The ears find few bursts at Syracuse University FanFest, too much bluster at PGA tee boxes

Mike Waters and I took in FanFest from a different perspective Friday night outside Manley Field House. As the Syracuse University football followers crowded to the bleachers and stood along the fence to watch the Orange scrimmage as part of this celebration of a new season on the horizon, Waters and I stayed behind the…

It’s a week to appreciate the magnificence of Rochester’s Oak Hill

Good luck, best golfers in the world. You’re taking on Oak Hill for real starting this morning. I played the beautiful beast in Rochester a year ago this week, when the horde of professionals were gathering in Kiawah Island. The PGA of America already had an advance crew collected in an office on the stately…

I get to meet the SU fans our ‘Survival Guide to the ACC’ will educate and entertain

After the first book, if you’re lucky enough, comes the first book-signing event. My special occasion arrived Saturday, at Columbus Circle in downtown Syracuse, as big crowds filled three city blocks during the annual Arts and Crafts Festival. I sat next to Mike Waters, my veteran co-author who’s written a tidy and growing number of…

The SI cover jinx lays claim to pitcher Jason Grilli to dismay of Pittsburgh and Central New York

OK, avid sports fans in Central New York and Pittsburgh. When surprise star closer Jason Grilli turned out to be the cover boy for last week’s Sports Illustrated, don’t tell me that among all those yee-hah’s dancing around your brain there wasn’t a small uh-oh hiding out. The SI cover jinx lives. The famous second…

Yes, Virginia, it was a gorgeous campus for an ACC football game

I can still remember the glorious late autumn Saturday during my senior year at the University of Maryland when a bunch of us student journalists for the Diamondback jumped in a car for a trip to Charlottesville, Va. My roommate and dear friend, Greg Ten Eyck, had the Terrapins football beat for the campus daily.…

It’s a long way to St. Andrew’s from Camillus Country Club

This morning-after following Phil Mickelson’s triumph at the British Open at Muirfield in Scotland, I was teeing it up to pay tribute at Camillus Country Club, a dozen or so miles to the west of Syracuse. It’s a hilly course. At one of the high spots, the members of CCC took the time to place…

A teen and a senior show that cream rises earlier, lasts longer

They say that viewed under the right prism, sports teaches us about life. I believe them. Take the results of two golf tournaments yesterday. On the PGA Tour, 19-year-old Jordan Spieth won the John Deere Classic, capturing a long and winding, five-hole playoff against wise veteran Zach Johnson — a major winner with a Master’s…

It’s time to enjoy (place your product name here)

Cross-promotion has become part of our modern lives. At first I used to hate it. I did not want to see the “American Idol” judges slugging from those huge, red Coca-Cola glasses. Bet it was a different beverage in each cup. Then it just made me squirm a bit. Maybe NASCAR driver Tony Stewart really…

The voices of Ralph Kiner, Bob Uecker and Doug Logan all made me smile

The universe conspired on the day of America’s birthday party to urge me to build this gift of recognition to the voices that help mark our lives. As you saw in my post yesterday, we took Ellie B to march in the Manlius Fourth of July parade with the group from The Dog Gone Inn.…

Syracuse is now in the ACC. Are you ready?

Wipe that one last tear for the Big East. Syracuse is now officially a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. July 1, 2013. It’s the day that’s been in the making since the surprise announcement in September, 2011, that Syracuse and Pitt were changing league allegiance. Since, Notre Dame was added (in all sports except…