So how good is this Syracuse basketball team?
So good that it can throttle the nation’s seventh-ranked team by 18 points on a night when its best player – Wes Johnson – misses nine of 11 shots from the field – that’s how good.
I was thinking that at some point in March and April, the Orange men are going to need Johnson to put the team on his shoulders the way Carmelo Anthony did in 2003 and John Wallace did in 1996. But there’s so many go-to guys on this wonderfully balanced basketball team that maybe that’s not going to be necessary. As ESPN analyst Jay Bilas astutely noted, the go-to guy on this unselfish team is the open man.
My good friend and former colleague, Frank Bilovsky, knows as much about college basketball as anyone I know and he told me a month ago that this is the best Syracuse basketball team he has seen. I would tend to agree, but it won’t be regarded as such unless it caps this season by cutting down the nets in Indianapolis. That’s the harsh reality of the sports world. And Frank and I have covered several Orange hoop teams with the talent to win it all that didn’t.
The dismantling of a very, very good Villanova team last night gives SU 27 wins – the most regular-season victories ever in school history. It also improved the Orange men’s record to 7-0 vs. ranked teams. They are unbeaten on the road, which bodes well for tournament play. And they play better defense than any Syracuse team I’ve ever seen, and my history goes back to the Dave Bring-Jim Boeheim playing era of the mid-1960s.
It was fabulous to see not only that enormous Orange-clad throng in the Dome, but also SU legends such as Floyd Little, Derrick Coleman, Pearl Washington, Lawrence Moten and Wallace. I could have done without the foolish Dome Ranger, but, what the heck, if the fans like him, then so be it.
It would be a nice boost for Orange Nation if SU were ranked No. 1 in this week’s poll. But as Boeheim said, the true No. 1 won’t be determined until early April – on the court and not by pollsters. And that is how it should be.
• As expected, Terrell Owens’ career with the Buffalo Bills was one-and-done. Terribly inconsistent quarterback play and declining skills conspired against T.O. putting up big numbers for the Bills. But he did provide some exciting moments, including a 98-yard touchdown reception, the longest pass play in team history. And he did reach the 1,000-reception milestone during the season finale. His brief stay in Buffalo was devoid of the histrionics that plagued him in other places. Owens seemed to genuinely enjoy his time there and the fans enjoyed having him.
• Those of us involved with Rochester Press-Radio Club Childrens Charities are tickled pink to have Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees as the headliner for our Day of Champions Dinner on May 12 at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. Brees is only doing a handful of these affairs. That he would choose our cause is a great honor. Kudos to our vice-president Mike Kauffman for negotiating the deal that will bring the New Orleans Saints quarterback and philanthropist to our banquet. It’s become increasingly difficult to land sports stars of this caliber, so it was great to see Mike’s perseverance rewarded. Tickets are $125 and going fast. You can purchase them by calling 585-340-1460 or clicking on our website at www.pressradio.org. We are an all-volunteer organization and the proceeds go to local children’s charities.
• Am looking forward to today’s Team USA-Canada gold-medal hockey game. I believe the Canadians have too much fire-power along with the incentive of their earlier loss to the Americans. But as we all know, strange things can happen in Olympic hockey. The U.S. will need a superb performance by Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller. And as we saw in the first meeting between these teams that’s not out of the question. Call it Canada 4, U.S. 2.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Olympic upset, yes. Miracle, no way.
Thirty years ago today in the winter wonderland that is Lake Placid, we believed in miracles as a rag-tag group of college hockey players catapulted the United States to an Olympic victory of seismic proportions against professional hockey players from the Soviet Union. It was an incredible pick-me-up moment for beleaguered Americans, who were reeling from a bad economy and series of global setbacks that had us wondering about our future. Given the circumstances and its transcendent impact, the 1980 Miracle on Ice is my choice for the top sports moment of all-time.
***
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the USA’s 5-3 victory against gold-medal favorite Canada last night. The game was played with a Stanley Cup Finals level of intensity and passion that was evident even to the casual hockey observer. But I was irked by the many comparisons made between this upset and the one by the Americans against the Soviets three decades earlier.
The lazy columnists and commentators who made the analogy need to study up on their history. The chasm between the talent and experience of the teams in 1980 was as wide as the Grand Canyon. The gap between this year’s Canadian and U.S. hockey teams is not huge.
The Americans’ victory in Vancouver was an upset, but nowhere near to being a miracle. A little perspective, please.
***
If the U.S. goes on to win the gold, Chris Drury will have another trinket to add to an already interesting sports trophy case. The former Buffalo Sabres star certainly would become the first person ever to have won a Little League World Series, an NCAA hockey championship, a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal. And, while we’re on the subject of Drury, I still wish the Sabres hadn’t let him get away.
***
So how do you explain the Olympic scoring outburst of U.S. defenseman Brian Rafalski, who has four goals in three games during this tournament compared with four goals in 57 games during this NHL season?
***
Did you notice that Syracuse’s free-throw shooting was the difference in that narrow victory against Georgetown last week? By the way, the last time the Orange men swept the Hoyas in the regular season they won the national championship. And you have to love the fact that SU is unbeaten on the road, including 5-0 vs. ranked teams. That bodes well for the tournament.
***
Happy 278th birthday to the original George W. – George Washington.
***
And congratulations to friends Jim and Kerri Mandelaro on the birth of their daughter Sophia Hayden Mandelaro at 3:53 this morning. The population of Red Sox Nation just increased by one.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
SU Hoops in a funk, but should be OK
While working out at the gym the other day, I was amazed to overhear a number of people bemoaning the changing fate of the Syracuse basketball team. You would have thought a loss preceded by some offensively challenged wins was the end of the world.
Yes, the Orange men are in a funk lately, especially Wes Johnson, who is battling uncertainty and a thumb injury on his shooting hand since that scary fall a few weeks ago. But slumps and nagging injuries are going to happen during the grind of Big East Conference play, and better that they occur now than in March.
I still believe the 'Cuse has a shot at the Final Four. The Orange men just need to battle through a tough stretch that all teams endure during the course of a long season.
* Jimmy Clausen won't be able to work out at next week's NFL Scouting Combine because he's still recuperating from surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right big toe. No big deal. The Notre Dame quarterback will still be able to work out for the scouts at a Pro Day he'll hold on campus in the spring.
* I'm thinking the best the Bills can do is a third-rounder for Marshawn Lynch, given all the baggage he's carrying. And even that might be optimistic on my part.
* As the parent of a University at Buffalo student, I experienced some anxious moments yesterday after hearing reports that a man with a gun had entered one of the school's libraries. Fortunately, no gunman was discovered and I was able to make contact with my son via cellphone.
* I love watching those Olympic skiers traverse those mogul courses, but I wonder what shape their knees and backs are going to be in when they turn 40. Of course, you could wonder the same about football players.
* It appears this could be the final time active NHL players participate in the Winter Olympics. And you can't blame them. Interrupting your season for three weeks isn't fair to the fans, the majority of whom would rather see a Stanley Cup than a gold medal.
* What are the odds of this? Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time, and Jim Brown, arguably the greatest football and lacrosse player of all-time, were born on February 17. His Airness is 47, while Brown is 74.
* Mark Twain once complained, tongue-in-cheek, that everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. I thought about that sage remark while watching Vancouver Olympic officials busing in snow while dealing with 50-degree temperatures and rain for much of the first week. Blame the International Olympic Committee for the problems because moderate temperatures and rain are the norm not the exception this time of the year in that part of Canada. It's not nice to fool Mother Nature.
* From the don't-let-the-facts-get-in-the-way-of-a-good-story department: NFL officials claim that Super Bowl 44 was the most watched television show in history. Methinks there's more than a billion viewers in China who would beg to differ. The Olympic basketball game between China and the USA in 2008 drew more than a billion viewers worldwide, about 10 times as many people as Super Bowl 44. And the World Cup regularly attracts that many viewers.
* Pitchers and catchers report today, a sign that spring can't be too far away.
* In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't drag Beth to the Carrier Dome on Valentine's Day. There wasn't much romantic about the Cuse's performance in that loss to Louisville.
* This is how ludicrous things have become in the world of sports: 13-year-old David Sills of Wilmington, Del. received a football scholarship from Southern Cal coach Lane Kiffin recently.
* COMING ATTRACTIONS (ALSO KNOWN AS A SHAMELESS PLUG): Looking forward to giving a lecture and doing a book-signing at Syracuse University's Bird Library Thursday afternoon at 5. I'll be talking about the historical, cultural and emotional significance of old Yankee Stadium. It's free and open to the public, so if you happen to be in the area, please stop by.
Yes, the Orange men are in a funk lately, especially Wes Johnson, who is battling uncertainty and a thumb injury on his shooting hand since that scary fall a few weeks ago. But slumps and nagging injuries are going to happen during the grind of Big East Conference play, and better that they occur now than in March.
I still believe the 'Cuse has a shot at the Final Four. The Orange men just need to battle through a tough stretch that all teams endure during the course of a long season.
* Jimmy Clausen won't be able to work out at next week's NFL Scouting Combine because he's still recuperating from surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right big toe. No big deal. The Notre Dame quarterback will still be able to work out for the scouts at a Pro Day he'll hold on campus in the spring.
* I'm thinking the best the Bills can do is a third-rounder for Marshawn Lynch, given all the baggage he's carrying. And even that might be optimistic on my part.
* As the parent of a University at Buffalo student, I experienced some anxious moments yesterday after hearing reports that a man with a gun had entered one of the school's libraries. Fortunately, no gunman was discovered and I was able to make contact with my son via cellphone.
* I love watching those Olympic skiers traverse those mogul courses, but I wonder what shape their knees and backs are going to be in when they turn 40. Of course, you could wonder the same about football players.
* It appears this could be the final time active NHL players participate in the Winter Olympics. And you can't blame them. Interrupting your season for three weeks isn't fair to the fans, the majority of whom would rather see a Stanley Cup than a gold medal.
* What are the odds of this? Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time, and Jim Brown, arguably the greatest football and lacrosse player of all-time, were born on February 17. His Airness is 47, while Brown is 74.
* Mark Twain once complained, tongue-in-cheek, that everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. I thought about that sage remark while watching Vancouver Olympic officials busing in snow while dealing with 50-degree temperatures and rain for much of the first week. Blame the International Olympic Committee for the problems because moderate temperatures and rain are the norm not the exception this time of the year in that part of Canada. It's not nice to fool Mother Nature.
* From the don't-let-the-facts-get-in-the-way-of-a-good-story department: NFL officials claim that Super Bowl 44 was the most watched television show in history. Methinks there's more than a billion viewers in China who would beg to differ. The Olympic basketball game between China and the USA in 2008 drew more than a billion viewers worldwide, about 10 times as many people as Super Bowl 44. And the World Cup regularly attracts that many viewers.
* Pitchers and catchers report today, a sign that spring can't be too far away.
* In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't drag Beth to the Carrier Dome on Valentine's Day. There wasn't much romantic about the Cuse's performance in that loss to Louisville.
* This is how ludicrous things have become in the world of sports: 13-year-old David Sills of Wilmington, Del. received a football scholarship from Southern Cal coach Lane Kiffin recently.
* COMING ATTRACTIONS (ALSO KNOWN AS A SHAMELESS PLUG): Looking forward to giving a lecture and doing a book-signing at Syracuse University's Bird Library Thursday afternoon at 5. I'll be talking about the historical, cultural and emotional significance of old Yankee Stadium. It's free and open to the public, so if you happen to be in the area, please stop by.
Friday, February 12, 2010
McNabb wouldn't be Bledsoe II, but it's probably a moot point now any way
Not surprisingly, my suggestion that the Bills trade a first-round pick for Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb stirred up some passionate responses. Roughly 60 percent were in favor of the move, but the 40 percent who opposed it clearly were more vehement.
A few readers compared the move to the one the Bills made eight years ago for Drew Bledsoe. But I maintain there are major differences. While McNabb isn’t as good as he was in his prime, he is not the washed-up quarterback that Bledsoe was when Buffalo acquired him from the Patriots. Drew was coming off a life-threatening injury and had lost his job to Tom Brady, who promptly guided New England to its first Super Bowl title. Bledsoe was reborn for about 12 games that first season in Buffalo, then reverted to the sack/turnover-prone QB he had become in the years leading up to the injury that cost him his job. I think McNabb’s statistics from the past two seasons reflect a quarterback who is still near the top of his game, and I believe he has about three solid seasons left.
Another critic compared McNabb to Matt Casell. Again, I don’t believe the comparison is accurate. Casel's football resume included just one successful NFL season (and a lackluster college football career) before he left New England for Kansas City, where he struggled mightily for a bad Chiefs team. McNabb has proven himself over a dozen seasons, and was a three-time Big East Conference player-of-the-year at Syracuse Unviersity.
Many Bills fans are still pining for Michael Vick, saying he would be a better option than the immobile McNabb behind Buffalo’s inexperienced offensive line. Yes, Vick could probably do a better job of running for his life, but he’s been about as accurate throwing the football as SU basketball center Arinze Onuaku has been from the free-throw line. To me, Vick is a much worse option than McNabb, who would bring leadership, an ability to read defenses and a much more accurate arm. Vick is NOT the answer, folks. He was an electrifying player (emphasis on the word WAS) but he never was a good quarterback.
This debate, though fun to engage in, probably has become moot anyway because sources in Philly are saying that McNabb doesn’t care to go to an organization in a serious rebuilding mode. The more likely scenarios include him staying with the Eagles or being traded to Minnesota (depending, of course, on Brett Favre’s status) or Arizona (McNabb lives there in the off-season and the Cardinals aren’t exactly enamored with Matt Leinart as Kurt Warner’s replacement.)
If McNabb’s not an option, then I’m taking a serious look at drafting Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame. I believe he has the grit, swagger and arm to succeed in Buffalo. Of course, in order to procure him, the Bills are going to have to trade up and be willing to suffer through a transition year while he learns the NFL ropes, surrounded by a supporting cast in serious need of a talent upgrade.
• Happy 201st birthday to Abraham Lincoln. And belated birthday wishes to Rochester Boxing Hall of Fame president Tony Liccione, who turned 61.
• My wife, Beth, is so happy to have her dining room table back now that I’ve finished the heavy work on three different books. Hey, what can I tell you, writers need room to spread all their stuff. (More on the specifics of the books in an upcoming blog.)
• I think Johnny Damon is a fool for listening to super agent Scott Boras and making a ridiculous contract demand from the Yankees. How much money does one person need? Too many athletes and celebrities measure wealth only in dollars and cents. Why not return to a place where you are welcomed by teammates and fans and where you have a chance to win another World Series?
• I was going to try to convince Beth that a trip to the Carrier Dome to watch Syracuse play Sunday would be a great way to spend Valentine’s Day, but I could see how being surrounded by close to 30,000 orange-clad, vociferous crazies might not be considered romantic.
* One of the readers opposed to my McNabb idea said it was a good thing I wasn't the Bills GM. Hey, I might not be qualified, but I definitely think I could have matched the records of the office-holders of the previous 10 years. It's pretty hard in today's NFL to go a decade without a playoff appearance and record just one winning season.
* I'm thinking it's a mortal lock that Wayne Gretzky lights the Olympic cauldron tonight.
A few readers compared the move to the one the Bills made eight years ago for Drew Bledsoe. But I maintain there are major differences. While McNabb isn’t as good as he was in his prime, he is not the washed-up quarterback that Bledsoe was when Buffalo acquired him from the Patriots. Drew was coming off a life-threatening injury and had lost his job to Tom Brady, who promptly guided New England to its first Super Bowl title. Bledsoe was reborn for about 12 games that first season in Buffalo, then reverted to the sack/turnover-prone QB he had become in the years leading up to the injury that cost him his job. I think McNabb’s statistics from the past two seasons reflect a quarterback who is still near the top of his game, and I believe he has about three solid seasons left.
Another critic compared McNabb to Matt Casell. Again, I don’t believe the comparison is accurate. Casel's football resume included just one successful NFL season (and a lackluster college football career) before he left New England for Kansas City, where he struggled mightily for a bad Chiefs team. McNabb has proven himself over a dozen seasons, and was a three-time Big East Conference player-of-the-year at Syracuse Unviersity.
Many Bills fans are still pining for Michael Vick, saying he would be a better option than the immobile McNabb behind Buffalo’s inexperienced offensive line. Yes, Vick could probably do a better job of running for his life, but he’s been about as accurate throwing the football as SU basketball center Arinze Onuaku has been from the free-throw line. To me, Vick is a much worse option than McNabb, who would bring leadership, an ability to read defenses and a much more accurate arm. Vick is NOT the answer, folks. He was an electrifying player (emphasis on the word WAS) but he never was a good quarterback.
This debate, though fun to engage in, probably has become moot anyway because sources in Philly are saying that McNabb doesn’t care to go to an organization in a serious rebuilding mode. The more likely scenarios include him staying with the Eagles or being traded to Minnesota (depending, of course, on Brett Favre’s status) or Arizona (McNabb lives there in the off-season and the Cardinals aren’t exactly enamored with Matt Leinart as Kurt Warner’s replacement.)
If McNabb’s not an option, then I’m taking a serious look at drafting Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame. I believe he has the grit, swagger and arm to succeed in Buffalo. Of course, in order to procure him, the Bills are going to have to trade up and be willing to suffer through a transition year while he learns the NFL ropes, surrounded by a supporting cast in serious need of a talent upgrade.
• Happy 201st birthday to Abraham Lincoln. And belated birthday wishes to Rochester Boxing Hall of Fame president Tony Liccione, who turned 61.
• My wife, Beth, is so happy to have her dining room table back now that I’ve finished the heavy work on three different books. Hey, what can I tell you, writers need room to spread all their stuff. (More on the specifics of the books in an upcoming blog.)
• I think Johnny Damon is a fool for listening to super agent Scott Boras and making a ridiculous contract demand from the Yankees. How much money does one person need? Too many athletes and celebrities measure wealth only in dollars and cents. Why not return to a place where you are welcomed by teammates and fans and where you have a chance to win another World Series?
• I was going to try to convince Beth that a trip to the Carrier Dome to watch Syracuse play Sunday would be a great way to spend Valentine’s Day, but I could see how being surrounded by close to 30,000 orange-clad, vociferous crazies might not be considered romantic.
* One of the readers opposed to my McNabb idea said it was a good thing I wasn't the Bills GM. Hey, I might not be qualified, but I definitely think I could have matched the records of the office-holders of the previous 10 years. It's pretty hard in today's NFL to go a decade without a playoff appearance and record just one winning season.
* I'm thinking it's a mortal lock that Wayne Gretzky lights the Olympic cauldron tonight.
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