin’ proud with a shameless plug for my job search!” Kabel

Hello all 897 Bills fans!

Last night’s book signing was a HUGE success! Marv and Fran expressed how honored and excited they felt with so many wonderful Bills fans waiting in line to meet him. They even stayed for an extra 45 minutes to make sure everybody got a signature.

Upon arriving, Marv gave a fantastic speech to the awaiting crowd, which I apologize to the fans in the lounge who couldn’t hear it. Being the Harvard alum, he quoted Winston Churchill a number of times and by my count, included 5 big words I’d never heard before! He assured us that the current Bills team is on the verge of greatness, and told us not to worry about them.

After signing over 300 books, the highlight of the night occurred. We decided to show the Houston Comeback game on all of the TV’s, and fans were actually cheering (booing when OJ Simpson gave on the field updates) as the Bills fought their way back into the game like it was happening live! After Marv signed the last person in line’s book, I asked him if he would mind signing the NYCBBB staff’s books. He stood and looked up at the TV across from him and said, “Hold on Matt, I want to see us make this kick. I want to see us win this game.”

I look up at the TV and see Steve Christie lining up for the game winning kick which completed the greatest comeback in NFL history, orchestrated by the man standing right in front of me. The entire NYCBBB staff and Marv Levy stood in front of the TV and watched Christie nail the kick, which brought on a huge amount of cheers and applauds directed at Marv from all of the remaining fans at McFadden’s. Marv smiled and looked at us and simply said, “We won” and continued to watch the TV with a huge grin on his face, nodding at the TV as he came on the screen being hugged by all of the players.

Thanks to all of you that showed up, especially those of you that arrived as early as 2:00. I assure you that Marv and Fran had a wonderful time, and told us to thank you for all of the kind words and memories you shared with them throughout the night. Fran left us by saying, “I get back to NYC twice a year and I can’t wait to hang out with you guys at McFadden’s again!”

Missing Flag
To our disbelief at the end of the night, the NYCBBB staff witnessed a drunk couple (non Bills fans) rip down the Bills flag in the dining room to try and steal it right in front of us. I promptly grabbed it out of their hands. Unfortunately, the flag in the bar was not so lucky and is MIA. Please email me if you have any info about it.

Congratulations
On behalf of NYCBBB, I want to offer my congratulations to staff member Ryan Thompson, who was sworn in as a New York lawyer this morning. Ryan signed all of his official documents with the same pen Marv Levy used to sign books last night! Congratulations Ryan Thompson, Esq.!

Levy Pictures
NYCBBB’s photographer, Anna Bazzini, snapped a TON of pictures last night. We’ll email you when we have them up on the site.

Was last night awesome or what???

— Matt “talkin proud and still fired up about hanging out with Marv Levy last night” Kabel