GAMETIME - Idiotic Predictions

Before each SU game the idiots will post predictions on the outcome, which are guaranteed to be wrong. Since this is the first game of the season, we'll also be offering our opinions on what lies ahead for the men of orange.

BOSS' TAKE

Game Prediction: Orange 19 Purple 15.

If you think that score looks ugly, just wait until you see the game. Concerns abound on both sides of the ball, I am counting on positive turnover margin, a steady diet (25 carries) of various running backs, a gamebreaking play from one of the WRs and most importantly two fully-loaded idiots (Champ and Russianator) spearheading the noise in a raucous Carrier Dome. Their incessant heckling is worth 5 points for the Cuse. Is it kickoff time yet?¦Go Orange.

Season Prediction: 5-7

As much as I'd like to think that this team is worthy of bus-ride to Toronto for the International Bowl come January, I just don't see it. Major concerns starting a freshman (practically) quarterback behind an offensive line which is still a huge question mark, the entire LB corps is unproven, and the loss of Delone Carter (DC3) is not easily forgotten. Have I mentioned that our QB is practically a freshman? It is worth mentioning again. It may be unfair to put so much stock into one game but tonight's game will set the table for the season and is a must have.

Win and maybe we can scrap our way to a 6-6 season, lose and its back to 4-8 land. An honest look at the schedule: 1 certain win (Buffalo); 2 likely wins (at UConn, at Miami,OH); 4 certain losses (at Iowa, at Louisville, WVU, Rutgers); 2 likely losses (at Pitt, USF); and 3 toss-ups (Washington, Illinois, Cincinnati).You can run the numbers yourselves, but one number that Greg Robinson should keep close at hand is 21 -- as in Century 21.

CHAMP'S TAKE

Game Prediction: Cuse 13 Huskies 10:

I have to agree with BOSS on this one....this came is going to be UGLY. Cuse will be playing catch-up most of the game. It will be a battle of field position, however a late Taj Smith "homerun" will put the Orange up for good. We need some big conversions from ARob and the WR's. I'm seeing a lot of 3rd and longs. Brinkley's load should be light this week as the knee is still not 100%.

Season outlook:5-7.

The wins: Washington, Buffalo, Miami, UConvicts, CincinnattiThe Loses: WVU, Louisville, Rutgers, USF, Illinois, Iowa, PittThe flirtation with .500 keeps GRobb here another year. Based on the "progress" this year, Daryl Gross announces plans for a 100,000 seat open air stadium to be built on Route 31 in Clay, in adjacent to the Outback Steakhouse. Dr. Gross comments, "The football may be bad, but the bloomin' onion really makes the trip worthwhile."

RUSSIANATOR'S TAKE

Game Prediction: SU 23 UDub 21

SU's wide receivers, defense and return game make enough plays for the cuse to secure 2 unlikely touchdowns and Fat Pat Shalde is straight and true for 3 fgs. The Huskies and their redshirt freshman QB Jake Locker are in it until end, attempting a game winning 41 yard FG at time expires - sadly, the kick goes wide right (deal with it bills fans) and afterward a distaught Ty Willingham blames the miss on the wind.

Season Outlook: 5-7

It makes for boring blogging for all of us to predict the same season, but that's why we're idiots. Too many young guys, too much talent at the top of the Big East, and being waaaaaaaaay too thin at too many positions make 5 wins the best case scenario this year. I hope I'm wrong.

OK people, lets play some football, I'm off to drink beer in a parking lot.

The Next Voice of the Orange?

Syracuse University has announced that Coach Dick MacPherson will be an honorary captain for the home opener tomorrow night again Washington. While the idiots love Coach Mac and like all orange fans are eternally grateful for him turning around the program, his time in the broadcast booth has been.......uh..........less than stellar. However, as far as I know, Coach has never uttered the phrase, "boom goes the dynamite." So in honor of our beloved Coach, I offer this clip, which makes Mac look like Al Michaels in the booth. Yes it's a classic, but it always makes me laugh, enjoy everyone.

E.O.I.- College Football Edition

As the season fast approaches and in the fairness of full disclosure, T3I thought we'd let you know who in the world of college football stands as official ENEMIES OF THE IDIOTS. From time-to-time we'll be sharing with you other enemies from the world of sports and entertainment. While this list is not comprehensive, it is a starting point for you to understand the deeply disturbed minds of the idiots.

Yes some of these grudges are approaching 20 years old, we know we need help.

Pat Dye (pronounced Tie): some men have guts, others...well... are lacking in that area.

Bettor's College: what do they have in common with Benedict Arnold, Judas, and John Walker Lindh?

Mr. John Swafford: used car salesman from the South

Virginia Tech: tragedy aside, we can now go back to rooting against you. Coach Beamer deserves special recognition for his staff's expose on "Lollipopgate" in 2001 (scroll to #15).

Heisman Trophy Voters of 1987: Donnie is still waiting for the call.

Joe Pa: I've started to mellow on this one, but he still makes the list.

Notre Dame, Inc.: a parasite to the Big East. Let me step out of my glass house first, but can someone tell me the last big game they won?

The B.C.S.: denying us a playoff......PLAYOFF???

Cuse Fans Who Leave the Dome Early: beating the traffic??? What traffic problems exist with a crowd of 30,000?

We're less than 2 days away from kickoff. Rest assured T3I will be rooting against all of our enemies this football season.

Greg Robinson - Year 3 - An Idiots Perspective

With the college football season just days away, The Idiots are giddy. It's sort of like we're about to take a Stouffer's french bread pizza out of the oven. You know what I'm talking about, you can't wait for the thing to get here, even though you know the in the back of your head the second you take bite, there's a good chance you're going to get burned.

With that in mind, here's my idiotic analysis of the Greg Robinson era to date. This is what I know - there are 3 types of coaches in the college football world today - coaches who win championships like Pete Carroll or Urban Meyer - mediocre coaches like the departed Coach P who string you along but never win anything - and crappy coaches like Ron Zook who should stick to recruiting and water skiing.

While it's still too early to definitively say where Robinson will ultimately end up, it's not too early to look at what has transpired so far. To date Robinson has compiled a record of 5 wins and 18 losses, that speaks for itself. Year one was a complete disaster, resulting in one win and while no one would argue that the team was loaded with talent, P would have found a way to squeeze out 5 or 6 wins with that squad and drive everyone completely insane in the process. Year one for Robinson grades out as a Zook performance.

Year 2 brought a new offensive coordinator (thank God) and a new quarterbacks coach, and resulted in a 4 win season. To be fair, let's say Robinson and his staff he got what they could out of the talent that was on that team, especially in light of a season ending injury to play maker Taj Smith. Year two grades out as a Pasqualoni performance.

That brings us to year 3, which is hours from getting underway. By my count, since Robinson took over, both the offensive and defensive coordinators have changed, he has new o-line and d-line coaches in place, as well as a different quarterbacks coach and a new running back coach. At this point we have to assume he's more comfortable with this staff than the original. Hopefully he's seen what didn't work and made changes. However, for this season to be classified as any kind of success, Robinson has to pretend he's from Missouri and show me.

Show me the team is implementing your offensive and defensive concepts - show me that the young guys you are bringing in are difference makers, show me a quarterback who's progressing and a defense that's aggressive - and for the love of God man, please show me some freakin points. Show me that you can take a squad that on paper doesn't look that great and get them to play their asses off. Show me that in future years there's at least a chance we get coaching performances that are closer to Carroll than Zook. A repeat of last year simply isn't good enough.

YouTube Clip of the Week - The Sanjaya Huskies Edition

SU's season opener is a little more than 48 hours away, and their opponent, the Washington Huskies have been working hard - on their singing apparently. Between worrying about the wind in the Carrier Dome, and doing impressions of this guy - I'd be a little worried if I was a Husky fan.

Finland, disco hotbed!

Feeling down? Long day at the office? Here's a little cheer-me-up for you. I don't really know where to go with this one. All I know is when I came across it, I had Diet Mountain Dew coming out of my nose from laughing so hard. Thanks to "jimmykim" from the Uniwatch board for the link.

Morons are Amusing - Bowling Edition

Here's a little nugget I picked picked up from the Syracuse Post Standard this morning that I just couldn't resist passing along - a secretary was convicted of stealing more than $60,000 from her bowling association. While being able to embezzle 60 grand in just six years from a local bowling association is pretty incredible in its own right - the best part of the story is that the woman's husband is on PROBATION FOR STEALING FROM A DIFFERENT BOWLING LEAGUE. It just goes to prove the old adage, the family that embezzles bowling money together, stays together.

Ty Guy

I used to really respect Ty Willingham. I always thought he got kind of a raw deal at Notre Dame, Inc. However, this item from Donnie's blog I find particular amusing. In a conspiracy theory that would make Oliver Stone proud, Ty has determined the reason that his Fighting Irish lost to the Men of Orange in 2003: Pat Campbell left the doors open.

The loss had absolutely nothing to do with Walter Reyes' 189 yards rushing or his five, yes Ty that's 5, touchdowns. Didn't you know that "Dome wind" is good for 26 points?

Ty is really off base here. The truth is the Dome is controlled by UFO's that are piloted by Elvis and Bigfoot. Get real Ty, and don't forget to pack a jacket. It is a bit drafty in the Loud House.

College Football Lesson #1: This year’s “Boise State”...

As the college football season finally approaches….the so-called “experts” have been busy trying to predict the next non-BCS team to crash the BCS party, you’ve heard the names…most notably, TCU and Hawaii. This idiot considers those experts foolish, the fine folks in Boise know where to look…towards the blue field, aka Smurf-turf, in their backyard. The Broncos will be likely favored in every game; they have league’s best player, RB Ian Johnson (sorry Colt Brennan); by far the best defense in the WAC (which I know is kind of like saying that Bud Light is the best Anheiser-Busch product); and they have Coach P --- thankfully not that Coach P --- Chris Peterson, who in one night showed more creativity and guts than we have seen on the SU hill in almost two decades, and has yet to lose a game as a head coach. Hold the date, November 23rd, Boise State at Hawaii, the WAC game of the year and a shot at the BCS. I’ll save some room on the BSU bandwagon for the unconvinced, but as readers of the blog will undoubtedly come to learn…the ”experts” are just the jokers that were denied admission to Idiots University….class dismissed.

If you're scoring at home....

The rites of summer in Central New York: sweet corn, salt potatoes, mosquito infested nights, and the Syracuse Chiefs nowhere near playoff contention. Well the boys from the Northside are at it again. Last night the Chiefs lost 12-10 in 10 innings. But the big story Sunday was the fact that the Fighting Men of Onondaga committed 10 errors! Yes, you are reading that correctly 10 errors. I don't think I've seen 10 errors in a tee-ball game before. I'm glad our pal Sal was on the DL and missed it.

I suppose it could have been worse.

Brees and Tomlinson - Oh What Could Have Been

Now that Ron Mexico has officially entered his guilty plea and we wait to see how much time he will be spending behind bars as someone’s girlfriend, the time seemed right to take a look back at the 2001 NFL draft and what might have been for Joey Harrington’s lovable Atlanta Falcons.

As everyone knows, the San Diego Chargers had the top pick in the draft that year and they were still suffering from a severe case of RLS (Ryan Leaf Syndrome). Not wanting to roll the dice risk and acquiring (and paying for) another case of RLS, they traded the top pick to the Falcons, and ended up with Atlanta’s pick, the 5th choice, where they ended up selecting the most dominating player in the NFL today – LaDainian Tomlinson. The Chargers then used the first pick in the second round to select future Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees out of Purdue.

In looking back at the draft, if the Falcons had just stayed where they were, the chances were very good that in addition to picking up Tomlinson at the 5 spot (assuming they were smart enough to do that), they also could have drafted Brees early in the second round. To start round two, the Chargers would have had the first pick, and would have taken Vick, meaning Brees wasn’t an option. Then the Browns were on the clock, and at that point they were still committed to Tim Couch, the Cardinals were up next and Jake Plummer was still their guy, meaning most likely Brees would have been there.

It’s pretty amazing to speculate that the conceivably, the Falcons could have been starting Brees and Tomlinson in the same backfield. Call me crazy, but that’s a slight improvement over Joey Harrington and a washed up Warrick Dunn.

Of course, it's not all bad news for the Atlanta fans -had another team snatched up Brees, at least they didn't pass on any other star quarterbacks. In fact, the other quarterback options in the 2001 draft were beyond awful. The complete list of losers drafted after Vick and Brees reads like a who’s who of guys who really suck. Specifically, the signal callers who are drafted after Brees were Quincy Carter - Cowboys (53); Marques Tuiasosopo - Raiders (59); Chris Weinke -Panthers (106); Sage Rosenfels Redskins (109); Jesse “the Bachelor” Palmer - Giants (125); Mike McMahon - Detroit (149); A.J. Feeley - Eagles (151); Josh Booty – Seahawks (172); Josh Heupel – Dolphins (177).

So, while they obviously screwed up the Vick, Brees and Tomlinson issue, at least they didn't pass on any other good QBs, so they've got that going for them - which is nice.

Tennis Anyone? No Seriously - Anyone?

Remember tennis? I vaguely remember this once interesting sport, which at one time was populated by great players and tremendous characters like Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe. In honor of days gone by, and with today day being the start of the US Open, here's a little trip down memory lane - McEnroe style. If there were a few more raving lunatics like this, the American public might actually still care about tennis....

Can this Guy Make a Difference?

The Syracuse football team has obviously had a myriad of problems over the last two years, but without a doubt, the biggest problem has been the offensive line. To make an easy joke, that unit has truly been offensive. If there's someone out there that doesn't believe me, watch this.

The play of the o-line cost former Coach Bob Wylie his job. His replacement, Chris Wiesehan, has his work cut out for him, however, this idiot sees a glimmer of hope. Yesterday, he broke down his offensive linemen Donnie Webb, and in talking about tackle Corey Chavers, said, "he needs to gain more violence in his game."

More violence in his game - I love it. I can't even pronounce this guy's last name, but if he gets the big uglies up front to play mean and nasty, that will make a lot of orange fans very happy.

An Ode to Peter Griffin - What Grinds My Gears

In a nod to one of America's leading patriarchs -- the great Peter Griffin -- I will be sporadically offering my opinions on things that are bothering me - or in Family Guy parlance - what grinds my gears. What grinds my gears today is placing a "C" on a jersey. The "C" designates that the player wearing it is the captain.

Think about this for a second, we are talking about grown men, most of whom are getting paid MILLIONS of dollars a year to play a game, and they need a C on their jersey to tell the world they are captain? Are we reverting back to Junior High? If you have to tell someone you're the captain, you're probably not a real leader to begin with. You'd never see Derek Jeter wearing a C on his Yankee jersey - you know why? Everyone knows Jeter leads that team.

It's bad enough that hockey already does this - but the good news there is that no one watches or cares about hockey, so it's easily ignored. Now, according to the uniwatch blog, it appears that the NFL is considering adding Cs to the jerseys of designated team captains. Personally I could not think of a more ridiculous thing to do - honestly - does anyone really need to see more of this? I rest my case.

The Countdown to Kickoff

There's exactly one week to go before Syracuse kicks off it's season against the Washington Huskies, and frankly, the idiots are getting excited. There's nothing better than the preseason excitement that accompanies the start of a football season, because Syracuse fans have something that for the past two seasons has disappeared more quickly than a pack of smokes at John Daly's house - hope. Here's a little something to get some orange blood flowing on a Friday morning -

Oh Canada- Rautins Goes Down

Bad news today for the SU basketball team as last night Andy Rautins might have tore his ACL playing for team Canada and is likely done for the 2007-08 season. Rautins was a player on the rise, providing critical 3 point shooting and displaying court awareness that was painfully lacking from other players last year. He was poised for a break out season, now sadly, it looks like it will be 2008-09 before we see Andy on the court. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery.

What was once a crowded back court situation just got a little thinner, opening up playing time for freshman Scoop Jardine, a recruit from Philly who will now have a chance early in his career to show what he can do.

UPDATE - it has been confirmed that Rautins tore both his ACL and MCL and will miss the entire season. This is a tough loss for the team and a set back for a player who was poised to make a very big contribution this year.

YouTube Clip of the Week

There are very few things The Idiots enjoy more than a good press conference meltdown. Usually these come from a coach after a particularly distressing loss, but once in a while, a player will deliver the goods as well. Two all-time classics come from Jim Mora (if there was a hall of fame for press conference rants, he'd be a first ballot guy) and Allen Iverson. This great clip combines the two, and frankly, neither of these meltdowns will ever get old.

Goodbye Old Friend

University of Miami President Donna "We'll Never Leave the Big East and Join the ACC Without Syracuse" Shalala announced on Tuesday that the Hurricanes will vacate the Orange Bowl for greener pastures in Miami Gardens. Commencing in 2008, the Hurricanes will play their home games in Joe Robbie Pro Player Dolphin Stadium.

The Canes enjoyed remarkable success playing in the Orange Bowl. They reeled off a 58 game home winning streak that Syracuse helped contribute to. Opposing teams cringed at the sight of the Hurricanes emerging out of the tunnel through smoke and onto the playing field.

The stadium hosted 5 Super Bowls and also was the site of arguably the greatest professional and college football games ever played. Kellen Winslow's San Diego Chargers outlasted the Fish 41-38 in a 1982 Divisional Playoff matchup.

For me, the Orange Bowl was all about college football. LittleChamp grew up in an era when the Orange Bowl would be the last game played on New Year's Day, and I'd struggle to stay up to see the end of the game on NBC. Back when "conference tie-ins" existed, the Orange Bowl game matched the champion of the Big 8 vs. an at-large team, often times with the national championship at stake.

In 1984, Tom Osborne made one of the gutsiest (and questionable) calls of all time. His failed two-point conversion cost the Huskers a national championship but earned him the respect of the college football world. Anytime you get a chance to replay this game as a "classic" in PlayStation World, take advantage of it. The talent on that field makes it a fun one: Mike Rozier, Irving Fryar, and Bernie Kosar. The Congressman from Nebraska would find redemption on the very same field in 1995 as his Huskers would be crowned national champions after defeating the University of Miami 24-17 in the Orange Bowl.

The old stadium also hosted the defining moment in Bettor's College history. The Flutie "Hail Mary" game, coupled with the Glenn Foley ND game encompass BC's entire athletic history. To quote Mr. Tony, "That's it! That's the list!"

The Dolphins would say goodbye in 1987 and the Orange Bowl game would follow in 1996.

LittleChamp dreamed of the day Syracuse would play in an Orange Bowl. I always thought, how cool would that be, the Orangemen playing in the Orange Bowl. In 1999, this dream was realized. Due to a Dolphins playoff game, the Orange Bowl returned to it's original home. Donovan McNabb's farewell performane was one to forget as the Orangemen fell to The Ole Ball Coach's Florida Gators 31-10. A game that was as ugly as the actual stadium.

The Canes will never enjoy the same advantage in their new antiseptic home. The electricity in the air for a night game was unmatched at the Orange Bowl.

It's very unlikey Syracuse will be making trips to a BCS game in the near futre, so maybe it's time for me to dream of the day LeMoyne plays in Dolphin Stadium.

Chopped - Eagles Release Trotter

Much to the chagrin of the other two idiots, this particular idiot is a die hard Philadelphia Eagles fan (and no, I didn't become a fan when they drafted McNabb, it goes much deeper that that). So, needless to say I was shocked when I heard the news this afternoon that the birds had released middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter. Trotter, only 30, is one of the emotional leaders of the defense, and while it was clear that by the end of the year he was worn down and didn't play up to expectations, that was true of the entire defense. This year, all the reports from training camp said he was slimmed down, playing well and it was reasonable to believe he had 2-3 good years left in him.

Further explanation is supposed to be coming later in the day, but this is one of the more surprising cuts I can remember from the birds in recent memory. Trotter is a warrior, and if he's got something left in the tank, he can still help a team. Some advice to Andy Reid and Jeff Lurie however, if he's healthy, and ends up a giant, expect this - times 100.

Did these guys transfer from Storrs?

Word out of Morgantown is that two of Rich Rodriguez's players were arrested for an allegeded theft of a computer. As one of our true football rivals (ok, probably the closest thing we have to one in the Big East), I probably should be taking much more delight in this story. However, I must say the WVU fans I've met have always been friendly, knowledgeable and respectful towards the Orangemen. I love what Coach Rodriguez has done with that program and on behalf of all Big East fans I'm thankful towards the 'Neers for rescuing the conference off of life support in the 2006 Sugar Bowl. Plus, they burn couches after a big win, how cool is that? Just don't mention the name "Marvin Graves" to them- trust me, sore subject.

I will however use this story to remind us everyone of our good friends in Connecticut. Their baskeball team really started this whole "stealing computers" craze. The former Yankee Conference "power" now has their sights set on BCS bowls and conference championships. And their fans will quickly tell you how they are the future of Eastern football. Yes, this includes those 3 UConn fans sitting near me in Section 119 last year. Here's a quick Idiot fact: I have underwear older than how long the Huskies have been playing Division 1 football. I will give credit where credit is due, these guys have a murderous out-of-confernce schedule: Duke, Maine, Temple, and Akron will be wars.

Food for Thought - PETA approved

Since there's really nothing more to say on the whole Ron Mexico situation (if there's a pro-dog torture lobby out there then they should hire a good PR guy because no one has heard of them) I thought today would be a day to ponder something much more pleasant - wanna be celebrities and the athletes that love them.

All credit for this goes to the Big Lead which offered up an intriguing article today on top 5 hottest celebrity reality "stars" and the athletes who date them. While it's hard to argue with their picks (except Laila Ali - she scares me) it is an interesting topic to discuss. I would like to point out that they clearly missed the boat by not honoring Hall of Famer Tami Roman into this club.

Tami is one who INVENTED the trend by marrying, then divorcing, former NBA player Kenny Anderson. Well done Tami, you've started a trend, and the Idiots want to ensure that achievement is not only properly recognized, but honored.

Achy Breaky Hockey Commentators are Cool

Yesterday, after partaking in a full day of one of my favorite August activities - drinking and betting the ponies at Saratoga there was only one thing left to do - head to the bar. While enjoying a Labbatt Blue at the Horseshoe one of my friends reports that he just saw Barry Melrose in line at the port a john.

Now we all know Barry is fairly well known hockey analyst, and probably even more famous for having one of the great mullets of all time. He's also a dead ringer for a certain country music star, so he's got that going for him as well. Anyway, I'm here to report that Barry was barely recognizable due to the fact that the mullet had been cut back significantly. When asked about this development, Barry replied, "hey, it's summer."

My buddy then reported that after being asked about his hair (and while standing in line to use a nasty portable toilet like the rest of us) Barry was extremely personable. He was very friendly, he talked to everyone, and even provided some toilet line hockey analysis - including the fact that he thinks the Rangers will be good, Brodeur will have to play great for the Devils to have a decent season and the Bruins still suck (there were a lot of chowder heads in the bar for some reason).

As he strolled out of the bar, I shook his hand and he couldn't have been nicer. It almost makes me want to watch hockey.........almost. Anyway, if you happen to be anywhere near the greater Saratoga region, definitely head to the race track, and if you're out afterward, look out for Barry, and don't be fooled by the shorter hair - after all, it's summer baby.

If it's good enough for Larry Eustachy,

it's good enough for Notre Dame superfrosh Jimmy Clausen who played the role of Al "A.C." Cowlings during a June booze run in South Bend.

I don't know what's more disturbing, getting caught with a 30 pack of Natty Light, or being a 19yo college freshmen that still goes by "Jimmy."

Further justification to hating Notre Dame.

Isn't it ironic? Don't you think?

Musician Amy Winehouse has been getting plenty of play lately with her song "Rehab." I'm sure you've heard the chorus "No, no, no" on your airwaves. Sirius has been bombarding me with this song for weeks now. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, enjoy. It will be burned into you subconcious for the coming weeks.

Anyways, when ChampWife informed me today that Ms. Winehouse had ACTUALLY ENTERED REHAB, I couldn't contain myself. Does anything good really ever come of ingesting heroin, cocaine, Ecstasy, alcohol and horse tranquilizers???

Webster's tells us that "irony" is the "...incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result." Cue up Alanis.

Some people call...

this guy the Boss, I just call him Bruce. While this idiot (and football fans everywhere) anxiously awaits the kickoff of the college football season, I can’t help but look forward to the return of the Man and his band for what could be a final tour. Yes, Bruce Springsteen is back with a new album, and the band has packed extra Fibercon and Levitra for a tour that will likely start in October, or roughly the same time that Greg Robinson’s bunch will have become bowl-ineligible. So, as a public service I urge everyone to plan ahead, watch for tour news and get your ass to a Bruce show. While it may not be Bruce in his prime, I guarantee it’s the best 3+ hours of entertainment that money can buy --- and it is all Bruce, all the time. No opening acts, no stage rearrangements, just an all-night, old-school, rock concert that’ll cause you to lose your voice, pump your fist, shake your ass, and beg for more. Or you can listen to Dave Sims and John Congemi as they describe another thrilling USF – UConn game on ESPNplus. Your choice, but consider this proper notification.

Z Comes Home - Parents Take Note

It was announced yesterday that Lazarus Sims has joined Coach Boeheim's staff in a yet to be determined position. Obviously this is great news, as the idiots, like all SU fans fondly remember that 1996 team that made the unexpected run to the title game. While John Wallace carried the team from a scoring and rebounding perspective, the run would not have been possible without Z at the controls. He was the ultimate team player and a rare commodity in this day and age - a pass first point guard.

While I think we can all agree that Josh Wright may be a lost cause, his addition to the staff is great news for new recruit Johnny Flynn. In an added bonus, SU now has a coached named Lazarus on the bench - a totally underrated, bad ass name, even with the religious connotations. Can you imagine how much more respect someone like Lucious Pusey would receive if his parents had just taken a cue from Z's family? OK, maybe not, but Lazarus Pusey is certainly an improvement.

Return of the 4 wheel drive?

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the mid 80s, before Coach Mac had righted the ship and the cuse was still suffering from a Frank Maloney hangover (a near fatal hangover by the way - it was akin to drinking the whole bottle of Dewars in one night and chasing it with some jager) SU was in trouble. What was the first unit that got turned around? The D-line.

While optimism is not a strong point of any of the idiots - especially this one - I did notice an interesting nugget at the end of this Dave Rhame report in the sub standard yesterday. In talking about the defense, Rhame notes - "I have never seen depth like this up front on D in my 18 years in Syracuse."

Now we all know that depth does not necessarily equal talent, but nonetheless, I thought it was encouraging, and everyone could use some good news going into the weekend. Besides, SU is still undefeated this year.

A Decade Ago.....

With summer camp in full swing on the South Campus, the Idiots thought we'd look back 10 brief years ago given the current befuddled state of the program. We take you back to the fall of 1997: the world was mourning the loss of Princess Diana and the first Harry Potter book had just been published. Matchbox 20 and the Wallflowers broke through while the world of rap mourned a lost legend.

On the hill, Coach Pasqualoni was entering his seventh season as Syracuse head coach. The Orangemen, (not Orange), were coming off a 9-3 season in 1996 that was capped off with a 30-17 win over Houston in the Liberty Bowl. This Idiot remembers that game as the Malcolm Thomas Show. Fans had high expectations for the coming season, some even dared to dream of a national championship. Today we are dreaming of .500; my how the times have changed.

Junior Donovan McNabb earned MVP honors of the season's first game, in a 34-0 whitewashing of Wisconsin in the Kickoff Classic. The game featured Kevin Johnson's 89 yard opening kickoff return. The following week the Orangemen returned for their home opener, dropping a 32-31 heartbreaker to NC State in the program's first venture into overtime. Tuck the ball away Dee Brown! The Men of Orange followed this performance up by melting in the Oklahmoa sun, falling to the Sooners 36-34.

Big East play would begin with a trip to Virginia Tech. And...well...we all know how much fun that is. Cuse fell to 1-3 with a typical Syracuse performance in Blacksburg, losing 31-3. Local talk radio and letters-to-the editors reflected the frustration and disbelief of Central New York fans.

The Orangemen would reel off seven wins in a row. Tebucky Jones saved the day with a late interception in a 30-19 win over Tulane in Dome. The Cuse followed up with a 56-0 blowout win over East Carolina. A trip to Rutgirls yielded a 50-3 victory. Temple put up a typical fight in the Dome, losing 60-7.

The regular season concluded with Big East wins over West Virginia (40-10), Bettor's College (20-13), Pittsburgh (32-27) and a long-awaited victory over Miami (33-13). Syracuse had managed a 6-1 Conference and in turn won the Big East Championship, the school's first outright title.

The final offensive numbers were impressive. Syracuse led the league in scoring offense (35.3 ppg) and total offense (427.25 ypg). Donovan McNabb's 2,892 yards of total offense led the Big East, outpacing Matt Hasselback, Marc Bulger, and Edgerin James. Not a bad list to be on top off.

On New Year's Eve the season concluded with a date with Bill Snyder's Halfway House in the Fiesta Bowl. Michael Bishop led Kansas State to 35-18 win as the Orangemen finished the year at 9-4.

1997, an enigma of a year. It started out with such high expectations (the thrashing of Wisconsin on national TV) but quickly turned into a nightmare (1-3 start). Coach P reminded us that "the real season starts wtih the conference schedule" and the team followed suit cruising to the league title.

BCS Bowls, thrashing Rutgirls, winning league titles........all just 10 years ago.

No way, Jose

While the idiots do enjoy the occasional basebrawl, we do not condone the sheepish tactics of one Long Island Duck, and former MLB All-star, Jose Offerman, who decided to attack Matt Beech with his bat in hand after being hit in the leg with a fastball. Aside from the fact that it is classless and cowardly --- it's a crime!!! Even in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he was booked for assault and has an August 23rd court date. Said Ducks owner Frank Boulton,"We're all saddened by this because Jose has had a 15-year major league career and is a true gentleman." A gentleman??? Recent media/public relations graduates, direct your resume here.

YouTube Clip of the Week

In the first installment of our weekly feature that almost assuredly will not run at weekly intervals (we're idiots, never forget that), we present to you our first YouTube Clip of the Week. In the clip, amazing broadcaster Kige Ramsey gives his analysis of how the Atlanta Falcons will do with Joey Harrington at the controls.

For the uninitiated, in the span of just a few short months, Kige has become THE VOICE of "YouTube sports", and thanks to some publicity from sites like deadspin, he's built an impressive following. This idiot highly recommends that everyone to check out his Kige's entire body of work on YouTube - it's simply amazing. When you combine a southern accent, wood paneling, titans jerseys, occasional on-location videos from Walmart and succinct 30 to 60 second breakdowns of all the hot topics in the world of sports, you have gold ladies and gentlemen - gold.

So sit back and enjoy Kige - who even knows if YouTube will around once this trial is over.

Viva Mexico!

Multiple news sources are reporting that America's favorite friend-to-canines, Ron Mexico is considering his plea-bargain options. Apparently Mr. Mexico's "Fight Club for Dogs" associates have flipped quicker than Big Pussy Bonpensiero.

Syracuse fans may remember that Mr. Mexico reportedly reneged on a committment to Syracuse in part because he didn't want to be the "next Mcnabb." Well, to pull a Lloyd Bensten on you Ron, "I saw Donovan McNabb play; I've cheered for Donovan McNabb; I've witnessed Donovan McNabb's character. Ronnie, you are no Donovan McNabb."

To readers of The Idiots, it's never to early to start your holiday shopping. For further gift ideas, check out the fine people at cafepress.com and do a quick "Ron Mexico" search, you won't regret it. And don't forget your four-legged friends this holiday season.

It's only a matter of time until Little Mexico tries to out-do big brother.

He Stayed Late and Still Beat the Traffic

Sad news from the world of baseball today with the passing of Phil Rizzutto. All three idiots grew up listening to his voice broadcast Yankee games both on the radio and on Channel 11. The Scooter, with his lovable brand of broadcasting that included forgetting facts, announcing birthdays of little old ladies in Queens and the Bronx, and leaving after the 6th inning to beat the traffic shaped many generations - especially ours. I would especially love Scooter telling Bill White how he got lost on the way to the stadium -- even though he'd been going there for 50 years. Through it all, he was a Yankee to the core, and I'll always remember summer nights in my room, with the radio turned down real low when I was supposed to be asleep, listening to Scooter call games.

Holy Cow Scooter, you will be missed - but I'm sure that you still beat the traffic to the pearly gates, because there's no doubt that God is a Yankee fan. RIP.

R.I.P. Merv

Hollywood lost a legend this weekend with the passing of Merv Griffin. Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy don't look too shabby at all on his resume. That's some serious syndication cash.

We at 3 Idiots pay tribute the only way we know how, courtesy of Cosmo Kramer.

Be afraid - Beantown version...

If anyone from Boston is reading this (I'm sure there are a few of you) and you haven't checked the AL East standings lately, then open up the sports section of the Boston Globe and take a look, NYY is now just four games back. Panic is overtaking the commonwealth, can you say Bucky Dent (without expletives included)? Try it...come on now you can do it. Aside, this is my first post and I want to have the record note that I actually like Boston, the city. The idiots have been several times over the years and always have had a blast, and I plan to go back again. However, the teams, we hate them: Boston (Bendover) College, Bruins, Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots.....we despise you, and in turn, many of your fans. Steak tip sandwiches...I hate them too. Clam chowder...to the garbage disposal. Lobster...well you got me there, lobster is not better anywhere than in New England, and Cheers...is an all-time great TV show. So Bostonians, take this blog personally if you want...just be glad you're not Worcester -- the world will be a better place when that town is destroyed.

Be Afraid - Very Afraid

One More Reason to Worry

While the Syracuse University football team certainly has a mountain of issues to deal with this year, today Donnie Webb touched on something that has me more worried than Lindsay Lohan at a field sobriety test - the punting. For a team that's won exactly one conference game in two years -- and will be starting a quarterback has throw 8 passes in his career -- having a solid kicking game is crucial. As of right now, it looks like a true freshman, Rob Long is the front runner to handle these duties.

With a team that surely will be punting more than anyone would like to see, if something like this becomes common place, any progress made by the offense or defense has the potential to be wiped out in a hurry. How bad could this get you may ask? Well, let us all remember the lesson we learned last year from Illinois - if back up wide receivers start kicking rugby style, we are all royally screwed. In fact, it may leave us longing for the days of Coach Mac and the quick kick. Here's hoping that by October I'm not asking if Darryl Johnston has any eligibility left.

You might have a problem if.....

Last Thursday, after an early departure from the office, I met ChampWife and ChampBaby for a much needed shopping trip at the The Artist Formerly Known as Carousel Mall. My wife let me know she was running late, so naturally I stopped to quench my thirst in a chain restautant. With ESPNews on in the background , I overheard this conversation while enjoying a cold one:

GUY #1 IN TANKTOP: "Hey there's a preseason football game on tonight." (referring to Colts-Cowgirls)

GUY #2 IN TANKTOP: "What's the line?"

Ok, now I'm saying (insert Jeff Foxworthy voice here) that if you ever bet on an NFL Preseason game.....you might have a gambling problem.

Pass the peanuts.

California Dreamin......Syracuse Style

It was announced recently that SU will play USC in 2011 AND 2012, which does not come as much of a surprise given that Doctor Gross came from SC and generally acts like he's still there, much to the chagrin of many locals. While raising the profile of the program and upgrading the OOC schedule is commendable (take note Rut-girls) we can only hope the people the good doctor have put in place will have the program turned around by then. If not, the thought of USC coming in and scoring half a hundred in the dome is scary - there's not enough dome foam to kill that pain.

In the near future the idiots will post a complete preview of the football team's chances this year along with some weekly football picks.

Finally, they can start working on Blue Chips 2

Fear not 90's NBA fans. First it was yesterday's news of the possible return of Cheryl Miller's little brother. Now word out of Miami is that the Penny and Shaq will be reunited. Penny, one of the many "next Jordans" once had serious game in his days at Memphis, no I mean Memphis State, no make that Memphis.

Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott are awaiting Pat Riley's call.

We can only hope that Shaq-Penny II is as good as the first time around.

The End of an Era?

On Thursday the San Diego Padres announced they are cutting ties with left-hander David Wells. Boomer will be given the option of retiring or catching on with another team. We bid a fond farewell to the man who joined a very exclusive club: pitching a perfect game hungover. Just a few thoughts here, first, the man won 235 games. That ranks above such names as Luis Tiant, Catfish Hunter, Don Drysdale, and Painted Sock. Second, this was a man who loved being a Yankee, and wanted the ball in big game situations. He was heartbroken when he received the news he had been traded for Roger Clemens. Finally, he easily makes my Top 10 list of athletes I would love to have partied with. Farewell Boomer!

JD is so Good on a Hot Day

While this will not primarily be a golf blog, one of the three idiots does like the game more than the other two, and will be chiming in on relevant issues in the world of golf. With the final major now underway, this is one of those times.

America's favorite train wreck John Daly is off to a hot start, shooting an opening round 67. Big John didn't even bother playing a practice round, proving once and for all why we love this guy so much - we embodies what we all want - results without effort. He's reportedly lost 25-30 pounds, which may be helping as well. What's John's diet tip? Diet and exercise? Nahh, he's got a much simpler explanation than that - stress. Loosely translated, this means about 4 packs of marlboro reds and a couple of cases of diet coke a day. Don't try this at home kids.

Stranger things have happened at the PGA, as JD himself proved when he burst onto the scene at this very tournament at Crooked Stick in 1991. While the three idiots believe it's highly unlikely he'll be hoisting the trophy Sunday night, we also believe he's a lot more interesting to watch than Vijay Singh and Refief Goosen. The idiots are hoping Long John can keep it in the fairway for 3 more days and make what has traditionally been the least exciting of the 4 majors something to watch.

Some Champ Quick Hits

IF YOU BUILD IT THEY WILL COME
So DGROSS announced his latest aberration last week. Apparently some private developers have approached the Syracuse University Athletic Director with the idea of building a new football stadium. So let me get this straight, the waiting list is so long for season tickets on the hill that a new stadium is needed? The Carrier Dome is outdated? C’mon Daryl, you can do better than that. On the long list of needs for the football program, where exactly does a new stadium rank?

JUST A BIT INSIDE....

While Tuesday night will be remembered as the night Big Head Barry broke the all-time homerun record, I personally will remember it as the night the Yankees got some of their swagger back, courtesy of the Rocket Man’s plucking of Alex Rios. It’s refreshing to finally see some fire in this team. While still 5 games back of the Boston 86ers, they are legitimately back in the playoff race (thanks to a soft post all-star game schedule, but hey, we Yankee fans will take it). Personally, I think they would have been back in the race a long time ago had they only brought back their Assistant to the Traveling Secretary.

PARTY LIKE IT'S 1999....
Finally, Rick Pitino knew what he was talking about in one of the all-time greatest sports meltdowns. "Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door.” But Reggie Miller might be. Three Idiots is also reporting the 76ers are bringing in Dolph Schayes for a look.

Avert Your Eyes

With temperatures set to go above 100 degrees at the PGA Championship this week, the 3 idiots would like to issue a warning to golf fans everywhere - BE CAREFUL TO AVOID MAN BOOB SHOTS on tv. While Tiger may be ripped, there are guys like Tim Herron in the field, and lumpy is no underwear model. The thought of some of these guys sweating through their shirts, ala Hal Sutton, is beyond frightening - consider yourself warned.

The Idiots are Here

To paraphrase the immortal Denny Green - We are what we say we are:

First and foremost, there are 3 of us - Rush, Champ, and Boss.

Second - we are idiots, you'll have to trust us on that one, but in due time, we'll be able to demonstrate just how much this is true.

Third - we love sports. All of us are Syracuse University fans and Yankee fans. In terms of pro teams, we cover the spectrum, so expect to see ramblings about the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia 76ers, Altanta Hawks and if Boss has his way, occasional posts about a sport people call "hockey." I'm told it still exists, but I frankly I'm skeptical.

Lastly - expect opinions on a few other things we love, like food. We enjoy ranting and arguing about tasty deep fried delicacies, which seems appropriate since I was talking about Dennis Green in the first graph.