From one point to another, well, sort of... - 6/3/09

It's been a few weeks now since Greg Paulus formally announced that he would use his final year of eligibility to play football and get his Master's degree at Syracuse. The feedback from many has been less than positive and I just can't understand why. The way I see it, this whole thing is a very low-risk situation for all involved.

Syracuse has been a program in an absolute state of flux for the past four seasons. The Orange's best showing in that span was a 4-8 finish in 2006. Play at the quarterback position has been average at best. Since Donovan McNabb graduated and moved along to the NFL the litany of individuals that has played QB at the 'Cuse reads like a list of "Hey, wait, who is that?" A few samples: Madei Williams, Troy Nunes, Cecil Howard, R.J. Anderson, Perry Patterson, Joe Fields, Matt Hale, Andrew Robinson, Cameron Dantley.

After a spirited first spring under new head coach Doug Marrone, redshirt freshman Ryan Nassib was named the starter. He appears loaded with both a strong arm and plenty of potential but the fact remains that he's still a lightly-regarded redshirt freshman with no experience. Dantley settled in behind him as the #2. Cam may have been the starter last season but save for a few great flashes (i.e. the final three scoring drives at Notre Dame) he is adequate at best. David Legree, the #3, has left school and appears to be headed to Hampton. Cody Catalina & Andrew Robinson are now tight ends. So you could say that depth at the QB position is lacking.

Enter Paulus. The former CBA quarterback was the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2004 before deciding to play basketball at Duke rather than football. Paulus was the favorite son in Central New York and many were heartbroken when he chose the orange basketball over the Orangemen. It seemed so effortless for Paulus, connecting on big pass after big pass with receivers Lavar Lobdell & Bruce Williams, both of whom would go onto rather non-descript careers with the Orange. Now, nearly five years removed from throwing his last meaningful pass, Paulus is looking to revive what certainly looked like a promising football career.

Critics from all over have weighed in on his decision. Most believe both Paulus and Marrone are crazy. Paulus hasn't touched a football in almost five years. Marrone needs to do something good in his first year on the job before he loses the fan base completely. Many simply hail it as a move out of sheer desperation. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.

And that's exactly what makes this whole thing acceptable. Syracuse hasn't appeared in a bowl game since it got waxed by Georgia Tech in the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl (I remember that one all too well.). They haven't had an over-.500 season since winning 10 games in 2001, capped by an Insight Bowl victory over Kansas State. They have been stuck in neutral while the rest of the Big East has leaped ahead in victories, facilities, recruiting, and reputation. So, really, what in the world do the Orange have to lose?

If Paulus shows all the rust that has accumulated since his CBA days and falls flat on his face, so what. No one is expecting a miracle and he can't be any worse than what Syracuse fans have seen for the last several years. But what if he doesn't fail? What if he finds his arm to be fresh and full of life? What if he summons that moxie from the court and brings it back to the huddle? What if the move turns out to be a home run?

One thing is for sure, people around the country are talking about Syracuse football. Marrone, the SU alum, has made quite an impact in his first few months on the job. He is bringing back the great traditions that used to be staples of the Orange program. He's changing the attitude surrounding what has become a moribound program. Full contact practices and plenty of competition flowed through the 15 spring practices. Players that don't fit his vision are dropping like flies. And now Paulus joins the fold. There is an undeniable buzz around CNY these days and it's providing hope for a program that once ruled the Big East.

Paulus may not single-handedly lead the Orange past Pitt, West Virginia, South Florida, and the rest of the Big East but he may give the Orange enough buzz to resolidify the foundation of a once-proud and consistent program. And make no mistake about it, Paulus will get every imaginable chance to win the starting job from Nassib in fall practice. The competition should be healthy and encouraging for all. Some will still criticize the move but in my opinion, Syracuse has already won. And any win, no matter how big or small, counts in the Dome.

Some news and notes:

- A couple of crazy games this past weekend in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Texas & Boston College play the longest game in NCAA history, 25 innings spanning 7 hours & 3 minutes. Texas would win, 3-2, and BC would be sent packing the next day with a 4-3 loss to Army. Florida State then sets NCAA post-season records by racking up an absurd 37 runs, 38 hits, and 66 total bases in a huge victory over Ohio State. Gotta love the unpredictability of college baseball.

- Jon Gruden is replacing Tony Kornheiser on Monday Night Football this upcoming season. It's a win-win situation for everyone. Kornheiser wanted out and can now focus on PTI. Gruden finds work and gets to team up with Ron Jaworski to form an incredible X's and O's duo in the booth that should captivate any and all football fans.

- The Los Angeles Clippers have won the NBA Draft Lottery for the third time in franchise history. All signs point to the Clips taking Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin. Interested to see how this turns out. The Clips hit relatively big in 1988 when they selected Danny Manning but then whiffed big-time 10 years later when they selected Michael Olowokandi with the number one pick.

- New Orleans will host its record-tying 10th Super Bowl in February 2013. It's a capstone moment in the city's recovery from Hurricane Katrina. The city has hosted the Sugar Bowl and the NBA All-Star Game in its recovery efforts and will now get the biggest stage in professional sports to show just how far the Crescent City has come. Congrats to New Orleans on this crowning achievement.

- On the crazy front, it was confirmed that Boston Bruins forward Mark Recchi played in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with kidney stones & broken ribs. The stones were found before Game 4 and not removed until just before Game 7 of Boston's series with Carolina. Gotta love those tough hockey players.

- It's well-known that I've never been a big fan of Tom Brady but after reading his comments in this week's Sports Illustrated, I must say I have a lot more respect for him. Here's a sampling: "Playing ten more years is a big goal of mine...And if I get to that point and still feel good, I'll keep playing. I mean, what the hell else am I going to do? I dno't like anything else...Why would I even think of doing anything else? What would I do instead of run out in front of 80,000 people and command 52 guys and be around guys I consider brothers and be one of the real gladiators?...It's so hard to think of anything that would match what I do: Fly to the moon? Jump out of planes? Bungee-jump off cliffs? None of that s*** matters to me?" How can you not absolutely love that old-school attitude. You don't see enough of that passion in professional sports anymore.

- On the flip side, I have lost some respect for LeBron James after his childish act following the conclusion of the Eastern Conference Finals. After the Orlando Magic ended Cleveland's season and earned their first NBA Finals trip since 1995, LBJ stormed off the court without speaking to anyone or shaking any hands. He then left the locker room silent and left his not-so-great supporting cast to answer all the media inquiries. His excuse was that he's a "competitor" and he shouldn't shake someone's hand after they "beat his brains in." Quite frankly, that's a load of crap. A true competitor is unbowed yet humble in defeat. LeBron was a sore loser who left his teammates hanging, simple as that. He should've been a man, sucked it up, and congratulated Orlando on a well-earned series victory. His defenders will point out that LeBron played incredible ball throughout the series but got zero help from the rest of the Cavs so he had a right to be frustrated. Of course he has the right to be frustrated with the season ending without reaching the ultimate goal and with management refusing to give him any sort of credible help. Look at Carmelo Anthony & the Nuggets after the acquisition of Chauncey Billups. Enough said there. Bottom line, hockey players beat each other up for four, five, six, or seven games in a series yet at the end of the series the two teams line up and go through the traditional handshake line. Even though the dreams of one team are dead, they still show class and humility in defeat, like true competitors. Just another reason the NHL is that much better than the NBA. The only good that may come out of this is that Cavs management will realize that Anderson Varejao, Mo Williams, and Ben Wallace are not the supporting cast LeBron needs to win a title.

- Finally, it's that time...time to announce the 2nd-annual Women's College World Series All-Meech Team, a stellar combination of good looks and great softball players. Oh, and congrats to the Washington Huskies on winning their first NCAA Softball National Championship. Now for this year's All-Meech WCWS Team:

P Danielle Lawrie (Washington)
P Stacey Nelson (Florida) (2nd selection)
P Stacy Delaney (Missouri)
1B Ali Gardiner (Florida)
2B Ashley Charters (Washington)
SS K'Lee Arrendondo (Arizona)
3B Katie Crabb (Arizona State)
C Ashley Holcombe (Alabama)
OF Lauren Schutzler (Arizona) (2nd selection)
OF Brittany Rogers (Alabama) (2nd selection)
OF Francesca Enea (Florida) (2nd selection)
OF Kaitlin Cochran (Arizona State)
OF Jessica Mapes (Arizona State)
UT Megan Gregory (Michigan)
UT Kristin Schnake (Georgia)
UT Krista Donnenwirth (Arizona State)

Until next week.

-Meech