October 30, 2005
proven once again
just a note on the 2005 World Series:
Brad Lidge is 28 yrs. old. Career World Series ERA: 4.91 (3.2 IP)
At 28, The Great Mariano's World Series ERA: 0.89 (10 IP).
At 29, he was World Series MVP.
There may be nothing more valuable in the modern baseball era than having a top-notch playoff closer.
October 24, 2005
Doing Somersaults (Part 2)
With the upcoming season of Syracuse University basketball seeming like Gerry McNamara's Farewell Tour instead of a plausible opportunity for a title, I must look to the future to find a team that will read "Final Four material" in its pre-season press releases. Fortunately, I didn't have to search very far to find championship-type talent within a recruiting class.
Predicting a deep run into the NCAA Tournament is difficult enough to do with the information available in March of that year, let alone with what we have available to us today when looking forward to 2007 and beyond. Fortunately, the business of tracking college recruiting has become so profitable lately that there are several different resources to choose from when attempting to predict one's March joy over the next decade. Just by running a Google search on names like Greg Oden, OJ Mayo, or even our friend Eric Devendorf, it is possible to learn all sorts of information regarding the players that will be favored to lead their teams to Final Four glory in the years to come. After reviewing the future of the Orange basketball team, I've found that the incoming Syracuse players may have some glory in store for fans as well.
As it has been reported on extensively around the Central New York area, S.U. is in line to have the top recruiting class in the country to start the 2007-2008 season. Of the four players that are currently scheduled to begin their college careers at Syracuse, 3 are ranked in the Rivals.com Top 100 for 2007. The fourth, Richard Jackson, is one of the best players in Philadelphia and expects to join the rankings before the current season ends. The rest of the class should also move up a few notches, including Donte Greene, who is currently ranked as high as the 12th best player in the country, according to Scout.com, and is playing for Carmelo Anthony's old high school as well as his AAU team, Team Melo. These four ultra-talented incoming freshmen watched the Orangemen win the 2003 National Championship when they were 14 years old - the same year they began pondering which Division-1 programs they would offer their services to. Considering the style in which S.U. won their title - underdogs led by a top-profile recruit with a future hall of fame coach who his players loved - it's not just coincidence that accounts for the school now being able to secure a top freshman class 2 years in advance. By helping Syracuse University Basketball win its first championship, Carmelo Anthony - helped by his street-credibility - promoted the school as a powerhouse program where the best players play. The recruiting magnet that Pearl Washington helped create in the late 80's (Coleman, Owens, Ellis, Siock) is officially recharged. Next time S.U. wins the championship, it won't be unexpected.
By looking at the '07-'08 class, one could expect that Syracuse will get to the Final Four again sometime between '09 and 2011, right? That, although it would be great, I believe is a prediction that looks too far ahead. With all the hype that has come from that class, it seems that much of the population has forgotten the player that is looking to be the next NBA star to come out of Syracuse University - 2006 freshman Paul Harris. Harris will be joining the team at just the right moment, when there will be 4 returning seniors and an experienced backcourt able to score or assist as needed. Harris could join the team in the same role Carmelo had in his lone season - the natural playmaking freshman who quickly becomes the team's #1 threat. Yes, there will already be a great deal of experience in the returning players, and Jimmy usually prefers wisdom over raw talent, but Harris is a lock to be a starter from Day One. Entering school with the Rookie of the Year will be Mike Jones, a small forward who has gone relatively unnoticed lately, having been overshadowed by his hyper-publicized classmate. Jones, though not nearly as good as Harris, is still a standout recruit and might have been the best pre-frosh since 'Melo if it weren't for his classmate. Both are ranked in the Top 40 of 2006 - Harris possibly making the Top 5 (or #1, if you listen to Doug Gottlieb) by the time this season ends. With only 2 recruits, Syracuse's 2006 freshman class is ranked #9 by Scout.com. No other team in the Top 20 has less than 3 incoming players. Forget 2007, folks - the Orange are for real next year. The 2006-07 version of the Orange will be the most talented, and possibly most experienced team since 1987, when they were pre-season #1.This is how the team could look on opening day (starters, followed by their backups):
Point Guard: Josh Wright, Junior
Shooting Guard: Eric Devendorf, Sophomore / Louie McCroskey, Senior
Small Forward: Paul Harris, Freshman / Demetrius Nichols, Senior
Power Forward: Terrence Roberts, Senior / Dayshawn Wright, Junior
Center: Darryl Watkins, Senior / Arinze Onuaku, Sophomore
wow. Now that's a team I can look forward to watching.
Mike Jones doesn't even fit into that lineup, though I have suspicions that he will get some time playing a forward spot throughout the season, especially if Nichols continues to struggle. Devendorf is able to play the point if needed, giving Boeheim a lot of flexibility in how he uses his substitutions. Much like a Duke or North Carolina team, Syracuse will be able to go 9 or 10 players deep into the bench without a significant drop in ability on the floor. Like I said in the previous post, I do not believe Nichols or McCroskey will have what it takes to start any games on this team. Looking at where they both are at this point in their careers, there will simply be too much talent available to give them the nod over blue chips like Devendorf and Harris. However, having two seniors available off the bench with as much experience in the coach's system as they will have is a great advantage over any opposing team in the country. They won't average 15 pts/game, but the team won't need them to - all they'll have to do is provide fresh-legged defensive pressure and wear down the other team.
A starting five consisting of two seniors, one junior, one sophomore, one freshman. Speed, power, scoring, passing. The perfect mix of energy and experience. The '06-'07 team will provide exactly what the program is going to need after Mayor McNamara leaves campus. With the start of next season comes a new era of Syracuse Basketball - one that will bring an even higher standard of winning and publicity-generating tournament runs into early April. Much like Carmelo inspiring the 2007 class to commit to SU, this team will inspire today's 14 year-old superstars-in-the-making to schedule a stop in snowbelt during their recruiting visits. Maybe by next year we'll even know what their rankings will be.
October 19, 2005
I can already see Otto doing somersaults (Part 1)
As we near the end of October there's only one thing my mind, and it has nothing to do with 1917 or a 97 year-old Cy Young candidate. I'm currently unable to pay attention to such matters, as my gag reflex still kicks in when I think about them, making it difficult to breathe. Instead, I've been trying to focus my attention elsewhere:
Basketball.
NCAA basketball, really. Gerry McNamara's jumpshot. Darryl Watkins' post presence and Josh Wright's acceleration. The Devendorf kid - is he really the Big East Rookie of the Year, as Jimmy B claims, or just a Jason Williams knock-off? I even spent most of the ALCS trying to decide if I should get season tickets simply because it is probably the last year I'll see Mike Hopkins on the SU side of the scorers' table.
There's another reason to be thinking about Syracuse basketball this month, though. More than any other season in the Modern Syracuse Basketball Era, the team's immediate future is in doubt (the Modern Era being defined as every minute that has passed since Billy Edelin first mentioned the words 'upstate' and 'Wegman's' to his buddy Carmelo). I have thought about this during the painful (and many) months since Vermont's talkshow host/head coach was doing his victory jig on the sidelines, and I truly cannot figure this team out. As Jay Bilas would love to say, the team has "Tremendous Upside Potential" but the current members have yet to really show us anything. McNamara's great - potentially going to be my favorite SU player of alltime - but he can't win all the games for them. Who is going to step up? The class of 2007 seems to be the primary candidates in this discussion, as they have been since arriving on campus 2 years ago. Will Terrence Roberts be able to replace Hak? Can McCroskey and Nichols come up with a few 3's when Gerry's gassed? Who will pick up where Josh Pace left off? Will Watkins have the dominating presence we haven't seen since the Dave Siock years? Aside from the last one, (although Siock had a great haircut) the answers are no, nope, and no one.A few points regarding the '05-'06 Orange(men):
1. Last year I was convinced that Roberts is going to the NBA when he's done here. I'm sticking with that statement, although he only averaged 5 points and 4 rebounds per game at the Under 21 World Championships this summer. He's the athletic presence they need underneath, and should boost his averages up to 12 and 8 this year. Unfortunately, he still won't be an upgrade at the position. Syracuse may never see a player that can alter the outcome of a game with the dunk as much as Hakim Warrick. He will be the Rookie most fun to watch during the NBA season.2. Edelin is officially gone, citing personal reasons again. It's strange that he may be the single person most responsible for the current and future success of the team, yet he has left as its greatest underachiever. Carmelo would never have come if Billy didn't do it first, and most of the current recruits wouldn't have committed without Carmelo (more on this in Part 2).
3. I'm only going to say it once, because I don't want to repeat myself all season long. Louie McCroskey and Demetrius Nichols stink. It can be truly painful at times to watch either of them play. You can bet that there will be numerous articles in the paper throughout the season about how neither are providing the team with the perimeter game needed to alleviate the pressure on Gerry. I predict that they will be splitting time with each other the whole year, averaging 7 points/game between the two of them. They haven't matured yet, and I don't see any reason why they will this year. If they don't pick it up soon, 13 months from now neither will have a chance at starting again.
4. Darryl Watkins is sporting a new hairstyle and a job as the starting post man this year. According to his original recruiting reviews, he's a natural scorer from the center position, having netted 53 points once during a game in his senior year of high school. Syracuse will get significant point production from the center position again, something we haven't seen since before The Craiggers Years. It'll be fun to see if Watkins can live up to the Otis Hill-J.B. Reafsnyder legacy, much as Etan Thomas did in his day.
5. After hearing some of Boeheim's comments, I'm looking forward to see what freshman Eric Devendorf can do. I watched him in the McDonald's All-American game and it seemed like he was missing the safety on his trigger hand. Meanwhile, Syracuse product/future Duke star Greg Paulus looked twice as good playing the point, dishing assists and just running his team with confidence - the pre-season polls are guaranteed to put Duke at number 1, and they'll be right to do so.Although I have great faith in the Gerry-Darryl-Terrence trio, I'm feeling like this season is going to be a bit of a letdown. McNamara and Matt Gorman are the last scholarship players from the championship squad and there's a definite sense of closure coming from that. They are a Top-25 team but they probably won't get past the Sweet Sixteen this year, though it would still be an improvement. Unfortunately, I believe that we are about to watch an end of an era - a decline that began with the Final Four MOP crying at his farewell press conference and eventually culminating at the end of this season. Fortunately, there's already a new era of Syracuse Basketball developing - one that began with a recruiting trip to Niagara Falls this past spring and figures to last longer than 4 years this time.
October 17, 2005
an introduction, a disappointment
Well, here it is - my first post. I have yet to figure out what the focus of my new publication is going to be, but I think I'll be able to learn as I go. Generally, this log is simply going to serve as an outlet for my various thoughts regarding the current world of sports. Since I'm sending these posts from perma-grey Syracuse, NY - the center of the nation's most brutal band of lake-effect snowfall - I assume that I will have plenty of time on my hands during the approaching winter months to stew about the ever-multiplying and ever-important stories coming out of our NFL, NCAA, NBA and MLB. I plan to share with you as much of this blizzard-induced insight as I can muster. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll even discover a focus in my ramblings and continue to write once the sun comes out again.Anyways, the Yankees lost - making room for the ChiSox to get into the World Series for the first time in a thousand years, the Kelly Holcomb Bills are in first and looking better each week, and USC survived Notre Dame on Saturday. Although the Trojan-Irish game was the best college football game I can remember (being that I was just 4 when Flutie tossed The Hail Mary) and it will probably be running on ESPN Classic by Wednesday, I'm going to talk about the other end of the spectrum. I'm going to discuss what is quickly becoming the most disappointing Syracuse Football season in the 25 years of Carrier Dome glory.
As Orangemen fans in 2004, we didn't expect much more than a .500 season this year. Coach P had lost his recruiting edge - seemingly a result of missing out on the Mike Vick sweepstakes - and the team suffered in recent years as a result. At a place where Pro Bowlers named McNabb, Harrison, Freeney, Bullock, and Darius used to practice, the outlook for 2005 was at an all-time low with free-agent practice squad hopefuls like Rhodes, Smith, Wyche, and Lacasse leading the team into what looked to be an impossible schedule. Then, the university woke up, and newly-hired Athletic Director Darryl Gross made the change the fans had been aching for since the Troy Nunes debates - we got ourselves a real deal head coach!
With a new coach as ammo, Syracuse University unleashed the summer advertising blitz - due to some aggressive campaigning by Gross and his staff, Greg Robinson's face became just as recognizeable on Marshall Street as "Eli the singing guitar guy," if not more so. We heard reports that SU was becoming The Team of New York City and The Dome was going to be refurnished and polished up for our new era of winning. The team was sporting new field gear, an efficient playbook, and loads of attitude to boot. The newspaper covered the Orange preseason as if the city of Syracuse had somehow transplanted itself into the state of Alabama. Robinson and his boys became notorious for their confidence, telling anyone with ears that "We're not backing down this year - we're playing to win games, not rebuild!" Word on the street was that the imposing giants on that upcoming schedule were in for a very big surprise.Then the season started.
SU opened the new-look Carrier Dome to a raucous crowd of supporters and high-hopers on September 4th, 2005. The game was played against West Virginia University on national television - on a Sunday, no less, so more observers could witness the newly-polished Orange offense with it's brand-new field and brand-new coaching staff. The new era was about to explode onto the scene. Then, it happened. Putting the game on national TV only allowed the rest of the country to confirm what it already knew and watch as reality set in on a new era of SU fans. The Syracuse Orange, despite having a state-of-the-art field, stylish uniforms, and a clearly motivated high-octane head coach, stunk. The team went out onto the field and played one of the worst offensive games in the history of Syracuse football. Thankfully, due to some defensive strength and West Virginia mistakes, the Orange only lost by 8, 15-7.
Whoops.
It's only gotten worse from there. Besides having a horribly difficult schedule, giving up the talent edge to every team its faced (Buffalo doesn't count, folks) and enduring declining attendance figures, it seems the team has also lost the new attitude that it desperately needed after last season's disappointment. Coach Robinson continues to work hard at firing up the troops, switching starters and remaining constantly active on the sidelines during the games, but it has become obvious that the push-cart offense just doesn't believe in itself. The Orange have gone from generating the highest hopes and resurrecting an entire city's fan base to just laying one egg after another. My own hopes for the team have dropped dramatically - before that fateful Carrier Dome day against West Virginia I was convinced SU Football was back, and in a big way. Florida State? They were beatable. Notre Dame? A strong possibility for a win. Just give me the chance, and I would have been ready to say SU could steal that Big East title right out of Louisville's palm on the last day of the season, too. Now I find myself hoping that the team doesn't lose by more than 3 touchdowns in Pittsburgh this week.
At 1-5 they have a shot at that record we hoped for in '04, but it doesn't seem likely to happen. Here we are, at the halfway point, hoping that our new head coach can use our brand new retro-fitted uniforms and high-tech field to rebuild in an effective manner this year and get us back to .500 in 2006.
