Buffalo’s Canalside – OKC Has Lessons To Offer

Here in Oklahoma City, there is a neighborhood on the fringes of downtown called “Bricktown”. It is a mix of historic old buildings, supported by infill development subject to strict architectural guidelines, all connected via a below grade canal which meanders through the district, offering paddleboats and water taxis to ferry visitors around

The buildings are skewed towards fun and entertainment, with nightclubs, brewpubs, restaurants, retail stores, joined by residential uses, hotels, large retail hubs, a movie multiplex, including a (memo to Tim Tielman – please insert high pitched girly shriek here) Bass Pro.

Their AAA ballpark, AT&T Bricktown Ballpark anchors the district, and the Cox Convention Center and Ford Center, home of the NBA Oklahoma City Thunder, are all closeby.

We were astounded seeing how much new development has occurred since our first visit here in 2006. More importantly, Bricktown can offer a plethora of design guidelines and ideas for Buffalo’s Canalside to follow. Here in OKC, they are light years ahead of Buffalo in terms of making their historic district a reality. Here’s hoping we can catch up. Fast.

Profiling Boone Pickens Stadium – USRT roadie Day 1

Mike Casiano and Gary Herman from NYC join us in Stillwater

The five venue venture across Texas and Oklahoma is underway!

No USRT air travel itinerary ever goes off without some sort of glitch or colorful hiccup, and today was no exception. As we sat at the gate in rainy Buffalo ready to push pack, the pilot comes on the PA and informs the passengers that there has been a national computer glitch and many flights are grounded because flight plans have to be loaded manually into the air traffic control system. In essence, we could be here a while.

Aaarrghhh!!!

A few minutes later we were informed that we were one of the lucky flights, they got us loaded and locked and we were good to go. Connections went seamlessly and we landed at DFW right on time!

We headed up towards OKC, basically to check into our downtown hotel, and then it was over to Stillwater, 65 miles north, the home of Oklahoma State University and the Big XII Cowboys.

Oklahoma State has two of the prettiest and most opulent sports venues that we have seen in our travels – Boone Pickens Stadium was actually built in 1924, but just this season completed a total makeover, and the result is dramatic – a “retro” designed brick, masonry and wrought iron structure, with canyon wide concourses, tons of concession stands and accents done in orange and black OSU colors.

Right next door, and dominating the one end zone, is Gallagher-Iba Arena. We got a peek into the place a few years back, and were impressed with the marble tiled floors, brick accents, fantastic seating bowl and a plethora of amenities not common to venues at this level of sport.

Joining us for parts of this road trip swing are our good friends Gary Herman and Mike Casiano from New York City. Gary and “The King” are paying their own “official” visits to both the NBA Oklahoma City Thunder and the NFL Dallas Cowboys to bring their 122 venue list back to current. (Yes these guys are the only other two that we know of who share bragging rights to this feat with the USRT). Us guys always have a fun bet as to who can get to the doorsteps of new venues as they open first. Since we’re all going together to the basketball game on Friday and the Cowboys on Sunday, I guess whoever walks through the turnstiles and get their tickets scanned first wins.

Back to Boone Pickens Stadium – as nice a venue as it is, and local fans here are so warm and friendly, the one thing this stadium lacks is a soul. There was little or nothing in the way of memorabilia, championship banners, murals of former greats. The corridors here are sterile and generic – lots of directional signage, escalators and masonry accents, food stands everywhere, all very pretty, but year by year timelines, statues, anything to trumpet the program’s history would have been welcome.

We ended up seeing a heck of a game. After a snooze of a first half where the underdog Colorado Buffaloes held the lead, the Cowboys put in their third string quarterback, Brandon Weeden, and he put a spark into the team. The offense got into high gear, then the Buffaloes retook the lead thanks to a 97 yard kickoff return, but in the end it was the Cowboys who got the last laugh, taking a 31-28 lead late and hanging on for the win. The home town fans, waving their arms, chanting and clapping in unison walked into the night with a win.

We’re back at the Sheraton in downtown OKC – roughly 21 hours after the 4AM alarm went off in Buffalo to begin the day. Eyes are droopy, and tomorrow we get to enjoy a great day here in Bricktown, enjoying the energy of this nice city, dinner at cool sports bar, and then a night of NBA basketball at the Ford Center.

Bisons featured in national ad campaign

The Buffalo Bisons are featured in a national ad campaign for AT&T.

Yep. you read that right! Today the Bisons released the video to the public, depicting a newly called up player racing to get to the ballpark on time. Using his navigation app on the phone to give the driver directions, then showing the ticket taker his browser with the story about his callup, he makes it to the dugout just in time to lead off the game.

The flashes through the ad are lightning fast, but watching it several times it becomes obvious that the commercial was not filmed at Coca Cola Field.

Nonetheless, seeing the blue and orange Bisons unis and a commercial that is soooooo Buffalo through and through is really cool to see. Major props to the Buffalo Bisons!

Profiling Windsor’s WFCU Centre

We learned the hard way upon arriving at the new WFCU Centre in Windsor, you better have a plan of attack for parking. There’s VIP Parking, there’s Suite Parking, there’s Community Rink Parking, there’s free general parking, and a traffic circle out front with signs pointing you in ten different directions. But unless you come very early, you will be relegated to a rubble strewn, shabby parking lot a kilometer away, a long walk through dank terrain, and you’ll have to pay $5 for the privilege to boot! Oh, and don’t try using the “we’re the media” stuff or telling the parking police you were the best man at Coach Bob Boughner’s wedding to get into one of the closer lots (We tried). Tough crowd here!

But once you arrive, you will step into one of the prettiest, noisiest and most intimate and opulent hockey rinks in the OHL. And ironically, the WFCU Centre replaced one of the most iconic of venues, the “Old Barn” in downtown Windsor, which for a while in the early days was even the home of the NHL Detroit Red Wings.

Named after a local financial institution, the WFCU Centre opened its doors in late 2008. Like many of its peer venues, several community rinks and public facilities are attached to the building. But it is the arena itself which really makes this place.

There are 6500 sets for hockey, suites hug the sidelines at the top of the seating bowl, and a private themed restaurant with drink rails and private seating can be found at one end zone. But what also makes this arena so special is the seating pitch. Unlike some of the newer designed arenas, the steep seating puts fans right on top of the action. It makes the seating bowl especially intimate. And loud.

Add some classy designed and tiled concourses, a substantial concessions menu (including our favorite – poutine!), game areas and bars, and you have yourself a venue which serves all needs and suits all tastes.

The Spitfires are riding high these days, what with their new arena which is playing to rave reviews. Additionally, the team won its first OHL championship in over two decades this past season, then went on to capture the Memorial Cup, Canadian junior hockey’s highest achievement, awarded each year via a round robin tournament involving Canada’s three top junior leagues.

“No we didn’t tip over cars or smash windows in celebration or anything like that,” reports team public relations director Robert Gagnon. “But it was a very special moment for the fans and this organization nonetheless.”

Even the Detroit Red Wings got into the spirit of things, welcoming the Spitfires organization to one of their home games, sending 50 tickets along in the process, and many of the team members got to take part. Said Gagnon, “They did a three minute video montage of the Spitifires magical season. It was something we will always remember.”

The Spitfires are doing a great job defending their title, opening this season with a 16-3-3 record, and on this afternoon they scored two late goals to dispatch the visiting Oshawa Generals, 4-2. And as we mentioned, there is a Buffalo connection here, as former Buffalo Sabres’ fan favorite Bob Boughner is the team’s president and head coach.

About the only down thing about this facility is the location… it is miles away from the glitz and action of downtown Windsor, situated amidst industrial parks, shopping centers, housing subdivisions and a lot of vacant dreck. But if you like the energy of junior hockey action, and the pop of an exciting new destination venue, then the Windsor Spitfires and the WFCU Centre is certainly worth the trip!

USRT Ontario Hockey League venue checklist – WFCU Centre

Wine red seats – check
Poutine – check
Pizza! Pizza! – none to be found
Tim Horton’s – in the community center concourse next door
Restaurant overlooking the playing surface – check
Oh Canada – one language
Portrait/Mural of Queen Elizabeth – nope
Local Sports Hall of Fame – in the community center concourse next door
Chuck a Puck contest – of course!

Props to the Spitfires’ Rob Gagnon for his hospitality. And oh, for the record… this is the USRT’s 13th completed venue in the OHL. Still on the “to do” list? Kingston, Belleville, Owen Sound, Sarnia, Plymouth, and *sigh*… Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish – a wow factor experience

The Ultimate Sports Road Trip partnership is almost 12 years old, yet incredibly, it has taken this long for us to get to visit one of the most storied of venues, Notre Dame Stadium and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

That streak ended yesterday, as we finally got to South Bend. On the schedule? Navy visiting Notre dame, a historic rivalry that goes back as far as the early 20th century.

Notre Dame Stadium is more than just bricks and mortar. It is a living museum. When they renovated and expanded the stadium in the late 90s, they added huge wide concourses throughout the exterior periphery of the building, and restored the historic brick facade of the former inner walls.

Then they added the tradition – memorabilia, banners and murals of players, statues of their icons, Ara Parseghian, Knute Rockne, Dan Devine. Larger than life championship rings. Much of their heritage portrayed in grainy black and white, we immediately drew parallels to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto or Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. It is a visit worth savoring and we tried to take advantage of every minute of it.

The U.S. Naval Academy, “Navy” were the opponents and Notre Dame has absolutely owned this rivalry since it began. With the backdrop of the recent tragedy at Ft. Hood, there was a somber undertone to the day’s festivities, and Notre Dame did a great job of remembrance.

Then it was game time. Irish Quarterback Jimmy Clausen was absolutely superb, throwing 37 of 51 passes for 452 yards. Navy completed just 2 of 3 passes for 56 yards. Yet incredibly, thanks to two missed field goals and unbelievable gaffes right at the goal line, in the end it was Navy pulling the stunning 23-21 upset. Note Dame will certainly be knocked out of the top 25 in this week’s poll.

Because of out tight travel schedule we had little time to really savor this charming and bucolic campus, or head over to Mishawaka where most of the happening pubs and night spots are located. Nor could we visit the College Football Hall of Fame, which is located here in South Bend. Even their basketball arena next door is replete with exhibits and memorabilia which needs considerable time and attention.

Whether you’re a Notre Dame lover or a hater (and truth be told, we were cheering for Navy, albeit quietly, in the same way one would cheer for a #15 or #14 team in the NCAA tournament when they look like they might pull an upset), a visit to South Bend is one of THE elite college football experiences. We were thrilled to be here and take in the day, on a gorgeous and sundrenched 70 degree fall day. What took us so long to get here!

OHL Arena Guide and their Saginaw advice

Kevin Jordan of London, Ontario is one of our good friends and part of our sports road trip posse. His web site, OHL Arena Guide, is unmatched when it comes to profiling the venues of the Ontario Hockey League and now he is also tackling the other CHL circuits in Canada to add to his voluminous entries.

So when we take in a new OHL venue, we usually like to check into Kevin’s writings and see what he has to say. As for Saginaw’s (ahem) nightlife, would he have a good recommendation for a post game must do? Perhaps a cool sports bar, or some place with a signature local food item, or a venue that was owned by some hockey legend and can usually be spotted at the place?

Right from the Saginaw venue profile, here was the tip…

Also, one note – the area around the arena is mostly fine on gamedays, but the area immediately north of the arena on the other side of the highway is scary-looking. If you’re from out of town, follow the signs to get back onto the Interstate after the game and don’t stray too far, although for us, a Slurpee and a fillup at the 7-11 a few blocks south on Washington is a post-game tradition.

Slurpees? Kevin, Kevin… Did you not see the 24 hour Rally’s fast food joint amidst the rabble and rubble of downtown Saginaw??? Slurpees are not the only action going on this happenin’ town!

You’re slipping dude. Time to update the Saginaw page.

Profiling Saginaw’s Dow Events Center

It is Day One of the Ultimate Sports Road Trip’ journey to Notre Dame and back, and for the first leg of the trip, we paid a visit to Saginaw, Michigan, home of the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit.

Now Saginaw is one of just three U.S. based OHL franchises, the other two being the Erie Otters and the Plymouth Whalers, and we often joke that these junior hockey venues are pretty much a boilerplate experience – 6000 wine red colored seats, small lobby with local Sports Hall of Fame and exhibits just off to the right, showcasing people most never heard of nor do they care about. On the concession menu – Pizza Pizza, Tim Horton’s and poutine. Throw in a restaurant high above center ice and the ubiquitous mural of Queen Elizabeth hanging up above one end zone, and no need to drive all the way to Sault Ste. Marie. We just nailed it.

That being said, it is kind of refreshing to get the OHL experience from the American angle, and here in Saginaw game night does not disappoint. Fans here love their hockey and are passionate about their Spirit, a team they have had here for just a few seasons, after the franchise relocated from North Bay.

The Dow Events Center is a multi faceted entertainment and meeting facility located on the fringes of downtown Saginaw. The center city here is dreary and depressing, with many vacant storefronts and dank, dark streets. Save for this facility and a theatre one block away, there would be absolutely no reason to come downtown at all.

But the arena itself is a real charmer – just under 6000 seats, all upholstered and plenty wide, a sparkling rotunda style atrium lobby with flags of all 20 OHL teams ringing the pavilion. Video board, party decks at ice level on each corner, and a low enough ceiling so that the place can get really noisy when al the seats are filled. The arena underwent an extensive renovation back in 2003 costing upwards of $14-million, this after their former minor league team departed mid season in the dead of night, and disgusted fans were ready to bulldoze the place.

It has all worked out here in Saginaw. Team owner Richard Garber stood at one of the exits after the game, high fiving fans and patting them on the back as they departed. Fun seems to be the mantra here, with mascots and game day crew shooting t-shirts, in fact so many of them, that we had to switch sections to a less crowded area so we could watch the game with fewer distractions.

With scant little tradition here, there are no retired numbers hanging from the rafters, and the team has yet to win an OHL championship or appear in the Memorial Cup tournament despite playoff runs in recent years. But that may all change this year as the team is off to a fast start, and headlining the 2009-10 squad is 19 year old defenseman Nick Crawford, who is in his fourth season with the team, and was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 2008. On this night, Crawford netted two assists as the Spirit throttled the visiting Oshawa Generals 5-1.

Following the game we headed out to a local pub and eatery (not in scary scary downtown), and ran into Spirit play by play broadcaster Leigh Cunningham. Leigh was kind enough to spend a little time with us and shared his thoughts about the team and their fan base. Having worked with OHL teams for a number of years, including with the London Knights, Leigh was very deferential towards Saginaw, saying that fans here have been very quick to embrace their team and the OHL product.

Day One of this USRT adventure is in the books! Saturday we point the car south towards South Bend, and a 2:30 PM kickoff at Notre Dame Stadium as the Fighting Irish host Navy, a team they have beat at home for generations. For the nightcap, it’s then off to the United Center in Chicago for the Chicago Bulls. They are promising sunny skies and 63 degrees at game time, it should be a great day!

Above – the Blue Line Club is a gussied up banquet hall open to season ticket holders. Below – a birds eye view of the action from one of the corner party decks.

Props to Bill Konesko at the Saginaw Spirit for his assistance!

Notre Dame football trip on tap for USRT

Incredibly, it took until this afternoon to get the final starting times for next weekend’s college football games which we had an interest in. What a totally suckity-suck system the NCAA has, where they hold back start times so that networks and regional sports channels can cherry pick what games they want to present and when.

We were eyeballing two possibilities… a day-night doubleheader involving Iowa and Iowa State, or a similar plan involving North Carolina and North Carolina State. Both plans needed an early game (noon-1pm) and a late game (7pm-8pm). So last Monday “stops” were put on both the NC State and Iowa State games’ start times, and we had to wait until today to find out where we were headed.

The word finally came down at 3pm today, and it wasn’t good news… both plans had overlapping start times, and we sure as heck aren’t driving 730 miles to see just one football game.

So it was off to “Plan C”.

Here is what we put together tonight, lickety split…

FRI NOV 6 – OHL, Oshawa at Saginaw
Dow Events Center

SAT NOV 7 2:30PM – NCAA, Navy at Notre Dame
Notre Dame Stadium

SAT NOV 7 8:00PM – NBA, Charlotte at Chicago
United Center

SUN NOV 8 – OHL, Oshawa at Windsor
WFCU Centre

Pretty neat – we get to cross off two more OHL venues, including the new arena in Windsor (we visited the “Old Barn” last year before they closed), and plant the USRT flag in South Bend, one of the most storied college football venues in all of sports. AND a Saturday doubleheader!

My Cheektowaga Election Day Tradition

Proud I am of my 2009 slate…Stan Kaznowski, who’s been running for this job 32 months straight; Pat Jaworowicz, seeking her 8th and final term; and Jim Rogowski, watch for his name on the ballot down the road for State Senate or Town Supervisor

Wow. After all these months, literally hundreds upon hundreds of hours devoted to campaign activities on two fronts – the Cheekdems, where I wear the hat of Executive Vice Chairman, and downtown at the EC Legislature, where I serve the Majority Caucus, this all finally comes to an end on Tuesday. John Glascott comes out of Cheektowaga with momentum in the Sheriff’s race. If this were the private sector the other guy would have been shitcanned a long time ago, “genuine hero” or not. If John actually pulls this off it will be a huge gold star for our Cheekdems organization. I have my fingers crossed.

I am mentally and emotionally spent. It has been exhilarating and at the same time such a sucky experience. I love the campaigning and the energy of devoting time to a cause that I believe in. At the same time, I have been pulled in directions between Cheektowaga and downtown, all demanding of my time and skills and energy. Whatever happens this Tuesday, over the next couple weeks I am going to do some heavy thinking and soul searching in terms of where I want to be and what I want to do politically moving forward, and to what extent I want to work in government. I do know this – I will not go through another year like this ever again.

In the din of Tuesday’s Election Day activities, a group of us is going to take a break and partake in a tradition that goes all the way back to 1981.

Back then, Pat Jaworowicz, running for the first time for Council, and her future husband Don Wegner, standing for re-election, and a few family members and campaign workers gathered at Roma’s on Genesee St for a “good luck” luncheon. That night Pat won and Don lost, but we kept the tradition going, every time one of us was on the ballot, and it became the Primary Day and Election Day thing to do.

In 1987 it was my turn on the ballot for Council, and I remember my Conservative friends John Abraham and the late “Chicky” Roberto and a couple of their friends just happened to walk into Roma’s for their own lunch engagement. We pulled a couple tables over and invited them to take part — hey without those guys and their endorsement I wouldn’t have even run. I also remember Pat bringing then EC Legislature Chairman Richard Slisz to my luncheon, and him proclaiming me “a big winner” and how flattered I was him just being there. (And yes I did win that night).

The other memorable luncheon was Primary Day 2001… We walked into Roma’s with the surreal backdrop of the news of 9-11 unfolding on the TV screens. That was a bitter and divisive Cheekdems primary year in Cheektowaga, but the events of the day made us realize how really silly and petty our differences really were. I remember then Supervisor Dennis Gabryszak walking into the bar that day around 12:30, coming to our table and informing us that the Governor had ordered that the election be cancelled.

So here we are 2009, and it dawns on me that this will probably be the final time that our group convenes in this setting, in this venue. Heck even Roma’s is no more, our boy Richie finally retired after three decades as a restauranteur, so we scrambled to pick a new place, and settled on Danny’s, down the street. Then I think how different things are; this is definitely Pat’s last election, and if you ever see the name “Jaworowicz” on an election ballot, it will instead be her son Tim. Ray Pugh, a member of our Planning Board and part of our group from day one, isn’t getting any younger either. Then there’s me and my game planning my future endeavors, and surprise, surprise… “Cheektowaga” doesn’t come up in the mix.

And then there is Don… Our dear, dear friend Don Wegner, Pat’s husband, succumbed to cancer in 2007, and this will be the first time that his chair will be empty at this gathering. Don so loved the political arena and Election Day was always a special and exciting day for him. We know that Don’s spirit will be with us as his beloved “Pat-reesh” makes her last hurrah on the Cheektowaga ballot.

Come Tuesday, I will reflect on all the election days of the past, and despite how flithy this business can be sometimes, that there is also something really good in terms of the lifelong associations, friendships and fellowships that are derived from these shared experiences.

My big rooting interests this Tuesday… of course Pat and my Cheekdems council slate… in LD-8, Tom Mazur. “Maze” is a good friend and a consensus builder who quietly gets things done… in LD-12, Bob Reynolds is being deluged with negative campaign flyers, which is too bad. He is such a decent guy and I’d say our best legislator… Props in LD-11 and Lynn Marinelli. Yeah she’s my boss and all, and also a really nice gal and someone I’m proud to work for… and finally Cheektowaga’s own John Glascott.

The Cheekdems and Glascott party starts at 9PM Tuesday over at Leonard Post VFW, 2450 Walden Road, corner Nagel Drive. All are invited. C’mon down and have a beer with me!

PuckStop: On Tyler Myers

This week in Puck Stop, we profile the Sabres’ newest defenseman, Tyler Myers.

As if the first three games of the season wasn’t enough to create buzz and excitement, Myers again made a strong case for himself that he is here to stay in his play this past Tuesday, a statement making 6-2 Buffalo win against the Detroit Red Wings. While everyone is trying to stay grounded and focused despite the team’s fast start, all the talk on local sports radio, message boards and blogs is focused on Tyler Myers and his future as a potential superstar in the NHL and as a Buffalo Sabre.

But what about the short term? Many are asking if Myers will be sent back down to his junior team in Kelowna, or will he stay with the Sabres permanently. And what is the significance of Myers’ being on the roster for nine regular season games?

So we asked Sabres Public Relations Director Mike Gilbert, and he offered this explanation. “The nine games simply involves year one of Myer’s contract. He signed a three year agreement with the team, and if he stays beyond the nine games, then year one goes into effect. If he gets sent down, then year one doesn’t kick in until he returns. All this means that ultimately his arbitration rights, free agency, etcetera would kick in that much quicker should the team elect to keep him,” said Gilbert.

So that’s pretty much it. Translation… either the Sabres get to keep Myers at a lower price for as long as possible, or they lock him up to a long term contract at some point and pay the best case scenario of the big bucks that Myers will surely command. Just like they did with Drury, Campbell and Briere.

Meanwhile, check out the video of the Sabres highlight reel from this past Tuesday. Tyler Myers totally makes the second goal happen, thanks to his end to end rush which looked absolutely Perreault-esque. Myers took the puck right to the net and almost stuffed it by Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood. The rebound kicked out to Patrick Kaleta, who buried it on the backhand to give the Sabres a 2-1 lead. Good times! Good times!