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You would have expected the Bills to be sky high, fueled by a raucous home crowd and the presence of safety Damar Hamlin in the stadium just 20 days after he almost died of cardiac arrest. But adrenaline can carry you only so far. It seemed to me the cumulative impact of a tumultuous season punctuated by Hamlin’s near-fatal tackle, a deadly winter storm that forced the Bills to play three games in 12 days, and a rash of injuries had taken its toll.

Ory Mee had just completed his morning jog — a pleasant 20-minute jaunt through the tree-lined streets of suburban Charlotte, N.C. — and headed upstairs to take a shower. After reaching the second floor of his son Ryan’s duplex, he took three steps toward the bathroom, then collapsed backwards to the floor.

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There has been an outpouring of “Buffa-love” for Murph, his kind-hearted wife, Mary, and their remarkable family in recent days, and I’m hoping that continues as he makes progress. Damar’s story reminded us that miracles do happen. So, here’s hoping and praying for another one.

At this point, I could give a rat’s fanny about the rescheduling of this game or playoff implications. At this point, all I care about is the well-being of a 24-year-old man who should have the best years of his life in front of him. Difficult situations like this one provide a stadium-full of perspective. We are reminded this is someone’s son, someone’s brother, someone’s friend — a human being, not just some number on a football depth chart.

Tagged with: Buffalo Bills Damar Hamlin

Back in April, before the Rochester Red Wings home opener, I wrote a column about Milo the Bat Dog, the golden retriever who has become a folk hero in these parts for his ability to fetch baseball lumber and boost spirits during minor-league games at the ballpark previously known as Frontier Field.

In discussions about Syracuse basketball lore, it’s impossible to talk about one man and not the other. Bouie, the 6-foot-11, shot-blocking, rebound-grabbing, rim-rattling dunking center from tiny Kendall, and Orr, the pencil-thin, you-best-not-take-me-for-granted forward from Cincinnati, played significant roles launching Jim Boeheim’s Hall of Fame coaching career and aiding SU’s emergence as a national basketball program.

Kevin McMahan hasn’t watched much football since being released by the Carolina Panthers just before the 2009 season kicked off. And that’s understandable considering the former Aquinas Institute three-sport star had “kind of soured on professional football” after his dogged, three-year attempt to make an NFL roster failed.

It began roughly 30 years ago as a small get-together among softball teammates. Bo Bertino and his buddies would gather at a local watering hole on the first Saturday in December to share tall tales and cold brews.

Forty-one are scheduled for December and January, and that’s not counting the national championship game, which has replaced the Rose Bowl in Pasadena as “the granddaddy of them all.”

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Allen and Judge remind us that it doesn’t take much effort to express gratitude and share good fortune with others. So, during a time of year when I devote this space to giving thanks, I doff my cap to Allen, Judge and others who, in ways large and small, give back.

For the second consecutive week, Buffalo managed to squander a double-digit, fourth-quarter lead and lose a game it should have won.

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Jake Crouthamel died Monday at age 84, and to fully appreciate his impact on Syracuse University athletics, one must journey back to his arrival on campus in March 1978. At that time, the sports landscape at SU was desolate by ...

It will be awfully hard to sell Yankee fans on a 2023 club without baseball’s most valuable Aaron since Hank.

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As we learned again Sunday in Kansas City, no hurdle appears too high for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. In a rematch of the two best quarterbacks on the planet, Air Allen leaped over yet another would-be tackler on ...

Sunday afternoon, for the first time in five years, I was back at Highmark Stadium chronicling a Buffalo Bills game, which meant this was the first time I’d seen Josh Allen perform in person. The Right Arm from God didn’t disappoint.

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