Still not getting Hamilton threat

I’m obviously in the minority here, but my trusty calculator and I still can’t grasp how a National Hockey League team in Hamilton spells certain doom for Buffalo.

The Sabres say that 15 percent of their season ticket holders are Canadian and that one in every four fannies that grace the HSBC Arena seats come from over the border. If the Sabres insist a new Hamilton team be shifted into their division — and the league will likely grant Buffalo any and all wishes — that means four Hamilton-Buffalo games would be played on this side of the river.

OK, follow the math here for a sec — if, say, a well-off Port Colborne hockey fan falls for Jim Balsillie’s new team, wouldn’t keeping seats in Buffalo make financial sense? Assuming all four home games are deemed platinum under the Sabres’ variable pricing scheme (Toronto games are), the savings would be immense. To buy 100 level II seats, for example, the season-ticket price last year was $46 per contest. The price for platinum games on a single-game basis was $185.

Number crunching time — to buy tickets for the four Hamilton games would run $740. Season tickets in the same level are $1,886.

Let’s see, four games for $740 or all 41 for $1,886? Canadians are pretty bright, right? I mean, they figured out this Tragically Hip thing way before we did. I’m assuming they have calculators, too.

Throw in the four Leafs games and that’s $1,480 for the eight games against teams from Southern Ontario. To get the other 33 games would only run another 400 bucks. And since the club essentially pimps unwanted tickets out through an online service called My Sabres Tickets, getting rid of the rest is pretty easy.

One of the reasons so many Canadians have season tickets now is because the Sabres have priced their beloved Leafs games so ridiculously high that it makes more sense to buy the whole thing. Having a team in Hamilton — and pricing similarly — should entice more Canadians to do the same.

And let’s take a peek at the Hamilton situation. If Balsillie ends up paying over $200 million for the team, another $100 million to the NHL as a relocation fee, then maybe another $100 million to renovate Copps Coliseum, think these seats will be cheap? Hardly.

He didn’t become a billionaire thrice over by making haphazard decisions with his wallet. There must be a big demand for this team. Big demand equals big ticket prices.

That means Buffalo would still be a smart alternative for fans who can’t mortgage the house for a Saturday night of pucks and punches.

Was ’Cuse bad for Harris?

Believe it or not, we’re starting to change our tune on Paul Harris, a manchild who might have found the wrong fit in Syracuse under coach Jim Boeheim.

Everyone knows Harris’ biggest asset is his physique — simply getting out and running past and over people. It’s the same on defense, he’s quick enough to stay on guards while strong enough to handle smaller forwards.

But in Boeheim’s system, Harris always seemed out of sorts. Playing in the famous 2-3 zone, Harris’ flaws were exposed. He’s not a cerebral player, so working through switches in the complex defense never suited his style. On offense, the Orange rarely found a way to use his slashing skills, instead often opting for deep threes from Donte Greene or Eric Devendorf.

We’re not knocking Boeheim’s system — it’s a proven commodity with the right players. And we’re not giving Harris an out — he hardly seemed committed to molding his game to the SU style.

But maybe we can chalk this one up to a guy who went to the wrong school. If recent raves from scouts at NBA tryouts are an indication, Harris might still have a chance to display those skills he showed off nightly at Niagara Falls’ Wolvearena on a big stage again.

Demske not fit for baseball

This by no means gives the Niagara baseball team an out for this week’s no-show in a crucial three-game set at Canisius, but watching a college baseball game at the Demske Sports Complex is like watching two guys play pool with SuperBalls.

The combination of aluminum bats and a bouncy turf forces infielders to play so far back that even routine plays seem extraordinary.

Watching Niagara shortstop Jason Cramer put every ounce of mustard on throws after standard two-hoppers proved he was well out of his comfort zone. And the turf all but destroyed the confidence of third baseman Trevor Rutkowski, who had three errors on Friday alone.

Offense is Canisius’ forte while pitching and defense have been Niagara’s hallmarks. That played into the strength of the Griffs, who have a beautiful athletic complex, but not a baseball field.

The point is this — give Canisius credit for capably defending its home turf, but seeing the two teams play on a more natural surface (like Trenton’s Waterfront Park in the MAAC Tournament) will be a truer gauge of two diametrically opposite styles.

Fewer locals at N-Trip

As great as it is to see Niagara Falls’ Matt Clingersmith take the Niagara County Community College baseball team to new heights, it’s odd to see few or no locals in the starting lineup each day.

Is it N-Trip’s goal to be a national power, or to give local kids an outlet to play?

The vision of the athletics department continues to shift and while I appreciate the ambition, I’m not sure it fulfills the college’s true purpose.

Even if the Trailblazers become world-beaters, they’ll never be a big draw.

But giving local kids a chance to hone their skills and possibly move on to four-year schools carves a much-needed niche in Niagara County.

Holy Bemidji! Beavers score one for CHA

Just as the Niagara men’s hockey team announced it’s skipping out on College Hockey America, wouldn’t you know it, the league has one of its finest moments.

Bemidji State, the Purple Eagles’ longtime CHA rival, pulled a stunner on Saturday by upsetting Notre Dame 5-1 in the NCAA Tournament. The Beavers did it again on Sunday, downing Cornell by the same score and earning a spot in the Frozen Four.

No CHA team had ever done that before — in fact, the only win the league ever got in the NCAAs was Niagara’s upset in the 2000 event.

It’s not really that surprising, all the power conference teams have long known not to toy with BSU or Niagara — both could hold their own in a Big Four conference.

Flynn’s run proves he’s worthy of NBA

During one of his ESPN podcasts, Sports Guy Bill Simmons challenged draftexpress.com’s 2009 NBA mock selections, which included Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin as the top pick.

“The one I totally disagree with is Jonny Flynn at 20. I think he’s much better than that,” Simmons said.

“He’s a lottery pick.”

Flynn, who was on a regional cover of Sports Illustrated that came out this week, coyly mentioned he’s planning to return to Syracuse for his junior year when his team’s NCAA run is complete.

Don’t count on it.

With lightning-quick moves and intense leadership skills, the former Wolverine keeps proving he’s ready for the next level. As he follows a huge Big East tourney with a trip to the Sweet 16, Flynn’s stock keeps rising.

Might go so high he’ll have to cash it in.

NU baseball needs to right ship

Good to see the Niagara University baseball team get a win on Sunday over reigning MAAC champ Siena, but there’s still plenty of work to be done. When Mike McRae switched ends on the Battle of the Bridge after the 2004 season, hopping from Niagara to arch-rival Canisius, the Purple Eagles were second in the MAAC and had just posted a program-high 27 wins.

Things went well when Chris Chernisky coached many of the players McRae recruited the next few seasons, and the Eagles put up 25 and 28 wins.

Since then, the bottom had fallen out. NU win just three games in the MAAC two seasons ago, and Chernisky quit just before the season started in what can only be considered a peculiar series of events. How peculiar? The program’s media guide has a bio on Chernisky, and he’s listed throughout as the coach. And the team just opened its home schedule Saturday at Sal Maglie Stadium. NU came into a series with reigning MAAC champ Rider with a 3-11 record.

Meanwhile, McRae has his Griffs poised for the best season in school history. Baseball America picked Canisius to win the league and lauded McRae as a guy who resurrected a program.

Siena’s game as good as Syracuse’s, maybe better

Last week’s six-overtime Big East thriller between Syracuse and UConn was a riveting battle of attrition, but was it well played? Many have challenged that fact. Great theater, bad basketball.

In contrast, nothing about Siena’s double-overtime win over Ohio State was of low quality. The Saints got a huge pair of 3-pointers from Ronald Moore, but battled toe-to-toe throughout the contest. And give the Buckeyes their due — they by no means did the Big 10 a disservice.

But the magnitude of the game — the winner continued its season — made Friday night’s game even more important. Syracuse’s win was a thrill to watch, but didn’t change much in the grand scheme of things.

Siena’s win, meanwhile, gave a conference credibility and earned the Saints a crack at the nation’s top-ranked team.

Tourneys mean nothing, but Flynn’s effort still incredible

Six overtimes speak for themselves. You didn’t have to watch Thursday’s Big East quarterfinal to know it was a classic basketball game in every sense of the word. Emotions ran hot. Guys who don’t ever play were on the floor when the game was decided.
But while Syracuse’s win over UConn was the greatest I’ve ever watched, it really didn’t mean a thing. Maybe it knocked the Huskies out of a No. 1 seed, but it probably shouldn’t.
Nothing reminded me how ridiculous conference tournaments are as an innocent question my better half asked: Why was this such a big deal?
I didn’t have an answer.

Now that I’ve knocked the merits of a classic confrontation, to watch Jonny Flynn’s smile light up Madison Square Garden the way it did the Wolvearena was the highlight of the year.
We knew Flynn was special when he led Niagara Falls to a state title, but the moment when I realized how special he’d be was the Under-19 World Championships, where Flynn was the ringleader on a team that featured Stephen Curry, Michael Beasley and Deon Thompson.
Imagine how good he’ll be on a team of NBA stars?
I’ve got a feeling we’ll find out soon.

Give Rosenhaus credit … gulp …

Nobody saw this coming. Nobody. But before we delve into the logic behind why the Bills would sign Terrell Owens, let’s give a thought to why T.O. would want to come to Buffalo.

Is it possible the glare of the spotlight finally burned him out? Is he ready to settle in and play football, rather than plead for headlines? The media attention he’ll get here is a fraction of what he got in Dallas. The guys he’ll be in the locker room with are, for the most part, pretty low-key. There’s little chance he and Trent Edwards will become adversaries with Edwards’ humble nature. Same goes for Dick Jauron.

It pains me to say this, but give Drew Rosenhaus credit — he found a place for his client where he really should have a chance to success.