Something to Like in the Season for Hating

Last night the Rangers did more than prevent a sweep in this year’s World Series. And assuming that Cliff Lee can return to form when he next appears on the mound, they probably insured that the series will go back to San Francisco. But of greater significance, at least from the perspective of this publication, they staked out their claim to Red State loyalty in this year’s fall classic. By inviting W and Laura to sit in the owners’ box, Nolan Ryan guaranteed that die hard Democratic haters will now root against the Rangers, regardless of baseball loyalties. I wasn’t watching closely enough in Games 1 and 2, but I hope Nancy Pelosi was sitting close to the Giants dugout. Pelosi has about the same effect on Republicans that Bush has on Democrats. So even though the Hating season is over for all the known readers of this blog, I’m glad to see that this year’s Series still has the capacity to inspire player-haters across the land. Not only that, but next Tuesday ought to give this year’s Haters even more reason to get worked up. Hate. Hate. Hate.

Speaking of hating, I’ve had to take anti-nausea medication this weekend as the political ads descend to the absolute nadir of sleaziness and repulsion. Remember in Network when Faye Dunaway discovers that news is really just a form of entertainment? The medium of television, a/k/a Invasion of the Body Snatchers, has reduced political discourse to the level of name calling and hucksterism. We elect our political leaders using techniques developed for the sale of toothpaste. We probably make better decisions when we buy toothpaste.

But enough of that discouraging news, here’s something we can all be grateful for: the Syracuse football program, which had threatened to devolve into a Division III team, has won three consecutive road games in the conference; is now 6-2 for the season; and with a couple more wins, will be bowl eligible. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, but yesterday’s workmanlike victory in Cincinnati suggests that this team could very well be playing on New Year’s Day. The most remarkable thing about this turnaround is, of course, the defense. That defensive genius who had been purportedly coaching the team for four years, consistently led them to the bottom of the D-I statistical rankings in every defensive category. (Have you followed the Michigan Wolverines this fall? Have you seen their defensive stats? I feel bad for Denard Robinson, who can’t run fast enough, or throw far enough, to make up for his team’s lack of defense.) Anyway, in recent years, the Orange had been so lousy that I just assumed the players lacked the athletic ability to compete on the Division I level. Turns out that was all wrong. Many of the same kids who were so ineffective two years ago are this fall making plays, now that they are part of a creative and intelligent defensive scheme. And if Marquis Spruill is indicative of the kind of recruits Marrone is bringing to the Dome, this defense is only going to get better in the years to come.

And yesterday, the offense looked much more effective. It helped that Carter was healthy; he and Bailey make up a great inside outside combination. Nassib was better than he had been in the ugly wins at USF and West Virginia, and the team capitalized on all of Cincinnati’s turnovers.

I know that the Big East isn’t the SEC; the conference is a shadow of what it was in the late 80’s and early 90’s. And it will take time for the Cuse to rebuild this program so that it can compete on a national level. But if Boise State and Oregon can dream of a national championship, why can’t the Orange do the same?