sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to National Teddy Bear Day!
National Teddy Bear Day takes place in the US on September 9th. Initially a US specific holiday this is increasingly being celebrated by bear lovers across the world. There appears to be no record of the origin of this holiday or why this particular date was chosen - perhaps the bears themselves know?
Teddy bears are, of course, named after US President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. The name came about after a 1902 hunting expedition. The hunt had found no game, so at the end of the day someone brought out a baby bear and suggested that Roosevelt might like to shoot it instead. Roosevelt understandably felt that this was not exactly sporting and refused. The incident was illustrated in a newspaper cartoon entitled "Drawing the Line" - which also referred to the political situation at the time. An enterprising New York toymaker saw an opportunity and brought out a cute stuffed bear named "Teddy's Bear". The rest, as the say, is history.
Today people buy teddy bears across the world, not just for young children but often for themselves as collectibles. Some early bears by well known names such as Steiff or Gund are rare and much sought after by enthusiasts.
So if anyone deserves an annual holiday it's certainly the Teddy Bear. How they celebrate their special day depends on their owner. Some people like to take their bear out on a trip, others like to organise a toy party and perhaps even buy their bear gifts. If all inspriation fails, there's always the traditional picnic - I've never known a bear turn one down!
SU News
Trevon Duval is Headed to Texas (TNIAAM; Leathersich)
The news largely went under the radar as most people were relaxing and partaking in libations, but basketball's top-rated point guard in the class of 2017, Trevon Duval, has decided to attend Advanced Prep International in Dallas, Texas. He played at New Jersy's St. Benedict's Prep in 2014-15.
"I wanted to go to a place that was high level with everything from the players to the staff," he told USA Today in a report Monday.
With the move, he will team up with Terrance Ferguson and Bill Preston, both top recruits as well, at the school. He also will be under coach Ray Forsett who has produced talents such as Isaiah Austin and Emmanuel Mudiay.
Duval is the No. 1 point guard prospect and No. 4 overall according to ESPN; he is a five star recruit according to At their request, this network is being blocked from this site..
In At their request, this network is being blocked from this site.'s profile page of Duval, it lists offers from UCLA, Cal, and Arizona -- all notable west coast programs. He, of course, has an offer from the Syracuse Orange, too. The mere proximity to these schools will naturally make the recruiting process easier and potentially more attractive for Duval. Who knows, maybe even the Longhorns will creep into the conversation now
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St John's Full 2015-16 Schedule: Maui, Syracuse and More (rumbleinthegarden.com; Rose)
Johnnies Down to 7 Games Played in MSG This Year...
This year's St. John's team is a giant unknown in college basketball - enough raw talent to intrigue, enough of an influx of talent to be better than terrible, but also enough youth and newness that it's hard to say with logical, reasonable certainty what to expect out of the team.
And then there's the complete rookie head coach.
Below is the set of games that lay out before new coach Chris Mullin, his chances to stamp a mark on the Red Storm program in his first year, even before the recruiting gets rolling in the 2016 class, where the staff is chasing guards Shamorie Ponds and Bashir Ahmed, along with a plethora of 2017 and 2018 star talent from the New York City area.
Some facts about this year's schedule:
Last year St. John's played ten regular-season games at Madison Square Garden. This year, only seven contests will be at MSG - okay, eight if you count at least one Big East Conference Tournament game. Last year's slate included the NIT Season Tip-Off - two games at the Garden. One notable change: Creighton gets the friendly confines of Carnesecca Arena after drawing 10,700 to Madison Square Garden last year.
The Johnnies will have one matchup on Fox - the home game against Villanova. At least two games will be on FSN and four on CBS Sports Network the non-conference game against South Carolina, the road game against Villanova, the game against Marquette in Madison Square garden, and the barnburner that will be DePaul at St. John's on Wednesday, February 17th.
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Other
New iPhone? 7 Things to Expect at the Apple Event Today; Get Live Updates (PS; Herbert)
It's September, which means Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong is sleeping and Apple is getting ready to launch a new iPhone.
The company is expected to unveil an iPhone 6S -- or an iPhone 7 -- at a live event Wednesday from its headquarters in Cupertino, California. Apple TV will also likely get the spotlight, and there's even rumors of a larger, "mega" iPad coming.
We'll be posting live updates on syracuse.com, but here are 7 things you can expect CEO Tim Cook to unveil:
1. New iPhone 6S
Apple has launched a new iPhone every year, and Wired notes the tech giant has fallen into a pattern of alternating between a major redesign (like the larger iPhone 6 Pluslast year) and then an "under-the-hood" upgrade. That means the "iPhone 7" will likely be an iPhone 6S, with similar-sized screens (4.7 and 5.5 inches) and instead focus on a faster processor, higher-resolution cameras (12 megapixels on the iPhone 6 Plus, up from 8.0?), improved battery life, new colors and fonts, and possibly a flash on the front of the phone for taking better, um, selfies.
2. Force Touch
Gadget geeks first got to try "Force Touch" on the Apple Watch earlier this year, and now the iPhone will likely get it too. The feature allows users to put more pressure or lightly tap the home button and screen to create different functions, increasing accessibility with the upcoming operating system iOS 9.
3. Apple TV takes a bite out of the competition
USA Today reports Apple TV will be relaunched, likely with a higher price tag ($175, up from $69) and a larger screen and more interactivity, such as Siri voice commands, weather forecasts, news headlines and sports scores. There's even buzz that Apple could soon compete with Netflix, Hulu and Amazon by offering its own streaming service (it already has HBO) or new original programming.
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