Yes, people are fired up for Syracuse vs. Duke

People in Syracuse, N.Y., have been talking about this college basketball game since the schedule was announced. The Syracuse Orange plays the Duke Blue Devils in the Carrier Dome, with tipoff at 6:30 p.m. T-shirts have been sold to mark the occasion. Students have been camping out in the bitter cold for more than two…

Read my Lipsy: Women’s fashion store comes to Syracuse from London

Call me skeptical. I walk past a store in Syracuse, N.Y., with a sign that calls out to the world “Lipsy London,” and I wonder if indeed this store has any official connection on that side of the ocean. I wouldn’t know offhand because the posh-looking fashion in the windows — black dresses and red…

A Super Bowl primer for people of many lands

Originally posted on Mark Bialczak:
In America, football comes in many sizes, as shown in this Syracuse, N.Y., Dick’s Sporting Goods store. It seems like every man, woman and child in America watches the Super Bowl, no? The championship game for the National Football League has become a national holiday. Edition XLVIII, as the NFL…

A Super Bowl primer for people of many lands

A Super Bowl primer for people of many lands. I first posted this on Monday. Then I thought: Let’s give folks who want to join in the big Super Bowl spectacle on Sunday but aren’t quite up on the nuances another shot at my attempt to enlighten.

A 300 by our sub livens up bowling night

Even for a last-place team, the ultimate can happen anytime on the bowling lanes. Last night, our sub bowler, Ron Fox Jr., rolled a perfect 300 in the second game of three. Way to go, Ron. It was exciting, watching his powerful ball knock down all 10 pins, 12 throws in a row. All the…

‘Labor Day’ drama, humor from ‘That Awkward Moment’

Love can bloom in strange places. Hollywood tries to prove that again and again with the two major film openings this weekend. “Labor Day” pairs Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet as a mystery man and reclusive mom who just may end up joining together to conquer both of their dilemmas, if the trailer is a…

In ‘Pirate Alley,’ Stephen Coonts builds tension on the seas

You may have seen my story here about taking the big boat from Baltimore to Bermuda and back. My dear wife Karen has made a cruise ship regular out of me. And yet I just finished reading “Pirate Alley,” the latest novel by Stephen Coonts. If the title isn’t self-explanatory enough for you, take a…

A street corner dilemma: What do you do when asked for money?

Somebody you don’t know addresses you on the street. They ask for money. You must make a decision. It’s an issue that will not go away, a cultural sign of our economy and so much more. Recently in downtown Syracuse, N.Y., my walking journey was interrupted by a request that threw me off my stride.…

Remember Pete Seeger, rich of voice, deep in commitment

Over my two decades covering music for the big daily in Syracuse, I got the opportunity to talk with a whole lot of interesting people. One morning, I talked to Pete Seeger on the phone. He agreed to the interview because he would be coming that little stretch north and west to Central New York…

Music is timeless, but the Grammys is a show for the ages

Watching the 56th edition of the Grammy Awards unfold across my flat screen on Sunday night, I couldn’t help but be struck again about music’s relationship with time. Put a great song on a record, or on tape, or in the digital world, and time stands still, forever thereafter. In one hour, in January, 2014,…