I can't believe I found more pictures of Nunes. Not funny, but true.I’m sorry this is being posted a day late. I am almost done with exams, and upon the conclusion of the law school countdown at the top of the page, you will have more regular posting, I promise. Even over the break.
1. Orange::44: We recently beat ETSU by 50 points. What performance was more impressive, the starters, or the boys off the bench?
Nunes: I think you have to be pretty impressed with the starters who set the tone with a 16-0 start and ran it to 64-34 at one point before halftime. After that, it was just about maintaining, but it was nice to see the team put its foot to an opponent's neck and press hard (too much?). I believe every starter scored in double figures, which is starting to become routine but still sounds pretty cool every time you see it.
Of course, we're learning very quickly how important it's going to be for the bench to develop, especially now that some of the guys on the bench are about to find their way into the starting line-up.
2. Orange::44: Another three point threat, as well as the eldest contributing Orangeman, has gone down for the season? Are you freaking out, calm cool and collected, or generally indifferent?
Nunes: How bout freaking out in a generally cool way? I know a lot of people aren't big fans of Devo but you can't deny that he is better than the player he was as a freshman and last year. He was, whether he wanted to be or not, turning into a leader on the floor (except when being heckled loudly) and that will be missed.
That said, I know we've got a lot of young guys on the floor but sometimes we can overstate the importance of things like that. It can be a generalization to say "we have too many young guys." Did ONE junior really command that much experience? And does his absence rob us of so much maturity? I saw the box score for tonight's game against Colgate and Donte Greene seemed able to pick up the slack just fine.
I guess my point is, we're going to struggle at times without him but we were probably going to struggle at times anyway.
3. Orange::44: Are you getting excited for the lax season to begin in a few months or is it too far to care?
Nunes: For me, it's too far to care. I don't really start caring about lax until they actually start playing. Masked by the glut of information and interest there is for basketball, it just can't compete for my attention until the season starts. Even then, it's more of a casual interest.
Still, I think that qualifies me as being in the top 10% of SU lacrosse fans. I went to a few games when I was there and considering the caliber of the program, it's pretty sobering to see the lack of students at those games. Someone tell Otto's Army to put that on their agenda.
4. Orange::44: Gun to your head, is the lax team getting back to the Final Four?
Nunes: If it were ten years ago or even five years ago I'd have said yes. But not only has Syracuse taken a step back but everyone else in lacrosse has taken a step forward. It's no longer about the same 5-6 teams every year (although they're all prominently involved). There's new powerhouses forming like Duke and Georgetown. There's upstarts like Albany and Cornell coming out of nowhere. And as lacrosse gains more traction out west we'll see even more teams joining up. All of this makes it tougher and tougher to say that SU is simply going to walk into the Final Four every year.
That said, it certainly is a great thing for college lacrosse. The more schools and the more people who can get into it, the better.
5. Orange::44: Looking ahead, should we even get excited at playing Penn State next season in football, or is it sure to be a massive disappointment of epic proportions?
Nunes: I think it's exciting because it renews a rivalry we should have been having for the last 20 years. Sure, we're going to get slaughtered but that's now. In five years, who knows what it'll look like? Besides, sure Penn State is good but they’re not THAT Good. They're the most bi-polar team in college football. I feel like they go from 2-10 to 11-1 to 6-6 to 10-2 and no one even bats an eyelash. Not to present us with false hope but they're no USC (please God let us improve ever so slightly before that one).
I'm from NJ and if you grew up in NJ and you went to a sports school, you either went to Rutgers, Syracuse, Penn State or Maryland. My guess is that many Syracuse fans know plenty of Penn State alums...the Tri-State area is teeming with both. Probably lots of families that share allegiances as well. Even without our history, it's a no-brainer of a rivalry.
Seriously, Penn State, Boston College and Maryland should be on our schedule every year as far as I'm concerned. We have the luxury of five non-conference games, let's use them wisely. Buffalo or Albany (they want to play a Division 1-A team), a MAC school, two of the aforementioned teams and a wild card (USC, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Illinois).
Looking at that question, take out the part about playing Penn State and that's a legitimate question to ask about the entire 2008 season.
Good times...
6. Orange::44: Finally... 'tis the season. What is your favorite holiday tradition or traditions?
Nunes: The day after Christmas so I don't have to hear Jingle Bell Rock again for another eleven months.
Wondering what I'm going to do with the $20 check my grandparents send me, why I still allow them to send money to a self-sufficient, married man and why I still cash it.
Advent calendars, which my wife recently introduced me to. A fantastic excuse to eat chocolate first thing in the morning.
Shopping for Hanukkah cards in the local shopping market and only having four cards to choose from.
Watching Syracuse's bowl game.
1. Orange::44: We recently beat ETSU by 50 points. What performance was more impressive, the starters, or the boys off the bench?
Nunes: I think you have to be pretty impressed with the starters who set the tone with a 16-0 start and ran it to 64-34 at one point before halftime. After that, it was just about maintaining, but it was nice to see the team put its foot to an opponent's neck and press hard (too much?). I believe every starter scored in double figures, which is starting to become routine but still sounds pretty cool every time you see it.
Of course, we're learning very quickly how important it's going to be for the bench to develop, especially now that some of the guys on the bench are about to find their way into the starting line-up.
2. Orange::44: Another three point threat, as well as the eldest contributing Orangeman, has gone down for the season? Are you freaking out, calm cool and collected, or generally indifferent?
Nunes: How bout freaking out in a generally cool way? I know a lot of people aren't big fans of Devo but you can't deny that he is better than the player he was as a freshman and last year. He was, whether he wanted to be or not, turning into a leader on the floor (except when being heckled loudly) and that will be missed.
That said, I know we've got a lot of young guys on the floor but sometimes we can overstate the importance of things like that. It can be a generalization to say "we have too many young guys." Did ONE junior really command that much experience? And does his absence rob us of so much maturity? I saw the box score for tonight's game against Colgate and Donte Greene seemed able to pick up the slack just fine.
I guess my point is, we're going to struggle at times without him but we were probably going to struggle at times anyway.
3. Orange::44: Are you getting excited for the lax season to begin in a few months or is it too far to care?
Nunes: For me, it's too far to care. I don't really start caring about lax until they actually start playing. Masked by the glut of information and interest there is for basketball, it just can't compete for my attention until the season starts. Even then, it's more of a casual interest.
Still, I think that qualifies me as being in the top 10% of SU lacrosse fans. I went to a few games when I was there and considering the caliber of the program, it's pretty sobering to see the lack of students at those games. Someone tell Otto's Army to put that on their agenda.
4. Orange::44: Gun to your head, is the lax team getting back to the Final Four?
Nunes: If it were ten years ago or even five years ago I'd have said yes. But not only has Syracuse taken a step back but everyone else in lacrosse has taken a step forward. It's no longer about the same 5-6 teams every year (although they're all prominently involved). There's new powerhouses forming like Duke and Georgetown. There's upstarts like Albany and Cornell coming out of nowhere. And as lacrosse gains more traction out west we'll see even more teams joining up. All of this makes it tougher and tougher to say that SU is simply going to walk into the Final Four every year.
That said, it certainly is a great thing for college lacrosse. The more schools and the more people who can get into it, the better.
5. Orange::44: Looking ahead, should we even get excited at playing Penn State next season in football, or is it sure to be a massive disappointment of epic proportions?
Nunes: I think it's exciting because it renews a rivalry we should have been having for the last 20 years. Sure, we're going to get slaughtered but that's now. In five years, who knows what it'll look like? Besides, sure Penn State is good but they’re not THAT Good. They're the most bi-polar team in college football. I feel like they go from 2-10 to 11-1 to 6-6 to 10-2 and no one even bats an eyelash. Not to present us with false hope but they're no USC (please God let us improve ever so slightly before that one).
I'm from NJ and if you grew up in NJ and you went to a sports school, you either went to Rutgers, Syracuse, Penn State or Maryland. My guess is that many Syracuse fans know plenty of Penn State alums...the Tri-State area is teeming with both. Probably lots of families that share allegiances as well. Even without our history, it's a no-brainer of a rivalry.
Seriously, Penn State, Boston College and Maryland should be on our schedule every year as far as I'm concerned. We have the luxury of five non-conference games, let's use them wisely. Buffalo or Albany (they want to play a Division 1-A team), a MAC school, two of the aforementioned teams and a wild card (USC, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Illinois).
Looking at that question, take out the part about playing Penn State and that's a legitimate question to ask about the entire 2008 season.
Good times...
6. Orange::44: Finally... 'tis the season. What is your favorite holiday tradition or traditions?
Nunes: The day after Christmas so I don't have to hear Jingle Bell Rock again for another eleven months.
Wondering what I'm going to do with the $20 check my grandparents send me, why I still allow them to send money to a self-sufficient, married man and why I still cash it.
Advent calendars, which my wife recently introduced me to. A fantastic excuse to eat chocolate first thing in the morning.
Shopping for Hanukkah cards in the local shopping market and only having four cards to choose from.
Watching Syracuse's bowl game.
Oh, right...
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. Our next post will no doubt happen after Christmas so until then, enjoy Nunes/Magician articles and stay tuned to Orange::44 for complete postgame coverage from every Syracuse game.
Labels: Basketball, Football, Lacrosse, Nunes/Magician
Not that I by any means want to stick up for "Otto's Army," but they actually did go to lacrosse games last season. Granted, it was a small group of students, but from what I saw they were cheering the team on an did some special thing when SU scored goals.
But the point should not be lost here: SU students need to recognize this lacrosse team and the fantastic history of greatness. 6 years of being at SU, and I never really understood why the students didn't care about lax.
Maybe this is why the "Tainted Orange Revue" never really got off the ground. That, or the orange jail-like jumpsuits.