Sports, Ink

Buffalo Sports Museum a labor of love

Be sure to check out the Monday Extra in the Sports section on local teacher John Boutet's labor of love, the Buffalo Sports Museum. Boutet has more than 10,000 pieces of memorabilia in his home and has put photos of many of them on his voluminous Web site at www.buffalosportsmuseum.com. I spent three hours in his home last week and probably could have spent about 13 more because there were so many bring-back-the-memories things to see.

For an even better look at the collection, follow this link to our Web video, Great work as always by digital media producer Joseph Popiolkowski and photographer James P. McCoy, whose shots are in the paper, on this blog and in this photo gallery. 

Boutet sent me a follow-up email last week that he agreed to let me share here. What's the favorite item in his collection? It's the mid-1950s Duke Snider Rawlings baseball glove of his late father, Paul. When John was a child, Paul Boutet was the one who took him to the Aud and Rockpile and let his son become a kiddie collector of sorts by mining ticket stubs and the like. Boutet gives you some more insight:

"He taught me everything I know about the game of baseball and more importantly life in sports. ... My Dad was the father who would always end up volunteering to coach when none of the other fathers would. He would work his 10-hour days and rush home to get us in the car and head over to Kenmore West for practice. He was the father who would drive all the kids home because he knew it was safer than having them walk or ride a bike on the busy Kenmore streets. He was the father who kept every kid who tried out because he knew everyone had value even if they were only the water boy or equipment manager. He never once cut a kid. He made sure every kid got a jersey even if it came out of his own pocket.

"He was the father who treated every kid to ice cream after the games on Saturdays at Anderson's. He was the father who threw batting practice until his arm nearly fell off. He was the father who when he found out that 20 kids weren't going to make the St. Joe's JV hockey team said "Let's make a JV "B" team just so those 20 kids would have a team to play on. He never coached hockey in his life but he wanted those kids to have a team to call their own. He named the team the "It's" because he said "It was the team to play for". That was my Dad, always looking out for all the kids, not just his own. So my favorite item is that tattered old glove, because it symbolizes all that my Dad was...my hero."

Great stuff. Nothing more to be said after reading that.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Two men's champs awarded at Macker

The conditions were anything but favorable, but organizers of the 19th Buffalo Gus Macker three-on-three tournament were able to award championships Sunday. Included among the winners were two teams in the top men's division.

The Darling Paint team of Charlie Comerford, Nick Parisi, Karl Rainey and Fran Snyder won for the second straight year, with Rainey and Snyder replacing Jason Rowe and Damone Brown from last year's team.

In the other top men's bracket, the Jamestown-area Gerald's Barber Shop team of Maceo Wofford, Justin Smith, Dusty Carlson and Josh Schauman went undefeated to win.

Unlike in2008, this year's winning teams didn't play for an "unofficial" title. Given the amount of rain Sunday morning and the conditions on the sportcourt (Miller said it was like playing on an ice-skating rink), there weren't too many verbal complaints from players after the games. The issue, however, seems to come up again and again: should the two top men's winners play each other? From my perspective, they should. Teams pay a good amount of money to play, and want to know who is the best. Not to mention fans would like to see it, too. If it takes having referees and organizers stick around for another 30 minutes while a single winner-take-all game is played, that doesn't seem like too much to ask.

On the women's side, the UB Retired team of former Buffalo Bulls women's basketball players Heather Turner, Stephanie Bennett, Allison Bennett and Brooke Meunier defeated the Rovers team of Eva Cunningham, Jen Feher, Maria Atti and Nikki Hendrix.

If you were there this weekend, feel free to share your take on the Macker in the comments section below.

---Jay Skurski

Talkin' about practice (the remix)

Fun stuff, including an appearance by a certain new Buffalo Bill at the end ...

---Keith McShea

Stampede to hold tryouts

The Buffalo Stampede of the Premier Basketball League will have an open tryout from 1-4 p.m., on June 14 at the Jewish Community of Greater Buffalo at 2640 N. Forest Rd in Getzville. The fee is $50. If registering at the tryout arrive no later than 12:30 p.m. For more information, call 716-603-9749.

Jason's Journey

Jason Rowe, the former Traditional standout, begins his eighth season of playing professional basketball overseas. Rowe, who is the starting point guard for Banco di Sardegna Sassari in Italy, will keep us updated throughout the season with a blog for Sports, Ink.

I can't lie, as soon as the last game of the season was finished I wanted to jump right in the first game of the playoffs. I didn't want to wait a week . The anticipation was too great for me. I felt like a kid waiting on Christmas Eve for Christmas morning. All week long I tossed and turned in the bed because the butterflies were so great. It's been a long time since I have been this excited.

Our opponent, Jesi, is a team we split with during the regular season. Both teams winning on their home court. Good thing for us we start the first two games of the best -of-five series at home. There are many underlying stories between these teams. We have two players who played for Jesi in the past and Jesi beat Sassari six straight times the previous season (including a 3-0 sweep) in last year's playoffs. Game 1, (finally LOL) we jumped out on Jesi early and took control of the game from the opening tip. In my opinion this was one of our best games of the season, by halftime we were up, 48-21, and finished the game winning, 94-67 (19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assist). I knew Game Two would not nearly be this easy and I knew we would have to be prepared for a battle in game 2. I think we just caught them on a very bad night. Game 2, was a the complete opposite. Jesi took an early lead and we could never recover. To the surprise of us and our fans we headed to the locker room after the game with a 78-68 loss (13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists). and heading to Jesi for two games, a place where we have not won this year. No one could help to wonder if we let a good thing slip away by losing Game Two.

We knew going to Jesi and winning would not be easy, but not impossible, The goal? Get one victory and make sure we come home for Game 5. Game 3, was the same story ... for Jesi.  Again, from the opening tip they were the aggressor both offensively and defensively, We lost 89-81 (22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) and now we find ourselves down 2-1 facing elimination on the road. Because of how often we play there is really little time for feeling sorry for yourself there was only 48 hours after Game Three until Game Four. The only thing you can do is watch video and mentally and physically prepare yourself for the next game. One of the things I told some of my teammates was that our mission is far from finished. Our goal was to come to Jesi and get one game. No one said it had to be Game 3, so fortunately we have another chance at winning. I told them the key to winning was to be ready from the opening tip, and not wait until we are down to start playing. Let's keep the crowd out of it, and not give Jesi any extra motivation. I also told them that although we have pressure, Jesi has more, they really don't want to come back to our place for a Game 5.

For me, I felt like I was trying too hard to win, so I needed to calm down. My adrenaline was racing all week and as a result, towards the end of games, I would be tired, so i had to find some way to relax. Luckily for me there was a spa attached to our hotel. so needless to say. I spent some time away from basketball for a few hours When Game 4 started I was so relaxed and ready to play. I felt normal and not like so high strung like the previous games. Immediately it was a different game and as a result we were down by one point at the end of the first quarter, a good sign for us considering we were down by double figures in the previous two games. Myself I didn't get off to a great start but we were in the game I only had 11 points in the first half, but more importantly we were winning by seven. I knew when we came back on the floor the first five minutes of the third quarter would be important. As expected Jesi came out and close the gap to just one. Now the pressure is on. Mentally, I was thinking about how much of a waste this season would be to lose in the first round and we have had too many heartbreak loses and this one was not going to be another one. I wasn't ready to come home either. I love my vacation time in the summer but not right now, I feel like we have something special going on and the vacation will be there. I am not sure when I will get close to a championship again. We beat Jesi in overtime 109-107, in that game I set a team record for most points in the playoffs (38) ,and I also set a personal record of eight three pointers . The stage of now set for Game Five at home on TV. Just the way I like it (LOL).

Game Five, in front of a sold out crowd is every athlete's dream. You win you advance, You lose you go home and think about "what could have been". Losing is not an option for me right now.. I knew the game plan of Jesi, was to play me physical and not allow me to make so many shots as I did in Game Four. My game plan, simple, just win. However , whatever. Again we came out the aggressor and never let up. We controlled the tempo of the game and Jesi never could find their rhythm , for 40 minutes. The result, Sassari, 78-66. It wasn't my best shooting night but , I didn't care we won (11 points, 6 assists, 5 steals, 3 rebounds). Semi finals are next leading up to the first semi final game this team has seen since 1995, has been crazy. Fans have been stopping me on the road congratulating me and wishing me good luck for the next round. I have been signing autographs' in the grocery store and in my own apartment building. My Facebook friend requests have tripled (LOL) . One guy even told me that if I led them to the championship he would build a statue for me outside of the stadium ( I am thinking its a recession where is this guy getting this money from? Give it to me LOL!!!).

Seriously its incredible, I wouldn't trade this for anything right now. Another women emailed me and told me that her family is going through hard times, yet for two hours when they watch me play all her struggles are gone. These are the moments, that sometimes get overlooked as an athlete. You never know what someone is going through and to be able to provide some type of relief to their life, I can only thank God and feel fortunate for what he has giving me another best of five series is ahead of us now, This time Scafati. We lost to Scafati, twice during the season once at the buzzer and another by four. They finished ninth and got in the playoffs on the last day. Scafati upset the second place team in the first round, so again it won't be easy for us, but I am not ready to come home yet (LOL).

---Jason Rowe

Jason's Journey

Jason Rowe, the former Traditional standout, begins his eighth season of playing professional basketball overseas. Rowe, who is the starting point guard for Banco di Sardegna Sassari in Italy, will keep us updated throughout the season with a blog for Sports, Ink.

I was excited about going back and playing against my former team in their gym for the first time. I didn't have anything personal against them, I just didn't want to lose. Entering the arena for the first time since 2006, I was filled with bittersweet memories of that season. We had a very talented team (two players were drafted in the NBA. Brandon Hunter by the Boston Celtics and Paul McPhearson by the Phoenix Suns), but due to injuries (I broke my hand) and obvious losses we finished in last place that year.

We got off to a early lead in the first half and even started to take total control early in the second half. During one stretch I hit back-to-back three pointers. After the second three, I turned to some of our fans who were sitting in the crowd and yelled in celebration. The Living crowd did not take too kindly to that because they thought I was taunting them and I can honestly say that was not my intent. It was a big shot during a crucial moment of the game and my emotions got the best of me. For the rest of the game every time I touched the ball I was calling plays through thousands of boos, a few middle fingers and whistles (when the crowd whistles its a sign of disrespect). It actually didn't bother me because it made the game that more like a playoff game. But, like our previous matches this season, it could not end without some sort of drama. We lost our lead (at one point it was 16) and with three seconds to go. Jermaine Boyette of Livorno hit the decisive game winning free throws. Our desperation half court shot came up short and another heart breaking loss for us. Livorno 89. Sassari 87 (I had 19 points, seven rebounds).

Getting to the locker room became more of a challenge then the actual game. As some fans took it upon themselves to start a fight with some of out management, including spitting on their children and even yelling the "N" word to me and a few of my other teammates. It was total chaos and confusion for me, these are the same fans I played for only two years ago and they never acted like this when I played for them. I guess I found out what they really thought of me. A fan came up to me after the game and asked me why I taunted the crowd. She said that I had played there before so why would I do such a thing? I told her it was a misunderstanding, and I wouldn't have a reason to taunt the crowd because I did play there. And even if I did, does that justify what happened afterward? She didn't answer. I think people really don't understand how much self discipline it takes to be the "bigger man" or "act professional" when they are faced with ignorant people.

This is not the first incident with fans for me this season. After one game a woman waited for me in front of our team bus after the game just to say "F my house (in Italian)" She calmly walked away and got in her car. I stood there for a few seconds in amazement. I was replaying the game in my mind trying to think of when I could have possibly offended her and came up with nothing. So I thanked her for her kindness and got on the bus. I wanted to celebrate with my team on the victory. I think that is was bothered her, we won in her house! (LOL).

The next game was against the first place team Varese. It was a big game for us because we had been playing well and it was a good test to see how we measure up against the best team in the league. This night I did the unthinkable, going 0-for-11 and scoring zero points. I've had bad shooting games (1-for-10 in France , with two points), but never this bad. For whatever reason someone put a lid on the rim every time I took a shot (LOL). At one point I looked up in the sky and asked what was I doing to deserve this (LOL). We lost that game by seven. I kept saying to myself that if I scored half of my average (which would have been nine). Maybe the outcome of the game would've change. Looking to redeem myself for the next game, I stayed after practice the next day, getting extra shots up so I could find my rhythm. I had to answer to the media all week long about the game. They wanted to know what happened and why?. I'm not one for excuses so I just said it was a bad night at the office. Right now, we are in sixth place. Fighting for a playoff position. Our next game is on the road against Casale. A team that has only lost three games in 2 years at home.

---Jason Rowe

LeBron's must-see block

If you haven't seen it yet, here's the link to my favorite NBA play of the season, courtesy of LeBron James. And to a lesser extent, Jason Richardson.

I must have watched the play five or six times today, and I still can't tell if it was a foul, but that doesn't really matter. The thing that impressed me the most about the play was James' hustle. It's that type of effort that makes him one of the two best players in the NBA, along with Kobe Bryant.

--- Jay Skurski 

Let 'em make snow

It's rare at this time of year for a ski resort to make snow as the season is winding down. However, Holiday Valley decided to top off the 3 inches of fresh snow it received Thursday with some man-made snow early Friday morning to make sure conditions for its winter carnival and Canadian March Break are excellent.

 With the sun out today and a favorable forecast there should be great spring skiing.

Kissing Bridge has most of its Central area still open and spring rates in place, a bonus for those attending the Wild West deck party Saturday.

Cheap plug here: Grab Sunday's Outdoors Page for a story on why it was good that the Governor and the state legislature rescinded plans to add levy that resort operators called a "ski tax."

-- Fletcher Doyle

Fundraiser for a friend

  By far the saddest story I have covered in my 26 years at The Buffalo News is the death of snowboarder Aaron Shoemaker in an on-snow accident in 2004. The 23-year-old was performing with a pro team in Italy.

   The charismatic East Aurora native was a people magnet, and he left behind an unusual
number of devoted friends. Those friends have been working to set up a scholarship in his name
to help an Erie County resident attend SUNY-Plattsburgh, his alma mater.

   To that end, they are holding a fund-raiser Saturday at Kissing Bridge, where Aaron and his
brothers and friends spent so many hours flying through the terrain park.

   For event details, click here.
Make sure to scroll down to the photo of the 33-foot roller coaster box that has been installed just for this event. Also, watch the video to see just how talented Aaron was. This is a great way to honor an old friend.

  

   -- Fletcher Doyle

Jason's Journey

Jason Rowe, the former Traditional standout, begins his eighth season of playing professional basketball overseas. Rowe, who is the starting point guard for Banco di Sardegna Sassari in Italy, will keep us updated throughout the season with a blog for Sports, Ink.

Ciao Tutto,

Since the Christmas break we have turned into a different team. We are playing extremely well, winning six out of the last nine games. Of course all three of the losses came in dramatic fashion. Losing those games by a combined total of eight points. Against Pavia, I went 4-for-15. (Obviously not my best shooting night of my career). It was just one of those nights were I could not find the rim. Every shot I took felt good, but for whatever reason, I could not connect. I even had a chance to tie the game under a minute to go, but missed that shot too. The next game against Imola, I was pulled into the office by the coach and managament of our team a couple of days before. They just wanted to know the mentality of the team. At that time we had came off a tough lost on the road to Pavia. I told them that we were just one "great" game from showing our true colors. I asked them to relax and that I was brought there to do a job and I would not let them down. As a result, the next game against Imola we won by 27 points (108-81). It was by far our best game of the season, and it could not have come at a better time. As a result of our recent success we are now sitting alone in 5th place. The highest we have been all season. Only three games behind first place with 8 games to go. It will be difficult to reach the top but not impossible.

The 2-9 seeds square of in the playoffs while the No. 1 team automatically goes to the first division next season. Our next game is on the road against, my former team Livorno. It will be the first time I have been in that gym in two years (we finished in last place when I played there). I want to say thank you to the voters for placing me on the "All-time Western New York 90's team. It is an honor to be considered one of the best especially when there were so many great players to come out of that era including Mike Heary (thanks for the 62 LOL), Eric Eberz, Tim Winn, and Ryan Cochrane, who for me is one of the best points guards in that era. In eighth grade, my father sat me down and asked me one question, "What do you want accomplish in your high school career?" Without hesitation I said I wanted to win a state championship and get 1000 assists. So when I actually was able to accomplish those feats, I was more than satisfied with my high school career. More importantly, I was fortunate enough to have great teammates my entire career, a great coach (RIP Joe Cardinal), and total support from the city of Buffalo during my four years to make playing ball at Traditional that much more pleasurable. So again THANK YOU.

My all time WNY team:
Curtis Aiken
Ritchie Campbell
Christian Laettner,
Lester Rowe
Trevor Ruffin

I know its all 80's but I based my list on people I had a chance to see play (except my uncle, he was picked for obvious reasons LOL). I heard tons of stories about Ricky Williams, Bob Lanier and Dwight "White Sox" Williams, but I was too young to have seen them play. I've seen how intense it gets on this blog over who gets picked and who doesn't so please do not send anyone over here to address "MY" list (LOL). I know a few people here that are more than willing to protect me (LOL).

P.S. Another special thank you to people who have voted for me on the all time team too.

---Jason Rowe