sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Emma M Nutt Day!
Emma M. Nutt Day celebrates the first woman telephone operator in America.
Emma Nutt became the first woman telephone operator on September 1, 1878. She loved the job, and worked at it for 33 years.
This special day celebrates the world of telephone operators. It was a very important job for many decades. Today, the position has been eliminated being replaced by automation in telephone systems. Can you imagine what Emma would think about today's cell phone world!?
A little side note about Emma: According to Emma, she was "very thankful that my first name was not Imma".
SU News
PROTÉGÉ (DO; Mettus)
When Dontae Strickland’s grades were slipping, putting his future scholarship offers and football career in jeopardy, his football coach at South Brunswick High School knew just one man who could break through.
Joe George, the coach, called up then-Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Mohamed Sanu to visit during his bye week for a surprise meeting in the coach’s office with Strickland and Sanu’s nephew, Mohamed Jabbie, who had grade problems as well.
Sanu wasn’t just serving as a professional football player to command respect from an aspiring professional athlete, or even just a former South Brunswick (New Jersey) football star to give advice to someone whose shoes he had been in several years earlier.
He was, and is, practically family to Strickland. So he didn’t hold anything back.
What followed was “a lot of yelling, screaming,” Strickland said. George couldn’t help but think he probably shouldn’t be in the room as Sanu got “down and dirty with them.” The 45-minute to an hour-long speech left them all in tears, Sanu said.
The message was clear: You only play football once in your life. Don’t throw it away. No one cares how good you are if you don’t have the grades to go to college.
“It was probably one of the best speeches that anyone has ever given me,” Strickland said, “and motivated me, probably still to this day, to give it my all no matter how bad I’m feeling or what’s going on.”
Throughout Strickland’s football career and life, Sanu has served as a role model, mentor and source of tough love. He gave Strickland the nickname Tae Beamer because Strickland moves like a BMW, a nickname that’s stuck to this day.
Strickland is entering his sophomore year and, despite seeing limited action as a hybrid in 2015, rose to the No. 1 running back spot in the spring. He was hurt for the latter part of training camp but still held the top running back spot on the Week 1 depth chart released Monday. Strickland said Tuesday he is “100 percent.”
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THE STANDARD (DO; Schwedelson)
Steve Ishmael has become the standard while being one of SU’s only constants
Steve Ishmael knew he’d have a chance to be a difference-maker as early as his freshman year. He spoke with fellow Syracuse commit, three-star quarterback Alin Edouard, every day. They discussed the possibilities, the untapped potential of the dominant tandem they could be for the SU.
Ishmael and Edouard, both Miami natives, visited each other’s houses often. They tossed a football around outside. They fantasized about being the ones to help turn the program around.
When Ishmael committed to SU just before signing day in 2014, he mentioned Edouard, four-star wide receiver K.J. Williams and then-offensive coordinator George McDonald as the three people he was most looking forward to teaming up with.
Two and a half years later, Ishmael is the only one still at Syracuse. Edouard and Williams didn’t qualify academically and McDonald was fired after the 2014 season. Ishmael has been one of the Orange’s only constants amid constant turnover.
“I just want to win games, man,” Ishmael said.
Syracuse has won only seven games in Ishmael’s career. For a player who’s been one of Syracuse’s best, it’s time to change that.
As part of an offensive scheme that is friendlier to wide receiver’s statistics than SU’s style last year, Ishmael has a chance to break out. He said he hasn’t set any personal goals for his junior season, but he used to talk in high school about leaving his mark with the Orange.
Through two seasons, he’s racked up 985 yards, 66 catches and 10 touchdowns in all 24 games, despite going through six different quarterbacks and now three different offensive coordinators.
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Syracuse football roundtable: Key storylines, what SU needs to make a bowl and under-the-radar players (DO; Staff)
Syracuse’s season kicks off on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome against Colgate. Dino Babers will make his Orange head coaching debut as SU begins its 2016 campaign in search of its first bowl game appearance since 2013.
With the season just days away, beat writers Chris Libonati, Jon Mettus and Matt Schneidman answered three questions about Syracuse.
1. What is the biggest storyline to watch in the Colgate game?
Chris Libonati: Will Syracuse get Villanova’d? I personally don’t think they’ll have to grind out a win over the Raiders likeSU had to against ‘Nova in the 2014 season opener, but I think that’s the worry this week. Colgate has a solid run game and teams that can grind down opponents and play keep away are effective against faster-paced teams. That said, I don’t think that’s the way the game will go. If Syracuse does get “Villanova’d,” I generally don’t think the rest of the season will be headed in the right direction.
Jon Mettus: Tempo. Tempo. Tempo. Just exactly how fast is this offense with these players? And how good will it be? A great performance against Colgate has to be taken with a grain of salt. But a flop is major cause for concern. This team is going to rely heavily on the success of its offense and a bad performance against an FCS team in Babers’ first game would signal a long and painful year.
Matt Schneidman: The biggest storyline to keep an eye on is if Babers’ offense can open eyes as much as it’s been advertised to be able to. Is Orange really the new fast? Even if it’s against Colgate? To squelch any doubt about whether Syracuse’s players can fit into his Baylor-style system, SU will need to trounce Colgate through Eric Dungey and the passing game. Players have been saying all camp “you’ll just have to wait and see” when asked about how fast the offense is. Well, the time is here. Now let’s see it.
2. Syracuse will reach a bowl game if …
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Syracuse students to receive free tickets to Colgate football game (DO; Schwedelson)
Syracuse students will receive free tickets to the Orange’s season opener on Friday at 7 p.m. against Colgate in the Carrier Dome, SU Athletics announced Wednesday.
Students must bring their SUID and enter through Gate E, which opens at 4:30 p.m.
Friday’s game marks the first game under first-year head coach Dino Babers. He has spent the past four years as head coach at Eastern Illinois and Bowling Green for the past two years each, respectively. Babers brings highly-touted style of offense.
Last season, the Orange went 4-8 under head coach Scott Shafer, who was fired before the final game of the year. SU has won just seven games in the past two seasons and begins the year in search of its first bowl appearance since 2013.
Syracuse football opponent preview: What to know about Colgate (DO; Mettus)
Syracuse’s 2016 season will get underway on Friday at 7 p.m. against Colgate in the Carrier Dome. Here’s what to know about the Raiders.
All-time Series: Colgate is Syracuse’s third-most played opponent with the 67th installment of the series coming on Friday. Even though the Raiders haven’t beaten the Orange in the 15 games since 1950, Colgate has just barely gotten the best of the series with a record of 31-30-5. The series was much more of a rivalry in the past that included a war of pranks between the two schools.
Last Time They Played: Syracuse running back Delone Carter scored four touchdowns and led the Orange to a 42-7 dismantling of Colgate on Sept. 25, 2010. The win put SU at 3-1 and marked the first time since 2003 the Orange had won three of its first four games. Syracuse piled up 437 yards (260 on the ground). Carter finished with 14 carries and 172 yards.
The Colgate Report: The Raiders will be Syracuse’s first ranked opponent, albeit ranked in the Football Championship Subdivision. They’re coming off a 9-5 season that ended in the FCS football quarterfinals — one of its best runs in program history. Colgate returns nine offensive starters and eight on the defensive end.
“This is probably one of the most experienced football teams that we’re going to play all year,” SU head coach Dino Babers said.
Colgate is a running team that relies on several ball carriers out of its shotgun read-option offense. Four players ran the ball at least 120 times last season with the leader, Jake Melville (the quarterback), averaging 76.6 yards per game. The team averaged 206.4 yards on the ground per game. The Raiders threw only two interceptions all season, best in the FCS.
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Syracuse football: Orange unveil first-time uniform combination vs. Colgate (TNIAAM; Cassillo)
The Syracuse Orange football program has announced its uniform combination for its season opener this Friday night. Against the one-time rival Colgate Raiders, here’s how SU will suit up:
Check out what the squad will be wearing on Friday in its season opener.#GATEvsCUSE #OrangeIsTheNewFast pic.twitter.com/Rq4FLovzac
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) August 31, 2016
Interestingly, Syracuse has never worn this combination since rolling out the new duds in 2014 and the orange jerseys in 2015. Previously, orange have only been worn with both orange helmets and orange pants. They’re 2-1 in the orange jerseys to this point (with wins against Boston College and Wake Forest). Of the four options (orange, blue, white, PLATINUM), these are the only jerseys with a winning record.
The orange jerseys are a nice touch for Friday, since it is “College Colors Day” and all. One might have expected the all-orange look to commemorate the occasion. But still, orange jerseys are a start. And the new combination here will be an interesting one. Unfortunately SU has still yet to begin selling the orange jerseys to the public. But perhaps this season? (PLEASE?)
We look forward to seeing actual football this Friday, and an actual Syracuse Orange football team wearing orange. Kickoff is around 7 p.m. ET at the Carrier Dome, and also available on ACC Network Extra.
Schedule Analysis — 2016 Syracuse Football preview - The Juice Online (the juice; Cheng)
With Syracuse less than a week away from kickoff, The Juice Online will be doing its annual week-long football preview. Check back in tomorrow as Jim Stechschulte gives his overall outlook and predictions.
For the second straight campaign, the Orange open with three consecutive home contests, including a Friday night debut against an FCS team. The second game of the season, when #23 Louisville comes to the Carrier Dome, will be the unveiling of Dino Babers’ new offense at SU in front of a national television audience. That third game is a revenge opportunity for Syracuse, as they lost at USF last season. The game against the Bulls will also be a contest against a team that is on a same general level as the Orange, but has very good athleticism. It could be the bellwether for the rest of the year.
Three straight games away from the Carrier Dome follows that opening stretch, including the first of three games against preseason top-ten teams. Notre Dame is that first top-ten team, as the Irish enter the season ranked #9 in the country. The other two games in that stretch classify as winnable, even for a team working in new systems on both sides of the ball.
The back half of the season is not easy, highlighted by a trip to #2 Clemson and a visit from #4 Florida State in a three-week span. Syracuse was game against the Tigers last year at home, but a trip south is a different story. The trip to Boston College is one of the easier ACC matchups, as the Orange defeated a punchless BC team to close 2015. Games with Virginia Tech, North Carolina State, and Pitt will show how far the SU offense has come over the course of the season.
Other
NY State Fair 2016 vendors on fairgrounds changes: 'We can't make money' (PS; Cazentre)
The Awesome Onion and the Toss 'n Fire pizza stands cut staff. The Empire Grill and Chicken Bandit food trucks simply packed up and left.
Yanila Mestre, operating the Cuban Sandwich food truck at the New York State Fair for the first time, had a worried look on her face when she said, through an interpreter: "We thought we could make money. We can't make money. What do I do if I lose money?"
It's been a rough few days for many of the vendors operating at this year's fair, especially those in new locations near the Midway and Kiddieland, and even in the old West End, where stands have operated longer.
The fair is more spread out this year due the the first phase of a $50 million makeover, and, although reported attendance is up, that hasn't translated into money for the vendors on the west side of the grounds. Many vendors say the fair has not driven enough fairgoers to the streets leading to the West End and the Midway.
"This is the worst fair ever," said Monica Bova, operator of Alivero's, a stand that operated on the West End, near the cattle barns, for about 20 years. "We are losing money. We will not make money with traffic like this."
At the Awesome Onion in the new area adjacent to Kiddieland, the first day's revenues were down 70 percent, said McKayla Jenkins, daughter of owner Melody Nelson-Jenkins. It's been a little better since then, she said, "but not enough for us to make money."
Vendors have to shell out thousands of dollars to rent their locations, plus give a percentage of the revenues to the fair. That means it is possible for vendors to lose money.
"After the first 4 days it was obvious we were losing money every minute we stayed there," said Dennis Souva, co-owner of the Chicken Bandit food truck, which was debuting at the fair in the new area called Broadway. He drove off after Day 4. "We decided that to stay would not improve our chances of making any money."
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