Needless to say I was not happy with this morning’s column. Neither were you from the posts and emails I have read from you this morning. See below my letter to Jennifer Gish, with Hank Domin, Sports Editor, Rex Smith, Editor, and Mike Spain Associate Editor cc’d. As Ms. Gish said in her column, you can call her at 454-5089, email her at jgish@timesunion.com or find her on twitter at @jennifer_gish. I also encourage you to email Hank Domin at hdomin@timesunion.com or Rex Smith at rsmith@timesunion.com

Here’s my letter:

Dear Ms. Gish,

I am writing to you in response to your “column” this morning regarding Buffalo Bills fans in the Albany area.

When you contacted me on Tuesday, you said:

Hi Bryon,
I write a sports column for the TU, and am looking to talk to some Bills fans this week in light of the big test against the Patriots coming up. Can I interview you for it? If you can send me a number and best time to reach you I could call you tonight or tomorrow. I’ll also be reaching out to some of the other ABB. Thanks!
Jennifer

Your column as printed was nowhere near what we discussed. From the discussion we had over the phone, you gave me the impression you wanted to talk to Bills fans about the (positive) excitement towards this week’s test; not that you wanted to use my answers to your questions as part of your barrage of unwarranted attacks against Bills Nation. If I had known what your intention was, I would not have spoken to you at all.

I find your actions completely unprofessional. I have worked with many journalists in my professional career and I grew up in a household with one. Simply put, Ms. Gish, your actions lack integrity.

We as fans of Western New York teams certainly take pride in our Buffalo Bills just as you do in your Penn State Nittany Lions. The Albany Bills Backers are a fan organization, and if we take too much pride in our team, then is that really the worst thing? If you would have sought out the story you acted like you were writing, you would have seen that Buffalo sports fans have a special connection to our corner of New York State. Many of our cliched comments about being New York’s only team are–besides being factual–said with tongue in cheek. You talked about Ron Jaworski; let me talk about another ESPN personality, Chris Berman. He has a phrase, “Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills.” He doesn’t literally mean that Bills fans have wagons and oxen to ford the Niagara River.

In your opening line of your “column” (which, by the way, goes across 5 columns), you speak of cliches. But do you not make cliches when you say say Buffalo is practically in Canada? To answer what must be your next two questions: yes, it snows a lot there, and I do like chicken wings.

Your discussion of distance between stadiums and Albany is about as trivial as me saying New Jersey is on the Atlantic Ocean, so everyone must be fans of the America’s Cup.

I suggest you speak to your colleague Mark McGuire about what it means to be a fan of a sports team in the good times and the bad. Mark had a great piece about the love of one’s team and what it means to be a fanatic when the Albany Bills Backers were starting up last year.

Simply put, Ms. Gish, I am very disappointed that you portrayed one thing and then wrote another. If any of your newspaper’s colleagues wish to speak to me about the Bills or anything else, I would gladly welcome the opportunity, but otherwise please do not contact me looking for a quote for your sophomoric so-called journalism.

Go Bills.

Bryon C. McKim
Co-Founder
City of Albany Buffalo Bills Backers