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Message: [QUOTE="poc44, post: 1606853, member: 232"] [ATTACH=full]54552[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]54553[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]54552[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]54553[/ATTACH] I never really wish for a day to get here that is a few days after Christmas because that means I have already overlooked Christmas but that day was December 27th. I couldn't wait to go up to Syracuse for my annual visit and meet up with one of my best friends who comes down from Storrs. We have been to so many games both at the Dome and also for the Final 4 and also Maui together but this trip would be extra special. We had the honor and pleasure of sitting in CTOs courtside seats which Tom graciously allowed me to use also. All I can say is that I will be forever grateful to the both of them. It has been an extremely tough year for my family and I and it was great to be able to recharge and get away for a weekend to the greatest place on earth...Syracuse. I might add that I didn't even need to wear a thick jacket or gloves which was a first for me. It was a great trip and was able to check out Middle Ages and Empire breweries which was another great experience prior to the game on Sunday. Middle Ages was decent to be honest but I enjoyed Empire better probably because I thought the food was great. I can be a beer snob so it can be hard for me to find beers that away but Empire did have a nice beer called Local Grind which I did like and I also had to get the Otto Amber for obvious reasons. We followed this up with having to suffer through an Eagles season ending loss which was tough to watch but we are going through the worst spell in Philadelphia Sports history so we are numb to it now. Now onto the game. After not sleeping much Saturday night because I felt like a six year old kid again waiting for Santa to come I was just too excited for the game. We made sure we got up early and spent some money at Manny's and also ate at Funk 'n Waffles and made sure we were at the gates by noon. We also made sure we saw the new statues and paid tribute to the old ones also during our walk up to the Dome. So finally we were let into the Dome and went right down to the seats to watch warm ups and get the lay of the land so to speak. It was amazing. Just being able to see both teams warm up and interact with each other and also the coaches was awesome to see. We were taking pictures when the post standard came up to us and asked us a few questions and this happened.....(click the third video down) [URL]http://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/index.ssf/2015/12/syracuse_basketball_texas_southern_live_updates_fan_chat_with_brent_axe.html#incart_river_mobileshort_index[/URL] Pretty cool start to the day. We made our way to the VIP area to hang out and see who might be back there. It was a great set up and very cool to see some players families and also a few ex players from the football team. Plus they had red velvet cup cakes so that was also a plus. We ended up just wanted to go back to our seats because we didn't want to miss a minute of anything. The game started and we were both hooked. Being able to see the ins and outs of the game from that close and hearing the interaction between the players and the interaction between the players and the coaches was pretty special to see. The other thing I thought was pretty awesome was listening to the interactions between the refs (who I thought were pretty good) and the players was really cool. At halftime I talked to the one official who was from North Carolina and wished him a great holiday season and also safe travels going home since they were leaving right after the game to go south. He asked where I was from and I said Philadelphia and was shocked I traveled this far for a game. I told him I've traveled many places across the country to see the Orange play. The second half started and right around the 17:00 minute mark there was a play right in front of us and it looked like things were under control when it happened. I got Lebron James'd by Michael Gbinije. He went right into the crowd for a loose ball and landed right on me. My chair went back half way and we basically hugged until we both got our bearings straight and I also wanted to make sure he was ok because let's be real he is way more important for the team then I will ever be. He was very cool and made sure I was ok. He got up and went on his way. I will say my hugs do bring the best out of people so I wasn't surprised when he play as well as he did post-hug. Another cool thing was that Malachi Richardson came over also to make sure I was ok and gave me a big smile and a nice little handshake. Pretty awesome experience. The rest of the game was just a great experience that I just didn't want to end but sadly it did. We stayed as long as we were allowed and finally had to leave and make the 4 hour trip back to Philadelphia. I can't express how great an experience this was and how grateful I am to both CTO and Tom. They truly are the kindest and most incredible people. I think those statements can also be said about this board in general also. We seem to be a nice community of people that has a love for Syracuse but also a respect for our fellow Syracuse fans even though we have a diverse set of opinions about both Syracuse and life. We also probably worry a little about Cusetroop (Adam) at night but we also know he is a survivor and he is OUR survivor so he will be just fine. I wish you all a great 2016 and a healthy one also. Let's Go Orange! [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?