Bills 51 Raiders 3

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I remember it like it was yesterday. The tailgate party stretched on for hours, but it was too cold to really enjoy the beer. Besides the anticipation of the event forced us to drink the night before so we were all a little off our games.

Yet the weather was cold - Buffalo in January - how could it not be? - and we were rooting for it to be colder. The Raiders were in town for the AFC Championship Game and we wanted them to be icicles as they tried to stop Kelly, Reed and Thurman.

The Bills ran the hurry-up offense and by 1:15 PM they were ahead 7 to 0. The Raiders went three and out and ten minutes later Howie Long, their big defensive end, was doubled over in pain - one play later it was 14 to zip.

By halftime the game was over - the Bills were winning 41 to 3. The crowd was frenzied. The snow started to fall.

I remember sitting there watching the snow fly, and the fans waving signs that said 'Buffalo is going to the Super Bowl'.

I remember thinking that I'd never be at a greater sporting event. Two weeks later there were tears in my eyes when the Bills took the field to play the Giants - there were tears in a lot of eyes at the end of the game. (Yeah, yeah Rosie - shove it!).

I wanted to get tickets to go to that Super Bowl Game to root for them. I wanted to hug Kelly, Thomas, Reed, Bruce, Tasker...every last one of them for making Buffalo proud.

Alas, that was January 1991. A long time ago.

Yesterday I watched a number of people in the crowd taking off their shirts in single-digit temperatures. They were frenzied as they cheered on a team that hasn't gone to the playoffs in 10 years.

I thought of their owner crying for not being able to squeeze another nickel out of a broke community, or a county who's taxes pay to keep the stadium open. I thought of all the libraries and museums, and county parks that have been closed in an effort to keep the team viable. I thought of the game a year in Toronto even though we sell every single ticket. I thought of the loudmouth wide receiver being presented a key to our city.

Thank God I wasn't there yesterday. A meaningless game in another meaningless season. I couldn't possibly think of a worse sporting event to be a part of.

They fired the coaches today. Every last one of them. This is at least the third time that's happened in the past ten years. Perhaps we will be able to rebuild it.

I hope so. I really do. Buffalo deserved a championship in 1991. They still deserve one today.

But 1991 seems like so, so long ago.

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