In my post two days ago, I called out Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN.com for writing off Syracuse before Monday's championship game. It was a stupid, cheap column then and now it's even worse. In case you haven't heard, the Orangemen won Monday's national championship game, 81-78, making it six straight wins and three in a row over top-5 teams from the Big 12. Choke on that, Wojciechowski. Tell me why anyone should credit anything you write from here on out, because (and here's the good part) you know better than to claim you know the outcome of a game before it happens. So you're nothing more than the sports version of an uncredible tabloid.
I would also like to acknowledge:
Kirk Hinrich: Much respect. You were a man.
Nick Collison: Much respect. You were a man.
Roy Williams: I rooted for you before. And I will root for you again.
The Guys Who Walked Into the Bar at Halftime: They walked into a Syracuse-heavy bar at halftime and mocked the crowd during Kansas' second-half run. They weren't Kansas fans, just jerks. I can only wish that they were all hit by a car and died on the way home. I am serious. There is no room for instigation and spitefulness in a post-9/11 New York. I wish them all dead. They are a benefit to no one.
To Craig Forth: The biggest six points and solid defense of your life. You accomplished more in 35 minutes than the jealous people mocking you will accomplish in a lifetime.
To SU Students: Please play safe. Don't embarrass me by rioting in Syracuse. Especially not during a time of war.
To Gerry McNamara: Fuck senior leadership. How 'bout freshman talent? You were the difference in the game. How 'bout Collison's "senior leadership" when he missed all those free throws? If you're gonna cite these theories, you have to cite when they're bullshit. Syracuse was not far away from the Fab Five.
To Carmelo Anthony: Happy trails to you. Unless you come back for a preseason No. 1 ranking. Otherwise a preseason No. 5 ranking and one helluva legacy.
To Jim Boeheim: A Hall of Fame coach, no questions asked. Congratulations to a fellow SU alum.
To the Syracuse Orangemen: I don't know why sports grips me so. I don't know why I cared so much that you won or lost. I never painted my face, and, despite being a four-time season-ticket-holder for football and basketball, I have gotten very good about letting go after the clocks strikes 0:00. But you boys made a lot of people happy, me included. Thank you.
Unintentional Lie of the Night, Nick Collison: "We got enough stops to make a run," said Collison. "Missed too many free throws, 12-for-30. If we shoot 50 percent, we tie. Just wasn't our night." Bullshit. Kansas grabbed and converted a hoop on at least three offensive rebounds after 0-for-2's from the line. So they came away with at least 18 points from free-throw opportunities, six more than 12. They scored more than if they'd hit three more back-ends. (Watch a game with me sometime, I'll clue you in.)
Truest Tale of the Night, Jim Boeheim: "We fouled the guys we wanted to foul," said Boeheim, noting that Kansas' Jeff Graves was 2-for-7. "We could see right away they didn't have good rhythm. Any time they got close to the basket, we wanted to foul them." Like I said last week, a failure by one team is often the result of two teams' performances. Don't try to "luck" this team to the championship. The Big 12 put three teams in the final eight and Syracuse lead by all but two minutes against all of them combined.
See a 30-second clip of the final second as I filmed it at a bar in NYC (4.3 MB) (Allow time to load)
Listen to radio broadcasts of final two plays
Wasn't the point of Wojciechowski's article to "inspire" the Orangemen to victory? I don't think so either. What a tool!
Go Longhorns in 2004!!
-JC
Posted by JC at April 8, 2003 8:54 AM