sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to National Electricity Day!
National Electricity Day takes place on the anniversary of the date in 1752 when Benjamin Franklin flew a kite in a thunderstorm, with the intent of proving that lightning was caused by a discharge of electricity (some sources say he flew his kite on June 10). His experiment led to further understanding of positive and negative charges, the proving that lightning was an electrical discharge, and to the invention of the lightning rod—which provided a safe way to discharge electricity and a way to prevent fires. Lightning rods are still used today to protect buildings, ships, and people.
SU News
An Early Look At Syracuse's First Six Opponents (orangefizz.net; Griffin)
Hard as it is to believe, the opening kickoff for Syracuse Football is two and a half months away and will be here before we know it. Last year, the Orange overcame a gauntlet of a schedule en route to a 7-5 regular season and Pinstripe Bowl appearance. This year’s schedule is filled with tough road slates, Clemson at home, and even a showdown at Yankee Stadium. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect in SU’s first six games this year.
There’s only one game over the first six that you should be able to peg definitively as “this should be a close game”. It’s only a matter of time before we find out the truth in that statement. Stay tuned later this week for an analysis of the back half.
Syracuse Football: The LeQuint-essential side of SU’s 2023 running game (itlh; Fiello)
It seems to me that often when you discuss a predecessor to something successful, whether at Syracuse football or other ‘Cuse sports, people want to use that to compare and contrast. Much like those who thought 44 should be retired because nobody could compare to the greats who wore it.
When in actuality, I and many others never did that but simply enjoyed the tradition of passing it down and seeing it on the field.
And by that same logic, when I talk about my optimism in regard to the 2023 Syracuse football running game, I’m not comparing anyone to Sean Tucker. I loved Sean Tucker and even believed he should have been given the 44 jersey. I loved watching him play and will miss him immensely like I do many Syracuse players when they move on.
But in 2023, Sean Tucker is on the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster and it’s my opinion that those on the Syracuse roster will be just fine. I wish Sean well obviously and can do so while also saying I believe that the Orange current roster can be successful too.
...
https://www.si.com/college/syracuse...icial-visit-details-next-steps-in-recruitment (SI; McAllister)
Syracuse football hosted 2024 Millville (NJ) High wide receiver Ta'Ron Haile for an official visit over the weekend.
"We got there on Friday and they picked us up from the airport," Haile said. "We went right to get some food and then had coaches meetings. Over the next few days, we got to hang with the players and got to know them. We then did some fun stuff around campus."
One of the highlights of the trip? The great food he was able to eat.
"I had barbecue, the first day, chicken and ribs and stuff," Haile said. "That was good. Then the next day I had steak and lobster. A whole lot."
Haile's player host was current Syracuse wide receiver Isaiah Jones.
"He was really cool," Haile said. "He told me a lot about it from the sports side and the school side. The every day life. He showed me the campus and stuff."
After getting a closer look at the program, discussions with the players and coaches, Haile's interest in Syracuse increased.
...
https://www.si.com/college/syracuse/recruiting/kalieb-osborne-sets-syracuse-official-visit (SI; McAllister)
Class of 2024 Waterford (MI) Mott quarterback/athlete Kalieb Osborne will officially visit Syracuse this weekend, he tells All Syracuse. Osborne, a 6-4, 200 pound Toledo commit, is being recruited as a versatile athlete who will throw, catch and run in the Orange's offense similar to the way Taysom Hill is used in the NFL now. He threw for 2,779 yards with 20 touchdowns last season on 184-289 (63.6%) passing. Osborne also ran for 1,771 yards on 237 attempts with 31 more touchdowns. In 23 career games, Osborne has accumulated 89 total touchdowns.
Osborne committed to Toledo back in February, but that has not stopped the Orange from pursuing. Syracuse saw Osborne during the evaluation period, and has been enamored ever since. Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Jason Beck has been in constant communication with Osborne, leading Syracuse's recruiting efforts. Osborne has not reported a Syracuse offer yet, but that could change on the visit. Osborne does not have any power five offers, but has visited West Virginia and Indiana. In addition to Toledo, Osborne holds Central Michigan and Bowling Green offers.
Osborne is rated a three star prospect by 247Sports, ESPN and On3. Rivals lists him as a two star prospect. ESPN ranks Osborne as the 19th best dual threat quarterback in the 2024 class. 247Sports puts Osborne as the 42nd best quarterback, while On3 slates him 60th.
Syracuse Orange vs Virginia Tech Hokies - NCAA Football 14 - Updated to 2023 2024 Rosters (youtube.com; simulation; PS2SPORTSINFOSTATION)
Syracuse Orange vs Virginia Tech Hokies - NCAA Football 14 - Updated to 2023 2024 Rosters
Get to Know Your Orange Man: #73 OL Wes Hoeh (TNIAAM; Wall)
It’s time to start preparing for the upcoming Syracuse Orange football season. We’re going through the roster to take a look at each Syracuse player as we get ready for a critical season for the Orange.
Up next is….
Name: Wes Hoeh
Position: Offensive Line
Year: Redshirt Sophomore
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 275 lbs.
Hometown: Glen Ellyn, Ill.
High school: Glenbard West
2022 stats: Hoeh was moved to the fullback position after Chris Elmore’s injury. Appeared in all 12 games with 3 starts.
2023 projections: Hoeh was back on the offensive line this spring as it looks like Syracuse is going to use a fullback less frequently this upcoming season. He’s likely a backup guard and special teams player this fall.
How’d he get here?: Chose Syracuse over offers from Appalachian State, Central Michigan, Air Force, Navy and several Ivy League programs
What’d recruiting sites say?: Three stars
Money quote: Dino Babers saw something in Hoeh last fall which led him to make the position switch after week one.
Get to Know Your Orange Man: #74 OL Jakob Bradford (TNIAAM; Chiappone)
It’s time to start preparing for the upcoming Syracuse Orange football season. We’re going through the roster to take a look at each Syracuse player as we get ready for a critical season for the Orange.
Up next is….
Name: Jakob Bradford
Position: Offensive line
Year: Redshirt Junior
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 302 lbs
Hometown: Brooklyn Park, MN
High School/Previous College: Iowa Central CC
2022 stats: Bradford played in eight games for the Orange this past season, including one start at guard towards the end of the season against Wake Forest. He only allowed one sack in 86 total snaps, and was definitely a cog in the bigger machine that was Syracuse’s improved offensive production in 2022 compared to 2021.
2023 projections: With Matthew Bergeron in the NFL and with multiple years under his belt, Bradford could make his way into the Orange’s starting lineup. He’s put on a lot more weight and proved that Syracuse needs to count on guys like Bradford when the injuries start to pile up as they did last season.
...
ACC News
Bally Sports Kicks Another Asset to the Curb: ACC Football and Basketball Games (nexttv.com; Frankel)
Bankrupt Sinclair subsidiary Diamond Sports Group tells rights holder Raycom to find another distribution arrangement for the Atlantic Coast Conference
As the sports media world awaits which Major League Baseball team bankrupt Sinclair subsidiary cuts loose from its regional sport network contract, the Houston bankruptcy court overseeing Diamond's restructuring spat out a surprise Bally Sports refugee Wednesday: Atlantic Coast Conference football and basketball games.
Turns out Diamond has (had) a contract with Raycom, now reduced to a sports production unit of Gray Television, to show packages of ACC college football, as wel as men's and women's basketball.
Apparently, Raycom told Diamond even before the subsidiary entered Chapter 11 in March that it wanted out of its Bally Sports contract. Diamond apparently agreed and stopped paying Raycom.
On Wednesday, Diamond's lawyers filed a motion signaling an official rejection of the ACC contract.
Unlike the awkwardly hostile language between Major League Baseball and Sinclair/Diamond, the separation with Raycom sounds amicable.
"Recently, Raycom requested that the Debtors promptly reject the Raycom Agreement so that Raycom could initiate the process of seeking a new partner for broadcasting future ACC events," reads the court motion. "The parties’ respective counsel have worked closely with one another in preparing this motion, and Raycom supports the relief requested in this motion."
This was no tiny sports rights asset for the Bally Sports RSN business.
Bally Sports presented 43 ACC men's games and 25 women's basketball games during this past 2022-23 season. This included ACC contest featuring the Miami Hurricanes, a March Madness Final Four team last season.
Bally Sports also picked up ACC football games in recent years that weren't shown by national networks like ESPN, such as this contest between Miami and Virginia last season.
Diamond is in bankruptcy trying to shed around $8 billion in debt, with Sinclair gravely miscalculating the severity and impact of future cord-cutting when it paid $10.6 billion for 19 Fox SportsNet channels back in 2019 ... then blithely chose to embark on several campaigns of stock buybacks instead of paying down this debt.
...
Clemson not in these football games that will affect Tigers strength of schedule (rubbingtherock.com; Chuancey)
New season for Clemson Football, same old strength of schedule problems
Clemson Football will once again go into a new season with eight ACC opponents and non-conference games against Notre Dame and South Carolina, just the same as last season.
Clemson fans, as well as many other ACC fanbases, usually poke fun at SEC fanbases that have reputations for rooting for their conference mates. Many of those same Clemson fans want to rip their hair out when the Tigers get no respect nationally because their ACC schedule is considered weak.
While Clemson fans may prefer to root against the Gamecocks, Fighting Irish, Tar Heels, Seminoles, and Hurricanes, the reality is that if they all lose, the Tigers’ schedule will continue to be disrespected. Even if Clemson finishes with a nearly spotless record and an ACC title, that might not be enough to get them into the College Football Playoff if their peers are perceived to have played a harder schedule.
If Clemson is fortunate enough to go undefeated or only have one loss, they will need the teams on their schedule to perform well against their best out-of-conference opponents. It might seem irrelevant to many fans, but the Tigers need Virginia Tech to look great when they visit Marshall this year. They need NC State to handle business when they visit UConn. They need Virginia and Syracuse to play well when they go on the road against Big Ten opponents.
Some games stand out more than others because they will get a fair amount of national attention. These are the five games that don’t involve Clemson, but could most impact the Tigers’ CFP chances in 2023.
...
The BIG 10 Ready To Pounce On The ACC! (youtube; podcast; The Monty Show)
The BIG 10 appears ready to add more teams to their portfolio, and this time it's all about the ACC, who continues to deal with members looking for a way out of their massive grant of rights, and one team is leading the charge to break the ACC up! Who is the BIG 10 chasing? Who is working hard to bring the ACC down?
https://www.si.com/fannation/colleg...alignment-big-ten-sec-north-carolina-virginia (SI; Parks)
As the rumor mill around college football expansion and conference realignment starts to pick up again, the sport's two super-conferences are keeping their options open to see what schools from other leagues could come available in the future, and now their interest appears to reside in a pair of teams currently in the ACC.
North Carolina and Virginia are the two schools that both the SEC and the Big Ten would ideally prefer to add to their respective conferences sometime down the road should the opportunity ever come open, according to ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel.
Given that such additions would not be the most exciting football programs on the table for either conference — Clemson, Florida State, and Miami come to mind on that score — the major plus by including these teams would be their respective geography and market.
Both states are among the nation's 15 most populous, and much of Virginia backs up against Washington, D.C., one of the country's largest and wealthiest media markets.
...
Harrisburg's Elias Coke said Wednesday he added Florida State to his list of college offers. Mark Pynes | pennlive.comMark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com
Harrisburg freshman WR Elias Coke adds big ACC offer (pennlive.com; Linder)
Elias Coke is out in Florida and he won’t be coming back to Harrisburg empty handed.
That’s because the Harrisburg High standout freshman receiver said Wednesday that he added Florida State to his list of college offers.
His list now includes Michigan, Iowa State, Maryland, UCF, Virginia Tech, Temple, Michigan State, Boston College, Syracuse, West Virginia, Akron, Kent State, Toledo, Purdue, Rutgers, UNLV and Pitt.
Biggest Threat to College Sports is Realignment, Not NIL (wfnz.com; Pagnotta)
Fans around the world of college sports have been expressing concerns about the direction of amateur athletics for years. The elements that usually seem to come under fire the most are the transfer portal and NIL collectives that have been established. While those things certainly have their negatives, it doesn’t seem to be the thing that could cost college sports fans.
That lies on the shoulder of conference realignment which threatens to tear apart some of the traditions and rivalries that are the fabrics of that level of athletics. Two years ago, Oklahoma and Texas’s announcement that they were leaving for the SEC set off another round of realignment chaos after nearly ten years of stability. Since then, it has become chaos across all sports. Prior to last year’s college basketball season, 26 teams changed conferences from the previous year, and more movement is coming over the next couple of years.
Other
The Candlewood Suites on South Bay Road in North Syracuse Monday, May 22, 2023. N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com
Salina looks into whether hotel is housing asylum-seekers in violation of court order (PS; Alba)
Town of Salina officials on Wednesday started looking into whether the Candlewood Suites hotel has broken court orders that barred the hotel from letting asylum-seekers stay there.
A state Supreme Court judge in Syracuse ordered in May that the hotel could not accept any asylum-seekers coming from New York City. The orders halted New York City officials’ plans to relocate migrants upstate.
Residents at the hotel said they saw groups of people being dropped off by SUVs at the hotel late Tuesday night. Well over 30 people arrived and hotel staff quickly rushed them into rooms, Nicole Sinda, a resident at the hotel, told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard.
Reports from other residents led town officials to look into whether the hotel is now housing asylum-seekers, Salina Town Supervisor Nick Paro said Wednesday.
The town sent code enforcement officials to the hotel to verify whether it broke the court orders, Paro said. Specifically, they looked into reports of asylum-seekers staying in the hotel and whether fire suppression systems were being shut down, he said.
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Adam Weitsman seeks OK to tear down another multimillion-dollar Skaneateles Lake home (PS; $; Moriarty)
Billionaire scrap dealer Adam Weitsman is asking for permission to demolish a Skaneateles Lake home he bought eight months ago for a cool $6 million.
Weitsman bought the 6,300-square-foot, six-bedroom home with over 200 feet of private waterfront next to his own lakefront mansion in October. He’s now asking the Skaneateles Village Planning Board for the OK to tear it down and add the seven-tenths of an acre it sits on to his estate.
The businessman told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard this week that he likely would not raze the home for a couple of years. He said friends, as well as members of his staff who help maintain his grounds, are living in the home for the time being.
“It was up for sale,” he said. “The owner passed away and I bought it from his family. I’m in no rush.”
It would be the second multimillion-dollar Skaneateles Lake home Weitsman has demolished so he can expand his lakefront domain.
He bought a home on the opposite side of his mansion on West Lake Street for $2.5 million in 2018 and later tore it down after no one took him up on his offer of $25,000 to anyone willing to move the home. In 2021, he built a $4.5 million infinity pool in its place.
...
National Electricity Day takes place on the anniversary of the date in 1752 when Benjamin Franklin flew a kite in a thunderstorm, with the intent of proving that lightning was caused by a discharge of electricity (some sources say he flew his kite on June 10). His experiment led to further understanding of positive and negative charges, the proving that lightning was an electrical discharge, and to the invention of the lightning rod—which provided a safe way to discharge electricity and a way to prevent fires. Lightning rods are still used today to protect buildings, ships, and people.
SU News
An Early Look At Syracuse's First Six Opponents (orangefizz.net; Griffin)
Hard as it is to believe, the opening kickoff for Syracuse Football is two and a half months away and will be here before we know it. Last year, the Orange overcame a gauntlet of a schedule en route to a 7-5 regular season and Pinstripe Bowl appearance. This year’s schedule is filled with tough road slates, Clemson at home, and even a showdown at Yankee Stadium. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect in SU’s first six games this year.
SEPTEMBER 2- COLGATE
At least this isn’t a basketball game? That’s not until mid-November. On the gridiron, Syracuse should have no problem taking care of business against the FCS Raiders. Colgate has not made the FCS Playoffs since 2018 and went 3-8 last season. This should be even more of a “gimme” than what we thought the basketball clashes between the Orange and Raiders should’ve been. If SU loses to Colgate in football at home, it should go down as the worst loss in program history.SEPTEMBER 9- WESTERN MICHIGAN
Sorry Broncos fans- PJ Fleck is not walking through that door anymore. In the now-Minnesota coach’s final season with Western Michigan in 2016, he led them to a 13-1 record which included an appearance in the Cotton Bowl. Since then, the Broncos have made three bowl games, but haven’t had a regular season record better than 7-5. Considering Western Michigan is a MAC program and has a new head coach at the helm in Lance Taylor, Syracuse should have no problem taking care of business.SEPTEMBER 16- AT PURDUE
The Orange’s rematch with the Boilermakers has been given a primetime slot on NBC. Gone is undisciplined head coach Jeff Brohm (he’s now at Louisville), in is former Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters. It’s no secret SU was fairly lucky to emerge victorious against Purdue last season, it will take a lot more than luck to get it done on the road. The Boilermakers wound up making the Big Ten championship in 2022, and considering how tight-knit last year’s contest was, Syracuse has to step it up to notch its first win on the road over a Big Ten foe since 2006.SEPTEMBER 23- ARMY
The final tuneup before ACC play. Ever since Jeff Monken took the helm of the Black Knights, the program has completely turned around. From 1997 to 2015, Army made one bowl game. Since then, the Black Knights have qualified for postseason play in five of the last seven seasons. Their situation as an independent isn’t easy, and it’s one the Orange have to take advantage of. Army’s triple-option offense is a unique one, but it’s very beatable by stuffing the box with good run-stoppers.SEPTEMBER 30- CLEMSON
Here begins without question the most brutal three-game stretch of the season, and this is the only one of those three games at home (this is also SU’s last home game until November). The Tigers are not what they used to be, but they are still the cream of the crop in the ACC and a perennial power in college football. Syracuse had them on the ropes last season, but undisciplined play down the stretch led to another close loss to Clemson. Four of the previous six matchups between the Orange and Tigers have been decided by one possession, it will take an A-level game from SU for that to be the case again.OCTOBER 7- AT NORTH CAROLINA
The Tar Heels may have the best quarterback in the ACC this year in Drake Maye. Under Mack Brown, North Carolina emerged as arguably the best team in the Coastal over the last few years, culminating in an appearance in the conference championship game last season. Sure, Clemson had its way in that game, it’s still an impressive feat nonetheless. Syracuse opened the season in Chapel Hill in the 2020 season overshadowed by COVID, and it was a forgettable 31-6 rout. This year’s bout should be more competitive, but pulling out a W will not be easy.There’s only one game over the first six that you should be able to peg definitively as “this should be a close game”. It’s only a matter of time before we find out the truth in that statement. Stay tuned later this week for an analysis of the back half.
Syracuse Football: The LeQuint-essential side of SU’s 2023 running game (itlh; Fiello)
It seems to me that often when you discuss a predecessor to something successful, whether at Syracuse football or other ‘Cuse sports, people want to use that to compare and contrast. Much like those who thought 44 should be retired because nobody could compare to the greats who wore it.
When in actuality, I and many others never did that but simply enjoyed the tradition of passing it down and seeing it on the field.
And by that same logic, when I talk about my optimism in regard to the 2023 Syracuse football running game, I’m not comparing anyone to Sean Tucker. I loved Sean Tucker and even believed he should have been given the 44 jersey. I loved watching him play and will miss him immensely like I do many Syracuse players when they move on.
But in 2023, Sean Tucker is on the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster and it’s my opinion that those on the Syracuse roster will be just fine. I wish Sean well obviously and can do so while also saying I believe that the Orange current roster can be successful too.
...
https://www.si.com/college/syracuse...icial-visit-details-next-steps-in-recruitment (SI; McAllister)
Syracuse football hosted 2024 Millville (NJ) High wide receiver Ta'Ron Haile for an official visit over the weekend.
"We got there on Friday and they picked us up from the airport," Haile said. "We went right to get some food and then had coaches meetings. Over the next few days, we got to hang with the players and got to know them. We then did some fun stuff around campus."
One of the highlights of the trip? The great food he was able to eat.
"I had barbecue, the first day, chicken and ribs and stuff," Haile said. "That was good. Then the next day I had steak and lobster. A whole lot."
Haile's player host was current Syracuse wide receiver Isaiah Jones.
"He was really cool," Haile said. "He told me a lot about it from the sports side and the school side. The every day life. He showed me the campus and stuff."
After getting a closer look at the program, discussions with the players and coaches, Haile's interest in Syracuse increased.
...
https://www.si.com/college/syracuse/recruiting/kalieb-osborne-sets-syracuse-official-visit (SI; McAllister)
Class of 2024 Waterford (MI) Mott quarterback/athlete Kalieb Osborne will officially visit Syracuse this weekend, he tells All Syracuse. Osborne, a 6-4, 200 pound Toledo commit, is being recruited as a versatile athlete who will throw, catch and run in the Orange's offense similar to the way Taysom Hill is used in the NFL now. He threw for 2,779 yards with 20 touchdowns last season on 184-289 (63.6%) passing. Osborne also ran for 1,771 yards on 237 attempts with 31 more touchdowns. In 23 career games, Osborne has accumulated 89 total touchdowns.
Osborne committed to Toledo back in February, but that has not stopped the Orange from pursuing. Syracuse saw Osborne during the evaluation period, and has been enamored ever since. Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Jason Beck has been in constant communication with Osborne, leading Syracuse's recruiting efforts. Osborne has not reported a Syracuse offer yet, but that could change on the visit. Osborne does not have any power five offers, but has visited West Virginia and Indiana. In addition to Toledo, Osborne holds Central Michigan and Bowling Green offers.
Osborne is rated a three star prospect by 247Sports, ESPN and On3. Rivals lists him as a two star prospect. ESPN ranks Osborne as the 19th best dual threat quarterback in the 2024 class. 247Sports puts Osborne as the 42nd best quarterback, while On3 slates him 60th.
Syracuse Orange vs Virginia Tech Hokies - NCAA Football 14 - Updated to 2023 2024 Rosters (youtube.com; simulation; PS2SPORTSINFOSTATION)
Syracuse Orange vs Virginia Tech Hokies - NCAA Football 14 - Updated to 2023 2024 Rosters
Get to Know Your Orange Man: #73 OL Wes Hoeh (TNIAAM; Wall)
It’s time to start preparing for the upcoming Syracuse Orange football season. We’re going through the roster to take a look at each Syracuse player as we get ready for a critical season for the Orange.
Up next is….
Name: Wes Hoeh
Position: Offensive Line
Year: Redshirt Sophomore
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 275 lbs.
Hometown: Glen Ellyn, Ill.
High school: Glenbard West
2022 stats: Hoeh was moved to the fullback position after Chris Elmore’s injury. Appeared in all 12 games with 3 starts.
2023 projections: Hoeh was back on the offensive line this spring as it looks like Syracuse is going to use a fullback less frequently this upcoming season. He’s likely a backup guard and special teams player this fall.
How’d he get here?: Chose Syracuse over offers from Appalachian State, Central Michigan, Air Force, Navy and several Ivy League programs
What’d recruiting sites say?: Three stars
Money quote: Dino Babers saw something in Hoeh last fall which led him to make the position switch after week one.
...
Get to Know Your Orange Man: #74 OL Jakob Bradford (TNIAAM; Chiappone)
It’s time to start preparing for the upcoming Syracuse Orange football season. We’re going through the roster to take a look at each Syracuse player as we get ready for a critical season for the Orange.
Up next is….
Name: Jakob Bradford
Position: Offensive line
Year: Redshirt Junior
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 302 lbs
Hometown: Brooklyn Park, MN
High School/Previous College: Iowa Central CC
2022 stats: Bradford played in eight games for the Orange this past season, including one start at guard towards the end of the season against Wake Forest. He only allowed one sack in 86 total snaps, and was definitely a cog in the bigger machine that was Syracuse’s improved offensive production in 2022 compared to 2021.
2023 projections: With Matthew Bergeron in the NFL and with multiple years under his belt, Bradford could make his way into the Orange’s starting lineup. He’s put on a lot more weight and proved that Syracuse needs to count on guys like Bradford when the injuries start to pile up as they did last season.
...
ACC News
Bally Sports Kicks Another Asset to the Curb: ACC Football and Basketball Games (nexttv.com; Frankel)
Bankrupt Sinclair subsidiary Diamond Sports Group tells rights holder Raycom to find another distribution arrangement for the Atlantic Coast Conference
As the sports media world awaits which Major League Baseball team bankrupt Sinclair subsidiary cuts loose from its regional sport network contract, the Houston bankruptcy court overseeing Diamond's restructuring spat out a surprise Bally Sports refugee Wednesday: Atlantic Coast Conference football and basketball games.
Turns out Diamond has (had) a contract with Raycom, now reduced to a sports production unit of Gray Television, to show packages of ACC college football, as wel as men's and women's basketball.
Apparently, Raycom told Diamond even before the subsidiary entered Chapter 11 in March that it wanted out of its Bally Sports contract. Diamond apparently agreed and stopped paying Raycom.
On Wednesday, Diamond's lawyers filed a motion signaling an official rejection of the ACC contract.
Unlike the awkwardly hostile language between Major League Baseball and Sinclair/Diamond, the separation with Raycom sounds amicable.
"Recently, Raycom requested that the Debtors promptly reject the Raycom Agreement so that Raycom could initiate the process of seeking a new partner for broadcasting future ACC events," reads the court motion. "The parties’ respective counsel have worked closely with one another in preparing this motion, and Raycom supports the relief requested in this motion."
This was no tiny sports rights asset for the Bally Sports RSN business.
Bally Sports presented 43 ACC men's games and 25 women's basketball games during this past 2022-23 season. This included ACC contest featuring the Miami Hurricanes, a March Madness Final Four team last season.
Bally Sports also picked up ACC football games in recent years that weren't shown by national networks like ESPN, such as this contest between Miami and Virginia last season.
Diamond is in bankruptcy trying to shed around $8 billion in debt, with Sinclair gravely miscalculating the severity and impact of future cord-cutting when it paid $10.6 billion for 19 Fox SportsNet channels back in 2019 ... then blithely chose to embark on several campaigns of stock buybacks instead of paying down this debt.
...
Clemson not in these football games that will affect Tigers strength of schedule (rubbingtherock.com; Chuancey)
New season for Clemson Football, same old strength of schedule problems
Clemson Football will once again go into a new season with eight ACC opponents and non-conference games against Notre Dame and South Carolina, just the same as last season.
Clemson fans, as well as many other ACC fanbases, usually poke fun at SEC fanbases that have reputations for rooting for their conference mates. Many of those same Clemson fans want to rip their hair out when the Tigers get no respect nationally because their ACC schedule is considered weak.
While Clemson fans may prefer to root against the Gamecocks, Fighting Irish, Tar Heels, Seminoles, and Hurricanes, the reality is that if they all lose, the Tigers’ schedule will continue to be disrespected. Even if Clemson finishes with a nearly spotless record and an ACC title, that might not be enough to get them into the College Football Playoff if their peers are perceived to have played a harder schedule.
If Clemson is fortunate enough to go undefeated or only have one loss, they will need the teams on their schedule to perform well against their best out-of-conference opponents. It might seem irrelevant to many fans, but the Tigers need Virginia Tech to look great when they visit Marshall this year. They need NC State to handle business when they visit UConn. They need Virginia and Syracuse to play well when they go on the road against Big Ten opponents.
Some games stand out more than others because they will get a fair amount of national attention. These are the five games that don’t involve Clemson, but could most impact the Tigers’ CFP chances in 2023.
...
The BIG 10 Ready To Pounce On The ACC! (youtube; podcast; The Monty Show)
The BIG 10 appears ready to add more teams to their portfolio, and this time it's all about the ACC, who continues to deal with members looking for a way out of their massive grant of rights, and one team is leading the charge to break the ACC up! Who is the BIG 10 chasing? Who is working hard to bring the ACC down?
https://www.si.com/fannation/colleg...alignment-big-ten-sec-north-carolina-virginia (SI; Parks)
As the rumor mill around college football expansion and conference realignment starts to pick up again, the sport's two super-conferences are keeping their options open to see what schools from other leagues could come available in the future, and now their interest appears to reside in a pair of teams currently in the ACC.
North Carolina and Virginia are the two schools that both the SEC and the Big Ten would ideally prefer to add to their respective conferences sometime down the road should the opportunity ever come open, according to ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel.
Given that such additions would not be the most exciting football programs on the table for either conference — Clemson, Florida State, and Miami come to mind on that score — the major plus by including these teams would be their respective geography and market.
Both states are among the nation's 15 most populous, and much of Virginia backs up against Washington, D.C., one of the country's largest and wealthiest media markets.
...
Harrisburg's Elias Coke said Wednesday he added Florida State to his list of college offers. Mark Pynes | pennlive.comMark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com
Harrisburg freshman WR Elias Coke adds big ACC offer (pennlive.com; Linder)
Elias Coke is out in Florida and he won’t be coming back to Harrisburg empty handed.
That’s because the Harrisburg High standout freshman receiver said Wednesday that he added Florida State to his list of college offers.
His list now includes Michigan, Iowa State, Maryland, UCF, Virginia Tech, Temple, Michigan State, Boston College, Syracuse, West Virginia, Akron, Kent State, Toledo, Purdue, Rutgers, UNLV and Pitt.
Biggest Threat to College Sports is Realignment, Not NIL (wfnz.com; Pagnotta)
Fans around the world of college sports have been expressing concerns about the direction of amateur athletics for years. The elements that usually seem to come under fire the most are the transfer portal and NIL collectives that have been established. While those things certainly have their negatives, it doesn’t seem to be the thing that could cost college sports fans.
That lies on the shoulder of conference realignment which threatens to tear apart some of the traditions and rivalries that are the fabrics of that level of athletics. Two years ago, Oklahoma and Texas’s announcement that they were leaving for the SEC set off another round of realignment chaos after nearly ten years of stability. Since then, it has become chaos across all sports. Prior to last year’s college basketball season, 26 teams changed conferences from the previous year, and more movement is coming over the next couple of years.
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The Candlewood Suites on South Bay Road in North Syracuse Monday, May 22, 2023. N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com
Salina looks into whether hotel is housing asylum-seekers in violation of court order (PS; Alba)
Town of Salina officials on Wednesday started looking into whether the Candlewood Suites hotel has broken court orders that barred the hotel from letting asylum-seekers stay there.
A state Supreme Court judge in Syracuse ordered in May that the hotel could not accept any asylum-seekers coming from New York City. The orders halted New York City officials’ plans to relocate migrants upstate.
Residents at the hotel said they saw groups of people being dropped off by SUVs at the hotel late Tuesday night. Well over 30 people arrived and hotel staff quickly rushed them into rooms, Nicole Sinda, a resident at the hotel, told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard.
Reports from other residents led town officials to look into whether the hotel is now housing asylum-seekers, Salina Town Supervisor Nick Paro said Wednesday.
The town sent code enforcement officials to the hotel to verify whether it broke the court orders, Paro said. Specifically, they looked into reports of asylum-seekers staying in the hotel and whether fire suppression systems were being shut down, he said.
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Adam Weitsman seeks OK to tear down another multimillion-dollar Skaneateles Lake home (PS; $; Moriarty)
Billionaire scrap dealer Adam Weitsman is asking for permission to demolish a Skaneateles Lake home he bought eight months ago for a cool $6 million.
Weitsman bought the 6,300-square-foot, six-bedroom home with over 200 feet of private waterfront next to his own lakefront mansion in October. He’s now asking the Skaneateles Village Planning Board for the OK to tear it down and add the seven-tenths of an acre it sits on to his estate.
The businessman told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard this week that he likely would not raze the home for a couple of years. He said friends, as well as members of his staff who help maintain his grounds, are living in the home for the time being.
“It was up for sale,” he said. “The owner passed away and I bought it from his family. I’m in no rush.”
It would be the second multimillion-dollar Skaneateles Lake home Weitsman has demolished so he can expand his lakefront domain.
He bought a home on the opposite side of his mansion on West Lake Street for $2.5 million in 2018 and later tore it down after no one took him up on his offer of $25,000 to anyone willing to move the home. In 2021, he built a $4.5 million infinity pool in its place.
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