Ravens Week 7 - Heads or Tails

Buffalo, NY - 10/21/07. Something didn't feel right. Maybe it was the windy weather we flew through on our way north to Buffalo. Maybe it was the fact that Canadian Football was on TV in the hotel room. Maybe it was the dozen wings I ate Saturday night (much more on that in a moment). Maybe it was the half dozen Labatt Blue's I used to wash away the spice. Or maybe it was the fact that the temperature in Western New York felt more like West Palm Beach at kickoff (66 and sunny.) No matter the cause, the effect took the form of a loss that left the entire cast and crew feeling flat. For starters, our takeoff took us into some gusts that gave everyone on the plane a moment of pause. Normally the turbulence comes and goes without much concern from the passengers, although Lauryn still hasn't mastered the art of flying. On Saturday, however, just about everyone on board had the USC flight fresh in their minds and after we took a few dips and dives somewhere over Eastern PA, the casual conversations and commotion stopped as the plane went silent. To calm our nerves, the pilot came on the PA system and informed us all that we were through the worst of it. He didn't know what lay ahead on Sunday. First came Saturday night though and another culinary adventure for the RaveTV crew, Lauryn and I. The only goal of the night in B-Lo (does anyone really call it that?) was to get some authentic Buffalo wings in the birthplace of, well, little chicken parts marinated in spice. The crew followed the crowd to The Anchor Bar, which is said to have served the first Buffalo-style chicken wing. It's hard to argue considering their street sign states that they've served 246.8 million of those little suckers. And with an average of 6 wings/chicken (according to our waitress), that's like 80 million chickens. How does PETA not picket this city on a daily basis? In any case, after getting slapped in the face by the smell of buffalo sauce when we walked in the door, we added another 60 to the grand total by inhaling the better part of 5 dozen legs, wings, and maybe even some heads and tails – its hard to tell under all that flavor. And although I would classify the cuisine as finger lickin' good, they weren't finger lickin' great. I'd go with Old Bay Style any day, and I'm from New Jersey. (I recommend Coburn's, Della Rose's and Pickles if you're in the mood.) The night continued to the not-so-famous Chippewa Street and the bars of Buffalo. Apparently you can drink till 4AM in this part of New York and the 10 o'clock crowd paled in comparison to the mob scene at The Anchor Bar. We grabbed a few drinks, cringed at the twelve runs the Red Sox scored on Cleveland, and headed back to the hotel, unfortunately without trying another Bison City staple – chicken finger sandwiches. Speaking of cringing at the Red Sox, what is Kevin Millar doing throwing out the first pitch of Game 7? Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for the Orioles… Game day got off to a glorious start. No clouds. 66 degrees. A slight breeze. Lots of sun. Not what you'd expect so close to the Canadian border just 10 days shy of Halloween. The star of the day, and our Wired Raven this week, was Willis McGahee who was returning to face his old team and his former fans. The paparazzi were out in full force as every camera in Ralph Wilson Stadium awaited his first steps on to the field. As we filmed him walking down the tunnel a chorus of cheers and jeers greeted both the current and former #23. Bills jerseys, Ravens jerseys and even two fans that decided to go sans jersey, but still show their support for McGahee, filled the bench-style bleachers (the stadium is a little outdated). To find out how the day went for Willis and why the coin flip was the most exciting part of the game, visit www.coffeeonthe50.com.