Jardine's Garden Party

It's been a bleak November, notwithstanding the many bright and sunny days that have graced upstate NY. First we had to watch the RedSox bullpen melt down, giving the Angels a three-game sweep. The after the Angels fell apart in the ALCS, we had to endure the indignity of the Empire winning its twenty-seventh title. Give credit where credit is due, however. The Yankees stepped up, and earned that title with a dominant post-season. And let's show respect for Matsui, who is the antithesis of the modern self-absorbed athlete.

Then forget about football season. Syracuse has had another dismal fall. They may not have been as inept as during the Robinson years, but still have managed to find new and creative ways to give away games. I've said this in the past, but I really think I've seen my last game from Section 130, Row V, Seats 7 and 8, where my dad and I sat through many a great game in the 80s, under Coach Mac, and even through the early 90s. But enough already. I saw victories this year over Maine and Akron, but in the old days, who would have taken heart from a win over a mid-major, or major-minor, or some Division 1-AA school? It's 22 years now since Cuse beat West Virginia in the best game I ever saw in the dome, trading TDs through the fourth quarter until the Orange won in the final seconds to go undefeated. Five years later, they lost to the number one ranked Hurricanes, when Gedney was tackled at the three yard line as time ran out. And forget about fifty years ago; we won't even go there.

But there is some promise for the winter months, after this demoralizing fall. Last night Cuse beat a highly ranked California team in the Garden, their home away from home. Not just beat Cal; but ran all over them. 95 points. They had that wake-up call against Lemoyne a couple weeks ago, and clearly stepped up their defensive intensity. And the team has those long and athletic guys, who can make the 2-3 so effective. (Remember Duany at the top of the zone?) Everyone expected Wes Johnson to contribute on the offensive end, and he has lived up to those expectations, but six blocks? The front line looks tough this year, and they have some help off the bench if AO and Jackson get in trouble.

But the star of the night was Scoop Jardine. I've been high on Scoop since his freshman year; he runs the floor well, he's unselfish; he keeps his teammates involved. I went back and checked, and last April, after Flynn declared, I predicted that the Orange would be OK at the point with Scoop and Triche running the team. Last night, off the bench, Jardine really filled up the stat sheet. 22 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds -- ESPN recognized him as the player of the game. But my favorite stat of the night was that in twenty-seven minutes he had a single turnover. So when your point guard leads the team in scoring (many of those points coming off the break), and in assists, and never turns the ball over, that's a recipe for 95 points against a ranked team.

I was worried, before the season, about vulnerability from three-point range, but with Rautins and Johnson, and some decent shooters off the bench, on any given night they ought to have someone who can knock down threes, and loosen up defenses, so that the guards can get the ball inside to the big guys. I'm sure there will be nights when no one shoots well; in part, that's what happened with Lemoyne. But there's enough firepower to make up for the loss of Devo, and to keep the offense balanced.

Tonight they play Carolina, the defending champs, but win or lose, it looks like this is a team with potential, perhaps a team that can go a few rounds in March. So tomorrow night, amid all the hating, we'll raise a glass of scotch and take time to spread some optimism for this year's Orange, and a brighter, more cheerful winter.