Grantland Clown

[RichmondCuse]

Anyone take offense to this paragraph from Shane Ryan in Grantland's preview of the Syracuse - Wisconsin game tonight?

"I say this with a heavy heart, because I was reared in upstate New York rooting for Syracuse, but the town is a complete dump. It's literally one of the most depressing American places on earth, and I'm pretty sure it's not safe, either. When I was a kid, just stepping foot on South Salina Street, for a fraction of a millisecond, was enough to put your life in danger. I once spent six months lying a bed with severe gout just because we drove on South Salina for like 30 seconds. Rough days. Also, Syracuse is in a weird weather climate that is perpetually at the nexus of a rain front and a cold front, ensuring that is always damp, frigid, and dark in the city proper. The campus is lovely, mind you, but when the two top tourist attractions in a town are the police station and the lost and found at the McDonald's PlayPlace, you know something wicked is afoot."

The idiot also goes on to mentions Syracuse's frustrating "3-2 zone". Really, well-done article. Bill Simmons should be ashamed putting this garbage on his site.

 

[cusetown1]

what the hell is a 3 -2 zone?

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

He's not THAT far off base on Syracuse, the city.

 

[690West]

He's not THAT far off base on Syracuse, the city.

Dude, read it again, ban yourself for a day, and then come on back.

 

[EastCoast2]

This guy must be the biggest p*$$y ever

 

[EastCoast2]

"OMG I'm so scared, mom hold me, Salina Street, wahhhhh"

Dude is a clown

 

[EastCoast2]

also, springs, summers, and fall we have beautiful weather

 

[PeteCalvin]

what the hell is a 3 -2 zone?

There is such a thing. Cincy hit us up with one during the BE tourney. We used to run a 3-2 corner trap on our HS team. It's a good defense to play if the other team has great shooters and you have dominant, athletic big men to cover the inside.

 

[MikeSU02]

Anyone take offense to this paragraph from Shane Ryan in Grantland's preview of the Syracuse - Wisconsin game tonight?

"I say this with a heavy heart, because I was reared in upstate New York rooting for Syracuse, but the town is a complete dump. It's literally one of the most depressing American places on earth, and I'm pretty sure it's not safe, either. When I was a kid, just stepping foot on South Salina Street, for a fraction of a millisecond, was enough to put your life in danger. I once spent six months lying a bed with severe gout just because we drove on South Salina for like 30 seconds. Rough days. Also, Syracuse is in a weird weather climate that is perpetually at the nexus of a rain front and a cold front, ensuring that is always damp, frigid, and dark in the city proper. The campus is lovely, mind you, but when the two top tourist attractions in a town are the police station and the lost and found at the McDonald's PlayPlace, you know something wicked is afoot."

The idiot also goes on to mentions Syracuse's frustrating "3-2 zone". Really, well-done article. Bill Simmons should be ashamed putting this garbage on his site.

You people are too sensitive. You did see that he 1) picked Syracuse and 2) that 3-2 zone was a typo that is now fixed?

It's amazing how pissed people get if someone calls Syracuse a crappy place.

 

[shandeezy7]

I've been to far more depressing cities in my life than Syracuse, NY. Great analysis though, basing the whole city off of what is one impoverished street. I'm fairly sure you could say the same thing about literally every city in the world.

 

[rrlbees]

Pick a city, any city. Now pick the downtown of that city. They are basically the same. Why would he compare South Salina Street to anything? "Syracuse" isn't just South Salina St. What.

 

[EastCoast2]

If he was reared in Syracuse maybe he should talk to Mark Schwarz :rolling:

 

[rrlbees]

You people are too sensitive. You did see that he 1) picked Syracuse and 2) that 3-2 zone was a typo that is now fixed?

It's amazing how pissed people get if someone calls Syracuse a crappy place.

And his choice of South Salina St is the barometer to use for Syracuse?

 

[EastCoast2]

Pick a city, any city. Now pick the downtown of that city. They are basically the same. Why would he compare South Salina Street to anything? "Syracuse" isn't just South Salina St. What.

I've lived in Baltimore, trust me, the worst part of Baltimore is 3x worse than the worst part of Syracuse

 

[NailstheCusefan12]

Syracuse's downtown areas have nothing on the hell-holes I walk through in Newark. I've never felt uncomfortable being anywhere in Syracuse.

 

[Knicks411]

haha, i think there is a post on the wiscy board about the same guy (different article) calling him a grantland clown as well.

 

[RichmondCuse]

You people are too sensitive. You did see that he 1) picked Syracuse and 2) that 3-2 zone was a typo that is now fixed?

It's amazing how pissed people get if someone calls Syracuse a crappy place.

I doubt it was a typo - he probably fixed it because me and who knows how many others tweeted him to correct him. Shouldn't an editor have caught that? Lazy.

And it's one thing to call Syracuse a depressing place, criticize the climate, etc. Syracuse isn't the greatest place in the world. But as Bees stated, his generalization of Salina St. as being representative of Syracuse as a whole is ridiculous. He's being disrespectful to people who are from there all for a cheap laugh from people who don't know any better. It's lazy writing from a guy who clearly doesn't know what he's talking about, and the fact that Grantland put it on their site is offensive.

 

[armory]

Pick a city, any city. Now pick the downtown of that city. They are basically the same.

Not true at all.

 

[MikeSU02]

And his choice of South Salina St is the barometer to use for Syracuse?

Hey, listen, I'm not saying I agree. I'm New Berlin > Johnson City > Syracuse (undergrad and grad) > NYC.

I get that he is cherry picking. Syracuse has some great spots, no doubt about it. But who gives a crap if some dude on a pop culture/sports journalist site gives Syracuse some unsubstantiated crap?

Yes, picking S. Saline is BS, but his overall point holds relatively true, that Syracuse isn't the greatest place in the world. Did he go overboard, sure. But you can say a lot of that crap about all of upstate NY.

Upstate NY isn't defined by its beauty and wonderful weather and unlimited industry. It's defined by the people. Syracuse may not be postcard material compared to other places, but it's got great (albeit grumpy) people. My larger point is that people are really defensive when someone takes a shot at Syracuse. My response is, "who cares?" - this dude is just playing a part and getting a rise out of people.

 

[Knicks411]

Funny how no one has a problem with cheapshots about a city unless it's their city.

I didn't really read it as South Salina Street being representative of the city, he just said he thought it was a dangerous area.

And considering his first sentence is that he grew up in Syracuse and was a fan of their team growing up, I think he knows what kind of zone they play.

 

[Garbs]

I guess he has never been to Jersey

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

And his choice of South Salina St is the barometer to use for Syracuse?

Racism, pure and simple. Well, if the guy was a conservative, that is what people who knew the population of Salina St. would say.

 

[armory]

Syracuse is the Winterfell of the country. I'd rather be a Stark than a Simmons.

 

[ebucklewis]

"because I was reared in upstate New York "

oh great, another BF victim..

 

[BostonOrange]

Not true at all.

Agreed if you are including the NYC's and Boston's. But...I do think a lot of the older mid-sized northern cities seem kind of similar. Cuse, Buffalo, Worcester, Hartford, Columbus, Toledo, Springfield, Cleveland, Milwaukee. They aren't that different to me. Providence would be an exception - it is a really nice city.