Terrell's Buffalo: A Wing And A Player
More people than you might think are able to pry their cold fingers from their snow shovels in Buffalo and type out harsh e-mails to sportswriters in other cities who dare suggest their 40-watt city is an odd place for the halogen spotlight that is Terrell Owens to play football.
Terrell's Buffalo: A Wing And A Player
Bob Ford, Inquirer Sports Columnist
More people than you might think are able to pry their cold fingers from their snow shovels in Buffalo and type out harsh e-mails to sportswriters in other cities who dare suggest their 40-watt city is an odd place for the halogen spotlight that is Terrell Owens to play football.
And it pains me to report that some of them -- this is almost too much to bear -- say disparaging things about Philadelphia in the process. Sad, but true. After I wrote a column this week wondering how the pairing of Buffalo and Owens could possibly last, many Buffaloans...Buffalonians?...Buffalites? Well, many residents of Buffalo took exception. They feel that stories mentioning snowfall in Buffalo, for instance, are a cliche -- even though they have been shoveling that cliche off their sidewalks for the last four months.
Fair enough. Maybe they enjoyed it more when Jim Reeves of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote a column of his own that looked at the situation from the other side. I had wondered how Owens would adjust to Buffalo, where everyone goes down to the hotel on Friday to see who rented the room. Reeves wondered how Buffalo -- solid, hard-working, wing-eating, beer-drinking Buffalo -- would possibly adjust to Owens, who isn't their kind of bird, whether with hot sauce or not.
You can decide for yourself which is the better approach. As for Buffalo, we can just let them enjoy that brief, exciting period of time when Terrell comes to town -- before he decides to burn it down. The Buffalo News ran a story today that could have carried the headline, "Hey, Ma. We're on SportsCenter." They're very excited up there. Yes, we remember that feeling well.
Bob, at least people in Buffalo actually read your football columns which is better than you can say for Philly.— Earl J
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Tell you the truth, Earl, I got a laugh out of that one myself.— Bob Ford- Just got back from a business trip to Buffalo. The folks up there are excited about TO. They're talking about exposure on prime time TV etc. Anyway that is what brings. Excitement. One thing though, there were still 4 ft pile of snow arond and it snowed a bit yesterday so "Hey TO bring your long underwear!"— bossrjc
- It will work for a year...— thatkidrich44
- You have to admit, Bob, it would be different if your column appeared in, say, Miami. I mean, Philadelphia may be a more desirable city to live in than Buffalo. But, it's probably closer to Baltimore or Cleveland than it is Paris. We're losing residents here at an alarming clip - and speaking of clip, they're not all getting murdered either. It only seems like it.— Bake McBride
- What I find fascinating, in general, is that people search the Web for what is being said about their town by others around the country -- and actually care. Why do they care? Obviously, I write for a Philadelphia audience, not a Buffalo audience. I don't necessarily agree that Buffalo is more or less desirable than Philadelphia. But my job (whether I do it well or not) is to amuse and inform people here not there. And what are you saying, East Falls doesn't remind you of the 6th arrondisement?— Bob Ford
- Why shouldn't they be excited? T.O. is a big pick up for the Bills, and it was a one year contract. I don't think anybody would be surprised to see T.O. have a huge season there. I have nothing against Buffalo as a city. Philly fans have enough of an inferiority complex, we should know better. People of Buffalo, I salute you.— p-diddy
- F.T.O.— despy22nd
- p-ditty, The Eagles are in the playoffs year after year. Just how long has it been since the Bills were there? Talk about inferiority. OH and the Phillies are champs? Buffalo? Oh yea they don't have a team. Hard to pick up the ball in a snow storm !— Philbert
- from an Eagles fan living in another country - I get my daily laugh from reading the sports news about T.O. and Buffalo. It is hard to find something not funny in this... however, as humans, we all continually need "second chances." I actually hope that T.O. and the Bills have much success - yes, it sure could make NFL football a lot more exciting...as long as they don't beat the "Iggles."— hedelhutch
- I think people in Philly care what is said about them around because is always negative. Snowballs at Santa from like 40 years ago, courtroom at Veterans stadium, I bet part of the country still thinks that the Eagles play there. All they talk about is the guy that paints his face and wears shoulder pads to games, the drunken idiots, it annoys the people with class that watch the games. It does get tiresome after a while, Yankees fans throw batteries, Jets fans gave a coach for the Chargers a concussion with an iceball, Cardinals fans burned up McNabb's lawn, but the Eagles fans are the worst.— Marvelous
- If I lived in 2 sport town where one of the teams was below .500 every year. I'd be reading another city's sport section as well. What do they write about in July? Philly fans are the worst? At least Philadelphia doesn't have to move games across the river to Camden to generate a fan base. Rock on Bob and the only reason Buffalonians are reading our sports section is because they want the honest truth on what life with TO is like.— tomegraf
- The man writing this blog is an imposter, and quite possibly a Fascist, too. TheRealBobFord loves Buffalo, its warm, hospitable weather, and its tasty, hot sauce-slathered chicken wings.— TheRealBobFord
- I'd be happy for you to take over. I'm going to need you to get me three columns, four blog posts and a sidebar by the end of the weekend. Oh, yeah. You've got to e-mail with Gonzo, too. That's a lobotomy right there. (I do like the tasty wings, though. That is regrettably true.)— Bob Ford
- I feel so bad for that QB in Buffalo wing land. The abuse he will put up with will put him in a QB wife beater protection program. I think Ford needs a raise or part of the gov. stimulant package for e-mailing Gonzo. A lobotomy is a terrible thing to waste.— MIKE IN NY
- Philbert, what exactly is so controversial about saying that Philly fans have an inferiority complex? The Phillies won it all this year, but don't try to tell me that being sandwiched between NYC and D.C. - with the 5-time champion Steelers on the other side of the state - doesn't put a chip on our shoulders, especially as the ring-less Eagles are concerned. I say this as a lifelong Eagles fan. Plus, this city is bleeding population like crazy. Most of the fan base probably doesn't even live in Philly proper. That said, Philly is a great city. This is no reason to bad mouth Buffalo. Save the bad mouthing for a soulless place like Dallas.— p-diddy
