Episode 2. It comes after Episode 1.

Despite my best efforts, we have a shorter show this week. Sean Keeley from Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician joined me and it was fun broadcasting with a frequent collaborator. Due to technical difficulty the front of the show got chopped off and this was our rebooted effort. You only missed a little luckily. We discuss the last multiple game week for the Orange as they played Rutgers and Hobart away from the Dome. We also talk about the new RPI numbers, some Big East Bracketology, and some NCAA Tournament talk. Always great chatting with Sean and you'll like it too if you are a Syracuse fan. You can listen to or download this episode here.

With all the stuff going on with the basketball team, as well as the impending start of the lacrosse season for Syracuse, Sean of Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician and I got together via cellular telephonic devises and recorded the latest Nunes/Magician Podcast. This time on Episode 11 we talk about what exactly is going on with the Syracuse Basketball, analyze wha happened with The Hall, we almost pretend to pick what will happen the rest of the schedule, talk about if Jim Boeheim knows what he's doing, and much, much more. It's about 38 minutes of solid conversation that you could easily have yourself in a bar. But we're experts. Listen to the stream below or download this or other past episodes here. Of course it is also available on iTunes as well.

You've got an iPod and need it to be filled with smart people talking about sports right? Even if you don't and you're reading this website you like Syracuse enough to want to hear the latest episode of Troy Nunes is an Absolute Podcast. It happens to be the 10th episode and it is pretty good for being one of the shortest we've done. Sean from Nunes/Magician and I talk about the Louisville debacle, bowl games, the impending LeMoyne basketball exhibition, and yes even some lacrosse talk. We get into the extremely hot topic of Big East expansion as well. It's the same standard of quality you've come to expect from both of us by now. You can download the latest episode, or any past episodes, here. Or you can listen below.

In case you haven't heard by now, the fine folks at Maple Street Press publish a massive preview guide for only a hand full of elite college basketball teams in the nation. Syracuse is one of them. And they did a genius thing. They put Sean of Nunes/Magician in charge of editing the entire thing. Which means he hired the most talented people he knew to write the thing. Yes, the SU bloggers. Including me.

Normally you get 100% goodness about Syracuse from myself and Orange::44 Correspondent John Brennan right here. But my articles, along with the other fine writers you know and probably read, in this publication will only be available in the pages. It is 128 pages, no advertisements, and 100% on Syracuse Basketball. The Maple Street Press' Orange Tip-Off 2010-2011 is available at newsstands in the Northeast starting October 19th, or you can order one right here for the low price of $12.99. And just look at all the articles and authors here. If that isn't the mega brain trust of SU Basketball I don't know what is.

If you're an SU Basketball fan in the least, this is a must have for the upcoming season. Not only do you get some great articles from people you already like, but you learn about every player, the history of the team, predictions for the year, looks at last season, and much more. Just do it already. You'll thank yourself later. Just to prove it, check out a small segment from Hoya Suxa's Matt Glaude about the Georgetown/Syracuse rivalry here.

With training camp started for the Syracuse Orange football squad this week Sean from Nunes/Magician, Matt "The Glaude" from Hoya Suxa, and I chat about football and along the way we learn some life lessons. Episode 8 of Troy Nunes is an Absolute Podcast is now up. It's like 39 minutes of concentrated brilliance and was a lot of fun to do. Like this is pretty much the exact reason why I do these podcasts. Anyway, head on over to Nunes/Magician here to check it out. You can also download this or any previous episodes here.

Trademark free. Suck it SU!

Sean Keeley of Nunes/Magician fame wrote a book on how to raise your children correct. That is so they don't become fans of Connecticut or worse... Georgetown. We at Orange::44 couldn't be more supportive of this goal, therefore we can't recommend enough you purchase this fine publication. It's available for purchase here in a myriad of formats. Plus it's only $10. How can you beat it? Sean now owes me an adult beverage and sounds even more like Jay Sherman.

Day 2 of the SOB's continue.

Welcome back to the SOB Awards, presented by your favorite members of the elite group known as the Syracuse Blogosphere. If you missed any of Day 1, check out yesterday's results here. Thanks to the Idiots for starting today off with the presentation of the Best Photo from the year. Now we venture on and present the Best Senior.

While some of these categories are highly contensious, this is not one of them. With all 12 of the votes from the panel, the far and away best senior this year was…

Andy Rautins

Since we all voted for him I’ll just go down the line.

Sean of Nunes/Magician: Andy Rautins - Andy Rautins the senior must look at Andy Rautins the freshman and wonder who that guy was. Once just a three-ball specialist, Rautins emerged this year as a team leader on and off the court. This was Andy's team.

Brian of CuseOrange: Andy Rautins - shed his rep as merely a three-point shooter and son of Leo Rautins (though broadcasters nationwide will contend otherwise) and improved his game more than about anyone I've seen who stayed at SU for four years...ok, five. Whatever. He's already planned for a fallback career as a hair model in case the NBA doesn't pan out for him.

Matt Glaude of Hoya Suxa: Andy Rautins: He's no longer "Leo's Kid." The guy could father 20 kids out of wedlock and I'd still want to hug him for his dagger wielding. Plus, did you see that hair? I haven't seen follicle development like that in a long time.

Dan Lyons of Bleacher Report: Andy Rautins: Andy was the ultimate glue guy all year, while also being the team's second star. He was one of the best defensive guards in the nation and possibly the best at the top of Boeheim's zone ever, was a lights out shooter, an incredible passer, and provided the leadership a team needs from its seniors. I think Andy might have played his way into the draft this season.

Brian Harrison of Orange::44: Andy Rautins: When he was on, Andy was the best pure shooter in America. But his true value was in his passing abilities and his domination on the defensive end at the top of the 2-3 Zone. The improvement from last year to this year was astonishing as well.

Orange Chuck of The Big Orange Bloggers: Andy Rautins – I love AO and you could point out that his being injured may have cost this team a championship but Andy's leadership on the court offensively and defensively were impressive. I am glad both bled Orange (as often as they were injured, literally as well) and when AO played great, he was one of the best big men in the game but Andy was the spark plug they leaned on to help when it was needed.

Jameson Fleming of Bleacher Report: Andy Rautins: Did you know Leo was his father? Oh, you did? I guess I'll have to tell you something new about Andy then. After being an offensive liability ever year until this year (yes, his game was not on par with last year's offense), Rautins became this team's catalyst. While he rarely could create his own shot, he created so much for others, that the offense essentially ran through him. Not bad for a guy who was once considered a one-star recruit.

D.A. from The Orange Fizz: Gotta be Rautins, although far too often this season I yelled upon an off-balance three-point heave, "Nooooo Andy!... YES!" He sunk more "bad look" threes than anyone in SU history - and ended the season doing the same in the Butler game. But without him, SU's season would've ended in the first round.

Steve from CuseOrange: Andy Rautins. Just goes to show what hard work, mixed with talent can achieve. He was the most needed player on the team. Seemed to hit many of his 3s after opposing teams runs or as an exclamation point on our runs. No doubt we will miss him next year.

Josh from Cuse Country: Arinze was a rock but Rautins was the engine that made this team go. Strange to say it but his loss will probably be felt more keenly than Wes or Arinze next season. There was nobody else on the team that could do what Andy could.

Syracusan from Cuse Country: Leo's kid. We'll miss Andy more than we've missed any player in a long time. I'm going to spend a lot of energy rooting for him to somehow pull an NBA career out of thin air. I think he's capable, but he's going to need a lot of luck.

Andrew of The Three Idiots: Andy Rautins. He ditched the fauxhawk, but picked up an improved all around game. While he didn't put up gaudy scoring numbers all the time, he was the player teams game planned against and while he was prone to throwing a few balls into the stands, the Jamesville-Canadian made some spectacular passes this year. I'm really going to miss Andy.

So there you have it. Congratulations to Andy Rautins on a great senior season and many thanks from the Syracuse faithful. That wraps up my end of the SOB’s for 2009-2010, but the awards roll on. Tune to The Orange Fizz at 11:00AM EST for the winner of the Favorite Moment of the Season. And once again check out Nunes/Magician at the end of the day for all the final results from this madness known as the Syracuse Orange Blogger Awards. We’ll see you next year. Thanks to Sean for organizing them again and special thanks to the members of the panel for the great work.

We've taken a few weeks off, but the Big City Classic, along with the news of Wes Johnson turning pro gave us the great opportunity to have our seventh episode. Sean from Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician and I talk about those things, along with The Glaude's lack of pants, the New Meadowlands Stadium, attractive Syracuse quarterbacks (no homo), the state of NCAA Division 1 Lacrosse, and other awesome topics. Give it a listen below. Or download the episode here, or any of the past episodes. You can also do so anytime by checking out the bottom of of the sidebar. Enjoy!

Need some Georgetown Audio Hate? Done.

It was time for Sean from Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician and I to record yet another podcast. But we needed something extra special because today Syracuse takes on Georgetown in Washington. Therefore we invited Matt Glaude from Hoya Suxa, the definitive hater of all things Hoya and the founder of this exact notebook, to join us. We talk about such things as crazy internet videos starring Matt, exactly how crafty Fred Hill is, how terrible of a place Storrs, CT is, who will win the game tonight, and even some Olympic Curling talk! It's almost 40 minutes of audio gold well worth your time and perfect to prime you for the game or indiscriminate hate of Georgetown. Something we can all get behind. You can download this show, or any of our past podcasts here, on iTunes, or just listen below. Enjoy and thanks to Matt and Sean as always!

We're back and with guests!

After a couple weeks off your favorite SU related podcast is back.

It's true. Sean of Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician and I are back to talk all things Syracuse. Today we discuss the Rutgers win, the fact no one likes DOC Gross, the merits of USF's hire, why Ithaca, NY sucks, why we can't have nice things, and plenty of other interesting tid bits. It's 44 minutes of quality banter that is worth your time as an SU fan. Download it and put it on your iPod if you're so inclined. You know you want to. You can do that here, along with downloading any of our past episodes. Or just listen below. Your choice.

The latest episode of the best Syracuse chit chat recorded for the internets is now available. I chat with Sean of Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician of course. This time we chat about Syracuse basketball, the good Doctor, Club Four Four, Jake Crouthamel, and have a debate about pitas. It's pretty much a must listen for any Syracuse fans. You can download it here, or feel free to listen down below. I promise more good times like the last episode.

Troy's voice isn't nearly as smooth as ours.

It's been six months, but it finally happened again. Sean Keeley of TroyNunes is an Absolute Magician and I spend around 45 good minutes chatting about Syracuse Athletics. We do it so you don't have to. We talk about it all. We cover the past football season, how we can shit talk about this basketball team, the impending lacrosse season in the new Big East league, and the hot topic of the day; Big Ten expansion. I lay out some suggestions, talk about how irrelevant Rutgers is, and why we should tell Notre Dame to GFY. You can access all the audio goodness here. Hopefully we'll try to do it every week.

Nunes wouldn't fall down while playing Maine.

Another week, another chat with Sean over at Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician. Today Sean asks me about the Maine affair, bowl games, people complaining, who was can afford to lose the least, and much more. Check it out at Nunes/Magician right here.

Nunes knows how to run a good offense, and he was impressed with Greg.

It's another installment of my weekly conversation with Sean of Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician. Today we talk about the Northwestern win, Doug Marrone's face, and other assorted things that will surely put you in that oh so happy place. Thanks to Sean as always. Enjoy!

1. Orange::44: Syracuse has their first win of the season. What did you take away from this game?

Nunes: That we are actually "not bad," just as we suspected. We're officially in a position where we can win games against mediocre teams and challenge decent teams at home. It's not much, but for Syracuse, it's a huge improvement.

I think most of us (except you) went into this game feeling like Syracuse could win. It was nice to be proven right for once (sucks to be you, though). Had we lost the game in a similar fashion to the way we lost to Minnesota, if would have felt like we were still stuck behind this wall we just can't get around and it would have stuck with us all season.

Not to mention the fact that being 1-2 at this point in the season is HUGELY different than being 0-3, especially with the chance to go 2-2 this week. And that with attendance quickly sagging, the win will likely slow that trend (Maine drop-off notwithstanding). That win was so huge.

2. Orange::44: Greg Paulus and Mike Williams were electric in this game. Is Williams' dropsies a thing of the past?

Nunes: Remains to be seen. Who’s to say why Williams, and most of the Syracuse receivers, were suffering through the dropsies. Obviously, Mike's proven that it was an exception and not the rule. If I were one of the other SU receivers, especially the young ones, I'd be working with Mike every chance I got to harness that "thing" he's got going for him.

When was the last time you could look at a QB-WR combo that had such a great game for SU? I honestly don't remember. Maybe Robinson-Williams two years ago. But that feels like ten years ago at this point.

3. Orange::44: What is different about this year's defense that makes them so successful?

Nunes: Conditioning and scheme. The two areas we expected Greg Robinson to take care of the most where his two biggest weaknesses as a head coach. We complained til we were orange in the face last year about how unconditioned this team looked. By the 3rd quarter they were almost always gassed. Now, there's an extra gear that a lot of these guys are kicking in and it's showing.

Plus, and I will say this until I'm orange in the face this year, Syracuse got an absolute STEAL on Scott Shafer. Assuming he sticks around for another couple years, he's going to turn this defense into a monster. Aside from one bad year in Michigan (which was probably less his fault and more RichRod), he's defenses have always been stellar and he's proven that an "attack" defense isn't just hyperbole, it's a real thing.

Of course, SU still has a lot of issues defensively, namely in the backfield. But based on what's available...it's been night and day.

4. Orange::44: Matt Grothe is done for the year. Several other Big East schools, save Cincinnati, are looking down. Suddenly, this season looks completely different for Syracuse, right?

Nunes: Yeah its funny. Everyone seems very quick to point out that the Big East is down overall but when you ask them to turn that into wins for Syracuse, they're still very hesitant. But aside from Cincy, can you honestly tell me any team in the conference looks like a shoe-in to beat the Orange?

USF just lost the #1 passer (stat-wise) in Big East history. Pitt is 3-0 but very untested. Rutgers laid an egg against the only real competition it's played so far. Louisville is nothing special. UConn is frisky but not imposing. West Virginia is way down.

I'm not saying SU should go 5-2 in the Big East. But I think for the most part, the Orange have the opportunity to win some football games, especially given what we've seen of them so far.

5. Orange::44: Doug Marrone is pretty stoic on the sidelines, but he is typically a straight shooter in press conferences. Did you want to see him be more excited after that first win?

Nunes: I thought his reaction was perfect. He was pleased but he acted like he's been there before. He's a big picture guy. He knows that one win is nice but it's not the final destination. His mindset seems to be "Great, we won one, now let's win the rest." And that's what we want. A guy who's not satisfied with "flashes." We want a guy who's not satisfied until we go 12-0. That's Dougles.

6. Orange::44: We've talked about Twitter the last few weeks. What do you think will be the next big thing for bloggers?

Nunes: Good question. I really feel like chats are dying a not-so-slow death. I'd like to see the comments morph into something else if that's possible. I look at blogs as mini-communities and the readers influence what's happening as much as the writers do in some senses.

Twitter has been such a great tool for that because it levels the playing field. We're no longer on my blog and you're the commenter. Now we're both on common ground, sharing the same info.

I'm sure the Next Big Thing is already happening. I look forward to jumping on its bandwagon six months late when it happens.

7. Orange::44: Finally, if you could share a luxury box with anyone while watching a Syracuse game who would it be and why?

Nunes: I'm not much of a celebrity person. Maybe its because I'm jaded from working in Hollywood. So to me, I don't think I'd really get too much out of being in a booth with great SU players or coaches. Plus. I'm pretty sure Boeheim would just spent the entire game complaining.

Sounds corny but I would love to get all of the folks from the Syracuse blogs and radio and get us all together in a luxury box to watch a game together. All of those personalities in one room, making jokes, celebrating, eating way more than they should (we're bloggers after all), I just think it would be a fantastic atmosphere.

Keeping with the theme of the day, Sean from Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician and I are back at it with our weekly question and answer session. Today he waxes poetic about the Minnesota game, how the season will look, Penn State, tweets and more. Thanks Sean.

1. Orange::44: What is the overall thing, good or bad, you took away from the Minnesota game?

Nunes: That just by improving the coaching, the schemes and the way our program conducts itself, we're a better football program. Conversely, I also took away that we still have a long way to go. At times, the offense looked in control and efficient. At other times, it looked stagnant and overmatched. At times the defense looked imposing. At other times, it looked like Swiss cheese.

No one expects a miracle this season but I think we all has reasonable hopes that the team would show improvement. So far, so good. It's a shame we have to play Penn State now cause I fear this game could kill the momentum we have going. And considering Northwestern is no pushover, it's a shame that we may very well end up 0-3. I don't feel like this is a horrible team. I feel like it's a slightly-below-average team learning how to become an average team. Given the last few years, I think that's fine.

2. Orange::44: What is your biggest concern from the game? Is it Paulus’ decision making, the weakness of the offensive line, the talent of the secondary, or something different?

Nunes: Paulus' decision-making will come. In the long-term, that was a great lesson for him (sucks for the rest of us). I guarantee you he never forces the ball like that in a similar situation again. He'll work it out.

The O-line definitely has to be a concern. There's only so much Paulus and the RBs can do if they don't have protection up front. It's going to be a learning process as well.

I have to go with the defense's ability as a whole to stop their opponents all season. The secondary had a rough go this past weekend but we won't be facing an Eric Decker every week. That said, they'll need to get a little more aggressive if they want to stop any further near-200-yard days from a receiver. I just worry that we're going to find ourselves spotting teams 14-20 points all season. We got a little lucky in that Minnesota wasn't clicking early on but that won't always be the case. The pressure is on our offense to score points much more so than it should be. I guess that's been the issue for a while now, just not going away.

3. Orange::44: What do you think Marrone and his staff could have done different to win the game?

Nunes: I don't know if it was a coaching issue as to why we lost. I feel like they made good calls and there was nothing that stood out to me as a horrible decision. If anything, maybe we could have been more aggressive in the 2nd half offensively instead of trying to maintain.

In the end, I think it came down to on-the-field experience for a lot of players. The dropped passes. Paulus' interception. The bad snap to start the game. The penalties. These are all things that are on the players at the end of the day. The more they get worked out, the better Marrone and his staff's schemes and playcalls will work.

4. Orange::44: Looking ahead to Penn State, do you think the upset is possible?

Nunes: I've got this image in my mind of a fluke scenario where Mike Jones runs back the opening kickoff, Penn State fumbles away their kick, Syracuse scores quick, Penn State gives up a pick-six shortly-thereafter and all of a sudden it's 21-0 in the 2nd quarter and no one knows what the hell just happened. Kinda like when we upset Louisville two years ago. After that, it's just about holding off the Penn State onslaught before they catch up. That's probably the only way the upset will happen...if Penn State beats themselves. Otherwise I think SU will put forth great effort and play their asses off, but fall short.

5. Orange::44: Win or lose, what is something you want to see out of the Penn State game that will give you hope things are more than on the right track?

Nunes: I'd just like to see a competitive game. I don't want this to be a laugher. I don't want this to be a game that the TV station cuts away from in the 3rd quarter because it's so boring and out-of-reach. I just want Syracuse to make Penn State play four quarters. If we can do that, at the very least, that's something to take away from the day. As Herm Edwards would say, "We can build on this."

Besides, it can't be any worse than last year, right? RIGHT???

6. Orange::44: After the first week, care to make any revisions to any of your preseason predictions?

Nunes: I said 5-7 and I was banking on the Minnesota win to help that along. Then again, I'm even more confident than before that Syracuse can win 2 or 3 Big East games this season. Louisville struggled early with a horrendous Indiana State team, Rutgers looked abominable, UConn struggled with Ohio and West Virginia didn't exactly wow the crowd against Liberty. Given that SU is going to be a better football team, 5 wins is not out of the question yet. We'll beat Maine and Akron, it's just a matter of what else we can do in the conference.

So I'll stand pat for now at 5-7.

7. Orange::44: Finally, this Twitter thing is really catching on huh?

Nunes: It really is. I know a lot of people are waiting for the shoe to drop or the next big thing to come along and replace it but, right now, Twitter dominates the sports information landscape. Live-blogs, reports, message boards and in-game analysis are basically moot at this point. Between those of us watching the game at home, those at the game itself and those reporting from the press box...no relevant (or irrelevant) piece of information goes unnoticed within seconds. By the time I want to make a comment on something that just happened, five other people have already done the same thing.

Yahoo's Dan Wetzel said that Twitter is the tool that old media is using to take back live-updating from the blogs. I disagree. I think Twitter has allowed fans to surpass blogs and old media to become the source themselves. It's cool to watch and it's cool to have seen Twitter become what it is in the last year. It's going to make the game-watching experience that much more interactive and that much more fun.

Troy can't wait to listen to the whole thing.

Troy loves hilarious late night programs.

Yes, it's still mostly lax around here.

Sean from Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician and I frequently chat. By frequently I mean weekly. This week was my turn to answer questions he posed. Being that we just won National Championship #11 in lacrosse and I was there Sean wondered my thoughts on the whole weekend. We also chat about Flynn's draft status, chances for a threepeat, and the ABA of all things. Check out Orange::44 is an Absolute Magician version 26.0.

I'll be back later this weekend to wrap up the Final Four and let you knwo the schedule of events around this place for the summer. There are some, but you won't like it I'm guessing.