Dr. Lecter
09-13-2014, 08:45 PM
All Bills fans should read this. It's fantastic.
And for those of us going tomorrow - live what he said.
Sullivan is right. I can't remember a regular season game with more anticipation than this one. My memory does not cover the entire history of the Bills but it covers a lot of ground.
Read and enjoy. Tomorrow - we celebrate
I can't wait for it
One day last spring, when his battle with cancer was at its most desperate, Jim Kelly gave the Bills players an emotional two-minute talk after practice. He urged them to treasure their experiences and to remember that, in the end, it’s the relationships that stay with you.
“This is what you need to put your arms around,” Kelly said that day. “Make this your team. Make it very special. Realize it, because when it’s all over, the things that you have are your memories.”
Kelly, with his friend and former teammate Thurman Thomas at his side, reminded the players to care about each other and cherish the moments. That’s what sports do for us, after all. More than wins or losses, it’s the accumulation of shared memories that ties people, and communities, together.
When you consider the dramatic confluence of events, it could be the biggest and most anticipated home opener in team history. I’ll defer to people who were on hand for Kelly’s first game in 1986, or for the first home game in the inaugural AFL season in 1960. But it should be one wild afternoon.
Fans still have their heads in the clouds at the news that Terry and Kim Pegula have captured the bid for the franchise, which will ensure it stays in Western New York for many years to come. That alone would be reason enough to inspire a pitched emotional atmosphere at the Ralph.
It is also the first home game since Wilson’s death, and in a newly renovated stadium. Wilson, who was honored in a special event at Shea’s on Friday night, will be honored again in a special ceremony 25 minutes before kickoff.
Now, add in that Kelly recently got the news that he is cancer-free. It’s Alumni Weekend, so many former Bills will be on hand for the occasion. Andre Reed, the newly minted Hall of Famer, will lead the players onto the field.
Oh, and the Bills are 1-0 after an opening upset win at the Bears. Fittingly, they’re taking on their historic rival, Miami, a team Wilson loved beating and insisted on keeping in the same division. The Dolphins also are 1-0 after a surprising win over the Patriots in Week One.
Is that enough drama for you? I imagine the stadium will be electric, the sort of swirling intensity that Darryl Talley always talked about “plugging into.”
http://www.buffalonews.com/columns/jerry-sullivan/its-time-to-live-it-up-bills-fans-youve-earned-it-20140913
And for those of us going tomorrow - live what he said.
Sullivan is right. I can't remember a regular season game with more anticipation than this one. My memory does not cover the entire history of the Bills but it covers a lot of ground.
Read and enjoy. Tomorrow - we celebrate
I can't wait for it
One day last spring, when his battle with cancer was at its most desperate, Jim Kelly gave the Bills players an emotional two-minute talk after practice. He urged them to treasure their experiences and to remember that, in the end, it’s the relationships that stay with you.
“This is what you need to put your arms around,” Kelly said that day. “Make this your team. Make it very special. Realize it, because when it’s all over, the things that you have are your memories.”
Kelly, with his friend and former teammate Thurman Thomas at his side, reminded the players to care about each other and cherish the moments. That’s what sports do for us, after all. More than wins or losses, it’s the accumulation of shared memories that ties people, and communities, together.
When you consider the dramatic confluence of events, it could be the biggest and most anticipated home opener in team history. I’ll defer to people who were on hand for Kelly’s first game in 1986, or for the first home game in the inaugural AFL season in 1960. But it should be one wild afternoon.
Fans still have their heads in the clouds at the news that Terry and Kim Pegula have captured the bid for the franchise, which will ensure it stays in Western New York for many years to come. That alone would be reason enough to inspire a pitched emotional atmosphere at the Ralph.
It is also the first home game since Wilson’s death, and in a newly renovated stadium. Wilson, who was honored in a special event at Shea’s on Friday night, will be honored again in a special ceremony 25 minutes before kickoff.
Now, add in that Kelly recently got the news that he is cancer-free. It’s Alumni Weekend, so many former Bills will be on hand for the occasion. Andre Reed, the newly minted Hall of Famer, will lead the players onto the field.
Oh, and the Bills are 1-0 after an opening upset win at the Bears. Fittingly, they’re taking on their historic rival, Miami, a team Wilson loved beating and insisted on keeping in the same division. The Dolphins also are 1-0 after a surprising win over the Patriots in Week One.
Is that enough drama for you? I imagine the stadium will be electric, the sort of swirling intensity that Darryl Talley always talked about “plugging into.”
http://www.buffalonews.com/columns/jerry-sullivan/its-time-to-live-it-up-bills-fans-youve-earned-it-20140913