Hooray! This has nothing to do with SU. Laurie Fine is bringing a libel suit against ESPN and Schwarz in particular it seems:

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/05/laurie_fine_to_sue_espn_for_li.html

I saw this linked on Deadspin and figured I'd drop the news here since I didn't see that anyone else had yet. This is certainly much better news than I think any of us were predicting, so that's nice.

Honestly, it's about time. ESPN went about this mess in a completely reckless way and it certainly seems like Laurie has one hell of a case she is presenting. I think this sums up my feelings at the moment fairly well:

via threadbombing.com

So I know there are a couple of these up but I wanted to work through some thoughts. First, the lineup as I see it:

1. MCW, Triche, Cooney

2. Triche, Cooney, Mookie

3. CJ Fair, Southerland, Grant

4. Christmas, Fair, Southerland, Grant

5. Coleman, Christmas, Keita

One thing I don't see much mention of is Mookie's return. Up to this point he hasn't had a true role on the floor, but we won't be terribly deep at guard next year so I wonder if he won't finally get some burn provided he does in fact return to school. Should one of MCW and Triche get into foul trouble (or if Cooney struggles), Mookie might get called on for real minutes at some point.

Given his supposed rebounding prowess and size I see Coleman being our center if he has the conditioning to play long stretches. I think he starts regardless because it seems Boeheim has a PF role in mind for Christmas more than the C role. However, when Coleman isn't on the floor, but Christmas is, I think Rak moves over to C. I think Fair is too consistent to not start at this point and SF seems his natural position anyway (even though he does a fine job at whatever spot he is asked to man).

If Grant can come in and be a solid contributor (or more) it seems we should once again have some nice versatile depth with Fair, Southie and Grant all being able to contribute at both the 3 and the 4 while Rak can slide from 4 to 5. I'm also really interested to see how Triche handles being a leader. He will be a senior and have the most game experience by far. He also quietly had a pretty nice season if you go back and look at his advanced statistics, so perhaps he is prepared to take on a more central role.

After looking this over I really think, provided a few things work out (MCW comes into his own and puts a stamp on the PG position, Coleman being able to go more than 10 min/game, Cooney being the 3 pt threat he is billed as), that SU has another strong team. Now, had Noel signed on I think we become instant favorites to make the Final Four; however, without Noel I still think we have a team that should be able to make a Final Four run. (Though I don't think the regular season sailing will be as smooth.)

Check out the first two installment of NOLACuse's Guide to New Orleans here and here.

Attractions

Note before finishing the guide: Aside from pointing to the aforementioned Allegro Bistro pre-game party, I'm not sure there is much tailgating info I have for you. There is a tailgating area adjacent to the Superdome that was constructed after the Saints won the Super Bowl and I know Tulane uses it, but I have no idea how well attended it is. New Orleans isn't Baton Rouge or Starkville, etc. where you will find enormous tailgating turnouts. My suggestion is make your own party with other Syracuse fans and then head to the Dome for game time.

We have arrived at the third and final chapter of my guide to New Orleans. For this last part I will go away from the neighborhood format and simply use categories. There is quite a bit to do in New Orleans besides eating and drinking (not that you could be blamed for doing nothing but eating and drinking), so should you feel the urge to take in some sights and sounds, here are great places for that.

Music

This is a city known for its music and there are lots of places to hear some great live music. I’ll try to highlight a variety for you, but I won’t scratch the surface of the many spots for live music in the city.

Tipitina’s – This music club actually has two locations: Uptown and French Quarter. The original is Uptown. They are both smoke free now and always have great music. The original is a large venue and usually features rock, funk, blues, soul and sometimes hip-hop. 

Frenchman Street – I’ve mentioned this for drinks already, but I feel the need to reiterate the area when talking about music. With clubs like d.b.a., Snug Harbor, Checkpoint Charlie, The Spotted Cat, Apple Barrel, Maison, Café Negril and Blue Nile you will find jazz, blues, reggae, rock, hip-hop or zydeco. (If you are a Treme fan you should know that a lot of the music clubs featured in the show are here.)

House of Blues - Maybe it’s an obvious choice to put here, but check out what House of Blues is offering up. It could be any number of musical styles and could be anything from a big-name national artist to a local up-and-coming act. It’s a great venue and being in the French Quarter doesn’t hurt.

Rock N Bowl – This bowling alley features live, local music. It’s a big space and the music is always lively to allow for plenty dancing to go along with the typical bowling atmosphere. If you actually want to bowl sign up well in advance as lanes fill up hours ahead sometimes.

Preservation Hall – Looking for New Orleans jazz? This is the place for you. There are usually nightly jazz performances here, so getting your jazz fix shouldn’t be a problem. Like Café Du Monde, this spot is recommended to all the tourists, yet is completely worth your time.

Maple Leaf Bar – This place is split straight down the middle. On one side is the bar and the other side is the stage and a bunch of empty space for watching that stage. Admittedly the bar isn’t great beyond bottles of beer, but it is a very solid and intimate music venue that hosts a lot of great bands. There is no specific genre featured here, but the Maple Leaf tends to host acts that really get the crowd going.

Howlin’ Wolf – This downton club is not unlike Tipitina’s in size and set up. While there isn’t one kind of music to be found here, more often than not Howlin Wolf features rock (and there are some good rock bands to be found in New Orleans).

Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse – This is a very quiet and upscale jazz lounge located in the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon Street. This is not where you will find jazz to dance to but rather sip a drink to. I don’t believe it costs anything, but there may be a one or two drink minimum.

Continue reading this post »

Check out the first installment of NOLACuse's Guide to New Orleans here.

Drinks

Here is the thing about New Orleans: there are a lot of bars. A lot. Finding a spot to drink will not be at all difficult. But it can be lame and/or inauthentic. If you stick with my suggestions you should have no problem experiencing a fun, drunken New Orleans weekend. That’s not to say you can’t experience that otherwise of course. Because as I said, there are a lot of places to drink in New Orleans. A lot.

Seriously, there are a lot.

OK, let's explore.

Bourbon Street

Pat O’Brien’s - If you are doing all your drinking on Bourbon are really only a couple of places and a couple of drinks you need to be worried about. This is one of the places you should check out. It’s been around for quite some time, has a dueling piano bar and has a great courtyard with a fountain that is on fire. The drink that put Pat O’s on the map is the Hurricane. It is a sweet and strong rum-based drink, so if sweet drinks aren’t your thing, steer clear.

Tropical Isle – Here you will find the Hand-Grenade. That is all you need to know about this place. There are a bunch of them up and down Bourbon and they all serve several drinks, but the Hand-Grenade is the one you will be ordering. It is sweet, very strong and I have no idea what is in it. It comes in a fun commemorative plastic cup that is very tall and looks like a grenade at the bottom. I’m pretty sure it is a requirement to drink one of these as a tourist spending time on Bourbon Street.

Old Absinthe House – As the name implies this bar does absinthe, so if you are looking for it while on Bourbon, this is your spot. If you aren’t interested in the famous drink favored by poets and artists I would still check out the bar. Its walls are covered in business cards and if you have a business card you should add yours to the collection and become a part of New Orleans history.

Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop – Jean Lafitte was a rather famous pirate/privateer who called Louisiana home during the early 19th Century. You may have heard his name before as he helped Andrew Jackson win the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. This bar was once his blacksmith shop (duh). It’s laid back (though can get crowded) and drinks are cheaper here than on the main drag of Bourbon Street. It is also worth noting that this bar is in the gay part of the French Quarter, but it is not a gay bar itself. There are several gay bars on Bourbon you will pass by in order to get to the Blacksmith Shop, but if you are interested in them I unfortunately can’t tell you which may be your best bet.

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New Orleans, Louisiana: You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. Since our beloved Orange take on Tulane in New Orleans this Saturday I thought a guide to the city from your resident New Orleanian was in order. Should you be making the trek down South this guide will serve you well. I will address food, drink, music, attractions, etc. So join me on this journey as I let you in on the secrets of the Crescent City.

One quick note: Do not say "N’Awlins". Nobody says that. Also, don't say "New Orleans" as it is spelled out. If the city's name's proper pronunciation were spelled out it would look something like "New Arlins". Try that on for size and you won't sound so touristy.

(Editor's Note: Good to know...)

Before I dive in I will quickly explain my setup. I will break the guide into what I think are useful categories and within those categories I will highlight several specifics from the various New Orleans neighborhoods. The French Quarter is fantastic and you could easily spend your entire time there and I couldn't fault you for it. However, there are gems throughout the city, so I will include highlights from other neighborhoods in the hopes that you will venture beyond the Tourist Zone. Also, pretty much all my suggestions will be reasonably priced, but, at least where food is concerned, I will include a few pricier options (and note them as such) for the benefit of those that have the wherewithal to partake in upscale dining.

If you do decide to venture beyond the French Quarter, or if your hotel is not near the French Quarter, you will obviously need to know how to get around. If you rent a car, you can typically find somewhere to park wherever you go. I’m guessing most of you will not rent a car though, so I will briefly break down your options. Clearly you can just take a taxi anywhere you want, but if you want to save some dough use the public transportation. There are two options: streetcar (don’t call it a trolley) or bus. There are two streetcar lines, St Charles and Canal. There are buses that make their way through most other parts of the city, so between buses and streetcars you should be able to get out into the city if you so choose. For lines and info visit: http://www.norta.com/ .

OK, let’s explore this wonderland of booze and food.

Continue reading this post »

So I am at the Jazz Fest in New Orleans today going about my usual Jazz Fest business. Eating, listening to music, eating some more, listening to more music, etc. Near the end of the day I'm walking to the last band of the day and I notice this guy with a Cuse hat on talking with some buddies. This is not terribly normal so I usually make a point to say "Go Orange" or something. So I walk up, catch his eye and tell him I like his hat. Here is where I tell you that this guy is big. He is 6'3" (give or take) and quite clearly a football player. So he says, "Yea, Syracuse. I like them." I ask him if he's from here (New Orleans/Louisiana/etc) and he tells me he his. Anyway, long story short, he says Syracuse offered him a full ride to play football and they are one of his favorite schools, but he still has to decide. He is very soft-spoken btw (possibly because my mom was with me) and he mentioned that he likes that SU has pretty good academics. So I tell him he should go to Cuse, I went there, it's a good time, etc. Nothing crazy, I didn't take up much of his time and wished him a happy Jazz Fest. Being the too-involved-sports-fan that I am I check out Rivals when I get home. I'm curious who this kid is.

I can't find a LA recruit in any of the 2012 prospects. So this story is here for two reasons:

1) Does anyone have idea who this kid might be? (Since I didn't ask him where he played high-school ball I don't know that he is from Louisiana for sure. Could be Mississippi. And I definitely should have asked him where he played high-school. Terrible scouting on my part.)

2) The fact that our recruiting staff is poking into Louisiana is kind of awesome. This kid might not be some 5-star prospect, but there are loads of good football players here. And this kid was wearing some Cuse gear to go out with some buddies which means he's at least thinkin about it. (Here is where I mention that the hat was not color coordinated with his outfit, so that was not the reason for wearing it.)

In fact, I'm sure you haven't. But these guys know their stuff. It would be hard to get one of them, but the results would be completely worthwhile. So here we go:

Chuck Noll

This man built the Steel Curtain in Pittsburgh, need I say any more really? He was a defensive mastermind whose 1968 Colts defense set a record for fewest points allowed. He also used defense to win 4 Super Bowls as a head coach. And he is still alive, making him a particularly attractive option on this list.

via i202.photobucket.com

Paul "Bear' Bryant

Sure, he was a college coach, but every team he touched turned to gold. And more often than not, they had stifling defenses. In 1961 his Alabama team held all opponents to a combined total of 25 points. They pitched five straight shut-outs. He was a hard-nosed, take-no-prisoners kind of coach. Bringing him back from the dead would be well worth Jeff Lurie's soul (which will undoubtedly need to be sold to the devil to make this happen).

via johnharmstrong.typepad.com

Gianluigi Buffon

Ok, maybe he plays the wrong "football", but he could be go down as the greatest goalkeeper of all time once he retires! There is absolutely no question this man knows how to stop his opponents from scoring. He anchored a World Cup team just 4.5 years ago that won with stifling defense. It's true that he is still actively playing, but a good enough contract offer might lure him away. Why not try, Eagles?

via www.footie.co.za

King Leonidas I

He led the famous defensive battle at Thermopylae in 480 BC. Technically he lost, but the odds were so stacked against him that what success he did have in that battle has to be considered one of the greatest defensive stands of all time. Just think what he could do given the proper resources, FA signings and draft choices.

via 3.bp.blogspot.com

Georgy Zhukov (pictured), Kliment Voroshilov, Leonid Govorov

These were the three primary Soviet commanders tasked with defending Leningrad from the Axis forces during World War II. The Siege of Leningrad by the Axis lasted 872 days and was one of the costliest sieges in history in terms of both loss of life and destruction. But Leningrad never fell. You can't argue against that kind of defense.

via www.univer.omsk.su

Qin Shi Huang

He was the first Chinese emperor to order the building of a great wall. The wall as we know it today was built primarily during the Ming Dynasty, but without Qin's forethought and innovative (at the time) thinking, The Great Wall of China might never have been.

via www.history-of-china.com

Brigadier General Daniel Morgan

He led the American forces at the Battle of Cowpens. It was a decisive American victory and an excellently executed counterattack. His plan was simple, but original and innovative. The British were tricked into believing themselves more successful early on than they truly were, thus exhausting themselves before engaging even more American forces. Considering we have several weak spots on our defense, perhaps someone with innovative strategies is best suited to us. Add to the fact that he is an American patriot and this is my personal choice. Make it happen! Daniel Morgan for DC of the Philadelphia Eagles!

via www.sar.org

What do you think? Are any of these more or less likely than say, Tony Dungy or Jon Gruden?

For the first offense, they give you 2 Dallas Cowboy tickets.
If you get stopped a second time, they make you use them.

Some of these jokes may be old and I'm sure they are making their through everybody's inboxes as I write this, but there is never too much humor at the expense of the Cowboys, so enjoy and add your own to the comments.

Q. What do you call 47 millionaires around a TV watching the Super Bowl?
A. The Dallas Cowboys



Q. What do the Dallas Cowboys and Billy Graham have in common?
A. They both can make 70,000 people stand up and yell "Jesus Christ".


Q. How do you keep a Dallas Cowboy out of your yard?
A. Put up a goal post.


Q. What do you call a Dallas Cowboy with a Super Bowl ring?
A. Old

Q. What's the difference between the Dallas Cowboys and a dollar bill?

A. You can get four quarters out of a dollar bill.

Q. How many Dallas Cowboys does it take to win a Super Bowl?

A. Nobody remembers.

Q. What do the Cowboys and a possums have in common?
A. Both play dead at home and get killed on the road!

I love it.

The gauntlet has been laid. Unreasonable expectations of perfection are all that matters anymore. One bad game and you're demoted. Bad half of QBing and a concussion? To the bench with you. I suspect any Olineman who allows a sack from here on out will not be starting the next week. If Maclin drops a pass, Avant moves up. If Djax screws up a route, he'll be riding the pine. McCoy fumbles? Or can't pick up a first down? Mike Bell, welcome to starting in the NFL. God forbid Nate Allen drops his next interception opportunity because we don't have another FS. We are marching towards the Super Bowl and anyone who does anything at all at any point in time to possibly hinder that is going down.

But I'm really excited knowing that the Eagles are guaranteed a Super Bowl now. Think about it: Reid wants to win now, but no one really knows what we have in Kolb. We haven't seen enough of Kolb to know what he can be. He could be Brees, Manning and Brady all rolled into one. But Mike Vick is starting. That means he is without a doubt better than any possibility Kolb could turn into.  Reid is letting us know that even though there is no way to know how good Kolb could be, Vick is better. Soooo, Super Bowl is the only possible outcome. If Kolb's ultimate potential is the best QB in the league (again, we don't really know if he is or isn't at this point) and Vick is better, then how can we not be headed for glory?

I better start planning my Super Bowl party now. It's gonna be epic.

Over at www.nola.com this greeted me this morning:

The story is just a look at the three QBs competing to be Brees' backup. Chase Daniels, undrafted from two years ago is the veteran of the three. There is the kid they drafted in the seventh round from San Diego State and then Paulus. Why Paulus' picture gets the lead I have no idea, but he does get quoted in the article. If I were a betting man I'd say Daniels has the edge given his familiarity with the system, but who knows, Paulus may stand a chance.

- NOLAcuse

Ok, so my first post tonight was decidedly negative. I am terrible, horrible, shitty, awful, despicable person. I need to get a life, eat shit, etc. But I wanted to try and look on the brightside before hitting the hay. So here I am trying to be positive. This year was indeed amazing. I am very, very unhappy with how it ended and I feel this team, even without AO, was capable of a much better performance (and capable of a win). Yes, I expected a better performance. Sue me. But, but. I think I am almost more sad to know that I will never see Rautins, Onuaku and almost certainly Wes take the court in Syracuse jerseys again. I will miss the Hair. I hope Wes goes somewhere on he up and up and I hope Rautins gets drafted in the second round to a team that will give him a chance. AO may not get drafted (probably not in fact), but his wide body will be sorely missed next year (nh?). Now, positive is what I said I'd be, so here goes:

I think Brandon Triche will vastly improve. I think what we saw from him against Gonzaga is what will be closer to the norm next year. Boeheim believes in him, so I will to. Joseph should have an excellent year next year. I think his ceiling is higher than we may know and he may be a Naismith dark horse next year. I also don't think we will drop off a cliff next year. I don't think we will be ranked #1 at any point, but it's hard for me to believe we miss the tournament next year (knocking wood in terms of injuries).

Other possible positives:

Will the Mookpocalypse be upon us? Will Southerland do to Big East teams next year what he did to preseason teams this year? Can anyone take the Hair mantle from Andy with pride?

I feel a little better I guess. You may now go back to telling me to eat shit and get a life. I will work on both, though I'd prefer having a life to eating shit if it's all the same to you guys.

Update: After a bit of soul searching I changed the title. I wanted to strike through season, but apparently can't do that to titles. Anyway, saying the season was a failure is a bit much. However, I still feel failure applies to the Tourney. Sweet Sixteen is no easy task and it's nothing to stick our nose up at, but after last weekend's games I did, in fact, expect us to play much than we did tonight. Had we played better, we would have won. So I guess I expected a win tonight. It felt good to expect that. I was finally watching a team that played with so much confidence it allowed me to have some confidence as well. This team, even without AO, was more than capable of making the Elite Eight. I firmly believe that. I make no statements about the Final Four or a championship, just Elite Eight. I still feel that way and think we should have done better in the Tournament (or more specifically, this game) than we did. If that makes me elitist or a dickhead or something, so be it. As I said in my more recent post, I will go back to trying to eat shit and get a life. Though, mattdogg, if you don't mind, I'm gonna focus on having a life as I really would rather not eat shit if at all possible. No offense. (I will leave the body of my post as is. I wrote it. I'll live with it.)

Look, this season was awesome. Great wins. Big wins. Big East regular season champs. But advancing no further than last year's team, with a clearly superior squad, is not a successful season.

We can say AO was out, but he wasn't really the reason we lost. Bad shots all night long. Butterfingers and telegraphed passes all night long. To end the season that way, from this team, this early, is unacceptable.

There was nothing good to say about that loss really. Just a really disappointing way to go. They looked completely lost. It was as if they were playing together for the first time.

I just don't get it. If we were going to lose this game it was going to be because Butler shot lights out from three (which they are more than capable of doing). Butler didn't shoot lights out from 3. They were 25%. The fact that we lost anyway is pathetic. Ugly, ugly, ugly.

I am embarrassed right now. Did they secretly eat Chipotle last night? They must have, because otherwise that performance is unexplainable. There was almost no intelligence to it at all. Butler played a decent game, but not one that should have made us look so out of sync.

I am just stunned. Not that we lost, but how it went down. I wanna say, well next year. And I should know that a wait and see approach is best, but if this squad can't string the wins together when it matters...

Goddammit. I don't even know why I'm writing this. I'm gonna stop now.

Maybe Cornell can make the night not suck every ounce of life from me, but I'm not counting on it.

There is a new twitter craze that we need to take advantage of. If you heard Tom Jackson falling over himself for Brett Favre you know he said the following:

That's the thing about Brett Favre: He's not afraid to throw interceptions. You have to admire him for that.

It has started a new hashtag: #ESPNFavreRulesForAll

This has so much potential for us I wanted to get it out there. I just penned this one:

Paul Harris isn't afraid to throw wayward inbound passes, you have to admire him for that.

http://twitter.com/The_Real_Shedd/status/8239580811

Have fun!

So I play adult club lax down here in New Orleans and the time has come to select a jersey number. At first I thought I'd go with #4, my high school number. Then I though #11 would be cool since that's my birthday number. But, if you combine the two you get #44, the greatest number ever. Well greatest number in football anyway. Being a Cuse alum I can't ignore #22, but that might be too much pressure for someone who is, how you say, not really that good. Maybe there is another number altogether I should consider (69 is already taken btw). So I put it to my fellow Orangemen (and women): Which number should I select?