More on Miller
Hey, when you spend the weekend at your 20-year high school reunion, those posts that were rattling around in your head suddenly become far less timely. But I still feel the need to write a bit about the Miller signing.
As someone who thought that Miller would end up here, and as someone who questioned if he was worth the money it would take to end up here, I found my emotions getting the best of me when I heard Ryan had signed. In fact, about two seconds after I had the initial reaction of “awesome”, my reaction seconded that of Dave, which he so eloquently expressed in the post below. Basically, I just didn’t care about the money because the symbolism of the signing meant a lot to the fans and to (I suspect) the locker room itself.
Sitting here on Tuesday morning I can think about the money. And I am pretty sure I am still OK with the move, or as OK as one can be in handing out $31 million to a position known for producing one-hit wonders and flashes in the pan. My gut tells me that based on Miller’s past performances, we won’t see his game fall off a cliff if he is provided, just as any goalie should be, with proper support. So for now, I am cool with the money.
And enough other people have written about what his signing means to them as fans, to the community, and to the team (just scroll through the comments on Dave’s post for a few particularly insightful ones).
But there are a couple things I have to get off my chest, even if they have been said elsewhere or come dangerously close to plagiarism.
First, Miller puts his own stamp on the team with his signing. I don’t know if he intended it, I don’t know if he is aware of it (I think he is) and I don’t know if he realizes the ramifications, but he becomes the de facto leader of the team. No, leaders don’t have to be the guy hooting and hollering in the dressing room, but by signing his deal he said, I believe in the direction of this team, now who’s with me? After listening to Paul Gaustad on WGR, there is no doubt in my mind that he knew Miller was signing here long-term when he signed his extension. Would he have signed if Ryan hadn’t, or if he had expressed doubts? I’m not so sure he would have. I think his boys from the Amerks that he came up with already saw him as the glue that held them together, now it has to extend to the rest of the kids coming up.
Also, I read Bucky’s article and I’ll just throw it over to Heather:
The things that Bucky is suddenly excited about – New AHL affiliation! Young core of talent! Long-term contracts! Really good drafting and promising prospects! – are all things that existed a month ago. This is pretty close to the same team we had at the end of the season. A few columns ago the whole organization was happy with mediocrity and now they’ve suddenly figured out the best way to build a team?
Couldn’t have written it better myself. Again, how does he still have a job?
Finally, it’s just another point on the “experts” here in Buffalo. Heather mentions the commenters on Sabres Edge who were relentless in their theories about Miller going to Detroit, and we had our share of that here as well. Okay, as an aside, I really enjoy reading the “insider tidbits” from Harrington and Vogl. But part of the fun of reading blogs is interacting with the writers in the comments section, and you just can’t do that on Sabres Edge. It pretty much takes it out of blogdom and puts it in the world of message boards – it’s Thunderdome in there. But to get back on topic, just how “expert” are the so-called experts? It’s one thing for blog commenters to speculate on the Detroit thing, but one local writer was particularly high on the Miller-to-Detroit theory. Jerry Sullivan speculated on WGR that it would take “Vanek money” to “convince” Miller to stay. Aren’t these guys the ones interacting with the players? Aren’t they the ones who are in the know? How come we never heard even a whisper about Miller’s deal possibly getting done? All the writers were talking about “hoping” the front office was doing something, but none of them even had a clue. So what’s the difference between Jerry Sullivan and a blogger? He doesn’t have any contacts, or at least doesn’t have any that give him useful information, stops by the locker room on occasion, obviously fails to absorb what is happening there, and then writes an opinion piece. Nothing we don’t do all over the Sabres blogosphere, short of the locker room visit.
Which got me to wondering, is perhaps the negative attitude that we get from some of the Sabres writers a product of their being shut out of the rumor mill? In other cities, some GM’s or team officials use (some might say manipulate) the media by leaking agendas through a couple sources. It lets the source appear to be “in the know” and it lets the team get it’s message out and also gauge fan reaction. As far as I can see, none of that exists between the Sabres and any media members, let alone those of the Buffalo News. Their colleagues are out there producing pieces that come from leaked sources within the organization, while they go without. Just playing junior psychologist here, but I’m thinking of a couple guys who are already known to carry a grudge…
So in the end, Ryan Miller has done yet another service for Western New York in exposing these phony experts for what they really are – nothing more knowledgeable than you or I when it comes to the local hockey team..
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Speaking of “phony experts”, did anyone else catch this gem from Spector?
“What was surprising was the Sabres, who lost key players to unrestricted free agency due to unwillingness to pay them fair market value, were willing to do so for Miller.
Daniel Briere, Chris Drury, Jay McKee, J.P Dumont and Mike Grier were among those lost to free agency over the previous two summers, while Brian Campbell was dealt at last season’s trade deadline when it became apparent he too would bolt for the UFA market.”
Come on, Spector. You’re usually good at applying logic to things. You should know better than to lump Briere and McKee in with Grier and Drury. And to lump Dumont in with the “they’re just cheap” argument?! Ridiculous.
Link: http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/8365016/Sabres-changing-approach-to-free-agency
I do think there is a a really interesting “all for one” mentality with the team that seems to focus around Miller. The fact that Gaustad and Miller seemed to be on the same page before and after their negotiations gives me a lot of hope that Pominville will be signed by the end of the summer. *fingers crossed*
I have never really thought about the TBN coverage like this, Kevin. It’s true. Either Jerry Sullivan is purposefully writing untrue columns for the sake of spewing crankiness, or he really has NO idea what’s actually going on. I’ve been complaining about these TBN guys
Great post!
Whoops, I left that sentence dangling there. I meant:
We’ve been complaining about these TBN guys for months, and all along it seems our guess was as good as theirs. Better actually. I like your point about bloggers being on equal footing with the reporters in a situation like this. Not only do bloggers have the same information, but our egos aren’t all wrapped up in a perceived slight.
I think its pretty sad that the newspaper has the same sources as bloggers. They should be working all day in finding sources inside the organization. Trying to get scoops instead of sitting of at their desks waiting for something to happen. The arena is only a block away from the News.
How could no one see the Miller signing coming? No one?
Bucky was too busy golfing.
@4 – They know there’s no point, with deadtree subscriptions plummetting and the elderly being their primary readers.
They can badmouth bloggers all they want, but at the end of the day they know that the majority of the world gets its information from a vast variety of online sources instead of one newspaper sitting on the doorstep.
But they have evolved where they keep on updating stories. I go the the News site several times a day to read crazy stories of that day. Print maybe outdated, but the online version shouldn’t be.
The news is a 24/7 thing now. Why aren’t their chats during the day. Right after the press conference have a chat on the site, discuss what was said. Have a bills chat. Bring on politicians. There are so many possibilities to make the Buffalo News very different and so much better.
Its why blogs are making a dent.
Trevor, most polls I have seen still put the Internet as a resource for news below newspapers and television. But, it is climbing and climbing fast. Everyone I know under the age of maybe 35 or 40 gets their news online.
As for the expertise of writers, it should be questioned. I firmly believe I know more about the CBA and the Sabres cap situation than anyone covering them at TBN. That comes not only from an awesome Sports Law class I took in law school, but also from wanting to actually know what’s going on with the business side of things.
Very few in the MSM look ahead two or three years to see how decisions today will impact the team in the future. For example, everyone can complain about Dumont, McKee, Briere, Drury and Campbell but it would without question impact the signing of Vanek, Roy, Miller, Hecht, Stafford, Sekera, Pominville and others. You can’t keep everyone and you just can’t magically trade players away on a whim.
I’m also always amazed ho poorly these guys estimate where the market is at. Whether it is Bucky being insanely wrong on Roy and Vanek or Sullivan being way off on pretty much everyone. Once Nathan Horton’s deal was signed, how didn’t they see that would be Roy’s comparable?
Honestly, I think TBN is reaping what it has sown. Once upon a time, there may have been people in the Sabres organization who would leak things to them, but a couple years of the attitude expressed by Gleason and Sullivan have come back to bite them. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Bucky’s snotty “I know something you don’t” comment last summer was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Didn’t one of the tv stations have inklings about Paille’s contract before TBN did? That tells me there are still leaks in the org, just not to TBN.
It may be unfair, but relationships are really important in journalism. Of course sports reporters shouldn’t be BFFs with players/coaches/GMS, but that’s not the same as maintaining a respectful relationship. There’s a price to pay if you’re nasty about someone. Sometimes, it’s worth the price. It seems like it might not be for TBN.
Dave in roch – I read the fox sports article ‘Speaking of “phony expertsâ€,’ at lunch today – I got a kick out the ‘unwilliness to pay’ comment. Why not mention the rumbling, bumbling, stumbling, “oops, i stepped on my weenie” style of management?
Every off-season for the past 30-some years, I’ve been pissed at the Sabres. Maybe a win in the finals will cure my ill temper. Come sept 30, I’ll be pie in the sky about the upcoming season – it happens every year!
Kevin, your comparison of Sabres Edge to Thunderdome is both spot-on and hilarious.
Hmmm….20th anny reunion….gots mine this weekend.
Miller’s signing showed that he was about the team, while the others had $$$$ signs in their mind come contract time.
Miller probably could have gotten more he had held out longer before signing, potentially somewhere else next July but decided to remain loyal to the club that brought him up.
Would the fact that the TBN guys seem to be soooo negative about the Sabres have something to do with players not wanting to play here?? Haven’t they burned their bridges with enough people that no one will give them any news? (but that’s another topic.) Could it be that management actually learned from past mistakes– if you want to keep certain players, you have to pay them to get them (they were aware it was going to cost some $$ to sign Miller). The “Miller to Detroit” rumors started immediately by other so-called hockey experts right after Campbell was traded. If Miller really wanted to stay here with the group of guys who played together in Rochester, so be it. They got him signed — now he needs to improve his GAA and his save % and get back to the goalie he was the year after the lockout. When will they sign Pominville? When will they make a decision about defensemen?
I like this blog and value your opinions, but it is not on the same footing as TBN. The reporters deserve criticism, but they do talk to Darcy, the players and the agents. They reported Darcy was in contact with Miller, that Teppo may resign, and they had the whole Campbell saga on the page every day. Who on this blog called Darcy and got a response?
Now, what Sullivan and Gleason do in their columns is different. It’s opinion. And everyone has an opinion. None is necessarily more valuable than another. Occasionally there is a particularly well informed column. But often it just to get people talking. And by that measure they are a success.
I’d just add that I like that the Sabres aren’t leaky. Makes me respect Darcy more than I would some blabbermouth.
Mighty Larry, I think you make a good point. After I left my comment here yesterday I actually thought, “Well, in truth, ALL of the information bloggers have is gotten from someone with more direct access to players and management (namely reporters and other official media types).” Obviously bloggers need the information that reporters can get. I just think a few of the writers at TBN lost a LOT of credibility with the one-two punch of the 97% season ticket renewal and the signing of Ryan Miller. How is it that these guys with so MUCH access were so wrong? I do respect some of the writers over at TBN, and I am grateful for the information we as fans can gather because of their work, but frankly, in terms of analysis of that information, I think a person is better off reading Bfloblog than reading TBN.