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BUFFALO, N. Mark Trumbo Diamondbacks Jersey .Y. -- As if the worst start in franchise history isnt bad enough, Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black braced his teams win-starved fans for potentially more tough times. Thats the message Black issued Thursday during his weekly show on WGR-AM, by emphasizing the Sabres intention to stay the course in developing their prospects this season. "When were in a transition year like this, it is going to be difficult. Its going to be difficult to stomach the short run," Black said. "The fans that follow this team, they signed up for this team, they signed up for a rough road." Rough as it has been so far, Black isnt shying from the frustration and criticism directed at management. "Im not going to go anywhere and hide under a bed and wish I didnt have to do this or that," he said. "Im going to do my damndest to turn this thing around." The Sabres are essentially at Square 1 after making the decision last season to overhaul an aging, high-priced roster. At 1-9-1, Buffalo has surpassed its worst start to a season, previously a 1-7-1 start in 1993-94. They Sabres cant score, having managed two or more goals just four times. Theyve yet to score first, and have been outscored by a combined 14-1 in the first period. And Buffalo cant even manage to get a lead. The teams one win came in a 4-3 shootout over the New York Islanders on Oct. 15, in a game Buffalo never led in regulation. Otherwise, the Sabres have held a lead once, in a 3-2 overtime loss to Tampa Bay, for a combined total of 9:35 of ice-time, which is by far the shortest span of any NHL team this season, according to STATS LLC. The Florida Panthers (3-6-1) are next, having held a lead for a combined total of 58:53. Add it up, and these are among the reasons the Sabres have been routinely booed off the ice by a once-loyal fan-base thats grown increasingly frustrated. Chants of "Fire Darcy!" directed at general manager Darcy Regier, have become familiar during home games, where Buffalo is 0-6-1 following a 5-2 loss to Boston on Wednesday night. "No one in here is proud of our record or proud of what weve accomplished this season or havent accomplished this season," co-captain Steve Ott said. "We knew the transition was going to be coming on. Obviously, its hit us to start, and its hit us hard." This essentially amounts to the "suffering" Regier cautioned Sabres fans might be in store last spring in outlining his strategy to rebuild from the ground up. The Sabres lineup features six rookies. And they are the first NHL team since 1995-96 to play at least four teenagers. The roster could get even younger. The team hasnt ruled out trading its two most marketable stars -- goalie Ryan Miller and leading scorer Thomas Vanek. Both are in the final year of their contracts, and its unclear whether they fit in the teams long-range plans or are interested in staying. Vanek has already indicated he has no interest enduring a long-term rebuilding project. He suggested it might be better off for the Sabres to deal him to get draft picks or prospects in return as they did last season by trading three veterans, including captain Jason Pominville. Vanek acknowledged Thursday this season has been the lowest point of his nine-year NHL career in Buffalo. "I knew going into this year that this is what we were doing, and this is what we were going to have," Vanek said. "It is frustrating? Is it fun to go home each and every night? No. Its not, because you want to win. But at the same time, youve got to be realistic." The reality is that the Sabres could very well end up with the NHLs worst record. And that, according to Black, might not be a bad thing in the long run. Black reflected to his days in Pittsburgh, when the Penguins struggled through several woeful seasons. In bottoming out, the Penguins stockpiled several high draft picks, lucked out in winning the Sidney Crosby draft lottery, which helped transform them into Stanley Cup contenders. "For us to get back to where we want to be, and thats building a championship, its going to come through the draft," Black said. "Were going to get through this. There is light at the end of the tunnel. I dont know how long its going to take us to get there, but we are going to get there." Authentic Diamondbacks Jerseys . Louis Cardinals have agreed on a four-year contract, giving the All-Star a fresh start after his Biogenesis drug suspension last summer. Paul Goldschmidt Diamondbacks Jersey . And former Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson certainly knows his pain. "Its pretty hard to coach there without allowing some of these things to kind of affect you," Wilson told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun in his ESPN.SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Mone Davis had a bloop RBI single in the first inning to became the sixth girl to get a hit in Little League World Series history, and her Philadelphia team rallied in the sixth inning to beat Pearland, Texas, 7-6 on Sunday night. On Friday in Philadelphias opener, Davis threw a two-hitter and struck out eight in a 4-0 victory over Nashville, Tennessee. In the sixth inning against Pearland, Zion Spearman scored the winning run on shortstop Matt Adams two-out throwing error to first base. Scott Bandura reached on a bunt leading off the inning. Two outs later, Spearman tied it with a line-drive triple into the left-centre gap. "We had a feeling," Philadelphia manager Alex Rice said. "I feel badly for the young man who threw wide. ... We just felt good. There was no one who didnt think we were coming back." Pearland (1-1) had a four-run fifth to take a 6-3 lead. Cole Smajstrla hit a three-run home run and Layne Roblyer, who homered earlier, had an RBI single. Spearman and Kai Cummings drove in runs in the bottom of the inning to cut it to 6-5. Philadelphia will play Las Vegas on Wednesday night, with Davis expected to pitch again. Las Vegas also improved to 2-0 on Sunday, routing Chicago 13-2 in four innings. On Monday, Pearland will play Lynnwood, Washington; and Chicago will meet Cumberland, Rhode Island. In International play Sunday, South Korea and Japan each improved to 2-0. Seoul beat Humacao, Puerto Rico, 8-5; and Tokyo topped Guadalupe, Mexico 9-55. J.J. Putz Authentic Jersey. Seoul will face Tokyo on Wednesday. LAS VEGAS 13, CHICAGO 2, 4 INNINGS Brad Stone hit a grand slam in the first inning and Las Vegas pounded the Jackie Robinson West team. "The grand slam was a big momentum changer right out of the gate," Las Vegas manager Ashton Cave said. "The ball started rolling, and the kids just jumped on the train and rode it out." Austin Kryszczuk homered twice, connecting in the second and fourth innings. Zach Hare and Dominic Clayton also homered. Las Vegas starter Brennan Holligan limited Chicago to two hits and struck out six. Chicagos Pierce Jones, who hit three home runs Thursday against Lynnwood, was 0 for 2 with a walk. "Ive got some things to cheer them up," Chicago manager Darold Butler said. "I kind of let them do what they want to do. ... I just let them be 12-year-old kids and have fun." SOUTH KOREA 8, PUERTO RICO 5 Jun Hyeok Yun stole home in the top of the sixth for the go-ahead run for Seoul. Entering as pinch runner, Yun raced home after teammate Hae Chan Choi drew a throw to second base from catcher Jeremy Colon. Seoul added two runs, and Jae Yeong Kim pitched a perfect bottom half. JAPAN 9, MEXICO 5 Shozo Kamata drove in two runs with pinch-hit single to give Tokyo the lead in the fifth inning. With the game tied at 5, Kamata hit a slow ground ball up the middle that escaped the reach of Mexicos shortstop and second baseman and made the score 7-5. Japan added two more in the inning. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
