sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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September 2 has a special significance for all coconut-growing countries of the world. It is the day observed annually as ‘World Coconut Day’ in several countries of the Asia-Pacific region, including India. Let me narrate a story about this remarkable fruit and its journey across the globe today.
First, the naming. Have you ever wondered where this fruit got its name? If you de-husk a coconut, you will find three indentations on the surface. Almost like a human face.
Now, it is said that when the Spanish and Portuguese saw these three indentations, they reminded them of a witch or bogeyman from the folklore of the native lands. The mythical character was called Coco. And so, it turns out that “coconut” — the word in English — has its roots in ancient Iberian folklore.
But what were Iberian sailors doing with coconuts? Well, they found them in islands like Guam in the Pacific Ocean. Native to the tropics or the region of the Earth surrounding the Equator, the coconut has its origins in the coastal regions along the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
SU News
Remembering a larger-than-life coach Syracuse basketball fans loved to hate (rbj.net; Pitoniak)
Georgetown was just another team on the Syracuse University basketball schedule and John Thompson was just another faceless coach. However, that all changed the night of Feb. 12, 1980 in the Manley Field House finale. That evening, a Hoyas’ upset that snapped second-ranked Syracuse’s 57-game home court win streak coupled with six salt-in-the-wound words delivered by Thompson in his post-game press conference ignited a rivalry that would become one of the most torrid in sports history. Moments after Georgetown spoiled the Manley farewell party for the 9,251 fans who had packed the place, the hulking 6-foot-10 Thompson smiled broadly into the television cameras and announced in a deep baritone: “Manley Field House is officially closed.”
Neither the rivalry nor the fledgling Big East Conference would ever be the same. Thompson, who died Sunday at age 78, immediately went from being an anonymous coach to public enemy No. 1 in Syracuse. “It was almost like fighting words, like ‘Remember the Alamo,’ or ‘Remember Pearl Harbor,’ ’’ long-time Syracuse sports information director Larry Kimball told me several years ago. “It was like casting bad remarks at your mother or something.”
No one was more stunned than the SU players, especially senior center Roosevelt Bouie, the longtime Kendall resident who had never experienced defeat on his home court before. “They came into town and ruined our party,’’ he recalled. “And then Coach Thompson made that statement. That just got people even more riled up. From that point on, whenever he and his team came to town, the crowd really got on him. He became big, bad John, the guy they loved to hate.”
During the next three decades, the Hoyas and Orangemen would play some of the most spirited and memorable games in Big East annals — often in front of 30,000-plus crowds in the Carrier Dome or packed houses at Washington, D.C.’s Verizon Center or at New York’s Madison Square Garden for the annual conference tournament. There was no shortage of star power in the series, as the Hoyas relied on big men like Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning, while the Orangemen often rode the clutch performances of guards such as Pearl Washington, Sherman Douglas and Gerry McNamara.
At the focal point of the rivalry were the coaches, who started out as mortal enemies but became close friends. “You had two fairly young coaches that were trying to establish their programs as the best program,’’ Boeheim said in a 2013 interview. “And you’re going to have moments and battles in those games that are going to get heated. We had those in the first years. At the end, it really mellowed. We came together, got to know each other off the court. And we became friends at the end of the rivalry when we were still coaching.”
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Syracuse basketball is a national brand in part due to John Thompson Jr. (itlh; Adler)
Those testy battles between Syracuse basketball and Georgetown, with John Thompson Jr. a key figure, helped shape the Orange into a heavyweight program.
Sure, long-time Georgetown head coach John Thompson Jr. did some things, and said some things, over the years that absolutely irked Syracuse basketball players, coaches and fans.
“Manley Field House is officially closed” certainly comes to mind, a sentence declared by the late Thompson after the Hoyas upset the highly ranked Orange in 1980, in what amounted to the final game at Manley Field House. That result snapped a massive home winning streak for the ‘Cuse, which of course would then move on to the Carrier Dome.
Thompson’s infamous remarks proved one of those iconic moments that would ultimately fuel an intense rivalry amid the Big East Conference’s growth, coupled with the rise of ESPN, to make Syracuse-Georgetown a household pairing, one as intense and entertaining in the 1980s as Duke-North Carolina and Kentucky-Louisville are today.
The Big East, in its heyday before conference realignments eventually brought the Orange to the Atlantic Coast Conference beginning with the 2013-14 season, had a slew of terrific teams and high-quality match-ups.
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Syracuse Basketball: Portland is the ‘best fit for me,’ Carmelo Anthony says (itlh; Adler)
Portland fell short to the L.A. Lakers in the NBA playoffs, but former Syracuse basketball star Carmelo Anthony is high on the Trail Blazers.
It proved absolutely ludicrous that Syracuse basketball legend Carmelo Anthony couldn’t catch on with an NBA team for so long, but he certainly proved all the doubters and nay-sayers wrong during his stint with Portland this past season.
Both in the shortened regular season, as well as the Trail Blazers’ recently concluded five-game series against the Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony collected about 15 points and more than five rebounds per contest.
Not too shabby for a guy who many had wrongly assumed wouldn’t compete in the NBA any longer after a long hiatus. Anthony, a forward, is a future Hall of Famer, sits at No. 15 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, is perhaps the most-decorated player for USA Basketball in the Olympics, and as we all know led the ‘Cuse to its sole national title in 2003.
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Georgetown coach John Thompson (L) with President Ronald Reagan. Photo Credit: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum/White House. Former Georgetown coach John Thompson passed away on Sunday at his home in Arlington, Virginia, multiple news outlets reported. He was 78. Thompson played at Providence College and appeared in two NBA seasons. He took over as coach of the Hoyas in the 1972 season, and transformed the program into a national power, winning the 1984 NCAA Championship. He would coach Georgetown until 1999, finishing with a record of 596–239 (.714). Thompson was the first black head coach to win a major collegiate championship, and coached a variety of future NBA stars, including Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo and Allen Iverson. He was part of the development of the Big East into one of college basketball’s elite conferences, developing numerous rivalries along the way, including with Syracuse. He is famed for stating that “Manley Field house is officially closed” after snapping Syracuse’s 57-game winning streak in the final game played at that arena. Following the news of his passing, numerous tributes poured in, including from Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim.“We lost a great basketball coach and a great person with the passing of my friend John Thompson. He was a leader in the game and in life. John empowered all coaches but especially Black coaches and Black players,” Boeheim said. “Syracuse and Georgetown was the toughest rivalry for about 10-15 years during the early BIG EAST days. There was nothing quite like it. Many of my fondest coaching memories are from Georgetown games, coaching against John – in the Dome, at Georgetown and at MSG.”“Juli and I want to express our condolences to John’s family and the Georgetown basketball community. John was one of a kind.”» Related: Syracuse transfer Alan Griffin speaks on state of social injustice in USJim StechschulteSenior ColumnistA near literal giant at 6’10”, John Thompson cast an even longer shadow over the game of basketball. The head coach at Georgetown for 27 seasons, Thompson’s first season was his only losing one as he guided the Hoyas to 596 wins, 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, three Final Fours, and the 1984 national championship. Noteworthy to the Syracuse fan base as an adversary, Thompson was also an advocate for his players, fighting for fair treatment for them. As Jim Boeheim noted in his remarks after Thompson’s passing, the two fierce competitors evolved into friendly contemporaries as the years passed. That is something that was a shock to fans at the time when the duo shared a laugh over a playful shove in a discussion with an official at the Carrier Dome during the mid-1990’s. No matter how much Syracuse fans disliked Thompson during his coaching days, it is undeniable the mark he left on the Orange basketball program.
Looking Back at the Most Memorable Syracuse vs. Georgetown Moments in John Thompson’s Career – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Singer)
As we continue to commemorate the life and career of former Georgetown head coach John Thompson, it’s only right that we do so by shedding the brightest of lights upon them. The man’s on-court achievements and his impact beyond the game of basketball certainly speak for themselves. For that very reason, Syracuse fans can truly be grateful for the privilege of seeing him in action far more often than most… even if perhaps, in those very moments in-time, it might have been harder to see it that way. After all, the Orange and the Hoyas have shared plenty of mutual animosity for quite some time, which doesn’t happen without competing success, intense battles and thrilling moments. With no shortage of the latter during Thompson’s tenure at Georgetown, let’s take a look back at some of the memorable moments between the two schools during that 27-year span.
BIG EAST TOURNAMENT FINAL, 1984
The game ended in an overtime win for the Hoyas, but it was more than just a battle on the scoreboard that makes this moment memorable. With the game coming down to the wire in regulation, Georgetown’s Michael Graham threw an apparent punch at Syracuse’s Andre Hawkins. However, Graham would wind up staying in the game, with the refs ruling the exchange an intentional foul rather than something more. Nevertheless, Graham remained on the court, ultimately helping lift the Hoyas to an 82-71 victory over the Orange – and a Big East Tournament title to-boot. After the game, Jim Boeheim didn’t mince his words when said, “today, the best team didn’t win.”
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Joe Biden: Acceptable Under the Circumstances | The Daily Social Distancing Show
Steve Buscemi narrates this short film about the almost-inspiring candidacy of Joe Biden, highlighting his passable education, good-enough voting record and ...
SU gets mention in fake Biden campaign ad on ‘The Daily Show’ (PS; $; Carlson)
When Joe Biden won the presidential nomination from the Democratic Party in August, he became the first leading candidate from either party to graduate from Syracuse University.
The connection between the candidate and college will likely be referenced frequently as November approaches, including an accusation of plagiarism that occurred when he was a first-year law student in 1965.
One such Syracuse-Biden reference came recently when “The Daily Show” created a spoof campaign ad for Biden, narrated by actor Steve Buscemi, with the campaign slogan “Acceptable Under the Circumstances.”
The advertisement focused on Biden’s middle-of-the-road approach to politics throughout his career, a contrast to the more progressive Democratic candidates that he beat out, as well as the approach of President Donald Trump, who the faux advertisement says “is threatening to tear America apart at its seams.”
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