So the Post-Standard decided to print a letter to the editor from a former West Virginia resident about the lack of class by Syracuse fans on Friday night. The author complains of chants and booing directed towards the classiest fans on the Eastern Seaboard - West Virginia faithful
Having been part of the awesome tailgating scene and great atmosphere in the Dome that night, this tells me two things.
1) The Syracuse Football fans in Syracuse showed up, were loud, were proud, and added a slight touch of perfectly acceptable hostility. "You suck" and booing really bothers you? Oh boy, just wait.
2) This writer should probably open these letters from WVU's president and AD in his or her inbox.
I was really impressed by the crowd on Friday night. Lets keep that momentum going. Just remember, next time you're at a game, politely clap for the opposing fans.
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When Dajuan Coleman was being recruited by Syracuse, images of DC flashed before every Cuse fan's eyes. Since Dajuan is a hefty PF, and so was the original DC, it's clear the two are related.
Derrick and Dajuan. Family Forever.
With possibly one of the most dynamic sets of relatives set to rewrite the Syracuse record books, we take a look at someother excelling Syracuse athletic figures tied by the same bloodlines.
Don McPherson, Dick MacPherson
Clearly there is nothing here that would suggest that:
a) their names are actually spelled differently.
b) they are anything less than first cousins.
CJosh Fairpace
No disputing here. Book it. Picked up playing styles from each other during driveway basketball.
Shamarko and Phillip love the US. And their family.
Hard-hitting. Relentless. Hermanos.
Andy and Leo. Feel like this one might be true.
Not sure about this one. Think this may have been brought up once or twice.
This blog is a little late to the Players of the Week party, this week. I guess the blog is still a little hungover - literally and figuratively - from the big win and postgame tailgate (postgate?).
This week's players of the week are brought to you by each guy's favorite movie. Without further delay ...
Chandler Jones - Deliverance
Big 99 made Geno Smith squeal like a piggy all night, sacking the WVU QB twice and hitting him more times than Scott Shaffer could even keep count. Don't wander into the Carrier Dome and get lost again, Geno. Or else.
Siriki Diabate - Coming to America
Where the hell did this guy come from? All season, Diabate looked like a guy working at a fake McDonald's, with just 10 tackles in five games. But on Friday night the junior proved that maybe he's always been royalty and we just didn't notice, with his seven tackle performance, including half a sack and countless mayhem-causing moments.
Nick Provo and David Stevens - Hollow Man
Clearly these guys were invisible on Friday, right? West Virginia certainly never saw them on the field, but they somehow found their way into the end zone four times, virtually untouched each time. Very mysterious.
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In his free time, #21 took a trip down to New York. As a Twitter hashtag celebrity himself, he decided to take in the #occupywallstreet protests with Kanye.
#Shamarko walks with us.
Yet instead of posturing, he was inspired to be a true man of the people.
Shamarko listens to the concerns of the crowd, and attempts to right the wrongs of the current day. All while getting a beastly workout of course.
27 months? We'll see if you're awake by then.
And then, #Shamarko took the time to deliver a blow to the man who started this whole mess.
What's worth doing is worth doing despite pain, Gordon Gecko.
After #Shamarko smacks around WVU, keep an eye out for where #21 will go next.
Remember, before you misstep, #Shamarko will find you. And he will punish you.
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Well, it's back to the grind for the Cardiac Cuse this week as they host West Virginia on Friday night.
We'll be making the trip up to the Cuse from the nation's capital, and I'm sure a few of our favorite trashy West Virginia fans will make the trek up north as well.
Before you do a google image search for “Trashy West Virginia Fans” - we've gone ahead and assembled a nice little collection of them here for you.
And in consideration for any WVU fans looking for themselves, we've kept the list short so you can keep count.
10 Best (Awful) West Virginia Pictures
First, the honorable mention. Just too many to choose from.
Surprised he went with an undershirt at all.
You're an asshole. Better t-shirts later.
A. No! B. Can you sound any creepier? Trust you? No thanks.
When rumors began swirling that Greg Robinson miraculously may have been in the mix for a job with the Eagles (yes, a football job), it got us thinking.
With one of the worst hires of all-time possible, what are some other historically awful hires?
- Drew Carey (The Price is Right) – Bob Who? Feel that excitement …
- Rich Kotite
I'm not going to rip on him for his Starter jacket wardrobe, because, well, we all did that in the mid 90s.
Richy Rich stepped in for Pete Carrol (another bad hire) in 1995 for the NY Jets. He took an already declining team, and sent it to new lows. 3-13 in 1995, and then the absolutely dismal 1-15 1996 season.
"In both of his seasons as head coach, the Jets had the worst record in the NFL. Two days prior to his last game as Jets coach in 1996, Kotite announced he was stepping down and has never returned to the NFL sidelines in any coaching capacity"
Slayed. Wikipedia style.
Michael Brown (FEMA) – Everyone knows being the commissioner of the Arabian Horses association prepares you well for a job in the Federal Emergency Management Agency. What’s the worst that could happen with this hire? Oh …
By now you've probably heard that Kentucky has scheduled a "Legends vs. Villains" game for October 24. First of all, that's an awesome freaking idea. It also got us thinking ... who would the Syracuse "Villains" be? Here's one blog's guess for the All-Villain team:
***Note: We tried to keep this relatively current, with the thought that these guys could still play at a reasonable level. You may really hate Steve Vacendak, but at 67 years old, he probably can't run with Jonny Flynn***
Head coach - Keith Smart
The skinny - Sure, you could go with Bobby Knight here, but Smart has to be Villain No. 1 for SU. He probably couldn't lace them up anymore, so considering his NBA coaching experience with the Warriors, he can lead this squad.
Villain Moment - Let's never discuss this one again.
Assistant coach - Patrick Ewing
The skinny - Never got a chance to be a head coach in the NBA. Doesn't get the chance here. Always the bridesmaid, huh Patrick?
Villain Moment - Going to Georgetown. General douchebaggery.
Starting Lineup
G - T.J. Sorrentine (Vermont)
The skinny - 17 points in Vermont's shocking 13/4 upset over SU in the 2004 NCAA Tourney. Has no respect for laws of gravity or "range" on 3-pointers.
Villain Moment - This ...
G - Ray Allen (UConn)
The skinny - Scored 29 points in a Big East Tourney game against Syracuse - allegedly.
Villain Moment - Hey, if Nike says it happened, it must be true.
F - Gordon Hayward (Butler)
The skinny - Losing to a bunch of white guys is actually more annoying. I don't care if that's racist. It's true.
Villain moment - 17 points, 5 rebounds, 7-8 from the FT line. 10,000,000 remote tosses by Syracuse fans during Butler's 2010 NCAA Tournament upset victory.
F - Blake Griffin (Oklahoma)
The skinny - Basically the only person in America who could match Jonny Flynn's effort in 2009. Griffin also had the supporting cast and more natural ability and size. Even though it was just one game, and a bit of a blowout, we need a headliner for this imaginary game, and Griffin is it.
Villain moment - 30 points, 14 rebounds in Sweet 16 victory ... and this:
C - Joshhilton Boonestrong (UConn)
The skinny - The twin towers for UConn, Josh Boone and Hilton Armstrong, were always lurking, waiting to block ill-advised layups from the smaller Syracuse players.
Villain moment - Winning four out of five regular season matchups with the Orange. Getting into the Syracuse shooters' heads and making them afraid to pull the trigger for three years.
Off the Bench
G - Curtis Blair (Richmond)
-18 points, 6 assists in the first-ever 15-seed upset in the NCAA Tournament in 1991 G - Tony Delk (Kentucky)
-24 points in the National Championship game in 1996 for Kentucky. Connected on seven 3-pointers. G - Allen Iverson (Georgetown)
-The token Hoya on this list only went 2-2 in his career against SU. But he did average 21.5 PPG in those four games. G - Karlvance Krausefields (Pittsburgh)
-Ever wonder why Pitt has dominated SU for so long? Well, Krauser averaged 17 PPG in two wins in 2005, and followed it up with 32 points in the only regular season matchup in 2006. Fields averaged 17.3 PPG from 2007-09. G - Scottie Reynolds (Villanova)
-Is he still playing for 'Nova? Scored 22 points to knock the Orange out of the BET in 2008, ending any NCAA Tournament hopes. F - Donyell Marshall (UConn)
-Put up 20 points and 11 rebounds in a 1994 win against SU. More importantly, was Calhoun's first All-American, and started pushing the Huskies towards Syracuse's level. F - Luke Harangody (Notre Dame)
-Scored 1,000,000 points and pulled down 700,000 rebounds (approximate) in four-year career against SU. Helped ND rack up 103 points in a game in 2007.
Suspended
G - Doug Gottleib (Notre Dame/Oklahoma State)
-Gottleib was originally on the roster for how much he annoyed SU fans after his playing days ended. However, after investigators found some "borrowed" property in his ESPN office, he was declared ineligible for the game.
Referees
Tim Higgins
Jim Burr
What do you think? Who did we miss? Let us know in the comment section.
H/T @zamalkany for a lot of the research and selection duties.
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Full blame for the Rutgers loss as the fire monster was absent. And there's nothing else to say for #BeatTulane - we really should just beat them. No excuses.
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On the eve of the Tulane contest, we hope that Syracuse's football fortunes change.
As Dave Rahme pointed out this morning, Rutgers basically dared Syracuse to beat its corners, and the Orange wideouts couldn't.
The team is not only desperate for a playmaker, but some wrinkles in an offense that has become quite predictable.
Now, I know Marrone helped the Saints offense put up spectacular numbers, and that he's working with a more limited crop of talent at SU, but I expect more. My man crush on Dougles has been well stated, but the offensive playcalling is an area that he (and as a result, Nathaniel Hackett) must improve on.
After hearing about #Shamarko's unorthodox and superhuman workouts, it got us thinking. What else does The Man do in his spare time, while we sit on our couches?
Someone, our spy didn't get tackled by Shamarko, and was able to capture a few of #21's exploits.
The fiercest member of New York's College Team stands up for the little guys.
Pants on the ground? You on the ground! Sorry Selena.
