Reflections from a 65 year fan of Syracuse

[alibrat66]

I turn 72 in a few months; please indulge me in a few memories and a little philosophical musings.

It is clear to me that the NCAA tournaments I have in front of me are far fewer than the ones I have seen in the past. Thus, I feel that being a fan, I have learned, is highly subjective and, in my case, age dependent. In the old days, I was passionate about the ebbs and flows of Syracuse basketball and football to the point where, when I was a junior in high school, I decked a Boston College fan standing in front of me in Archbold Stadium for screaming that Jim Brown was a dumb ni_ _ _ er; it was caught on national television. Once when I was a kid I pounded the radio (one of those plastic jobs shaped like Nash Rambler) so hard while listening to an away football game I broke the thing in half, vacuum tubes broken all over my bed; later, I usually got depressed or knee-walking drunk when the basketball or football team lost. I listened on my handheld shortwave radio to the Syracuse-Indiana 1987 final on the rooftop of the apartment building where I was living in Barcelona, Spain. I lost the signal with about two minutes to go and had to wait until the next morning to buy the International Herald Tribune to find out the Cuse had lost. I was disconsolate for days.

These days, I seem to savor each game as it comes. Last night's victory over the California Bears, though not the prettiest exhibition of a tournament game, was a sweet experience for me. Sure, I get mad at our guys when they pull a bone-headed move, but I always try to remember that they are playing for my team and thus offer encouragement rather than condemnation. I haven't lived in Syracuse for over 40 years, but, in many ways, I've never left the city with two seasons: winter and the Fourth of July. It will always be my town and my team; my blood leans toward Syracuse and its people and to the university for which I've rooted since I was a boy and from which I graduated. I've recruited fans from Mexico to Dubai and many places in between. My caveat is that once SU is eliminated (if they don't win it all), I lose all interest in the tournament. I don't stay up all night (like I do here, when the games are on the internet in the middle of the night) to watch teams I don't care about, nor can bear to see. It is the Cuse that has my heart. Always has. And always will.

 

[Toga]

Nice. And well done in the BC game.

I turn 72 in a few months; please indulge me in a few memories and a little philosophical musings.

It is clear to me that the NCAA tournaments I have in front of me are far fewer than the ones I have seen in the past. Thus, I feel that being a fan, I have learned, is highly subjective and, in my case, age dependent. In the old days, I was passionate about the ebbs and flows of Syracuse basketball and football to the point where, when I was a junior in high school, I decked a Boston College fan standing in front of me in Archbold Stadium for screaming that Jim Brown was a dumb ni_ _ _ er; it was caught on national television. Once when I was a kid I pounded the radio (one of those plastic jobs shaped like Nash Rambler) so hard while listening to an away football game I broke the thing in half, vacuum tubes broken all over my bed; later, I usually got depressed or knee-walking drunk when the basketball or football team lost. I listened on my handheld shortwave radio to the Syracuse-Indiana 1987 final on the rooftop of the apartment building where I was living in Barcelona, Spain. I lost the signal with about two minutes to go and had to wait until the next morning to buy the International Herald Tribune to find out the Cuse had lost. I was disconsolate for days.

These days, I seem to savor each game as it comes. Last night's victory over the California Bears, though not the prettiest exhibition of a tournament game, was a sweet experience for me. Sure, I get mad at our guys when they pull a bone-headed move, but I always try to remember that they are playing for my team and thus offer encouragement rather than condemnation. I haven't lived in Syracuse for over 40 years, but, in many ways, I've never left the city with two seasons: winter and the Fourth of July. It will always be my town and my team; my blood leans toward Syracuse and its people and to the university for which I've rooted since I was a boy and from which I graduated. I've recruited fans from Mexico to Dubai and many places in between. My caveat is that once SU is eliminated (if they don't win it all), I lose all interest in the tournament. I don't stay up all night (like I do here, when the games are on the internet in the middle of the night) to watch teams I don't care about, nor can bear to see. It is the Cuse that has my heart. Always has. And always will.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

For those who don't know, Ali is a charter member of the chatroom who gets up in the middle of the night from halfway around the world, just to share his game watching/listening experience with other Syracuse fans. God bless you!!!

 

[Cuseregular]

I turn 72 in a few months; please indulge me in a few memories and a little philosophical musings.

It is clear to me that the NCAA tournaments I have in front of me are far fewer than the ones I have seen in the past. Thus, I feel that being a fan, I have learned, is highly subjective and, in my case, age dependent. In the old days, I was passionate about the ebbs and flows of Syracuse basketball and football to the point where, when I was a junior in high school, I decked a Boston College fan standing in front of me in Archbold Stadium for screaming that Jim Brown was a dumb ni_ _ _ er; it was caught on national television. Once when I was a kid I pounded the radio (one of those plastic jobs shaped like Nash Rambler) so hard while listening to an away football game I broke the thing in half, vacuum tubes broken all over my bed; later, I usually got depressed or knee-walking drunk when the basketball or football team lost. I listened on my handheld shortwave radio to the Syracuse-Indiana 1987 final on the rooftop of the apartment building where I was living in Barcelona, Spain. I lost the signal with about two minutes to go and had to wait until the next morning to buy the International Herald Tribune to find out the Cuse had lost. I was disconsolate for days.

These days, I seem to savor each game as it comes. Last night's victory over the California Bears, though not the prettiest exhibition of a tournament game, was a sweet experience for me. Sure, I get mad at our guys when they pull a bone-headed move, but I always try to remember that they are playing for my team and thus offer encouragement rather than condemnation. I haven't lived in Syracuse for over 40 years, but, in many ways, I've never left the city with two seasons: winter and the Fourth of July. It will always be my town and my team; my blood leans toward Syracuse and its people and to the university for which I've rooted since I was a boy and from which I graduated. I've recruited fans from Mexico to Dubai and many places in between. My caveat is that once SU is eliminated (if they don't win it all), I lose all interest in the tournament. I don't stay up all night (like I do here, when the games are on the internet in the middle of the night) to watch teams I don't care about, nor can bear to see. It is the Cuse that has my heart. Always has. And always will.

This ^^^^^^^^, is why I love this board. I predict 112 likes for the post, 1,012 for the cold cocking of the racist BC fan. As good as it gets and sums up the love of all things Orange we all share through thick and thin, infighting, etc.

 

[capeorange]

Good post! May you and all of us enjoy many more NCAA tournaments and 'Cuse victories.

 

[gmoney44]

Great post. I'm working in Baghdad and got up at 0400 to watch the game on my computer.

 

[Halfmooncuse]

No indulging needed. Thanks for the insight. Now you are not just an alibrat66.

 

[Coach Orange]

You know you always have my respect, Ali. I love your insights.

 

[DNABB5]

I turn 72 in a few months; please indulge me in a few memories and a little philosophical musings.

It is clear to me that the NCAA tournaments I have in front of me are far fewer than the ones I have seen in the past. Thus, I feel that being a fan, I have learned, is highly subjective and, in my case, age dependent. In the old days, I was passionate about the ebbs and flows of Syracuse basketball and football to the point where, when I was a junior in high school, I decked a Boston College fan standing in front of me in Archbold Stadium for screaming that Jim Brown was a dumb ni_ _ _ er; it was caught on national television. Once when I was a kid I pounded the radio (one of those plastic jobs shaped like Nash Rambler) so hard while listening to an away football game I broke the thing in half, vacuum tubes broken all over my bed; later, I usually got depressed or knee-walking drunk when the basketball or football team lost. I listened on my handheld shortwave radio to the Syracuse-Indiana 1987 final on the rooftop of the apartment building where I was living in Barcelona, Spain. I lost the signal with about two minutes to go and had to wait until the next morning to buy the International Herald Tribune to find out the Cuse had lost. I was disconsolate for days.

These days, I seem to savor each game as it comes. Last night's victory over the California Bears, though not the prettiest exhibition of a tournament game, was a sweet experience for me. Sure, I get mad at our guys when they pull a bone-headed move, but I always try to remember that they are playing for my team and thus offer encouragement rather than condemnation. I haven't lived in Syracuse for over 40 years, but, in many ways, I've never left the city with two seasons: winter and the Fourth of July. It will always be my town and my team; my blood leans toward Syracuse and its people and to the university for which I've rooted since I was a boy and from which I graduated. I've recruited fans from Mexico to Dubai and many places in between. My caveat is that once SU is eliminated (if they don't win it all), I lose all interest in the tournament. I don't stay up all night (like I do here, when the games are on the internet in the middle of the night) to watch teams I don't care about, nor can bear to see. It is the Cuse that has my heart. Always has. And always will.

Thes post are why I love the board.

 

['72 Orange]

Thanks Ali. It's posts like these that provide such wonderful perspective on the experiences of Cuse fans. Definitely belongs on the Payside!

 

[rstone7727]

Best post of the year and it's not even close! Made my day Ali...!

 

[MikeSU02]

Kudos for the post and doubly for the punch.

Great post.

 

[AlaskaSU]

I do not know which is more painful: when we get knowked out of the dance or when i hear that a fan has passed away and i think that if they could only have lived until we win our next NC. We will take it all once more.

 

[llandz]

Love this!!

 

[CusefanATL]

I turn 72 in a few months; please indulge me in a few memories and a little philosophical musings.

It is clear to me that the NCAA tournaments I have in front of me are far fewer than the ones I have seen in the past. Thus, I feel that being a fan, I have learned, is highly subjective and, in my case, age dependent. In the old days, I was passionate about the ebbs and flows of Syracuse basketball and football to the point where, when I was a junior in high school, I decked a Boston College fan standing in front of me in Archbold Stadium for screaming that Jim Brown was a dumb ni_ _ _ er; it was caught on national television. Once when I was a kid I pounded the radio (one of those plastic jobs shaped like Nash Rambler) so hard while listening to an away football game I broke the thing in half, vacuum tubes broken all over my bed; later, I usually got depressed or knee-walking drunk when the basketball or football team lost. I listened on my handheld shortwave radio to the Syracuse-Indiana 1987 final on the rooftop of the apartment building where I was living in Barcelona, Spain. I lost the signal with about two minutes to go and had to wait until the next morning to buy the International Herald Tribune to find out the Cuse had lost. I was disconsolate for days.

These days, I seem to savor each game as it comes. Last night's victory over the California Bears, though not the prettiest exhibition of a tournament game, was a sweet experience for me. Sure, I get mad at our guys when they pull a bone-headed move, but I always try to remember that they are playing for my team and thus offer encouragement rather than condemnation. I haven't lived in Syracuse for over 40 years, but, in many ways, I've never left the city with two seasons: winter and the Fourth of July. It will always be my town and my team; my blood leans toward Syracuse and its people and to the university for which I've rooted since I was a boy and from which I graduated. I've recruited fans from Mexico to Dubai and many places in between. My caveat is that once SU is eliminated (if they don't win it all), I lose all interest in the tournament. I don't stay up all night (like I do here, when the games are on the internet in the middle of the night) to watch teams I don't care about, nor can bear to see. It is the Cuse that has my heart. Always has. And always will.

This is the best post I've ever read on this forum.

It also gives my wife hope that I too, can mature into a normal fan.

 

[SWC75]

I turn 72 in a few months; please indulge me in a few memories and a little philosophical musings.

It is clear to me that the NCAA tournaments I have in front of me are far fewer than the ones I have seen in the past. Thus, I feel that being a fan, I have learned, is highly subjective and, in my case, age dependent. In the old days, I was passionate about the ebbs and flows of Syracuse basketball and football to the point where, when I was a junior in high school, I decked a Boston College fan standing in front of me in Archbold Stadium for screaming that Jim Brown was a dumb ni_ _ _ er; it was caught on national television. Once when I was a kid I pounded the radio (one of those plastic jobs shaped like Nash Rambler) so hard while listening to an away football game I broke the thing in half, vacuum tubes broken all over my bed; later, I usually got depressed or knee-walking drunk when the basketball or football team lost. I listened on my handheld shortwave radio to the Syracuse-Indiana 1987 final on the rooftop of the apartment building where I was living in Barcelona, Spain. I lost the signal with about two minutes to go and had to wait until the next morning to buy the International Herald Tribune to find out the Cuse had lost. I was disconsolate for days.

These days, I seem to savor each game as it comes. Last night's victory over the California Bears, though not the prettiest exhibition of a tournament game, was a sweet experience for me. Sure, I get mad at our guys when they pull a bone-headed move, but I always try to remember that they are playing for my team and thus offer encouragement rather than condemnation. I haven't lived in Syracuse for over 40 years, but, in many ways, I've never left the city with two seasons: winter and the Fourth of July. It will always be my town and my team; my blood leans toward Syracuse and its people and to the university for which I've rooted since I was a boy and from which I graduated. I've recruited fans from Mexico to Dubai and many places in between. My caveat is that once SU is eliminated (if they don't win it all), I lose all interest in the tournament. I don't stay up all night (like I do here, when the games are on the internet in the middle of the night) to watch teams I don't care about, nor can bear to see. It is the Cuse that has my heart. Always has. And always will.

An alternative to decking the guy might have been to invite him to go up to Jim and say that and see what happens.

Seriously, I'd love to know what you can tell us about Jim as a basketball player and what you remember of our first NCAA team in 1957, the one Jim refused to play on because the coach had a rule against having a majority of his starters be black players. If we'd had Jim maybe we would have beaten UNC and gone on to the title game, where the world would have gotten to get the greatest basketball player, Wilt Chamberlain, and the greatest football player, Jim Brown, on the same court.

 

[MaxwellCuse]

Well done Ali. I mean for both your post and for what you gave that BC fan way back when. I'm a little more than a decade younger than you but also lose all interest in the tournament these days once our guys are eliminated. I hope that won't be until sometime next year or later.

 

[Syracusian]

Fantastic post, Ali! It really is hard to believe how many sport-related tough times that many fans on these forums have gone through. Yet, somehow, we're the first people to complain about winning by 6 points against Cal and pick out all of the negatives that we possibly could.

The 'life experience' that some people have with Syracuse sports definitely puts things in perspective for me. I take losses a lot easier and try to enjoy games and the season as much as I can for the most part.

 

[SWC75]

Well done Ali. I mean for both your post and for what you gave that BC fan way back when. I'm a little more than a decade younger than you but also lose all interest in the tournament these days once our guys are eliminated. I hope that won't be until sometime next year or later.

While Syracuse is still alive, the NCAA tournament is like watching a family member be operated on.

After that it's like watching the Masters. :noidea:

 

[HoustonCuse]

A toast to a great post: May all your anti-Jim Brown uppercuts connect and may all your posts be pay-siders!

 

[tptcuse]

I turn 72 in a few months; please indulge me in a few memories and a little philosophical musings.

It is clear to me that the NCAA tournaments I have in front of me are far fewer than the ones I have seen in the past. Thus, I feel that being a fan, I have learned, is highly subjective and, in my case, age dependent. In the old days, I was passionate about the ebbs and flows of Syracuse basketball and football to the point where, when I was a junior in high school, I decked a Boston College fan standing in front of me in Archbold Stadium for screaming that Jim Brown was a dumb ni_ _ _ er; it was caught on national television. Once when I was a kid I pounded the radio (one of those plastic jobs shaped like Nash Rambler) so hard while listening to an away football game I broke the thing in half, vacuum tubes broken all over my bed; later, I usually got depressed or knee-walking drunk when the basketball or football team lost. I listened on my handheld shortwave radio to the Syracuse-Indiana 1987 final on the rooftop of the apartment building where I was living in Barcelona, Spain. I lost the signal with about two minutes to go and had to wait until the next morning to buy the International Herald Tribune to find out the Cuse had lost. I was disconsolate for days.

These days, I seem to savor each game as it comes. Last night's victory over the California Bears, though not the prettiest exhibition of a tournament game, was a sweet experience for me. Sure, I get mad at our guys when they pull a bone-headed move, but I always try to remember that they are playing for my team and thus offer encouragement rather than condemnation. I haven't lived in Syracuse for over 40 years, but, in many ways, I've never left the city with two seasons: winter and the Fourth of July. It will always be my town and my team; my blood leans toward Syracuse and its people and to the university for which I've rooted since I was a boy and from which I graduated. I've recruited fans from Mexico to Dubai and many places in between. My caveat is that once SU is eliminated (if they don't win it all), I lose all interest in the tournament. I don't stay up all night (like I do here, when the games are on the internet in the middle of the night) to watch teams I don't care about, nor can bear to see. It is the Cuse that has my heart. Always has. And always will.

Thank you for the post! You are the most interesting man in the world.

 

[bballbeadle]

As the sands of time run down, I have definitely become "wiser" and more philosophical. I feel a poignancy at the end of every season that I never felt before. I try to take better care of my mental and physical health so I can see as many seasons as possible. (Oh, and also because I am quite interested in my kids!)

I was never as passionate/disconsolate as you, Ali, and I haven't been a fan for as long, either. A mere quarter of a century. I find it so interesting that as we all age, most of us gain a perspective that we couldn't quite achieve a few decades earlier. And that is the way it should be!

Thank you for being a Syracuse fan. You elevate us all.

p.s. Unlike you, I manage to recover from our loss enough to watch the rest of the tourney. It is one of the highlights of my year. But of course I need a little electro shock therapy to get my head back in it.

 

[MaxwellCuse]

While Syracuse is still alive, the NCAA tournament is like watching a family member be operated on.

After that it's like watching the Masters. :noidea:

That describes this year's team to a tee. I always felt different about the 2003 team. Even when they got way down in games I always knew they were coming back. That year Syracuse was the world class surgeon opertaing on some schnook no one cared about (except for Roy Williams).

 

[shermstheman]

I turn 72 in a few months; please indulge me in a few memories and a little philosophical musings.

It is clear to me that the NCAA tournaments I have in front of me are far fewer than the ones I have seen in the past. Thus, I feel that being a fan, I have learned, is highly subjective and, in my case, age dependent. In the old days, I was passionate about the ebbs and flows of Syracuse basketball and football to the point where, when I was a junior in high school, I decked a Boston College fan standing in front of me in Archbold Stadium for screaming that Jim Brown was a dumb ni_ _ _ er; it was caught on national television. Once when I was a kid I pounded the radio (one of those plastic jobs shaped like Nash Rambler) so hard while listening to an away football game I broke the thing in half, vacuum tubes broken all over my bed; later, I usually got depressed or knee-walking drunk when the basketball or football team lost. I listened on my handheld shortwave radio to the Syracuse-Indiana 1987 final on the rooftop of the apartment building where I was living in Barcelona, Spain. I lost the signal with about two minutes to go and had to wait until the next morning to buy the International Herald Tribune to find out the Cuse had lost. I was disconsolate for days.

These days, I seem to savor each game as it comes. Last night's victory over the California Bears, though not the prettiest exhibition of a tournament game, was a sweet experience for me. Sure, I get mad at our guys when they pull a bone-headed move, but I always try to remember that they are playing for my team and thus offer encouragement rather than condemnation. I haven't lived in Syracuse for over 40 years, but, in many ways, I've never left the city with two seasons: winter and the Fourth of July. It will always be my town and my team; my blood leans toward Syracuse and its people and to the university for which I've rooted since I was a boy and from which I graduated. I've recruited fans from Mexico to Dubai and many places in between. My caveat is that once SU is eliminated (if they don't win it all), I lose all interest in the tournament. I don't stay up all night (like I do here, when the games are on the internet in the middle of the night) to watch teams I don't care about, nor can bear to see. It is the Cuse that has my heart. Always has. And always will.

Love your post. I feel in love with the Cuse when I took my first job and moved to Syracuse in 1981. The reason- fans like you. They loved the team whether they won or lost. None of this flaming criticism that we hear today when something isn't perfect. If they lost every game they played I'd still root as hard as I do now (though my nerves would probably be less frayed). Thanks for reminding me of this!

 

[kcsu]

I turn 72 in a few months; please indulge me in a few memories and a little philosophical musings.

It is clear to me that the NCAA tournaments I have in front of me are far fewer than the ones I have seen in the past. Thus, I feel that being a fan, I have learned, is highly subjective and, in my case, age dependent. In the old days, I was passionate about the ebbs and flows of Syracuse basketball and football to the point where, when I was a junior in high school, I decked a Boston College fan standing in front of me in Archbold Stadium for screaming that Jim Brown was a dumb ni_ _ _ er; it was caught on national television. Once when I was a kid I pounded the radio (one of those plastic jobs shaped like Nash Rambler) so hard while listening to an away football game I broke the thing in half, vacuum tubes broken all over my bed; later, I usually got depressed or knee-walking drunk when the basketball or football team lost. I listened on my handheld shortwave radio to the Syracuse-Indiana 1987 final on the rooftop of the apartment building where I was living in Barcelona, Spain. I lost the signal with about two minutes to go and had to wait until the next morning to buy the International Herald Tribune to find out the Cuse had lost. I was disconsolate for days.

These days, I seem to savor each game as it comes. Last night's victory over the California Bears, though not the prettiest exhibition of a tournament game, was a sweet experience for me. Sure, I get mad at our guys when they pull a bone-headed move, but I always try to remember that they are playing for my team and thus offer encouragement rather than condemnation. I haven't lived in Syracuse for over 40 years, but, in many ways, I've never left the city with two seasons: winter and the Fourth of July. It will always be my town and my team; my blood leans toward Syracuse and its people and to the university for which I've rooted since I was a boy and from which I graduated. I've recruited fans from Mexico to Dubai and many places in between. My caveat is that once SU is eliminated (if they don't win it all), I lose all interest in the tournament. I don't stay up all night (like I do here, when the games are on the internet in the middle of the night) to watch teams I don't care about, nor can bear to see. It is the Cuse that has my heart. Always has. And always will.

Great post lets hope that you get to watch the whole tournament this year!