THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Wide right, again and some bats to fill things out

You might know about Buffalo and the curse of “Wide Right.”

No, not THIS one.

Bills fans have been haunted for decades, and they don’t necessarily take place-kicking failure all that lightly. 

Last Sunday night, with 1:47 to play, rookie kicker Tyler Bass pushed a 44-yard field goal try way off to the right — basically handing Kansas City a pass into the AFC championship game.

That miss gets us started in this week’s “Notes and Quotes.”

So.

Onward.

If it’s any consolation to Bass, even a successful boot in that spot would merely have tied the game at 27-all — leaving Patrick Mahomes with nearly two minutes and a couple of timeouts to go win the game for the Chiefs.

Ah, but the original “Wide Right”?

That one would have won Super Bowl XXV against the New York Giants on Jan. 27, 1991.

Instead, veteran Bills kicker Scott Norwood also missed wide to the right.

The underdog Giants survived 20-19, beginning a string of four straight Super Bowl losses for the luckless Bills. 

However, Norwood and Bass perhaps can consider themselves lucky.

A previous Bills kicker, Booth Lusteg, was assaulted and beaten up by a gang of fans in a grocery store after missing a potential game-winner against the San Diego Chargers in 1966.

Kicking for Buffalo is a tough gig.

ITEM: Gonzaga fans are trying to rally behind point guard Ryan Nembhard.

The transfer from Creighton (and brother of former Zag Andrew Nembhard) arrived in Spokane with a terrific reputation as a playmaker and shooter.

Unfortunately, Ryan’s radar has been off when Gonzaga has needed him most.

In the Zags’ five losses (Purdue, UConn, Washington, San Diego State and Santa Clara), Nembhard has connected on a woeful 2-for-22 behind the 3-point line.

Recently, though, his entire game has picked up. He’s only taking 3-pointers when there’s open space and his feet are set.

More important for the Zags’ offense, however, Nembhard enters tonight’s game against San Francisco in the Kennel on an impressive streak running the show.

Over the last three games, the point guard has ZERO turnovers.

In 113 minutes, he’s racked up 26 assists without giving up the ball.

Coach Mark Few is thrilled to see Nembhard getting back to what he does best (although he shot 35 percent from deep last year at Creighton).

“That is what he can do,” Few said of Nembhard’s 12-point, 12-assist performance in last weekend’s win at San Diego.

“Sometimes he gets a little bored with it, (because) sometimes our bigs don’t quite roll and present themselves like they need to when playing with such a great passer.

“There’s two sides of the story there. I think they’re coming along with that.”

Tonight will be the Zags’ first look at remodeled USF (15-5 overall, 4-1 WCC).

Jonathan Mogbo, a 6-8 transfer from Missouri State, is averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Ndewdo Newbury, a 6-7 junior from England, is hitting 44 percent from 3-point range.

ITEM: The longer the Mariners go without adding any extra offense — especially at second and third base — the more I’m thinking they may be trusting their own minor leaguers to make a big jump.

There are free agent infielders still available, and players within the M’s limited budget, too. 

Two things to keep in mind, though.

First, most of the “name” free agents are represented by Scott Boras, who plays hardball and isn’t afraid to take things right up to opening day (or beyond) to get top dollar for his players.

Besides the obvious issue of not getting any cut-rate deals on any Boras clients, he can clog up the whole system when he has a load of players all waiting to get their price.

That’s the situation now.

Meanwhile, Jon Morosi of the MLB Network appeared on a Seattle radio show this week and offered up a couple of free agent infielders who might fit with the Mariners — Whit Merrifield, who is 34 but coming off yet another good year; and Tim Anderson, 31, a genuine talent who may have been poisoned by the horrible culture around the White Sox.

There are also some really decent infielders who could be available via trade (Jorge Polanco of the Twins and Isaac Parades in Tampa Bay, among others).

The Mariners, however, clearly are reluctant to part with anyone from their army of young pitchers — so trades would likely be low-key deals.

However.

This issue can be solved if the M’s are right about two of their own minor leaguers.

They’re hoping that Ryan Bliss — who tore up both Double-A and Triple-A last year — is ready to win the second base job and make a serious impact.

The other gamble is Tyler Locklear, who they’d like to see win the third base job.

Somebody besides trade acquisition Luis Urias HAS to play third, so Locklear (and maybe Bliss) will get a shot.

Meanwhile, don’t panic.

The Mariners will not make the same mistake two years in a row — a crash which would cost some front-office jobs.

They WILL get some hitters for those spots.

Or else.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”