I'm Sure Jonny Had A Perfectly Good, Non-Alcohol-Related Reason For Being There

Fine work by the Daily Orange Sports Blog, uncovering the tragic results of a bar fight in Niagara. Syracuse University mourns the loss of one of its own...windshields.

Falls police used pepper spray to control several brawls that broke out in the Third Street entertainment district early Sunday morning.

Four people were arrested after incidents involving patrons at Club New York, Braggs Tavern and Uncs Tavern.

During the bottle throwing, police said the windshield of a car being used by former Niagara Falls High School and now Syracuse University basketball star Jonny Flynn was smashed. The car was parked outside of Braggs at the time of the incident.

There was no indication from police of whether Flynn, who is only 19, was in the bars or involved in any of the melees.

First of all, I think I speak for all Syracuse fans when I say, "JONATHAN, PLEASE ONLY DRINK IN THE PRIVACY OF YOUR OWN HOME OR DORM ROOM FROM NOW ON."

Second, why does this all sound so familiar? Bar fight...violence...Syracuse-related. Jesus Christ...it all makes sense now. Jonny Flynn was the informant who turned in Marvin Harrison and now Marv is hellbent on vengeance! It starts with a message, like say a smashed windshield. Next? A smashed kneecap!?!? RUN, JONNY, RUN! Go to our special place in Saskatoon, the one we agreed to meet up at in case anything went wrong. Don't try and contact me, I'll contact you. GO NOW!

Speaking of Mr. Harrison, he's officially told the Colts that he had nothing to do with the shooting, despite the discovery that his gun was used. It's a nice gesture but unfortunately, someone else has already ruined the "tell the team I didn't do it and everything will be okay" tactic.

Getting back to this whole Flynn-windshield-bar-fight business, I like to think there's an intern at the Daily Orange who's job it is to rummaging through every local Upstate New York newspaper police blotter for nuggets like this. Ankle-chained in the basement, he or she is delivered three stacks of dailies (a stack of weeklies on Thursday!), a six-pack of Mr. Pibb and a dozen of Sal's Birdland wings (with NO Sassy Sauce!) and told not to call for the editors until he or she has found something juicy. Then and only then...

Sassy Sauce.

Sue Simmons Will Not Suffer Incompetence

Anyone who grew up in the NYC area knows Sue Simmons and Chuck Scarborough, the longtime news anchor team on NY's Channel 4 station. They were, and still are, a beacon of light from which all the horrible things happening in our community would shine brightly, spliced every so often with a feel-good story about a cat.

If Chuck is the wild, party animal (clearly) of the duo, Sue is the grounded, dedicated warrior of professionalism. We always knew we could count on her to do things right and do them with a level of decorum unmatched by those punks over at The CW.

Then again...


Sue Simmons Drops The F-Bomb - Watch more free videos

I'd like to think that after 25 years of carrying Chuck the way Jordan carried the Bulls, Sue just looked over and couldn't hold it in any longer. Actually it turns out she was upset the footage didn't match the story she was teasing. Oh well. Doesn't mean deep down she hates Chuck any less.

My favorite part, as usual, is the apology. Sue takes the "Well if you were offended, that's your problem" approach that always works so well:

While we were live just after 10 p.m., I said a word that many people find offensive. I am truly sorry. It was a mistake on my part and I sincerely apologize.

That MANY people find offensive? Is Sue under the impression that the only people who watch her newscast are college students and English people? Do the members of the Simmons' household tell each other to fuck off and die when they greet each other? Does she think in other parts of the country, like say Omaha, newscasters drop the F-bomb like it's nothing because in them there parts very few people find that word offensive?

Speaking of how things run in Omaha, Sue might get her chance to find out soon enough...

I don't know what the fuck you're doing, but I'm gonna go watch that for the 19th time.

Gradlinks

• Hanging out in Newark this Wednesday with nothing to do? Why not stop by Taj Smith's graduation party?...Facebook

• Josh Pace is parlaying that CBA success into NBA tryouts...Mike Waters

• Bob Woodruff remembers a time when Syracuse would beat Colgate in lacrosse during his commencement speech...Suburbarazzi

• Jawad Nesheiwat is in Giant's spring camp...NJ.com

• Was there anything more predictable than O.J. Mayo violating NCAA rules at some point?...ESPN

It's a two-fer. Get inside a Syracuse Orange basketball huddle AND see what USF's Sun Dome looks like. Not too shabby, actually:

Fear The Hogue

No real story here, I just like this photo I grabbed off Syracuse RB Doug Hogue's Facebook page. I've always said that Doug Hogue's running style is akin to a lighting bolt striking a desolate farm at dusk. And now I know I'm not alone.

Still, I wonder what number he wears...

The Virus Is Spreading

You know my love for Gregisms by now. You must know then that I also fear them. They're cute and fun within the confines of our little Central New York bubble. But if they were ever to escape from our safe haven, they would reek havoc on the world and the diction uttered within.

[Giants head coach Tom] Coughlin said wide receiver Mario Manningham, the third-round pick from Michigan, “showed some flashes” during practice.

It's been a pleasure having discussions with all of you in proper English up until now. Sadly, as the virus spreads, we can all look forward to "showing some flash" and "fightin' the fight" and other nonsensical phrases to describe our day-to-day activities to each other. Blogs contribute to the "complete dumbing down of our society?" No, I think football coaches are doing far worse in that field that we ever could.

(HT: Cody)

East Carolina Wants A Piece Of The St. Petersberg Bowl Pie

Last week I linked to a discussion on a Memphis board about the Tiger's interest and/or opportunity to join the Big East. It seems like a lot of that is going around these days as its still a hot topic over at everyone's favorite arbitrary Big East joiner-upper...East Carolina.

First off, do you remember a time when East Carolina WASN'T a prospective Big East member?

Anyway, even though Mike Tranghese is tabling the issues yet again, most people with a brain seem to notice that Big East football needs another member. #1, it would even out the schedule, giving each team 4 guaranteed conference home games each year. #2, there's just something weird about our conference being so small compared to all the other BCS conferences.

Of course, we're maxed out (some would say beyond) on the basketball side, so we really shouldn't be looking for another team to join us there. Hence, a football-only partner makes sense. In that way, East Carolina makes sense in a way Memphis doesn't.

But is that team East Carolina? When was the last time that program was relevant? Have they gone to a bowl game recently (2006, Papajohns.com Bowl!)? Does that guy with the mullet still QB for them? Or am I thinking of that guy from South Carolina? In other words...is it worth it to bring in a mediocre team just for the sake of it because they're relatively within our geography and are willing to play nice? Didn't we already try that with Temple?

Sooner or later, Big East football is going to have to add a member. Ideally of course, we're holding that spot for Notre Dame. But let's face it, they're going Big Ten, if anything. And when they do they're taking their basketball team with them. So maybe we do hold out for a combo team. Maybe we do hope Memphis stays strong in basketball and ups its value on the football side. Or maybe we're just biding time until Villanova makes the jump.

No matter what though, it sounds like East Carolina is gonna keep knocking on the door. Someone should probably let them know if we're going to open it for them.

Syracuse Lacrosse Was An Ungracious Host This Weekend

“If we come out strong in the first five or 10 minutes and show Syracuse that we’re not just there to roll over, they’ll realize they have to play a little harder. Then so will we and we’ll see how it ends up.” - Mike Blocho, Canisius attackman on 5/10

Ooofa. Someone came out strong on Sunday, Mike, but it wasn't Canisius. Syracuse scored its first goal 75 seconds in and never looked back en route to a 20-3 shellacking. The Orange were up 6-0 by the end of the first period. After a few brief flashes, the Griffins went into the locker room down 9-3 with a semblance of momentum. But all of that vanished within the first few minutes of the 2nd half as the Orange just poured it on. Mike Leveille led the four goals and two assists, Kenny Nims added two goals and three assists.

Canisius senior captain Tom Hensel summed it up best:

"I mean, they killed us."

The Orange move on to the 2nd round in Ithaca where they will take on Notre Dame. The Irish were taken to overtime by Cuse-killer Colgate before prevailing 8-7. It was a hard-fought win for the Irish, who never led in the entire game until they finally won it. The win takes one of the two teams that beat the Orange in the regular season out of the equation but does line up a fairly tough task with Notre Dame. The Orange should at least have a luxury of a home crowd at the nearby field.

Orange44 runs down the rest of the men's action from the weekend. Suffice to say, no one put on a display like the Orange did but perhaps no one else played as soft an opponent.

For the women, it was an equally easy affair in their first-round match. They cruised to a 21-9 victory over Towson. Katie Rowan, no longer pleased with the idea of just setting school records, set NCAA Tournament single-game records with her eight assists and thirteen point total. The Orange will take on North Carolina in the quarterfinals. The Tar Heels were kind enough to upset Virginia, who had previously beaten the Orange.

Head Coach Gary Gait was ecstatic over the win:

"I think today went well."

Gary, try not to hurt yourself in the celebration.

As for the highlight of the weekend, it didn't come from SU. That honor belongs to Ohio State goalie Stefan Schroder who, well, I'll just let you watch:



(Photo Credit: SUAthletics.com)

Prepare For Glory

Courtesy of NCAA on Demand, I can think of no better way to get ready for the current men's lacrosse team's march to a National Title than to enjoy these highlights of the previous three.

The 13-7 win over Princeton in 2000, 13-12 win over Princeton in 2002 and the exciting 14-13 win over Navy in 2004.

I'd just show the videos here but embedding was disabled. Bastards.

Embarrasslinks

• In a sport that has a history of racism, Bobby Knight's antics and Bruce Pearl's fashion sense, is Jim Boeheim's "Ten Fucking Games" tirade honestly the fourth most embarrassing moment in college basketball history?...March to Madness
  

• And you thought I was a long distance Syracuse fan...SUAthletics.com

• The Orange44 Podcast is back, get your fix...Orange44

• Iowa steps in to police its student's social networking activities. Is that legal?...Gazette Online

• All hail Gary Gait, lord and protector of lacrosse...SI.com

• According to this, the Big East will dominate college basketball next year...Rivals

Former Syracuse assistant coach Troy Weaver has been hired by the Seattle Oklahoma City SuperSonics to be their new Asst. GM. But don't take my word for it, and don't read an article like your grandpa would, just listen to Michael here run down the news is a very time-efficient manner.



For the Syracuse Crunch fans out there, well, you probably know this guy. (Apologies on the volume, it goes to 11 and it stays there)

Is This The Quest For #9 or #10?

So if we won the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament this year, would it be our 9th title or our 10th? Technically, it would be our 10th (and SU Athletics certainly seems to agree). There's '83, '88, '89, '90, '93, '95, '00, '02 and '04. But my understanding is that the 1990 title was vacated due to infractions and while yes, technically we won the whole thing, that nullifies that title in the official rulebooks. Can I get an official ruling on this?

Anyway, let's not get ahead of ourselves, we have Golden Griffins to deal with first. MAAC champion Canisius (10-5) comes to town Sunday night, their first appearance in the postseason ever. The Orange have made a few more trips, 28 to be exact. The Griffins aren't seeded (for some reason) but are considered the #16 seed in the tournament (don't tell Duke). The Orange are the #3, which bodes well for them:

The 2008 NCAA Championship marks the sixth time in school history Syracuse has been seeded third in the postseason. The Orange owns a 9-3 record all-time when serving as the No. 3 seed, including winning the 1993 and 1995 national championships. The last time Syracuse was the third seed was in 1997 when it advanced to the national semifinals. This is SU’s highest NCAA Tournament seed since 2002 when the Orange entered the 2002 playoffs as the second seed.

But you already knew all of that, didn't you? Let's take a closer look at our opponent, shall we?

School: Canisius College
Location: Buffalo, NY
Mascot: Golden Griffin (adopted mid-30's)
Notable alumni: Michael Smrek, former NBA player; Bill Paxon, former NY Congressman
Record: 10-5
Key wins: VMI (14-5), to win MAAC
Key losses: Princeton (6-13), Colgate (11-12), Cornell (3-14),
Coach: Randy Mearns, 10th season
Player who will haunt our dreams: Nick LoCoco, a freshman from NY who wasn't recruited by Syracuse. He led the them with 33 assists. But then there's also attackman Adam Jones who scored 37 goals. Keep those two guys away from each other.
Why they will beat us: We underestimate them and look ahead to Colgate/Notre Dame.
Why we will beat them: We don't underestimate them.
Prediction: Syracuse 18, Canisius 7

Demetris Nichols Is People Who Knows People

When last we left young Demetris, we thought he was logging way too many minutes on the Chicago Bulls pine to garner serious consideration for the 2008-2009 season. But apparently we underestimated young squire Nichols. We forgot all about his ability to make friends and influence people.

As noted in the Daily Herald (via CNY in the Pros):

The Bulls' only unrestricted free agents this year are fourth-year guard Chris Duhon and second-year guard Shannon Brown. Neither is expected back. Rookie guard Demetris Nichols is restricted and has supporters in the Bulls' front office.

Hooray for contract restrictions! Hopefully this means Demetris can put down some roots for once, although with a new coach on the way, new draft pick arrivals and the way the real estate market is at the moment, I wouldn't invest in that brownstone in Lincoln Park just yet.

(Photo Credit: NBA.com)

Only The BEST For Donte

All you dreamers and conspiracy theorists can officially give up hope (and stop posting on message boards telling us what your "sources" have said), Donte Greene is lining himself up with an agent. He hasn't signed...yet.

According to a source close to Greene, the freshman forward from Syracuse has interviewed prospective agents. The source said Greene will eventually sign with noted player representative Bill Strickland, who is part of the Louisville-based Blue Equity agency. Blue Equity recently merged its sports and entertainment properties and formed Blue Entertainment Sports Television (BEST).

The source indicated that Greene has not yet officially signed on with Strickland and Blue Equity. However, the website Draftexpress.com lists Greene as a primary client of Strickland's.

Strickland's most notable client is Rasheed Wallace but he also reps Corey Brewer and Brevin Knight.

According to his bio, "Bill was the first African-American agent to be named by The Sporting News to its list of the "100 Most Powerful People in Sports." He has also been recognized by Black Enterprise Magazine as one of the "50 Most Powerful African-Americans in Sports." So he's doing very well, thank you very much.

Go forth, Mr. Greene. When next we meet, it will not be on the court in the Carrier Dome, but in a carefully-organized media event that capitalizes on the interconnectivity of all the core marketing channel.

(Photo Credit: Marc Squire/Getty Images)

I, For One, Welcome Our New Furry Overlords

The big story of the day is that a 6-foot black bear is roaming the streets of Syracuse suburbs. Reports and sightings have been coming in all morning and afternoon. Some claim to have seen the beast while others have only the footprints and other remnants to go off of. Syracuse.com is tracking the events of the day with pinpoint reporting that's simultaneously calming a nervous public (don't worry, they don't like humans) and scaring the crap out of them ("It's not a cub.").

Why now and why the Syracuse area? Well there's a couple possible reasons.

#1 - Mother Nature is done with us

Global warming...wasted resources...freshman leaving early for the NBA draft before they're ready...the animals have had enough. The sharks have the Pacific handled. The gators are taking care of business in Florida. In Upstate NY, this is bear country, bitch.

Wasn't anyone else studying those "When Animals Attack" TV specials? What did you think they were for...mindless entertainment???

Lock your doors. Turn off the lights. Bring in the trash. The end is nigh.

#2 - Mitch Browning

Before Syracuse Offensive Coordinator Mitch Browning arrived? No roaming bears. After Syracuse Offensive Coordinator Mitch Browning arrives? Bears all over the fucking place. Spare me your lack of faith...this is no coincidence. He's spent all off-season slimming down the one group of people big enough to wrestle the bears into submission if it came to that. He comes to us from Minnesota, where's he's likely spent the last few years living among the forest creatures...learning their secret language...gaining their trust...becoming one of them.

And how do we know those paw prints aren't from Mitch himself? Have you seen that man's hands? It's like two rows of Vienna sausages come to life.

And for the sake of argument, take a look at the reports themselves. Imagine if we swapped out "6-foot black bear" for "Mitch Browning." Tell me if it makes any less sense:

Update: Onondaga County 911 reports a caller said that Mitch Browning at was seen at 2:16 p.m. on Merriwether Drive in Camillus. The report is unconfirmed. - 3:50 p.m.

Update: Mitch Browning tracks have been found in the backyard of a Geddes residence, according to a Department of Conservation officer.

Early this morning, two people called 911 after seeing Mitch Browning running through the neighborhood. A Geddes police officer confirmed the Mitch Browning sighting about 6:45 a.m.

About 1 p.m., DEC Officer Rick Head confirmed the presence of Mitch Browning prints in the backyard of 130 Stanley Drive. "He's not a cub," he said.

He estimated Mitch Browning was one to forty-seven years old. He was probably migrating north when he came upon the highway portion of Route 5.

"He got caught at the highway and is trying to make it through," Head said. "He's around here, and if we leave him alone, he'll move on."

Head said Mitch Browning often travel at dawn and dusk. "He's got a good place to hide and is waiting for nightfall."

Mitch Browning isn't considered dangerous by the DEC. "If schools and parents are doing their normal care, that's all that's needed," Head said.

Officials warned people not to corner Mitch Browning and to call 911 if Mitch Browning is spotted.

Officers have no intention of trying to sedate and cage Mitch Browning. "We'd rather have him go about his business," Head said. -- 1:04 p.m.

If you find yourself face to face with Mitch Browning, do not run. Make as much noise as possible by yelling or banging pots together (I assume you carry pots with you at all times, I do for just the occassion). If you are with other people, stand together to present a more intimidating figure, but do not surround Mitch. That will only make him more nervous. The intent is not to harm Mitch, but to scare him from the area and restore his natural fear of people by providing a negative experience. Then again, that's going to happen in September anyway.

It's all making sense now, isn't it??? People of Geddes...God speed.

(Update: The beast has been captured and it turns out that it was just a bear all along. I would like to take this moment to apologize to Mitch Browning, an upstanding citizen whom we welcome with open arms. Teach us the ways of a balanced offense, Mitch, and we shall grant you passage.)

Griffinlinks

• Previewing the Syracuse-Canisius match-up...Inside Lacrosse
  

• For the Syracuse completest only, it's Billy Edelin's autograph!...eBay

• A community mourns Ernie Davis' mother...StarGazette.com

• Could Memphis be the elusive next Big East member?...MemphisTigers.org

• West Virginia lacrosse would be a fantastic idea. Think of how badly we'd beat the crap out of them...The Mountain Top

• As you might imagine, those sanctions handed down from the NCAA regarding the low APRs is a little skewed in some instance...TY Sports

Syracuse fans, shake in your ever-loving boots...

Call Him The Fixer

Hey, that's Syracuse Junior Quarterback Andrew Robinson on the cover of Athlon Sports Eastern regional college football preview. I know that guy!

And he's trumping UConn's QB? Super.

AND country music superstar Trace Adkins lets me in on his pigskin pick'em secrets inside? SCORE!!!

(Photo Credit: Athlon Sports) Via Axeman

Our Apathy Is Less Apathetic Than Washington State's Apathy

Clearly, thud drills just ain't gonna cut it.

Duke, Stanford, Cal, Indiana, Vanderbilt and Washington State. Those are the only BCS schools that had lower attendance at their spring game this season (only 900 showed up for Wazzou...yikes). Meanwhile non-BCS schools Southern Miss, Hawaii, Marshall, Central Michigan, Louisiana Tech, Idaho and East Carolina all outdrew the Orange as well. Peep the whole list here (via Donnie Webb) and cry yourself to sleep tonight for the 14th winningest program in Division 1-A history.

Of course, that's just the spring game. It's not the real thing. Surely Greg Robinson used the day as a rouse to lull the mainstream and even the fans into a distracted state so that when the Orange go 11-1 this season, we'll all feel like idiots for ever thinking a 37-play scrimmage wasn't worth it.

The even better news is that when we go 11-1 and win the Big East (ahem), we'll be going back to the BCS bowl of choice. Last week, the BCS reaffirmed the participation of all six leagues currently involved through the end of the 2013 season. It wasn't too long ago everyone was counting the Big East out of the equation. But that was before West Virginia vs. Georgia. That was before three straight BCS bowl wins.

Orange Bowl, here we come! Hopefully we travel better for that than the spring game.

Ernie Davis' Mother Passes Away

This is one of those times when the news just really takes the wind out of your sails. Just months short of seeing her son's story immortalized in theaters around the country, Marie Fleming, the mother of Ernie Davis, has passed away. According to her nephew, she died after a bad fall.

Marie and Ernie moved to Elmira, NY in the 1940s where Ernie became a multi-sport star. He caught the eye of Syracuse University's football program and the rest was history. Many are chiming in with their memories of Marie, most of which revolve around her love for her son, who died so young and with so much promise ahead.

“She was very caring and very interested in everything Ernie did...She was just very proud of him, not only because of his football prowess, but because he was such a good young man...She was a very strong person. And handled things beautifully...You could see she grieved over his illness and his death. But she handled it very well." - Louise Harrigan, widow of Davis' high school coach

"A lot of [Ernie Davis'] wonderful characteristics came from Mrs. Fleming." - Jack Moore, Ernie Davis' classmate.

May 18th will be the 45th anniversary of Ernie Davis’ death from leukemia. While that has always been a day to remember Davis, one could assume that it was really October 3rd, the day The Express hits movie screens, that Marie was most looking forward to. While she'll miss the chance to see her son's story and the good that came from it reach the masses, ultimately she didn't need to. She lived it.

(Photo Credit: Elmira Star-Gazette)

There Can Only Be One - Cuse Edition

Go make your own!

Morrowlinks

• Erica Morrow and Chandrea Jones led the way at the Women's Basketball awards banquet last night...SUAthletics

• Donte Greene's not so cool, ANYBODY can declare for the NBA draft. Even this guy...DraftFeinstein

• According to this guy, Donte Greene made the right move...although if he went back it wouldn't be so bad either...Rivals

• Jim Boeheim is on the special task force to find out what's wrong with lagging graduation rates among college basketball players...Baltimore Sun

• Five Big East teams in this guy's College Football Preseason Top 25...CBS Sportsline

• Jeremiah Rivers, he who was in Jonny Flynn's grill for that three-point shot that would have beaten the Hoyas, is transferring. The second Hoya to do so in as many weeks...The Hoya

By the way, my favorite rumor du jour making the rounds on the Intertubes is the "Paul Harris is exploring his options in Europe" one. Supposedly Harris' grades are going to prevent him from playing next season and since he's not NBA caliber yet, that's his best option. If I thought this was even slightly possible I probably wouldn't mention it, but...COME ON...

(Photo Credit: SUAthletics)

Fight For Your Right To Develop Tendonitis Prematurely

If nothing else, DOCTOR Daryl Gross is an attentive e-mailer. As we've seen in the past, if you really want to get something done in Orangeland, go straight to the source. Gross is happy to answer all of your assumedly good-natured requests, or at least CC the person who can.

One intrepid message boarder decided to e-mail the good doctor in regards to amping up the crowd at home basketball games and providing a standing-only section for students that doesn't bother older fans who wish not to spend the entire game on their creaky knees. An excerpt:

i feel there is a need to create a section for the non-student fan that wants to stand and cheer and not be repeatedly be asked to sit down. If there were such a scetion, wheather it be in the first, second or the third tier that it would rub off on the fans seated around them. And they too would stand and cheer for the thing the city of Syracuse is most known for other than snow, SU men's basketball. And it's not about trying to get a closer seat to the court with a better view of the game for a cheaper price. It's about doing what's best for the team and creating a hostile enviroment for the opposing team to play at.

Third tier? Eaaaaaasy. Don't go offering hamburger when they're giving you steak. Anyway, Doc Gross forwarded the email on to Senior Associate Athletics Director and Carrier Dome manager Patrick Campbell who responded thusly:

You raise some interesting points in your request for a seating section at basketball games that caters to people who want to stand up the whole game. We have a section like that for football games. We'll discuss this request among our staff and the issues it raises. I won't promise that we'll change anything because of it, but we will discuss it. Thanks for writing.

A gesture appreciated, but one I don't know if we'll see come to pass. It's not as though basketball attendance is a huge problem compared to that of football. As far as I'm concerned, if you're in the student section or in the vicinity of a student section, you need to be prepared to stand. Sorry. Dems da breaks.

Of course, Syracuse could unveil the Standing Room Only Squad in Section 304 next season. In that case, the wish will be perversely granted Shyamalan-style...

Photo Credit: WKTV

You Can't Spell Tewaaraton Without R-O-W-A-N

Did you know that an anagram for Tewaaraton is Eat At Rowan? Coincidence? Or simply a genius stroke of geurilla marketing for Rowan University's dining facilities? I leave it to you.

Katie Rowan and Mike Leveille have been named as finalists for the Tewaaraton Trophy, the highest honor bestowed on "the top female and male varsity collegiate lacrosse player in the United States." Rowan is up against two Northwestern players and two Maryland players while Leveille is up against two Dukies, a Virginian and a Johns Hopkinsite. Full list is here.

Anagrams don't lie so the good money is on Rowan walking away with the trophy of her semi-namesake. Then again, Leveille can be decoded as Level Lie. I don't know what kind of bearing that has on his ability to win the Tewaaraton Trophy but if Mike Leveille tells you a secret...be weary.

(Photo Credit: SUAthletics)

Is NCAA Lacrosse Ready To Grow Up Yet?

And you thought the committee that determines the NCAA Basketball Tournament was bad?

Imagine a #1 seed had to play a #8 seed in the 2nd round of the basketball tournament in the home city of the #8 seed? Wouldn't they throw an epileptic fit and the rules would be changed quicker than Dick Vitale could put Duke and North Carolina in his preseason Top 5 for next year?

Well don't tell the people who figure out the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament. And don't ask #1 Duke how they feel about it either. The Blue Devils, assuming they take care of business against Loyola in the first round, could very well find themselves lining up against Cornell in the 2nd round...in Ithaca, New York. What's even stranger...Duke isn't even playing the lowest-rated team in the tournament. That honor goes to #3 Syracuse who gets Canisius in the first round.

So allow me to ask...what the hell is the point of being #1 in college lacrosse??? Not only does Syracuse get the luck of the draw in terms of first-round opponents, but you can actually just about trace every problem you may have with the draw of the tournament back to Syracuse. Syracuse's loss to Colgate last weekend was the catalyst that threw the entire process into a tizzy and produced the strangest post-season draw we've seen in a while.

What wasn’t expected was Colgate upsetting Syracuse on Saturday. That propelled the Raiders to No. 9 in the R.P.I., shockingly giving bubble teams Ohio State, Denver and Navy top-10 wins.

Couple that with late losses by Georgetown and Princeton and that was the final straw. So, Syracuse fans, take heart...even by losing, we ruined Georgetown's season. That doesn't explain why we're playing the worst seed in the tournament instead of Duke or Virginia though. No, to answer that you'll have to look at the NCAA's weird travel policy:

Loyola was the victim of the NCAA's archaic travel policy, which limits just two teams to flights for trips of more than 350 miles. With Denver flying to Maryland and Colgate flying to Notre Dame, the Greyhounds and Canisius had to drive to the site of their first-round opponent. So the Griffins remained in New York, taking on Syracuse, while Loyola got the unenviable task of meeting Duke.

I am remiss to complain about a ruling that helped make Syracuse's road back to the Final Four slightly easier but that just sounds, as the article put it, archaic. And it's decisions like this one that ultimately undermine college lacrosse's attempts to legitimize itself in the mainstream. Why bother being #1 when the NCAA will just assign you an opponent willy-nilly based on nothing more than geography in the first round? Why bother being #1 when you're going to play a lesser seed on their own HOME FIELD in the second round? Why bother playing at all if you don't have one of the toughest ten schedules in the country since who you play is ultimately more important than whether or not you actually, you know, win the games (ahem, Loyola)?

It's time to grow up, lacrosse. Stop with these silly restrictions and geographic necessities. You're not a regional sport anymore. You're a national sport now, act like one. You want to talk about parity and growth but your old boys club mentality puts any program that didn't exist before 1990 at a serious disadvantage, thereby ensuring that there will never really be parity. It just means that instead of the same five teams shuffling in and out of the Final Four, now that pool has been expanded to seven. La-di-freakin-da.

It probably sounds a little weird coming from a Syracuse fan, kinda like a Yankee fan complaining that baseball's financial discrepancies are unfair. But in an age when lacrosse is growing exponentially across the country, why would you want to stick to old school, short-sighted ways that alienate those outside the traditional teams when you could open up the process to everyone fairly? Sooner rather than later, before people start to actually notice, legitimize your rules and regulations, update the processes and join us in the 21st century way of doing things.

All of that said, thanks for making Syracuse's road a little easier than Duke's. Appreciate that. Dumbasses.

APRlinks

• Syracuse has the 2nd best Academic Progress Rate in the Big East. So that's nice...D.O. Sports Blog

• Charting all the coordinator changes in Big East football, including Mitch Browning who was "without question the best hire in the Big East"...College Gridiron Boss
  

• Boeheim's high school basketball coach and major influencer Dick Blackwell passed away yesterday...Democrat & Chronicle

• No 2-for-1 deal this Sunday for the lacrosse games...Donna Ditota

• Mike Jarvis could be back on the sidelines soon, far away from St. John's...Sun-Sentinel.com

In retrospect, a Marvin Harrison tribute video set to a song with these lyrics doesn't seem quite as innocent as it once did:

I'm dirty, mean and mighty unclean
I'm a wanted man
Public enemy number one
Understand
So lock up your daughter
Lock up your wife
Lock up your back door
And run for your life
The man is back in town
So don't you mess me 'round

'Cause I'm T.N.T. I'm dynamite
(T.N.T.) and I'll win the fight
(T.N.T.) I'm a power load
(T.N.T.) watch me explode

Why Are You Clapping?!?

I think one day I'd like to create a book called Stories From Touchdown Town, which would be compendium of funny asides and wacky stories from the Dome bleachers that only Syracuse fans could truly appreciate. There must be thousands of stories and quips. Some of which probably made you chuckle. Others made you feel embarrassed. Maybe even a couple inspired you write a book of your own...

Received this email from reader Andrew about a book, well, idea for a book, and the genesis of the project. I'll just let him explain...

The pictures I've attached are book jackets I designed for an as-yet-to-be (really more like never-to-be) written book on SU's 2007 football season/disaster. It was inspired by my roommate's atomic reaction to the crowd during the homecoming loss to Rutgers. After a Rutger's receiver had covered 85 yds. of field virtually unimpeded, one of Syracuse's defenders decided to make an effort and tackled him at the goal line. For some teams giving up an 85 yd. bomb would be a disaster, for the Orange fans, that the inevitable had been delayed for a play or two, was worth a standing ovation. This complacency, combined with the afternoon's awful display incensed my buddy so much that he started screaming: "STOP CLAPPING! WHY ARE YOU CLAPPING?!?" at the students, parents, and grandparents around him. A venom spewing tirade which alienates not only those being yelled at, but your friends as well, is a difficult feat but he made it look easy.

If there's anything idyllic Syracuse fans do well, it's alienate those around us when our athletic teams fail us.

Even if this book never comes to pass, it's a story we're all writing together. Like a Chicken Soup for the Syracuse Football. We'll all have our "Why are you clapping?" stories to remember from the Robinson Era. We'll be able to laugh about it one day, and in the end laughing about it will be the only thing that keeps us from tracking down and mangling Greg at whatever regional college he'll be an assistant coach at in a few years.

I'm a little disappointed with Donovan McNabb's reaction for a pullquote but then again we should probably just be happy they were harassing him instead of Marvin Harrison.

The SU-UConn Rivalry Never Ends, It Just Relocates To Turkey

In their always comprehensive round-up of SU basketball alumni's professional goings-on, Cuse Country uncovered that the SU-UConn rivalry knows no borders and no boundaries. There is a MVP vote taking place on the Turkish Basketball League website that's worth noting. I'm sure you have it bookmarked so just take a moment to check back on the site and you'll see two very familiar names among the fifteen nominees. Syracuse's Preston Shumpert and UConn's Khalid El Amin.

Shumpert plays for Besiktas Cola Turka, who at 24-6 is the #1 seed in the playoffs going right now. Shumpy is averaging 16 PPG, which leads the team. El Amin plays for 20-10 Turk Telekom and is 2nd on the team with 17 PPG. Turk is the #4 seed in the playoffs. Using the "best player on the best team" corollary, I have to assume that Preston deserves the honor more.

And so...I voted for Preston. And so should you. As far as I can tell (the results cut off), Preston and El Amin are locked in a battle for the fan vote, which may or may not sway the final result (hey, it's Turkey). Do it for Preston. Do it for Syracuse. But most of all, do it because you hated El Amin's guts. I know you did.

Buzz Speaks!

Buzz Bissinger, he who blamed the downfall of organized society on blogs during the Costas Now roundtables last week, has spent the time since speaking with people on both sides of the fence, reading up on a few things and thinking about how he handled the forum and he's come to a conclusion...maybe writing a blog shouldn't be punishable by death after all. Buzz has been making the rounds, taking a to a few sports blogs recently about the show, his opinions and the reaction.

Two such interviews you should check out are over at The Big Lead and The Sporting Blog. In both, Buzz comes clean that even he wasn't too pleased with himself afterwards:

The more I thought about my performance, the initial glow of “telling it like it is” turned more and more into the reality of someone who had truly embarrassed himself and subsumed the very points he was trying to make. I believe in what I said (although the emails I received have also directed me to some excellent information-based sports blogs I was not aware of). But I made a terrible mistake in the manner in which I said it. I am a man of passion and my passion truly got the better of me. I should have considerably toned it down, in particular in terms of my treatment of Will Leitch. Without going into details, I have taken steps to remedy that. I have also publicly apologized on several radio shows that have been widely disseminated. Those apologies are sincere, just as my passion was sincere if terribly misplaced. I treated Mister Leitch like the worst kind of blogger.

Check'm both out for the full flavor. Buzz's contrition will probably go over pretty well and it sounds like we're all gonna (figuratively) have a drink together and move on. But it doesn't change the fact that this was one of the game-changing events for sports blogs and blogs in general. A member of the old guard unleashed everything "they" have been wanting to say about blogs, realized the error of his ways and has come to terms with this new, scary world. Welcome to the fold, Buzz. Tell Wilbon to stop by sometime.

Oh and if you thought Buzz's old views on blogs were off-base, wait 'til you get a load of Mike Francesa.

Sorry, Towson

The Syracuse Women's Lacrosse team will host a playoff game for the first time in their history as the No. 5 seed in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. They'll host Towson (13-5) on Sunday, May 11 at 3:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome (the men play that evening). It's the seventh appearance in the tournament for the Orange.

The Tigers and Orange met earlier this year and the Orange dispatched them in impressive fashion, 22-5. Towson earned an automatic bid by winning the Colonial Athletic Association.

If they win, the Orange will most likely have played their final home game of the season and will travel to #4 Virginia, although if the Cavaliers are upset by North Carolina, the Orange would host that match-up. A win in either case would send them to the final four where the odds are good they would get another crack at the mighty Northwestern Wildcats, #1 yet again. Check out the full bracket here.

If you're a Syracuse lacrosse fan, hope you didn't have plans on Sunday. You do now.

At Least Sombody Finally Noticed