sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to Umbrella Day!
Umbrella Day celebrates this useful device that has been with us for quite a long time, and has served every purpose from practical to fanciful since its creation. Just how long has the umbrella been with us? Long enough that it’s permeated every culture across the globe, and originated from more than one. The oldest recorded umbrella appeared in 21 AD, in Ancient China. Though to be fair, this really was just the first recorded collapsible umbrella, Qin Shihuang’s tomb revealed a terracotta army carriage that had a permanently open umbrella attached to it dating from 210 BC. They were also found in Nineveh, Persepolis, Ancient Egypt, and Greece, just to name a few. Needless to say the umbrella has a long and noble history.
SU News
How realignment changed SU football recruiting (TNIAAM; Cassillo)
Yesterday on SB Nation, Michael Bird talked about how the Big 12 had fallen behind on the recruiting front due to conference realignment. The departures of talent-rich areas like Houston (Texas A&M), Missouri, Colorado and Nebraska (especially JUCOs) in exchange for West Virginia (nothing) and TCU (redundant of existing teams) have left the league hurting.
That, plus last week’s article about the Syracuse Orange’s recent focus on Florida, got me thinking about how conference realignment may have altered SU’s football recruiting strategy.
First, a look at the map of the old Big East footprint:
The Big East focused heavily on the rust belt, plus New Jersey, Kentucky and Florida. At the time, there was just one team down there (USF), and playing them every other year didn’t necessarily move the needle. Also keep in mind that Rutgers had NJ locked down for a time, including portions of the end of our stay in the Big East.
From 2009-2012, Doug Marrone was in charge, and obviously had his style of play and focus areas as a result of the staff. But while in the Big East, his classes were stacked pretty heavily toward New York.
Out of 101 kids (per 247Sports) included in the official classes of those years, 37 were from NY. Keep in mind that doesn’t mean all got to campus. But at least in theory, 37 were coming in the door from SU’s home state.
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Recruiting: 2018 3-star TE Gabe Horan commits to SU (TNIAAM; Gilberg)
The Syracuse Orange received its first Class of 2018 commitment, and it came from a local recruit. Baldwinsville (NY) Baker tight end Gabe Horan visited Syracuse on Wednesday, and decided to commit on the spot, according to At their request, this network is being blocked from this site..
“I chose Syracuse because it's right down the road from where I live,” Horan said. “And I love the coaches.”
Horan is rated three stars and is listed at 6’6”, 260 pounds by Scout. He is unrated by the other major recruiting services. Syracuse first offered Horan in mid-January. In addition to Syracuse, Horan also received offers from Boston College and Buffalo.
While Horan is primarily being recruited as a tight end, he also told Syracuse.com that depending on his weight, the Orange coaching staff may decide to line him up at other positions as well.
“The coaches see me at tight end, but if I put on 30 pounds they might move me to tackle,” Horan said. “As of now they want me at tight end. They can see me catching the ball and putting me on the line to block, too.”
Syracuse returns zero scholarship tight ends from last season, but did see two sign with the Orange in this past recruiting class, JUCO transfer Ravian Pierce and incoming freshman Aaron Hackett.
Ranking the QB position in the ACC (orlandosentinel.com; Murschel)
Five of the seven teams in the ACC’s Coastal Division will be searching for a new quarterback heading into spring camp. Meanwhile, the Atlantic Division has a wealth of experience returning including the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. Here is a quick ranking of the position heading into spring:
1. Louisville: Lamar Jackson became the first Cardinal to win the Heisman Trophy when he claimed the award last season and he’ll look to become the first player since Archie Griffin to win the award twice. The good news for Louisville is there is plenty of experience behind Jackson in the form of backup Kyle Bolin, who started six games in his career.
2. Florida State: Deondre Francois earned Rookie of the Year honors last season after putting up more than 3,500 yards of total offense. The true freshman also took a lot of hits in 2016 and will need to remain healthy in 2017 especially with FSU lacking real depth at the position with sophomore J.J. Cosentino and early enrollee Bailey Hockman left to battle for the backup spot.
3. Syracuse: Eric Dungey started the first nine games of last season for Dino Babers, leading the Orange to a 4-5 overall record despite averaging close to 300 yards passing per game. Dungey should be healthy for spring ball where he’ll have the luxury of having a competent backup in Zach Mahoney, who has six career starts under his belt including two in 2016.
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Other
Long-awaited Syracuse cord blood bank turns waste into life-saving treatments (PS; Mulder)
A long-awaited cord blood bank that will transform medical waste into life-saving treatments was officially opened today by Upstate University Hospital.
The $15 million facility on Upstate's Community campus on Onondaga Hill is the second cord blood bank in the state and one of 32 nationwide.
Blood that's left behind in a newborn's umbilical cord after it has been cut is rich in stem cells that can be used to treat leukemia, bone marrow cancer, sickle cell anemia and other diseases. It's also being investigated as a potential treatment for cerebral palsy and other conditions.
Unless it is banked, this blood is thrown away. An umbilical cord contains about one-fifth of a cup of blood.
The cord blood bank is seeking donations from mothers who give birth at Community hospital. It eventually plans to seek donors from all Central New York hospitals.
Blood from donors is screened for HIV and other diseases. Acceptable donations are processed, stored in small containers not much bigger than a credit card, frozen in liquid nitrogen at 320 degrees below zero and stored.
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