sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Red Wine Day!
Dynamic flavors, versatility, and nutrition are all characteristics of red wine, the world's most popular wine, which is celebrated today with Red Wine Day. Dark-skinned grapes are fermented to make the wine, and a pigment in the skin of the grapes, anthocyanin, gives the wine its color. Merlot, syrah, pinot noir, and cabernet sauvignon are the four international varieties of red wine, meaning the grapes that make these red wines are planted in all the significant wine countries. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted grape in the world. Besides international varieties, the major varieties of red wine are malbec, zinfandel, chianti, cabernet franc, grenache, sangiovese tempranillo, and nebbiolo. There are many other regional red wine varieties. Red wine is made all over the world, but the top-producing locations are Rhône, Burgundy, and Bordeaux in France, Tuscany and Piedmont in Italy, the Barossa Valley in Australia, and Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley in California.
SU News
Syracuse freshman Petar Majstorovic played for Asvel last season. Photo courtesy of Asvel basketball.Asvel Basketball
How Syracuse basketball coaches discovered Petar Majstorovic and what he brings to the Orange (PS; $; Ditota)
Petar Majstorovic was so excited while talking with Syracuse basketball coaches on a Zoom in mid-June that he almost agreed to play for the Orange on the spot.
Instead, he took a couple days and talked it over with his family. The Majstorovics moved to France from Serbia when Petar was an infant so his father could play professional basketball. Petar has spent nearly his entire life in France.
But the prospect of moving to the United States, of playing basketball and continuing his education appealed to Petar and his family. Within the week, he informed Orange coaches he would accept their scholarship offer.
“The coaches got in touch with me. We talked, we got a video and that’s it,” Majstorovic said. “Everything went smooth. They showed me campus, they showed me the (program). I liked the (program) so I came.”
Majstorovic committed to SU more than two months ago and then began the laborious process of completing and filing paperwork to be eligible to play college basketball.
Rumors that Syracuse had signed a European prospect lingered throughout the summer. Orange coaches kept Majstorovic’s commitment under wraps, said SU assistant coach Brenden Straughn, until they were certain he would meet freshman requirements and were confident he could get here by the start of the school year.
SU announced Majstorovic had joined the team on Aug. 16.
The 6-foot-9 big man arrived in Syracuse late last Thursday. He began classes on Monday in the Whitman School, where he is pursuing a degree in business administration. He is expected to bolster SU’s front line and can play forward and center.
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6' 9" Guard BABA OLADOTUN was just crowned the #1 PLAYER IN THE 2027 CLASS (CHECK EM' OUT)
Following the MADE HOOPS MANIA in Baltimore on 4/19/24 and prior to the start of the NIKE EYBL sessions the first ever Freshman class rankings dropped courte...
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In initial Rivals rankings, Syracuse basketball 5-star target inside top 5 nationally (itlh; Adler)
Recruiting service and media outlet has released its initial national rankings for the 2027 cycle, and a relatively new Syracuse basketball recruiting target is highly placed in this inaugural top 60.
Elite DMV product Baba Oladotun, a top-flight forward in this cycle, arrives as five stars and No. 3 around the country in the 2027 class, per .
The 6-foot-9 small forward/power forward is a rising sophomore at James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring, Md. While his recruiting process likely has a long way to go, Oladotun already has amassed more than 20 high-major offers, according to recruiting services and his X page.
In late June, Orange coaches offered a scholarship to Oladotun, and it's great to see the 'Cuse get involved in his recruitment so early on.
Syracuse basketball already faces steep competition for 2027 five-star forward Baba Oladotun.
In addition to his debut national ranking at , ESPN currently rates Oladotun as No. 1 nationally in his class, No. 1 at power forward and No. 1 in Maryland.
This spring and summer on the AAU circuit, Oladotun received praised from national analysts and scouts for some of his performances while suiting up for the 15U squad of the Oxon Hill, Md.-based Team Durant in Nike's EYBL league.
Also in recent months, Oladotun has earned high marks for his play at various showcases, including the National Basketball Players Association ("NBPA") Top 100 Camp in Orlando, Fla., and the Nike Elite 100 Camp in St. Louis.
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The next step in ACC Expansion? Grab another basketball blue blood (TNIAAM; Ostrowski)
The reality of conference realignment has made itself known this year. SMU already played its first football game as a member of the ACC, and the Syracuse Orange will face the other new conference members, Stanford and Cal, in the coming weeks. But what if they’ll also play a future rival this season... who’s also an old one?
UConn is still hanging around in the Big East but will soon be just one of two remaining FBS Independents, with Army joining the American this year and UMass heading to the MAC in 2025. And unlike Notre Dame, they don’t have an ideal revenue stream.
It was only a matter of time before their own realignment rumors started up again, but now they may be more than rumors. As first reported by The Athletic and repeated by others, the Big 12 is once again targeting the Huskies as a future addition.
Action Network’s Brett McMurphy reports that the bulk of UConn’s athletic programs could join as early as 2026, with football not coming into the mix until 2031, when the conference’s media rights are up for renewal.
This obviously isn’t about securing a middling football program; it’s about crowning yourselves THE premier college basketball conference - something the Big 12 has been pushing towards under Commissioner Brett Yormark. He believes that basketball is undervalued by the networks and is still a great revenue generator in football-first landscape. Adding a six-time men’s champ and the most historic women’s program to the fold alongside Kansas and others would boost their claim.
Which is exactly why the ACC should make their own appeal.
Just imagine: Duke, North Carolina, Louisville, Syracuse, AND UConn? Three six-time champs and five of the 16 most-successful postseason teams in the men’s Tournament? No one is touching that.
My hypothetical pitch to the Huskies (all yours to copy Mr. Phillips) would be:
- Gain immediate football membership. The Big 12’s offer will not do anything to help save your program over the first five years. You’ll have an instant upgrade competition-wise, playing Boston College and Syracuse annually as well as a manageable non-conference schedule. Being in any Power conference will help you attract recruits, so why not do it a half-decade earlier?
- Maintain a regional presence. Sure, your fans will miss Big East basketball (which could be kept alive through non-conference games), but they can still watch you keep northeast ties against SU, BC and Pitt. Alternatively, your closest trips in the Big 12 are to Cinci and West Virginia - and don’t even get me started on the non-rev sports travel. It’s not a Stanford & Cal situation where they joined out of necessity - YOU have the power to do what’s best for your programs while also making a fair share of the pot. Speaking of which...
- Get a better slice. While I recognize that other ACC schools are not going to give up any of their guaranteed TV revenue, it’s still likely a better deal than the alternatives. The Big 12 splits rights between ESPN and FOX, neither of whom are going to want to shell out more cash to split another team. Translation - you’re not getting $30 million annually from that endeavor. But on the other scenario, where ESPN is the sole provider and they want to make it harder for Clemson and FSU - or Virginia and UNC - to break away from a friendly deal, I think they’ll risk a competitive offer to preserve long-term stability. Fellow goliaths in Duke and UNC will really help you pack the XL Center, and even a half-decent football team would bring up ticket revenue too.
What I am sure of though: if there is any real possibility of this move happening, John Wildhack should be one of the facilitators with his ESPN connections. His old network should love to have the exclusive rights to a team near their Bristol studios, and Wildhack should be licking his lips at the chance for a rejuvenated Big East rivalry - especially when Duke has long run out its welcome as SU’s marquee basketball matchup.
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ACC Preview # 10 - Syracuse (DBR; King)
At this point, college basketball fans have gotten used to wholesale change and Syracuse is no exception: the Orange had massive losses. But the portal allows teams to rebuild quickly and recruiting is still a factor of course.
Syracuse lost Judah Mintz to the NBA and seven players to the portal. Quadir Copeland is off to McNeese State, Benny Williams will play for Johnny Dawkins at UCF, Mounir Hima will play for Kenny Blakeney at Howard, Justin Taylor is now at James Madison, Peter Carey found his level at Siena, William Patterson is at High Point and of course Maliq Brown is a Blue Devil.
Second-year coach Adrian Autry, who finished 20-12 in his first season (.625), has four players back: JJ Starling (6-5 junior), Chris Bell (6-7 junior), Naheem McLeod (7-4 senior) and Kyle “Hand” Cuff (6-2 junior).
Starling had a solid sophomore year after transferring from Notre Dame following Mike Brey’s retirement. He averaged 13.3 ppg, 1.9 assists, 3.2 rpg and shot reasonably well (45.7 percent overall, 32.4 percent from behind the line). He’s a good building block.
Bell is an excellent three point shooter and can be explosive: he lit up NC State for 26 points in the first half last season. He might need to diversify his game some, but he’s going to play.
McLeod is more of a question mark. He’s 7-4, but he’s never had a huge impact, either at Florida State or Syracuse. He would have been great in Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone but Autry prefers man-to-man defense. McLeod has limited offensive skill but, as they say, you can’t teach height. Injuries limited him to 11 games last season.
Kyle Cuffe came off the bench last season to spell Starling and Mentz. He has primarily had a defensive role so far. He had significant knee injuries while at Kansas so it’s possible he may be significantly better as he puts that further behind him.
Autry brings in five transfers: Jyare Davis, 6-7, from Delaware, Jaquan Carlos, 6-0, from Hofstra, Eddie Lampkin, 6-11/265 from Colorado and Lucas Taylor, 6-5 from Georgia State. All four are seniors.
Chance Westry transferred from Auburn last spring but an injury kept him out last season. He was highly regarded coming out of high school but injuries have been a real concern.
Davis is an experienced wing who averaged 14.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists at Delaware. The Blue Hens have sent at least two useful players to ACC schools previously: Justyn Mutts, who chose Virginia Tech, and Andrew Carr, who was at Wake Forest before moving on to Kentucky for this season.
Davis was a competent player at Delaware. Can he raise his level enough to play for Syracuse? We’ll see soon.
Carlos is probably the first option to run the team. He passed well at Hofstra, averaging 6.7 apg. Can he defend at an ACC level? If so, he’ll be an excellent addition. He also shot nearly 90 percent from the free throw line, so guess who’s gong to have the ball at the end of a tight game.
By the way, Syracuse fans, if no one has thought to call him Jaquan “the Jackal” Carlos, give it a run.
Taylor started at Wake Forest before heading south to Georgia State. He didn’t do much at Wake Forest. Remember him? No?
Point made.
He did do well at Georgia Southern however, where he averaged 14.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game and shot reasonably well. More than likely he’ll provide depth for this team.
Then there’s Eddie Lampkin.
We were impressed by him in Colorado’s NCAA tournament win over Florida, where he was terrific. But he has a checkered history and perhaps (and perhaps understandably) some emotional issues.
Lampkin started at TCU but left alleging racism and mistreatment on the part of Jamie Dixon. His mother also accused Dixon of focusing on Lampkin’s looming transfer rather than the allegations of racism. She posted this on X: “If you all don’t tell the truth of how you have mistreated disrespected and said racial remarks toward him. We will. Please do not disrespect my son’s name because all we have been is patient with YOU. Handle US with Christian Values for once. Thank you.”
For his part, Lampkin said this: “I gave my all to y’all fr just can’t take it any more it’s been days I wanted to kill my self...It’s crazy y’all let him treat us like that cmon coach be 100 with me you know my pain I told you everyday I been hurting I’m tired of seeing my teammates hurting...We not slaves that’s how I feel real talk...This more than basketball I don’t have fun no more.
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https://www.sportskeeda.com/college...5-biggest-games-key-players-watch-predictions (sportskeeda.com; Geoff)
Syracuse opens its 2024-25 college basketball season determined to make the 2025 NCAA Tournament after falling short the previous year. Second year coach Adrain Autry parades a competitive 14-man roster seeking to improve on its 20-12 record and captire the elusive bid to March Madness.
Here's a deeper look into the Orange's 2024-25 campaign from its biggest games to the players to watch out for this season.
Syracuse's biggest games of the 2024-25 season
Syracuse starts the new season with a home game against Le Moyne on Nov. 4 at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange own a 6-0 lead in their all-time head-to-head against the Dolphins, who went 15-17 overall last year.Adrian Autry and his men will also compete in the four-team Legends Classic and is paired with Texas. The Orange-Longhorns tussle is set on Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. ET with ESPN2 covering the match on live television.
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Ty Hines stands on a parking lot at the corner of South Salina Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard. He calls it the "Man Up" lot. But the city of Syracuse owns the lot and wants to develop it. In the background is the vacant Sears Building. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.comdennis nett | dnett@syracuse.com
In a vacant lot on Syracuse’s South Side, ingenuity and DIY commerce sprout. But the city has another plan (PS; $; Breidenbach)
To some, the real estate at the corner of South Salina Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard is the “Man Up” parking lot – as in, it’s time to “man up” and stop leading lives of chaos and danger.
Most afternoons, you can find Tyrone Hines there. Hines is a reborn crack cocaine kingpin with a mission to steer kids away from the life that landed him in federal prison for 26 years. His “Man Up” cause comes with motivational talks, a book, a movie and events like the upcoming double-dutch jump rope tournament.
Hines’ cousin runs a car wash in the parking lot. They don’t want to say where they get the water, but the only nearby source is a fire hydrant. Others operate food trucks with varying degrees of licenses.
The crew is essentially squatting on vacant land squished between an abandoned 1929 Sears store, vacant apartments and a gas station.
But to city officials, “Lot S” is the next frontier in the slow spread of redevelopment from downtown Syracuse into the South Side – right after the new JMA Wireless factory and the new Syracuse Community Health Center.
The city of Syracuse owns “Lot S” and Mayor Ben Walsh’s administration is ready to prepare it for development. It’s a perfectly square .8-acre lot at a highly visible intersection.
Recently, city officials sent people they call “credible messengers” to deliver the news to Hines. Lateef Johnson-Kinsey, a pastor and director of the mayor’s Office to Reduce Gun Violence, called Hines to say he would have to vacate the property.
The neighbors who pass through the lot most days are not happy about it.
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Barnes & Noble sets opening date for Destiny USA store (PS; $; Doran)
Barnes & Noble plans to open its Destiny USA location Wednesday morning, mall officials said.
The mall announced in June that Barnes & Noble would open in August in the former Banana Republic retail space. The space is on the second floor next to Lululemon, and is 7,700 square feet.
Barnes & Noble has locations in DeWitt and Clay, and one in New Hartford near Utica. It also opened a location in Eastview Mall near Rochester in February.
Based in New York City, the bookstore chain has more than 600 retail locations.
Tom and Shannon Stevens together with their whole family.Courtesy of Shannon Stevens
NYS Fair Love Stories: Jordan couple started as goat show friends, then things got ‘a bit serious’ (PS; $; Croyle)
The New York State Fair means a lot to Shannon and Tom Stevens of Jordan.
They first met on the fairgrounds 42 years ago, starting a friendship as kids which turned into marriage in 2008.
“It is definitely one thing which brings people together,” Shannon said of the Fair. “You can build lifelong relationships there that never die. Look at us!”
Starting in 1982, when they were 10 years old, the couple began showing dairy goats each summer at the Fair.
Shannon lived on Long Island and belonged to the Aquebogue Aggies Goat Club and Tom was part of the Cayuga County 4-H Goat Club.
“We spent two weeks every year at the Fair,” Shannon said, “participating in all the 4-H goat activities, from the goat bowl, to judging and showmanship.”
They each had different goals at these competitions.
“I would try as hard as I could to be a master showman,” Shannon said.
Tom, on the other hand, just wanted to get to the Midway.
“We were there to have fun,” he said. “The classes took hours to do so we did everything to get kicked out.”
When their competitions were over, Tom and Shannon became “Midway ride partners,” swam in the pool that was near the 4-H Building and snuck close enough to the old Grandstand to listen to the evening concerts.
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A Day to Remember to headline a rock concert to remember in Syracuse (PS; $; Herbert)
A Day to Remember is coming to Central New York for a rock concert to remember.
The metalcore/pop-punk/alt-rock group will perform Nov. 4 at the Upstate Medical Arena at the Oncenter War Memorial. Special guests August Burns Red and Stand Atlantic will open the show at 7 p.m.
Tickets go on sale Thursday, Aug. 29, at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster. Prices have not been announced.
The show, presented by Syracuse radio station K-Rock (WKRL / WKRH), is A Day to Remember’s only scheduled tour date in New York state.
A Day to Remember, led by singer Jeremy McKinnon, has released seventh album since 2005, featuring songs like “The Downfall of Us All,” “All I Want,” “Paranoia” and “Have Faith in Me.” They’ve performed on the Vans Warped Tour, contributed to “Pop Goes Punk” and “Rock Band,” and toured with artists like Rise Against, New Found Glory and Bring Me the Horizon.
August Burns Red is a Grammy-nominated metalcore band from Pennsylvania that released its 10th album last year.
