Fatigue

[thenug211]

Guys and Gals...

I have to admit that I am coming to you for help. I have been a Syracuse fan since 79-80. I grew up an hour south of Syracuse...graduated in 93 and have had season tickets in section 123 for 12 years despite living in NYC and Nj during that time period.

The torrent of losses, bad luck, NCAA sanctions, scandal, TGD, blatant ineptitude by the coaches and miniscule basketball IQ by Boeheim teams has me on the ledge. When we play now I have no expectation that we will win unless it's against the sisters of the poor or Colgate.

For the first time I am thinking about non renewing my seasons and I HATE that.

Our beloved Orange was an 11 point dog against Miami today! Freaking Miami...

Let me ask you all a question...ask it to yourselves honestly. Do you have ANY confidence when you look at the bench that the ability to make winning in game adjustments exists? I don't.

I feel like we are slipping down the rabbit hole. I know Chukwu and the freshmen will be here next year...since when do we look forward to next year on January 2nd?!

The worst part is that watching this team play basketball has become the equivalent of a root canal for me. Missed bunnies, dumb turnovers, telegraphed passes...

Show me the light! CTO has JB been in his garage formulating the answers? General is there an obvious fix you can email Hop? jake, bees and tomcat is there any inside info on the pay side?

Thanks in advance...

Sincerely,

Exhausted Orange lover



P.s. Before the pollyannas start with we lost to a Ranked team on the road. It's not that we lost...it's how we lose now.

 

[bballbeadle]

Courage, Nug! I, too, have season tickets and attend and watch every game. You are right. It's how we lose that is so demoralizing and we are so unaccustomed to have teams who struggle like the last 2 1/2 teams have. It really is like a nightmare you can't wake up from. Emotionally, it's very hard. I have come to dread the games.

But think how our players feel! If we feel this badly, they feel it ten times more. They need our energy, even if it's faked energy! They need us die-hards now more than ever. The transient fans won't bother showing up this year, or they'll come and sit on their hands. The darkest hour is just before dawn. We've had an unfortunate series of events that have impacted our teams. The NCAA investigation, the losses of scholarships, the loss of JB, has been a dark cloud.

We must be brave and strong! Oh, we can whine and complain. That is our given right as die-hard fans. But we can never give up. You will hate yourself if you do.

 

[Flacusian]

Courage, Nug! I, too, have season tickets and attend and watch every game. You are right. It's how we lose that is so demoralizing and we are so unaccustomed to have teams who struggle like the last 2 1/2 teams have. It really is like a nightmare you can't wake up from. Emotionally, it's very hard. I have come to dread the games.

But think how our players feel! If we feel this badly, they feel it ten times more. They need our energy, even if it's faked energy! They need us die-hards now more than ever. The transient fans won't bother showing up this year, or they'll come and sit on their hands. The darkest hour is just before dawn. We've had an unfortunate series of events that have impacted our teams. The NCAA investigation, the losses of scholarships, the loss of JB, has been a dark cloud.

We must be brave and strong! Oh, we can whine and complain. That is our given right as die-hard fans. But we can never give up. You will hate yourself if you do.

Exactly! Well said. We are all cringing as we watch the hope of a 12 point lead and visions of a good road win against a ranked team evaporate into thin air.

Those guys out there on the court, enduring the phantom foul calls and not having the head coach to provide you with effective strategies to stem the tide when the opposing team makes a run...

They need and DESERVE our support. They are not responsible for the situation as it is right now. They have the cards stacked against them and they are courageously lacing them up and going out and giving it their best. It will get better. Anyone can cheer and root for a team which is racking up the "W"s. Real fans hang in there during the trying times and urge their players on out of respect for the program and all the players that came before them.

While it's OK to bemoan the state of things and be upset about each loss and talk about the frustration we all feel, it would be wrong to quit on these kids and the kids who will be going out there next year as we work toward regaining the grip on excellence the program has long been noted for.

 

[DonLightfoot]

Agree, it is very difficult to watch this team right now and last year as well. Don't know if next year will be that much better since there will be three seniors leaving and maybe two underclassman leaving (Lydon & Richardson), although neither is really ready for the next level in my opinion. We may also be faced with a couple of transfers (Howard and Joseph) due to lack of playing time. I think Howard will be getting a lot more time the rest of this season and, unfortunately, Joseph would not be a real loss. I honestly believe Howard should and will stick around. I will be somewhat optimistic if Lydon, Richardson and Howard all return. If not, next year could be just as bad.

Having said all that, it comes down to true team loyalty. I became a fan in the early 1980's so I have not been around as long as the original poster. It started when I watched a game in the dome on TV and the team had a Canadian (Leo Rautins) as one of their stars. I was hooked. I am also an avid fan of the Oakland Raiders (since 1967) and the NY Islanders (since 1975). Those two pro teams have had some great Championships over the years, but nothing for a long, long time.

All of my three favourite teams certainly get under your skin when they play bad and I find myself yelling at the TV quite a lot. I even went so far as to get American satellite service here in Ontario (shhhh) just so I could get more Orange games. Raiders and Islanders are rarely shown in my area which is frustrating. Without the availability of streaming I may not ever get to see some of the games. For both my Raiders and Islanders I see good things in the next few years so hopefully the bad cycle will be over.

I will cheer for my teams regardless of how well or poor they play. That's just the true nature of a real fan. Syracuse has always been the one constant as they have been competitive almost every year. Not looking good right now, but do we really think it will stay this bad for long?

I am critical of the team like any fan. Just have to keep your chin up and support them.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Guys and Gals...

I have to admit that I am coming to you for help. I have been a Syracuse fan since 79-80. I grew up an hour south of Syracuse...graduated in 93 and have had season tickets in section 123 for 12 years despite living in NYC and Nj during that time period.

The torrent of losses, bad luck, NCAA sanctions, scandal, TGD, blatant ineptitude by the coaches and miniscule basketball IQ by Boeheim teams has me on the ledge. When we play now I have no expectation that we will win unless it's against the sisters of the poor or Colgate.

For the first time I am thinking about non renewing my seasons and I HATE that.

Our beloved Orange was an 11 point dog against Miami today! Freaking Miami...

Let me ask you all a question...ask it to yourselves honestly. Do you have ANY confidence when you look at the bench that the ability to make winning in game adjustments exists? I don't.

I feel like we are slipping down the rabbit hole. I know Chukwu and the freshmen will be here next year...since when do we look forward to next year on January 2nd?!

The worst part is that watching this team play basketball has become the equivalent of a root canal for me. Missed bunnies, dumb turnovers, telegraphed passes...

Show me the light! CTO has JB been in his garage formulating the answers? General is there an obvious fix you can email Hop? jake, bees and tomcat is there any inside info on the pay side?

Thanks in advance...

Sincerely,

Exhausted Orange lover



P.s. Before the pollyannas start with we lost to a Ranked team on the road. It's not that we lost...it's how we lose now.

I gave up my seasons for FB about 10 years ago or more, and basketball about 5 years ago, the latter mainly because my kids had no interest in going and were busy doing their own thing.
I had some withdrawal for the 1st 2 seasons without hoops, but no more.
I do not miss going to the Dome at all.
I have turned down tickets to go to various games.
I do miss the BET, but the 2 friends I went with for 20 years are both dead, so it just wasn't the same.
My point it that I just don't rely miss it. Perhaps (for basketball) it's a bit of a byproduct of the poor teams, so I am not really missing much. (I wouldn't care if FB was never played again, but if it is, I hope SU does well.)

 

[bballbeadle]

I gave up my seasons for FB about 10 years ago or more, and basketball about 5 years ago, the latter mainly because my kids had no interest in going and were busy doing their own thing.
I had some withdrawal for the 1st 2 seasons without hoops, but no more.
I do not miss going to the Dome at all.
I have turned down tickets to go to various games.
I do miss the BET, but the 2 friends I went with for 20 years are both dead, so it just wasn't the same.
My point it that I just don't rely miss it. Perhaps (for basketball) it's a bit of a byproduct of the poor teams, so I am not really missing much. (I wouldn't care if FB was never played again, but if it is, I hope SU does well.)

So, Tuttle, I am curious. You are still a fan despite not going to the games, right? Because you are a good poster on this board. I know a guy who loves our teams so much and cares so much about the outcomes, that he can't watch in real time. I may have misinterpreted Nug's post, but I believe he was feeling like giving up being an Orange fan and needed us to give him reasons for holding on. Not just to tickets, but to fandom.

 

[pearl31]

And, by decree, Syracusefan.com shall hereby be known as Myopicperspective.com

 

[Col. Bleep]

Look at it this way...in 40 years this is probably the least talent Boeheim has ever had on a team.
There really is no bench to speak of.
And some of the starters are question marks.

As far as comparisons under Boeheim: '81-'82 was just 16-13.
But that team was more of a disappointment because the Orange had 3 excellent players in Rations, Santifer and Bruin...and then Leo was injured and missed a lot of time.
Like this team...we were hurt by having no real center.
But purely in terms of the raw talent available...this is the least we've ever had.

We were spoiled by a terrific start.
But the reality is...this always was about a .500 team.
Let's hope we can do better.
That's what fans do.
We suffer...hope...and know eventually we'll be back kicking some rear end.

 

[br801]

And, by decree, Syracusefan.com shall hereby be known as Myopicperspective.com

Oh, the burdens we bear as fans of this program.

 

[hoopsupstate]

Our biggest problem for the past 4-5 years is that our offense is offensive. It's agonizing just watching these teams try to get good shots. It's pretty sad that we're counting on a Providence transfer to save us next year. He can't score and will get pushed all over the court. Still, we will have no point guard. Howard is ok, but he's not a true point guard. Battle is NOT a point guard. Roberson is one of the most disppointing players that have played at SU in a long time. He is the definition of inconsistent. He has poor hands and he plays like a scared rabbit. His game is all finesse, as is the rest of this team. This team is going to have a hard time winning any games for the rest of the season. They have no answers. Everyone said that Cooney will be able to easier shots this year because he's surrounded by good shooters. Nothing has changed. He still can't get open. This team hasn't been able to find anything that consistently works on the offense end of the floor, and aren't smart enough to stay with something that is working. Its mind boggling how this team continues to struggle on the offensive end of the floor. After 15 games, they still don't know how they want to play. I hate to say it, but the zone doesn't allow our players any rhythm on the floor. We get stuck playing defense forever and when we do get a rebound,it seems like we walk the ball up the court. I hope JB is watching and recognizes there needs to be some changes in the direction of this program.

 

[OrangeFoo]

Our biggest problem for the past 4-5 years is that our offense is offensive. It's agonizing just watching these teams try to get good shots. It's pretty sad that we're counting on a Providence transfer to save us next year. He can't score and will get pushed all over the court. Still, we will have no point guard. Howard is ok, but he's not a true point guard. Battle is NOT a point guard. Roberson is one of the most disppointing players that have played at SU in a long time. He is the definition of inconsistent. He has poor hands and he plays like a scared rabbit. His game is all finesse, as is the rest of this team. This team is going to have a hard time winning any games for the rest of the season. They have no answers. Everyone said that Cooney will be able to easier shots this year because he's surrounded by good shooters. Nothing has changed. He still can't get open. This team hasn't been able to find anything that consistently works on the offense end of the floor, and aren't smart enough to stay with something that is working. Its mind boggling how this team continues to struggle on the offensive end of the floor. After 15 games, they still don't know how they want to play. I hate to say it, but the zone doesn't allow our players any rhythm on the floor. We get stuck playing defense forever and when we do get a rebound,it seems like we walk the ball up the court. I hope JB is watching and recognizes there needs to be some changes in the direction of this program.

There will be changes... In two seasons according to JB, right? I just hope it doesn't turn into an HCSS situation.