Talking Buffalo

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran has an interview with Tampa Bay Bucs rookie defensive end and Buffalo, New York native Demone Harris.

After spending the first five weeks of his rookie season on the Tampa practice squad, Harris was promoted to the active roster and made his NFL debut this past Sunday in Atlanta.  He provides perspective on the experience and  seeing on the opposing sidelines stars like Julio Jones and Matt Ryan as well as a guy he considers a mentor, Steven Means.

The two also discuss Harris not being drafted this past April but grateful for the opportunity to go to Tampa and his feelings when he was initially waived before being brought back the next day to the team’s practice squad.  They talk about the culture change of living in Tampa after previously being in Buffalo his entire life.

Harris (@demoneharris) also shares his feels about his two alma maters: the University at Buffalo and Bishop Timon High School before giving strong opinions on a topic previously covered on the Moran-Alytics Podcast, “The Knowledge McDaniel Story”

Immediately after that interview concludes Moran is joined by Tone Pucks for their “Pat with Pucks” segment.  After watching the Buffalo Bills blow a game Sunday in Houston they could’ve easily won, today the two are wondering if Nate Peterman’s Bills career should be over for good.  They also discuss if Sean McDermott should put Josh Allen back in the lineup as soon as he’s physically able to go or if the Bills head coach should reverse course and determine the rookie would benefit from spending multiple weeks on the sideline learning.  McDermott’s performance as coach, Bills special teams and Kelvin Benjamin are among other Bills topics on the table.

The two end with quick hits on the Buffalo Sabres and MLB playoffs before Tone uses his Puck Drop to obliterate the UFC.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran has an interview with WIVB-TV Channel 4 Buffalo sports reporter, Nick Filipowski.  They chat about Filopowski’s childhood and being born into a military family that had him living quite literally all over the world during his youth, including a decade of  residence in Japan.

The two discuss many topics, ranging from Nick’s obsession with landing a Tony Gwynn rookie baseball card, going to the University of Nebraska for college, what led to him deciding he wanted to become a broadcast sports journalist and all of the jobs that led him from Nebraska to Iowa and eventually Buffalo.

Nick also speaks on leaving Channel 7 for Channel 4 last year, why he loves Buffalo so much and some takes on the sports media before concluding with Moran’s Mini-Lightning Round, which reveals among other things Filipowski’s favorite athlete, sports movie, city to visit, Twitter handle and three dinner guests from any era he’d love to have it as his table.

You can follow Nick on Twitter @News4_Nick and check out some of his digital work at wivb.com.

After that Joe (@BuffaloWins) from New York City returns for another “Run-In With Joe” segment.  Today they’re talking about if the Buffalo Bills should be looking to keep or trade running back Lesean McCoy, whether Josh Allen is better off taking rookie lumps now or sitting on the sidelines to develop before both Joe and Moran come up with a Mt. Rushmore of all-time NFL quarterbacks and Joe hits his finisher on Making Nuances Great Again.

Finally, this episode marks the launch what will be a recurring series of original music played by deserving artists to end the show. Today’s episode ends with a tracked called “Welcome Home” by Caitlin Koch.  You can read her bio as well as check out tour dates, news and music by visiting her website at CaitlinKoch.com.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews one the leaders in the world of hockey analytics, Ryan Stimson of The Athletic.

Stimson is a contributing writer at the Buffalo division of The Athletic and does an impeccable job of covering the Buffalo Sabres through extensive analytical and statistical driven analysis. For mainstream fans not aware of Stimson and the work he does, Moran asks Stimson about where he grew up, how he got into hockey and when he figured out deciphering through analytics would play a role in his life.

Stimson also talks about how the opportunity to join The Athletic came out and how he feels about working some of the most talented and well known sports journalists in Buffalo.

Of course, the conversation ultimately turns to Sabres talk and Stimson breaks down why he thought playing Jeff Skinner with Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart was a bad idea, talks about Eichel being an elite scorer but not necessarily yet an elite center, and gives insight into what fans can expect of goaltender Carter Hutton going forward.

Finally, the interview wraps with Moran’s recurring Mini-Lightning round, where Stimson reveals such nuggets as his favorite athlete, city to visit, activity, spot to hit up for wings, the one person on Twitter he’d follow if only allowed and the three dinner guests from any era he’d most like to have.

You can follow Ryan Stimson on Twitter at RK_Stimp and subscribe to The Athletic, where they always seem to be having advantageous deals for new subscribers.

Immediately after that Moran is joined by Tone Pucks (@TonePucks) for the recurring Pat with Pucks segment. Today the guys are breaking down the Buffalo Bills last second 13-12 victory over the Tennessee Titans to earn their second win in three weeks.  While Pucks is glad to see his hometown team, he’s anything but pleased with the progress rookie quarterback Josh Allen is making.  He’s discussed along with Matt Milano and Sean McDermott, their post-game weekly awards and much more.

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On this very special episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran gets away from his typical conversational format with guests that talk about their life and career, and instead dedicates an entire show to a very talented high school football player in Florida that despite personally doing nothing wrong has been unfairly and excessively punished by the Florida High School Athletic Association.

“The Knowledge McDaniel Story” tells the tale of a senior high school football star who earlier this spring received several D-I offers, including Ohio State and the University of Georgia, all the while seeing his Grandmother/caregiver fall on impossibly hard financial times. Desperate for a bed to sleep on, food and the environment to better focus on his studies, McDaniel started living with the family of a close friend and teammate. Unaware any FHSAA rule was being violated, an investigation was launched after a former player’s parent wrote an anonymous letter to the state alleging several violations. While most were quickly proven inaccurate, it was disclosed that because McDaniel lived with a player on the team and a family with “athletic interests.” Among other program penalties, McDaniel was deemed ineligible to play his senior season just two days before the team’s Kickoff Classic.

This kicked off a wild series of events, appeals and suspicious circumstances that have resulted in the innocent kid being partially reinstated, meaning he can play in the regular season after missing four games but no postseason contests, despite the publicly written plea of the Appeals Committee Chairperson for a full and unrestricted reinstatement and the resignation of another committee member over a mediation decision.

It’s a story with many layers that’ll have your head spinning and likely angry.  It’s also a story that’s caught the attention of several nationally known people in the sports world.  ESPN’s Dick Vitale lives in the area and has gotten to know Knowledge personally through all of this. He had a passionate social media rant recently regarding this story that is replayed on this podcast.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Josina Anderson, Tampa Bay Bucs Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy and former Buffalo Bills Pro Bowler Eric Wood are among other notable figures that have publicly tweeted out in disgust over what’s happened.

After laying out the details of Knowledge’s story, Moran has an interview with Jason Dill (@Jason_Dill) of the Bradenton Herald, who provides insight mainly from a reporter’s perspective but does drop the nugget that he feels McDaniel ultimately has been sentenced twice for the same crime.

The big interview on this podcast is with Florida born and raised former 14-year NFL star, Kevin Carter (@KevinCarter_93) who once was a Florida high school football legend himself.  Carter, now a CBS Sports college football analyst is downright incensed at the FHSAA over their refusal to reinstate McDaniel without restriction and pulls no punches in an interview you absolutely need to hear.

Please listen to the podcast and when it’s over, we implore you to at least try and help right this absurd injustice to an innocent teenage child.  To do that, you can contact the Director of the FHSAA , Mr. George Tomyn and let him know you think what they’re doing to Knowledge McDaniel is wrong.  Mr. Tomyn is the one person that has the power to instantly overturn everything.   His office phone number at the FHSAA is (352) 372-9551 (extension 110), his email is [email protected] and you can use Twitter @FHSAA.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran welcomes the show’s first two-time special guest, Kris Baker of The Athletic.

When Baker appeared on Episode No. 31 in July, Moran took a deep dive into Baker’s life and career. This time it’s all about Buffalo Sabres hockey as the puck is set to drop on the NHL season this Thursday.

Moran talks to Baker and gets his thoughts on the opening roster as it’s currently constructed, on Tage Thompson starting the season as a top six forward, Casey Mittlestadt centering a third line and the performance of prized rookie Rasmus Dahlin during the Sabres preseason.

They also spend time talking about some guys who didn’t make the Sabres roster coming out of camp, including Alex Nylander, Brendan Guhle, Victor Olofsson and Rasmus Asplund.  Which prospects could be up with Buffalo sooner than later?

Finally, Moran asks Baker if he’s perplexed about Jack Eichel, the face of the franchise not yet being named the Sabres captain.

You can follow Kris Baker on Twitter (@sabresprospects) and read his along with a who’s who of incredible sports content by subscribing to The Athletic.

After that Moran is joined by Tone Pucks (@tonepucks) for their “Pat with Pucks” segment.  Today they’re breaking down the good, bad and ugly from the Buffalo Bills latest lopsided loss, a 22-0 shellacking in Green Bay.   How much of the blame falls on rookie quarterback Josh Allen? Is it time for the Bills to start actively trying to move Lesean McCoy?  Is Kelvin Benjamin ever going to help the offense?  What rookie was the team’s biggest bright spot in their third miserable outing in four tries?

All those topics are discussed as well as some New York Yankees and Ryder Cup talk before the Puck Drop comes on former Sabres general manager Tim Murray and final shout-outs to an Academy Award winning actor and longtime  now former sports writer for the Buffalo News.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran has a wide-ranging interview with talented young WIVB-TV Channel 4 Buffalo sports reporter Jenna Harner.

Relatively new to Buffalo having arrived this spring,  Harner talks to Moran about her life and career, including growing up in Connecticut as a Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins and New York Giants fan, a weird combination for sure.

She discusses going to Ithaca college and what got her interested in sports broadcasting. While still in school Harner started working at both the school’s radio station as well as the newspaper and it would springboard her to a job in Elmira.  After nearly two years in Elmira the opportunity to come to Buffalo and join the WIVB sports team happened, and Harner details why she made the decision.

The two also spend time discussing how Harner has adapted to living in Buffalo, how she feels about the city and a few spots she likes to hit up for wings or beers.

They also talk about the University at Buffalo football team, off to a 4-0 and featuring potentially two players who could be high NFL draft picks in the near future.

They wrap with Moran putting Harner through his mini-lightning round, a series of random questions where Harner reveals among other things her favorite athlete, city to visit, sports movie, Twitter follow and her three most coveted dinner guests.

You can follow Jenna Harner on Twitter at @JennaHarner4 and check out her work at WIVB-TV.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran joins his recurring “Pat with Pucks’ segment partner Tone Pucks for the duration of the podcast as they cover a wide variety of topics.

Of course, at least as far as Buffalo sports fans are concerned the big story is the Buffalo Bills shocking not just their owns fans, but NFL fans all around with a dominating 27-6 victory over the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings.  In fact, this was the first time in the past 40 years a team came into a game underdogs by at least two touchdowns and won by more than a touchdown.

Pat and Pucks (@tonepucks) break down the game and highlight the return of an extremely impressive defense that was supposed to be the team’s biggest strength yet played horribly over the first two games. That wasn’t the case in Minnesota, as the unit produced four sacks and forced three turnovers.  Equally impressive was rookie quarterback Josh Allen, who played well enough to give fans hope they may finally have the young franchise quarterback they’ve lacked since the days of Jim Kelly.  Sure, we’ve heard it before with J.P. Losman and E.J. Manuel but this performance felt different. Or does it? The guys don’t necessarily agree.

After Buffalo Bills and NFL talk, the pair talk Tiger Woods, including Moran admitting Wood’s win at the Tour Championship had him feeling emotional.

Among other topics, they discuss the rotting away of baseball’s best player, if Casey Middelstadt’s deserving of an opening night roster spot on the Buffalo Sabres, and the exciting 4-0 start of the UB Bulls.

As they wind down, The Moran’s Top 10 list features Elton John’s songs while The Puck Drop places off-field troubled Lesean McCoy on blast and the Pat Peeve of the Week reveals how bad Florida summer and fall weather is for football players.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran interviews WKBW-TV Channel 7 Buffalo sportscaster Matthew Bove on a variety of topics.

A native of Western New York, Bove talks about growing up just north of Buffalo, why he became a Boston Red Sox fan as a kid and tells a story of how he nearly went to UConn instead of Buffalo State for college before a panic attack just a few weeks prior changed his course of action.

They discuss Bove getting a job at WKBW and starting as an editor and photographer before working his way to a news reporter position and ultimately a spot as a sportscaster and reporter.

Matt speaks of some media influences, including his widely popular Channel 7 colleague Joe Buscaglia.  He also has thoughts on the turbulence that’s went on in the Buffalo sports media over the past year as well as the effectiveness of social media and some solid advice for youngsters who may want to break into the sports media business.

Of course, they talk plenty of Buffalo Sabres hockey and Matt provides his insight on Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Dahlin and others before declaring there’s no reason the Sabres can’t be a playoff contender this season.

The interview wraps with Moran putting Bove through his traditional Mini-Lighting Round, where Matt discloses several of his favorite things, the one Twitter handle he’d follow if only allowed one, and keeps it a family affair with the dinner guest final question.

You can follow Matt on Twitter at @Matt_Bove and check out his work online at wkbw.com.

Immediately after that Moran is joined by his buddy Joe (@buffalowins) for another “Run-In With Joe” segment. They’re discussing how much of the Buffalo Bills early failures are due to trusting the process versus flat-out poor personnel decision making, while also having takes on Maroon 5 being named the primary Super Bowl halftime entertainment, Game of Thrones winning another Emmy for Best Drama Series and WWE’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view last Sunday.  Joe ends with his “finisher”, a beef with many Buffalo Bills beat reporters.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran has a lengthy interview with the newest sports enterprise writer for the Buffalo News, Jason Wolf.

A 15-time recipient of the Associated Press Sports Editors national top-10 writing award, Wolf details his career journey during this wide-ranging chat; dating all the way back to his days as a youth growing up in Pennsylvania as an Eagles, Flyers, 76ers and Phillies fan.  A graduate of Penn State College, Wolf spent several years honing his craft while working in his hometown state covering high school and college sports before venturing off to Virginia and North Carolina to do the same in more prominent roles.

A big break came Wolf’s way in the summer of 2015 when he moved to Tennessee to cover the Titans for the Tennessean. Wolf was prepared to remain there for the long haul but that changed when the Buffalo News came calling this past summer. Wolf talks in detail about the tough decision he made to move to Buffalo, why he was interviewing the News as much as they were interviewing him, how he feels about the tough competition between the News and The Athletic, what he thinks of Buffalo during the short time he’s been there, and of course  a lengthy chat about chicken wings, because why wouldn’t there be?

Moran also discusses a few of the excellent stories Wolf has penned since arriving at the News, including a poignant feature on UB’s Khalil Hodge and following Eric Wood around during his first game as an ex-Buffalo Bill.

You can follow Jason Wolf on Twitter at @JasonWolf.

After that Moran is joined by Tone Pucks (@tonepucks) for their weekly “Pat with Pucks” segment. They are fully breaking down the Buffalo Bills home opening 31-20 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. How did Josh Allen look in his career debut? Will Sean McDermott be calling defensive plays going forward?  Should the Bills try to get something for Lesean McCoy?

All these topics and more are discussed and unlike Vontae Davis, Pat with Pucks doesn’t quit halfway through.

The UB Bulls, Buffalo Sabres, Elton John and more are covered during this entertaining recurring segment.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, today marks the official start to hockey season as the Buffalo Sabres take the ice for training camp.  To celebrate a new season, Patrick Moran interviews Sabres beat writer Joe Yerdon of The Athletic (Buffalo) on a variety of topics in a wide-ranging discussion.

They discuss everything from Yerdon growing up near Albany through his youth and college days before deep diving into his career and everything that led to him joining The Athletic this summer.

Of course, they spend considerable time talking about the Sabres, and Moran asks Yerdon about Rasmus Asplund, Alex Nylander, his thoughts on an improving bottom half of the Sabres roster, the effect that the arrival of Rasmus Dahlin has had on the culture and vibe of the organization and Joe is asked to give a prediction on how the team will fare in 2018-19.

It seems no Moran interview is complete without chicken wing talk these days, and Yerdon has an entertaining story about his experience at Bar Bill with hot wings before they wrap with the mini-lightning round and Yerdon explaining the origins of his “noted jerk” moniker.

You can follow Joe Yerdon on Twitter at @JoeYerdon and  you can subscribe to The Athletic by going to https://theathletic.com/

After that, Moran is joined by Joe from BuffaloWins (@buffalowins) for his recurring “The Run-In With Joe” segment.  Today they’re reacting to Buffalo Bills rookie Josh Allen being named the starting quarterback after just one game, examine if Nate Peterman’s Bills career may already soon be coming to an end, discuss if Stephen A. Smith was exaggerating when he tweeted that the Bills may be the worst team of this decade and veer off for some WWE talk as they run down the Hell in the Cell pay-per-view this coming Sunday and offer predictions.

Finally, Joe uses his “finisher” to blast the Buffalo News sports department for doing a poor job using Twitter.

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