Friday, November 30, 2007

Top Ten Reasons for Knicks Fans to Get off the Ledge

Out of market Knicks fans, and NBA fans as well, finally got the chance to watch the Knickerbockers on national television last night. It was quite the nailbiter as the Knicks kept within 50 points of the first-place Celtics for most of the game, but couldn’t make that final surge, losing 104-59. After a tough loss when a win looked imminent, it might seem like the Knicks have hit a low point, but here are some reasons for optimism that Isiah could pitch to Knickerbocker faithful:


TOP TEN, delivered by yours truly, Isiah Thomas:

10. We ended the Celtics game on a 16-9 run. We didn’t lose, we just ran out of time.

9. Reggie Miller is still retired.*

8. If QRich's back heals and he gets a bit younger, if Jamal stops shooting so much, if Steph gets his head together and proves he can win, if Nate can mature, if Eddy can hustle and if Malik can grow six inches (wait he’s still on the team?!) then we'll be OK.

7. Frederic Weis should be ready soon to give this team the spark it needs and put us in position for our championship run.

6. If Stephon can find some dirt on David Stern, the commissioner will have to put us in the playoffs.

5. We’ve just pitched a $15 million dollar contract to Chris Dudley to create a needed logjam in the frontcourt.

4. At least now, when the team gets in brawls, Jeff Van Gundy isn’t involved (see video).

3. We don’t settle out of court, or on it.

2. We still have Jerome James.

1. I, Isiah, will make another sacrifice, and become the first ever GM/Head Coach/Shooting guard.


* Reggie, if you actually join the Celtics and sit on their bench to win a ring, then we’re personally sending Anthony Mason after you.








Photo credit: foodcourtlunch.com

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Joe Pa vs. Greg Robinson

Sorry for all those who aren't Orange fans...but these past few days have been quite newsworthy in Central New York.

Syracuse decided to hold on to a coach who had won seven games in three years, and therefore set reaching mediocracy as the ultimate goal of SU football. All this for a big 'ol $1 million per year. That's a little less than a half million for each victory.

Compare that to Joe Paterno at Penn State. It was revealed today, after a long court battle, that he will earn $512,664 in salary this year. That's laughably half that of a unsuccessful first time college coach at Syracuse. Seven career wins = $1 million per year. 371 wins = $512,664.

Boy, I hope the Syracuse Athletic Department and the football program have simply been hustling other teams, setting them up by fielding an awful Syracuse team, only to surprise them all in the near future with a well oiled steam roller of an SU squad. They must know something we don't.

Cause half the price is well worth it for an old man who can make it through this (spoiler - a broken leg):


And who also provides the campus with some legendary stories, and unforgettable lines like:
"He [the driver] says, 'That's my wife.' Paterno said he responded to the driver's husband, "Boy, that's your problem." [STORY BELOW]
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071012/SPT02/710120311/1016


-Pat

Here's the Paterno salary link: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3133700

Say No to Johan

In 2003, Brandon Claussen was the stud of the Yankees farm system. Yankee fans had been hearing his name for years, but it wasn’t until 03 that he finally made it to the majors, pitching a gem against the Mets in his first game called up. Cashman pegged him as untouchable. The Yankees had their ace of the future. Still, I was nervous. The Yankees had gone two straight years without a ring, and after every two game losing streak I feared that that the Boss would act irrationally and do the unthinkable, sacrificing the team’s future for a quick fix. Finally, it happened. Claussen was traded for Aaron Boone, a guy who had topped 75 RBIs just once in his career. Boone hit .254 the rest of the season, and although he had a pretty big hit against the Sox in the ALCS he did nothing in the World Series before tearing his ACL grabbing a rebound in an off-season pick-up hoops game. Even though Claussen has been a bust for the Reds, this trade still bothers me.

That is why I have a similar queasy feeling every time I hear that the Yankees are in talks with the Twins about Johan Santana. It’s not that I wouldn’t like Santana. He’s the best pitcher in the game and could really help us. But for the first time since I can remember, the Yankees have four young pitchers that could all be very good. Hughes, who in September was finally healthy and pitched lights out, has the potential to be an ace. At least that what we’ve been hearing for years. Even if Joba doesn’t pan out as a starter, he could be our closer of the future. And Kennedy has also pitched well at every level. Playoffs aside, Wang is young and has been great since he came into the league. Plus, all four of those pitchers are cheap and other than Wang they will stay cheap for quite some time.

Obviously, it would be great to add a pitcher like Santana. But the Yankees don’t need him. Even without him, their rotation will be fine and could be very good. The potential downside for trading him and then signing him to a long term extension is just too great. If he gets hurt, they’ve got about a hundred million dollars tied up in him plus they’ll have given up their best prospects.

Even if the Yankees don’t trade for him this off-season, I’m sure that if he stays with the Twins the Yankees will still be players to trade for him during the season. It’s going to be a long, tense eight months until the trade deadline for the Yankees young pitchers and fans like me who are eager to see them stay.
Andrew Vitelli

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

A Dark, Dark Day

Cuse just lost to UMass. UMass put up one hundred and seven points. Let's put that in numerical form: 107. In fact, according to forward Donte Greene, coach Jim Boeheim told the team after the game that they were "the worst defensive team in Syracuse history." The basketball team at Syracuse, at least the past few years, is supposed to rescue SU faithful from the edge of the cliff that football has been pushing the fans towards. Well, today was not the therapy needed.

Between this and GRob coming back I'm just about ready to throw up. SU's athletics have been declining every since AD Daryl Gross and Chancellor Ms. Nancy have come to town. It's a dark, dark day for Syracuse sports. In football, SU has accepted the goal of mediocrity, and in basketball it looks as if 'Cuse will be on the bubble once again, after making the NIT last year.

When I looked at Syracuse as a potential college to attend sports was a huge draw. But now Nancy has taken away the Orangemen from us, and the teams have progressively gotten worse and worse.

Let's just hope the"defense" can improve before Big East play. If not, we're in for a lonnnnng next year.

It Was Supposed to Be Christmas Morning...but now its Doomsday

Are you serious Daryl Gross? Really? I'm not throwing a Dr. in front of your name because simply, you don't deserve it with this evalutaion.

How does a Syracuse, a school that ranks 14th in most collegiate football victories of all time hold on to a coach that has put the school through its first TWO 10 loss seasons? Seven wins in three years. Three against BCS teams. Twenty-eight painful losses. Blowouts galore. Attendance plummeting towards the level of preseason basketball contests. The program has become the laughing stock of Division I.

Gross, SU’s glorious AD, said he was going to needed to see progress this year. Great strides were made - 2 less wins, and more painstaking blowout losses. I'm at a loss for words. I'm simply furious.

- Programming note: I have to run out to see a respectable SU program, the basketball team, compete against UMass. Following is a quick and aggressive rundown of why this situation and decision is horrific. If you’re not a Syracuse fan or don’t follow the team, you might have some trouble following my relentless ranting. Sorry, it’s just the heat of the moment and explaining everything would fill up a sorrowful 500 page novel.

I understand Greg Robinson needs to get "his guys" in there to be able to really run his system (although he was left with upperclassmen that went to a bowl game - which not one of Greg's recruits can say). I understand he's dealt with some injuries (but then again who hasn't?). I understand his buyout on the next 2 years of his contract, along with that of his staff, would have been around $3 million.

That being said, the man simply does not appear to be set out to be a head coach. He's even admitted his mid-game adjustments have been poor. His teams can barely function, ranking among the worst teams in Division I in rushing, sacks allowed, sacks, total defense (his specialty coming in as a ‘defensive guru’), and so forth. He is relentlessly optimistic despite all this. He is infuriating. Sure he might be a nice guy, but you have to question his coaching ability. The man has never been a head coach before, and in his first three seasons he has gone 7-28.

OK, so, more arguments to come below, where we’ll tear through how Gross has attempted to spin this to a mostly angry, and dwindling, Syracuse fanbase:


Courtesy of suathletics.com (I’m going to select a few pieces because I’m running out the door):

“As the Director of Athletics for Syracuse University, it is my responsibility to evaluate, assess, and make informed decisions regarding the University's intercollegiate athletic programs”

Thank you Dr. Gross. It’s comforting to hear that you know what you are supposed to do, regardless of whether or not you’re proficient at it.

“Nevertheless, I have set a bar of significant expectations for all of our programs, and like our players, fans, and supporters, I was very disappointed with the outcome of this season, along with our overall record the past three years.”

Join the club. At least you’re getting paid to watch it, not the other way around like us.

"Despite our collective disappointment with this season, those I talked with agreed with me that stability is tremendously important to our program, specifically as it relates to recruiting, and stabilizing and building solid classes of student-athletes”

Are you serious? Truly? There is no reason for any recruit to come to Syracuse at this point, unless they’d want to play right away (which they could do at other schools with decent head coaches, a large fan base, and more exposure). WVU, Cinci, UConn, South Florida and Rutgers are all winning or have shown recent success. Rutgers is expanding its stadium, WVU might play for a national championship, UConn is bolstering its facilities…along with just about every other school. South Florida and Pittsburgh have the bargaining chip of playing in professional stadiums. I could go on forever.
Here at Syracuse we have terrible weather, a concrete block that used to be loud for a stadium (but we’ll pack in maybe 15-20,000 next year) no hope of winning a lot of games, a head coach with no proven collegiate success as the leader of a program, etc. etc. Come on up to the Cuse!

Here are some snippets from Donnie Webb’s interview with Gross on Syracuse.com:

“I've seen teams with a lot of wins that weren't very good and I've seen teams that I say, this team is close to exploding. I don't like to get into a number of wins. I look for progress”

OK, I mean you are the maestro of sensing things Daryl. Like, for instance, when you hired Robinson and said we’d be competing for a national championship in a few years. Are we still on schedule for next season?

“We [Robinson and I] talked about, where's the continuity? Where's the consistency? Where's the weekly progression of getting better? Were you sound and disciplined? Where are those things? How do you fix them? It was thorough in that regard”

Wow. If you were thorough, you must have seen great consistency in having little to no shot of winning each and every week. Getting better?
Well we regressed from last year, and barely snuck out a win against perennial power Buffalo. Check.
The weekly progression? Well the best win came in week 4, then we lost three straight by a combined margin of 110-42, then we eeked out an 8 point win against Buffalo, then we lost four straight by a combined score of 143-65. Weekly progess? Check.

Were you sound and disciplined? Yes, obviously, ranking in the bottom five in the nation in sacks allowed shows the soundness of our offensive line. Missed tackles galore? Soundness again.
Discipline? Yes, without a doubt. Sticking to our gameplan no matter how poorly it worked. Leaving our place kicker, who hadn’t kicked a ball since 2005, on the field against WVU to run a fake after the whole WVU sideline notified their defense – that’s discipline. Oh, and running nine players out on an extra point try later that game? That’s discipline.
Soundness and discipline. Check.
My evaluation is complete.

“The easy thing is to say, this guy is doing bad and look at the wins and losses and you make a move. In this situation, you have to consider much more. You have to consider, how many gaps are you going to have in your recruiting? Have you given enough talent to show what someone can do? I think it's the right thing to have another class. I like how he recruits”

OK Gross. We’ll consider more. We’ll consider that this recruiting class is full of 2 star recruits. Sure, those services can be deceiving. Robinson has brought in a little talent. But he also hasn’t brought in an offensive line that can block at a high school level. Even if you believe in his recruiting, that’s only part of being a head coach. How about running the team, showing some competency in making adjustments or altering gameplans, or just COMPETING IN GENERAL?

And those other factors. Money, money, money. We get it. SU is a private institution. We can’t use taxpayer dollars to erect new facilities and fund buyouts. But, that being said, enjoy seeing all numbers next year avalanche into the red. I’ve been reading the forums, and just about everyone is ready to hand in their tickets. There were maybe 18,000 people at the Dome against Cincinnati. Things are only going to get worse. Between apparel, parking, concessions, and of course, ticket sales, this program is going to lose millions next year.

Overall, there are many reasons why Robinson shouldn’t have come back. Maybe next year he’ll surprise us with a 5 or 6 win season. But this move alone has alienated a good majority of the fan base. Many of which may never return. The program, which looked so bright from the late 80s up to the early 2000s, has crumbled before our eyes. The program needed a change, a shot in the arm, a coach who could pull recruits with no reason to attend SU by using his name alone. Instead, no change was made, and it looks like the worst stretch in Syracuse football history will continue. Thanks Daryl. I’m just happy that next year, I won’t be on the Hill to see it.

- Pat

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Wild Zebras

For those who haven’t seen it, here is the hilarious “Giving him the business” call from the Maryland vs. NC State game.


Little beknownst to many, the call by ACC referee Ron Cherry was not the first time that phrase had been used by a football official. Here is a clip from a Jets vs. Bills game from the 80s in which Jim Kelly takes exception to Jets defensive lineman Marty Lyons lying on him, to which Marty can only respond by “giving him the business.”

Someone’s got to do this to Tom Brady.


It’s been a pretty solid year for referee explanations. First, it took about twenty minutes, five different explanations, and the Baltimore Ravens to be brought back out of the locker room when Cleveland Browns field goal kicker Phil Dawson hit the support for the crossbar on a kick at the end of the game (the kick was first ruled no good, but was subsequently overruled). Then comes this Ron Cherry gem.

We’re just waiting for a ref to belt out some 38 Special lyrics: “He just held on loosely, and never let go” or maybe some Bon Jovi for an illegal man downfield "Ooo, he's a little runaway."

In fact, maybe Ron Cherry should come out with a CD of cover songs for the holiday season, spicing up some bland referee calls:

Track 1 - Bachman-Turner Overdrive: Taking care of business (personal foul)
Track 2 - 38 Special: Hold on Loosely (holding)
Track 3 - Bon Jovi: Runaway (illegal man downfield)
Track 4 - The Beatles: With a Little Help From My Friends (too many men on the field)
Track 5 - Hootie and the Blowfish : Time (delay of game)
Track 6 - The Offspring: Keep 'em Separated (illegal contact)
Track 7 - Lynyrd Skynyrd: Gimme Three Steps (fair catch interference)
Track 8 - Notorious B.I.G.: Nasty Boy (taunting)
Track 9 - The Eagles: Lyin' Eyes (Bill Belichick cheating)
Track 10- Tupac: Keep ya' Head Up (leading with the helmet)
Track 11- Third Eye Blind: Never Let You Go (holding II)
Track 12- MC Hammer: Can't Touch This (illegal touching of the ball)



Thanks to Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician for the word on the initial video


Tormented Bowl Series

So, the BCS is a mess. We all know that. We knew that before this amazing season of upsets and the booby-trapped No. 2 seat in the nation’s polls started crushing teams’ hopes.

But we’ll wait another week to chime in on that debacle. For now, I’ll discuss teams that have no bowl game to look forward to, including my wildly successful Syracuse Orange.

For those of you who don’t know, the past three years have been the worst stretch in Syracuse Football history. A 7-28 record (with two wins against Buffalo), a 2-19 record in the Big East, and the first and second 10 loss seasons in the history of ‘Cuse football. Thankfully, these three years have fallen squarely on my sophomore, junior and senior years in Central New York. I’m not going to get into why the coach should be fired, I’ve gone over the reasoning too many times in my head and seen too many reasonable opinions posted online (see the Axeman on Syracuse.com or Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician). Instead, I’ll give a scenario that will give such horrifically struggling teams something to look forward this bowl season.

College football enthusiasts always look towards the Sundays when polls are released ranking the Division I teams. For fans at programs like Syracuse, Minnesota, Duke and Notre Dame, these polls have become obsolete, and attention turns to ESPN’s bottom 10 list. Those fortunate enough to struggle through their team’s merciless losing streaks read the list as it rattles off the ten worst teams in college football. Syracuse, and its uniforms, has made the list this year. With nothing to look forward to but acknowledged failure, maybe this list should be made an official poll.

Journalists, coaches, disgruntled fans and the lot will vote on these ten disappointments. Each week new rankings will be released just like the top 25 polls. By the end of the season, with winless and fledgling programs jostling for position, the poll will dictate the TBS (Tormented Bowl Series). No. 1 will play No. 2, No. 3 will play No. 4 and so forth.

Unlike the BCS, a playoff between the losers of the 1 vs. 2 and 3 vs. 4 games will dictate
the champion. That champion will be the loser of that playoff game. Not with me? Lose all your games and you’re in. Lose your bowl game, and then the championship game, and you’re ranked No. 1 in the TBS.

The intrigue of these games, which will be played in the fifteen months leading up to bowl season, will be how each coach will find a way for his team to lose. Granted, coaches will still be trying to win to maybe salvage just one more year at helm. But their buffoonery will provide that no win is guaranteed. Can Greg Robinson push his Orange out of the cellar? Or will he pack it in and try to win some sort of hardware, despite its connotation, by losing out? A loss is likely inevitable no matter which strategy he attempts. But hey, Duke can't be taken lightly either.



-Pat

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=bottom100711

(Although it hasn’t been updated 2 weeks and 2 Syracuse losses later)

Movie Line of the Week, and How it Applies to Sports

“Don’t tell me how blackmail works! I blackmail people all the time!” – Jeremy Piven in Old School

This might have also been said by Knicks guard Stephon Marbury last week before he told reporters that coach Isiah Thomas couldn’t bench him because Starbury had too much dirt on Isiah. It might have come after a concerned comment from a friend or family member, such as the following.

“But Stephon, that’s not how you blackmail someone. You tell them privately that you are blackmailing them, you don’t announce it in a press conference. If you do, it makes you look bad, plus blackmail is illegal so you want to be discrete about it.”

Is there a tougher job in America than the Knicks PR man? But hey, maybe this two game winning streak will change things.

But it’s not like Starbury hasn’t done anything good this year. He showed that President Bush wasn’t the only person adding to the dictionary when he created the word “youthier.”



-By Andrew Vitelli

Monday, November 26, 2007

Mission Statement

Dear Fellow Sports Fans,

We realize there are hundreds of thousands of sites for you to find sports news. In fact, we waste most of our own days visiting them. But while we love reading other viewpoints, we have some strong opinions ourselves. Our site’s name reflects our philosophy in giving you, the reader, the very best opinions, feedback and nagging. For quite some time now, giving 100 percent has been unacceptable, as the bar had been set at 110. Now, we are raising it that extra notch.

The purpose of our blog - Giving 111 Percent - is to do just what our title does. Take sports news or - in this case a phrase - and put a comical or unique twist on it. We are committed to praising those who need to be praised (Chad Johnson’s choreographer), criticizing those who need to be criticized (Scott Boras and the BCS) and putting in their place those who need to be put in their place (Bill Simmons). You want opinions you can't get anywhere else with a unique and entertaining spin? You’ve come to the right place. At least, until some show off decides to give 112%.

Enough with our mission statement that likely has you clicking back as fast as one can say “What’s OJ thinking?” Now, for the starting lineup:


Patrick DiSalvo – 21, Syracuse University.
Allegiances: Syracuse Orange, New York Yankees, New York Jets, New York Knicks

I’ve ranted about sports before in newspapers, relentlessly in my friend’s ears and even to women. I’m a nut. Like many college students - and fans - sports is a big part of my life. I grew up wishing each Christmas to see a massive Starter jacket under the tree, wore out my thumbs on NBA Jam, and now have graduated to the never ending cycle of ESPN and the Internet.

I’ve been around long enough to see the Jets on NBC, Jordan’s glory years, the great Charles Smith, the Tyson chomp and Olympic Stadium in Montreal. I may have missed out on leather helmets, but I’d like to think I’m a pretty seasoned fan.

I’m also a maniac in the stands. on the right). I love screaming boorishly all game long, and having a hoarse voice for days after contests. There are some other stories maybe not fit to print. I’m a nut. But I’d like to think I’m a pretty informed one. Let’s get going. I hope you enjoy the blog.


Andrew Vitelli – 21, University of Maryland
Allegiances: Maryland Terrapins, New York Yankees, New York Giants, New York Rangers, New York Knicks

I am a senior journalism major at Maryland. I am also from Hastings, NY, and pull for the Yankees, Giants, Rangers, and (hiding face) the Knicks, as well as the Terrapins.

My favorite sports movie is Any Given Sunday. I think that all major sports stadiums and arenas should sell Churros. I was once in a verbal confrontation with the mother of renowned madman Rasheed Wallace ('posing' on the right). I sometimes have nightmares involving John Starks and the Houston Rockets.

The worst moments of my sports life were Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals, and the Divisional Playoff game between the Giants and 49ers in 2003. The best were the 1998 World Series, the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, and Maryland beating Duke in 2005.

I’ll be writing about pretty much anything that I notice. If you like what you read, or you just want to hear my voice, I co-host a radio show at 11 pm on Wednesdays. Just go to www.wmucsports.com to listen. Anyways, I’ll try to keep it interesting.

Image Credits: wvu.edu, hoopsvibe.com