Lindy Ruff is one of the best coaches in the NHL, but he sent the wrong message on several

fronts during rookie camp last week when he suggested the Sabres would be fine with their

current lineup.

Ruff apparently underestimated how tired fans have become watching the Sabres do little or

nothing to improve their product. No matter how close the Sabres were to making the playoffs,

the fact is they've finished in 10th place in consecutive years and last year needed a strong

finish just to keep things interesting.

He expected Jason Pominville to be more productive, hoped Tim Connolly and Ryan Miller would

remain healthy and was banking on production from his young players. That would help, but on

every team in every sport there are players who overachieve while others struggle in any given

year.

Buffalo simply doesn't have enough talent to join the heavy hitters in the Eastern

Conference. That's the goal . . . their goal . . . not just making the playoffs. They have too many

players whom they view as first-line guys that would be playing on the second and third line

on better teams.

The bigger problem with Ruff's show of confidence is that too many players already have grown

too comfortable with this team. It was an opportunity for Ruff to say nobody should feel safe

given the results, but he did the opposite. How the Sabres can continue getting away with

selling status quo in this town is a mystery.

Yeah, I know, I'm beating a dead horse. I would much rather be writing about the buzz across

town in anticipation of hockey season. Instead, with every day that passes, I get the

impression that the organization has become a boys club that's taking a passive approach

toward winning.

* LPGA members can blame Commissioner Carolyn Bivens all they want for revenue problems and

the tour taking a dive, but they're missing the point. OK, so the economy is hurting and

sponsors are no longer lining up the way they once did. That's one thing.

The deeper concern is that American golf fans have a difficult time identifying with

foreign players who either lack personality or the language skills required to sell the game

where it's played. The LPGA is less recognizable than the PBA.

Seriously, how many of you were hanging on every word from Eun Hee Ji's interpreter after

she sank a 20-footer to win the U.S. Open?

* Dale Earnhardt Jr. has changed teams, changed cars and once again fired his cousin as

crew chief. Is it me or has he blamed everyone but the driver for not winning?

* Roger Federer winning Wimbledon for his 15th career grand slam, the most in history, has

raised questions about whether he's the best ever. I'm still going with Bjorn Borg, who

retired before his time. Federer is evidence that men should be allowed only one serve, not

two, in the professional ranks.

* Jay McKee wasn't worth the $4 million a year he was being paid in St. Louis, but he is

definitely worth the $850,000 he'll pocket next season in Pittsburgh. The guy has had his

share of injuries, definitely, but it wasn't as if the Penguins handed him a $1 million raise

after he missed two-thirds of the games.

* I'm not sure what would be the greater accomplishment, Lance Armstrong winning the Tour

de France for the eighth time or quieting critics who continue to accuse him of cheating. Even

the biggest cynics have to be convinced he's legitimate at this point.

Why would he return, knowing darned well he would face intense scrutiny, if he thought

there was a chance he would test positive and ruin his reputation? It's not the actions of

someone trying to beat the system.