Nice Joel Mareiniss quote……..”up the invisible ladder”He of the “left-handed leaping leaner”.
Nice Joel Mareiniss quote……..”up the invisible ladder”
Before SU sports was on tv every game, Joel calling the games on the radio was my window into Syracuse basketball and football…….classic lines and nicknames!
Marty played a better game than Magic !
Marty played a better game than Magic !
And to pour salt in the wound. . .I can still visualize that Carrier Classic. I probably had my best seats ever in Manley. Magic had a very good semi-final game but Marty outplayed him in the final and SU won. Magic got MVP. When does a player from the championship team not win MVP? Everyone was shocked, even Magic.
Of course, JB was very calm about it….
LOL he was not!
Me too.Before our family got seasons when I was a kid, we’d go to games at Manley and sit in the balcony right below Joel.
I can still visualize that Carrier Classic. I probably had my best seats ever in Manley. Magic had a very good semi-final game but Marty outplayed him in the final and SU won. Magic got MVP. When does a player from the championship team not win MVP? Everyone was shocked, even Magic.
Of course, JB was very calm about it….
LOL he was not!
And to pour salt in the wound. . .
Later that season, SU won an in-season tournament at New Mexico, beating the Lobos on their notorious home court "The Pit". MVP? Michael Cooper of the runner-up team.
Ironic that Marty Byrnes was a teammate of Johnson and Cooper with the Lakers.
I wonder if they continue to do it in Albuquerque.And thanks to the Lobo Classic, that was the genesis of the "standing and clapping" ritual that continues to this day.
And thanks to the Lobo Classic, that was the genesis of the "standing and clapping" ritual that continues to this day.
True that!And thanks to the Lobo Classic, that was the genesis of the "standing and clapping" ritual that continues to this day.
And thanks to the Lobo Classic, that was the genesis of the "standing and clapping" ritual that continues to this day.
Great story. DIck, you need to be a consultant for Otto's Army. This needs to happen.Yep, yet another “tradition” that we stole from another school.
The only one that I can think of that I’m pretty sure we originated…I think it evolved when I was a student…was the “who’s he?” cheer. Of course, over time the University pushed back on it because it wasn’t exactly conducive to a family-friendly atmosphere. It was Class AAA high-culture for we adolescents in the Manley Zoo however. I still miss it.
There was a funny thing… I wouldn’t exactly call it a “tradition” but in the Zoo we would generally pick a random opposing bench player during warmups and cheer loudly for him everytime his shot went in. The opponents always warmed up at the Zoo end of the court in Manley. The one consistent element was that player was generally short and cocky-acting. Having selected and groomed our target, the Zoo would call continuously for that player to be inserted once the game got underway. When the coach put him in, the Zoo went nuts and cheered like crazy, all the while urging him to shoot every time he touched the ball. Of course, by now the kid was very aware of all the attention, was very nervous, and would generally miss every shot he took. In delight, the Zoo would laugh raucously and shout all sorts of derisive things at him. One night, an opposing player who was the recipient of such Zoo sportsmanship actually ran up into the stands and started swinging at random Zoo denizens. I was probably about ten rows up so he never got up to me but it was SU basketball entertainment at its finest.
Good times, good times.
The Zoo remains the most amazing and most intimidating fan section in the history of college athletics.Yep, yet another “tradition” that we stole from another school.
The only one that I can think of that I’m pretty sure we originated…I think it evolved when I was a student…was the “who’s he?” cheer. Of course, over time the University pushed back on it because it wasn’t exactly conducive to a family-friendly atmosphere. It was Class AAA high-culture for we adolescents in the Manley Zoo however. I still miss it.
There was a funny thing… I wouldn’t exactly call it a “tradition” but in the Zoo we would generally pick a random opposing bench player during warmups and cheer loudly for him everytime his shot went in. The opponents always warmed up at the Zoo end of the court in Manley. The one consistent element was that player was generally short and cocky-acting. Having selected and groomed our target, the Zoo would call continuously for that player to be inserted once the game got underway. When the coach put him in, the Zoo went nuts and cheered like crazy, all the while urging him to shoot every time he touched the ball. Of course, by now the kid was very aware of all the attention, was very nervous, and would generally miss every shot he took. In delight, the Zoo would laugh raucously and shout all sorts of derisive things at him. One night, an opposing player who was the recipient of such Zoo sportsmanship actually ran up into the stands and started swinging at random Zoo denizens. I was probably about ten rows up so he never got up to me but it was SU basketball entertainment at its finest.
Good times, good times.
The opener was against LeMoyne. Was your buddy Gene Grey? He was only LeMoyne player to make the all-tourney team. (I was at the game as a LeMoyne student but I don't remember how many points he scored.)A buddy of mine, here in Baltimore, put up 30 on the 'Cuse in the opener. He made the all tourney team. After the game JB said he wanted to give him a scholarship but alumni had pushed for another guy.