sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to International Raccoon Appreciation Day!
International Raccoon Appreciation Day (IRAD) is a day meant to celebrate all animals, specifically raccoons, that, while being an important part of their ecosystem, are misunderstood and considered “pests” or “nuisance animals” to local peoples. This could include raccoons and coyotes in rural parts of the United States or elephants in farming communities of Africa.
What is the Goal of International Raccoon Appreciation Day?
IRAD is meant to spread knowledge and open the minds of people to the value of all animals. It’s goal is to prevent the destruction of habitat and diversity through education in an enjoyable manner.
How did International Raccoon Appreciation Day Start?
IRAD was started in 2002 as Raccoon Appreciation Day by a young girl in California. It was meant at first to show that not everyone so despised raccoons, as evidenced by the plethora of raccoon items available and the many people who misguidedly tried to keep them as pets. As the word spread mainly to the girl’s relatives in various world countries, the name was changed to International Raccoon Appreciation Day the following year.
SU News
Before We Forget, a Zack Mahoney Retrospective (TNIAAM; Ceva)
I always appreciate pieces that put things into perspective, so that'sexactly what I intend to do with this post.
Going into Saturday's game, I had virtually no expectations for aSyracuse Orange team that was trotting out their fifth-string quarterback according to the depth chart. Not to mention, the same QB is a junior college transfer AND a walk-on. Boy, am I glad my expectations were nonexistent.
It was certainly a tale of two halves for Zack Mahoney. Did he have butterflies in his stomach at the start of the game? Well, based on this quote from the young gun himself, I'd say yes:
"There were some nerves in the first half and those nerves kind of messed up my motion a little bit..."
I'm pretty sure this is normal when you've basically been thrust into starting a game against an opponent that, at least on paper, is worlds better than yours. Add that on top of the fact that he probably didn't want to disappoint the 43,000+ fans in attendance, many of them students and their families.
A Rough Start
Last week against Central Michigan, Mahoney went 4/4. In the first half of this weekend's game, he went 5/13 for 35 yards. On three straight drives, he couldn't complete a pass, going 0/5. It wasn't until his fifth and sixth drives that he was finally starting to pick up his targets. Those completions led to a made field goal and a missed field goal, but that's beside the point. The pregame jitters were starting to fade. It wasn't that Mahoney was overshooting his receivers, but rather that he was coming up too short:
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Creative Play Calling Leads to Points Against LSU (DO; Schwedelson)
Entering the season, one of the big questions surrounding Syracuse was how offensive coordinator Tim Lester’s scheme would turn out. So far, the implementation of the hybrid position and other ways to get players the ball in space has been a success. Through four games, the Orange has averaged 32.8 points, 188.3 rushing yards and 350.8 yards total.
In SU’s 10-point loss to then-No.8 Louisiana State, Lester used a mix of options, play actions and direct snaps to change up the pace and keep the offense moving. Trailing by 17 in the fourth quarter, the Orange went pass heavy, but on its three other scoring possessions, SU used a variety of play types.
Here’s a look at Syracuse’s offense vs. LSU:
12 drives total
4 scoring drives
First drive — Punt
Two called passes, one run
Second drive — Punt
Two passes, one direct snap
Third drive — Punt
One pass, one run, one play action
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SU Football Finding the End Zone, And Not Just on Offense (thejuice; Auger)
Raise your hand if you still aren’t encouraged by the direction of the football program?
*Pauses. Squints to count hands in back of room. Shakes head*
For any of you non-believers out there, pull up a chair. It’s time to talk. Take a look at the results so far this season, including hanging with LSU. While I normally loathe the “moral victory, atta boy” garbage, how many people thought SU was going to get waxed by four touchdowns? Full disclosure: I was in that camp. Partly because of Dungey being cheap-shotted to the sidelines in the Central Michigan game and partly because, well, it’s still a bit hard to shake the “pending doom” feeling left behind from the He Who Shall Not Be Named years. The gift that keeps on giving. But I digress.
When Tim Lester was handed the offensive reigns after the debacle that was last year – no need to relive the revolving QB merry go round and the fiasco that was the McDonald demotion – he floated the idea of running an offense that was tailored to best utilize the skill position players on the team. One of the results through four games this season has been the big play. And I’m defining “big play” as anything longer than 20 yards.
Rhode Island
URI is an FCS opponent so the results have to be taken with a grain of salt. That being said, Erv Philips hauled in a 32-yard TD pass while true freshman Dontae Strickland ran for a 21-yard touchdown. Fellow frosh Jordan Fredericks also broke off a 31-yard gallop.
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Coughlin, Manning Says Former SU OT Justin Pugh Has 'Come a Long Way' for Giants (PS; Fairburn)
Justin Pugh doesn't know what position he'll be playing when the New York Giants travel to Ralph Wilson Stadium to play theBuffalo Bills on Sunday.
The former Syracuse offensive lineman and 2013 first-round pick of the Giants can do it all. He started his career as a right tackle before transitioning to left guard for the 2015 season. However, an injury to Giants rookie offensive tackle Ereck Flowers forced Pugh to jump in at left tackle in the Giants' Week 3 win over Washington. Most first-round picks know which position they will be playing on a given week, but for Pugh, it depends on those around him.
"I'll be wherever they need to be," Pugh said. "I can't even tell you guys where I'm going to be. It really depends on how it is with health, how everyone's feeling. I'm going to go out there and play wherever I need to be put."
Not many offensive linemen have the ability to start and perform at a high level at three different positions. Pugh has done just that, and it's what has Giants coach Tom Coughlin gushing over the third-year lineman.
"That was not an easy move," Coughlin said of Pugh moving to left tackle. "Because many times you don't get a lot of notice when you have to do that, and he's our guy in that capacity. He's started at left guard next to the young rookie who's gone back and forth because of an ankle injury, and a week ago he moved out and played left tackle and played very well. He played it to the tune of getting a game ball. He's really done a nice job in that capacity."
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Other
Giant Cargo Distribution Center Proposed for Area Just South of Skytop, Could Create 2000 Jobs (PS; Moriarty)
A proposed 225-acre cargo distribution facility east of Syracuse has the potential to create more than 2,000, according to proponents.
"It's exciting for New York," said Selko Kirincich, executive director and CEO of the Port of Oswego Authority, which would operate the facility. "It's a need for the entire state. It will serve our industry, our exporters and our importers."
No formal announcement has been made about the project, but some details were released Wednesday at a meeting of the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council.
The facility would be built on a vacant, 225-acre site off Interstate 481 in the Jamesville area. A map displayed at the council's meeting shows the general location of the proposed facility to be a former industrial site north of I-481 and south of Syracuse University's Skytop student housing complex. The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway, which would be a partner in the project, operates a rail line through the site.
It is not the railroad yard in Manlius where proponents had previously discussed building the facility.
Kirincich said the Manlius railroad yard that was previously studied does not have enough room to accommodate the facility and has the disadvantage of being surrounded by residential development. The new site has neither of those problems, he said.
Robert Simpson, co-chairman of the economic development council, said the project is among those included in the council's application to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's $1.5 billionUpstate Revitalization Initiative.
The council voted 15-0 to approve its application to the initiative Wednesday during a meeting at the Holiday Inn in Salina. The application will not be made public until it is submitted to the state on Monday, however.
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Recess Coffee Opens Downtown Syracuse Coffeehouse Today (PS; Johnson)
Downtown workers and residents will get another jolt -- of caffeine -- when Recess Coffee opens at 7 a.m. today at 110 Montgomery St., across from City Hall. Owners Jesse Daino and Adam Williams worked for three monthstransforming part of the ground floor of the historic Courier Building into a coffeehouse. Besides coffee, Recess will serve teas, specialty drinks, smoothies, baked goods, paninis, wraps, salads, breakfast and lunch sandwiches and soup and chili. It will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
"We hope it will be a successful location, but you never know until you open," said Daino on Wednesday as last-minute fixes were being completed. "We're far from all the other competition." Almost every downtown corner has a coffee shop: Dunkin' Donuts, Tim Hortons, Freedom of Espresso, Starbucks, Café Kubal and now Recess Coffee.
The business partners will spend the first month smoothing out the new operation, their second coffeehouse venture, before having a grand opening. Williams and Daino, who met in middle school in Central Square, have been in business since 2007 when they bought Recess Coffee. Their first coffeehouse is located at 110 Harvard Place, off of Westcott Street. They roast coffee and bake pastries from a facility in DeWitt.
The drink and food menus at both coffeehouses will be the same, including the popular Crazy Shawn drink of peanut butter and chocolate melted into milk foamed up with espresso added. Drinks and sandwiches, including paninis, will be made on the premises. Baked goods and wraps will be prepared offsite at the DeWitt commissary. Prices range from $1.75 for a 12-ounce cup of house blend coffee to $5.50 for a 20-ounce cup of breve. Wraps, salads and sandwiches range from $5.25 to $8 and pastries are $2 to $4.
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