Hello all 1,509 NYC Buffalo Bills Fans!!!

To all the new members that signed up through BuffaloBills.com, welcome to Bills heaven in the New York City area! Last year we packed both McFadden’s and Calico Jack’s for the majority of the season, and expect to do the same this year! We’ll send out an email before the September 10 opener that explains the specials and the differences between the bars. We usually get a ton of signups that week, so we want to make sure everybody is on the same page that Sunday! In the meantime, check outnycbbb.com for details!

One pre-season game down, three to go! The Bills take on the Cincinnati Bengals tomorrow night in good ol’ Orchard Park. The game won’t be televised live here, but will be shown on the NFL Network at 1pm on Saturday. You can probably catch that game at Blue Moon on 75th and First Avenue, but call ahead first.

For anybody that missed the first game, here were some highlights:

• JP Losman outplayed Kelly Holcomb. Losman had more playing time and played against the Carolina 2nd team, but overall was able to move the offense on 3 scoring drives. He’ll be starting tomorrow night and is expected to play the entire first half. If he plays halfway decent, look for him to be named the regular season starter by Monday. Throughout camp, he has been the best of the three quarterbacks.
• Sam Aiken, who many thought might get cut, had a solid game and led the team in receiving. There is even an article in today’s Rochester D&C comparing him to the great Steve Tasker.
• Kyle Williams, DT – ever heard of him? Most haven’t, but he was our 5th round pick this year and has been turning heads in camp. He made headlines with his dominant play in his first NFL game last week and has taken over the starting role from Tim Anderson. Free agent Larry Tripplet and first round pick John McCargo also played well.
• With injuries to Coy Wire and Matt Bowen, 8th overall pick Donte Whitner has been thrust into the starting SS job faster than expected. He led the team in tackles last week, and will hopefully improve his play even more tomorrow night.
• Ryan Lindell went 2 for 2 on field goals, including a 53 yarder!

Bills/Jets
We reserved 100 tickets for the Buffalo Bills home opener against the Jets and I believe we are just about sold out. If you have any desire to attend, please contact Kevin Smith at Kevin@nycbbb.com

Thanks to all that sent well wishes for Nicole and I with our upcoming delivery. I assure you that I am doing everything in my power to will this kid out before his September 10 due date so that I can be with all of you for kickoff! Football Gods…where are you???

GO BILLS!!!!

— Matt “talkin’ proud and love Marv Levy!” Kabel

Hi Everyone,

Anybody else notice the air this morning? I paused as I stepped out of my apartment – the air was clean, there was no humidity, and just the tiniest, faintest hint of a chill. It was, dare I say it, the first indication that football weather is coming. I’m pumped.

Speaking of football, our Buffalo Bills are kicking off the preseason tomorrow night at 7pm! The game will be shown as part of a package on the NFL Network where they do live cut-ins of 6 games. If you don’t get the NFL Network at home we will be showing the game at the Blue Moon (75th and 1st). At this time we are still confirming that the bar can show it, so please give them a call tomorrow before heading out. Their number is (212) 288-9811. Your favorite bartenders from the Sabres game, Harvey and Ritchie, will be behind the bar so it’ll be a great time.

We have a few tickets left for the home opener against the Jets. Ticketmaster is only selling single seats so we are your best option for tickets! Please email me if you are interested in heading up there with us.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather. We’ll be sending out more info on the upcoming season and home opening tailgate soon!

Let’s Go Buffalo!

— Kevin

Hello all 1,451 Bills fans!

It’s that time of the year again, the sounds of helmets clashing is upon us once again! The 2006 training camp for the Buffalo Bills starts this weekend at St. John Fischer in Rochester. This means that your NYCBBB team has also gotten to work on our 2006 season at McFadden’s and Calico Jack’s.

Matt Soreco and I have become very busy lately. He’s working on his new house and busy with his job so he’s not able to be as involved with the club this year as much as in the past. As some of you know, Nicole and I are expecting our first child on none other than September 10th. He must already be a Bills fan because that’s the date of the Bills season opener against the Patriots! Let’s all pray he comes early so dad won’t have to bring a TV into the delivery room.

As a result of our increasing busy lives and Michelle and Anna moving away from NYC leaving only Kevin and Phil to run things with us…it was decided to simplify the going-ons at the bars. We asked you all in a survey what the most important aspects of watching games with NYCBBB are. These were how you ranked them:

1) Having the game on with picture and sound
2) Friendly Service
3) Good wings
4) Canadian Beers
5) Food

We took that and decided that if the game is on and you can hear it, the staff is friendly, and you have wings and beer….everybody is happy! With that, we are going to ditch the football menu and beef on weck. We are going to continue with Sahlen hot dogs as long as people order them. Other than that, we will continue with everything as it ran last year. You will again be able to make reservations at Calico Jacks in advance, McFadden’s will be first come first serve as it always has been. The specials will be the same again as well:

2006 Drink/Wing Specials for McFadden’s and Calico Jacks:

• $30 – All the draft beer (including Labatt Blue/Molson Canadian) you can drink and wings you can eat
• $20 – All the Bud/Bud Lite draft you can drink and wings you can eat
• $15 – All the POP you can drink and wings you can eat
• $1 off all mixed drinks
• $2 TKO Shots

The times of the special will revolve around the time of the game:
All specials are from one (1) hour before the game until the end of the game. Doors will open at 11:00 for 1:00 game days! They cannot serve you booze until noon, but you can come in, get a bite to eat, have some coffee, and watch the pre-game show.

We have tickets on hold for the home opener against the Jets. Please email Kevin Smith if you are interested in heading up there with us!

For now that’s about it, we’ll start updating you weekly on happenings at training camp and help everybody get fired up for the season!

More to come….

I LOVE THIS TIME OF THE YEAR!!! GO BILLS!!!!

— Matt “talking proud and fired up to raise a Bills fan!” Kabel

Hello 1,452 Bills Fans;

Long time, no e-mail. We have some things to tell you about.

The crew at Quite Frankly once again invites us to a taping of their show. On Friday, July 7th, Bruce Smith will be their guest! They were psyched about our turnout for Jim Kelly, and they hope for another great turnout for Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce. I will be there!!!

Here are the details:
If you want tickets, call Jackea Chan at 646-708-7150 or email Jackea.X.Chan.-nd@espn.com. You must provide your first and last name, telephone number with area code and spell your email address. Someone from Audience Services will contact you if your reservation has been accepted. The tickets are free!

The studio is located across the street from Madison Square Garden in Hotel Pennsylvania @ 15 Penn Plaza. The show date is Friday, July 7th, at 6:00pm. Check-in is at 4:30pm!

Reminder! 3rd Annual Buffalo Road Trip
This year the NYCBBB will be making its third trip up to Orchard Park for the Bills/Jets Home Opener on Sept. 24th at 1pm. We hope to build on last year’s successful journey which included huge tailgate party and a butt kicking of the Jets! Once again we encourage everyone to invite their NY friends that haven’t been to Buffalo and show them a great time. We’ve put a bunch of tickets on hold and you can order them NOW. Please contact Chris Costanzo at the Bills for details and to purchase seats, and be sure to tell him you are part of Matt Kabel’s NYCBBB group package. His phone number is (716) 648-1800 x 8912 and his email address chris.costanzo@bills.nfl.net.

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer despite all the rain. Have a happy and safe July 4th weekend!

— Matt Soreco

Hi Everyone,

With the end of the Sabres season the Buffalo Sport Summer Drought has officially begun. However Marv decided to create a little excitement this week by trading off-injured backup tight end Tim Euhus to the Saints for linebacker Courtney Watson. Watson was a 2nd round pick out of Notre Dame in 2004 and has a great opportunity to be a solid backup for the Bills. As always, check out Bills Daily for the latest off season news: http://www.billsdaily.com.

3rd Annual Buffalo Road Trip
This year the NYCBBB will be making its third trip up to Orchard Park for the Bills/Jets Home Opener on Sept. 24th at 1pm. We hope to build on last year’s successful journey which included huge tailgate party and a butt kicking of the Jets! Once again we encourage everyone to invite their NY friends that haven’t been to Buffalo and show them a great time. We’ve put a bunch of tickets on hold and you can order them NOW. Please contact Chris Costanzo at the Bills for details and to purchase seats, and be sure to tell him you are part of Matt Kabel’s NYCBBB group package. His phone number is (716) 648-1800 x 8912 and his email address chris.costanzo@bills.nfl.net.

Sabres Thank You Party
Don’t forgot on the Sabres Thank You party on Monday at the Blue Moon (75th and 1st). It’ll most likely be the final NYCBBB get together before the preseason games in August AND they’ll be giving away tons of Labatt Blue and Sabres stuff, including two jerseys. The festivities start at 8pm along with Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and has fun on Monday night!

— Kevin

Hi Everyone,

It has taken a while for the disappoint to subside, but it’s finally time for me to admit the Sabres season is over and to send the season ending email. First, for Bills fans I have some news on our 3rd Annual Buffalo Road Trip! After that it’s a pretty long email, so I’ll give you the highlights first: We begin with a wrap up of the Sabres season, then a Thank You from the Staff at the Blue Moon and details on one last party, finishing another thank you from me.

Bills Road Trip
The NYCBBB will be hosting its 3rd Annual Buffalo Road Trip this year to watch the Bills take on the Jets. An added bonus this year is that the Jets game is the Home Opener! I’ve been to the last 3 home openers and they are always a great time. Once again we have reserved tickets so everyone can sit together, and we’ll be sending out more info about this on Friday!!

Sabres Wrap Up
The season ended a week ago today, and I’m still a little shocked that it’s over. Since I’m not a very good writer, I’m going to sum up the season by copying the editorial that appeared in the Sunday Buffalo News entitled “Buffalo Proud of Gutsy Sabres”. I think it does an amazing job of summing up the feelings that this Sabres team inspired, and the hope for the future:

“Disappointment runs deep in Buffalo these days. But pride runs deeper.”

Playing with far more heart than health, the Buffalo Sabres fell one period short in their quest for a trip to the Stanley Cup finals. There was no shame in that loss. When you enter Game Seven with a depth chart that already looks like a scratched-off lottery card, it’s tough to hit the jackpot.

Make no mistake, this Sabres season was all about heart, and hard work, and team play through round after round of adversity. The 2005-2006 Sabres refused to make excuses, but they also refused to quit despite injury after injury. They played their last deciding game on the road with what one Carolina writer called their “37th-string defense” – and that was before Jay McKee got sick. Yet they still led after the first two periods.

With all due respect to the still-standing ‘Canes and Edmonton Oilers, no team in this postseason played with more heart than the Sabres. They demonstrated just how far drive, guts and speed can go in the “new” NHL, and they were good not just for Buffalo – when was the last time you felt this elated about sports in this city? – but for the sport of hockey.

The Sabres are a young team, with still-emerging stars and organization-nurtured talent. They also have major forces behind the bench in master psychologist Lindy Ruff, and in the owner’s box, where Buffalo owes a huge emotional debt to B. Thomas Golisano for launching a championship team from a platform of disarray and prior-owner bankruptcy. Much of this team will stay together. And that’s good. Scary good.”

Blue Moon Thank You
This post season would not have been nearly as exciting if we hadn’t had a great place to gather and watch the games. A big thank you goes out to all the members that suggested places to catch the games, and especially the folks that brought the Blue Moon to my attention. We all had a great time there and the Blue Moon had a great time hosting us. Here is a copy of the thank you that the staff wanted me to pass along to everyone:

“Dear Sabre Fans:

On behalf of the entire staff of The Blue Moon Mexican Cafe, I wish to thank you all for joining us throughout The Sabres exciting playoff run.

We hope that you all had as much fun with us as we did with you. I believe that many new and lasting friendships were formed. I want to invite you all back for a “thank you” party during The Stanley Cup Finals. We still have two Sabre jersey’s to give away (one was sent to us by James Patrick),and Labatt will be sending us more items to raffle off.

I have posted the Stanley Cup Finals schedule on our website, along with pictures from Game 7, so have a look.

Thanks again and see you all real soon!

Carlos, Dave, Harv, Richie, Jodi, Tara, Mari and the rest of the staff at “The Moon”

Thank You Party
As mentioned above the Moon still has a bunch of Sabres stuff to give away. On Monday, June 12th we’ll be hosting a Thank You party for all Sabres fans during Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Hopefully Edmonton will have figured out how to win a game by then an keep the cup north of the Mason-Dixon line like it belongs! (whoops, I tried not to be bitter. Oh well.) The jerseys mentioned include a Ryan Miller jersey and an authentic Sabres jersey (fight strap and all)! I’ll be on vacation in Florida and can’t make it but good luck to everyone! Also, they have extended their offer of $3.50 Labatts during the remaining Cup finals games. Great deal.

Thank You
Finally, I want to thank everyone for their enthusiasm during this playoff run. The crowds at the Blue Moon were incredible and I can’t wait to top it all next season. Remember that the last time the Sabres lost in the Eastern Conference Finals, they made the Cup Finals the next year (98/99)!

Hi Everyone,

I’m sure any non-Sabres fan is sick of hearing from me by now, so this email will be short AND include some actual Bills News.

Willis on Quite Frankly
Willis McGahee will be in town next Thursday, May 18th to appear on Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith. This will be very similar to the Jim Kelly show that they did in March. Once again they are inviting our members to be in the studio audience. Willis just had a very, um, interesting interview about his lifestyle in the NFL published in the Orlando Sentinel this week that I’m sure will be a topic of conversation. Here’s the link to the article as well as the info for the show:

Please call Jackea Chan at 646-708-7150 or email Jackea.X.Chan.-nd@espn.com. Please provide your first and last name, telephone number with area code and spell your email address. Someone from Audience Services will contact you if your reservation has been accepted. The studio is located across the street from Madison Square Garden. Again the show date is Thursday, May 18th, at 5:00pm with a 3:30pm check-in.

Sabres Saturday Night at the Blue Moon
Tough game last night for the boys, but they’ll be back in action and looking to stamp their ticket to the conference finals this Saturday at 7pm. The game will be on OLN and we’ll be hosting our usual game watch at the Blue Moon (75th and 1st). We had another GREAT capacity crowd on Thursday night and I have high hopes for an exciting Saturday night.

Finally a very HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all of our mom’s out there.

Hey Everyone,

“One Shot, One Hero”

That was the cry in the Buffalo dressing room during the intermission before the first OT. 5 minutes into OT, on the first shot of OT, we had our answer. J.P. Dumont grabbed a deflected puck out of mid air, dropped it at his feet and fired home the game winner. I’m not sure what happened after that because I was yelling, jumping, screaming, hugging and high fiving everyone in sight at the Blue Moon. Buffalo is now up 3-0 with the chance to close out the Sens TONIGHT!

One of our members emailed me this morning, “I love football, but playoff hockey is the most exciting sport on earth.” Couldn’t have said it better. Once again the Sabres scored first, and if it wasn’t for hitting 3 posts in the first peroid the game would have been a blow out. They’re already partying in downtown Buffalo, and I know the players want win it for the best fans in the world. Who will be the hero tonight?

Game time is at 7pm, and the game is on OLN. The Sabres could sweep the Senators, the favorites to win the Stanley Cup! We had a near capacity crowd last night, and we polished off 14 cases of Blue. I expect more of the same tonight (with MORE Blue in tow) so arrive early. It’s at 75th and 1st. If you are watching listen closely to James Patrick’s commentary during the intermissions. The owner of the Blue Moon talked to him this morning, and he is going to try to work in a shout out to our group! Also, the owner talked to the Sabres PR group, and they are going to send us a package (hopefully for the next round – knock on wood!!)

Finally, one of our members (the guy who introduced us to the Blue Moon) brought his good luck charm to the game last night. It was a Gilbert Perreault rookie card given to him by his neighbor – Gilbert Perreault! Unfortunately during all the hoopla surrounding the overtime win, it went missing. If you happened to have found it in the bar or on the street, PLEASE let me know.

We need to find Gil!!!

I’M FIRED UP!!!

LET’S GO BUFF-A-LO!!!!!! SEE EVERYBODY TONIGHT!!!

Kevin

Hey Everyone,

Remember the end of the ’04 Bills season? Here’s a quote from our 12/14/04 email: “After holding the Browns to 17 total yards, the Bills have fought back from an 0-4 start to go 7-6 and above .500 in December for the first time in 5 years! Sitting there in the SNOW this Sunday watching our dominating defense de-humanize the Browns, I felt an electricity in Ralph Wilson Stadium that I haven’t felt in years. Western New York is fired up, and we should be too!”

The atmosphere at the Blue Moon on during the game on Monday night was exactly like it was when we were all watching those games back in ’04. There were between 75-100 fans there, and in between polishing off EIGHT cases of Blue (15 CASES ORDERED FOR TONIGHT) the bar was rocking and the red light (yes, they have a red light for when the Sabres score) was blazing. The Sabres stole Game 2 with a 2-1 win and now lead the series 2-0 with the next two games on back to back nights in Buffalo. If that doesn’t fire you up, try this quote: “This game is going to be crucial for us,” Sabres winger Ales Kotalik said. “It’s the most important of the series for us because if we end up winning this game it’s pretty tough, and I don’t think Ottawa is good enough to come back from a 3-0 deficit.

“We have a helluva chance to go past them. . . . When you’re playing the third game at home you’re going to be fired up. We’re going to win this game.”

Game 2 is TONIGHT at 7pm. The game is NOT being shown on OLN so the only place you can see it is at the Blue Moon at 7pm (75th and 1st). They’ve even included some new specials: Blue bottles are now only $3.50 at the bar and the early bird special (a draft beer, nachos and a dinner entrée for $10) will be offered all night for Sabres fans. Get there early (6:30) for a seat at the bar!

Once again, since the game is not on OLN, McFadden’s will NOT be showing it. There was confusion about this on Monday, as McFadden’s was telling people on the phone they will show the game. They will have the game on Thursday. For those fans that can’t make it out tonight, the game will be shown on the internet athttp://www.comcast.net/sports/nhl/hockeylive/. I have yet to check this out but a number of members have said they’ve watched the games and the quality is pretty good.

I fully expect everyone that was there Monday to be there tonight. We need to keep the Karma Train rolling so we can finish this series out at home and get some rest for our injured players. Go Sabres!!

Kevin

Hi Everyone,

First things first: Game 2 of the Sabres/Senators series is tonight at 7pm. The game is only being shown on the Center Ice package. We will be showing the game at the Blue Moon (75th and 1st) For the last couple of games the crowd has been great, and they serve Labatt Blue! If you can’t make it, I’ll post some other places on our message that I’m told have the Center Ice package. Game 1 was un-bel-iev-able (more on that later) and I STRONGLY encourage EVERYONE to watch this series, even if you only have a passing interest in hockey. Hope to see you tonight!

REMAINING SCHEDULE
Here’s the remaining schedule (TV station):
Wednesday, May 10 at 7 p.m. – Ottawa at Buffalo (Center Ice)
Thursday, May 11 at 7 p.m. – Ottawa at Buffalo (OLN)
Saturday, May 13 * at 7 p.m. – Buffalo at Ottawa (OLN)
Monday, May 15 * at 7 p.m. – Ottawa at Buffalo (OLN)
Wednesday, May 17 * at 7 p.m. – Buffalo at Ottawa (OLN)
* if necessary

Despite the fact that this will most likely be THE most entertaining playoffs series this year, the NHL doesn’t seem it find it important to have the games on national TV. Tonight’s game as well as Wednesday game will ONLY be on Center Ice. Thus I encourage everyone to join us at the Blue Moon. I’ve gotten word the McFadden’s has gotten their OLN connection, so after Thursday you can watch it there (please call ahead to confirm) as well as at Blue Moon.

RECAP TO DATE
On Tuesday May 2nd the Sabres knocked off Philly with a 7-1 victory in Game 6 (in Philly!!). The score tied Philly’s all-time worse home playoff loss and was Philly’s 2nd worse defeat in a deciding game (tops being the 8-0 knockout by Buffalo in 2001). After Ryan Miller’s bid for a 2nd straight shutout was ended by Philly’s only goal, the Sabres responded immediately with a goal 49 seconds later.

Game 1 of the Sabres/Sens series was Friday night. As I mentioned above, it was THE most exciting game I have ever seen. Buffalo scored 35 seconds into the game, meaning they have scored first in EVERY game so far. After that, well, you name it – it happened. The Senators went on top 5 times, and the Sabres tied them FIVE TIMES. Including this sequence in the final 2 minutes – Sabres are shorthanded, down 5-4. Tim Connelly and Derek Roy convert a 2 on 1 to tie the game. Ottawa, still on the power play, scores 24 seconds later to go up 6-5. Buffalo pulls the goalie and Connelly scores his 2nd of the game with 11 seconds left. Then in OT, Chris Drury buries a shot 18 seconds in for the 7-6 win! All of this, mind you, happened in Ottawa’s arena. This is a never-say-die team that keeps making the impossible happen. They’ve scored 14 goals in their last 2 games. Amazing.

OK, hopefully I didn’t just jinx our chances tonight. The game should be tough and hard fought, but if the boy can pull it out, they’ll be up 2-0 with the next two games at home! Remember – tonight and Wed’s games can only be seen on Center Ice at the Blue Moon.

“Ooo, ahh, Sabres on the Warpath…”

Kevin