Maybe I did play one round too many this week

As we swept through the aisles of Wegmans for our Friday night replenishment yesterday, my dear wife Karen stopped short. We already had the rice pilaf, bagged salad, chicken breasts, Shake N Bake … This was an unfamiliar department. Seasonal or households or some such. Karen was looking at a doormat. And laughing. She threw…

Sometimes golf can become more than a good walk, thanks to Mother Nature

It’s too easy to take notice when Mother Nature gives us one of those harsh reminders who’s boss down here on planet Earth. So we collectively stare and share after hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, destruction. Sometimes, though, she allows us a precious moment to breathe deeply and appreciate the second part of that often-used expression shock-and-awe.…

Mike Waters and I appear under the bright lights of live TV

Live TV is a different animal. I’m no stranger to these question-and-answer sessions. I’ve strained my ear to hear people’s golden words, inside and outside. I’ve hooked the Garth Brooks-like headgear up to my phone to best capture the thoughts and speech patterns of people of many walks of life. I’ve even sat in front…

From Mike Waters and Mark Bialczak comes ‘The Syracuse Fan’s Survival Guide to the ACC’

The next time a Syracuse University sports squad takes the field in a league contest, it will be a battle in the ACC. Yes, the much-anticipated move from the Big East is upon Orange fans. I know you want to be able to talk intelligently about the Clemson Tigers and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, just…

At the U.S. Open, life at the top can be rough

It’s U.S. Open week in the golf world. I will be watching when I can, on ESPN and NBC. Starting today, golf fans will savor the sight of the traditional red wicker baskets atop the pins on the greens of famed Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa. No flags fluttering in the wind here. The…

Mets sweep the Yankees, said for the first time

Seconds after the final strike in the bottom of the ninth last night at Yankee Stadium, in came the text from my great friend and pinstripes fan Kingpin. “You may now gloat.” Put it in the history books. The Mets have swept the season series from the Yankees for the first time. Ever. It may…

Break up the Mets! Break up the Mets! We vanquish the Yankees twice in a row

I hate to use the term long-suffering and the word fan in the same sentence. There are, after all, more serious things in life that cause a lot more suffering than your squad going through a bad game. Or season. Or decade. Or lifetime. (Sorry, Cubbies.) Yeah, you all know that I’m a Mets fan.…

There’s fun to be had in Syracuse’s old hockey barn, and possibly a Cup, too

What says Memorial Day Weekend in Syracuse more than an American Hockey League playoff game in the Onondaga County War Memorial? How about it, I asked my dear wife Karen as we enjoyed our Saturday afternoon. Wanna go? All joking aside, the signs pointed to yes. Good hockey and a bite in the air were…

WoodFellas lend their hip-hop cool to video song for Syracuse Chiefs

There’s a new video out that pledges allegiance to the Syracuse Chiefs. It’s titled “Chiefsville,” and it weaves a pretty cool hip-hop mood throughout NBT Bank Stadium. You can find the video on YouTube. The stars of the show come from Syracuse hip-hop crew WoodFellas, Dan Ignacio and Danny Velez, joined by Nikki Feroni. They…

Is April 30 too early to give up on the Mets?

It’s a long season. So true, for so many things. But today I come to talk about baseball. Tomorrow it’s May. One month will be in the books for baseball fans everywhere. I root for the Mets. Let’s Go Mets has been echoing through my brain since I started appreciating the thrill of victory and…