sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to International Lego Day!
Lego (stylized as LEGO) are plastic construction toys, including interlocking plastic bricks of various colors—as well as accompanying minifigures, gears, and other parts—that can be put together and taken apart, and be used to construct many objects, like model buildings, vehicles, and robots. It was on today's date in 1958 that a patent for Lego bricks was applied for, which is why today is known as International LEGO Day, a day on which we celebrate all things Lego.
Lego bricks and other items are manufactured by the Lego Group, which is based in Billund, Denmark. It was in this city in 1932 that a carpenter by the name of Ole Kirk Christiansen began making wooden toys. Two years later, his company began being called "Lego," which came from leg godt, the Danish phrase meaning "play well." The company started making plastic toys in 1947, and interlocking bricks in 1949. Called "Automatic Binding Bricks," they were based on Kiddicraft Self-Locking Bricks.
On January 28, 1958, Christiansen's son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, submitted an application for a patent for a "Toy Building Brick." These new bricks were made with ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) polymer. All Lego bricks, then and now, are compatible with each other, no matter their size or what they are used to build. Since the 1950s, thousands of Lego sets of various themes and environments have been produced. Some of them include space, castle, city, pirates, and trains. Lego themes have also been licensed from film, cartoon, and video game franchises like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Batman, Indiana Jones, and Minecraft. Additionally, Lego manufactures Mindstorms, a robotics line of Lego, and Duplo, consisting of bigger blocks for younger children. Minifigures walked onto the scene in 1978 and can be found in many sets. Some older Lego sets are quite valuable today.
SU News
SU football is hiring an analytics expert, taking another page from Virginia (PS; Mink)
Syracuse football is staffing a new position this spring that addresses one of the biggest criticisms of the past season.
The director of football analytics will provide data to the coaching staff to help make in-game and time management decisions, according to the job listing posted by the university.
The new position comes after a season in which Syracuse finished 5-7 overall, including a 2-3 mark in a stretch of five-straight games decided by five or fewer points.
In-game coaching decisions were dissected and second-guessed after losses. Even the team’s thrilling victory at Virginia Tech was marred by miscommunication in a chaotic goal-line sequence right before halftime.
After the season, athletic director John Wildhack said communication from the coaches’ booth to the field to the players needed to be more efficient moving forward.
He said there was a plan to improve it.
Syracuse coach Dino Babers plucked new top offensive assistants from Virginia earlier this offseason as part of a revamped coaching staff.
He’s now apparently taking another page from the Cavaliers program by staffing a director of football analytics.
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Syracuse Football: Lots of exciting SU football and recruiting news to share (itlh; Fiello)
January is almost over and the Syracuse football season has been wrapped up for almost 2 months now. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t interesting things happening.
So what I wanted to do was highlight some recent Orange updates and link to some positive news that you might have missed or just think deserves extra recognition.
Let’s review five exciting Syracuse football developments that have occurred of late.
Reports say Orange to hire established new receiving coach
Based on media reports, it looks like Syracuse football head coach Dino Babers might have made another quality pick to be the next receivers coach. It looks like FAU coach Michael Johnson Sr. could be the next coach. Johnson has coached at the NFL and collegiate levels and could be a great guy to work with this young receiving group.
7 players make All-ACC Academic Team
Sometimes we forget that part of being a college athlete is the academic part as well. Coach Babers is someone who often does remind us that part of attending Syracuse University is the ability to get a quality education. Well, 7 football players from the 2021 season were named to the All-ACC Academic team, 2 of whom made it for the third time. For details, click the link above and congratulations to those players and their families.
Nolton and 8 other signees are on campus already
Classes for the spring semester started on January 24th and as you can read here, some players are currently enrolled. Amongst those on campus is defensive-end commit Francois Nolton Jr., who did not sign officially in the early enrollment period but did enroll in school to get started already. Along with Nolton are 8 others who did sign letters of intent including former NJ’s Gatorade Player of the Year LeQuint Allen, wide receiver Donovan Brown, defensive back Dom Foster, Australian punter Max Von Marburg and others.
Recruiting offer updates include a Rutgers player transferring to the Orange
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Syracuse Football Putting Together Strong Offseason (SI; McAllister)
This offseason was a critical one for the Syracuse football program, and the Orange has done about as good of a job as any could have hoped. Here is a look at Syracuse's offseason to date.
COACHING CHANGES
The Syracuse coaching staff underwent significant change this offseason, and in each case it appears the Orange has made strong moves on paper. The totality of the modifications gives Syracuse perhaps its best overall staff during the Dino Babers era. Gone was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Sterlin Gilbert along with a few assistants. In are offensive coordinator Robert Anae and quarterbacks coach Jason Beck. Both Anae and Beck have impressive resumes that include the development of quarterbacks. They are highly respected coaches that were great hires for the Orange.
An area of weakness during the 2021 season was special teams. That was largely due to the lack of a special teams coordinator. Syracuse hired Bob Ligashesky in the offseason to be its new special teams coordinator. Ligashesky brings a wealth of special teams experience at the both the collegiate and professional levels. Another well respected coach with a history of success.
Recently, the Orange added Michael Johnson as its wide receivers coach. Johnson is highly regarded within the coaching community, has coached tight ends, wide receivers, quarterbacks and been an offensive coordinator. He has experience at the collegiate and professional levels as well. Another very strong hire.
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What Expected Points Added tells us the Syracuse football offense needs to improve (TNIAAM; Pregler)
Look: you don’t need reminding of the Syracuse Orange’s offensive woes the last two seasons. The team has brought in a new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in an attempt to fix the issues, but what does the Orange offense need to fix?
In a single word: efficiency. It’s the name of the game in football these days, and if we look to the NFL, we see that there’s a direct correlation between success and passing efficiency. So how do we measure efficiency in a way that helps us analyze the Orange? EPA.
What is EPA?
What is EPA? It’s essentially asking the question “did this play help a team score points.” If you’re a poker player, you’re familiar with the concept of expected value to measure if a decision will net you a positive return over the long haul. At it’s core, EPA is trying to do the same thing for the much less straightforward action that takes place during a football play. A more efficient offense is going to do things that correlate to scoring more often, and the core role of offense is to score points.Why is it useful?
You can get very granular with specific implementations of EPA, but for this post, I’m sticking to the fundamental question how consistently a team made plays that led to points. At the end of the day, you can’t win a football game 0-0, and we know Dino Babers would prefer to win games with at least 50 points on the board. Bill C’s SP+ uses offensive and defensive efficiency in his rankings, but those numbers are mixed with a lot of other maths and meant to be predictive. EPA is literally taking what happened, and assigning a contextual numerical value to that play that makes sense for the play individually, the game as a whole, and the season as a whole. It’s the easiest way to evaluate if what a team did helped them win the game consistently, and to what degree.Syracuse’s biggest offensive issue revealed with using EPA
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SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 11: Tommy DeVito #13 of the Syracuse Orange passes during the first quarter against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Carrier Dome on September 11, 2021 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
Former Syracuse Quarterback Tommy DeVito's Transfer Is Official (thespun.com; Koons)
Last month, former Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito announced his intention to transfer to Illinois for the 2022 season.
On Thursday, the program confirmed that the former four-star recruit is now a member of the Fighting Illini.
The Illinois football Twitter account shared a photo of DeVito in team apparel in a tweet on Thursday afternoon. The post welcomed the New Jersey native to Champaign.
“Welcome to the #famILLy, @tommydevito007,” the football team wrote.
DeVito first announced in mid-December that he planned to transfer to Illinois after a frustrating season at Syracuse. He was replaced by a more mobile option in Garrett Shrader four games into the year and actually left the program a few weeks later.
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ACC analysts discuss which former Tiger would be the best addition to Clemson's staff (theclemsoninsider.com; Staff)
for gbo
On the Packer and Durham show on the ACC Network this week, Mark Packer and Wes Durham discussed which former ACC football players would be the best additions to the coaching staffs at their alma maters.
When thinking about Clemson, their choice was a no-brainer — 2021 first-team All-ACC selection James Skalski, a two-year team captain who completed his decorated six-year career as a linebacker (2016-21) credited with 310 career tackles (20.5 tackles for loss), 10.0 sacks, 12 pass breakups, two fumble recoveries (including one he returned 17 yards for a touchdown) and a forced fumble in 1,920 snaps over 69 games (38 starts).
Check out the following dialogue from Packer and Durham about Skalski and why they think the five-time ACC Champion and two-time national champ would be a great coach:
Durham: “This guy’s gonna coach. I keep waiting to see, somehow, he’s involved for next year.”
Packer: “He’s going to be a coach.”
Durham: “He’s gonna be. He was a coach last spring.”
Packer: “He was a coach in his last game after he got hurt at halftime of the Cheez-It Bowl.”
Durham: “This is like the easiest one of all time.”
Packer: “James Skalski at Clemson, gotta be on the list. Has to be.”
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College Football Mailbag: Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC ALLIANCE! Future of the Big 12! (youtube.com; video)
0:00 - Intro 1:00 - THE ALLIANCE 12:40 - Jaxon Dart update 24:20 - Big 12 future 31:15 - Success rate and explosive rate 38:45 - Jim Knowles at Ohio State 44:50 - Washington ceiling under DeBoer 47:50 - 2021 Top 25 Fantasy Draft review
How B1G changes rumored to be coming to Big Ten impact Penn State Football (victorybellrings.com; Kreiser)
Everyone knows the Big Ten’s divisions have been unbalanced since expansion and realignment in 2014, but that could be changing soon, as well as cutting down to 8 conference games in a season, as opposed to the current 9 games. These changes could make a big impact on Penn State Football
Iowa athletic director Gary Barta hinted that the changes could be coming in the near future.
Over the summer, the Big 10, ACC, and Pac-12 formed an informal alliance in response to the SEC’s addition of Oklahoma and Texas, and although there was no official word on what the alliance would entail, one of the potential changes that was mentioned was more out-of-conference scheduling between the 3 conferences.
Reducing to just eight conference games would make it easier for Big 10 teams to potentially schedule two non-conference games (1 against the ACC and 1 against the Pac-12) per season.
The ACC already plays an eight-game conference schedule, while the Pac-12 still currently plays a nine-game conference schedule.
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Revealed: Virginia Tech Hokies Athletics’ Player Lounge (gobblercountry.com; Johnson)
In April of 2020, Mr. Mehul Sanghani, the founder and CEO of Octo, donated $10 million to his alma mater, Virginia Tech. A portion of Mr. Sanghani’s and his wife, Herma’s, donations have been used to renovate and invigorate the Hokie athletics’ player lounge. The booster is also responsible for funding four new full-time positions focused on football recruiting.
The new lounge has been renamed after the donors and is now known as the Sanghani Player Lounge. The space reminds me of the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) centers used on US military installations. Focused on leisure and space for relaxing, the lounge features arcade style games, video game systems, a small theater, and many other comforts. A particularly fun feature triggers when an individual walks into the lounge. Sensors activate for Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” to play and create a mini version of the Hokies’ famous Lane Stadium game entrance. It’s not all fun and games though. The renovation also included improvements for increased workspaces for staff.
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When VT Football Arrived (RX; HM)
When VT Football Arrived
For some college football programs, there's a specific game you can point to and say "this is when they arrived." For the Virginia Tech Hokies, this was that game:First major bowl win. First 10-win season. First AP top 10 finish. If the Hokies were an up-and-coming program before this game, they were a bona fide contender afterwards.
What do YOU think? Is this the watershed game for Virginia Tech football, or would you pick another? Leave a comment or send me an email!
2022 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl (RX; HM)
2022 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
The 10th Anniversary NFLPA Collegiate Bowl gameDate/Time: Saturday, January 29th at 3:00 PM PT / 6:00 PM ET.
Location: Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, CA
TV: NFL Network.
Coaches: Marvin Lewis, National Team; Jeff Fisher, American Team.
2022 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Roster*
| NATIONAL TEAM | ||||
| First Name | Last Name | Pos | School | Number |
| TRAE | BARRY | TE | Boston College | 83 |
| MATAEO | DURANT | RB | Duke | 21 |
| JONATHAN | FORD | DL | Miami | 96 |
| LEONARD | JOHNSON | DB | Duke | 33 |
| TAYSIR | MACK | WR | Pittsburgh | 84 |
| ZACHARY | MCCLOUD | LB | Miami | 53 |
| MARCUS | MCKETHAN | OL | N Carolina | 73 |
| NICK | SCIBA | PK | Wake Forest | 10 |
| TRE | SWILLING | DB | Georgia Tech | 43 |
| JORDAN | TUCKER | OL | N Carolina | 75 |
| JARRID | WILLIAMS | OT | Miami | 62 |
| JACK | WOHLABAUGH | OL | Duke | 50 |
| AMERICAN TEAM | ||||
| First Name | Last Name | Position | School | Number |
| JOSHUA | BLACKWELL | DB | Duke | 31 |
| DEANDRE | JOHNSON | DE/OLB | Miami | 57 |
| ISAIAH | PRYOR | LB | Notre Dame | 26 |
Other
The abandoned Syracuse Developmental Center covers 47 acres next to Rosamond Gifford Zoo and Burnet Park. The property, seen here Thursday, January 27, 2022, includes sweeping views of the Syracuse skyline. N. Scott Trimble | syracuse.com
NY boosts Syracuse’s dream of turning an eyesore into tech hub, new housing (PS; $; Weiner)
One of Syracuse’s biggest eyesores would become a magnet for new tech companies, a job-training hub and the largest housing development the city has seen in decades under a vision shared by state and local leaders.
Plans for the abandoned 47-acre Syracuse Developmental Center property, one of the last available large parcels in the city, took a leap forward this week when New York’s governor declared her support.
Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh described his redevelopment plan to bring up to 400 tech manufacturing jobs to the site as something that is beyond a concept but far from reality.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, in a visit to Syracuse, promised to deliver $29 million to tear down the sprawling, multi-building complex and clean up the blighted property that has been vacant since 1998.
The governor also encouraged community leaders to dream big when thinking about plans to redevelop the former state-owned home for developmentally disabled children and adults.
“Something that I’m very intrigued with is the Syracuse Developmental Center,” Hochul said during her Syracuse visit. “This is an opportunity for us to seize on this property. This should be a multi-use facility. Let’s not be limited by anything. Let our imaginations run wild with what we can do.”
The property at 800 S. Wilbur Ave. on Syracuse’s West Side includes woodlands and stunning views of the city from land that abuts Burnet Park.
Walsh has proposed using about half of the land to build a campus for new tech manufacturing companies as part of his Syracuse Surge strategy to transform the city’s economy. He said the property has enough room for manufacturing space that would create 300 to 400 jobs.
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