A Super Bowl for the Ages and a Farewell to All

Mahomes-Led Chiefs Pull Out A Thriller Over The Eagles In Super Bowl LVII

In a game where my rooting interest was fairly minimal, I was excited by the fact that two black quarterbacks would be going at it in a one of a kind ‘Chocolate’ Bowl. I knew there could be no loser in this contest. In a Super Bowl that more than lived up to the hype and its historic significance, both QBs performed brilliantly on football’s grandest stage.

What can you say about Patrick Mahomes, he of the indomitable, warrior spirit that simply never says die? Mahomes soldiered through a high ankle sprain that would have sidelined the average mortal for at least six weeks. But Mahomes never missed a beat. And when it looked as if he would be knocked out of the game after a hard a tackle that aggravated the injury, Mahomes shrugged off the excruciating pain and continued to play like the champion he is.

And speaking of the ‘warrior spirit,’ what about the upstart Jalen Hurts? All he did was set the record for most touchdowns scored by a QB in Super Bowl history and he also passed for over 300 yards. Except for the botched fumble that led to KC’s ‘scoop and score’ touchdown, Hurts was simply flawless.

Of course, one might sometimes make a little too much of the historic significance of this whole black quarterback thing. After all, it’s not like we haven’t had a lot of other “firsts” before this one. Black quarterbacks have played in and won Super Bowls before. Two black head coaches - Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith - even squared off in Super Bowl XLI in 2007. While the Mahomes versus Hurts matchup was certainly historic in nature, it was, as I’ve said before, historic with a small “h”. The African-American athlete no longer has to prove anything on the football playing field, or, for that matter, in the coach’s box. To my mind, all of these so-called, “firsts” are simply a way of bookmarking the event by putting a new twist on an old story.

But it’s when we make too much of the quarterback matchup that we obscure the classic nature of this particular contest. This was a Super Bowl game for the ages and not just because the quarterbacks were two Brothers named Mahomes and Hurts. It was also because these two teams proved to be worthy adversaries, who left nothing on the playing field. So often, we get Super Bowl games that are just plain duds. This contest however, will be remembered as a classic of the Super Bowl genre.

All of which brings me back to our own Buffalo Bills and what seems like the all too familiar story of the brothers Coulda, Woulda and Shoulda.

As I watched the confetti raining down in the red and yellow colors of the Chiefs, I imagined for a moment that it was Josh Allen and the Boys standing in the winner’s circle and that the color of the confetti was red, white and blue.

But alas, like the 31 other teams in the NFL, it is now back to our all too familiar refrain of “wait until next year.”

Farewell Challenger Readers...

Now that the football season has reached its official climax, it is time for me to sign off from these pages. It has been my distinct pleasure to provide weekly coverage of the Bills, along with my talented fellow writers, George Radney and Andre ‘The Torch’ Robins Hopefully, we have provided you with a season full of colorful and insightful commentary. I also want to thank the Challenger for the platform it has given me to share my thoughts and opinions with a very special segment of the Buffalo community and beyond. Hopefully, you readers out there got a quick and entertaining read that now and again, may have made you chuckle.

I do intend to return to these pages in the fall once the pigskin starts to fly. But, until then, God willing and the creek don’t rise, I shall be back with you to share in the joy and the pain that our Buffalo Bills bring us.

Systems Advocate

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Health Homes Care Coordinator Help enroll consumers in a Health Home. Help decrease costs of consumers being Served in a Health Home.

Bachelor’s & 5 yrs exp. Req. Resume and Cover letter to WNYIL Inc 3108 Main St Buffalo NY 14214 employment@wnyil.org EEOC

NY Connects Independent Living Outreach Specialist

Help connect aging or disabled individuals and their Families to support groups and streamline access to Public benefits and application assistance. Asso. degree and human services exp. req. Resume and cover letter to WNYIL, Inc 3108 Main St Buffalo, NY, 14214 employment@ wnyil.org EEOC

Hiring Musician

New Hope Baptist Church located at 2090 Genesee Street, is seeking a musician (keyboard player) for Sunday Services. Would need to be available Sunday mornings at 9:45 am, and rehearsals with Praise team on Thursdays at 6:30pm. For further information, please contact Trustee Counts at 716-602-1442.

LEGAL NOTICE RFP

COUNTY OF ERIE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS. RECREATION & FORESTRY

95 FRANKLIN STREET – RM 1260 BUFFALO, NY 14202

Erie county department of parks is seeking proposals, RFP #2023017vf, for the Grover Cleveland concession, due 3/6/2023 @ noon. 95 Franklin street Room 1260 Buffalo, NY 14202. Contact Jacqueline. Todorov@erie.Gov

LEGAL NOTICE BID

Invitation To Bid

The NFTA is soliciting bids for Project No. 11LZ2001, LRRT – Under Platform Conduit Replacement Bid No. E-591 due on March 7, 2023 at 10 am Website for information www. nftaengineering.com

COUNTY OF ERIE REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (RFEI)

Erie County Department

Parks & Recreation

Wendt Beach Mansion & Stables Reuse & Revitalization Project

Project No. 2022-918-01

The County of Erie is seeking letters of interest from developers, business owners, and other interested parties for partnering with Erie County to rehabilitate and operate a unique venue at Wendt Beach Park. The RFEI for the above project will be received by the County’s Commissioner of Public Works in Suite 1400 of the Rath County Office Building, 95 Franklin Street, Buffalo, New York 14202 until 2:00 PM local time on Wednesday, 08 March 2023. A site visit is scheduled for February 22, 2023 at 10:00 am est. at Wendt Beach. RFEI submission instructions

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

ERIE COUNTY SEWER DISTRICT NO. 3

ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION AND PLANT-WIDE GENERATOR EQUIPMENT PROCUREMENT FOR THE SOUTHTOWNS ADVANCED WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY PROCUREMENT CONTRACT 74P

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, The Erie County Department of Environment and Planning (ECDEP) on behalf of Erie County Sewer District No. 3 (Buyer) is requesting Bids for the procurement of the above refenced contract. Bids will be received by the Commissioner of the ECDEP on March 2, 2023 at 2:00 pm local time located at 95 Franklin Street, Room 1034, Buffalo, New York, 14202, at which time the Bids received will be publicly opened and read aloud in Room 1004.

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BY ORDER OF:

Joseph Fiegl, P.E., BCEE Deputy Commissioner, ECDEP

Dated: February 9, 2023

Published: February 9, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE RFP

Public Notice REQUEST FOR PROPOSALSLandscaping Services

The Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority (BMHA) requests responses to a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Landscaping Services at Various Housing Developments from qualifying companies.

The project scope, content of proposal, and vendor selection process are summarized in the RFP and may be obtained by contacting Arnitra Chester at rfpresponse@bmhahousing.com or by visiting the BMHA’s website at bmhahousing.com.

Proposals must be received no later than 3:00 pm (EDT), Monday, March 6, 2023.

Support Black Owned Business

COUNTY OF ERIE 95 FRANKLIN STREET BUFFALO, NEW YORK 14202 DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

County of Erie, New York

RFP RELEASE

The Erie County Department of Social Services (ECDSS) is seeking proposals from qualified agencies to provide Child Abuse Prevention Public Health Services Co-Located at ECDSS. The RFP #23014VF can be found at http://www.erie.gov , or a copy can be obtained by contacting Judith Kolmetz at 716-858-7932, or via Judith.Kolmetz@erie.gov as of 2/17/2023.

All correspondence, communications and/or contact with the County in regard to any aspect of this proposal shall be with the ECDSS contact person listed on the specific RFP. Prospective proponents, or their representatives, shall not make contact with or communicate with any representatives of the County, including employees and consultants, other than the designated person in regard to any aspect of this proposal.

Proposals are due to the Erie County Department of Social Services by 4:00 p.m. (EST) on 3/17/2023. Submissions are done electronically.

Erie County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and waive any informality.

Marie A. Cannon, Commissioner of Social Services

Celebrate Black History

Notice Of Formation Of A Domestic Limited Liabilitycompany

The Caffe Elmwood LLC filed articles of organization with the NY Secretary of State on 01/19/2023. Erie County. Principle business location 957 Elmwood Ave Buffalo NY 14222. Michaela Phetteplace Schmidbauer is designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. NYSS may mail copy of process to 179 Merrimac Street Buffalo NY 14214 Purpose: Coffee Shop. February 16,23, March 2,9,16,23