By Greg Palmer
You heard me. I don’t know about the rest of you, but that one never gets old.
The rivalry probably isn’t as heated as it once was when the Pearl was throwing haymakers into Ewing’s gut. But it’s warm enough that every brave fan that dared wear Georgetown’s blue and gray got boo’d heavily if they walked near the student section.
The crowd was actually smaller than the Marquette game. But they were full of piss and vinegar. Even after a 14-0 run by Georgetown to start the game. There was an electricity in the air. The students were out in FORCE, decked out in green Otto’s Army helmets, and stretching all the way behind the invisible curtain (modern technology is amazing) and all the way to Row XX at the top of Dome (there is no row XX.. that was just some good old fashion hyperbole).
I saw the Pearl and DC and Coach Marrone in the crowd. And it was BIG MONDAY… so Bilas, Raf, and McDonough were in the house. Before the game, Bilas spent some time talking with Coach Fine and then went over to the student section to shake people’s hands.
The floating heads have multiplied… I saw Bernie Fine and Wes and a plaid-clad Boeheim. I also saw a placard that had Ace Ventura: Pet Detective on it, but instead of Jim Carrey and his pompadour it was Andy Rautins and his fauxhawk.
I don’t think it can be said enough just how fun of a team this is to watch or just how easy it is to root for them. They a play like a TEAM. They hustle and scrap and share the wealth. And they smile. Well, except for Triche, but he’s a pretty poker-faced kid. You can tell they simply enjoy playing together.
This is a team that doesn’t rely on one person, but Wes Johnson is most definitely a star and a rare athlete that is blessed with an uncanny ability to float in the air. But he’s also a hard worker who actually listens to his coach. How can you not want these kids to succeed?
With each win, the fan base seems to hold their collective breath just a little bit more… as they begin to realize that they are watching something special, something rarely witnessed, something that can only be described as the best keeps getting better.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
I Will Break You
By Greg Palmer
As you may know, if you read the blog… sometimes I take my 6-year old to the basketball games. Out of my four children, he’s the one who has loved sports his whole life. A couple games ago, while watching the half-time Dress Like An Orange contest, he said to me, full of confidence, “Dad, I could do that.”
So I signed him up for the Marquette game.
He recently joined an instructional basketball league so he’s still learning the game. I reminded him almost daily that he need to practice shooting on a regulation 10-foot hoop. “Too cold outside”, he said. But he ended up going to the neighbors the next day. He made 5 or 6 shots, he told me. He never mentioned how many he took.
On Saturday morning, at basketball practice, he was able to take one shot on the 10-foot hoop. It rolled off the front of the rim. At least he hit the rim, I thought.
As we left for the game, he said, “What do I get if I win?”
I told him to just have fun. It wasn’t about winning. Just enjoy it. Not many people ever get the chance to take a shot in the Carrier Dome in front of almost 30,000 people.
His eyes bugged at the 30K comment. I assured him that it really wasn’t 30K. Not if you counted all the people watching on TV. His jaw dropped. I laughed and admitted that they didn’t show the halftime contests on TV. He smiled, relieved.
Five minutes before half, we met the marketing folks from SU who explained to my son what he needed to do. He looked a little nervous but was also thoroughly enjoying himself.
And then his competition showed up.
My son is… shall we say… vertically challenged and skinny as a rail.
The boy he was going against was a good head taller than him and a few years older. When they stood next to each other, all I could think of was Dolph Lundgren starring down Sylvester Stallone in Rocky IV (hence the title of today’s post). Except my son hadn’t been training in Siberia pulling sleds through snow drifts or doing reverse sit-ups from barn rafters in a montage accompanied by synthesizer music.
We were ushered on to the court. The camera man zoomed in on my son and put his picture up on the Dome big screen. I could almost hear my son thinking, “You said I wouldn’t be on TV, Dad!” I wasn’t quick enough to get a picture with my own camera.
They announced my son’s name and put it up on the scoreboard. Again, I wasn’t quick enough to snap a picture.
And they were off. No picture of that either. Apparently, I was in shock from standing on Jim Boeheim court in front of almost 30K.
They started dressing, and my son was only a little behind until he realized his head was through the arm hole of the jersey and it fell to his waist. Did I mention he’s skinny? At this point, I was trying to look through the view finder and shout encouragement. But still no picture.
The shorts weren’t much better than the jersey. He held them up fine but they were around his ankles by the end of the race.
The real problem was the size 17 (I think that’s what they said) sneakers. Those things must have been 15% of my sons complete body weight. He was basically walking in cement shoes.
Dolph raced back down the court, put up a shot and missed… there was still hope. I looked to my son. The entire uniform was around his ankles as he dribbled the ball off his foot… which is understandable since they stuck out about four times further than normal. He looked nothing like an Orange Man. I finally got my picture just as the other contestant put in his second try.
I instructed my son that no matter what, win or lose, make sure you take a shot. You might never get another chance to shoot in the Dome. And he did just that. He dribbled down the lane and got his shot off…
And missed. But he was beaming as he came off the court. And so was I.
As you may know, if you read the blog… sometimes I take my 6-year old to the basketball games. Out of my four children, he’s the one who has loved sports his whole life. A couple games ago, while watching the half-time Dress Like An Orange contest, he said to me, full of confidence, “Dad, I could do that.”
So I signed him up for the Marquette game.
He recently joined an instructional basketball league so he’s still learning the game. I reminded him almost daily that he need to practice shooting on a regulation 10-foot hoop. “Too cold outside”, he said. But he ended up going to the neighbors the next day. He made 5 or 6 shots, he told me. He never mentioned how many he took.
On Saturday morning, at basketball practice, he was able to take one shot on the 10-foot hoop. It rolled off the front of the rim. At least he hit the rim, I thought.
As we left for the game, he said, “What do I get if I win?”
I told him to just have fun. It wasn’t about winning. Just enjoy it. Not many people ever get the chance to take a shot in the Carrier Dome in front of almost 30,000 people.
His eyes bugged at the 30K comment. I assured him that it really wasn’t 30K. Not if you counted all the people watching on TV. His jaw dropped. I laughed and admitted that they didn’t show the halftime contests on TV. He smiled, relieved.
Five minutes before half, we met the marketing folks from SU who explained to my son what he needed to do. He looked a little nervous but was also thoroughly enjoying himself.
And then his competition showed up.
My son is… shall we say… vertically challenged and skinny as a rail.
The boy he was going against was a good head taller than him and a few years older. When they stood next to each other, all I could think of was Dolph Lundgren starring down Sylvester Stallone in Rocky IV (hence the title of today’s post). Except my son hadn’t been training in Siberia pulling sleds through snow drifts or doing reverse sit-ups from barn rafters in a montage accompanied by synthesizer music.
We were ushered on to the court. The camera man zoomed in on my son and put his picture up on the Dome big screen. I could almost hear my son thinking, “You said I wouldn’t be on TV, Dad!” I wasn’t quick enough to get a picture with my own camera.
They announced my son’s name and put it up on the scoreboard. Again, I wasn’t quick enough to snap a picture.
And they were off. No picture of that either. Apparently, I was in shock from standing on Jim Boeheim court in front of almost 30K.
They started dressing, and my son was only a little behind until he realized his head was through the arm hole of the jersey and it fell to his waist. Did I mention he’s skinny? At this point, I was trying to look through the view finder and shout encouragement. But still no picture.
The shorts weren’t much better than the jersey. He held them up fine but they were around his ankles by the end of the race.
The real problem was the size 17 (I think that’s what they said) sneakers. Those things must have been 15% of my sons complete body weight. He was basically walking in cement shoes.
Dolph raced back down the court, put up a shot and missed… there was still hope. I looked to my son. The entire uniform was around his ankles as he dribbled the ball off his foot… which is understandable since they stuck out about four times further than normal. He looked nothing like an Orange Man. I finally got my picture just as the other contestant put in his second try.
I instructed my son that no matter what, win or lose, make sure you take a shot. You might never get another chance to shoot in the Dome. And he did just that. He dribbled down the lane and got his shot off…
And missed. But he was beaming as he came off the court. And so was I.
Two For The Price Of One
By Greg Palmer
It’s been 18 days since my last blog post. I’m blaming my radio silence on the 3-game road schedule that produced 11 days between home games.
“So what happened the other 7 days, slacker?” you might ask. Well, life.
I’m going to make up for it by jamming two blog posts into two days. And for the price you’re paying to read these, that’s a Billy Mays’ (May he rest in peace) type deal.
It’s been 18 days since my last blog post. I’m blaming my radio silence on the 3-game road schedule that produced 11 days between home games.
“So what happened the other 7 days, slacker?” you might ask. Well, life.
I’m going to make up for it by jamming two blog posts into two days. And for the price you’re paying to read these, that’s a Billy Mays’ (May he rest in peace) type deal.
Friday, January 8, 2010
I’m Mad As Hell and I’m Not Going To Take It Anymore
By Greg Palmer
Not since Janet Jackson had her breast exposed by J.T. has the removal of one article of clothing on national TV spurred such commentary.
Most fans never noticed the actual act. I’m not sure a photo actually exists of it.
But anyone who looked towards the SU bench and saw Coach Boeheim standing on the sidelines sans-jacket knew that something was amiss. If you haven’t noticed, Coach Boeheim doesn’t like change much. God knows if it weren’t for Juli, he may still be wearing plaid. Going jacketless is something he doesn’t do. Is the tie coming off next?
We all understand why he did it… he was disgusted with sloppy, lazy play and multiple assists to the boys from Memphis from kids holding Syracuse scholarships. What we didn’t know was the magnitude of that simple exasperated gesture. It was like he released some kind of Hall of Fame pixie dust as he went spinning, arms flailing, ripping off his coat all in one motion after another turnover. How else can you explain the fact that short milliseconds later Elliot Williams went up for a spectacular breakaway dunk that rocketed off some invisible voodoo force field and shot twenty feet above the rim.
That dunk would have cut the lead to one. SU scored 32 more points after that to Memphis’s 18. Their defense improved. Hands got in the passing lanes. The zone was active. Open threes by Memphis guards seemed to a distant memory. The team even channeled the Belgian Waffle (KO, we miss ya, man) and started diving for loose balls. Kris Joseph apparently used a trampoline when he jumped from nearly half-court and slammed the ball through the hoop off an Andy Rautins’ assist. That’s right, an assist. From one Syracuse player to another.
In other words, Syracuse dominated the remaining 3rd of the game. Who would have thought that Jimmy and his technicolored dreamcoat could work such a spell?
Not since Janet Jackson had her breast exposed by J.T. has the removal of one article of clothing on national TV spurred such commentary.
Most fans never noticed the actual act. I’m not sure a photo actually exists of it.
But anyone who looked towards the SU bench and saw Coach Boeheim standing on the sidelines sans-jacket knew that something was amiss. If you haven’t noticed, Coach Boeheim doesn’t like change much. God knows if it weren’t for Juli, he may still be wearing plaid. Going jacketless is something he doesn’t do. Is the tie coming off next?
We all understand why he did it… he was disgusted with sloppy, lazy play and multiple assists to the boys from Memphis from kids holding Syracuse scholarships. What we didn’t know was the magnitude of that simple exasperated gesture. It was like he released some kind of Hall of Fame pixie dust as he went spinning, arms flailing, ripping off his coat all in one motion after another turnover. How else can you explain the fact that short milliseconds later Elliot Williams went up for a spectacular breakaway dunk that rocketed off some invisible voodoo force field and shot twenty feet above the rim.
That dunk would have cut the lead to one. SU scored 32 more points after that to Memphis’s 18. Their defense improved. Hands got in the passing lanes. The zone was active. Open threes by Memphis guards seemed to a distant memory. The team even channeled the Belgian Waffle (KO, we miss ya, man) and started diving for loose balls. Kris Joseph apparently used a trampoline when he jumped from nearly half-court and slammed the ball through the hoop off an Andy Rautins’ assist. That’s right, an assist. From one Syracuse player to another.
In other words, Syracuse dominated the remaining 3rd of the game. Who would have thought that Jimmy and his technicolored dreamcoat could work such a spell?
Monday, January 4, 2010
This blog post has been REDACTED
By Greg Palmer
In one of my first blogs after the football season opener, I mentioned that the SU marketing department had pretty much taken a first amendment stance on what I could and could not discuss as the “official blogger”. They wanted the fans perspective, not the company line. Of course everything had to be PG and in good taste, but I could pretty much describe things the way I saw them.
And I’ve done just that, to a point. I do practice some self-censorship. I try to keep things positive because negative is just too easy sometimes. I never call-out individual student-athletes, because I just don’t think it’s right. I don’t get into how much my stomach churns at the mere mention of some of our opponents, because I know my perspective as a die-hard fan is not representative of the university’s view on athletics and competition. I didn’t set out to have a set of rules for what I could and couldn’t write, but they subconsciously developed with each post. They are not written in stone and there are no fines when they are broken.
I didn’t even realize they existed really until after the Pitt game. As I wrote my Pitt blog in my head I started to realize that I was censoring myself to the point where there was almost nothing to talk about. Nothing positive anyways. Everything I wanted to talk about broke at least one of my self-imposed rules. My blog would have looked like a Bush-Cheney memo on torture, with thick, black, permanent marker redactions covering 90% of the page. Once I took out every negative, sarcastic, finger-pointing comment out of the post, all that was left was…
For a cold, snowy day, the crowd in the Dome was lively and fully recovered from any New Years Eve hang-overs. It seemed the crowd was waiting to explode, at the edge of their seats, ready for an amazing comeback. Even down fifteen, with nothing really going our way, the majority of the crowd stayed until the bitter end. I wish we could play Pitt again. Hopefully, we’ll meet them in the Big East tournament.
In one of my first blogs after the football season opener, I mentioned that the SU marketing department had pretty much taken a first amendment stance on what I could and could not discuss as the “official blogger”. They wanted the fans perspective, not the company line. Of course everything had to be PG and in good taste, but I could pretty much describe things the way I saw them.
And I’ve done just that, to a point. I do practice some self-censorship. I try to keep things positive because negative is just too easy sometimes. I never call-out individual student-athletes, because I just don’t think it’s right. I don’t get into how much my stomach churns at the mere mention of some of our opponents, because I know my perspective as a die-hard fan is not representative of the university’s view on athletics and competition. I didn’t set out to have a set of rules for what I could and couldn’t write, but they subconsciously developed with each post. They are not written in stone and there are no fines when they are broken.
I didn’t even realize they existed really until after the Pitt game. As I wrote my Pitt blog in my head I started to realize that I was censoring myself to the point where there was almost nothing to talk about. Nothing positive anyways. Everything I wanted to talk about broke at least one of my self-imposed rules. My blog would have looked like a Bush-Cheney memo on torture, with thick, black, permanent marker redactions covering 90% of the page. Once I took out every negative, sarcastic, finger-pointing comment out of the post, all that was left was…
For a cold, snowy day, the crowd in the Dome was lively and fully recovered from any New Years Eve hang-overs. It seemed the crowd was waiting to explode, at the edge of their seats, ready for an amazing comeback. Even down fifteen, with nothing really going our way, the majority of the crowd stayed until the bitter end. I wish we could play Pitt again. Hopefully, we’ll meet them in the Big East tournament.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Let the Games Begin… Big East, That Is
By Greg Palmer
There’s something exciting about league play, especially when your league is so damn tough. There are no more easy games on the schedule. Every contest is a battle for Big East and NCAA seeding. Seton Hall proved that this Tuesday at the Prudential Center in Newark New Jersey.
I traveled down to the game this week with my 11-year-old son. Now Newark isn’t much of a winter travel destination, but hell, neither is Syracuse. It is an easy road trip being only three and a half hours of highway driving away. And you couldn’t ask for a better building to watch basketball in once you get there.
The Prudential Center is the home of the New Jersey Devils and the Seton Hall Pirates. It’s only a year or two old and it’s just like every other modern, brand-spankin new arena I’ve been to… concourses like a mall, beer selections like a pub, fast food that you may buy even if you weren’t locked in the building for two hours, individual cushioned chairs almost like a movie theater, ribbon boards, high def scoreboards, a crystal clear sound system, and a play-by-pay announcer that believes he’s narrating a book on tape rather than a basketball game (and Seton Hall takes THE LEAD… AGAIN!!!! Syracuse calls a 30-second…. TIMEOUT!!!!!). My son said it was the most amazing building he’s ever watched a basketball game in, but I’m fairly certain that was based on the soft pretzels they served (he’s a soft pretzel addict).
The arena also has a few bar lounges from which you can watch the game. A similar lounge is currently being built in the Dome, but the ones at the Prudential Center are only for lowly VIPs, as opposed to “ultra-VIPs” (Sorry, SU Marketing, I couldn’t resist ;)
The one thing they don’t have that we do is pee troughs. Pee troughs definitely give the Dome an edge.
Before the game we went to Five Guys, a burger joint chain that is apparently coming to CNY soon. They sell burgers, hot dogs, fries and soda, and that’s it. There’s a list of toppings that are free and that you order upfront. The fries come in a cup but they pour the remaining order into the paper bag that they serve the food in, whether it’s take-out or eat-in. They make good burgers… I think they’ll be successful in Syracuse.
The game was competitive throughout. A couple players had off nights (not naming any names), but Syracuse played hard all game and finished strong. Luckily, sometimes a strong finish is all that matters. Jeremy Hazell was on fire and nearly broke 40 points. He was something to watch.
The crowd was nearly a 50/50 split between Seton Hall and Cuse fans. The SH students may have pushed it to 60/40. It was the largest crowd to ever watch a Seton Hall game at the Prudential Center. The announcer thanked the Seton Hall fans for making that happen, but they really owed it to the Syracuse fans.
To put things in perspective, the game was termed a “sell-out” of slightly more than 9,000, but the upper deck of the Prudential Center which effectively doubles the capacity is closed for Seton Hall games. They actually cover the whole upper half with black drapes so the empty seats don’t show up on TV. Put that arena in Syracuse and the place would be sold out every game by season ticket holders. It makes you appreciate the rabid fan base we have in the Dome.
Next up, Pitt. Go Orange!
There’s something exciting about league play, especially when your league is so damn tough. There are no more easy games on the schedule. Every contest is a battle for Big East and NCAA seeding. Seton Hall proved that this Tuesday at the Prudential Center in Newark New Jersey.
I traveled down to the game this week with my 11-year-old son. Now Newark isn’t much of a winter travel destination, but hell, neither is Syracuse. It is an easy road trip being only three and a half hours of highway driving away. And you couldn’t ask for a better building to watch basketball in once you get there.
The Prudential Center is the home of the New Jersey Devils and the Seton Hall Pirates. It’s only a year or two old and it’s just like every other modern, brand-spankin new arena I’ve been to… concourses like a mall, beer selections like a pub, fast food that you may buy even if you weren’t locked in the building for two hours, individual cushioned chairs almost like a movie theater, ribbon boards, high def scoreboards, a crystal clear sound system, and a play-by-pay announcer that believes he’s narrating a book on tape rather than a basketball game (and Seton Hall takes THE LEAD… AGAIN!!!! Syracuse calls a 30-second…. TIMEOUT!!!!!). My son said it was the most amazing building he’s ever watched a basketball game in, but I’m fairly certain that was based on the soft pretzels they served (he’s a soft pretzel addict).
The arena also has a few bar lounges from which you can watch the game. A similar lounge is currently being built in the Dome, but the ones at the Prudential Center are only for lowly VIPs, as opposed to “ultra-VIPs” (Sorry, SU Marketing, I couldn’t resist ;)
The one thing they don’t have that we do is pee troughs. Pee troughs definitely give the Dome an edge.
Before the game we went to Five Guys, a burger joint chain that is apparently coming to CNY soon. They sell burgers, hot dogs, fries and soda, and that’s it. There’s a list of toppings that are free and that you order upfront. The fries come in a cup but they pour the remaining order into the paper bag that they serve the food in, whether it’s take-out or eat-in. They make good burgers… I think they’ll be successful in Syracuse.
The game was competitive throughout. A couple players had off nights (not naming any names), but Syracuse played hard all game and finished strong. Luckily, sometimes a strong finish is all that matters. Jeremy Hazell was on fire and nearly broke 40 points. He was something to watch.
The crowd was nearly a 50/50 split between Seton Hall and Cuse fans. The SH students may have pushed it to 60/40. It was the largest crowd to ever watch a Seton Hall game at the Prudential Center. The announcer thanked the Seton Hall fans for making that happen, but they really owed it to the Syracuse fans.
To put things in perspective, the game was termed a “sell-out” of slightly more than 9,000, but the upper deck of the Prudential Center which effectively doubles the capacity is closed for Seton Hall games. They actually cover the whole upper half with black drapes so the empty seats don’t show up on TV. Put that arena in Syracuse and the place would be sold out every game by season ticket holders. It makes you appreciate the rabid fan base we have in the Dome.
Next up, Pitt. Go Orange!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Below the Belt
By Greg Palmer
Okay, we’ve finished the portion of our out-of-conference schedule with opponents named after Saints. And we remained unscathed. I mean that in terms of wins and losses, because Andy Rautins certainly has battle wounds after Saturday’s win.
When my six year old told his grandmother about the game, he told her that #44 got kicked out of the game. The first ejection he’s ever witnessed in sports. He actually asked if the guy was going to get arrested. I assured him no.
My four-year-old overheard his brother and asked, “What?!? Jim Brown got kicked out?”
Apparently, I’ve indoctrinated the boy fairly well. Now, if only I can teach him the difference between football and basketball.
Okay, we’ve finished the portion of our out-of-conference schedule with opponents named after Saints. And we remained unscathed. I mean that in terms of wins and losses, because Andy Rautins certainly has battle wounds after Saturday’s win.
When my six year old told his grandmother about the game, he told her that #44 got kicked out of the game. The first ejection he’s ever witnessed in sports. He actually asked if the guy was going to get arrested. I assured him no.
My four-year-old overheard his brother and asked, “What?!? Jim Brown got kicked out?”
Apparently, I’ve indoctrinated the boy fairly well. Now, if only I can teach him the difference between football and basketball.
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