Some might be surprised and perhaps offended, but I've never been one to read comments after my columns and rarely put much stock into what people say in emails. I toss reactions into the same jar. Fans are passionate about sports and have strong opinions. We have that much in common.

Buffalo fans pay attention, and many make valid points while telling me why they disagree with me or remind me when I miss something. Some have called me names I wouldn't repeat at a bachelor party. It comes with the job.

What irks me is when people accuse me of writing something I didn't write, then blast me under false pretenses. There's plenty of real material for people to second-guess, let alone things they imagined or heard that I said.

And that brings me to my column Sunday about the Sabres and my opinion that General Manager Darcy Regier should be fired. Just so you know, there's no joy in calling for someone's job.

Regier is a good man with a family. Personally, I like him and respect him. Professionally, I think he needs to be replaced.

Reaction to the column was interesting if not entertaining, and it sparked arguments among several readers.

Here are a few cut-and-paste excerpts of comments posted, emails and tweets afterward with my response.

In an article prior to the season, Most of the article was about getting Brad Richards who did not give Buffalo the time of day but "Power Play: Bucky Gleason plays GM for a day" ... Bucky reviews his plan and year to year advice:

"In 2008, as GM my main focus was getting Miller signed, probably 5.8 mill ... "Kevin Biecksa [sic] would have been my first choice but not available [sic]... so sign Christian Ehrhoff."

Pegula, (my main man Terry Gleason called him) (sic) has the brains, charisma and backbone to run this organization ... "Ville Leino is an underrated jewel and will be a UFA ... sign him."

Before you continue blabbering on about telling owners, Gm, coaches and players how to do their job ... learn your own craft. — JEFFREY GIANCARLO, LANCASTER, NY

Jeffrey, do your homework. All the quotes imply that's what I wrote, but that's not the case at all. Here's the link: http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/col

umns/bucky-gleason/article472336.ece.

Here's exactly what I wrote, as it pertained to Miller: "In 2008, my plan called for dumping [Maxim] Afinogenov, re-signing Ryan Miller for $5.6 million a year and signing free-agent defenseman Brooks Orpik."

What's the difference, you ask? Try $1 million, or the $200,000 gap between what Jeffrey claimed and what actually was written, over the course of Miller's five-year contract. The difference between what I suggested and what Miller was paid ($6,250,000 annually) is $3.25 million. But what's a few million bucks between friends?

My thoughts on Ehrhoff: "I really wanted Kevin Bieksa but he took less to stay in Vancouver. I would have taken Eric Brewer, but he's gone. I'm now down to James Wisniewski, who I could have had straight up for Connolly before he signed that foolish two-year deal for $9 million, or Christian Ehrhoff."

Ehrhoff was no better than my fourth choice, after three tougher defensemen.

What I actually wrote about Leino: "Ville Leino is an underrated jewel who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. He emerged in the playoffs with Detroit, continued his success with the Flyers and can play on the second and third lines. He can help in many areas, especially with the right players around him. He made $800,000. He's worth $3 million. I would be willing to shuffle around money to sign him, but it depends on whether or not I sign Richards. Leino comes with an asterisk."

The difference: Leino is making $4.5 million per season. Over the course of his six-year contract, the Sabres are paying him $9 million more than what I suggested. The key was getting the right players around him, namely a proven center.

By the way, I still don't see Leino as a bust. If he plays this way for the next several years, my opinion will change. Daniel Briere was considered a major mistake in his first year in Philadelphia. Not anymore.

.  . .

A SABRE FAN SINCE OCTOBER 1970. I CAN NOT TAKE THIS SEASON ANY MORE. KEEP ROOTING FOR THE OTHER TEAM, HOPE THAT SOMETHING WILL BE DONE. A TRADE OR BETTER YET A CLEAN HOUSE OF COACH AND GM. I STILL LOVE THE SABRES. BUT I HAVE REACHED MY BREAKING POINT. I AM NOT A FAIR WEATHER FAN EITHER. I HAVE TONS OF SABRE ITEMS. PROGRAMS, AUTOGRAPHS, ETC. CAN NOT EVEN WATCH OTHER GAMES. WHAT IS [TERRY] PEGULA WAITING FOR? — Mark, via email.

Mark, you're either VERY upset or your Caps Lock is stuck. It happens to me ALL THE TIME. Here's my read on the situation: Pegula said Ruff and Regier "ain't goin' nowhere," and he's not making a U-turn any time soon. Pegula believes injuries were an important factor in the Sabres' problems this season, and he wants to see them with a healthy lineup before making a full evaluation of his entire organization. I can't see him making major changes until after the season at the earliest.

. . . .

My guess is that Brian Burke won't let [Rick] Dudley go from the Leafs org, being a Darcy fan and all. — @thomkrauss, via Twitter.

@thomkrauss, I'm really not sure. First, the Sabres would need to remove Regier before pursuing anyone else. They would need permission from the Leafs to speak to Dudley, who is under contract as an assistant GM. Dudley might not even want the job. To me, he looks like a good fit because he built, or helped build, several good teams. He has experience, knows the league inside and out, knows the Sabres and understands Buffalo.

. . . .

I enjoy your reads as a sports analyst mixed with proper proportions of hometown fan raw emotion. Take a pill on this one. He's going to do what needs to be done. It's clear Sabres' brass knee jerked last off season and spent money unwisely. (Imagine the headlines if Darcy was handed a blank check and didn't spend it?) To compound that knee-jerk with another is simply foolish. — DAN NILES, RALEIGH, NC

Dan, you make several good points. FYI: I still have faith in Pegula. The Sabres didn't spend wisely because they were forced to overpay players. They had a serious recruiting problem and needed to improve their reputation. You're right, Regier would have been vilified if he didn't spend to the cap, or near the cap.

But to suggest I had a knee-jerk reaction is inaccurate, in my opinion. I've been covering Regier since he arrived and thought he should have been fired several times over the years. That's not a knee-jerk reaction.

That's just my reaction.

bgleason@buffnews.comnull