May - Wingspan

May 2, 2011wingspan.lccc.wy.edusportsWingspan 45sports editorCody TuckerBUFFALO—Youcan tell a lot about atortured communityby simply looking atthe landscape andscars left behind fromtough economic timesand yet another brutalwinter. A skylinemarred by rust, tarnishand deteriorationstands as a symbol forhard times and a cityleft behind by mainstreamAmerica.Nestled on theeastern shores of LakeErie, Buffalo, N.Y.,was once a bustlingcity with a populationranked 15 th largestin America and nowonly stands at roughly262,000, a mere shellof its old self. With theclosures of steel mills,automotive plants andrailroad production,the city has been lefta reminder of whatonce was and whatthey have become—atortured town.editor’scommentaryThe misery andtorment don’t endwith the numerousabandoned mills andplants that dot theWestern New Yorklandscape, either. Thepeople of Buffalo havelong been witness toheart-breaking, nearmiss,championshiplostsports seasons aswell.The two majorsports teams, theBuffalo Sabres andBills, have put the cityon their backs andtaken them to thepinnacle of their sportsix times, just to breakits heart and lose allsix. In the 1990s alone,the city watched fivepro sports titles slipthrough its grasp inone way or another.One in particularmade me feel the painthat a tortured townendured for decades.In the spring of1999, my Sabres madeit to the Stanley Cupfinals for only the secondtime in the then29-year history ofthe hockey franchise.Buffalo took on theheavily favored DallasStars team, whichTale of two citiesBuffalo, Cheyenne similar thinking, different mindsetfeatured a star-ladenlineup compared toBuffalo’s blue-collar,hard-nosed team whorepresented the placethey called home. TheSabres battled andtook the seven-gameseries back to a gamesix in Buffalo.In the thirdovertime, the Starsand Brett Hull addedanother chapter to thebook of misery that isBuffalo sports with an“illegal goal” to clinchDallas’s first StanleyCup in what will foreverbe known as the“No-goal game.”On March 13, Imade my first trip tothe “Queen City” tolive out a childhooddream and finally seemy Sabres play onhome ice. Travelingto HSBC Arena gaveme a glimpse at howtough the times reallyare in WesternNew York and howtruly lucky we are tohave what we havein Wyoming. Most ofthe city looked wartorn, and the sunless,windy, snowstormdidn’t help. I havealways heard Buffalowas a “dump” and noone in their right mindwould ever want to gothere on purpose, letalone on spring break.They had a point, toan extent, but I lovedit.To me, Buffalolooks like a tough,blue-collar townthat has worked foreverything it has.Buffalo, although notthe prettiest town onearth, was oozing withpride.Doesn’t that soundfamiliar?To me, Buffalo andWyoming share a lotof the same qualities.First and foremost, weare tough and hardworking.Along withthe cold weather, wehave in common, wealso have an overwhelmingsense ofpride. Like Buffalo, wecare about and takecare of our own. Wealso love our sports.Although people fromoutside of Wyomingmight not think ofus as a sports state,they would be wrong.Wyomingites reallywant to win, and, winor lose, most of ushave blind faith. Iknow I do.On game day inBuffalo, all problemswere forgottenoutside of the arena.The poverty, weather,empty buildings anddying economy werea mere after thought,because, for threehours, Buffalonianscould lose themselvesin their team. Thesepeople put their heart,soul and passion intothis team. This is trulya town that lives anddies with wins andlosses. On this day, theSabres and the citywon the game but losta hero.Although theSabres went on tobeat the hated OttawaSenators, 6–4, therewasn’t a dry eye inthe house after itwas announced thata Sabres’ great, RickMartin of the famed“French Connection,”died earlier in the dayafter suffering a heartattack while driving inthe Buffalo suburb ofClarence. Martin wasmore than a hockeygreat in the region.He was one of the fewwho actually stayedbehind and calledBuffalo his permanenthome.He was one ofthem.Sports can mean somuch to people, andthat was never moreevident than that cold,wintery day in Buffalo.One city, one heartbeatwould be the wayI describe the peopleof this forgotten city.To watch a team bindtogether a communityas one is truly anamazing sight.I wish Cheyennehad half the pridein Laramie CountyCommunity Collegeas Buffalo does in oneof many a wing joints.I can’t tell you ofone person in thecommunity who istruly a Golden Eagles’fan, and that is sad.This is a great institutionthat does put effortand emphasis onits sports programs.For some reason, thecity is just not rallyingaround it.I can only hopethat one day, hopefullythis year, my Sabrescan have the privilegeand honor of givingthe people of WesternNew York its first titleand making the city ofBuffalo a champion.It has been a longtime in the waitingand Lord knows theydeserve it.Let’s also hopethat LCCC can find itsway into the heart ofCheyenne residentsand make this anathletic program thatpeople live and diewith. We have a lot ofwork to do.