Superman Wears Rob Long Underoos

The SOBs: Worst Moment

2009-05-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to stop number seven of your annual Syracuse Orange Bloggerawards. I was charged with the painful task of revisiting the worst moments of the basketball season. So hold my hand, and together, we can get through this. No pain, no gain, right?

First up is the shot that handed Syracuse its first loss of the year. You might remember seeing it a few hundred times.

The 60 foot miracle in the Cleveland State game. It didn't end up really hurting our season, but it was so annoying seeing that highlight every time someone mentioned us throughout the year. -Dan, SWRLU

Oops. Probably should have read that before posting he highlight. Sorry, Dan.

Next up is a game that many probably forgot about, but it certainly encapsulated all that was problematic on this season's Orange.

Losing to Louisville at home on January 25th. We were tied with two minutes to go. Syracuse was in control, and they proceeded to miss every shot they took for the next minute. We lost, but we never should have. While there were a few other bad moments, this one seemed to sting the most. -Brian, Orange::44

For a really crappy youtube video of the highlights you can go here, but I don't recommend it.

The game against Oklahoma in the sweet sixteen was billed as "the hottest team [Syracuse] vs. the best player [Blake Griffin]." It didn't quite live up to expectations as SU was easily beaten. It was a bad loss by any stretch of the imagination.

Once again, the loss to Oklahoma. -Ray, SWRLU

26-6 run by the Sooners to make a one-point game a 19-point game early in the 2nd H. That sucked. Hard. -Damon, Orange Fizz

I would agree that that the game against OU was probably the worst loss. However, I think there is an off-the-court incident that overshadows it:

The Devendorf Incident: Even though it turned out the girl was making it all up, it still made us look bad and provided fodder for opposing fans for at least another year. -Me

The Devendorf Suspension -Andrew, T3I

And now the winner of the SOB, with over twice as many votes as any other category, Jonny Flynn declaring for the NBA Draft.

Flynn declaring for the draft and instantly realizing that I could be running the point for Syracuse in 2009-2010 and Boeheim hasn't let me know yet. -Matt, Hoya Suxa

Jonny Flynn finally signing with an agent. -Matt, The Orange Report

Text message from my friend Aaron... "Cuse.com: Jonny Flynn signs with an agent. Well it was awesome being sporting news preseason #1 while it lasted." -Nick, Nick's 2 Cents

“Jonny Flynn signs with Agent.” * Blech* -Dan, The Sport Hump

Hearing the news that Jonny Flynn was going to sign with an agent. So disappointing on many levels. It's like an era ended before it ever really started. -Sean, TNIAAM

Phew. Well I'm glad that's over with. If thinking about the preceding events has you down in the dumps, take solace in the fact that we didn't end up in the NIT (*cough*Hoyas*cough*). Plus, coming up in one hour, we'll have the Best Game award presented by my friend BH over at Orange::44.

And now for something completely different. We've got some bad news/good news. The bad news is this will probably be the last post on SWRLU. Wait! Don't cry! The good news is I am relocating to CuseOrange, the sleekest Orange blog on the internets. Check it out for my occassional thoughts on this crazy world that is SU Athletics.

Thanks.

Stay tuned...

2009-05-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Big site news coming up. Also, I'll bring you the worst moment of the basketball season as a part of the SOBs. Next Wednesday at 4 p.m.

Until then... how ugly is Joakim Noah?

ʎɹǝʌ :ɐ

The truth finally comes out

2009-04-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

Inspired by TNIAAM

Jonny go bye-bye

2009-04-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

Well disregard that last post... He's gone.

Help us, Wes Johnson. You're our only hope.

It's getting drafty

2009-04-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

So right after the loss to Oklahoma in the Sweet Sixteen I started writing an entry on here. All the frustrations of watching that game came out, and after it was done I decided it was a little too emo to be posted. Probably better to just move on. Speaking of which...

As I'm sure you know by now, three Orange are declaring for the NBA draft. It's clear that only one has the potential to be a first-round pick, but many are saying he's the most likely to return. No one can be sure how this is all gonna shake out, but here are my uneducated guesses:

Eric Devendorf

Gone. The latest news is that he's already hiring an agent, which would mean he is ineligible to return to the NCAA. It's extremely unlikely that he will be drafted. He's suffering from G-Mac syndrome. He was a critical part of a college team but just doesn't have the size or athleticism to make it in the Association. He'll end up in the D-League (Most likely the Reno Bighorns along with every other SU alum) and then transfer to the ABA or some other minor league in a year or two after it's clear that no NBA teams want him. E is so American that I don't really see him fitting in across the pond in Europe.

Paul Harris

My guess is that Paul is waiting to see what Jonny will do. If same-sex unions were legal in New York, I'm pretty the two of them would have a common law marriage by now. Paul is declaring for the draft just so that he will have his options open. If he does go, Paul seems like more of the European type. He'll get in touch with some of Donte Greene's German contacts and perhaps join the New Yorker Phantoms. He'd look good in one of these jerseys. However, I think he's going to stay for his senior year because....

Jonny Flynn

Right now, I say Jonny's back. All of the "anonymous sources" referenced in articles about his position say that he really wants to be in an Orange uniform next year. I also think that all these articles coming out with Syracuse in the top 3 for the '09-'10 season can only make him want to come back more. It's clear that Jonny wants nothing more than to win, and if he comes back he'll have all the tools that he needs to take Syracuse into the Final Four. He'll only leave if his stock significantly rises during the pre-draft workouts, so Jonny, don't try too hard to impress those scouts. Please.

So I'm betting on Devo to the D-League, and Niagara's finest will return for another year, cementing SU's high preseason rankings. What are your predictions?

UConn... UCall

2009-03-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

SWRLU is proud to unveil the new spokesman for Alltel Wireless:

Thank you to Benjamin for the idea.

Mile-hijinks

2009-03-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

I had the good fortune of traveling with the basketball team a couple times during my tenure with the Sour Sitrus Society. There's nothing better than flying to Florida on a private jet on university money. Unfortunately every time I traveled we lost. Judging by these pictures from the trip back home from Miami, it looks like things are a lot more fun when you win.

So does anyone know if Kris Joseph and Kris-Kross are related? They sure dress alike.

The flight attendants are apparently Oklahoma operatives. They tried to trap Jonny Flynn in the bathroom...

Two of them even teamed up, but fortunately he was able to escape. Their actions led to an investigation by SU Athletics. They were interrogated by Quentin Hillsman yesterday. They have not been seen since.

Note the blue and orange leather interior. I'm guessing this is the new SU jet that we heard so much about a few months ago. Nice to know that my tuition was put to good use.

Muchas gracias to Sammy and Shannon for unknowingly letting me steal the pictures for my personal use.

SU vs. Arizona State OSR

2009-03-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

Syracuse manages to exorcise the devils from Tempe as well as the curse that plagued their NCAA performance for the past four years.

We're a 3-seed!

2009-03-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

The Orange are going to Miami! If you are not pumped about March Madness the Sitrus drummer will eat your soul.

Seriously.

Are new basketball uniforms on the way?

2009-03-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

It was three years ago that Syracuse was chosen as one of the select schools to unveil Nike's new System of Dress uniforms. They've received mixed reviews ever since, but I'm a fan. I'm still waiting for the day when someone breaks out the ridiculous long sleeves to match the shorts.

It's no secret the SU is pretty friendly with Nike, so I'm surprised that we aren't a member of the Swoosh's latest experiment: Nike Pro Combat. From the front these are nearly indistinguishable from the current SoD generation. The back, however, is where the changes are happening, and while some are subtle, most are flatout ugly. To see the rest of the collection go to this UniWatch post and scroll down to the section titled "Burying the Lede."

So since we've been Nike's guinea pig in a lot of uniform experiments, could something like this be coming to SU? I certainly hope not. The patterns on the back are just weird. Plus, ours would probably end up looking like this:

I'm a twit.

2009-03-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

So I finally succumbed to the internet phenomenon known as Twitter. All the cool kids were doing it. I'm not really sure what to do with it. Mostly I plan on using it to follow other people's updates, but I suppose I'll be posting, too.

Anyway, tweet me up if you're so inclined. Check out https://twitter.com/Alexander_O

SU vs. UConn

2009-03-12T22:54:00.000-07:00

We broke the ESPN "game flow" graph.

Speaking of which, couldn't they choose some colors with a little more contrast? Every time I look at one of these for Syracuse it's "Navy blue vs. Slightly different navy blue." Shouldn't our line be orange anyway?

SU vs. Rutgers

2009-03-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you've ever followed a Syracuse game by using the Live Stats link off of suathletics.com, but they certanily try their hardest to keep things interesting. Instead of recapping the game myself, let's look at some Live Stat play-by-play highlights:

Andy is one of the streakiest players I've ever seen. Also note that the first was a three, but the second was a rainmaker!

This one's small, so click on it to see the full size craziness. AO rejected not only the shot, but every Rutgers player that was on the floor at the time

How many different ways are there to say "He dunked it."?

About time those arms were put to use.

Thank you, seniors.

SU vs. Cincinnati

2009-03-01T17:01:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't guessed, I recently figured out how to make animated GIFs.

Snubbed.

2009-02-26T17:22:00.000-08:00

I case you haven't heard, I'm going to be a contestant on the March 4 episode of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. I set up a facebook event and invited all of my friends. One person in particular declined the invitation, though, and suddenly appearing on a game show doesn't seem that cool any more.

The Mystery of Sean Williams

2009-02-25T16:43:00.000-08:00

When Sean Williams was recruited, he was the ranked as high as the 20th best center in his class in the nation. I can't find the article now, but I'm pretty sure I read in the D.O. that he has a longer wingspan than anyone in the NBA. Plus he's listed at 6' 11". Someone with that kind of physical gift should be able to play some mean defense, right? He should be able to play Division I ball, right?

Well so far, no. The guy looks incredibly awkward every time I've seen him play (which is not very often). At the end of the St. John's game on Tuesday, he had an easy layup opportunity and completely botched it. This scholarship player was outshone in those waning seconds by walk-ons Reese and Presutti. Something's not right.

The coaching staff knew when they recruited Williams that he was going to be a gamble. According to this article, he only averaged 6.8 points and 3 rebounds his junior year. His senior year, he played so little that opposing coaches didn't even know he was on the team. Despite this, the SU coaching staff seemed to believe that, with the right training regimen, he could become a force in the Big East.

But now it seems Boeheim has given up on him.

The original plan to redshirt him his freshman year didn't work out. The Great Torn ACL Plague of 07-08 forced him to play eight minutes against Rutgers, disqualifying him from a redshirt. At the time, it seemed that Coach Boeheim decided to play him so that he could be worked into the depleted line-up, but we never saw him again. Jim apparently preferred playing only 6 men to trusting Sean out on the floor. Yikes.

Still, it seemed like all the guy needed was some time in the weight room. He could redshirt his sophomore year, beef up, and then have three years of kickin' ass. I thought that's what he was doing until the end of the St. John's game. He played in a Big East game. He wastes another year of eligibility.

My guess is that the coaches have decided he's not improving, so he just sits on the bench, waiting for his 4 years to go by. I'm sure having a body like that in practice helps the other players prepare for the likes of Thabeet, but he just can't cut it in the actual games. My guess is that if a hot recruit comes along and the team is out of scholarships to offer, Williams will be the one sacrificed. I hope he's making a good use of his free education because it seems like as far as basketball is concerned, he'll be nothing more than that mysterious figure, appearing once a year so we can all gawk at those arms.

In case you missed it...

2009-02-25T13:26:00.000-08:00

I've been putting up some "FanPosts" over on Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician. If you were curious about my feelings on the current basketball uniforms or how to decode the secret message in the above picture, go check 'em out.

SU vs. St. John's OSR

2009-02-24T20:25:00.000-08:00

The alley-oop practice pays off (mostly) as SU gets acrobatic on the way to demolishing St. John's by almost 30 points.

Yo-dee-oo-dee-oh-dee-ay-oo...

2009-02-24T11:02:00.000-08:00

I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the collapse of Georgetown basketball this year, and I hope you have too. Credit has to go to The Sporting Blog for finding the best way to sum it up.

Matt over at Hoya Suxa also did a great job of chronicling every loss:

What's that? Villanov-who? Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sound of crushed Hoya dreams.

SU athletics department does something right

2009-02-20T12:58:00.000-08:00

I just want to give some quick props to whoever is making the LAX posters this year. So here they are: prop prop prop.

Click for full size. What the hell is a prop anyway? You kids and your hip jive...

I love SU

2009-02-20T11:27:00.000-08:00

I just found this video on the 'Tubes today and I had to share it. It was uploaded almost two years ago, so it might be old news to some. Still, this video is amazing.

It's hard to say what the best part of is. Seeing what Marshall St. looked like the year I was born? The old school band uniforms? I'm gonna go with the anchor at the end being completely unimpressed.

The Ongejection

2009-02-15T11:17:00.000-08:00

One of the big stories coming from the Georgetown game yesterday had to be the elbow from Kristof and his subsequent ejection. At the time I thought it was a terrible call. The commentators and my allegiances convinced me that he was just doing a "swim move." However, after a day to calm down, digest, and review the tape, I'm not so sure. I'm still not really happy with the call, but K-Ong isn't as innocent as we'd like to believe.

First let's look at the tape, courtesy of The Orange Segment.

Kristof Ongenaet's elbow and ejection vs. Georgetown

If you look at Kristof and Summers battling at the 6 second mark, you can clearly see K.O. get an elbow to the side of the head. (It happens just as Jonny passes to Andy.) Was it intentional? Hard to say, but taking a hit like that has got to suck. This led to Kristof's emotions getting the best of him, unfortunately, and I think he delivered a little payback to the back of some Hoya skull.

Summers then did his best Italian soccer player impression: collapsing to the ground and crying until a foul was called. Sure it hurt, but I've seen players play through much worse (see G-Mac's 2006 Big East Tourney). Suck it up.

It's unfortunate that the player doing the retaliating is typically the one caught in situations like this. If the refs thought it was worth an ejection, then both players should have been thrown out. Personally I think it should have been a T on each player and let them both continue play.

Like Brent Axe said in his blog, I hope this isn't the dawn of a new era of "throw out anyone who elbows another player." Thabeet's play was pretty dirty against us, and I think we had a right to complain afterwards, but I'd rather see physical play than players scared to compete.

It also worries me that this happened just as we were witnessing the Belgian Rennaissance. Kristof was back in top form the past two games, and I really hope Ongenaet continues his physical play because that's what he's best at. We'll have to wait and see a week from today if it changes his game at all.

SU vs. Georgetown

2009-02-14T12:59:00.000-08:00

Click on the picture to get the full-size warm and fuzzies.

It's been a while

2009-02-13T09:39:00.001-08:00

I don't like it when our team loses. It's amazing how this emotional connection has developed between myself and the athletic success of a handful of individuals that I barely even know. That said, the recent losing streak has lessened my enthusiasm for writing in this blog.

Never fear, though! I'm still alive, and there's nothing that can get me fired up again like an upcoming home game against the hoyas.

In case you missed it, I did a little piece for the open mic week over at Hoya Suxa. I couldn't believe my good fortune when I noticed that I was walking behind a Georgetown cheerleader on my way home from work. The dude pretty much wrote that article for me. Seriously... he couldn't have looked more stereotypical if he tried.

Thanks also to Krystal for sending me the above photo of her sign. I wish I were that talented with construction paper and scissors.

Anyway... I am so pumped for the game tomorrow, and I'm confident that we will beat them by approximately 40 points. Hopefully the orange-out goes off well, but I have my doubts. I'll be back tomorrow with something, and I'm going to try to keep this thing more active through the remainder of the season.

Go, fight, and win.

orange out shirts

2009-01-23T10:24:00.001-08:00

SU vs. Notre Dame OSR

2009-01-17T12:09:00.001-08:00

Syracuse has so dominated Notre Dame this year that Paul Harris has been named the new Touchdown Jesus.

Troy Nunes is a dirty player?

2009-01-16T21:18:00.000-08:00

So I was playing FIFA '09 tonight, and decided to check out the league stats in the season I've got going on. I was surprised to find that a popular figure in the SU blogging community was leading La Liga in red cards.

He may be a magician, but the refs aren't falling for it.

Actually, this is José Carlos de Araújo Nunes, not Troy. Also, I'm currently leading the league in goals with 86 through 28 games. I think it's time to up the difficulty.

Why no... I don't have a life... Why do you ask?

Georgetown students are dicks.

2009-01-15T07:57:00.000-08:00

Really. They are.

On the way to the Clyde's pregame festivities I walked past the line of Georgetown students waiting to be let into the game. Clad in their oh-so-boring grey, I stuck out with my orange jersey, and they naturally started verbally abusing me. I don't hate them for this. We treat them the same way. In fact it was kinda fun.

After the game, though, is when they showed their true colors. I witnessed three Orange fans minding their own business talking on cell phones suddenly surrounded by G-town students. The assholes just yelled nonsense for a bit and then walked away, demonstrating the complete lack of GU's ability to teach such basics as "speaking coherently." Anyway, this at least gave me the opportunity to yell "Your mother's a hoya!" It felt good.

Oh and the game?

Well there was a great turnout of Orange supporters. It's a shame the team didn't join us. We knew there would be games like this. SU does it every year. It's just a shame it had to happen against these guys.

But we'll have our revenge! Take solace in the fact that no matter what the time is, Georgetown still sucks.

Don'te miss him

2009-01-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

There was an interesting poll on syracuse.com the other day, asking what the basketball team would be like this year if Donte' Greene had stayed. At least I thought there was. I can't find it now. Did anyone else see that, or am I just imagining things? Regardless, it's an interesting question, and I think the team is definitely better off.

Now I am not a Donte'-hater. I think the response from some angry Syracuse fans when he left was completely uncalled for. He made the decision that was best for himself. It just so happens that it was also best for SU.

It all comes down to one word: defense. Syracuse, coming into the Rutgers game, was the third best team in the country at three-point defense. The zone has been active and stifling in nearly every game so far. You cannot tell me that the same would be true with Donte' on the team. Orange fans' biggest gripe about him was consistently his lack of defense.

We have enough offensive weapons to compensate for him. In fact, the team has extraordinary balance with six players capable of scoring in double figures on any given night. The return of Devendorf and Rautins keeps three-point threats on the floor, and the emergance of Rick Jackson keeps a big body down low. Every facet of Greene's game has been covered, and in many cases, improved upon, by the current roster.

I am giddy with excitement about this team. They are so much fun to watch. I'm attending the Georgetown game tomorrow, and I hope to witness an annihilation. I'll bring you a recap and perhaps some video of the madness later this week.

Go Orange.

Aaaaaaand we're back

2009-01-11T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hello 'Cuse nation!

So I know it's been a while. I had a crazy holiday (which including going from the tropics to Washington DC to Syracuse in less than 24 hours) and haven't had time to update much. I'm back though with a special video I just whipped together.

In case you haven't heard, Jonny got his dunk on last night:

I'm thinking of making this blog more video-centric, so look for more stuff like this coming your way.

This last game made me feel warm and fuzzy. It was so much fun to watch. Thank you ESPN for choosing this week to offer a free preview of their "full-court" channels on Comcast.

SU vs. South Florida OSR

2009-01-02T21:05:00.001-08:00

It got ugly out there without Paul, but SU still finds a way to win on the road.

Toothpaste for Dinner

2008-12-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

I thought this was funny. It just reminded me of the current 'Cuse-o-sphere's infatuation with "Cover it Live."

toothpastefordinner.com

Actually, i think you could've used this exact same set of updates to describe Andy's shooting performance last night.

SU vs. Coppin St. OSR

2008-12-22T18:11:00.000-08:00

Andy finally lives up to his license plate and wins a game for the Orange that had no business being that close.

SU vs. Memphis OSR

2008-12-20T21:25:00.001-08:00

The Orange look strong with or without Devendorf as the Big East looms, and I'll let Coach Calipari creepily sum up his team's play:

"I was just groping to find five guys that would play."

"There are other teams right now groping the same way we're groping."

I remixed a remix.

2008-12-19T19:59:00.000-08:00

It was back to normal.

Not really... I just felt like quoting Mitch Hedberg. Actually, I made a whole new remix. I was inspired by this one that was posted over at TNIAAM. Enjoy.

SU vs. Canisius OSR

2008-12-18T14:01:00.000-08:00

(It's back after a brief hiatus... not that anyone's reading this anyway...)

I hope that when AO did this against the Griffins he yelled "Expelliarmus!"

(Dennis Nett/The Post-Standard)

Orange snubbed yet again

2008-12-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

Continuing my comprehensive coverage of all Syracuse band-related activities, the SUMB recently had their application to participate in the inaugural parade denied. Their application video is here:

Although Biden is an alumnus of the SU law school, he's made it pretty clear that he considers the University of Delaware his alma mater. Why he would choose a mutant chicken over an orange is unclear.

Bub Poliquin, 21st century bard

2008-12-10T08:06:00.000-08:00

No. No I am not looking for more poop on Garrett Barnas. That's disgusting. In fact, if he is already covered in poop, maybe he should just stay in Chicago. Our team is shitty enough without him.

Seriously though... what kind of headline is that?

SU fans like to break things

2008-12-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

This was uploaded in August, so I may be late to the party on this one. A friend of mine just sent me a link to this video of the last moments of Archbold stadium.

I wonder where those pieces of goalpost are now...

Top 10 reasons to go to a women's game

2008-12-08T19:39:00.000-08:00

Ed. note: So I wanted to write this post to show that even though the men's team is on a break, you can still get your basketball fix from the women's team. Then I looked at the schedule and saw that they're in the middle of a week-long break, too. Damn. Well I'm gonna post it anyway.

I was in the Sour Sitrus Society for each of my 4 years at SU, so I was forced to attend women's games. I'll admit that the first few years it was a chore; I went just because I liked playing in the band. Then last year something amazing happened... It was actually fun to go to the games. Coach Q's recruits started making a big impact and before you knew it the girls were dancing while the boys were in the NIT.

Despite all this, attendance was pretty poor, even during Big East games. Granted, no one really expected them to be good, and it takes a while for word to get around. Allow me to name the top ten reasons why you (yes, you) should go out to a women's game.

10. The band

Yeah, ok, I'm biased on this one, but the band will keep you entertained, I promise. The more intimate atmosphere of these games allows them to do some cheers and jeers that wouldn't be possible at the men's games. Feel free to join in. More on this later.

9. The UConn game

This was easily the highlight of the season last year. It's the ladies' version of the Georgetown game. In case you aren't familiar, UConn is a perennial #1 in women's basketball. Last year 'Cuse came real close to taking them down, and I think if we keep on improving this could turn into a fun rivalry. Unfortunately the Huskettes won't be visiting the dome this year, but watch for it next season.

8. Erica Morrow

She's good. She's really good. She's the first really high-profile recruit that Coach Q was able to land, and she's a big reason for the Orange's success last year. Plus she's only a sophomore. I'm looking forward to seeing what she does over the next few years.

7. Fundamental basketball

I hear people say this a lot when arguing on behalf of women's basketball, so it's kinda cliche but nevertheless true. If you like to see pure, fundamental college basketball without all the glitz and glamor of the men's games, then this is the place for you. If you're looking for acrobatic dunks, try somewhere else.

6. The men's team

Speaking of the guys, they are regularly in attendance at the women's games, seated underneath the basket by the home bench. They're usually happy to pose for some pictures or sign autographs, and it's also fun to watch them getting into the game, cheering along with the rest of the fans. Plus you never know when one of them might hop on the drumset. I hear Jonny can lay down a good beat.

5. It's quiet

Too quiet. This means that if you want to heckle the opposing player while she's shooting a free throw, she can hear every word of it. It's fun to get in someone's head. Just... keep it tasteful. Oh, and try not to offend any visiting Girl Scout troops.

4.Marisa Gobuty

She's cute and has a better jump shot than you.

3. It's cheap

I'll be the first to admit that I'm pretty frugal. If you are, too, then it doesn't get much better than a women's game. Student can get in for free and adult tickets are only 8 bucks. Bring the whole family!

2. They're good

And it looks like they will be for a while. It's amazing how fast this team has turned around. They seriously went from Big East bottom-dwellers to a top 25 team in the blink of an eye. These girls are obviously well-coached, talented, and unselfish, and there's more talent on the way in the form of the #22 recruiting class in the nation. I think the credit for this success goes to our number one reason to attend the game...

1. Quentin Hillsman

Coach Q may be the second coming of Christ. Turning SU women's basketball into a national contender over one season is just as impressive as turning water into wine. He's also one of the good coaching decisions made by Dr. Gross. I have never seen anyone more passionate about anything than Q at a basketball game. He's constantly jumping, yelling, running, falling on the floor, yelling, screaming, waving his arms frantically, looking pissed off, yelling, and/or laughing. He's so animated he might as well be a cartoon character. Above all he's a fantastic coach, and that's something that we SU fans should know not to take for granted.

The Two 'Roos (12/6/08)

2008-12-06T12:24:00.001-08:00

Every week Ray and I will exchange some thoughts about the world of SU athletics. This week I did the asking and Ray did the answering. You can check out the answers over on his blog, Superman Wears Rob Long Underoos. Enjoy!

SU vs. Cornell OSR

2008-12-04T11:02:00.001-08:00

I couldn't watch the game, but judging by the stats, the Orange's evil twins (pictured above) attempted to lose the game in the first half but were fortunately replaced by their benevolent counterparts for the second.

LOUD NOISES!!!

2008-12-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

It seems that the orange bloggers love to pick on suathletics.com, pointing out how they try to make the football team sound good, promote all those sports we didn't know existed at the college level, and keep us up to date on worthless athlete trivia. I really can't fault the athletic department, though. It's their job to put the positive spin on everything. However, they don't have to be so pushy about it:

THE 16th RANKED SYRACUSE ORANGE TRY AND EXTEND THEIR RECORD TO 8-0 AS THEY TAKE ON IVY LEAGUE POWER CORNELL TONIGHT AT 7:00PM IN THE LOUD HOUSE!

THE WOMEN ARE BACK IN ACTION ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON AT 1PM AS THEY TAKE ON DELAWARE STATE!

GET TO THE LOUD HOUSE AND SHOW THE COUNTRY WHY THIS IS THE COLLEGE BASKETBALL CAPITAL OF AMERICA!

That's from an e-mail they sent out today which I'm sure a lot of you received. Apparently they lost so much money on the football team this year that they are desperate to make it back.

Hey suathletics.com, please stop yelling at me. I'll come to your basketball games whenever I can, just turn the caps lock off. Thanks.

SU vs. Colgate OSR

2008-12-02T03:57:00.001-08:00

Paul Harris studied the effects of electricity on basketball performance and scored 22 points in a much-needed easy win for the Orange.

(Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard)

The Two 'Roos (11/28/08)

2008-11-28T07:43:00.000-08:00

(Every week Ray and I will take turns asking each other some questions of the utmost importance in the world of Syracuse University athletics.)

1. What will our ranking be on monday?

Assuming we beat Virginia, I'm gonna guess 18-ish. Beating the National Champions from the last three years is pretty impressive. We're not under the radar any more.

2. Over/Under on the number of pounds the O-Line gains on turkey day?

Mitch Browning actually invited them all over for Thanksgiving. Rice cakes, yogurt, and reduced-fat Oreos were served. They lost a total of 28 pounds.

3. What was the first word out of your mouth when Flynn hit the three?

I was in the basement of my house all by myself. Everyone else was asleep so I had to keep it down. I was, however, jumping around like an idiot.

4. How bad are we going to lose against cincinatti?

It's weird... I have a feeling we're actually going to win this game. I know that statistically there's no way we should (maybe I'm still running on a high from the Notre Dame game), but I feel like Syracuse is going to win this game just to make the conference even more bizarre. Big East football has had a crazy ride this year, so why not keep it going one more week? Syracuse wins it 24-21 on a last-second Shadle field goal.

5. What should we expect from the Virginia game on friday?

As long as SU keeps playing the way they did earlier this week, it should be a blow out. UVa just lost to Liberty, a school that I'm sure most of us didn't know existed. I predict a spectacular Flynn to Harris alley oop, less turnovers, more bad free throws, and a 20% chance of shattered backboard.

6. Do you think we will see Hogue or Carter play against Cincinatti at all?

Hogue yes, Carter no. It's a shame... When Carter was carried off the field his freshman year I remember thinking that he might be able to bring this team back to the good ol' days. I guess the injuries have really slowed him down. I also think it's possible that our army of running backs is preventing any one of them from really being able to shine, leaving us with nothing but "flashes." As soon as one takes over the spotlight (Brinkley), another steals it away (Bailey).

7. More importantly, give me your top 3 candidates for the head coach position.

Edsall
Addazzio
Mark Mangino

SU vs. Kansas OSR

2008-11-26T12:43:00.000-08:00

Jonny Flynn saves the day, and Paul Harris makes The Block II to give Syracuse its first of three championships in the 08-09 season.

Keep those passports handy

2008-11-25T12:11:00.000-08:00

Assuming that the NCAA does not grant us a bowl berth solely because of the Notre Dame victory, the football team is still "Homebound, eh?" The quest for the International Bowl will have to wait another year.

The road to Toronto, however, is not closed to the Orange. In fact, Syracuse has been invited to the Rogers Center, home of the International Bowl. They'll be playing there on December 7, 2008. They'll be playing in an NFL game.

This is all true.

I'm talking, of course, about the Syracuse University Marching Band. The Pride of the Orange will perform the halftime show when the Bills and Dolphins square off in Toronto. SU is apparently not content with just being New York's college team; now we're Canada's too.

Congrats to the SUMB. I'm glad that someone was able to make it across the border.

SU vs. Florida OSR

2008-11-24T18:44:00.001-08:00

(After every men's basketball or football game I'll bring to you my One Sentence Review because if you want to know what actually happened in the game there are plenty of better places to find it.)

This was a great resume-builder early in the season, but for the love of all that is holy, make some free throws to seal the game.

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

SU vs. Notre Dame OSR

2008-11-22T21:48:00.000-08:00

(After every men's basketball or football game I'll bring to you my One Sentence Review because if you want to know what actually happened in the game there are plenty of better places to find it.)

This is what happens when you fire Greg Robinson.

(AP Photo/Joe Raymond)

SU vs. Oakland OSR

2008-11-21T20:27:00.000-08:00

(After every men's basketball or football game I'll bring to you my One Sentence Review because if you want to know what actually happened in the game there are plenty of better places to find it.)

Defense takes care of the Grizzlies, so it looks like this guy will be the only bear to worry about in Syracuse.

(AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)

The Peagreenandrosepinkmen

2008-11-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

So I had a dream about the football team the other day. (Or would that make it a nightmare? ba-dum-ching!) I don't really remember what happened, but the team was wearing The Express-era throwback jerseys.

Now that alone would be pretty cool, but what if we took it a step further? What if we threw even further back. Imagine the possibilities...

Yes, that's right, I'm proposing that we get the basketball team some pea green and rose pink jerseys. It's so ugly, it's badass. Plus we couldn't do any worse than the blue jerseys.

Who is this Sloopy you speak of?

2008-11-19T19:24:00.000-08:00

So I found Wednesday night's women's game against Ohio State streaming online via the Big Ten network. The ladies played a good game, but unfortunately lost 71-78. They're gonna have to be better at getting things done under the rim; I saw way too many missed layups.

What disturbed me most, however, was the halftime entertainment. Here's a part of it. It's completely unedited. That is the actual music they played.

OK, first of all, I don't know what Ohio State's obsession is with Hang on Sloopy, but it's annoying as hell. All the band plays is the fight song and that. Why?

Second, that girl ~~has nothing on~~ is Ilze Luneau. She's been performing at Syracuse men's and women's basketball games since 2003. Not only is Ilze a ~~better~~ great performer, but she also has adorable, Syracuse-loving children that participate in the show.

So Ohio State, please have a better halftime segment planned the next time I decide to illegally watch your athletic events. Thanks.

EDIT: Ok, so apparently that is Ilze in the video. She traveled with the women's team. It wasn't the performance that was weird, it was the music the the Big Ten Network chose to air it with. My apologies if I offended you, Mrs. Luneau... I'm new to this blogging thing, and I guess I should do a little more fact checking

SU vs. Richmond OSR

2008-11-18T19:09:00.000-08:00

(After every men's basketball or football game I'll bring to you my One Sentence Review because if you want to know what actually happened in the game there are plenty of better places to find it.)

Good thing we have Devendorf back to give those Spiders a black eye!

(Too soon?)

(AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)

The latest facebook trend

2008-11-18T12:57:00.000-08:00

So with the statue of Ernie Davis gone for *ahem* refurbishing, there's now just an empty pedestal bearing the football legend's name. This is apparently too much for people to resist climbing up there and assuming his place. Most people stand there looking pretty dumb, but some can do a pretty good Ernie impression. Take a look at these two pictures:

One of those is the actual statue, but honestly, I can't tell the difference.

Donteshop

2008-11-18T12:14:00.000-08:00

So Sean at TNIAAM had a contest a while back to take a picture of Donte' Greene and Photoshop the crap out of it. The results were never posted, so I figured I'd just take a moment to share my entry with you. I think it's pretty decent:

He's a rocket! Or at least he was. I guess I need to make him a king now, eh? Well after seeing how the NBA treats SU alumni, maybe I'll wait a few years before doing any more team-specific photoshopping.

Welcome

2008-11-17T16:48:00.000-08:00

So I've been inspired to throw my hat into the already crowded ring of SU sports blogs.

My name is Alex Ozenberger, class of 2008. I majored in broadcast journalism. I play trombone. I love SU sports.

The title of the blog comes from the SU-UConn game last Saturday. After Rob Long completed the biggest run of the game (for SU) on a fake punt, the color commentator for TK99 exclaimed "Superman wears Rob Long Underoos"!

"But Alex," you say, "Aren't you basically ripping off 'Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician'?" Yes. Yes, I am, but after posting the quote on TNIAAM, Sean said "Start that blog."

So here we go...