CNYCentralCuse
Walk On
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2011
- Messages
- 82
- Like
- 709
Hello from Seattle! It's Niko Tamurian formerly of Channel 3/5 CNY Central. Since it's been over three years since I posted I wanted to say Happy Holidays to all of you! I still try to read what I can on here but life is busy with a 3 year old! boy (who loves wearing the SU letterman's toddler coat Jim & Juli got him). And work is at a fever pitch always covering all the major league and college teams here in Washington. There have been a few Seahawks games that went off the rails this year where I'm checking things out on here from press row. This board is still the spot, I'm forever grateful for you all.
But more than just a check-in, I wanted to send you guys a few observations from across the country. Hope you find them interesting, if not sorry and scroll on.
1- When I first moved to Seattle and people either saw me in Cuse gear or I told them where I was from it was always "Jimmy B!" or "What's Jim like in real life?" Now? It's "Go Fran!" or something like that. To quote what Boeheim once told me "Syracuse is a football town with a fine basketball team" We're seeing part of that now. Covering other programs for the first time including a CFP team last year has given me new perspective. If we can keep him in CNY, Fran might bring us the best era since the Schwartzwalder heydays I honestly believe that.
2- I cover Washington State, not as much as the UW Huskies given that WSU is 4 hours away on the Idaho border but enough to where we watch, run their highlights and make at least on trip out there each year. BEFORE Mateer, Dickert and company left I felt Cuse would win by 10 having watched both teams extensively. Now? eek. Only X Factor is "Cougs vs. Everybody" which can be an emotional thing but I doubt enough to seriously challenge SU. Schools like New Mexico and Wyoming figured out Mateer and the Cougs by November. I think Fran will figure it out ---and I know he'll figure out Dickert at Wake when they play Cuse too. Promise you that.
3- It's so much fun to be a fan again and not have my work impacted by how the team I love does. I don't mind 430 or even 930am Pacific time tips or kickoffs. But my coworkers think I'm nuts yelling at my office TV in the middle of the day. Orange blood never leaves.
4- I'm sure many of you still watch CNY Central but if you don't, watch what Sam and Ashley are doing there. Those two are incredible. When you pour 15 years of your life into making a sports dept. as great as it can be you take pride and hope for the best when you leave. And my goodness those two have taken it to new and even better heights. I'm so happy for them, proud of that station and love watching what I can. They are providing top notch coverage that's the best you'll get anywhere.
Lastly, I've been able to cover some really cool events here in the PNW so far, from Washington making the College Football Playoff last year to the Mariners ending a 21-year playoff drought, the Kraken coming aboard as an NHL expansion club and of course countless Seahawks games and interviews with players from all of them.
But it's still hard to supplant Malachi vs. Virginia in 2016 or the last time beating G'Town at the 2013 Big East Tournament and any number of storming the football field. There's a LOT of CNY transplants here and of course SU grads. When I first got here it was invaluable to have Mike Hopkins, Breanna Stewart and others that I am friends with (Hop and his wonderful family even babysat for us a few times, God Bless them) Syracuse is everywhere and the success of the football program--- which is just getting started again--- brings that to an entirely new level. I love my job out here so much and recently signed on to stay for a long while to come...but you always bleed Orange and love Syracusefan.com
Merry Christmas to you all and GO ORANGE!
But more than just a check-in, I wanted to send you guys a few observations from across the country. Hope you find them interesting, if not sorry and scroll on.

1- When I first moved to Seattle and people either saw me in Cuse gear or I told them where I was from it was always "Jimmy B!" or "What's Jim like in real life?" Now? It's "Go Fran!" or something like that. To quote what Boeheim once told me "Syracuse is a football town with a fine basketball team" We're seeing part of that now. Covering other programs for the first time including a CFP team last year has given me new perspective. If we can keep him in CNY, Fran might bring us the best era since the Schwartzwalder heydays I honestly believe that.
2- I cover Washington State, not as much as the UW Huskies given that WSU is 4 hours away on the Idaho border but enough to where we watch, run their highlights and make at least on trip out there each year. BEFORE Mateer, Dickert and company left I felt Cuse would win by 10 having watched both teams extensively. Now? eek. Only X Factor is "Cougs vs. Everybody" which can be an emotional thing but I doubt enough to seriously challenge SU. Schools like New Mexico and Wyoming figured out Mateer and the Cougs by November. I think Fran will figure it out ---and I know he'll figure out Dickert at Wake when they play Cuse too. Promise you that.
3- It's so much fun to be a fan again and not have my work impacted by how the team I love does. I don't mind 430 or even 930am Pacific time tips or kickoffs. But my coworkers think I'm nuts yelling at my office TV in the middle of the day. Orange blood never leaves.
4- I'm sure many of you still watch CNY Central but if you don't, watch what Sam and Ashley are doing there. Those two are incredible. When you pour 15 years of your life into making a sports dept. as great as it can be you take pride and hope for the best when you leave. And my goodness those two have taken it to new and even better heights. I'm so happy for them, proud of that station and love watching what I can. They are providing top notch coverage that's the best you'll get anywhere.
Lastly, I've been able to cover some really cool events here in the PNW so far, from Washington making the College Football Playoff last year to the Mariners ending a 21-year playoff drought, the Kraken coming aboard as an NHL expansion club and of course countless Seahawks games and interviews with players from all of them.
But it's still hard to supplant Malachi vs. Virginia in 2016 or the last time beating G'Town at the 2013 Big East Tournament and any number of storming the football field. There's a LOT of CNY transplants here and of course SU grads. When I first got here it was invaluable to have Mike Hopkins, Breanna Stewart and others that I am friends with (Hop and his wonderful family even babysat for us a few times, God Bless them) Syracuse is everywhere and the success of the football program--- which is just getting started again--- brings that to an entirely new level. I love my job out here so much and recently signed on to stay for a long while to come...but you always bleed Orange and love Syracusefan.com
Merry Christmas to you all and GO ORANGE!