“Ain’t that Banditland. It’s something to see. Ain’t that Banditland. It’s for you and me.”
The following story is true, and many of you already know it. I have spiced it up to add some character and kept the names out to add mystique.
Imagine, if you will.
Years ago, in a smoke-filled room, deep in the confines of the old Memorial Auditorium, surrounded by heavy oakwood walls and stylish furnishing, there stood a boardroom table. This unusually long and relatively wide table supported days of endless negotiating of Buffalo’s involvement with professional sports and entertainment.
Dossiers of future ideas, player, coaching, general manager contracts, and event agreements were reviewed and hammered out on this boardroom table year after year.
Then one day, two guys from Philly sat across from a board of directors sauteed with success and wealth. The impeccably dressed group listened, hummed, scowled, awed, and waved cigar smoke from the visionaries.
The two men had nicely packaged sporting event ideas laid out in a presentation that initially came from a cocktail napkin courtside of a basketball game.
Simply put, the two guys from Philly wanted to bring in a turnkey operation of box lacrosse to Memorial Auditorium. Turnkey meant general manager, coaches, players, equipment, support staff, marketing, and team name.
Other parts of the operation, including turf, goal nets, ticketing, and business management, would be handled by the Aud’s major tenant and facilitator.
PURCHASE TICKETS TO WING NIGHT
They already placed such a concept in other cities, so there was interest from the tight-lipped men who had earned their fortunes two-fold.
It took a couple of attempts, but after the elbows of the board moved off the fabled table with a simultaneous raise to the arms, negotiations ended in favor and approved.
Upon leaving the boardroom into the dimly-lit concourse of the old Aud, the two guys from Philly, sandwiched between the Buffalo advocate, suddenly stopped at one of the vomitories that provided a panoramic view of the empty seating bowl.
The two turned to the supporter of this venture and said: “We are going to call your team the Buffalo Bandits.” With that, the two shook the hand of the advocate, who would be responsible for the newfound Buffalo franchise. They quietly walked back into the concourse, fading into the shadows.
Alone, there stood the man responsible for getting the deal done with the board’s approval. He quickly turned back and yelled into the bowl: “Welcome to Banditland!”
And the rest is history.
30 years later, the population of Banditland has grown by the thousands, and now represents a fabric of life that clearly covers three generations.
“My father and mother started going, I went, and now my kids are going –all of us together.”
This group is so dedicated to the Bandits they will endure the elements of winter with a tailgate gathering and attend a game dressed only in team regalia. “You never want to cover your Bandit colors, my friend.”
Whether it’s home or on the road, from Halifax to San Diego, Vancouver to Atlanta, the club will never be denied. There will always be a member or group of Banditland citizens there.
The undeniable love for the Bandits was evident last Saturday night in Rochester. It was the most prominent traveling contingent that I have ever seen. They literally took over in presence and decibels, setting up a temporary domain of Banditland.
Good morning to Banditland and Banditland only. #LetsGoBandits | @dhanesmith92 pic.twitter.com/JT2Fqvl9wt
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) February 27, 2022
Reviewing the definition of the word ‘fan’ from the free dictionary to the Merriam-Webster, as a noun, simply stated: Enthusiastic devotee, as a spectator; ardent admirer.
Being a citizen of Banditland land is so much more than just being a fan, though. It’s deep-down love for the team and for each other. It’s fanatical in the sense that no matter what happens on the turf or in everyday life, the Bandit land population will be there to support their team and each other.
True, there have been some challenges over the seasons, and the recent Pandemic has seen some move on and away from Banditland; maybe someday come back, maybe not.
But, again, last Saturday’s Banditland population in Rochester, with entire team colors, enthusiasm, and voice, really moved me. It was extraordinary.
I value the fact Banditland consists of hard-working, dedicated people. They love life; they are proud; they love their team and do anything for each other.
True to my word, there are members of Banditland already en route to Albany for Saturday’s encounter with the Firewolves. And many more will follow in time for the game’s opening faceoff.
“Ain’t that Banditland. It’s something to see. Ain’t that Banditland. It’s for you and me.”
Buffalo What?
The Bandits enter the second half of the season with the NLL’s best record at 8-1. And there are challenges ahead, including playing four games in eight nights with back-to-back games against Halifax, plus road trips to Philadelphia and Colorado.
But let’s take this one game at a time, and that starts with this week’s opponent, the feisty FireWolves in Albany.
And to build up the enthusiasm of this upcoming game, here are some postgame notes and videos from last Saturday’s 14-8 victory over the Knighthawks.
Notably, I thought the Bandits defense played exceptionally well, even without their captain, Steve Priolo. The rally effort started on the opening faceoff where newly acquired Max Adler swept the first of 12 faceoffs to his supporting cast, who immediately set up plays.
Below, watch Adler on the draw, then sweep the ball for a Bandit possession. Then watch the offense go to work utilizing the 30-second shot clock to the very end with Chris Cloutier going to the net with a scoring opportunity.
This winning formation has allowed players like Nick Weiss and Ethan O’Connor, and Justin Robinson more touches on the ball, which has a positive effect.
“On defense, the key message is to be team tough. We don’t want any teams to have an easy walk, and we want to wear offenses down in the fourth quarter,” said Weiss, who has played over 100 NLL games. “We have a lot of talent on the backend to be able to run and push the ball. The message is if you have a green light, go take it.”
Watch this defensive sequence as the group covers the lanes and checks. Vinc makes a kick save with the loose ball picked up by Kevin Brownell, creating a three-on-two. Keep watching as the pressure continues with Bryce Sweeting takeaway, setting up Ian MacKay with a scoring opportunity.
The numbers speak for themselves on the back line, where 10 players share responsibilities and direction from goaltender Matt Vinc. The club is now +32 in goal differential.
They have held their opponents to 10 goals or less eight separate times, six of those in single digits. In addition, Vinc and the department of defense have shut out opponents for eight quarters and have played five quarters allowing only one goal. Combine those digits, and that’s 36 percent cent of the time. That is a testament to Vinc, who has a .820 save percentage, and the defense helping with a 9.53 goals-against average. Vinc has put up back-to-back 50+ save performances.
As a unit of 11, including Vinc, the Bandits defense continues to improve on their transition with opportunistic sequences.
Below is a perfect example of the Bandits transition with Kevin Brownell exercising his speed and lacrosse IQ with Justin Robinson.
“I think in a tight game, those transition goals are sometimes the difference in the game,” said Bandit’s head coach John Tavares.
But back to team tough on defense.
“We want to protect the prime scoring area, and if the opponent wants to come in that area, they are going to pay to be; otherwise, they are going to own that property, and we don’t want them in there. You have to make it a tough place to stay,” Tavares said.
The offense continues to take care of business with outstanding passing and goal scoring. And how about the unsung helper of the week in Josh Byrne, who earned eight assists in Buffalo’s 13 real-time goals scored.
That’s an impressive 61 percent of the scoring. Byrne enters this week’s NLL scoring race in ninth place with 16+32=48. Byrne now has 13 assists in his last two games.
Great, too, to see Ian MacKay with some upfront work and the harvest of his deployment with an admirable goal.
Dhane Smith, with his eight-point night (3+5), now moves into second place in NLL scoring, three points behind Joey Resatairits. With his five assists on the night, Dhane now leads the league with 41. Connor Fields now has five hat tricks on the season, and Tehoka Nanticoke has four.
Call to order, please
As noted, Albany is next. They are coming from Pacific waters following a 13-12 win over San Diego. This will be Buffalo’s first visit to Albany since 2003, when the Attack played in the NLL.
Broadcast Transmission
Saturday’s game will be carried in living HD color on ESPN+ and TSN. Radio coverage will be provided by the 50,000-watt tower-to-tower 1520 The Bet. The radio pregame show will start at 6:30 pm, and game time is set for 7 p.m. from the MVP Arena.