sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
- Messages
- 25,650
- Like
- 111,345
Welcome to Minature Golf Day!
Miniature Golf Day celebrates the miniaturized version of golf, also known as mini-golf, minigolf, crazy golf, or putt-putt. Miniature golf was invented in the late 19th century in Scotland, likely as a way to allow women to golf, as they weren't supposed to raise their arms above shoulder level. The game focused on putting, which kept arms low.
In the late 19th century the sport crossed the Atlantic, and following World War I it became became very popular in the United States. The Thistle Dhu course opened in North Carolina in 1916, ushering in the era of the standardized miniature golf course. With the invention of an artificial green in 1922, the miniature golf boom started, and lasted until the late 1930's when the Great Depression helped to dampen the popularity of the sport. Improvements in obstacles on the green by the Taylor Brothers and Lomma Brothers in the 1950's may have helped the sport to once again gain popularity.
SU News
How can Syracuse basketball fans watch Orange on TV in Canada? (Mike's Mailbox) (PS; Waters)
Former Syracuse University athletic director Daryl Gross oversaw an advertising campaign that branded the Orange as New York's college team.
But have you ever considered the idea that Syracuse might also be Canada's college team? Going as far back as Leo Rautins and as recently as today with Oshae Brissett, Syracuse has had considerable success in recruiting players from Canada.
Then too, Syracuse is just over an hour from the Canadian border, so if there is a college basketball fan in the Great White North, it would stand to reason that they'd be decked out in Orange.
And that's where the first question in this week's Mike's Mailbox is from. After that, there are queries about football-playing walk-ons and a skinny freshman forward. So let's get to them.
(Note: If you have a question for Syracuse beat writer Mike Waters, email him at mwaters@syracuse.com.)
I'm moving to Toronto and was wondering how I would watch the SU basketball games. ESPN does not broadcast to Canada, so that takes away the ACC network and WatchESPN. A subscription to Roger's sports package is $350. I need your help in finding a cheaper way to watch the games.
-- Curtis
Mike: This is something I hadn't considered before, but it makes sense that Syracuse would have fans in Canada. In recent years, Syracuse has recruited the likes of Kris Joseph, Tyler Ennis and Oshae Brissett from North of the Border.
I asked around and there doesn't appear to be a perfect answer.
I'm told that the sports networks in the Toronto viewing area do pick up the top college basketball games from ESPN based on local interest, especially the Canadian factor. So you'll see a lot of Michigan State, Syracuse and Duke games.
...
Symir Torrence
Syracuse-orange-basketball-football-recruiting-updates (the juice; Auger)
With the start of basketball practice on the horizon and Dino Babers making speeches like he’s running for office, let’s take a look at how recruiting efforts by both squads have gone of late.
Basketball
Despite having only Brycen Goodine committed, Jim Boeheim and his staff have been busy making additional inroads on other 2019 targets.
Kai Jones, a 6-foot-10 senior at Brewster Academy, officially visited Syracuse this past weekend. The 4-star recruit also has offers from Florida State, Arizona, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Iowa State, and Oregon.
Syracuse coaches traveled to Indiana last week to see Isaiah Stewart, a 5-star recruit and one of the most sought after players in the country. Formerly of Rochester, Stewart now attends school at La Lumiere.
The staff paid a visit to Akok Akok recently at his school, Putnam Science Academy. Standing at 6-foot-10, Akok is the type of power forward who tends to excel in Syracuse’s system. Former Big east foes Providence and UConn are threats to land Akok’s services.
Another front court player who recently visited Syracuse is 6-foot-10 Qudus Wahab out of the Flint Hill School in Oakton, VA. A 3-star recruit, Wahab is also looking at Ohio State, UConn, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, and Louisville, among others.
Looking at the Class of 2020, Syracuse recently offered local product Symir Torrence. The 6-foot-3 guard plays at Vermont Academy and is ranked four stars. He also has offers from Butler, Cincinnati, Northwestern, and Vanderbilt.
...
Louisville, Kansas, Stanford, Michigan State get high marks for non-conference basketball schedules (thecomeback.com)
In college basketball every team is angling for a scheduling advantage. It’s an art as much as a science. There are different philosophies when it comes to non-conference scheduling. Some schools go for the gusto while others are cowards. Non-conference schedules are where teams can jockey for position for NCAA tournament bids and seeding.
Here’s a look at what teams among the six major conferences challenged themselves. Also, the teams that didn’t.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Kudos: Louisville
True road games: Indiana, Seton Hall
Other notable games: Michigan State, Kentucky, Tennessee, (Kansas or Marquette).
Chris Mack’s first season features one of the toughest non-conference schedules in Louisville history. It might be too difficult for a program that’s rebuilding with its third coach in as many seasons. The Cardinals could play one of the hardest back-to-back-to-back-to-backs in the nation. The Cardinals will play Tennessee in the preseason NIT along with either Kansas or Marquette. After that, they will go home to face Michigan State before visiting Seton Hall.
Ouch. We haven’t even mentioned the trip to Indiana. Mack is either certifiable or bold for running through this gauntlet. Louisville should be battle-tested when the ACC slate starts.
...
The best uniforms in college basketball (247sports.com; Flaherty)
What makes for a great college basketball uniform? While it's true that style and fashion are typically in the eyes of the beholder, Sports Illustrated attempted to answer that question by asking its writers and editors to vote for their favorite uniform combinations in the sport.
The result, as one can guess, are kind of all over the place. Uniforms with a history make a strong showing here, as do several instances of what somebody would consider "clean cut." But there are also some off-the-wall choices, some that probably wouldn't turn up in your average barroom debate. That doesn't make their selection incorrect ... it simply shows the wide range of opinions on what the best looks actually are. And not all of them are your traditional powers either: There's some mid-major love here as well, though generally speaking, they're probably going to be uniforms that you're familiar with, for better or worse.
In short: Like art, one man's trash is another man's treasure. And among those jerseys to make the cut, there were qualities that multiple people at SI elected to treasure.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
In order of votes received: Wichita State, Notre Dame, Syracuse, USC, Gonzaga, Florida State, Houston, Rhode Island, Florida, Nevada, Kentucky, Oregon.
If anything, the honorable mentions show the wide range of style and color preferences by Sports Illustrated’s writers and editors. Oregon’s uniforms are as flashy as they come, while some of the other choices — like Wichita State — are more smooth and simple. It’s a bit of a surprise that Kentucky didn’t make the cut, particularly given that the Wildcats boast a little from the clean-and-classic, and a little from the pizzaz category (just ask different Kentucky fans about the checkerboard design). Notre Dame’s jersey combination is a lot like its football variation: Navy, gold and white is a terrific look, but the Fighting Irish’s green is just so historic.
...
College basketball's toughest arenas for opponents (SI; Staff)
Is there any major sport that can create a home-court advantage like college basketball? As compiled by Collegiate Basketball News, the median winning percentage of the 351 Division I men's teams in their current arenas is 67.7%, with 144 of those 351 schools having a winning percentage over .700. Only 14 D-I men's teams have won less than 50% of their games in their current homes. So it's clear that playing at home can make a big difference in college hoops, especially when you have dedicated fans and can pack an arena.
With this in mind, we polled our college basketball staff and asked them to rank what they feel are the 10 toughest places in the country for opposing teams to play. Like we did for the top 10 upsets of the last decade and the 10 best uniforms in college hoops, we arrived at this overall top 10 ranking by averaging the responses, with more weight given based on the 1–10 scale. Honorable mentions are at the bottom.
...
...
7. CARRIER DOME (SYRACUSE)
The Carrier Dome is one of the most unique settings in college basketball—and, because it doubles as a gridiron, in football as well. It’s the largest domed structure on a U.S. college campus and can hold over 35,000 for hoops games, as it did for a February 2014 game against Duke where it set the arena’s record for an NCAA men’s basketball game. The unusual setting can give the Orange an advantage over opponents who aren’t used to the dome’s confines—or size—helping Syracuse win 83.1% of its games in the arena’s history.
...
Other
Senate sets aside $324M to buy radars from Lockheed Martin in Syracuse (PS; Weiner)
The U.S. Senate has approved spending $324.6 million for the Army to buy radars from Lockheed Martin's plant in suburban Syracuse that track incoming rocket, mortar and artillery fire.
The money was included in the Senate Defense Appropriations bill for the Army's fiscal 2019 budget, according to U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, who pushed for its passage.
The House is expected to take up the bill next week before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. Rep. John Katko, R-Camillus, has been advocating for the radar acquisition in the House bill.
The approval from Congress would set in motion the single largest contract in the history of Lockheed Martin's plant at Electronics Park in Salina.
The Army last year awarded Lockheed Martin a five-year contract worth up to $1.58 billion for production of its Q-53 radar.
The contract will allow Lockheed to begin full production of 127 radar systems, including 50 to "satisfy evolving foreign military sales and/or U.S. requirements," according to Schumer's office.
The truck-mounted mobile radar systems can detect enemy fire from any direction, predict where an incoming round will strike and indicate where the round originated. The Army has used the radars in battle in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Q-53 radars are manufactured at four Lockheed plants, and shipped for final assembly to the Lockheed plant in Salina.
Lockheed employs about 1,600 people in Salina. The company said the radar contract will help maintain the existing workforce. Lockheed has about 100 job openings at the local plant.
Water Street Bagel Co. now serving wood-fired bagels (photos) (PS; Weaver)
The wood-fired bagels have officially come to downtown.
Water Street Bagel Co. opened earlier today at 239 E. Water St.
The bagels are cooked in a wood-fired oven. The yeast dough rises slowly then is boiled before baking, owner Meg Dellas said today. The bagels are made in the New York City style, which means a softer and chewier texture. (Montreal has its own style that are harder and sweeter.)
Dellas and Luke Esposito have been working on the restaurant for about a year. They started with research, visiting bagel shops in Philadelphia and New Jersey. They took a bagel-making class in New York City and talked with other bagel shops across the country about their schmears and baking techniques.
At Water Street Bagel, the bagel varieties include plain, sesame seed, French toast, everything, multi-grain and rosemary salt.
The bagels start at $1.50 each. Plain cream cheese costs $1 more. The cafe also offers many house-made specialty cream cheeses: roasted garlic and herb, garden veggie, raspberry, strawberry, bacon horseradish and honey walnut.
...
Last edited:
