Web site up ugrade complete for SunBear Press
Sun Bear Press publisher of Buffalo, Homes of the Braves, has completed an upgraded of its web site. The new look focuses on the Buffalo Braves, Western New York’s NBA team that played its formidable years in Buffalo’s Memorial Auditorium.
The new site features a collection of Buffalo Braves articles, a full chapter excerpt from Buffalo, Home of the Braves, book reviews, and a list of retail outlets selling the book in the Buffalo area. Buffalo, Home of the Braves is available in a limited quantity for $89.
Jim Kelly reflects on USFL glory days
The genre of extinct professional sports teams was on full display last night on ESPN television. The network’s 30/30 short film series took a long view at the United States Football League. The USFL played a spring schedule of pro football from 1983-85. The sub-plot includes a lengthy interview with former Buffalo Bill Jim Kelly, in the one hour segment entitled: ‘Small Potatoes: Who killed the USFL?’ Directed by filmmaker Mike Tolin, the documentary does an admirable job demonstrating the impact the upstart league had on professional football history.
It’s easy to forget that Kelly spurned the Bills for the high octane, run and shoot offense of Mouse Davis and the Houston Gamblers, after being selected by Buffalo first round of the 1983 NFL draft. As the USFL MVP in 1984, Kelly set a league record with 5,219 yards passing and 44 TD passes. Kelly talks with pride about his epic game against Steve Young and the Los Angeles Express in 1984. That day Kelly completed 35 of 54 passes for a staggering 574 yards and 5 touchdowns.
The league’s story had some close parallels to the American Basketball Association, with renegade owners, wacky promotions, and innovations (instant replay, two point conversions, salary cap) that eventually made their way into the National Football League.
The heavy turned out to be Donald Trump, who purchased the New Jersey Generals and attempted to position the league by moving to a fall schedule, competing head to head with the NFL. Economics and dissention between Trump and other the other owners led to the league’s ultimate demise, but not without some interesting storylines.
This is the first of the 30/30 films that I’ve been able to sit down and watch, but with directors like Barry Levinson and Spike Lee directing other 30/30 productions, I’m ready for more. Oh, and if they aren’t already in the can, the Buffalo Braves and Randy Smith would be well suited for the 30/30 format. The Braves’ team history has intriguing storylines of its own, yet is unknown to most of the ESPN sports fan audience.
Update on “Buffalo, Home of the Braves”
NBA Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo emailed today between exhibition games as Assistant Coach with the Miami Heat, giving his thumbs up for the book “Buffalo, Home of the Braves”. His friend and Buffalo resident Kenny Martin made the connection, and it’s great to have McAdoo’s blessing.
You’ll notice that the Buffalo Nation site has been reconfigured. We think the new look will be a good conduit to Braves and other Buffalo sports news. We are also redoing the Sun Bear Press web site, with some nice background graphics and a streamlined ordering process that should be completed this week.
Speaking of ordering, we’re finally up and listed on Amazon.com. Look for another book signing with author Tim Wendel and perhaps a special guest Brave. We’re lining up a date for early December, likely again at the New Era Cap Company on Delaware in downtown Buffalo.
Courier’s demise brought heartbreak to Buffalo
Twenty-seven years ago, The Buffalo Courier-Express folded. I’ll never forget it because I worked there and I was on my honeymoon when it happened. Of course, that unfortunate turn of events was well before cell phones, emails and texts.
My new wife and I were driving around the West – Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco – and we weren’t exactly regular about checking back home. That resulted in one of the most bizarre conversations of my life.
I called back to Buffalo, to the friend who was keeping an eye on our apartment. “How’s it going?” “Your place is fine,” he replied, “but your paper folded three days ago.” We rushed back in time for the vote about the paper’s future.
On the table was an offer from Rupert Murdoch, which would have meant significant cuts in editorial staff. At the meeting, I sat next to Phil Ranallo and I remember him muttering “It’s Jonestown” – a nod to the drinking of the fatal Kool-Aid – as the measure was voted down.
To this day, I find it amazing that Murdoch ownership was fine for The Boston Herald and eventually The Wall Street Journal but somehow beneath Buffalo.
I saw Phil one last time after that. A quick chat. Everything was unraveling fast for C-E folks by then. Some were preparing for an abrupt retirement. Others of us were scrambling to find a new job. I became the sports columnist for The (Syracuse) Post-Standard and soon parlayed that into a move to the Bay Area and eventually a staff job at The San Francisco Examiner.
To think too much about Buffalo back then was to risk too much heartache. Best to make tracks and put down new roots out West. After all, that’s where we were when all of this happened, right? But, of course, one can never forget where he’s from. Western New York. The Courier-Express.
Working next to Phil. Listening to him talk about arguably his favorite basketball team, the Buffalo Braves. Those are the times I find myself thinking about on such sad anniversaries.
Book release; Behind the scenes
It’s been several months since the book ‘Buffalo, Home of the Braves” hit the shelves. In the whirlwind of activity since the May 30th release, I’ve only recently been able to put it all in some perspective. In recapping the events, truth does sound much stranger than fiction:
Thursday May 28th: After four years, endless editing, and a small fortune of investment, I finally hold the book in my hands. My initial thoughts focus on how much girth the finished book has. It feels heavy and looks great.
I pick up about 30 boxes of books from Village Press in that is located in Traverse City, Michgan (where I’ve resided for the past 21 years), and load them into a rental car for the 10-hour ride to Lockport where my parents still live. I realize that the book project has taken me back at least a dozen times to the Buffalo area, usually on a seven hour route through southern Ontario. This time I have hundreds of coffeetable-style books in the trunk that would be difficult to explain to Customs agents.
Instead I take the long way, along the southern shore of Lake Erie through Cleveland. As the sun sets in the west, I drive through Cleveland, just the Cavs are about to tip off against Orlando in the NBA Semi-finals. Part of me wants to stop and take in the game, but I think better of it and carry on.
Friday May 29th: Up early to prep for the next day’s book signing, also trying on the fly to figure out a way to set up a production line arrangement for pre-ordered books that need to be mailed out. The first ones go out from the post office in tiny Gasport, New York, a few hundreds yards from the grade school that I attended many years ago. That’s the way it is on this trip, a sense of urgency with getting the book thing right, sprinkled with odd flashbacks to the past.
In the afternoon I deliver the first book personally to a one, Mark Savone. Mark and I first met at the “Farewell Old Friends” event back in November that celebrated the tear down of the old Aud. Since then he has called almost weekly to get an update on the book, saying each time that he can’t wait to get his hands on it. I set the GPS to his home in Tonawanda, arriving promptly at the annoited time. Standing there by the street is Mark, guiding me in, waiting wearing a Yankees jacket. Our first customer sees the book and he’s excited, therefore I’m excited.
Next stop is the University of Buffalo. I had met the UB basketball coach Reggie Witherspoon a few months earlier, and knew he was a Braves fan growing up in Western New York. I took a chance and stopped by the basketball office, figuring that was in. I first asked to drop off a copy, but the front desk manager goes back to see if Witherspoon is available.
To my surprise Reggie has me come back to his office and I give him the book. We talk for a few minutes and he begins to provide a backstory to many of the events and photos surrounding the Braves. He obviously likes the book, and I’m even happier. I have to leave for a scheduled appointment at the UB Bookstore (early on they wanted to carry the book followed by several local independent bookstores). Witherspoon informs me that he won’t be getting much work done today because he plans on reading the entire book.
I meet up with Dennis May who I also met at the November Aud event. He had agreed to help us out with the book signing. After bringing the UB bookstore their books, we stopped back to see Reggie Witherspoon (he was still liking the book). Dennis rides along as I fulfill a bookstore order in Orchard Park, and although he’s a good ten years younger then me, I’m impressed by his vast knowledge of Buffalo sports history.
Saturday May 30th: My brother Tim arrived late Friday night. After a quick breakfast at Tim Horton’s, we arrive at the New Era Cap Company who graciously let us use the meeting room at their Delaware Avenue flagship store for our book signing.
The event goes well, not too overwhelming ,but a steady combination of fans, season ticket holders, team personnel, friends, and family. One person has driven an hour from Rochester, others hang out to talk about the Braves legacy and how they could be permanently honored at the new HSBC Arena
Bob Smith, the photographer makes an appearence, John Boutet fills the room with his amazing collection of Braves memoribilia, and John Murphy of WIVB (and the voice of the Buffalo Bills) arrives to interview Tim for a story for a future sports cast. The two hours goes by quickly and sales for the day reach my expectations. We pack up and retreat to a local bar for a late lunch.
We receive a call from Paul Ranallo, son of the late Phil Ranallo. Paul had reached the signing late and wanted a copy of the book. I invite him to the bar, and hear first hand, stories of the great Buffalo Couier Express sports columnist. A beer or two is in order while the tales (and jokes) of Buffalo’s glorious sports past flow.
With the conversation winding down. Another call comes from our parents who have stopped by the Aud demolition after the book singing event. They think it was worth visiting, I’m so sure. After some deliberation, we make the seven block trek to where the Terrace Street entrance is/was.
We were able to get much closer to the site than I imagined. Looking west through a chain link fence, we were able to a crane with a claw like device working away on a facade, somewhere in the orange balcony section. In the open air on a warm Saturday the place where we spent so much family time on cold winter nights is slowly dismantled.
Next: Dealing with the news of Randy Smith
The Last Interview: Randy Smith
Interviewed in 2008 by Tim Wendel, author of “Buffalo, Home of the Braves”. 
Randy Smith Interview, Full version, 20 minutes
In this (believed to be his last “on the record” interview) recording from 2008, former Buffalo Brave and NBA All-Star Randy Smith discusses how his own determination led him from a long-shot 7th round draft pick to an enduring eleven year career. From 1972-1982, Smith played in every regular season game, en route to a then-record of 906 straight games (since broken by A.C. Green).
Smith talks in detail about the early days of the Braves, his friendship with budding superstar Bob McAdoo, the raucous Memorial Auditorium fans, and surviving the team’s tumultuous final seasons in Western New York. Among the interesting pieces, we learn that after a bizarre franchise swap in 1978, Smith received pay checks from the Boston Celtics, while playing games for the San Diego Clippers.
Twenty seven years after retirement, Smith remains the Braves/San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers franchise’s leading scorer. He died on a heart attack on June 4, 2009 after suffering a heart attack near his home in Connecticut.
The Randy Smith Interviews, Part Three: McAdoo Departs
In the third installment of his 2008 interview with author Tim Wendel, Randy Smith discusses the day the Braves traded away Bob McAdoo
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Portions of the interview were used in the book “Buffalo, Home of the Braves“, a large format book featuring the comprehensive history of the Buffalo Braves, Western New York’s NBA franchise of the 1970’s. Copies of the book are now available online from SunBear Press or at independent bookstores in the Buffalo area.
Randy Smith Interview, Part 2
In this second installment of his 2008 interview with author Tim Wendel, Randy Smith talks about his early days with the Braves, and his friendship with another budding star, Bob McAdoo. Portions of the interview were used in the book “Buffalo, Home of the Braves“.
The Randy Smith Interviews
Randy Smith plays against his former teammate Bob McAdoo (left) in 1977
In 2008 Tim Wendel author of Buffalo, Home of the Braves interviewed Randy Smith, who played most of his prolific NBA career with the Braves from 1971-78. Smith passed away earlier this month.
In this first segment, Smith describes his determination in making the team’s roster after being selected as a courtesy pick out of Buffalo State by the Braves in 1971. Randy Smith Interviewed in 2008
Next week: Randy Smith talks about his second season with the Braves, and how the arrival of Jack Ramsay and Bob McAdoo changed his career forever.
Retail Outlets for “Buffalo, Home of the Braves”
Buffalo, Home of the Braves is available online and at the following Buffalo area retail outlets:
- Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, Buffalo
- Talking Leaves Buffalo, Amherst)
- UB Bookstore (North Campus)
- B is for Books (Orchard Park)
- The Book Corner (Niagara Falls)
- Dog Ear Books (South Buffalo)
- The Book Nook (Dunkirk/Fredonia)
