sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to National Apricot Day!
Apricot lovers from all over the United States observe National Apricot Day every year on January 9th.
The apricot’s velvety flesh is similar to that of their relative the peach. The texture of the golden-orange fruit is more firm and the flavor more tart than its cousin. This versatile fruit is enjoyed fresh, canned and dried.
Apricots are found the world over, but originated in northeastern China near the Russian border in ancient times and were later introduced to Europe and Armenia. The apricot found its way to North American when English colonists settled in Virginia. The fruit was brought further west by Spanish explorers and missionaries where the fruit is grown commercially today.
SU News
Syracuse Orange: Time for a discussion… about that College Football Playoff (itlh.com; Peelman)
There’s a huge problem with the College Football Playoff and there’s no bigger example than UCF. ITLH breaks down the issue and how the Syracuse Orange can benefit.
Okay, I just had to get this off my chest. I’ve been fuming about it for over a week now and still it bugs me.
How could the Committee that oversees the College Football Playoff just disregard the University of Central Florida’s accomplishments this year?
The team was undefeated, and was the only team to be so, so how are they not even considered for the Playoff?
Look, I get it. UCF is not from a Power 5 Conference like the ACC, Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, or Pac-12. However, winning every game, regardless of the opponent is not easy. So shouldn’t that undefeated record in the regular season mean something?
I understand UCF stunk a couple of years ago much like the Syracuse Orange did (and still does). Therefore, I can understand the committee’s doubts that UCF is not one of the best four teams in the nation. However, is it fair to let perception based on the past and a weaker conference keep a team from a national championship?
...
Alabama was dead, Nick Saban buried ... until his freshmen resurrected the Tide (cbssports.com; Dodd)
It was dead, Alabama as a whole. Or at least it looked that way. Ah, but inside the most talented roster in the sport, they were young, too.
So young that Alabama's freshmen in the incredible 26-23 overtime victory against Georgia in the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship perhaps didn't know they were supposed to play dead.
When true freshman receiver DeVonta Smith caught a 41-yard pass from true freshman Tua Tagovailoa to clinch Nick Saban's sixth national championship ... well, there wasn't much analysis.
Just paralysis, the kind that comes when the jaw drops open and no sound comes out.
The kind that comes when teammates look at each other and say, "Did that just happen?" It did and it will live forever.
"When they called the play, I looked at Tua and I said, 'Trust me,' " shared wide receiver DeVonta Smith on the field immediately after the game.
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College football rankings: Final AP Poll Top 25 of season (landof10.com; Staats)
In the final college football rankings for the season, the AP Poll Top 25 has Alabama at No. 1. The Crimson Tide beat Georgia, 26-23, in overtime to win the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
UCF was the only team to finish unbeaten. The Knights finished No. 6 and received six first-place votes.
College football rankings: Final AP Poll Top 25 of season
Rank Team Record Points Previous rank
1 Alabama (57) 13-1 1,521 4
2 Georgia 13-2 1,454 3
3 Oklahoma 12-2 1,374 2
4 Clemson 12-2 1,292 1
5 Ohio State 12-2 1,286 5
6 UCF (6) 13-0 1,248 10
7 Wisconsin 13-1 1,194 6
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Other
Syracuse finally gets above freezing: Here's how bad that 2-week cold snap was (PS; Coin)
Today's high temperature finally ticked above freezing in Central New York for the first time since Christmas Day.
It's not exactly beach weather yet, but after 13 days of sub-freezing weather, who can blame us for celebrating?
This wasn't an unprecedented cold spell; in fact, it tied for the 38th-longest stretch of consecutive below-freezing days. But it did happen unusually early in the winter. Of those 37 longer stretches of cold weather, just seven started earlier in December than this one. Most started in mid to late January, the typically coldest time of year in Upstate New York.
Still, the combination of cold and snow and wind made this stretch about as wintry as winter gets around here. Here's our cold, snowy spell by the numbers, as collected by the National Weather Service at Hancock International Airport.
- 13: Days in a row without a single minute above freezing.
- -1. The average low temperature for those 13 days.
- 29.5: Inches of snow that fell from Dec. 26 to Sunday.
- 66: Hours of consecutive snowfall, from Thursday morning to Saturday night.
- 63: Hours of consecutive sub-zero wind chill, from Thursday night to Sunday morning.
