Take Five

1. I took a drive to Clarence Center today to take a distant look at Long St. The three access streets to the area have "Road Closed" signs on them. I parked on the east side of Goodrich on High Street and walked to Ma Chase's house. Ma wasn't home, but from a block away I could see some utility crews working on poles by the crash site. It's an odd feeling even being that close. Ma Chase was right when she said the street would never be the same.

2. Someone is going to have to explain why the Sabres will spend $9 million over two years on Tim Connolly, who has shown some skill but an inability to stay in the lineup over the last three years. You'd think some incentives would be important in a contract with someone of that medical status.

But it is funny how teams do seem to fall for certain players. I think of the Red Sox throwing a pile of money and a four-year deal at shortstop Julio Lugo in Dec. 2006, when no one else appeared to be very interested in him. Now, two years later, Lugo is fighting off Jed Lowrie for the starting job after Lugo missed the second half of last season with an injury.

3. Wouldn't it be nice if the Bills talked to a free agent that you've heard of once in a while?

P.S. This is not a plea to fly Terrell Owens into town.

4. I went to the Buffalo Home Show last night, a first for me (free tickets). There are two floors full of people who want to sell you stuff, which makes it kind of funny that they charge people $10 to get in.

I did feel sorry for one group of exhibitors, though. Mixed in with the hot tubs and the televisions and the curtains and the swimming pools and cabinets were ... guys selling financial advice. They looked lonely. I believe that in the past eight months, putting money into a mattress is about 50 percent ahead of the the Dow Jones Industrials.

5. Gotta laugh at the various Republican political figures who are afraid to offend Rush Limbaugh's constituency and are thus apologizing for any possible remark that might offend the voice behind the curtain. The problem, of course, is that following Limbaugh's line of reasoning (which only begins with wanting Obama, and thus the nation, to fail) sends the GOP directly to a land of irrelevance.

Come to think of it, this is playing right into the Democrats' hands as they try to capitalize on a possible political realignment in this country. As you can see here.