Joe Pa Hearts Syracuse

Everyone's favorite Nittany Lion, Joe Paterno, is making a little noise calling for the Big 10 to exapnd to 12 football playing schools.

'Let's get a 12th team -- Syracuse, Rutgers, Pitt -- we could have a little bit of a playoff.'

A Syracuse mention? This has got to be a sign this program is still relevant. Damn that Doug Marrone works miracles quickly. We heart you right back Joe Pa.

Get Your Fix

Get your ear drums ready, I'm headed back for another stint on the radio. Today I'll be a guest on Matt Mc's Sports Fix on 1410 WNER in Watertown. For those not in the listening area, the shows are archived and put on-line on his site on the right side under podcasts. I'd like to thank Matt for having me on -- I'll try too avoid these bloopers (language in here NSFW).

Ebay Item of the Week

Como estas? Who feels like reading a 20 year old Spanish basketball magazine that features former Orangeman and Dwayne Schintzius' daddy Rony Seikaly on the cover?

(Editor's note: T3I mandatory photo shot of the former Mrs. Seikaly)

Marketing Position Available in Albany

As an Albany resident and long time lover of all jokes related to Michael "Ron Mexico" Vick, I am deeply disappointed that I am just now learning about the fact that AFL 2's Albany Firebirds botched a publicity stunt that apparently involved offering Vick a contract to play minor league arena football for $200 a week. Today, the team's owner called the offer a joke and said the marketing department issued the release without his knowledge.

Call me a little crazy, but as someone that works in the PR and marketing field in this area (sadly not for the Firebirds however), that's the stuff firings are made of. What will happen to the unnamed employee remains to be seen, but it's clear they aren't running a real tight ship over there.

The Firebirds actually won the 1999 AFL title, before the team moved in Indianapolis and was replaced by the lower level AFL 2 franchise. This year the team is 0-5 and desperately in need of more publicity as I had no idea the season was even underway - and this town isn't that big.

Just thinking out loud here, if the marketing department could slip offering Mike Vick a contract past the owner, I wonder if they considered any of these promotions:

- Donte Stallworth bobblehead give away night.

- The first 5,000 people wearing an OJ mask get in for half price.

- Rae Carruth jersey night.

- Offering Art Schlicter a contract in conjunction with Foxwoods Casino signing on as a corporate sponsor.

- Ray Lewis signature steak knife give-away.

- Disco Demolintion night.

Golfing With Kige

In case you haven't seen it, a few days ago Kige headed out to the YouTube demonstration field to show us "how to swing a golf club." The video is below. As a golfer, I can't recommend Kige's technique - but what I really want to know - what is on his shirt? Is it some kind of Three Stooges tribute?



If you do want to learn to play golf, I'd recommend getting lessons from a pro - however, if you're going to learn from watching videos on the internet, here's something Kige didn't cover -- it's all in the hips:

Thought Dump Time

It's time to get rid of a few random things running through my mind on a Monday night:

- I absolutely loved the Eagles draft. Maclin and LeSean McCoy are both play makers who will fit well in their pass-happy system, and the tight end they got from Florida in the 5th round is a big, athletic red zone target. If the defense can continue to mature, and become more stout against the run, look out.

- As long as Jerry Jones is running the Cowboys, I'm not real worried about the clowns from Texas doing any damage. I read Boys Will Be Boys a few months ago, and if half of what is in there is true, it's not a shock things haven't gone well with him calling the shots. By the way, that book is a great read.

- The Yankees pitching staff makes me long for the days when Rick Rhoden and Dave LaPoint were in pinstripes.

- If you have watched more than a minute of the Bulls-Celtics playoff series and didn't enjoy it, you don't like basketball. This series has been as good as it gets.

- I love Pro Football Talk - if you are an NFL fan and not on the site, you're missing out. However, Mike Florio compares Pat White to Bo Jackson? WTF? White was a great college player, he was devastating in the spread offense, but I'm sorry, he doesn't project well as an NFL quarterback. You know who else was great in college - Seneca Wallace.

- The opposite of Celtics-Bulls has been the Hornets-Nuggests series. New Orleans lost tonight by 58. Let me repeat that - they lost by 58 - in a play off game. Really New Orleans? Even Greg Robinson could have kept that spread under 50...........

- The Greg Paulus to Syracuse stuff is making for some interesting theater - don't sweat it either way. If he comes to SU that's great - let him compete. If not, let's see what the Nassib can do.

- Vinny Del Negro still staying true to that pseudo-mullet thing is beyond awesome. Get him a mustache he's the NBA coach of the century.

- I think Mel Kiper should give everyone he comes in contact with a report card. How awesome would that be? I can see him now -- "I went to Burger King yesterday, went through the drive though. I give them a B. The intercom guy was solid with my order, but he had a slow response time and there are concerns about his closing speed in taking the order. The window guy has tremendous upside, I project him to being a manager in 2-3 years. Overall, management has done a solid job of putting burger flippers together."

- Syracuse has two players go in the NFL draft, which is the same number as Miami and Florida State - combined. It has been in the upper 80s for the last three days in Upstate NY in April, and pets want to kill themselves. These are strange times my friends, strange times indeed.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em

Hide the children. Al's back at it.

Great work again on the draf this year Al...bravo, bravo. As a Raider fan (quit laughing) I've really fallen out of love with the NFL because the Managing General Partner of my favorite team has turned into Uncle Junior during the end of the Sopranos run.

Darius Heyward-Bey? Honestly I thought my brother in law, and often poster, "AJV" was kidding me this weekend when he told me of this stellar pick. Apparently Al thinks the NFL plays much like NCAA Football on PS2.....find the fastest guy on the field, change is hot route to "go" and lob the ball up and let him run under it. A nice compliment to Javon Walker.

Michael Mitchell? He'll look great lined up in the defensive backfield across from D'Angello Hall.

True story: I have a few Cubans tucked away for special events. I've decided the following will are Castro-worthy:

* the birth of my next child

* Al Davis's removal from any position of authority

* A huge trifecta hit at Saratoga

* A Syracuse football national championship

No one scouts talent like Uncle Al.

Peter King Takes a Dump - Wants You to Know

Photo Courtesy of the Jets Blog

I'm torn on Peter King. The Sports Illustrated columnist has been covering the NFL for 20 years and as a journalist, he certainly is accomplished. He's won awards, he's got connections in every NFL organization, and he's devoted pretty much his entire career to covering the NFL.

As such, like many others, I read his Monday Morning Quarterback column every week in an effort to absorb as much information as possible about the Eagles the the NFL. I don't care if it's late April, the NFL any time of year is awesome.

So, every Monday I read King, and every Monday I get annoyed with 2/3 of the crap he writes about - whether its the Red Sox (die Red Sox die), the coffee critiques, the way he subtly weaves his political views into what is supposed to be a football column, or his love affair with certain NFL figures (see Farve, Brett) I find his work highly annoying.

I'm certainly not the only person to feel this way, sites like Kissing Suzy Kolber have been eviscerating King for years. However, there are usually a few good nuggets of information in there, so like a meth-head I keep shooting this crap into my veins - until today, when King actually talked about, well.....crap.



In his enjoyable/aggravating the travel note of the week, Peter paints a wonderful picture for his readers by offering up this:

Changing planes at DFW on Sunday, I used the men's room near one of the American gates. I walked into one of the toilet stalls with the automatic flushers.
WHOOOOOSH. I closed the door to the stall and sat down.

Three more times I heard the same WHOOOOOSH as I sat there and minded my own business.

Of course, no flush when I get up and leave the stall. Gotta love technology.


You'll notice Peter didn't exactly note whether the event was enjoyable or aggravating, but I certainly know how I feel about it.

Do You Need a Snuggie in the Dome?

We somehow missed this last week, but intrepid sports business reporter Darren Rovell reports Collegiate Snuggies are coming to a college near you soon.

Of course, for Syracuse fans this begs the question - would you really need to sport the Snuggie in a climate controlled environment such as the Carrier Dome? Probably not, but hey, high fashion has a price - sometimes to look totally awesome you have to suffer a little bit. Especially for early September football games when it's 100 degrees in the place.

Maybe the marketing folks up on the hill could come up with a Syracuse version of this for those hot days.........or not.

Happy NFL Draft Day

Happy NFL draft day everyone. Its absolutely gorgeous in Albany right now and after the winter we've had, I'll surely be headed to the golf course instead of my couch. However, with the draft a few short hours away, let's see which teams, according to Pro Football Talk, could shake up the draft.



And whatever happens today, let's try and avoid this:



And for all you Jet fans out there, here's hoping your team avoids past mistakes such as:

Ebay Item of the Week

When ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. isn't reviewing frozen pizzas over at The SportHump, he's loving the camera...beacause it loves him back.

I moved into my new house last week and I was wondering what to put over the mantle. Perfect.

A Very Orange Mock Draft

The NFL draft is just a few days away and that means one thing - the mock draft "off-season" is nearly upon us. So take in as much coverage as you can football fans because after this weekend it will be 9 long months before we get inundated with these exercises in prediction futility.

The good news for draft fans is that the draft is dominating sports news right now. In fact, 52.7 minutes of every SportsCenter telecast is dedicated to either mock drafts, Mek Kiper, Todd McShay or some combination of the above. Personally I believe it's just a conspiracy to not cover other important sports -- like camel racing.

However, I love the NFL and I actually enjoy the draft -- its great to flip on ESPN on Saturday, settle in on the couch and then take a nap. When you wake up, the scroll at the bottom of the screen catches you up on everything you missed inabout 2 minutes. It makes for a great day of nothingness.

So now it's time to do my part. Since one more ill-informed mock draft isn't going to do anyone any good, my small brain came up with a new twist on the idea - a mock draft featuring all Syracuse players. Since Greg Robinson rolled into town and destroyed a once proud program, this wouldn't work so well with current players, so here's how we are going to do this:

• The mock draft below follows this year's actual draft order.



• Teams would have to draft Syracuse players, of any era.



• Players would be evaluated as if they were coming out of college -- so for the purposes of this exercise, we get to disregard the player's professional careers.



• There is no doubt I will miss some people and this might suck - that's what the comment section is for.



• This will be skewed towards players of the last two decades, that's more in my wheelhouse.



• Don't expect to see a lot of offensive lineman - SU has never been left tackle U.

With that - the Detroit Lions are on the clock.

1) Detroit Lions - Donovan McNabb, QB. If Matt Millen hadn't been fired, the Lions would have been a mortal lock to take Marvin Harrison, but alas, Millen has headed back to broadcasting and the Lions need a QB, so they take the best one to ever come out of Syracuse. Many misguided Eagle fans would actually be happy if Don was sent to Detroit - I hate these people.

2) St. Louis Rams - Ernie Davis, RB. The Rams would love a left tackle, but alas, no one would take Adam Terry with the second pick in the draft. Instead the Rams have to "settle" for Davis, a Heisman winner who averaged 7 yards a carry his senior year.

3) Kansas City Chiefs - Jim Brown, RB. The Chiefs are another team that needs help along the offensive line, but they can't pass up Brown's immeasurable talent. JB and Larry Johnson immediately start comparing notes on how to treat women.

4) Seattle Seahawks - Marvin Harrison, WR. With Matt Hasselbeck returning from injury, Harrison and TJ Houshmandzadeh form a potent wide out combo.....that Seneca Wallace will invariably end up throwing to.

5) Cleveland Browns - Dwight Freeney, DL. The Browns cannot stop anyone and Freeney's 17 sacks his senior year will help. Plus Dwight makes the orange uniforms look good.

6) Cincinnati Bengals - Tommy Kane, WR. The Bengals think Kane's impeccable character will be a good influence on the team, especially young receiver Chris Henry. Plus they need to replace Housh. Yes, I went there.

7) Oakland Raiders - Jim Ridlon, DB. The Raiders have a ton of needs, but the secondary seems to be improving, so what's Al Davis do? He drafts a DB from his alma mater. Why - probably because he likes Ridlon's art.

8) Jacksonville Jaguars - Rob Moore, WR. The Jags signed Torry Holt and decide to pair him with Moore, a large, talented target. Somehow they still are still under the misguided belief David Garrard can get them the ball.

9) Green Bay Packers - Ted Gregory, DL. The Packers are desperately looking for someone play nose tackle in their 3-4 scheme, and Gregory fits the bill. In related news, every MRI machine in Wisconsin has been off-line since last year.

10) San Francisco 49ers - Tim Green, DL. The run on undersized Syracuse defensive lineman has begun. Niner scouts are also impressed with Green's scholarly ways, hoping he can reason with Mike Singletary when the coach flies off the handle.

11) Buffalo Bills - Joe Ehrmann, DL. The Bills are looking for defense and Ehrmann, the 10th pick in the 1973 draft is the man. Plus they need a positive influence in the locker room to balance out TO's toxicity.

12) Denver Broncos - Floyd Little, RB. This pick makes too much sense - Floyd Little looks good as a Bronco. Plus, since Travis Henry decided to trade in baby making and playing in the NFL for cocaine trafficking (and let's be honest, we'd all do the same) they've got no one to run the ball.

13) Washington Redskins - Jim Ringo, OL. The Redskins are looking for a tackle, but settle for Ringo, a Hall of Fame center.

14) New Orleans Saints - Donovin Darius, DB. The Saints can't stop anyone and their pass defense is especially horrid. Darius is the person that starts to change all that.

15) Houston Texans - Art Monk, WR. In their quest to go 8-8 for the hundredth consecutive year, the Texans take the steady and predictable Monk, so they can continue their steady and predictable mediocrity.

16) San Diego Chargers - Larry Csonka, FB. To keep LaDainlian Tomlinson healthy and clear the way for Darren Sproles, the Chargers take Csonka. Norv Turner likes his fullbacks. Sadly for Charger fans, he also likes underachieving.

17) New York Jets - Don McPherson, QB. In an effort to solve their QB problems, the Jets reach for the undersized hometown QB from Long Island. Jets fans know how this will work out.

18) Denver Broncos - Keith Bulluck, LB. The Broncos can't stop anyone either. Lucky for them, Bullock excels at this.

19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Dan Conley, LB. In an effort to inject youth into an aging defense, the Bucs take Conley, failing to realize he has the heart of a 23 year old and the knees of an 80 year old.

20) Detroit Lions - Kevin Johnson, WR. The Lions can't help themselves, picking receivers is what they do, so they grab another target for McNabb.

21) Philadelphia Eagles - Joe Morris, RB. Westbrook is getting up there in age and the Eagles have proven they aren't afraid to use a small running back. And yes, I know this will piss off Giant fans - but hey, it's my blog - and as I much as I dislike the Giants, little Joe was the man.

22) Minnesota Vikings -Qadry Ismail, WR. The Vikings offense is Adrian Peterson and not much else. Ismail at least adds some speed, and another wide receiver Tarvaris Jackson can miss.

23) New England Patriots - John Mackey, TE. Belichick is too smart to let a player as good as Mackey slide any further than this spot.

24) Atlanta Falcons - Daryl Johnston, FB. The Moose goes to Atlanta to block for Michael Turner and pick up the blitz for Matt Ryan. Besides, Matt Ryan has some Aikman like qualities, so this fits. Sadly, Falcons coach Mike Smith has not worked the quick kick into any game plans as of yet.

25) Miami Dolphins - Scott Schwedes, WR. Eager for more offense, the Dolphins draft the one guy Chad Pennington can actually overthrow.

26) Baltimore Ravens - Rob Burnett, DL. The Ravens can never have too much defense and Burnett is player they can plug into their system.

27) Indianapolis Colts - Kevin Abrams, DB. With all the top wide outs gone, the Colts go with a defensive back.

28) Buffalo Bills - Chris Gedney, TE. Gedney will give Trent Edwards another target, even if that target does come up 3 yards short once in a while. Coming up short is something the Bills can relate to.

29) NY Giants - Kevin Mitchell, LB. Mitchell adds youth and depth to the giant line backing corps.

30) Tennessee Titans -Adam Terry, OL. An offensive lineman from the last two decades had to be drafted somewhere, this seems to fit.

31) Arizona Cardinals - Rob Konrad, FB. The Cardinals struggle to run the ball - what they don't know is that Konrad struggles to stay healthy.

32) Pittsburgh Steelers - Craig Wolfley OL. The Steelers need help on the interior line, and I needed help finishing this damn list....and I'm out of jokes here.

So there you have it, your first, and maybe last, all Syracuse mock-draft.

It Was Only a Matter of Time

It was only a matter of time until the Not Doug Marrone twitter page sprouted up.....and it's off to a rousing start. Right now fake Doug is learning the Twitter and the Facebook. The Youtubing is up next. We won't give it away, but click on the page to see the creator. We are at T3I tip our hats to that brilliant bastard, that is some funny, funny stuff right there. We anxiously await what fake Doug tweets next.

Video Game Wang Better than Actual Thing

Saying Chien-Ming Wang is off to a slow start is like characterizing Donald Trump as mildly confident. So while the Yankees and Wang try and figure things out, we thought we'd bring you something you haven't seen much of this year, Wang registering a strikeout. Too bad it's in a video game.

Eagles and Sheldon Brown Knock Heads

The major Philadelphia Eagle news from the last week has been the trade for starting left tackle Jason Peters. While not the sexiest move, or a move to get Eagle fans excited (cough Anquan Boldin), they needed a left tackle and went out and got a good one, which is ok by me.

However, all is not well in Eagle-land. Unbeknownst to me, hard hitting cornerback Sheldon Brown apparently has not been happy with his contract -- to the point where he not only demanded to be traded, but he did it with flair, claiming the Eagles have treated him like a redheaded step child. Any time you can work that into a quote with the media, you get bonus points in my book.

The Eagles did not take kindly to that metaphor and in a rare display of public candor, proceeded to treat him like one. They responded to Mr. Brown's request with a harsh statement that is the verbal equivalent of a drunk father hitting his kid 20 times with his biggest belt. The highlight:

“It’s very unfortunate and counterproductive that Sheldon has chosen to go public with his feelings about his situation," the team said in a statement. "After thorough evaluation by himself and discussions with his family and agents, he chose to accept an extension of his rookie contract early that provided his family financial security for the rest of his life. It removed any concerns about health or performance that all other players in his draft class had to worry about."

It wouldn't be an Eagles off-season if some player wasn't upset with his contract, so at least that base is covered. I've always liked Brown, he's a tough durable player and he hits harder than almost any corner in the league. He doesn't make the spectacular play, but successful teams are full of Sheldon Browns. That being said, he did willingly sign a long-term contract with a team that is famous for not re-doing deals. He should know this first hand as when he arrived in Philly the starting corners were Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor. Both wanted new deals, neither never got one, and they were subsequently replaced by none other than Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown.

How this ends is anyone's guess - I'd hate to see him go, but if he sulks his way through the season that isn't going to help the team or win fans over. Especially since unlike Sheppard last year, there's no one qualified to replace him on the current roster.

So the real question is, when it's all said and done, who will win this stand off? Will Sheldon get a new contract and hit the Eagles as hard as he hit Reggie Bush - or will Sheldon have to change his number to 25 and move to New Orleans? Only time will tell, but its game on in Philly.

Cortland - Destroying Comfort Zones Since 2009

The New York Jets announced today that they are moving their training camp to Cortland - sometimes known as Gym Teacher U, also known as current place SU coach Doug Marrone got his start in the profession.

In reading Governor Paterson's press release announcing the move, the one quote that really killed me was the one from Jets owner Woody Johnson (which is also my porn name if you were interested) which said:

“SUNY Cortland is the best place to meet Coach Ryan’s objectives of finding a location away from our home base and out of our players’ comfort zones to build team chemistry. I want to thank Governor Paterson, Senator Schumer and SUNY Cortland for putting together a plan quickly that met all of our criteria.”

Yup - when I think of places that take me out of my comfort zone, Cortland is at the top of the list. I think it has to be all the fast food restaurants in town that really rattle me........

Getting to Know John Kinder

Donnie Webb reports that Syracuse has received a verbal commitment from quarterback Jonathan Kinder of Long Island along with the jazzily named linebacker Myles Davis of Pittsburgh. Kinder will be a senior this fall, which is a good thing since he'll definitely need to bulk up. Here's a look at his highlight reel:



And if 10 minutes wasn't enough - here's part II:

Devendorf's Pro Prospects

With the majority of Syracuse fans focused on Jonny Flynn's departure, there's someone flying under the radar - Eric Devendorf. But guess what folks, I bet you didn't know he has scouts drooling, and according to the picture in the link, he also rocks all black sneakers better than anyone in the land.

I'd like to thank Bryan for the heads up and the Sports Hernia for being consistently awesome.

Greg Paulus

The news of Greg Paulus' potential return to football has the national and local media, as well as the blogosphere in a tizzy. On Monday if someone told me that Greg Paulus would be dominating headlines I would have mocked them, but hey, it's a strange world we're living in. I mean, who would have thought that a fit Danny Ainge would suffer a heart attack, yet obese John Madden feels just fine as he rides off into retirement?

In regards to Paulus, I've heard some sentiment from SU fans and bloggers that they don't want him - which makes no sense to me. IF Paulus wants to come to Syracuse and if the coaching staff determines he's still got some ability, they should absolutely bring him in. There's absolutely ZERO downside to doing so.

Right now there are 2 quarterbacks on the roster and a third, true freshman Charley Loeb, won't arrive until August. Ideally you'd like to redshirt Loeb, so the team is basically headed into the season with 2 functional QBs. So from a depth perspective alone, there's a need. Plus, without an additional QB on the roster, there's a chance Loeb could be forced into action this year, meaning he and current starter Ryan Nassib would be in the same class eligibility wise, and ideally you'd like a year separating them.

In terms of existing talent at the position, that is thin as well. The current starter, redshirt freshman Ryan Nassib has thrown the same about of college passes as Greg has - zero - so we're not dealing with a known quantity right now. I like Cameron Dantley, but he had ample opportunity to prove last year that he could consistently get the job done, and that didn't happen. So Paulus represents the POTENTIAL to upgrade the talent on a team coming off a 2-10 year -- and SU isn't in a position to be turning away talent.

I also do not believe bringing Paulus would hurt the development of Nassib. It's not like Marrone is just going to hand the reigns of the team to guy who hasn't played a down of football since 2005. If Paulus beats out Nassib it means we have a better player manning the most important position on the field and a promising young guy waiting in the wings who will have 3 years of eligibility left. Nassib can continue to get better in practice and I'm sure there will be chances to get him some game action.

If Paulus doesn't beat out Nassib, it means we've got one more guy to call on should the need arise. It's not like Paulus is some bad character guy. He's on track to graduate with honors from Duke, and the last time I checked, that was pretty impressive.

Maybe people don't like the Duke connection, or the fact that he flops all over the basketball court, or the fact that he didn't choose SU 4 years ago. I have some advice for those people - get over it.

Look, I hate Duke as much as the next guy - actually probably more. There's nothing more aggravating than listening to Dick Vitale cover Coach K and the vaunted Duke program in big wet sloppy kisses (let that visual image set in for a minute). I hate Duke so much it's actually fun to root against them - in anything. If I saw the Duke badminton playing, I'd root against them, but at the end of the day, this is about a talented player showing up on Syracuse's doorstep and potentially making the team better.

I have no idea if he can play, or if he represents an upgrade at the position. It's not like there's a lot of precedent for a guy taking 4 years off and playing football again. But my point is, it doesn't hurt to find out. Greg Paulus is the $20 bill you find in your jeans pocket after doing the laundry. You don't throw it because it didn't spend enough time in the wallet with the rest your cash. You spend it.

If Greg Paulus wants to come to Syracuse for a year - let's throw out the welcome mat, because it won't cost a thing.

Ebay Item of the Week

Photo: Steve Nesius, AP

For those of you that have a desire to have 2009 Cy Young front-runner Nick Swisher responsible for holding up your pants, go crazy with this week's item.

Memories...

Jonny may be gone, but we'll always have YouTube videos filled with spectacular plays and annoying music blaring over the top.



And slide shows...



And of course the dunk to end all dunks....

So Long Jonny

Jonny Flynn's future plans are no longer up in the air, as Mr. Flynn has signed with an agent and will be playing in NBA next year.

He leaves Syracuse after two memorable years. The indefatigable Flynn was a starter the second he stepped on campus and played seemingly every minute of every SU game - including the most memorable 67 minute performance a in Syracuse history in the 6 OT win against Connecticut.

You can't fault Flynn for making the move -- you go to college to prepare for your career and most guys don't get seven figure offers after 4 years in school, much less two.

While the team will have a good amount of talent next year, from a fan's perspective the move hurts. Devendorf's scoring can be replaced - especially since he gave up more than his fair share of points on the defensive end, and there are other guys who can make up Paul Harris' defense and rebounding. What can't be replaced is Flynn's floor vision, leadership, athleticism and experience.

So unless something unexpected happens next year, like Brandon Triche being better than anyone expects, or Scoop Jardine suddenly transforming himself into a top notch point guard, we'll always wonder what would have happened ha Jonny stayed.....but at least it gives us a new series of things to debate and opine on all summer and fall - and that's half the fun of sports. Of course winning titles is even more fun, but there's not much we can do about that.

Good luck Jonny and thanks for 2 great years - we'll be pulling for you. As for LeBron James, he can suck my balls.

Flynn Could Stay??? Wake Me on June 15

60 percent of the time Jonny stays every time

Following the speculation around which Syracuse players will declare for the draft and which will stay is exhausting. Our good friends at the Orange Fizz have compared it to an episode of the Hills -- and since my knowledge of the Hills is more limited than Arinze Onuaku's free throw shooting, we'll take the Fizz' word for it.

Regardless, everyone is working off of different scripts, as this AP story from a few hours ago quotes Jim Boeheim as saying Jonny Flynn's status is "kind of up in the air" -- which at the very least casts some doubt this report that cites multiple anonymous sources and claims Jonny's signing with an agent is imminent.

Combine that with the report earlier today that Paul Harris claimed he never intended to declare for the draft and we've got ourselves a bonafide 3 ring circus of confusion. With this situation as clear as a mud puddle, everyone needs to take Brian Fantana's advice to Champ Kind and stop talking for awhile. When in doubt, always turn to the infinite wisdom that is Anchorman.

In other news college basketball news -- that smelly pirate hooker Hasheem Thabeet is going pro (thank God), and Isiah Thomas' hiring at Florida International means the over under on when they get put on probation is the spring of 2011.

A Failure to Communicate

The Jim Boeheim/Paul Harris dynamic has always been an interesting one. In the public view it consists of Boeheim screaming at Harris, followed by Harris heading back onto the court where he invariably makes a boneheaded mistake, and then the whole process repeats itself.

So maybe Paul needed a little downtime - maybe he'd had enough screaming - or maybe he just doesn't like answering the phone - either way, he claims he never intended to enter his name in the NBA draft, but now that it's been reported, he's going to do it. Like that makes sense.

There's nothing better than basing major life decisions on communication failures - cue Cool Hand Luke:

Syracuse Football Thought Dump

I'm reading Donnie's latest practice report and there are random thoughts running through my brain which means one thing - it's time to share. Before we started this blog these thoughts would have floated out of my mind 10 minutes later never to surface again - now there's a record of how dumb I really am.....thank you Al Gore for inventing the internet.

* Marrone isn't happy - which makes me happy. He obviously inherited a team that for a variety of reasons isn't very good. If he was happy with what he's seen so far, we'd be screwed. This group isn't exactly the Florida Gators.

* Having to get on players to elicit performance tells us all we need to know about how the last regime had let the team grow complacent.

* After four years of what amounted to a media blackout, the coverage this year has been amazing. It feels like football season right now. A huge tip of the hat to Donnie Webb, his coverage has been top notch -- as usual.

* Setting aside all the gushing about the coaching staff for a minute - is anyone else just a little bit nervous about the fact that the term "bubble screen" has been used at least 50 times this spring? Championship teams are not built on the back of the screen game. While almost anything will be an improvement over last year's offense, Rob Spence did take some heat last year for being a conservative play caller.

* Then again defensive coordinator Scott Schafer got run out of Michigan on a rail last year he seems fan-freaking-tastic so far. In addition to media reports, I've had two separate friends attend practices and come back raving about the guy.

* Not having a reliable kicker is the equivalent of having a one night stand with a really old condom -when you need it the most, you have no idea what will happen, but it's scary either way.

* Nassib is struggling throwing the deep ball right now -- Andrew Robinson struggled throwing the deep ball in the past. The good news is that Ryan doesn't have to worry about hop steps and the pistol formation, so we've got that going for us, which is nice.

* Speaking of which, if you're not rooting for Robinson to have success as a tight end, you're as heartless as Kim Jong Il - and you're probably more of a dick.

Bonus Thoughts (at no additional charge)

* Is it too soon to start making Wang sucks jokes? Let me know, because we could go on all day with this one.

* Great find by Orange Chuck, who updates us on the career plans of Greg Paulus.

Death Must Be Stopped

It's a tough day in the world of baseball - one of the most unique and endearing voices in broadcasting has been silenced, as Harry Kalas passed away today. A favorite of Philadelphians and sports fans in general, Harry had a voice that will never be replicated. My Uncle Dave and I spent many a family party doing terrible Harry impersonations, they certainly never did the legend justice. Rest in peace Harry - you will be missed.



And in completely unrelated, yet equally sad news, Mark 'The Bird' Fidrych was found dead this afternoon at his Massachusetts home. The Bird's MLB career was cut short by injuries, but he made a huge impact on fans in his short time in the spotlight. We could use more good natured, talented flakes like Fidrych, those are guys that make sports truly fun. RIP.

Damn You LeBron James

GOD DAMN IT. It appears Jonny Flynn isn't coming back and clearly there's only one person to blame - LeBron James.

From the pre-season top 5 to "others receiving votes" just that quickly.

In the meantime - if you haven't seen it yet, check out this article on Doug Marrone - it should start restoring your faith in the football team -- but if I hear LeBron is calling Mike Williams, there's going to be issues......

Bob Casullo Rules

Syracuse spring football practice rolls on, and we've mentioned on this site many times, we are in love with the new Syracuse coaching staff. It's beyond love really - they've basically roofied all three of us at this point. Their approach is the polar opposite of the failed Greg Robinson regime. They've completely opened up practice to the media and public, instituted physical demanding practices, and placed a new emphasis on accountability that leads us to believe there are good days ahead for this program.

The latest example - special teams. Donnie Webb has a killer interview with new/old special teams coordinator Bob Casullo, who vows to unleash the fury in the kicking and return games. Casullo embodies coach Marrone's aggressive approach and after 4 years of treating special teams as an after thought (play it safe, don't turn it over) his hiring is a clear indication that the program that once ran a reverse on the opening kickoff against Florida back for touchdown, will once again be emphasizing this important facet of the game.

Another note on Casullo - he's good. His last employer, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished in the top 10 in the NFL in special teams the last two years. He's also honest. Right now SU doesn't have a kicker they feel they can rely on - so be prepared for that. When you think about it, Patrick Shadle might have been the best player of the Greg Robinson era.....which says everything you need to know about the last 4 years.

Let the fury fly Bob - we can't wait.

Happy Easter - Let's Talk About Tasers!

Happy Easter to all who celebrate this holy day. One person who probably isn't celebrating as much as the rest of us - Buffalo Bills defensive back Donte Whitner - a person the police saw fit to use a stun gun on while trying to quell a disturbance outside a Cleveland night club.

Want to see what getting stunned is like? Let these two idiots show you - bonus points for the jean shorts and mustache.

Everyone Out of the Pool!

Like country club kids running away from a floating Baby Ruth, Syracuse University basketball players are jumping out of the Syracuse pool and declaring for the NBA draft. According to SU Athletics, Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris will enter their names in the NBA draft.

The curiously worded release notes that Flynn will not retain an agent, but does not address the agent issue as it relates to the other two, which means speculation-palooza gets kicked up another notch.

Players that do not hire agents can pull their names out of the draft by June 15 - so settle in 'cuse fans, it will be an interesting 2 months.

And in case you haven't got the reference by now...........

Random Movie Trailer - Non Sports Related

Office Space is one of the greatest movies ever made. Period. Citizen Kane is a TPS report compared to Mike Judge's masterpiece (that's hyperbole movie buffs with no sense of humor, settle down) on the banalities of living life in a cube. So, needless to say, when I say this trailer today, I got excited. Please excuse this non-sports related post.

Ebay Item of the Week

You know....if the NBA doesn't work out, there's nothing wrong with a career in women's fashion design.

It's Time to Reject Things

Last week I was lucky enough to spend four days in Myrtle Beach with a group of guys playing golf, gambling on our respective golf games and drinking our faces off. All in all, it was a marvelous time. Myrtle Beach also happens to be a wonderful place -- if you enjoy turning your brain off and engaging in mindless activities - which I highly recommend.

However, during a brief period of lucidity, I made the mistake of turning on the local TV news (which normally does not inspire any brain activity) and stumbled across WMBF News -- which is running a feature called reject the recession. The campaign calls for people to eat local, shop local, play local and live local.

Putting aside the fact that a slogan would in no way shape or form help end the recession -- for a region whose economy is based almost solely on on tourism to encourage people to "stay home" tells you all you need to know about the retards that came up with this game changing idea. In a national recession encouraging a few southerners to stay home, and in turn hurt other parts of the country that depend on tourism, is mind numbingly dumb. However, if Myrtle Beach TV can just end things they don't like by "rejecting them" then so can we. So in honor of WMBF, here are a few things this idiot is going to reject. I expect them to all end by the time this post goes up.

* I reject Daryl Gross upping the donation levels for premium seats while continuing to give away extremely cheap seats in the end zones. I understand the need to fill the Dome, what I don't understand is wringing more cash from loyal fans who have been ponying up decent money for seats even though the football team has been a national embarrassment the past 4 years to subsidize the fair weather fans that only pay for tickets when the team is good. The increase is rejected - I expect a refund immediately.

* I reject snow and awful weather throughout the first two weeks of the baseball season. Baseball isn't meant to be played in weather conditions like this - so I declare them over. The same goes for the World Series - these games will only be played in good weather from now on. Since the season will never be changed or shortened, rejecting weather is our only chance to fix this.

* I reject Geno Auriemma. No explanation necessary.

* I reject the day after the baseball All Star break. A day without sports is not something that can be supported - so let's reject it.

* While we are here - I reject the ESPYs a 1,000 times over. Award shows in general are awful, but a sports award show? Really? You know why sports are great - there's a scoreboard that tells us who wins and who loses which is precisely why we DON'T need an awards show.

* I reject the fact that Masters requires CBS and ESPN to refer to fans "patrons." The Masters is awesome. It has the world's greatest golfers, the world's slickest greens, the risks and rewards of amen corner, Tiger and Phil, and it's run by some rednecks who discriminate against minorities and make people call their fans patrons. Ugh.

* I reject Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay arguing on ESPN over the draft. It hurts my ears and I can't concentrate on anything they say because Mel's hair is more insane than ever and all McShay does is turn red like one of those perverts on to catch a predator. No one needs that. I do like Mel on the radio however - and I don't care if that's hypocritical.

* I reject players bitching about not getting into the Hall of Fame. Yes, I'm talking to you Bert Blyleven. I don't care what your numbers are, no one ever watched you pitched and said "hey, there's a hall of famer." Shut up and go away.

* I reject the speculation surrounding the future of all Syracuse basketball players. I want the whole team to come back absolutely stacked, so in my mind they will be back. The guys need to take a clue from the Myrtle Beach slogan and "live local."

* And I reject angry rants on sports blogs on the internet - which means I'm happy, so it's time to wrap this up. However, feel free to reject anything you want in the comment section below.

Ramble On

Things have been a little slow here at T3I the last week - it's tough when life's obligations get in the way of blogging but hey it happens. Since I can't seem to organize a single coherent thought today, let's ramble.......

In honor of the baseball season starting, don't forget to check out Gem Mint 10 - a repository for great mustaches, hideous uniforms, perms, and great beards that make old school baseball cards so much fun. And yes, I lifted the photo from the site.

You have to LOVE the Cincinnati Bengals -- only they would think Tank Johnson and Chad Johnson would be a natural combination. There's nothing to worry about there.....

We aren't deep thinkers around here, but common logic would dictate that if Greg Robinson was the worst coach in Syracuse history and new coach Doug Marrone is doing everything THE EXACT OPPOSITE of the way Greggo did them, he's off to a pretty damn good start.

Speculation and rumors on Jonny Flynn will fly for months, but if he comes back, I can't say I disagree with the Big Lead - who forgot to even mention Wesley Johnson while picking SU number one. The team will be stacked and deep - of course a lot of stuff can, and probably will happen between now and then, so let's just declare the team the greatest ever right now and skip the actual games.

Blake Griffin is heading to the NBA - which had to have been the easiest decision ever. Well, at least as easy as my decision to NOT watch the Women's NCAA Championship game tonight.

I absolutely love the game of golf and spend my fair share of spraying golf balls across area courses - but other than John Daly passing out at Hooters jokes, it's impossible to write about and not bore every living person to tears. It's more boring to read about that what coffee Peter King drinks.

Joba Chamberlain proves once and for all why fashion week will never be held in Nebraska.

This video on this site tells me one thing - apparently women who work out at the gym really want to wash their asses.

I need to replace my crappy HP Pavilion notebook - and as you can tell by that intro, I haven't exactly been pleased with this laptop - so any suggestions as to what I should replace it with are more than welcomed - just leave a comment below.

And I'll close this post down with this - I ramble, Kige rumbles......in the linen section apparently.

The Final Fizzle

The 2009 NCAA Tournament is dead and buried and next year's fun is a mere 49 weeks away, so let's do what the internet is made for - react immediately, ask open ended questions and ramble. Before we start, let's congratulate North Carolina -- coming into the season they were the best team in the country and they certainly proved it in this tournament. The Tarheels were unstoppable and earned the title. That being said:

- Do you think Roy Williams took an IV before the game to make sure he didn't get dehydrated from all the tears that would be flowing?

- On the whole, this won't be remembered as a great tournament. There was a ton of chalk, very few upsets and no true Cinderella runs. Other than the Villanova-Pitt classic, I can't think of my other moments that really stand out.

- What was the deal with the rims in Detroit? Either they had microphones nearby or they were just loose and sort of "clanky." That was the best they could do? Speaking of which, Ford Field made the Carrier Dome look intimate.

- If you didn't have a team in the Final Four, it made for some brutal viewing.

- Clark Kellogg wasn't great, but compared to Billy Packer the man was a virtuoso.

- I guess my prediction on a "very close game" tonight didn't exactly come true.

- You have to wonder if this was the last NCAA tournament for Jim Calhoun - with advancing age, health issues and an NCAA investigation looming - who knows what he has left.

- While this wasn't a classic tournament, next March can't get here soon enough.

Sports Fix - Idiot Style

Want to hear an idiot live up to his name? Then listen to Matt Mc's Sports Fix from 5 to 6 tonight. There's noting more entertaining that having me ramble incoherently topics like the NCAA tournament, SU Sports and whatever else comes up.

For those out of the listening area, you can listen to archived shows by clicking on past shows on the right side of the site. The daily show is usually up by 7pm. As an added bonus, Matt is having my favorite radio host on today - Bill Simonson.

Uhmmm....

Photo: Paul Sancya, AP

Night Ranger + The Fabulous Thunderbirds =

Syracuse Balloonfest of course. Something tells me Poncho from the Sporthump had a hand in setting this lineup.

Ebay Item of the Week

Batter up! With Major League Baseball about to get underway, T3I is calling all Yankee fans with this week's item.

Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Reggie, Mattingly, Jeter......and for $300 you can own the game issued jersey of Yankee legend Glenn Sherlock.

Want to know more about Glenn? Check out his Wiki page where you can learn fun facts like:

* he has an impressive 121-148 minor league managerial record

* he managed the Canberra Bushrangers in the Australian Baseball League (now my 2nd favorite pro baseball team....greatest.name.ever)

* he wrestled a bear during the 7th inning stretch of an Auburn Astros game in 1988 (we kid...we kid)

Excuse me while I set my DVR to record the Glenn Sherlock "Yankeeography" on YES.