Style Award: Biscuit Heads on Opening Day
Dale and Marion Ladd of Central Square showed up at NBT Bank Stadium today to support Billy Gardner, Jr. Gardner was making his debut as a Triple-A manager for the Syracuse Chiefs.
The biscuit hats, according to Marion (whose family is from down South) were a shout out to Gardner’s former team, the Montgomery Biscuits. While with Montgomery in 2012, Gardner was the Southern League’s Manager of the Year.
The Syracuse Half Marathon continued yesterday, despite a return to winter weather conditions.
Dave Cain (St. John’s) and Craig Kowadla (Lafayette)
On this first day of March Madness we do a roll call of some of the great college point guards that were raised or played in the Cuse…The Pearl, Jason Buchanan, Lazarus Sims, Tyler Ennis, Rick Brunson, Sherman Douglas, Jason Hart, Dave Cain, Billy Edelin, Craig Kowadla, and Edwin Moss.
Julius “Pop” Anderson floats to the basket for a lay-up in the final minute of the second half.
The crowd, which included businessmen, families and former college athletes, seemed to route for league elder statesman Julius “Pop” Anderson.
Well maybe not everyone, since retired BBBL Commissioner James Jackson was also in the house (and his son Derrick plays for Flav).
Speculation began immediately after the game whether Anderson would return next year for another repeat title.
Surely Flav will have something to say about that…Showtime may have won this year, but this rivalry is just getting started.
Showtime point guard Dave Cain addresses the team during a time-out.
Don Crouch (center) and Flav’s Unit turned up their man-to-man defense pressure to close the gap in the second half.
Gil Spaights (Flav’s Unit) questions a close call.
Showtime: The Last Team Standing
Gymnastics judge and retired teacher Abe Gabriel flexes his suit & tie game in Buffalo on Sunday. He knows how to rep the orange and blue.
Morehouse College Sports and Journalism Program Director Ron Thomas spoke about the genesis of the NBA and how it was integrated during a visit to the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications on Thursday.
Thomas also posed one of the most clever sports trivia questions out there: Who was the NBA’s first player? (there’s more than one answer, so read the book)
On Friday, Thomas continued his labor of love by attending a ceremony in West Virginia that featured a tribute to Earl Lloyd.
Not everyone in Syracuse has given up on an undefeated season. Last weekend we found out about another Team Orange that is doing work on the court at the East Fayette Street Boys & Girls Club. The Syracuse Team for Biddy Basketball, coached by Dean Crouch, remained the top seed as they used pressure defense, superior guard play and backboard dominance to dispose of Marquette on Saturday. The team, made up of children from the SCSD, is now 7-0, and retains a number one ranking heading into the playoffs.
The plot line for the game included best friends turned rivals, and even brother against brother on the sidelines (Dean’s brother Danard is Marquette’s coach). Syracuse may have won by double digits, but the game was certainly competitive.
We wish Syracuse the best as they barrel toward perfection.
Dean and Danard Crouch, coaches for East Fayette Street Biddy Basketball
Cuse Fans, State Tower Building
Every school or college should have the kind of testimony that Jayson Stark gave during a visit to Syracuse with fellow baseball analysts Dan Shulman and Tim Kurkjian. Stark talked about his career path being more than a game of chance.