Buffalo should recognize the Golden Snowball

The Snowball is awarded for the highest snowfall among four cities in upstate New York. In most years, the measly 71.3 inches we received this year would put us in fourth place. This season we won everything, thanks to the mini-blizzard in January that allowed us to beat second-place Syracuse. In most competitions, winning a trophy three consecutive years allows the winner to keep the trophy for permanent exposure and honor. Mayor Brown, have you found a suitable exhibit at City Hall?

If one of our current professional teams won a Super Bowl or Stanley Cup championship, there would be a proper celebration, so why not one for the Golden Snowball? And other awards could be given.

All plow drivers from their respective towns are in the running. Individual awards are given to plow drivers, with the MVD (Most Valuable Driver) being awarded to the best driver of the year. Coveted individual awards would include an award given to the driver who plowed the most snow during the year and an award given to the driver who logged the most miles plowed.

There will be “Rookie Driver of the Year” for the driver who achieved the best plowing season for a first-year driver, taking into account consecutive days of plowing, extra shifts worked during a snowstorm, miles of plowed roads and not being on the plow. list of driver injuries.

A real league in any sport also has “Manager of the Year”. Since we have a mayor and a county manager in each city and county, I propose that the mayor and county manager be Plow Director and City Manager, respectively.

All professional leagues are rife with trade rumors, so there can be cross-city trades for plow drivers. A general manager like Mark Poloncarz can include future draft picks as part of the trade. We will call it “plow driver’s traction capital”.

Retirements will take place every year. Outstanding drivers will be eligible for the Plow Drivers Hall of Fame after retiring for five years.

Currently, the league includes New York teams Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton and Albany. They are founding members. League expansion is still under consideration. I propose the creation of a new but separate “conference” – an Ohio/Pennsylvania grouping would include Erie, Cleveland, Toledo and Akron.

A committee of meteorologists should be formed to vote on awards such as Hall of Fame and MVD winners. Each city in the league would have two meteorologists from any media outlet.

At the end of the season, an “All Star” event will take place. Since the Buffalo/Niagara Airport already has a “Snow Plow Rodeo”, we can expand it to include “All Pro” snow plows from each city in the league to compete in a Conference event East versus West.

And there you have it: a Golden Snowball League officially created. Oh, the first commissioner? I think Al Roker would be perfect.