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Message: [QUOTE="sutomcat, post: 445582, member: 27"] I am from Syracuse. No one in my immediate family had ties to Syracuse, heck, in an unfortunate accident of birth, my father got his law degree from Georgetown. No one followed SU sports, I was never taken to a football or basketball game. My friends had no interest either, but I kept reading stories about the basketball and football games. Was intrigued by the many photos in the Sunday Herald-American showing key plays from SU football games, by the stories of the exploits of the men's basketball team as it moved into regular contention for NIT bids, to regular contention for NCAA bids, to getting wins in the NCAA tournament and beating top 20 teams pretty regularly. Started regularly listening to basketball and broadcasts by Joel Mareiniss. He was a good announcer, very enthusiastic, very descriptive. Made me venture from my Eastwood home to the SU campus to see some of these games for myself. So I headed up to Archbold, determined to watch a football game. No idea how much a ticket would cost, but I knew Chiefs games (AAA baseball) were in the .50 to $1 range. Movies were about the same. To my chagrin, I found that tickets for SU football were way higher. $6 or $7 (I have forgotten which). Even if I had that money on me, I wasn't going to pay it. Ending up trying to buy one from scalpers, something I had never even considered. An SU student sold me a ticket for $4. I was overjoyed at my good luck until after giving my ticket to the ticket taker, I was asked for my student id. I was 12, maybe 13. The realization that I had been duped by a student hit me. I wasn't going to get in and I had just wasted $4 of my precious paperboy money on nothing. Tried to explain to the ticket taker what had happened. He told me he was sorry but I was out of luck and had to leave. I didn't argue, turned around and slowly headed home, crushed. Just as I promised myself that I would never go back to Archbold again, that I was done with SU athletics before even getting started, the ticket taker called me back. He took the ticket from me, whispered to never buy a student ticket again (I disregarded that advice until the day I became a student) and told me to go in. From the outside, Archbold Stadium, built in 1907, was a crumbling, ancient looking giant structure, but the fine iron gates that protected the interior, the imposing walls, the massive arch that formed the western entrance to it, were magnificent. But the thing that got me, the wow moment that hooked me for life, was when I made my way down the hall, under the stands, to my gate and walked through it to see the field for the first time. The dull grey, cracked and decaying concrete that were seemingly everywhere was suddenly replaced by a vast expanse of lush, brilliant green grass, perfectly marked and gorgeous. It took my breath away. The year was 1972. Maybe 1973. And I was hooked. Later that year, I went to Manley for the first time and had a similar life-altering experience. Funky music being played before the game. Sweet D putting on a show. Students participating in organized and extremely profane chants. The Kennel Club (featuring some students who actually won muzzles and ate dog biscuits). People smoking marijuana in public. Giant afros. And last but not least, people playing basketball at an extremely high level. It was like being exposed to the counter culture for the first time. It WAS my first exposure to the counter culture. Won't even try to pick out favorite specific games or moments; there have been too many to name. But I will mention two things: The national championship in basketball in 2003 was special. Great to have shared the experience with so many people on this board. I am also very thankful for the advent of the Internet, which has, in a long and convoluted journey, led us all to this board and this thread. It has been a great ride. Like Jake, I am extremely saddened by the end of the Big East conference. I was there for its birth, its growth, and now its death. It is part of my identify. Losing it is going to be very tough. Going to the ACC conference, a conference I have hated more than any other, is a particularly cruel twist. I understand it is the best place for Syracuse to survive in the cruel new world that is college athletics 2012 and I accept it. I look forward to visiting some great venues, playing some terrific programs, but a part of him will die on July 1st, 2013. Life goes on. I figure if we can survive GRob. we can survive anything. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?