The scoreboard at the scene of the crime.Syracuse is doing extremely well this year. I'm guessing you've noticed by now. They were undefeated heading into their biggest game of the year. #7/6 Syracuse traveled to Tampa for a "neural court" game against #11/10 Florida. I was in attendance. These are their stories.
We start my trip on a flight from Elmira, NY to Detroit, MI. Sadly my tiny airport only flies to Philadelphia or Detroit, and seeing as I flew Northwest I was off to Michigan. Because there was a blizzard in the vicinity of Michigan we were delayed on the runway for 20 minutes before taking off, forcing me to sprint down one concourse, across a connecting tunnel, and down the next in the course of 20 minutes to make my connecting flight from Detroit to Tampa, FL. Luckily I made it, and luckily the trip was far better after this. I was lucky. The last time I flew from Detroit I had even longer to make my connecting flight and I ended up in Portland, ME, whereas my bag stayed in Detroit for the night. This time it made it to Tampa with me.
The next day was gameday. We made our way to the St. Pete Times Forum, my friend Dave and I. My best friend from law school, Dave was a Cortland graduate and originally from Oneida, so he, much like myself, grew up on Syracuse basketball. It, as the kids say, was on. We got there around 6:00pm in plenty of time for the Mississippi St. v. DePaul game. Despite the quality of game this was going to be, free basketball is still free basketball, so there we were. With a bar just outside of our section, and pretty good food all around the arena that is home to the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL we were pretty set. All we had to do was wait for the headline game of the day to start.
We suffered through the dreadfulness that was DePaul's effort on the floor. Wow they are going to have a bad year in the Big East, despite being better than they were last year. Anyway, with about 20 minutes before our game was about to start the arena started to fill, most decked in orange. It was both Syracuse and Florida orange. By the time it was said and done it was just about 50/50 Syracuse and Florida fans. Save for the two sections of UF students courtside, the Florida Pep Band, the Florida Dance Team, the Florida Cheerleaders, and Albert the Florida Gator. Oh yeah, this was a "neutral" game.
The warm ups started, and the tension in the building instantly rose. The tension got even higher when I saw that Jim Burr was in stripes. If you are a moderate to large college basketball fan you know who Jim Burr is, as well as his prowess to call a terrible basketball game. He did not disappoint. Then the game started.
Syracuse played a hell of a game. The quick but entertaining recap from rusty Orange::44 correspondent John Brennan can be found here. You can find the box score here as well. Check it out if you missed it, because it was big. But I'm here to talk about what I saw and you didn't.
At the half, after slugging down several adult beverages, the Florida student section got frisky. Several students, pictured, were wearing suits. They had bottles of orange juice they were banging, and several signs that were about as clever as a Family Circus cartoon. Most of it was just aggressive pointing and a lot of loud, incomprehensible yelling. All we did was drink more beer. Oh yeah and show how dumb they were. We did this by pointing at the scoreboard showing we were on top and showing that we were ranked higher. Even a stupid Florida student can see that 6 > 10. They also kept yelling about 2006 and 2007. Nither of those years is 2009 or 2010. I loved 2003 as much as any SU fan, that that was the past. Time to move on Florida. As I stated before, Florida basketball fans seem to be more annoying and act more entitled than UConn fans. It's awfully close though. They were quite annoying and seemingly delusional as to how good their team actually was. But statistics do not lie folks. This win was an easy call for me to make.
So the game continued, we won, and those same UF students in the suits that were all bent out of shape didn't even stick around until the final buzzer. They left with about a minute to go. Unfortunately they talked enough jibba jab that some rather beefy SU fans on the next section decided to chuck some half finished beers at them in the heart of the Florida students. Much like last year's Georgetown game in the Dome, while I find it hilarious to see someone that deserves it get a beer in their grill, it is not cool, not classy, and should not happen under any circumstances.
After the game, it was a sea of depressed Florida fans everywhere, which was awesome to see. Dave and I decided to just sit in the concourse for a minute, because several fans were more than likely about to throwdown. Keep in mind since the game ended we were despensing high fives like it was going out of style. All of a sudden we see a guy in a navy hoody with a UConn visor on. I said something like "check out this guy coming." He heard me say that and said, without skipping a beat, "we'll see you guys around." By far the most unexpected moment of the night. We then exited the arena, giving out more high fives, made our way to the car, and then headed home, to then watch the DVR'ed game. Because... why not?
I later headed to Universal Studios the next day, which was fun but had nothing to do with the game. You can check out my photos of the day as well. The Florida Resident discount is quality.
So that was my game experience. I tend to make it to one away game a year during the basketball season, and this was it. I couldn't have picked a better one to go to and see. While I was not able to go to the St. Francis game this past Sunday because I was still in Tampa I can't help but feel that I made out ahead of the deal. It was a great game to see, a better game to be at, and a good five days in Florida with some good friends away from the cold of New York State.
To view my entire photo album of my trip click here, it's well worth it. I'll be back with a preview of this weekend's game, the postgame wrap up, and a wrap up of the football season coming most likely next week. Additionally, if things go as planned, some brand new audio delights for you on Thursday, so stay tuned.
Labels: Basketball, Brian Harrison's Terrific Travels, Heckling, Other Conferences Are Inferior, Tim Tebow Cries
The Orange::44 Guide to Heckling: Women's Basketball Edition
8 Comments Published on 2.14.2008 by Brian Harrison
X = awesome or hilarious phrase and/or picture.Happy Valentine's Day (or night). What better time to put out a women's basketball article. This Saturday, our #24/21 ranked Syracuse women’s team will take on #16/17 Notre Dame in the Carrier Dome. For those of you not a former member of the Sour Sitrus Society Pep Band, it also happens to be alumni weekend for us. What does that mean, you ask? Well, it means that a bunch of professional women’s basketball hecklers will come out of retirement to come down and see the newly “good” team take on a dreaded Big East rival, all the while heckling the junk out of the Irish. While we are professionals with hours of game experience, you may want to join in a little heckling of your own. It is important, especially at women’s games because everyone can hear everything you say, to know what you are doing. Therefore, this guide should help you achieve your desired level of jerkitude. As a wise friend once said, you have to be smart to be an a-hole.
Method: Calling Players Fat, AKA “Who Wants A Pork Chop?”
Morality Meter: You have to bracket a lot of your moral standards to use this one properly.
How To: Simply call a player fat. Be creative and come up with a way to call players fat where they do not realize you called them fat until they think about it for a few seconds. The optimal time to use this method is when they are about to take their first free throw. Also, when they are running down the court and appear slightly winded is another. Also, anytime a player is wearing a UConn jersey.
Results: They no doubt will have their free throws affected. Also, there will be a general drop in self esteem.
Conclusion: If you are willing to go all out, this is the method for you. You will no doubt be labeled a jerk, but if that is simply par for the course for you, do you really care? This one is tried and true, so if you want to be “that guy”, then have at it Hoss.
Method: The Fake Date
Morality Meter: This one is not very offensive, so you can keep your high ground.
How To: Simply have a dialogue with a player about how you will take them out after the game. I usually like to use Faegan’s.
Results: This generally does not do much but further get you into a player’s head. It is more fun for you being asinine that really trying to distract.
Conclusion: This one is just a lot of fun. You basically are just belligerent for no reason. You are going to go to Faegan’s most likely after the game anyway, so why not make a hilarious story about how you want Dianna Taurasi to come too.
Method: I Saw The Sign
Morality Meter: It depends on how creative or offensive you want to make it.
How To: Simply think of a funny and/or awesome sign and then create it. Try to make it team or player specific for extra emphasis.
Results: Not only will you get in the player’s or coach’s heads, but you could even find your way on TV if it is being broadcast.
Conclusion: This allows even the most passive fan to publicly heckle, usually without even saying a word. My best example of this was we played UConn during the 2003-2004 season. I made a poster with Pat Summit’s head saying “I’m better than you”. I flashed this at Geno Auriemma as he excited the locker room before the game and he just about died laughing. After the game, his assistant coach said that the entire UConn staff had a good chuckle. Of course, this is still my favorite sign. Not my most hilarious, but still very true.
Method: Dribble, Pass, Shot
Morality Meter: Very low, this should not offend anyone. Not even the super sensitive athletic department.
How To: Simply pick a possession where the arena is fairly quiet, usually coming out of a time out or a substitution, and the other team is in bounding at their end. Then just say dribble when they dribble, pass when they pass, or shot when they shoot.
Results: This can really mess with a player’s confidence and rhythm.
Conclusion: This one is easy to do, and is a lot of fun as you get a whole group to participate. Just hope they miss the shot because if they make it, the home fans look like a bunch of jackasses.
Method: The Target
Morality Meter: Moderate to high, depending on how far you want to take it. Generally singling out a player by name will cause you to be moderately offensive.
How To: Pick a player, usually the star or best player on a team, and keep on riding them the entire game. Chant their name when they have the ball. Talk to them on in bounds. Pretty much keep on them at any point, especially if they are shooting a free throw or they miss an easy basket.
Results: Good players are good players, so they may still blow up for 25 points, or they may have an off night and your team rocks it. Usually the players are a bit rattled though. A good suggestion to hedge your bet is to pick the sixth player, the first off the bench. In case she forgets why she is not starting it is good to remind her by reciting her career stats if you can. Nothing annoys someone at the line quite like being told from the back row that "your free throw percentage just dropped below 62%." This requires a little research and preparation, but it is usually worth the effort. Dianna Taurasi and I have had some fun with this one in the past.
Conclusion: Despite the outcome, which can really help rattle a star player, or make a less that great player be even worse, it is simply a blast to do. Remember, you usually get out what you put in.
Method: Calling Players Ugly, AKA "Hurry Up, Ugly"
Morality Meter: This is not at all offensive if you are deaf. However, if you can hear it, it is pretty darn offensive. It is safe to say your Grandmother would not approve.
How To: Simply call a player ugly. You will nearly be tossed out of the game. I strongly recommend that you pick the hottest girl on the team to target so you can defend your action as blatant sarcasm. If you actually pick someone you would not sleep with after five car bombs, you risk getting beaten outside the Dome by all the away team's fans (who, in my day, used to outnumber the home fans).
Results: The “hot girl” on ‘Nova a few years ago only earned four points. This one is tried and true.
Conclusion: If you are willing to go all out, then clearly you are ready to implement this one. Plus, if you do not care what other people think about you, boom goes the dynamite.
Method: Whasername?
Morality Meter: This will not hurt your street cred with anyone normally, but it could get you in trouble if you pick a foreign name.
How To: Pick a player whose last name offers the most potential pronunciations. Now, try all of them out loud. Insert phrases like "Did they botch your birth certificate?" or "Can I buy a vowel?" If you decide it is time to get kicked out of the Dome, inquire to said player if "ICE knows you're here." This tactic usually works best during the quietest parts of the game, since your jokes require a good five to seven seconds and impeccable diction.
Results: You are pretty much just getting in the players head, or at least giving the home crowd something to chuckle about. Because you know everyone's thinking "Shricalarkasi? Hey, Johnny... who the hell is that?"
Conclusion: This one is pretty much just about being ridiculous. It is a lot of fun to see how terribly you can mispronounce the ladies’ names.
Method: Calling Players Fat, AKA “Who Wants A Pork Chop?”
Morality Meter: You have to bracket a lot of your moral standards to use this one properly.
How To: Simply call a player fat. Be creative and come up with a way to call players fat where they do not realize you called them fat until they think about it for a few seconds. The optimal time to use this method is when they are about to take their first free throw. Also, when they are running down the court and appear slightly winded is another. Also, anytime a player is wearing a UConn jersey.
Results: They no doubt will have their free throws affected. Also, there will be a general drop in self esteem.
Conclusion: If you are willing to go all out, this is the method for you. You will no doubt be labeled a jerk, but if that is simply par for the course for you, do you really care? This one is tried and true, so if you want to be “that guy”, then have at it Hoss.
Method: The Fake Date
Morality Meter: This one is not very offensive, so you can keep your high ground.
How To: Simply have a dialogue with a player about how you will take them out after the game. I usually like to use Faegan’s.
Results: This generally does not do much but further get you into a player’s head. It is more fun for you being asinine that really trying to distract.
Conclusion: This one is just a lot of fun. You basically are just belligerent for no reason. You are going to go to Faegan’s most likely after the game anyway, so why not make a hilarious story about how you want Dianna Taurasi to come too.
Method: I Saw The Sign
Morality Meter: It depends on how creative or offensive you want to make it.
How To: Simply think of a funny and/or awesome sign and then create it. Try to make it team or player specific for extra emphasis.
Results: Not only will you get in the player’s or coach’s heads, but you could even find your way on TV if it is being broadcast.
Conclusion: This allows even the most passive fan to publicly heckle, usually without even saying a word. My best example of this was we played UConn during the 2003-2004 season. I made a poster with Pat Summit’s head saying “I’m better than you”. I flashed this at Geno Auriemma as he excited the locker room before the game and he just about died laughing. After the game, his assistant coach said that the entire UConn staff had a good chuckle. Of course, this is still my favorite sign. Not my most hilarious, but still very true.
Method: Dribble, Pass, Shot
Morality Meter: Very low, this should not offend anyone. Not even the super sensitive athletic department.
How To: Simply pick a possession where the arena is fairly quiet, usually coming out of a time out or a substitution, and the other team is in bounding at their end. Then just say dribble when they dribble, pass when they pass, or shot when they shoot.
Results: This can really mess with a player’s confidence and rhythm.
Conclusion: This one is easy to do, and is a lot of fun as you get a whole group to participate. Just hope they miss the shot because if they make it, the home fans look like a bunch of jackasses.
Method: The Target
Morality Meter: Moderate to high, depending on how far you want to take it. Generally singling out a player by name will cause you to be moderately offensive.
How To: Pick a player, usually the star or best player on a team, and keep on riding them the entire game. Chant their name when they have the ball. Talk to them on in bounds. Pretty much keep on them at any point, especially if they are shooting a free throw or they miss an easy basket.
Results: Good players are good players, so they may still blow up for 25 points, or they may have an off night and your team rocks it. Usually the players are a bit rattled though. A good suggestion to hedge your bet is to pick the sixth player, the first off the bench. In case she forgets why she is not starting it is good to remind her by reciting her career stats if you can. Nothing annoys someone at the line quite like being told from the back row that "your free throw percentage just dropped below 62%." This requires a little research and preparation, but it is usually worth the effort. Dianna Taurasi and I have had some fun with this one in the past.
Conclusion: Despite the outcome, which can really help rattle a star player, or make a less that great player be even worse, it is simply a blast to do. Remember, you usually get out what you put in.
Method: Calling Players Ugly, AKA "Hurry Up, Ugly"
Morality Meter: This is not at all offensive if you are deaf. However, if you can hear it, it is pretty darn offensive. It is safe to say your Grandmother would not approve.
How To: Simply call a player ugly. You will nearly be tossed out of the game. I strongly recommend that you pick the hottest girl on the team to target so you can defend your action as blatant sarcasm. If you actually pick someone you would not sleep with after five car bombs, you risk getting beaten outside the Dome by all the away team's fans (who, in my day, used to outnumber the home fans).
Results: The “hot girl” on ‘Nova a few years ago only earned four points. This one is tried and true.
Conclusion: If you are willing to go all out, then clearly you are ready to implement this one. Plus, if you do not care what other people think about you, boom goes the dynamite.
Method: Whasername?
Morality Meter: This will not hurt your street cred with anyone normally, but it could get you in trouble if you pick a foreign name.
How To: Pick a player whose last name offers the most potential pronunciations. Now, try all of them out loud. Insert phrases like "Did they botch your birth certificate?" or "Can I buy a vowel?" If you decide it is time to get kicked out of the Dome, inquire to said player if "ICE knows you're here." This tactic usually works best during the quietest parts of the game, since your jokes require a good five to seven seconds and impeccable diction.
Results: You are pretty much just getting in the players head, or at least giving the home crowd something to chuckle about. Because you know everyone's thinking "Shricalarkasi? Hey, Johnny... who the hell is that?"
Conclusion: This one is pretty much just about being ridiculous. It is a lot of fun to see how terribly you can mispronounce the ladies’ names.
So there you have it. Your starter guide to starting stuff at a women’s game. Just remember to be creative, because no one likes an unfunny jerk. If you are a loyal reader of this blog, and decide to come out this Saturday, be sure to stop over and say hello. Perhaps we can team up and heckle the daylights out of the ladies from Notre Dame. Hat Tip and thanks to my former Sitrus partner in crime Jayme for helping me compile some of these tried and true heckling methods. He was the Mac to my Hak in heckling for many years, and for that I am grateful. Look for a complete weekend wrap up on Sunday or Monday, including postgame coverage from both the men’s and women’s basketball games, and some season opening lacrosse coverage. Until then, enjoy your heckling and be responsible. Wait… scratch that… enjoy being irresponsible.
Labels: Heckling, Women's Basketball
The Orange::44 Guide to Heckling: Cornell University Edition
1 Comments Published on 12.22.2007 by Brian Harrison
This is really on campus. It's just asking for an underachieving undergrad to jump.Well I have finally made it home for Christmas and winter break, which means you will finally get some regular updates, as well as some new articles. We start off the bonanza of new content with a little helpful information for you heading to the Cornell game this evening, or perhaps just enjoying it from the comfort of home. This is everything you need to know about heckling Cornell.
First off, the main jeer that any good fan would rely on is of course a reference to the fact the City of Ithaca has gorges. A gorge, as defined by dictionary.com, is a narrow cleft with steep, rocky walls, especially one through which a stream runs or a small canyon. On the campus of Cornell University, which I have been to on more than a few occasions because my hometown is only 30 minutes from campus, are several bridges going across these gorges. Traditionally, during final examinations each semester, at least what I have always been told, is that they close down these bridges to pedestrian traffic to curb the desire for kids feeling the pressures of an Ivy League Institution to take one final jump. Without doing any fact checking, and relying on information I have heard since my high school days, Cornell/Ithaca, NY is the place with the highest suicide rate in New York State, with the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) following in second (this is mostly due to the aesthetically unappealing campus).
Therefore, the only logical conclusion is to yell things like “Go jump in a Gorge!” This is also a reference to shirts that are sold in the Ithaca Commons which read “Ithaca is Gorges!” A parody on the word gorgeous. Just awful. Really, you have an Ivy League school in your wheelhouse, and that is how creative you hippies got? Yet I digress. Yelling for someone to jump is a classic putdown, but it could have disastrous consequences, seemingly.
During the 2005-2006 season, myself and several of my friends had tickets in the student section (which is fun because I was not a student at the time. Pulling one over on the man… awesome! Thanks again for the ID Ben.). My friend John was on the aisle in Section 103 and he was yelling “Go jump in a Gorge!” among other things. A girl, who somehow ended up in the Syracuse Student Section, or could have even been an SU student tapped my friend on the arm and said “HEY! My friend died in a gorge. That’s not funny.” We were dumbfounded. Not only was Debbie Downer in the Dome, but frankly who cares? We are all there to have a good time and WTF dude. This all threw us for a loop and we still tell that story every time gorges are brought up. So use this jeer and use it often tonight.
A few years back, many Ivy League schools such as Harvard, Yale, Penn, and Dartmouth were implicated and investigated (by who I have no idea) for grade inflation. Cornell was also discussed. Therefore, I leave it up to you to creatively yell the issue in an entertaining and concise manner. My guess, after a bad shot yell something like “That would be a B at Cornell and a D+ at Syracuse”. Let your imagination guide you.
Finally, upon free throws, there is the classic after a player makes one free throw and misses another of yelling “50% is still failing”. Take it one step further. “Even at Cornell, 50% is still failing.” When you insult their academic reputation you insult their soul.
You can get pretty creative with this, as I am sure I will with my friends in the 309 luxury seats I have (I’m working on a press pass for a game over break in January). All and all it should be a good time, and baring any surprises, should be a nice game to watch and enjoy. Stay tuned for postgame coverage, where I will finally catch up and comment on this game, ETSU and Colgate in one mega awesome blog post. Until next time remember, they may yell that we will be pumping their gas someday, but you can always yell “Syracuse rejects!”
First off, the main jeer that any good fan would rely on is of course a reference to the fact the City of Ithaca has gorges. A gorge, as defined by dictionary.com, is a narrow cleft with steep, rocky walls, especially one through which a stream runs or a small canyon. On the campus of Cornell University, which I have been to on more than a few occasions because my hometown is only 30 minutes from campus, are several bridges going across these gorges. Traditionally, during final examinations each semester, at least what I have always been told, is that they close down these bridges to pedestrian traffic to curb the desire for kids feeling the pressures of an Ivy League Institution to take one final jump. Without doing any fact checking, and relying on information I have heard since my high school days, Cornell/Ithaca, NY is the place with the highest suicide rate in New York State, with the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) following in second (this is mostly due to the aesthetically unappealing campus).
Therefore, the only logical conclusion is to yell things like “Go jump in a Gorge!” This is also a reference to shirts that are sold in the Ithaca Commons which read “Ithaca is Gorges!” A parody on the word gorgeous. Just awful. Really, you have an Ivy League school in your wheelhouse, and that is how creative you hippies got? Yet I digress. Yelling for someone to jump is a classic putdown, but it could have disastrous consequences, seemingly.
During the 2005-2006 season, myself and several of my friends had tickets in the student section (which is fun because I was not a student at the time. Pulling one over on the man… awesome! Thanks again for the ID Ben.). My friend John was on the aisle in Section 103 and he was yelling “Go jump in a Gorge!” among other things. A girl, who somehow ended up in the Syracuse Student Section, or could have even been an SU student tapped my friend on the arm and said “HEY! My friend died in a gorge. That’s not funny.” We were dumbfounded. Not only was Debbie Downer in the Dome, but frankly who cares? We are all there to have a good time and WTF dude. This all threw us for a loop and we still tell that story every time gorges are brought up. So use this jeer and use it often tonight.
A few years back, many Ivy League schools such as Harvard, Yale, Penn, and Dartmouth were implicated and investigated (by who I have no idea) for grade inflation. Cornell was also discussed. Therefore, I leave it up to you to creatively yell the issue in an entertaining and concise manner. My guess, after a bad shot yell something like “That would be a B at Cornell and a D+ at Syracuse”. Let your imagination guide you.
Finally, upon free throws, there is the classic after a player makes one free throw and misses another of yelling “50% is still failing”. Take it one step further. “Even at Cornell, 50% is still failing.” When you insult their academic reputation you insult their soul.
You can get pretty creative with this, as I am sure I will with my friends in the 309 luxury seats I have (I’m working on a press pass for a game over break in January). All and all it should be a good time, and baring any surprises, should be a nice game to watch and enjoy. Stay tuned for postgame coverage, where I will finally catch up and comment on this game, ETSU and Colgate in one mega awesome blog post. Until next time remember, they may yell that we will be pumping their gas someday, but you can always yell “Syracuse rejects!”
Labels: Basketball, Heckling