BigTime Sports

By Dan Lutman

Buffalo Beat


The Buffalo Bills improved their record to 6-7 with an impressive 31-13 victory over the New York Jets, avenging a loss to them earlier in the season.
The Bills took the lead for good on a second-quarter, 77-yard touchdown pass from J.P. Losman to Lee Evans. It was one of three first-half touchdowns for the Bills that were over 50 yards.
Willis McGahee had a 57-yard touchdown run (a career long for him), and Nate Clements had a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown off a Chad Pennington catch.
Willis McGahee compiled 125 yards rushing and Aaron Schobel had three sacks for the Bills.
Though unlikely, the Bills still remain alive for a playoff spot. They trail the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars by two games with three to go for the two wild card spots.
I don’t see the Bills getting into the playoffs, but crazier things have happened, especially in the NFL. The Bills do seem to be improving each week and appear to be heading in the right direction under head coach Dick Jauron. This could not be said during the Mike Mularkey/Tom Donahoe era.
The Bills return home to face the rival Miami Dolphins next week.

The Sabres took two of three more games this week to improve their record to 22-5-2.
This past Tuesday they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning on the road 4-1. Daniel Briere recorded a hat trick in this one.
On Thursday, their trip to Florida ended on a sour note with a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. Ryan Miller made 35 saves in a game where it seemed like he was the only one playing.
On Saturday night though, the Sabres bounced back by defeating the division-rival Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in a shootout.
The Sabres look to conclude their road trip with a winning record on Tuesday when they travel to New Jersey to face the Devils. The return home on Thursday to face the Florida Panthers and conclude the week at home against the Ottawa Senators - the only team with a winning record against the Sabres this year.


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There was no sports blog last week because of my trip to Durham, North Carolina to go to my first-ever Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
I’ve seen Duke play a couple of times before, but this is the first time I got to see them play on the Duke campus. As a longtime, die-hard Duke fan this was definitely a huge deal for me. Duke took on the Holy Cross Crusaders of the Patriot League.
As I toured inside Cameroon Indoor Stadium, I was able to see up close all of the Duke Player of the Year trophies from past winners which included J.J. Redick, Shane Battier, Jay Williams, Elton Brand, Christian Laettner, and Johnny Dawkins, among others.
I also got to stand right next to the three National Championship trophies that Duke had won.
As for the actual gymnasium, it’s not what most people would expect. Watching it on television, most would think that it holds a lot of people. In reality, it only holds somewhere in the range of 4,000-5,000 people. It looks like a big high school gym. But being so close to the court and having the “Cameron Crazies” is what has given Duke such a decisive home court advantage and prestige it has earned over the years.
As for the actual game, Holy Cross had taken a 28-22 lead at the half. I thought I could possibly be bringing bad luck to the Blue Devils and they would never let me come back again. What a tragedy that would be!!!
But Duke ended up going on a 20-4 run in the second half and DeMarcus Nelson and Josh McRoberts chipped in with 13 points apiece as Duke pulled away and hung on for a 57-45 victory. So, good news for me, I can now come back.
Overall, it was an awesome experience going to the game and soaking in the atmosphere. The “Cameron Crazies” were absolutely entertaining (way better than seeing on TV), the gymnasium was beautiful, and Duke won the game. If anyone ever has the chance to go to a game, which is extremely difficult to get tickets to, don’t pass up the opportunity. It’s one of the best atmospheres, if not the best, in all of sports.

Dan's three cents
Each week, I throw in my three opinions on anything going on in the sports world that I haven’t discussed or significant stories outside of sports.

1. I realize that San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson will most likely be the NFL MVP this year and deservingly so. He just broke the record for touchdowns with his 29th of the year in only 13 games and the Chargers lead the AFC with an 11-2 record. But a case should be made for quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. He has joined a team that went 3-13 last season and has thrown for 4,033 yards with 25 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions while leading his team to a 9-4 record good for first place in the NFC South and an apparent playoff berth. He probably won’t overtake former teammate Tomlinson for MVP, but his play should be appreciated.

2. The New Jersey Nets are off to a slow start this season at 7-12. Where does that leave them? First place in the Atlantic Division?!?!?!? This can possibly happen? This would be a big story if the NFL, NCAA Basketball, and NCAA Football weren’t going on. No one else cares, and you know what? I don’t either, but I just thought I would point it out.

3. I really wish I were a major league baseball pitcher right now because these guys are getting paid big bucks right now. Andy Pettite, Ted Lilly, and Vincente Padilla are names you may or may not have heard of before. Whether you have or not, I think it’s safe to say that we don’t have to worry about holding their place in Cooperstown the first time they’re on the Hall of Fame ballot. Regardless, Pettite has just signed a one-year, $16 million contract. Lilly has just signed a four-year, $40 million contract, and Padilla has just signed a three-year, $33.75 million contract. If your not a math major, that’s $10 million or more each year for these pitchers that aren’t even the best pitchers on their own team. They most likely won’t even be All-Stars either. Not a bad deal for your average pitcher.

4. I’m going to add a fourth point this week only because it deserves one. I just want to congratulate Bryan Mahoney and Marcy Dewey for their engagement this past weekend. I’ve never met two people better suited to spend the rest of their lives together. I’d say good luck, but you don’t need it, so I’ll just say congratulations!