I fondly remember The Snurfer, that early yellow snowboard

I was a pioneer in the snowboarding movement. This I discovered yesterday, when my sister Fran started a look-back Facebook thread because they were expected a good bit of snow on Long Island. Our neighbors two doors down on the Suffolk County hill that cascaded on our suburban street, the Carrs, chipped in with memories…

College basketball ACC season heats up for Syracuse with North Carolina game

The Syracuse University men’s basketball team’s first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference really starts a little past noon today. The Orange will tip off against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Carrier Dome. It’s the kind of game folks around Syracuse have been anticipating since it was announced 2 1/2 years ago that…

I must watch the golf in Kapalua

Every sports fan in the U S of A was watching the NFL playoffs late Saturday night, right? The Saints just scored another second-half touchdown to go up on the Eagles 20-7. But there was still 3:06 left in the third quarter. Considering what we saw the Colts do overcome a 28-point deficit to break…

I’m more likely to win Powerball than direct my bowling ball into the 5-7-10 split

For some reason, I was leaving a lot of splits up there on lanes 5 and 6 during my bowling league Thursday night. Three red numbers in a row in the first game, in fact. One of them made me grab my iPhone to chronicle the moment. The other bowlers on the lane looked on…

After bowl Friday, Syracuse is up, Maryland is down

That was some bowl day for me Friday. One down, one up. My alma mater Maryland lost in the Military Bowl by falling apart defensively in the final quarter. I was not happy. My 30-year hometown team Syracuse took the Texas Bowl title with a last-minute touchdown against Minnesota. I danced around the living room.…

Too many college football bowl games? Not today

College football fan that I am, I’m certain to watch quite a bit of action leading up to the tussle between Florida State and Auburn for the BCS national title. (Hey! After that Jan. 6 ends with the crowning of a champion, we’re done with the BCS and on to the four-team playoff.) Maybe not…

Are you a frontrunner or do you like going to the game?

Later this afternoon, my dear wife Karen and I will head off to the Carrier Dome to witness the Syracuse University football team’s final game of this 2013 regular season. The Orange needs to beat Boston College to even its record at 6-6 and become eligible for a bowl bid. We will be rooting. Us…

Two months before first Duke game, Syracuse fans have a rivalry shirt

They are good at the art of the T-shirt in Orange Nation. The latest slogan-to-wear-proudly made its debut (in my sights, at least) on a football Saturday. And it’s a basketball-related ‘T.’ The Syracuse University Book Store set its table up indoors for the first time this season, as colder weather moved the big tailgate…

College basketball season is here, and Syracuse fans can go to the book

Basketball season has begun, and that’s a good thing here in Central New York. In fact, many fans are sure that it is Coach Jim Boeheim’s men’s basketball team that drives the Orange bus. Last night, my good friend MIke Waters and I had the chance to talk with a whole bunch of Orange fans.…

Root, root, root for your own team

I had the chance to watch football Sunday in one of those places that proudly subscribes to the NFL Sunday Ticket. In Jake Hafner’s Restaurant and Tavern in Syracuse, they know how to throw a party for the NFL. Walk in, and the banks of flat screens are labeled with notecards underneath, two helmets per…