Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMCCULLOUGH: Seniors saw 4 years of compelling stories, if not great results
By Andy McCullough
Posted: 5/6/09, 6:27 PM EST Section: Sports
If that's the case, I don't know what to tell you. The lacrosse team won a title, its 10th. But football sucked, and men's basketball only won two NCAA Tournament games. So if you fixated on winning and losing, well, sorry to hear.
I've got a bunch of memories. And that's enough for me.
I remember standing with my arms outstretched, holding up three fingers to salute Gerry McNamara. I remember how the entire town of Scranton jammed into buses to come see Gerry's last game.
I remember watching Mike Leveille strap Syracuse lacrosse onto his back at last year's national semifinal in Foxborough, Mass. I remember standing in the Gillette Stadium press box, waiting for someone, anyone, to end that double-overtime thriller. I remember the joy on Leveille's face as he walked into the tunnel, having finally scored to end the game.
I remember the hollow eyes of Syracuse football players after losses. I remember The Pistol, that silly offensive formation that garnered such derision from fans. I remember that harried look that plagued Greg Robinson. I remember the hunger of Curtis Brinkley, the way he once leapt through an open hole at the goal line.
I remember Donte Greene wearing a "Don'te Leave," T-shirt - and then leaving. I remember asking Jonny Flynn about the NBA at Basketball Media Day this year. "We all have the same goal," he told me. "We're trying to make some money playing this game." I remember thinking then that he probably wouldn't stick around much longer, either. I remember thinking that was probably for the best.
I remember these things, and so much more. And I haven't been a Syracuse fan for years. Those halcyon days of freshman year are long gone. I haven't sat in the student section for a basketball or football game since 2006. When Syracuse made the NCAA Tournament this year, the campus flooded Marshall Street in shades of Orange. I wore a Clippers jersey. But I still have memories. Mine are just different.
My friends ask me who I root for when I cover games. "The story," I always answer. I root for a good story.
Of course, they laugh at me. But they're rooting for stories, too. They just don't know it yet. Stories, memories, it's all the same.
I hope you have your own.
Andy McCullough was the enterprise editor, managing editor and feature editor of The Daily Orange, where his columns will no longer appear. He covered football and men's lacrosse. You can reach him at ramccullo@gmail.com
I've got a bunch of memories. And that's enough for me.
I remember standing with my arms outstretched, holding up three fingers to salute Gerry McNamara. I remember how the entire town of Scranton jammed into buses to come see Gerry's last game.
I remember watching Mike Leveille strap Syracuse lacrosse onto his back at last year's national semifinal in Foxborough, Mass. I remember standing in the Gillette Stadium press box, waiting for someone, anyone, to end that double-overtime thriller. I remember the joy on Leveille's face as he walked into the tunnel, having finally scored to end the game.
I remember the hollow eyes of Syracuse football players after losses. I remember The Pistol, that silly offensive formation that garnered such derision from fans. I remember that harried look that plagued Greg Robinson. I remember the hunger of Curtis Brinkley, the way he once leapt through an open hole at the goal line.
I remember Donte Greene wearing a "Don'te Leave," T-shirt - and then leaving. I remember asking Jonny Flynn about the NBA at Basketball Media Day this year. "We all have the same goal," he told me. "We're trying to make some money playing this game." I remember thinking then that he probably wouldn't stick around much longer, either. I remember thinking that was probably for the best.
I remember these things, and so much more. And I haven't been a Syracuse fan for years. Those halcyon days of freshman year are long gone. I haven't sat in the student section for a basketball or football game since 2006. When Syracuse made the NCAA Tournament this year, the campus flooded Marshall Street in shades of Orange. I wore a Clippers jersey. But I still have memories. Mine are just different.
My friends ask me who I root for when I cover games. "The story," I always answer. I root for a good story.
Of course, they laugh at me. But they're rooting for stories, too. They just don't know it yet. Stories, memories, it's all the same.
I hope you have your own.
Andy McCullough was the enterprise editor, managing editor and feature editor of The Daily Orange, where his columns will no longer appear. He covered football and men's lacrosse. You can reach him at ramccullo@gmail.com
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