Something is wrong. Yes, it was 80 degrees out and I was about 5 degrees away from turning on the air conditioning in March, which means global warming is for real and the Mayans were correct. The world is coming to a fu#$en end. If that doesn’t tell you something is wrong, then maybe my recent mood with the Sabres will add credence to it.
I’m kind of indifferent about the team. My emotions have been kind of subdued. It has stalled to the point that I can’t even muster the conversation about how 90% of WNY (Myself included) were wrong about saying the Sabres had no shot in making the playoffs. I’m already hearing talking heads say that everyone who thought Ryan Miller sucked or should be traded have to be eating crow with a fork and spoon. Yes, I soooooooooo love hindsight when it comes to fans/media chastising those who jumped off the bandwagon. Like, losing 500 games in January won’t make you jump off a fricken bridge.
Yes, the Sabres proved us wrong once again…Doesn’t that sound familiar?
Look, I do believe that most fans should be excited about the Sabres run. They have been playing great lately. You can’t sneeze at a decisive win against the top seed. I’ve liked a lot of what I’ve seen over the last month.
Tyler Ennis may be our answer to a playmaking center. Where the hell has Marcus Foligno been all our life? Look at Ryan Miller telling everyone to F-off when it comes to not needing elite goaltending. Maybe injuries are a fact of life? Jason Pominville is having his best season to date (Yes, it is better than 2007 because he’s now on the top line instead of the 3rd line). We may have a new core and Stafford and Roy have been playing up to their capability lately. I know there are a number of Sabres fans who are following these storylines and are enjoying it. When Sabres fans get a whiff of positive stories, they aren’t letting anything else get into their bubble. Accentuate those positives before the bubble bursts. That’s fine and more power to you.
Frankly, I think they can make a playoff run, but I just hate this chase.
Truth be told, I tried writing a positive piece about enjoying this run. It was one of those occasions where I thought I was due to write something positive about the Sabres.
“Hey, you never what will happen if the Sabres get into the 8th spot. Remember 1999? Remember the Oilers and Flyers run? Injuries are a fact of life, right? Look at all these young guys!”
I included all of that, then I reread it and clicked erase. It was a lie. A shill piece. It was my make-believe editor telling me to write something positive for a change because Sabres fans love positive pieces.
Something isn’t clicking for me and I think most of WNY feels the same way. I’ve been listening to Schopp and The Bulldog try and drive up some interest about their run and no one seems to be biting or calling into the show. Sure, people would rather call and complain, but I think it goes beyond that.
So, what gives?
Maybe it’s old age or watching 25 years of hockey, but I’ve seen this movie before. I could go back to my pieces from last year about how the Sabres were making their run after injuries hit them. I remember talking about how Gerbe was on fire, scoring 14 goals from January on (Hmmm..Is Foligno this year’s Gerbe?). I talked about loving Enroth’s play down the stretch (Ryan Miller’s recent play, anyone?). How about Thomas Vanek being a playmaker? (Again, Vanek from 2011 equals Pomer of 2012.) At one point, we thought Grags was our answer to a playmaking defenseman. Yes..Grags. That’s what happens when fans really get into a run. You take F#$ken Marc Gragnani and make him out to be Phil Housely.
Sorry, but as much as I like Foligno, I’m not making him out to be John LeClair, which tells me this run feels somewhat empty.
Of course, the biggest reason why last year’s run felt empowering was because we had a new owner. If the new owner wasn’t involved to allow us to dream the dream, the run would have been a popcorn fart in my opinion.
Not only is this a recording, but what does the run eventually lead to? A first round loss? This is one of those situations that if you are a Sabres fan who loves thinking optimistically, the conquest has to be better than the prize. If it is, you’re loving this.
To me, the conquest blows because the prize is something we have had before. Yes, playoff hockey is fun and I would rather them make it for my entertainment value, but the regular season journey isn’t making this all that interesting for me. It is leaving me with writer’s block when it comes to the Sabres because I’ve written the same crap before.
Maybe I’ll regret this post during a game 7, but I’ve been here before and the run doesn’t do anything for me cause it’s played out.
Welcome to stagnation:
A place where I look more forward to discussing the following:
- How Rick’s family sucks ass (Walking dead).
- How I want John Snow’s wolf to rip off King Joffrey’s balls (Game of Thrones).
- Rock vs. Cena at Wrestlemania.
- Why I wish I could be Roger from Mad Men.
Sure, I was moved this weekend with wins against the Rangers/Wild, but I just feel blah overall. I’m not saying we will be one and done, but I just need something to really get me back into the swing of things. I’m pretty positive the 1st round of the playoffs will do that, but right now, I got nothing to pour my heart into. Ive had like 5 rough drafts about this run in my que and they have the makings of more flip flops than Mitt Romney’s political views.
I’ve done the scoreboard watching and the biting of nails bit in March before, but now, I don’t feel nervous or anguish. I don’t feel anything. It feels like having a bunch of one night stands in a row which you enjoy “the games”, yet, you walk away without feeling the love. Thanks for the entertainment, but I’m using you because I’m bored from 7:30-10:00pm. I hate to say it, but I’m going through the motions with this run. My heart is not in it. (Note: Mario Williams and the Bills being active in FA may have something to do with it.)
If you win a round or two, now the prize is worth it and I’ll be excited. Yes, I’ll pull a groin while jumping back on the bandwagon and will have no shame in doing it.
However, what is the point of going through hoops in chasing after the hot girl (Again), when you know that it’s not going to last (Again). This isn’t the typical Buffalo mindset of nothing will work out in the end because we suck (Hell, we got Mario Williams! So, I’m feeling froggy). This is just one of those circumstances where I’m not feeling it right now. Maybe I’m at that point where either the Sabres run is on repeat with some new guys or…gulp..I do not care about hockey as much as I used to. Nah, I like hockey but I’m just so over this season that I want to get to the playoffs without working for it emotionally.
It is crazy, but I think they can do damage in the playoffs because the east is terrible.
But my heart isn’t in this mini-run to the playoffs. It feels dull. Sure, I’ll cheer and watch. I’ll even tweet about being in 8th place and a “Who would have thunk it?” tweet will come across my timeline. I’ll get caught in a moment or two. I want them to win. This isn’t about being negative, this is about the entertainment value of it and unfortunately, I just can’t get into it because I find it to be boring rerun.
Wake me up when we live through something that isn’t from 2011.
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