Who do I still think I am??

This one's about RWS and being petsless.

30DBC PROMPT: "What is one of your favorite tourist attractions from your hometown? In other words, what site do you absolutely insist your friends see when they visit?"

Good evening friends...after what turned out to be another frustrating day with this internet and not being able to connect to it, I almost wish I hadn't (although that wouldn't make the news any less significant). It's not always easy being from Buffalo, but we're nothing if not resilient and I shouldn't be whining about anything when there's certainly more important things going on in the world.

I know this entry isn't gonna interest a lot of you, because "wahhhh this is a writing website wahhhh and nobody cares about sports wahhhh"...well, I don't care that you don't care if that's your attitude (which is a pretty awful one to have, but I'll save those curse words for another day). The city of Buffalo and the entire sport of professional football lost a great man today...a visionary, a righteous small-market leader in an ever-increasing league of deep-pocketed greed mongers, and a remarkable gentleman. Ralph C. Wilson, the longtime owner of the Buffalo Bills, passed away this afternoon at age 95 (http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10671922/ralph-wilson-buffalo-bills-owner-dies...).

Originally I was gonna make this entry about chicken wings, because let's face it...besides snow, that's what Buffalo's known for. But the seemingly bimonthly obligation to honoring the best of our hometowns in the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS"  will be riding shotgun to one of the most unique experiences around...tailgating outside of Ralph Wilson Stadium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Wilson_Stadium).

Sure, lots of cities that host major league events claim to have a "tailgate-like" atmosphere, but the reality is that I don't believe anywhere does it quite like Bills fans do. Lots open up days (not hours; days) in advance...people from all over the country have been known to show up with RV's and busloads of fans as early as Thursday for a Sunday afternoon kickoff. The grills are fired up, the beers are in the cooler, at the atmosphere is similar to an outdoor concert. Only, instead of a couple thousand people, there's over seventy thousand loud, screaming fans, most dressed up in the familiar shades of red, white and blue. And unlike the summer, you can see this anytime there's a home game between September and December...in all kinds of crazy WNY weather conditions.

The team on the field hasn't been much to cheer for in the last 15 years or so...but you'd almost never know by the revelry surrounding RWS. I've probably been to six or seven games, and it's really unbelievable. TV cameras definitely don't do the game day experience justice...there's just so much going on all over the place. You can park in one of the stadium lots or within reasonable walking distance, stop and meet up with friends along the way, have a few burgers or beers, and enjoy a fall or winter afternoon unlike any other.

In an era of corporate greed presence where everything is a brand, Ralph Wilson Stadium is one of the few currently in professional sports that doesn't bear the name of a bank or a restaurant or a cable company (although when it originally opened RWS became one of the first building to have a "naming rights deal")...the stadium now bears the name of the man from Detroit who, 55 years ago, sunk down $25,000 for the right to own a franchise in a league constructed to compete with the National Football League; a team he would own until the very day he passed away. Today the Bills are estimated to be worth $870 million (http://www.forbes.com/teams/buffalo-bills/), thanks in part to Mr. Wilson's dedication and perseverance. As Buffalo's population declines yearly at more than just a trickle, one thing remains constant: the support we have for our Bills. Rest in peace, Mr. Wilson. The NFL and the area would've never been the same without you.

BCF PROMPT: "Do you have animals in your life? If yes, what do they mean to you? If no, why have you opted not to?"

I do not have any animals in my life, which I'm sure probably makes me among the minority on WDC. Furthermore, I've never even gone out of my way to own or accommodate one. That time I was dating that chick and was spending most of my nights at her house and we made the joint decision to "babysit" her brother's cat only to basically take him in on a permanent basis? I lied...it wasn't really a "joint decision". Was I supposed to look like a dick and say no to her?

It's not that I don't like animals. Well, I don't care for cats...they're pompous and all sorts of other adjectives I won't mention because of the recent losses of four-legged friends suffered by several WDC members as of late. Which really, I've thought of about 500 cat jokes in the last ten minutes, and by not including them in today's entry I'm basically saying "today's post sucks", but think back to the top of this entry where I mentioned the passing of the owner of my local football team, and how many of you had initial thoughts like "so what" and "" and "sports are stupid". Well, just remember I didn't say anything derogatory today about owning a cat. And whoo boy, it's kinda killin' me not to.

I would've liked to own a dog. Obviously I can't right now because of space limitations, financial reasons, and other concerns, but I'd like to think someday I'll be able to rescue a cute little puppy that stays little when it's not a puppy anymore. Of the animals I've lived with (outside of a couple goldfish I've probably won at the county fair when I was younger), I didn't even get so much as a say in what or who or anything. It's always been...come home, and there's a new pet, or "wanna live with me, ok, well, I've got kids pets". And screw that, because with either of those situations comes the obligations and responsibilities, and equals not a two-way street. Don't be all thrustin' your animal at me, when I didn't even get a chance to have my name for it disconsidered!

Can I just remind you that I'm having no fun writing this entry while trying to hold off the many tirades I could've spiraled this entry down uncontrollably? Cool, thanks. And I just remembered that I can't even joke about pets with people names, 'cuz, well, that thing I said about the recent spate of animal companions going to that playplace they go to when they can't play on Earth no more. Sigh.

I was really bummed out at the beginning of this entry, and felt better after the first part...now I think I feel even worse 'cuz you animal people are ruinin' it for the rest of us non-animal people!! I'm gonna go back to my cave next to the river where they club all the baby seals now.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

I'm trying to cheer myself up...it's almost April; this it the time of year teams are supposed to have as much (if not more) optimism about their chances in the upcoming season. Instead, the legendary quarterback has rapidly spreading cancer and the only owner my team has ever known has died and chose not to leave a successor in place. Why not play the song that rocks Ralph Wilson Stadium whenever the Bills score?

THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

1918-2014:

I'll leave it at that tonight, friends. Got a lot on my mind and a busy day in the morning and early afternoon. Peace, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!