Happy Birthday America! While there are currently no Syracuse based sports occurring this time of year, it is still a good day to reflect on what makes America so great. Your Syracuse experiences, good or bad, are a part of that proud American tradition and that is something worth celebrating. As someone who has spent most of their adult life studying and working in government in this great nation of ours, I can honestly say we still have the best system around. So forget about those high gas prices, lagging economy, and the woes of the impending football season for a day and enjoy your friends, family, food, and the thought that men who you have never heard of fought in the 1700’s for the freedom you enjoy today. I’ll be back next week with actual blog articles and more content from Orange::44. The self imposed hiatus for work should be lifted soon, despite a few evenings of night court next week. Yes that show was awesome, but no, that is not how it is in real life… most of the time. Happy 4th of July!

Troy is clearly upset.

After lengthy discussions with Sean at Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician, he and I have decided to put on our usual Nunes::44 and Orange::44 is an Absolute Magician features on sabbatical for the immediate future. While we have not agreed on a return Tuesday as of yet, I would assume it would be in August just in time for the hot bed of football information to be roaring back at you via our blogs. I’ll have part three of the special three part review of the historic lacrosse season later this week, as well as a more regular writing schedule in short order. In the meantime… I’m having a great time working and not doing this thing. Screw you. Just kidding. I’ve just been busy so you’ll get more stuff coming soon. I swear. Until then, enjoy Nunes/Magician and the other fine Syracuse bloggers and I’ll be back soon. Do me a favor and don’t do this.

Talking about football... a little more Troy's speed.

It is Tuesday, which means it is time for another installment of my correspondence with Sean of Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician. Today, we talk about a lot of football to wet your appetite of massive anticipation for the upcoming football season. Or, at least it will be interesting to read. Enjoy.

1. Orange::44: What exactly is the deal with Donte Greene? Does he really ever need to mention Syracuse again or should he continue to talk about it with the media?

Nunes: It's funny because only now that he's gone are we realizing exactly who Donte Greene really is. That's not to say he's a bad guy, but did you ever see this much personality from the kid during his time at school?

On one hand, I'd be pissed too if I were him and that was the reaction I got. At the end of the day, Donte has to look out for himself and he owes Syracuse fans nothing. If he hurt his knee next year and was unable to ever play again, Syracuse fans wouldn't start sending him checks to take care of him. We'd all feel bad and then move on. So at the end of the day I don't blame the guy for leaving. I still don't think it was the right move, but I'm also the same guy who once said Donovan McNabb wouldn't cut it in the NFL. So my opinion is moot.

On the other hand, Donte is exhibiting all of the signs of your prototypical me-first, whine-if-I-don't-get-my-shots, chip on his shoulder, selfish, prima donna in training...something the NBA is very familiar with. He's claiming that had he stayed at Syracuse his legacy would have rivaled Gerry McNamara. He's admitting that the reduced availability of shots for himself is a reason he left. He's blaming the zone defense for making him look bad defensively. He's calling out Syracuse fans as a whole for not supporting him. He's talking himself up as the best small forward in the draft.

The last one I don't have a problem with by itself, I'm all for being confident in yourself, but as part of the larger discussion it veers closer to cockiness than confidence.

The more he talks, the less he finds Syracuse fans stepping up to support him. Yes, a bunch of nitwits blasted his Facebook site with insults, but surely he can't believe they represented the majority of Syracuse fans? At the moment, if Donte Greene walked into the Dome during a game, he'd probably get booed. Not for anything he did on the court but for everything he's doing off it. That's the irony, he's the one getting attacked but for the 50% of the SU fanbase who wouldn't know Facebook from Yellow Book, all they hear is Donte calling them out over something they didn't do. Not good.

I can't imagine any of this stuff looks good to NBA scouts either. What Donte has gone through so far is NOTHING compared to the toil the NBA will take on a young player, especially one with as many question marks as he. I would think he'd want to prove that he's mature, above the criticism and able to just put his head down and play. Do NBA teams really want ANOTHER me-first whiner? Is that really putting your best foot forward?

If I'm in charge of Donte's career, I tell him to quit whining, put his head down, prove to teams that he's here to play and here to learn and that the off-the-court stuff is a distraction he wants no part of and doesn't notice anyway.

2. Orange::44: Williams is basically gone for at least this season. Who will now be looked at to pick up the slack for the absence, and will the offense be any good at all?

Nunes: The running backs. The focus is firmly on them to resurrect the running game, either as a unit or through the emergence of one star. It's so tough to say who is going to step out of the pack, and it seems like Robinson is keeping it close to his chest regardless.

If the running game can improve (and really, how COULDN'T they?), maybe that could open up the passing game and allow Andrew Robinson to create opportunities for Lavar Lobdell, Marcus Sales the rest of this developing receiving unit.

If the running game stalls again...God help us all.

3. Orange::44: Syracuse continues to have one of the hardest schedules in the nation. What do you see are the advantages and disadvantages of having such a hard schedule, and why the heck, when you are trying to rebuild a program, are we still doing it?

Nunes: In a perfect world, it's a great idea. But when you're 2-10 and facing a schedule that doesn't provide you with many opportunities to improve on that number unless your personnel vastly improve in a very short time, it's a very bad idea.

Seriously, imagine if we just took one season and scheduled creampuffs across the board. We wouldn't have to improve off the field drastically in order to improve drastically on the field. We'd jump up the win column quickly, attract better recruits, possibly make a bowl game sooner than expected and then we'd be in much better shape to play the 11th toughest schedule in the nation the next season.

So we'd be Kansas State or Clemson for a season. God forbid. Show me an Orange fan who would take the current schedule and another 2-10 season over a creampuff schedule that allows us to go 6-6 this season and I'll show you a crazy, crazed insane crazy person...who's crazy.

I get that playing Penn State and USC and those kinds of teams gets us in the national spotlight. But what good is being the in the national spotlight when you're losing 56-3?

4. Orange::44: What football team does Syracuse currently not play that you wish we did, and what team do you see on the schedule this year or in the next or last few that you wish we did not play?

Nunes: You know my schtick. There's three teams that Syracuse should rotate playing every season. At all times we should be playing at least two teams out of Boston College, Penn State and Maryland. Their geographical rivals, they're longtime rivals and they're recruiting rivals.

We've got Penn State back, we'll have BC back in 2010. But for some reason, it never occurs to us to play Maryland. We've built up a quiet rivalry with them in basketball, which I'd love to see more of as well. And it's a great time, Maryland is decent but not a powerhouse by any means. It's a winnable game for us...I think.

As for who I wish we didn't play...it's not USC. As much as I'm against playing powerhouses right now, it's just too big an opportunity to pass up. And we still have three years to at least be respectable by the time we head out to LA. Plus, being an LA citizen, I'm giddy.

It's actually Northeastern. I'd rather we played a Division 1-A team but if we have to play a 1-AA team, why not one we have some kind of relationship with. Why not Villanova? Why not UMass? Why not Albany? Why not Georgetown? At least there would be a superficial reason for us to care about this one.

As-is, this game actually terrifies Syracuse fans. It's a no-win game. If we win, we fully expect it to be a harder fought win than it should be. And if we lose, well, we really lose. Then again if we lose, maybe Robinson gets canned on the spot, and in that case, maybe we win. It's all very cyclical.

5. Orange::44: You've showcased other people's thoughts on the Big East Lacrosse conference forming, but I'm curious, what do you think about it?

Nunes: I've said I'm all for it. Long-term, I don't see a downside.

1. Schedule - We have to add Providence, Notre Dame, St John's and Villanova to the yearly schedule so we'll have to make some tough decisions. Or will we? Cutting loose Binghamton and UMass is no big deal. After that, well it's probably between Hobart and Albany, which are both shames, but in the grand scheme not such a big deal as compared to losing a rivalry with Johns Hopkins, Virginia or Princeton.

2. Other teams - On their own, St. John's, Providence and Villanova would probably need a decade to reach a level that is competitive with the Syracuses and Georgetowns of the world. As part of the Big East, it should take half that time. Yeah at first there's gonna be a lot of 20-6 games while these programs build up. But recruiting will be so much easier for them when they get to say they have Cuse, ND and Georgetown on the schedule every year. The Big East name will help them schedule strong out of conference. And sooner or later one of them will beat one of the big guys and put the fear of God in us all that there might be some balance to this.

3. The sport - The sport is growing up. Conferences are taking shape. Auto bids are being decided. The sport is expanding away from the power brokers and sharing the wealth. The days of willy-nilly scheduling and arbitrary tournament bids are ending (which you may or may not see as a good thing). It's beginning to look like a sport the mainstream can get into. They're seeing old rivals in a new form. It's easy to root for your team when your playing a hated foe.

In all, I like it.

6. Orange::44: Finally, what do you think DOCTOR Gross' ideal summer vacation is?

Nunes: Find out where the Syracuse men's lacrosse team is taking their vacation and then DOC Gross will be there...staying in their hotel rooms, sipping their pina coladas and wearing their Bermuda shorts.

Editor’s Note: This is another installment in the ongoing collaboration between Orange::44 and Nunes/Magician. Every other Tuesday Nunes::44 will appear here, while the following week Orange::44/Magician will appear on his site. Until then, enjoy Nunes/Magician articles and stay tuned to Orange::44 for complete postgame coverage from every Syracuse game.

Earlier this summer, I participated in a couple exchange with the fine Northwester blog Lake The Posts about our upcoming football contest (found here and here). Lately, the fine Penn State Football blog Zombie Nation requested my input on the upcoming Penn State game, so I was happy to oblige. The article can be found here. There is some commentary from the editor of the site, followed by my answers to his questions. It is a touch biased towards PSU, but what else would you expect on their blog. Get through that and you will read my responses to his questions. While it is still too early for my initial football coverage, we continue to bring you fine collaborations from other team blogs that are on Syracuse’s schedule. Look for more correspondence with Zombie Nation later this summer in preparation for the upcoming football season.

The success of the Orange was clearly tied to their specialist, Danny Brennan.

Editor’s Note: This is part two of a three part review of the historic 2008 Syracuse Lacrosse season. Part one focused on the first half of the regular season, part two focuses on the second half of the regular season, and part three will focus on the NCAA Tournament. Stay tuned for part three coming soon. Part one can be found here.

The second half of the season saw a lot of ups and rarely a down. By this point in the year Syracuse had achieved a benchmark not seen since 2004; a #1 ranking. Syracuse at the start of April had a record of 7-1, Virginia being the only blemish on an otherwise stellar season.

It was only fitting that Syracuse would play longtime rival Princeton next, a team that, of course, beat them the previous year. A rival game for Syracuse, the exploits of these two teams could not be better illustrated than the 2000, 2001, and 2002 National Championship games. Syracuse won in 2000 and 2002, but lost in overtime in 2001 to Princeton. These were some very exciting finals and after that overtime loss, Syracuse and Princeton were rivals from then on. Both Brendan Loftus and Steven Brooks contributed three goals, but it was Brooks that had a complete day with three assists as well. Danny Brennan was almost unstoppable as well as he won 15 of 21 face offs. Clearly as the competition got harder, DBren became a more important piece of the puzzle for the ’08 Orange. Syracuse beat Princeton 13-6.

Syracuse’s next stop on the ’08 Revenge Tour would be familiar territory for Syracuse. It would be a measly hour away, traveling down I-81 to Cortland, and then a trip on Route 13 to Ithaca, New York to take on Cornell. The ‘Cuse lost to the Big Red the year before in the Dome 16 to 15, while Cornell had the #1 next to its name. This year the tables were turned in relation to that #1 and Syracuse looked to enact revenge from the previous year’s result. Cornell was not a shabby team either, sporting a #5 ranking. Both teams were also 8-1 on the year at this point. Mike Leveille would be the leader in this game, as he ripped off five goals and an assist. Cornell was not even close to competing in this game as Syracuse won 15-8. The interesting statistic from this game were that there were 19 total penalties, 16 of which gave a man advantage to one team or the other, and Syracuse was able to convert on four of ten, while Cornell was unable to score on any of the six man advantages they had.

The Orange then traveled south to the Garden State to take on future Big East opponent Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Dan Hardy finally had a break out game, scoring four goals and an assist. Mike Leveille again had three goals and three assists. Danny Brennan again had a stellar day, earning 16 of 22 face offs. Syracuse would cruise to another win beating Rutgers 17-9.

Syracuse returned to the Carrier Dome to play Upstate rival Albany. The Great Danes previously were ranked as high as #2 last year, but this year was not as kind to Albany. Sporting a record of 5-6 entering the contest, Albany looked to possibly save some face and play the still top ranked Orange hard. Alas, Syracuse would emerge victorious again by a score of 10-5. Leveille again led the Orange in scoring with three goals.

The year’s final home game rolled around against a foe that has certainly emerged in the last few years as a hated rival of Syracuse on the lacrosse field; Massachusetts. UMass entered the Dome much like Albany. They were just not as good as the year before. Syracuse traveled to Amherst, Massachusetts the previous year only to lose to UMass 9-7, assuring that they would not earn an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1982. This year Syracuse exacted its revenge with seemingly no mercy. Syracuse beat UMass 16-3. Mike Leveille and Steven Brooks again each had three goals. Leveille also had three assists. Danny Brennan, after injuring one of his legs, rested most of the game, after he won two out of three. The question would be how effective could Brennan be the rest of the season? Syracuse, like in many of their games, outshot their opponent by a wide margin. In this case Syracuse took 42 shots compared to UMass’ 21. UMass would be vanquished as just another opponent to fall victim to Syracuse’s renewed commitment to winning.

The final game of the regular season would be interesting. After ten straight wins Syracuse would travel to Colgate, just east on the New York State Thruway, to Hamilton, New York. Four players would have two goals for the Orange, but it would not be enough without the services of Danny Brennan. Sidelined due to injury, and an at large bid for the NCAA Tournament locked up weeks ago, Syracuse rested their specialist and that was clearly the difference in a Colgate win. Syracuse would come up just short by a score of 12 to 11. Syracuse again greatly outshot Colgate 40 to 26, but again Colgate was the better team. Syracuse had an excellent fourth quarter, but it was not enough to overcome a bad third quarter in which Syracuse was outscored five to one.

Because of the loss, Syracuse would lose its #1 ranking, but it mattered little to the Orange as they had already punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. They earned a #3 seed and looked to get back to the Final Four, this time in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The questions on everyone’s minds clearly were would Danny Brennan be ready for the NCAA Tournament, and was this regular season how Syracuse would perform in the Tournament, or would they choke and not close the deal when they needed to? Syracuse had at least two games before the Final Four, and they would certainly not be cake walks, not to mention the test they would find if they managed to make it to Foxborough.

Leveille's heroics would lead Syracuse to a solid first half.

Editor’s Note: This is part one of a three part review of the historic 2008 Syracuse Lacrosse season. Part two will focus on the second half of the regular season, and part three will focus on the NCAA Tournament. Stay tuned for parts two and three in subsequent days.

You have heard it before. Syracuse came off one of the worst seasons in program history in 2007. The team was 5-8, failed to make the NCAA Tournament since 1982, and generally anything that could go wrong for Syracuse, and the Athletic Department in general, did. This caused a major adjustment in the lacrosse program. From the top down, Syracuse had a new attitude and philosophy coming into the 2008 season. Leland Rogers was moved from an administrative role to the defensive coordinator, Roy Simmons III was moved to the offense, the strength and conditioning coach implemented a brand new conditioning regiment, and the entire attitude of the team shifted from “we’re Syracuse and we will win” to “this is Syracuse and we win because we work hard”. The team bought it, especially captain Mike Leveille. Thus, from the #11th ranked Syracuse Orange, the team finished ranked #1, National Champions. After the best turnaround in Division 1 Lacrosse history, Syracuse is atop the lacrosse world once again.

The year started with high expectation and for the most part the team delivered. Syracuse opened up their season against Villanova, a familiar foe on the hardwood, but not so much on the lacrosse field. This was clearly for good reason, because Villanova presented no challenge for the Orange. Syracuse easily won 21-6 and had ten unanswered goals in the first quarter alone. Kenny Nims started his season off right with 6 goals in the game. Mike Leveille also started his season off solid with two goals and four assists for a total of six points. ‘Nova was no match for the refocused Orange.

Syracuse next faced Revenge Tour ’08 foe number one, Army. Only a year before Syracuse had lost to them 7-8. Now, the newly focused Orange would not let that happen. This time Syracuse was the victor 8-7. Mike Leveille was the top player with four goals and two assists in the game. Syracuse, like they did all year, had far more shots than the competition.

Next, Syracuse took on old foe Virginia, ranked #3 at the time, in the Face Off Classic in Baltimore, Maryland. This would be one of the first overtime matches the Orange, and the lacrosse season in general, would see. In a hard fought battle, clearly the first real test for the team, Syracuse lost a close one in OT to the Cavilers in Bawlmer 14-13. Steven Brooks and Kenny Nims each had three goals, and Mike Leveille had a pair of goals and an assist. But it was not enough as Virginia’s Brian Carroll win the game in OT. This was a disappointment for the Orange, but redemption is only ever a week away with the tough schedule Syracuse had.

It was now time to face #12 Georgetown. Syracuse severely out shot Georgetown in this game, but it would take two overtime periods to determine the winner. Brendan Loftus was the MVP and the hero in this game as he had four goals, one of which was the game winner. Mike Leveille added a goal and two assists as well. Syracuse would beat Georgetown, prove that this team would not go down without a fight, and regain their confidence in the murders row they would have in this stretch of the season.

Syracuse then would travel to Homewood Field to face rival Johns Hopkins in Maryland. It had been a number of trips for the Orange since the last time they had beaten Hopkins on their own field, and adding to the pressure was that they were ranked #4. Syracuse, for the third game in a row, would play extra lacrosse in an overtime period. Steven Brooks had four goals in this game, and Mike Leveille earned three goals and three assists. But again, it would take extra lacrosse for the Orange to put away another foe, as Steven Brooks put in the game winner to give Syracuse the victory over the Blue Jays, and the Revenge Tour ’08 rolled on with another loss avenged.

Syracuse would then play three games, that by all accounts would be a cake walk compared to the three games the Orange just played. First, the ‘Cuse would play Binghamton in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse would easily handle them 16-2 with Mike Leveille tallying four goals in the win. Then Syracuse would take on upstate rival Hobart in nearby Geneva, New York. Leveille would score his 100th career goal in a three goal, one assist effort. They would easily handle upstate rival Hobart 13-5. Loyola would then travel to the Carrier Dome, a team that beat Syracuse the previous year 11-10, but that would not be the case this year. Syracuse would beat Loyola in the Dome 13-8. Mike Leveille would again lead the way with three goals and two assists. Dan Hardy would also tally three goals in the contest as well. Syracuse would then turn its attention to more classic foes.