Postmortem, part two

Scroll down to read my earlier postmortem on the Syracuse basketball season, but here's one about the season in general.

Legacy of the team

I could've had class, I coulda been a contender, I could've been somebody

It's hard to call a 34 win season a disappointment. It truly is. But at the same time, it's hard to look at the season and call an Elite Eight Exit something to be proud of. This team spent the vast majority of the season ranked in the top two in the country. We had talent. We had potential. Depth, that's the word everyone used all season for us. But when it comes down to it, depth just wasn't enough for this team to move on.

This season will be remembered for a multitude of things, overcoming adversity,  the rebirth and the inevitable death of Fab Melo's Syracuse career, KJo's shot against Georgetown, but when it comes down to it, we didn't win. History doesn't remember eighth place.

Great team, good season, bad loss.

Legacy of Scoop and Kris


Scoop will go down as one of the greats. Not necessarily the best player on the squad, but the most heart. Coming into this season, nobody knew what Scoop we would get. Scoop led this team with all his heart, and if that's all you can ask for. I read somewhere, and I agree entirely, that he could be the next Derrick Coleman, coming out to support the team at their big games at the Dome for the next umpteen years. Thanks Scoop, for your years of servitude to Otto's Army.

As for Kris, he was always a solid player. I think we expected more from him at times, we were waiting for him to be our "go-to-guy" this season. His postseason play this year hurts his legacy a bit, but his three years were some of the best for the Orange. So thanks Kris.

Outlook


What does next year hold? Let's break it down.

LOSSES: Scoop Jardine, Kris Joseph, Dion Waiters, Fab Melo (presumed)
GAINS:  Trevor Cooney (redshirt), DaJuan Coleman, Jermi Grant

Projected Lineup: Michael Carter-Williams (Sophomore, G), Brandon Trische (Senior, G), CJ Fair (Junior, F), James Southerland (Junior, F), Rakeem Christmas (Sophomore, C)

Bench: Coleman, Cooney, Grant, Baye Keita

The outlook is good for the Orange. Scoop is replaced by Carter-Williams, who is 6-6, and can play. MCW has to improve his dribbling and needs to bulk up, but he could be a solid player for years to come. As far as Christmas, he'll need to step up his game. Don't be surprised if he plays very, very well. The biggest questionmark in the lineup is Southerland. Will we see good Southerland (draining threes in clutch moments like UNC-Asheville or Kansas St?) or bad Southerland (missing open shots, like in several games this season.

It's Elite Eight or bust for the Orange next year.

Remember,Tweet #FreeMCW .

When it's over

Yeah, yeah, yeah, haven't posted in a while. But I'm back like Shady, at least for now.

It's over. The season from hell that almost turned into one of the most glorious seasons for the Syracuse Orange Men's basketball team is over. We lost to Ohio State. I've had a few days to think it over, and here are my official thoughts on the game and the tournament as a whole.

Who's to blame?


While I'm one of the first people to blame the refs in any sporting event, it's not entirely their fault. We missed easy shots. Probably six or so fast break layups. All season long, when we saw Kris Jo or Neon Dion flying down the court, we knew it would be two points, it was just a question of how impressive the dunk would be. Not this game. Dion missed a dunk early, and it was all downhill from there. This team's success was built on it's fast break, and when that's not working, we're in trouble. Can we blame Fab Melo, who was ineligible for the tournament? Sure, we can try to, but we'll never know how the game would have gone with him on the court.

What we learned from the tournament


Rakeem Christmas is good. He can play. I was a doubter, but his tournament proved me wrong. Good for Rak, great for the future.

Baye Keita isn't as bad as I thought. His stonehands weren't nearly as noticeable in the tournament. Solid backup.

This team will miss Dion greatly. He declared for the Draft yesterday, so good luck to him in the future. Hopefully he'll be on a good team next year. I think Dion has a great chance to be a really solid pro for an NBA team. He led Syracuse from the bench and has some of the best moves I've ever seen.

Aaron Craft is a douche. No explanation needed.

More post-mortem to come later

Massholes

From The Dick List:

I tend to get really embarrassed for Evangelicals when they start talking about the "End Times" or whatever because everyone with a brain knows Revelations is just a thinly veiled attack by St.John The Divine on the decadent Roman Emperor Nero, but as it was prophesied:

Revelations 6:12

I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair,the whole moon became as blood, and the Boston Red Sox won the World Series again. 


Above: Professional baseball player Gary Sheffeild interacts with a pride of Massholes. Tactic 2) is clearly a failure and so Sheffeild nearly resorts to tactic 5), but thinks better of it. See ANTI-MASSHOLE TACTICS below.

BOSTON might be the worst city on earth. Boston sucks more than just about any other place on this planet, and its not because its cold there 10 months of the year.

It's not because the city is fucking boring and closes its bars at 1, even on weekends.

Its not because the girls are fat and homely-looking.

Its not because the "T" (subway) closes down 15 minutes before the bars, thus encouraging drunk driving.

Its not because the one strip club in the city doesn't even let the girls strip.

Its not because of that horrid accent which sounds like nails scratching down a blackboard to the civilized ear.

Its not because of asinine street layout, the fucking disastrous big dig, or even the city's provincial small-town mentality.

No, Boston sucks for one major reason: MASSHOLES. Have you ever encountered a Masshole? If you have, you'll know what Im talking about. If you haven't yet had that misfortune, please feel free to peruse the proceeding text entitled 'LIVING WITH MASSHOLES- A BEGINNER'S GUIDE'.


LIVING WITH MASSHOLES
A Beginner's Guide

HABITAT:
Massholes generally hail from the suburban regions around Boston, such asWeymouth, Peabody (pron. Peebiddy), Waltham, Revere (pron. Reeveah),Revere Beach and whole host of other retarded sounding places. Sometimes, they are from more urban habitats such as South Boston ("Southie") and sometimes they are from more bucolic settings, like Worcester ("Wusstah"). Generally their range extends throughout Eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and parts of Connecticut.

IDENTIFICATION AND MARKINGS:MASSHOLES respond to the names Murph, Sully, O'B, McGuvz, Towmmy,Bowbby, or Maahk. They are generally Irish-American (generations removed from the old country), although there are rumored to be other subspecies of Masshole lurking about. Massholes are easy to identify by sight due to their pale complexion, blue eyes, Red Sox hat, and freckles. In the summer time or when exposed to any sort of solar radiation above 2 on the UV index, Massholes display a characteristic bright red plumage all across their body. This plumage quickly evolves into masses of peeling skin, a condition which the Masshole calls "a wicked bahhd buurn".

Stunningly original and individualistic, Massholes are interested in a diverserange of topics such as: The Boston Red Sox ("Sawks"), Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, or the New England Patriots ("Pahhts"). Because their city is clearly a second-rate backwater, the one way the Masshole can possibly experience greatness is on the sports field, and thus insulting a Masshole's team is sort of like insulting his drunken whore of a mother.

BEHAVIOR PATTERNS:The MASSHOLE's prey is relatively easy to procure, and consists of a water, hops, yeast, and alcohol mixture called "beeah"(Icehouse is the preferred prey). The Masshole typically consumes somewhere between 10 and 25 "beaahs" untill it reaches a state of euphoria called "fackin' hammmahed". Once "fackin' hammahed", the Masshole will search for the two other things essential to it's life cycle: a sporting event to watch (preferably the Sawks) and a fist fight. Please note that although Massholes prefer to fist fight outsiders, inter-Masshole fist fights are also very common.


Above: An adult Masshole. Even when removed from their natural habitat for years on end (this specimen has nested in Hollywood, California), Massholes are still easily recognizable to the untrained eye. 

ANTI-MASSHOLE TACTICS
1) The best way to deal with a Masshole is to ignore it. 2) If persistent or aggressive, a Masshole can usually be frightened off by a black person. 3)Another effective way to deal with the Masshole is to separate it from its pride. Massholes are pack animals, and thus become shockingly timid when few in number and isolated. 4) The fourth option is to wait until the Masshole drinks itself into a stupor and passes out. 5) The final option is to kick the fucking shit out of the drunk Masshole, although this may result in imprisonment. If you choose option 5, make sure you are not in the Boston area because the arresting police officers will certainly be major Massholes themselves and will naturally protect their own species.

LONG TERM PROGNOSIS
Unfortunately, Massholes look to be with us for the foreseeable future. Although the nuclear destruction of their habitat (Boston) is a tempting option, it would be prohibitively costly and would have disasterous environmental impacts. A less costly way to deal with Massholes is to make sure the Red Sox and the Patriots do not make the playoffs. A collapse in the fortunes of one such team forces the Masshole into a state of depression bordering on suicide; if both collapse maybe Masshole-kind will finally take a razor blade to its wrists and do the rest of America a favor.


Above: A senior Masshole well past his prime. Massholes often remain losers for their entire life cycle. 

CONCLUSION:
In truth, there is nothing worse on earth than a Masshole. Just how a small, irrelevant town such as Boston produces so many Massholes remains one of the great mysteries of the natural world. Although the problem of Masshole infestation is not likely to be remedied by modern science any time soon, careful adherence to the 5 anti-Masshole tactics can go a long way towards mitigating the problem. When dealing with the Masshole, always remember: the root of the Masshole's agressive behavior is its own inherent weakness and feeling of inadequacy. Boston will always be a second-rate city on the world stage, so the proper way to deal with the Masshole is to dismiss it much like its silly little town. As the noble Roman Cato the Elder once said over 2000 years ago, "MASSHOLES DELENDA EST", and how appropriate that statement is, even today!

UPDATE: Fab Melo to play on Saturday

Fab Melo just tweeted what many are interpreting as great news for the Orange. As reported earlier on this (and many others) blog, Melo will be playing this Saturday. His latest tweet seems to confirm this.

Great news for the Orange if Melo is back in the lineup. Great news. 

CONFIRMED: Fab Melo to play Saturday

According to The Juice, Syracuse Orange starting center Fab Melo will return to Jim Boeheim's lineup this weekend against St. Johns. This action has been speculated now for days, and returns Syracuse to the deep team they were before Melo was lost. The reason for Melo's absence is still unknown due to privacy laws, but it's widely accepted that he was academically ineligible.

In the two games without Melo, both Baye Keita and Rakeem Christmas showed signs of being a short term replacement, but neither was really able to fill the massive shoes left empty by Fab. The team was outrebounded heavily, and suffered their first loss, all while Melo sat on the bench and watched.

This news comes at the ideal time for Syracuse. After the Johnny's on Saturaday, the Orange face the hated Georgetown Hoyas on Wednesday the 8th, followed by UConn on Saturday the 10th; a game expected to break the Carrier Dome attendance record.

New York's Sports Songs

"It's up to you, New York, New York"

We all know that infamous line from one of my personal favorite songs of all time, Frank Sinatra's "Theme from New York, New York". Like many New Yorkers, I associate this song with Yankee Stadium. As this song came on shuffle today, it got me thinking about some of the songs of New York Sports. Here's a list of what I consider to be the best (and one of the worst sports songs ever).

Meet The Mets (1961)

"Meet the Mets! Meet the Mets! Step right up and greet the Mets!"

True, the Mets may be one of the worst franchises in the Majors, but their song is wonderful. It's just so happy, and makes anyone listening want to enjoy a good ole' baseball game. Hands down, the best sports song in New York State, if not the country.

New York, New York-Frank Sinatra

It really doesn't get much better than hearing Frank after a Yankees victory. This song has become synonymous with the Yankees. They play it after every game, win or loss. One of the classiest traditions in baseball, hands down. After big wins, many fans can be heard singing this in unison as they march out of the house that Jeter built.

Go, New York, Go!- The Knicks

"If you're a Knicks fan once, you're a Knicks fan for life!"

(Note, I love this video. This was highly entertaining)

Every few years, we Knicks fans are lucky enough to get blessed with a new remix of Go, New York, Go! Generally, these remixes involve adding the names of new players. Go, NY, Go is great. It's fun, upbeat and about the worst team in the NBA over the past decade. In the words of Charlie Sheen, "What's not to love?"
(Note: The Knicks released an entire album of Knicks themed songs. It can be heard here.)

Down The Field-Syracuse University

Shameless plug? No. I actually think this is one of the most catchy fight songs in the country. It's not particularaly well know as, say Notre Dame, Navy or USC, but it's just as good. Great horns, great lyrics. How many other songs have the word Staunch in them? Exactly. Unique.

And now, a quick tribute to one of the worst:

We are The Yankees

"We are, we are the Yankees!"

Give it a listen. Realize that these are some of the worst lyrics of all time. It's so apparent the Organization got jealous of the Mets, so they decided to write their own song. The guy they hired to write it clearly forgot that the song was due, so he scribbled down something and BAM! We Are The Yankees

And just one final one that I hope never, ever catches on

Nothing against this song. It's a great song, but it shouldn't be considered the "Anthem of New York" as some may say. It's good, but it's not quite a classic yet.

Knicks vs. Pistons: Fighting for Mike

Find me a worse NBA game on TV tonight than the Knicks and the Pistons playing each other. You can't. We're looking tonight at a battle of two of the coldest teams in the NBA.

The Knicks enter tonight's game at a disappointing 7-13, and are in the midst of a dreadful losing patch, dropping three straight and nine of their last ten. It's hard to believe that the Knicks were 6-4 at one point this season, but that's what a cold snap does to you.

Detroit is, believe it or not, worse off than the 'Bockers are. At 4-18, the Pistons are 2-16 in their last 18 games, and enter tonight on a 5 game losing skid. To make matters worse for the Pistons, they are smack in the middle of their Triumvirate (three game in three nights). Tomorrow night, they'll face the Nyets in Dirty Jersey. 

Earlier Matchups

January 9, 2012

The Knicks and the Pistons played each other earlier on this year, which ended in favor of New York, which won the game by 23 points. 

Injury Report

New York

Baron Davis (back, fatigue) OUT

Carmelo Anthony (ankle) Game time decision

Detroit

Charlie Villanueva (ankle) OUT

Will Bynum (foot) OUT

Ben Gordon (shoulder) OUT

Tayshaun Prince (personal reasons) Will Play

Storylines

Mike D'Antoni's Job

ESPN New York reports that the Knicks locker room is "100 Percent" behind Mike D'Antoni. That only matters so much. It's all about Jimmy Dolan. Might a loss to the miserable Pistons be the one to put D'Antoni on the streets of Manhattan?

Tyson Chandler

Chandler's D is one of the few things keeping the Knicks from sinking into oblivion. He's been, to quote Clyde Fraizer, "rocking and blocking!" Chandler's size will help him pick up the boards against one of the worst rebounding teams in the country. Expect a pretty big game out of TC. 

Prediction

The Knicks streak ends at three. Detroit is too bad. I just can't see them possibly beating the Knicks. 

KNICKS WIN: 96-88 in a game where the game isn't as close as the scoreboard may show.

Go New York, Go New York GO!