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What to be thankful for in the sports world
PATRICK NAGY Sports Reporter
With the Thanksgiving holiday this week, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to

highlight what I, as a Buffalo sports fan, am thankful for.

 Conclusion of Section VI fall sports season - If anyone remembers anything from this year's fall season, it might not be who won or lost. The October snowstorm, which dumped upwards of two feet of snow and downed power lines across Northern Erie County and Southern Niagara County, has been the single-biggest headache of 2006 for Athletics Directors, coaches, players, parents, and media.

For about two weeks, nobody had any idea what was going to become of the rest of the regular season (the last two weeks were scrapped) and how a postseason could be played. Most fields were unplayable and in some cases, like at Williamsville East and Cleveland Hill, sports equipment suffered structural damage.

Thankfully, alternate sites like the University at Buffalo and Amherst Central High School, had turf fields which helped schools overcome scheduling issues. Without these fields, who knows where games would have been played.

I'm also thankful of the Section VI office and all ADs in our coverage areas for keeping The Bee informed of scheduling changes. In the case of varsity football, some games were moved to Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Most football teams were able to play eight games, albeit against different opponents, but The Bee couldn't have published the date, time and location without some help.

 New National Hockey League rules helping the Buffalo Sabres - Who would have thought a few years ago that financially challenged Buffalo would have the best NHL record, including a league-record 10 straight road wins, in the first month and a half of the season? Buffalo has proven everyone wrong who said a small-market team cannot compete with large-market teams like the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings.

A big reason for the Sabres' red-hot start can be attributed to the new NHL rules implemented last year. Making the two-line pass legal and having more room inside the blue lines has allowed Buffalo's speed to flourish. It's no wonder why the Sabres are the highest-scoring team in the league. Buffalo is also 4-1 in shootouts, another new rule set last year.

 Tom Galisano for saving the Sabres - Despite the Sabres' success, which has resulted in sellout after sellout, they will probably not turn a profit this season. But since Galisano took over, the Sabres are worth $149 million, according to Forbes magazine, $57 million more than they were 31/2 years ago. Hopefully this means the 2006-07 net loss might not be as bad as in previous years.

Buffalo Bills for hanging around - The Bills are struggling on the field but it looks like they will stay in Buffalo at least for the foreseeable future.

The Bills will be receiving a new state-of-the-art video replay scoreboard thanks to $5.4 million in Erie County funds. New sideline ribbon message boards will also come from the money. An additional $20 million of state-funded improvements, including structural repair to the stadium and relocation of the stadium's press box, has not yet been approved by the state.

While I can think of other items the state can spend $20 million on, this should put smiles on businesses that depend on the Bills for revenue and for fans who don't want to see Buffalo leave.