In the 11 years or so I've been living in NYC, I've been out of work for probably 3 years of it. Now while that may seem like a story the next NYS governer could exploit in a campagin ("Joe P. has years of experience and a college degree, but can't hold onto a NYS job because of the aristocrats in Parliament..."), that is just the nature of the TV business.

TV freelance is a bitch. Don't get into it. By all means, DON'T GET INTO IT! The months out of work can add up and then subtract from your back account quickly. I'd have to live off of $400 a week from NYS and about 80% of it would go to my rent, leaving me with very little money to spend.

This will be quick and as noncreative as possible.

I just witnessed the Islanders kicking the shit out of the Buffalo Sabres. I'm sure some of you did as well.  I thought the Winnipeg game was bad, but this was like comparing the Seahawks game to the Jets season opener from this past Bills season...or...it was like comparing Water World to Howard the Duck....or...It was like comparing Gettysburg to the Battle of the bulge. "Can the Sabres top that moment of futility on a weekly basis?" is where we are at now.

After a week in which we eulogized Lindy Ruff as being Michael Corleone stepping down from the family, I think we have to look at the entire Sabres family and realize one thing: They all need to go.

NO ONE IS UNTOUCHABLE.

We’re 18 games into a season that has been marked by inconsistent play by the team on the ice and a frustration level of fans that has reached a boiling point.  There is plenty of blame to go around for the team’s slow start.  The most obvious problem that the Sabres have is poor coverage in the defensive zone, and I don’t blame that solely on the defensemen.  Any hockey player or coach will tell you that defense is just as much a responsibility of the forwards as it is the defensemen.  After their 3-1 loss to Toronto, the Sabres have now given up 59 goals on the season.  That puts them 29^th in the NHL in total goals allowed, ahead of only the Islanders.

Drew Stafford is an easy target. He was a high draft pick, had a promising collegiate career and now has a 30-goal season to go along with his hefty salary. However, he seems to be just part of the problem for a team that has been underperforming for nearly each of their games thus far.

With Lindy Ruff being relieved of his duties as head coach this week, fans can hope for an immediate change in the team’s play but should also know that there will be a plateau in terms of results after the first week or so.

The overall performance of the team may not matter much for the rest of the season. They may have dug too deep of a hole to climb out of – although being five games under .500 isn’t too big of an issue. What I’m interested to see is how specific players, like Drew Stafford, will respond with a new voice behind the bench.

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When I woke up and looked at Twitter this morning, I admit, I was feeling a little above it all.  People were either in a rage or a funk, and it seemed pointless to me.  I’m down with getting some extra happiness out of sports - Who can’t use more things to be happy about? - but negative feelings?  No dice.  I watch sports for fun.  When they stop being fun, I’ll find something else to do with my time.

And then this afternoon, as I was packing up my stuff in class, the girl in front of me said, “Oh, my God, Lindy Ruff is fired!”  I actually froze for a long second.  I sat back down, opened my iPad, and pulled up Twitter.  I stared at the screen, every tweet about Lindy getting fired.  And finally, I felt genuinely sad about this craptacular season.

Failure.

We've all been through it. I probably failed at something today that gave me pause and reflection. Whether it is with girls, job interviews or any sort of activity that results in a winner or loser, you always  adjust and learn from the end result.  There's no such thing as destiny. You have to work for what you want.

There's been times I've reinvented myself when it comes to getting that job, promotion or girl. It can be as subtle as wearing your hair slicked back instead of off to the side. Maybe you are being yourself instead of being guarded. You find some new lines. Maybe you are trying to be more outgoing instead of playing it cool. Sometimes you may try and find religion in order to wrong the rights.When nothing changes, you start breaking down into superstitions instead of changing. You look for slump busters. You take the kids or players to McDonalds in Seattle or have the rookies train with Navy Seals. And at that point, you start getting desperate. The desperation oozes out of your pores like sweat. They can see it. The nerves. The fatigue. The fidgeting. And worst of all, the uncertainty in your voice and actions. More is lost by indecision than by wrong decision.