Benefica and the Buffalo Bills

     I caught the end of the Europa championship game the other day, for those who don't know its one of the major championships between professional football clubs (soccer in the states). Professional teams from throughout Europe compete against each other for a trophy and bragging rights. I understand there is more to Europa but I don't want to delve into the exact details as that's not my focus. Chelsea, a team from England, also my dad's favorite team, was playing a rising team, Benefica from Portugal. Benefica had a good year and controlled their destiny to win the Liga, the major professional league in Portugal. In their second to last game, they'd let a late goal in to lose a 2-1 decision to Porta which would cost them the league championship won by the very team they'd lost to. Four days later they'd lose another 2-1 heart break as Fernando Torres brilliant head ball gave Chelsea the win in stoppage time(if you have questions google it). As Chelsea and my dad celebrated the win, a commentator on fox soccer network made the comment linking the Benefica collapses to another team known for coming up short, the Buffalo Bills. 

    I sat there miffed that my dad's team had won, being a Man U fan when I had the time to follow my team, but the comments about the Bills caught me off guard. The Buffalo Bills(NFL) had never won a Super Bowl and was the only team in NFL history to go to 4 consecutive Super Bowl. We famously lost the 1990 Super Bowl to the Giants on a last minute field goal kick by kicker Scott Norwood that would miss, "Wide Right" as it became known.

      One of my earliest memories of the Bills would be the "Music City Miracle", when a still disputed lateral led the Tennessee Titans miraculous win over the Bills in 1999 NFL playoffs. Following that season, the Bills have yet to make the playoffs. When the fox soccer commentator made that comment my first thought was how wonderful(super sarcastically) it was to have a bench mark of choking located in our own backyard" We seem to be known for only a few things: the snowstorm we occasionally get, a spicy chicken wing, and a proximity to Niagara Falls, mediocrity in sports. Every national broadcast of a Bills or Sabres(NHL) game always focused on the same few things. Isn't there more to us then snow and wings? 

   As I sat there trying to answer that question I realized I hadn't really experienced that much of what Buffalo and surrounding area was.  Can I answer my question with the limited information I had experienced and read about in articles in the Buffalo News and Buffalo Rising? Based on this I had decided to try and experiences as much of Buffalo Niagara Region as a I could. My blog's purpose is to show people what the the region has to offer. To show that we are not only snow, wings, and failed dreams. I can't say how many people will ever read this blog if any. Maybe no one will ever beyond myself. This blog could be me trying justify that my area, my city isn't running gag in the United States. Instead a place I would like to spend the rest of my life. Could it be Buffalo had a greatness that is being ignored lost in the sea of stereotypes? A unique slice of Americana being overlooked by the national perception but I digress. With this blog I hope to show you that Buffalo and Western New York is not insignificant but a place to visit and even a place to live. Why not Buffalo?