Danny Meets Kitty

At long last, I introduced Danny to Kitty the other night. We were in Syracuse, to see the Orange play in the opening round of the NIT (more on that in a moment), but first, I had to bring Danny down to Armory Square, so we could spend a couple hours in Kitty Hoyne’s clutches, before the game. It was the day after St. Patrick’s, and everyone must have been worn out, because the place was quiet all through the dinner hour. But we sat first at the bar, where we were joined by PH and Waxie, for an impromptu Nottingham reunion. Danny had to endure a bit of reminiscing about high school shenanigans, and Bradley Brook , and all the usual nonsense. But as we waxed nostalgic, we enjoyed a couple Irish whiskies, in honor of St. Patrick, as well as a glass of Guinness; and then Danny was invited behind the bar to pick out some malts for everyone. A most hospitable showing on the part of Kitty’s staff. Eventually we made our way to a table for some dinner, to soak up all the whisky, and then on to the Dome.

Cuse had a tough time with Robert Morris, partly because those guys were so scrappy, and partly because Jonny Flynn sat down with a sore back, and didn’t play at all in the second half. Scoop Jardine did a nice job running the team; Donte had a fine shooting game, although he committed his typical quota of dumb turnovers and lackadaisical passes; PH had an all around great game, including 11 of his first 12 from the stripe; and everyone seemed to play hard all night. So even though poor foul shooting kept the game close in the final minutes, closer than it should have been, Orange managed to hold on for a hard fought win.

Tonight, I’m sorry to say, I could not find the game anywhere in Rochester, and so we had to settle for a few minutes of radio play driving home from the Chophouse, and otherwise kept track on ESPN Gameday. Looked to me like they played a great second half, reminiscent of the Marquette win at season’s end. And over a Maryland team that had a couple big wins in ACC play this year. That win will probably give the Orange a rematch with UMass, a chance to avenge an early season defeat where they surrendered 107 points, the most ever in the Dome. I was pleased to see that almost 15,000 fans came out for this game, a remarkable crowd not only because it was an NIT game, but because all those tickets were sold in under 48 hours. So Boeheim has another 20 win season; Orange has another home game; and there is still a chance for a trip to the Garden.

I’ll be missing the rest of the season, as we’re flying over the ocean next Tuesday, on our way back to see Fran and Gidon, this time with Andy and Peggy. Since I can’t see any of the games, that may insure that the Cuse goes deep into this tournament. However it comes out, I hope they come back with a chip on their shoulders next year, eager to prove to everyone that they belong in the NCAAs. Speaking of which, too bad Duke pulled out that win. As of this moment, no upsets, and not a lot of drama. Which is OK I suppose, because without the Orange playing, I really don’t care that much who wins or loses. Other than Notre Dame, that is.