billorange44
2nd String
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I am a freelance writer writer and I have a column in a weekly paper in northern NY. This is my latest article and it comes out this week. I know many can relate to it. Enjoy.
October 25, 2017 Article
Column:
Title: Syracuse is in good shape with next generation of fans!
By
Last Friday afternoon my friends Dominick and Beverly and I drove to Syracuse as we do whenever the Syracuse Orange football team has a home game. This year, we decided to park and tailgate at Manley Fieldhouse. The price of parking includes a shuttle bus to and from the game. My brother Sam and his wife Anne are season ticket holders with us. Unfortunately, Anne didn’t make it for the game against Clemson as something came up unexpectedly for her.
Sam figured the game would be over by the third quarter, maybe sooner. Las Vegas oddsmakers picked Clemson to win by nearly 24 points. Most figured the score would be worse. Clemson, the defending national champion, was then ranked number two in the country. They are a very good football team. Still, I thought, there is always hope. Ever the optimist or just a diehard fan?
Kickoff was slated for seven that evening so at six we packed up our tailgate and caught our bus for the quick ride to the Carrier Dome. Walking across campus was different that night. There was a definite buzz in the air. As we approached our entrance to the Dome, there was a very long line of fans waiting to get in. As I waited to get through the turn style, I thought to myself it has been 15 years since I had seen lines like this. I figured perhaps there were a lot of Clemson fans who made the trip from South Carolina or maybe locals were turning out to see the number two team in the country beat up on Syracuse. What’s that they say about any given day? After all, we beat Pitt last week, right? Still, I hoped.
We made our way to our seats in Section 328. I have had season tickets there for nearly a million years. You get so you know the people around you. I call them my football neighbors. These end zone seats are nearly perfect. I have had other seats in the Dome, even on the 50-yard line. Heck, I have even had field passes that allow you to stand on the sidelines, but my favorite is still my end zone seats. There is no obstructed view at all.
We got seated just in time for the national anthem. Looking around, I couldn’t help but notice there weren’t many empty seats. The Dome seemed almost like it used to years ago when attendance was much stronger. Not the crowd that a Miami or Tennessee used to bring in, but on this night, it would do.
The team captains met for the coin toss at mid-field. Clemson won the toss and elected to defer until the second half. Syracuse received the opening kickoff. I looked at my brother Sam and he at me. It was that same look that passed between us at so many SU games. Especially the games that we figured SU had no chance of winning, but tonight I hoped it would be different.
It only took Syracuse three minutes and six seconds to score the game’s first touchdown. I thought it quite amazing. Not as amazing as scoring on the first play of the game as they did against defending national champion Penn State in 1987, but it would work.
I noticed a young man sitting in front of me. I am guessing he was about fourteen. He was decked in SU garb and sitting with his older brother who looked to be about fifteen years older. That reminded me of Sam and me so many years ago.
Clemson evened up the score, one minute and seven seconds later. This slightly deflated the home crowd. Not for long though as Syracuse took the lead back, five minutes and 24 seconds later. The young man sitting in front of me heard me yell my appreciation and turned and gave me a lively high five. That’s how the first quarter ended with Syracuse leading 14-7.
I stood as I usually do between quarters, stretching my legs and wondered how long Syracuse could keep this pace up. It made me think of the Miami game in 1998 and how quickly Syracuse scored points in that game.
Syracuse had the ball as the second quarter began. I wondered if they could add to their lead. They seemed to be moving the ball quite easily against the vaunted Clemson defense. Then, just like that, they fumbled it. Clemson recovered it and returned it for a 66-yard touchdown to tie the game. Later in the quarter, Syracuse kicked a 21-yard field goal as the half ended to take a 17-14 lead.
I made small talk with the young man sitting in front of me. I asked him how long he had been an SU fan. He said, “Since birth!” I smiled and said this was my 54th year of attending these games. He commented saying, “Wow, Mister, that’s a lot of games!” I pointed out my brother Sam saying that when I first brought him to an SU game he was younger than you. He has been a diehard fan for forty-three years now. I told the young man, yes, we have seen quite a few games at SU. I went on to tell him to just keep rooting for Syracuse and remember this conversation 40 years from now. I’ll still be rooting, but from a different place. And the tickets won’t cost me anything either.
In the second half each team added a touchdown and a field goal. Late in the fourth quarter, Syracuse had possession of the ball, clinging to a three-point lead with one minute and forty seconds left. Clemson took their last time out. It was now apparent that Syracuse was going to win the game. The young man sitting in front of me turned back towards me. This emotion filled old man spoke six words to him, “We’re going to win this game!” The young man gave me a double high five and our hands locked together as we both started jumping, celebrating the win. He said, “This is so awesome. This is the best Syracuse game ever!” I told him, not to worry, there will be others just as good during his lifetime. I told him he is just the kind of fan this team needs and with fans like him, this university will be in great shape for years to come.
That fellow, who will be forever remembered as “the Young Man” because I never got his name, got up to leave with his older brother. He turned and held out his hand to me. We shook and said our good byes. I told him thanks for being a fan and keep rooting for the Orange. He said, “No, thank you Mister, for being here all these years!
As I watched the fans pour out onto the field, I smiled. Yep, the Orange is in great shape, great shape.
October 25, 2017 Article
Column:
Title: Syracuse is in good shape with next generation of fans!
By
Last Friday afternoon my friends Dominick and Beverly and I drove to Syracuse as we do whenever the Syracuse Orange football team has a home game. This year, we decided to park and tailgate at Manley Fieldhouse. The price of parking includes a shuttle bus to and from the game. My brother Sam and his wife Anne are season ticket holders with us. Unfortunately, Anne didn’t make it for the game against Clemson as something came up unexpectedly for her.
Sam figured the game would be over by the third quarter, maybe sooner. Las Vegas oddsmakers picked Clemson to win by nearly 24 points. Most figured the score would be worse. Clemson, the defending national champion, was then ranked number two in the country. They are a very good football team. Still, I thought, there is always hope. Ever the optimist or just a diehard fan?
Kickoff was slated for seven that evening so at six we packed up our tailgate and caught our bus for the quick ride to the Carrier Dome. Walking across campus was different that night. There was a definite buzz in the air. As we approached our entrance to the Dome, there was a very long line of fans waiting to get in. As I waited to get through the turn style, I thought to myself it has been 15 years since I had seen lines like this. I figured perhaps there were a lot of Clemson fans who made the trip from South Carolina or maybe locals were turning out to see the number two team in the country beat up on Syracuse. What’s that they say about any given day? After all, we beat Pitt last week, right? Still, I hoped.
We made our way to our seats in Section 328. I have had season tickets there for nearly a million years. You get so you know the people around you. I call them my football neighbors. These end zone seats are nearly perfect. I have had other seats in the Dome, even on the 50-yard line. Heck, I have even had field passes that allow you to stand on the sidelines, but my favorite is still my end zone seats. There is no obstructed view at all.
We got seated just in time for the national anthem. Looking around, I couldn’t help but notice there weren’t many empty seats. The Dome seemed almost like it used to years ago when attendance was much stronger. Not the crowd that a Miami or Tennessee used to bring in, but on this night, it would do.
The team captains met for the coin toss at mid-field. Clemson won the toss and elected to defer until the second half. Syracuse received the opening kickoff. I looked at my brother Sam and he at me. It was that same look that passed between us at so many SU games. Especially the games that we figured SU had no chance of winning, but tonight I hoped it would be different.
It only took Syracuse three minutes and six seconds to score the game’s first touchdown. I thought it quite amazing. Not as amazing as scoring on the first play of the game as they did against defending national champion Penn State in 1987, but it would work.
I noticed a young man sitting in front of me. I am guessing he was about fourteen. He was decked in SU garb and sitting with his older brother who looked to be about fifteen years older. That reminded me of Sam and me so many years ago.
Clemson evened up the score, one minute and seven seconds later. This slightly deflated the home crowd. Not for long though as Syracuse took the lead back, five minutes and 24 seconds later. The young man sitting in front of me heard me yell my appreciation and turned and gave me a lively high five. That’s how the first quarter ended with Syracuse leading 14-7.
I stood as I usually do between quarters, stretching my legs and wondered how long Syracuse could keep this pace up. It made me think of the Miami game in 1998 and how quickly Syracuse scored points in that game.
Syracuse had the ball as the second quarter began. I wondered if they could add to their lead. They seemed to be moving the ball quite easily against the vaunted Clemson defense. Then, just like that, they fumbled it. Clemson recovered it and returned it for a 66-yard touchdown to tie the game. Later in the quarter, Syracuse kicked a 21-yard field goal as the half ended to take a 17-14 lead.
I made small talk with the young man sitting in front of me. I asked him how long he had been an SU fan. He said, “Since birth!” I smiled and said this was my 54th year of attending these games. He commented saying, “Wow, Mister, that’s a lot of games!” I pointed out my brother Sam saying that when I first brought him to an SU game he was younger than you. He has been a diehard fan for forty-three years now. I told the young man, yes, we have seen quite a few games at SU. I went on to tell him to just keep rooting for Syracuse and remember this conversation 40 years from now. I’ll still be rooting, but from a different place. And the tickets won’t cost me anything either.
In the second half each team added a touchdown and a field goal. Late in the fourth quarter, Syracuse had possession of the ball, clinging to a three-point lead with one minute and forty seconds left. Clemson took their last time out. It was now apparent that Syracuse was going to win the game. The young man sitting in front of me turned back towards me. This emotion filled old man spoke six words to him, “We’re going to win this game!” The young man gave me a double high five and our hands locked together as we both started jumping, celebrating the win. He said, “This is so awesome. This is the best Syracuse game ever!” I told him, not to worry, there will be others just as good during his lifetime. I told him he is just the kind of fan this team needs and with fans like him, this university will be in great shape for years to come.
That fellow, who will be forever remembered as “the Young Man” because I never got his name, got up to leave with his older brother. He turned and held out his hand to me. We shook and said our good byes. I told him thanks for being a fan and keep rooting for the Orange. He said, “No, thank you Mister, for being here all these years!
As I watched the fans pour out onto the field, I smiled. Yep, the Orange is in great shape, great shape.
