Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="jvbj01, post: 896105, member: 442"] I grew up in Newark, New York. I graduated High School in 1985. I joined the USAF and was stationed at Vandenberg AFB, California. Before I moved from New York, I was not a Syracuse fan. I don't know why, but I did not follow them. Being away from home, I clinged on to anything upstate New York. I became hardcore and couldn't get enough of the Orangemen. I remember a trip to San Diego in 1987. Syracuse was playing against Providence College in the Final Four. We were in a cheap hotel, getting ready to go to Tijuana, Mexico. Syracuse won and I had a crazy night in TJ. One week later, a corner jump shot broke my heart, as Syracuse almost won their first National Championship in basketball. My first game was against Morehead State on December 28, 1987 when I was home on leave. I was amazed by the Carrier Dome. We sat in the bleachers in front of the blue curtain. I took my VHS video camera and videotaped much of the game. I started out in my seat taping, but the camera was bulky, and I didn't want to interfere with anybody's sight of the game. I think at halftime, I snuck down near one of the baskets and creeped in by a guy filming the game for a television station. I filmed next to him for a short time and then somebody tapped me on the shoulder and removed me from that area. Somewhere, I have that tape. In 1991 a friend and I went to a Santa Barbara Islanders CBA game. They were playing the San Jose Jammers. Syracuse beat Georgetown that day and I was wearing a Syracuse Sweatshirt. Before the game, I was down low in the stadium near the locker rooms. There was a player that saw my sweatshirt and we made eye contact. We approached each other and chatted for a few minutes. This player was the reason I went to the game, it was "The Pearl". Pearl Washington was standing in front of me talking about the Georgetown game. What a thrill for me! At halftime of that game, the announcer told us to open our programs to a certain page. Whoever had an autograph of Don Ford, who was from Santa Barbara, was to report to the scoters table. It was me! I had the autograph and I didn't know what would happen next. I went to the scorer stable and they told me I would be shooting hoops for prizes at halftime. There were about 10 shots. They were from a layup to a 3 pointer. There were many gifts and I was sure I would be lighting up the night. I was a wrestler growing up and had played in a league until I was about 8 years old. I made the all star team one year, but my team sucked and they needed someone to play. Anyhow, I was confident and ready to hit some shots. Halftime came and when I was walking to the court, Pearl saw me. He turned around and stood near the tunnel. Pearl Washington was watching me, in my Syracuse Orangemen sweatshirt, getting ready to represent Syracuse and win some wonderful prizes. That made me nervous. My palms began to sweat and I could barely breath as I walked on the court. My first shot was a layup. I could do this in my sleep. I was going to warmup with this and win my first of many prizes. I bounced the ball a few times, ran up and clanked it against the rim. Pearl was still watching. I was so embarrassed. I shook it off and went to my next spot. It was a short jumper, maybe from 6-8 feet. I jumped, shot and missed. Oh no!! I missed a short jumper!! My sweatshirt had a thick elastic band that hugged my waist. As I shot, the sweatshirt crept up and it felt like I was wearing a tube top that girls used to wear. At that time, I had abs, but it felt strange. I could not get that off my mind. I looked over to see in Pearl was still watching and he had gone to the locker room. I was a mess. I embarrassed Pearl and he walked off. It was not getting any easier. I missed my few shots and worked my way to a 3 pointer. This shot was for a trip to Lake Tahoe. My palms were sweating and I was a complete mess. I chucked the shot up and air balled it. The crowd started chanting "airball" and I wanted to crawl under a rock. I still had a few more shorter shots for more prizes. I was sweating and my results did not change. I missed every shot. The announcer was kind enough to award me a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi for my participation. I was so embarrassed. I took my soda and walked back to my seat. The game went on and I sat in my chair thinking about the shame. I felt like I should turn my sweatshirt inside out. I shamed Syracuse and Pearl Washington. The game ended and as I was walking out, a kid noticed me and started the "airball" chant. I was wondering how he noticed me. I didn't realize I was the only person carrying a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi. I couldn't get out of the stadium quick enough. That night still haunts me. Lol.... Years passed and we had many awesome players and great teams. 2003 was a dream season and I will never forget being decked out in Orange gear with my daughter watching the Championship game. Finally, we did it. I lived in California for 13 years and then moved to Pennsylvania. I introduced my 3 kids to the Orange and have had some great experiences going to games. When there is a game on, my family and friends know I will be watching. Anyhow, that is my Syracuse story! There have been some great moments and hopefully, this team will create many more! Syracusefan.com, thank you for having me! I love this place. [/QUOTE]

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