WELCOME BACK!

That's right folks, Gary Gait is set to make his triumphant return to "The Hill." He has been inked to coach the women's lacrosse team, and the Salt City is all a titter! Gait is quite possibly the best lacrosse player of all-time, or so we're told. Gait was a six time MVP of the National Lacrosse League, is in both the US and National Lacrosse Hall of Fames (even though he's Canadian), and has scored many goal units. He also one the coveted Steinfeld Cup in 2005 as a player-coach!

And yes we wondered about the name of that Championship Trophy and yes it is named after Jake Steinfeld! Yes the Jake Steinfeld who gave us all a good look into the world of physical fitness with "Body by Jake" and even tested his acting chops with Big Brother Jake on the now defunct Family Channel that also gave us Gerbert. Apparently he helped found the league. Jake, not Gerbert. Who knew? Anyways.....

We are all excited to have Double G back in the Salt City, and are also extending a personal invite to Mike Rotunda, aka Irwin R. Schuyster. It could be just the thing to help put the SU wrestling program, back on the map.

SEE YA IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP!

Well the Syracuse Raging Bullz (that's right, spelled with a "z") have announced the signings of their first four players and we couldn't be more excited! So what are we waiting for, let's meet these marquee names:

Louis McCullough, Forward- King Louis is Kevin Garnett's half-brother, and if he's half as good as KG, they might as well forgo playing the season and ship that Championship trophy directly to the Salt City! We don't have his official stats from his stints in the British or the Mexican leagues, but we're pretty sure he was dominant. Plus the South Carolina Heat wouldn't make just anyone their 2005 #1 pick now would they?



Dayshawn Wright, Forward- A local favorite, D-Dub played for Syracuse's Fowler High School, and then, after a year at Oak Hill Academy, ended up playing for S.U. We use the term "playing" loosely, as D-Dub got little p.t. in his lone season with the Orange. After being unable to cut it in the classroom, Wright then tried moving on to NAIA powerhouse Mountain State University. But even out in the ozarks, D-Dub wasn't able to make the grade. After abandoning the college game completely, he became the CBA's 2006 #1 overall pick for the Minot Skyrockets. Yes a CBA #1 pick is gonna play for our Raging Bullz! Dare I say, "Championship!"


Marlin Johnson, Forward- Johnson knows what it takes to play in the ABA, as he averaged a triple-single last season with the Buffalo Silverbacks. While in Buffalo, he got to play with former S.U. stud Kueth Duany, so I'm sure he has heard all about the Salt City hot spots and is rarin' to go! He was also the Silverbacks third leading three-point shooter. Sure he only shot eight balls from beyond the arc, but nevertheless, 37.5% ain't half bad! It's actually like 62.5% bad.

Jon "Save" Ferris, Forward- Ferris is another local fav, hailing from nearby Liverpool. Ferris put up some solid numbers for the Golden Griffins of Canisius few years back, which means he knows how to scrap and hustle. That's right! He comes to us from the MAAC, folks! He's no Darren Fenn, but he'll do. He'll do.

Sure they have know guards or centers yet, but I've got a good feeling about this Forward rotation. With this kind of talent assessment, the sky's the limit in the Salt City!

THE WEEKEND THAT WASN'T

Well it was a busy weekend in the Salt City, what with both the Syracuse Nationals and the Empire State Brewing and Musical Festival. Now Saul would have loved to have attended one of the top Brewfests in the nation, right here in my backyard, but alas, it costs money. Money that the Saultan just didn't have, and let's just say being one of the top 43 Syracuse blogs was not enough to garner a free pass for the event. Facist pigs! We did however hit up the newly opened Empire Brewery, for a splendid Heffeveizzen and a fine Golden Ale and the Suds Factory (scathing rant about this place coming soon) for a robust Veizzen and a flavorful enough Black Cherry. But I'm not here to talk about beer? I'll leave that to the gang over at Beerjanglin', they know what they're talking about. Well, sort of. No, I am here to talk about the Syracuse Nationals. No, not the now defunct basketball team that once resided in our fair city, but rather the parade of classic automobiles that passes through our neck of the woods every year. Okay, so I didn't actually attend this either, but I did see some of these classic pieces of metal roaming the streets, and lucky for you I was able to snap a few picks:
The vintage el camino:

The classic pinto:

The Family Truckster:





And of course the super charged Yugo:


So there, I think we painted a pretty good picture of this past weekend in the Salt City!

FESTIVALFEST

This is a big time of year in Syracuse. It's outdoor festival season! That's right, with the good 'ol "Taste of Syracuse", the Salt City festival season is underway. Now, it seems, that they've managed to help the people of Syracuse get a small taste of the various cultures that make up this melting pot, we call the Salt City. There's GreekFest, PolishFest, GermanFest, ItalianFest, LatinoFest, etc. Seems like they have covered all the cultures that make up Syracuse. But they have missed one very big component in this Salt City stew. I am, of course, speaking of White Trash. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. There is no WhiteTrashFest. Just think of the possibilities.....


The Mullet Tent: Come on in and see some of the finest mullets in all of Central New York on display for your enjoyment, sponsored by mulletfancy. Vote for your favorite and be entered in for a chance to win a set of preowned lawn furniture! Don't mullet over, just come in!



Wife Beaters Galore: What?! You don't have your own wife beater? Well check out this vast collection of 100% cotton tanks, priced to move. They've got all styles, ribbed, un-ribbed and even some that come pre-stained with everything from catsup to mustard to beer.

Bud flowing like wine: That's right! At WhiteTrashFest, Budweiser products are around every corner. Bud, Bud Light, Bud Dry, Bud Ice, and even Bud slushies. And don't miss special guest and master of ceremonies, the one and only, Spuds MacKenzie. Plus a special perfomance by the Budweiser frogs.

Lawn Chair Alley: I think the name says it all folks. Come see the widest array of lawn furniture around. Not just lawn chairs, but lawn couches, lawn love seats and even lawn ottomans or lawnomans.

The Cavalcade of Stars: Get ready to shake your badonkadonk, cause we've got all your local favorites, like the Custom Taylor Band and many more!

And that's just the beginning! Some come one, come all. Shirts are optional. In fact going shirtless is encouraged. WhiteTrashFest......coming to a Salt City near you!

WHATTA BUNCHA BULL!

Salt City Saul is back after a much needed rest. And believe you, me, I'm back just in the nick of time! Oh wait that's with "Nick of Time " starring Johnny Depp. I picked up on sale at a local video retailer. Just kidding, but not really. So recently your good pal Saul was lurking about the Syracuse Bullies website and noticed they had a blog, or at least that's what they call it. One blog post read something like "What you think of the team name? Let us know." That's a post? C'MON! Well 22 people, weighed in on this hard-hitting subject that has had the Salty City all a titter, and we'll get to that in a moment. But first Saul would like to mention, that, as Saul started composing this triumphant return post, he saw that they were about to announce the changing of the team name. Now I have not been a fan of the name, but have some backbone for pete's sake! Stand by your choice people! Anyways, here is a look at those who are involved enough to weigh in on the question at hand:



"The name is HORRIBLE. You should use something to do with snow or ice. Syracuse has nothing to do with Bulls. Thanks and good luck."

"The logo is really cool! But the name is a problem! I might suggest

1. Syracuse Storm
2. Syracuse Nats
3. Syracuse Americans (close to Nationals)
4. Syracuse Salt City Slam
5. Syracuse Siege"

The Slam is probably my fav of those choices,but I still favor my Syracuse Freeze, The Salt City Squalls or The Syracuse A-SALT, but anyways.

"I understand as the owner you want to control things such as the name. Merchandising & logos are a BIG thing nowadays but I think a contest to name the team would be awesome. Have fans submit suggestions for a name and/or logo. IF you choose one of their suggestions then give them a pair of season tickets. Make certain guidelines that will direct their suggestions towards a name you will like. Break it down to 4-5 choices that you like and then have fans vote on them. You dont HAVE to use their choice, look at the SkyChiefs, they did a similar promotional event and ended up going with their own choice. The fans chose "Chiefs" (because they wanted to keep the historical name) but the team altered it to SkyChiefs. I think you could make a big PR positive out of this. Make an announcement, have the Jenna Foundation people there, tell the press that out of respect for the community (even though the intention was to promote a strong bull symbol) you have decided its better to have a good relationship with local groups such as Jenna Foundation. Ehh, just a thought."

This team actually did have fan involvement and picked from several of the more popular suggestions.

"I know that there is a picture of a bull right on the logo, but i think that most people won't associate the nickname with the mascot. i think that most people will think of it as a school yard type of "bully." and i don't think that's the message a professional basketball team should be putting out to society where a lot of the fans will be high school students where bullying is going on these days. they might get the wrong message from that."

"I agree. The name should have something to do that's relative to the city of Syracuse. Like how the Syracuse soccer team was named the "Salty Dawgs" after the salt city. Ice Kings, Snow Cats, etc. The Abominal Snowmen!"

Syracuse Freeze! No one?

"I think the name should stay. Maybe people shouldn't read so much in to the name. Come on the name should have something to do with snow or ice. The Syracuse Snowflakes just don't sound like a winning team. Why does everything have to be so P.C. now? Too bad if someone is offened by the name. It's not a ethnic or racial comment so stop crying everyone."

While I agree people are just a bit too p.c., this guy is obviously some sort of bully who takes lollipops from children and washes them down with a nice forty ouncer of St.Ides, which is not the forty of choice for this blogger.

"I wish Ihad found this web site earlier. 'Bullies' is childish, unmanly name. Think of strength and carry Syracuse's honor...maybe: a stalwart stonecutter - one of the men who chisled away the earth to make our Erie Canal.
We want something to be proud of and support our children. I am not interested in paying to watch 'bullies'."

Huh?

"I agree, the name is horrible. Having said that, I don't have a suggesion as to what the name should be but think it would be great to leverage something Syracuse is / was known for (i.e. Salt City, the Nationals (Syracuse Nationals). Good Luck with getting things started, I can't wait for the 1st season to begin."

"I know its probably not possible, but brining back the Nationals logo and name would be genius."

I don't know about genius, but it'd be something alright.

"I like the name, but if i could change it i would go with the Syracuse Saltines, get the sponsorship of the saltine brand and go from there. Still psyched about the team though, good luck!"

This we like, but we thought this could be the dance team's name.

"Simply put, keep the name. Ignore the people trying to glom on to 15 minutes of fame (even if it is 15 minutes of local fame for a complete farce of an agenda). Keep the name."

What?! Glom? Is that like Glom Rock?

"It soooooo obvious for a team name.....something with Orange and something mean...... Cream (aka creamsicles) *L* Team Colors Orange & white."

Mmmmmmmmmm, creamsicles!

"How about 'The Lake Effect!'"

SCS approved! I would so buy a Lake Effect jersey!

"How about Syracuse Gnats? Would reference Syracuse's old NBA team the Nationals and there could be some kind of cool bug mascot. Would also fit into the idea of a swarming quick moving team."

We like the play on words, but gnats? Really?

"ummm with all the flak about violence how's about the syracuse sissies?!"

"I don't have any problem with the name. However I do have a problem with one of the proposed names listed in a recent MSNBC article about the problem. This article suggeted that a name under consideration was the snowballers. Um... snowballer is defined by the Urban dictonary as "A person who sucks dick, gets cummed in his/her mouth. Then makes out with the person who cummed in their mouth while still having cum in their mouth." http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Snowballer

Wait, so what's the problem?

"Call yourselves whatever you want, but only after thinking it out."

That's deep, man.

Well, for those not closely following this story, the new name is, drum roll please..............................The Raging Bulls. I hope they have a Raging Bull night where they hand out the movie to the first 500 fans. VHS of course! Or Jake LaMotta look-a-like night. Well, they didn't use any of Saul's suggestions but we'll take it. We have also decided we need to be the unofficial blog of the Syracuse Raging Bulls! And so it shall be.

STUDIO SICKLY

Syracuse University graduate Aaron Sorkin's recent endeavor, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, has been canned. Sorkin had recent success with the West Wing, but our favorite work of his, is of course Sports Night with an ensemble that included Deseparate Housewife-Felicity Huffman, Benson-Robert Guillaume, that guy in Six Feet Under and Josh Charles. Now Sorkin is known for injecting fast paced and witty dialogue into his programs. Now Studio 60 had that, but a lot of the characters and plots were too weak to carry an hour show. Sorkin also switched the focus of the show midstream, and made it into a romance driven crapfest. But this will not hold down the great and powerful Aaron Sorkin. No, no, no. So SCS thought he'd take a look at some possible ideas for Sorkin's next television endeavor. So we thought, where we would, as the American public, really want to get a better look:


THE BOOTH: A behind the scenes look at a sports announcing team. Possibly for something like Sunday or Monday night football. I'm seeing maybe David Hasselhoff and Tim Meadows, with say, Mario Lopez. Tough to say if this could keep a captive audience. What am I saying?! With Sorkin's behind the wheel it's sure to be money in the bank! I mean of course the actual announcing would be crap, but the week long meetings with the teams coaches, watching video and practices, would be great television. Just off the top of our heads, some guys that could be cast as coaches, umm, how about Brian Dennehy? Stacy Keach? Carl Weathers? or the White Shadow's Ken Howard? All great thespians in their own rights.


THE BAND: Nothing better than a look behind the scenes of an up and coming adult contemporary band. The name of the band could become the name of the show. Perhaps something like Flutterbug, or Circus Peanuts. The name is still up for grabs. I'm seeing maybe Bruce Campbell as the band manager, with Jared Leto, Matt Long, and perhaps AJ Langer (My So Called Life) or Jenna Van Oy (Six from Blossom) as the band. This might be too young, hip and edgy for Mr. Sorkin, but who knows. I mean life on the road, in the recording studio, public appearance gone awry, it's got People's Choice Award written all over it.

TRUE TO LIFE: A real inside look at some reality show. Hit on what's hot. This would be a look at the people who run the and produce the reality show. This could be a Real World or a compettion one like American Idol. This might be hard to keep interesting. But we'd watch for a couple of episodes. Inside the constant turmoil of the contestants driving them crazy combined with the inside intertwining relationships amongst the staff, etc. You'd need someone British of course, like maybe a Ricky Gervais type. We're also seeing Tim Daly for this, even though he's due to be in the Grey's Anatomy spin-off. Or maybe Paul Rudd? Or the one and only Michael Ian Black? And they have to get Doug E. Doug. His talent is just out there, untapped. Sounds great, right?

Or maybe a show about doctors? Or lawyers? Or maybe investigators, cause we never seen any of those on the ol' boob tube. Just remember Aaron if any of these hit it big, you owe Saul some royalties my friend! I have witnesses, and it's documented right here for all seven of my readers to see. So trust me Sorkin, if you screw me over you'll need more than just a few good men to keep me away!

HAPPY ARBOR DAY!

Yes that's right, it's the time of year to honor, support and plant trees. And plant them we should. Enough of snowstorms in April, tornadoes swooping all around, and not just in Kansas, hurricanes, . It's all fixable isn't it? That's what Al Gore says, and if it weren't for him, you could only be reading this on some sort of Common Sense Pamphlet I'd be strewning about town. (Yes strewning) Cause as we all know the former Vice President invented the internet and for that we owe him a great deal, but isn't it convenient for him that after his movie about the Earth's impending doom, all this weather goes all haywire. A little too convenient, don't ya think? Yes Salt City Saul has figured him out. All this global warming hulabaloo is a big myth, you see. Thanks to some keen investigating and knowledge of cartoons, we've been able to uncover the harsh truth. And now we're gonna blow Mr. Gore's cockamamie theories right out of the water! You see we reckon that Mr.Gore has built himself a weather machine, much like that of Professor Norton Nimnul in an episode of Chip'n' Dale's Rescue Rangers. Yes Professor Nimnul used his machine to aid him in stealing various jewels, monies and trinkets. But what does Al Gore have to gain? Ummm, how 'bout documentary sales? If lots of people go see it, he can then parlay it into books, lectures, and personal appearances, and ultimately world domination. Nice try Mr. Gore, if that is your real name, but you're not fooling this blogger, just be on the lookout for Chipmunks and mice, because Moneterey jack is one bad mammamjamma!

IS IT DRAFTY IN HERE?

Well Saul has been "here and there" lately with the posts, but that's all about to change, cause the NFL Draft is right around the corner and Saul has gotta get you ready! No I'm not gonna issue a drinking game, a mock draft, 40 times, shuttle times, Warren Moon shirts, or an NFL Draught. I'm not gonna pretend you care what I think about the actual draft picks, their "upsides" or beer. No, no, I'm just gonna let you know who you really need to look out for in this draft.

Now first off you gotta watch out for the home town heroes. Defensive back Tanard Jackson and punter Brendan Carney from Syracuse University. Jackson is projected to go late second round, while Carney may not get drafted at all, despite being the best SU kicker since the great Nate Trout (no relation to Steve). So those are the Orange to look for, now here's some other names the gang at SCS will be keeping a close eye on:

Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville- We searched and searched, but could not find anything linking him to the original "Nigerian Nightmare" Christian Okoye, nor could we find any projected draftees with the last name Word. We were bummed. While to us Americans, Okoye is not a common name, in Nigeria it's like Jones. That is to say it's very common. Now we're not saying Christian and Amobi are not related, just that our sources came up short on finding them on different branches of a Okoye family tree.

Jamaal Anderson, DE, Arkansas- We were disappointed to find that he is not the descendant of former NFL running back and Dirty Bird Jamal Anderson. While searching for a connection between Jamaal and Jamal, we did find out that Jamal is currently dabbling in sports broadcasting, skydiving and wine tasting. So maybe we can soon have a Dirty Bird Winery. who knows? But if it's good enough for the Sawx? Speaking of the Sawx......



Manuel "Manny" Ramirez, G, Texas Tech- Of course, there is no relation to THE Manny Ramirez technically, but as a guard this Manny, will actually be a Man-Ram, moving guys around in the trenches. And of course, if he turns out to be good, you can double your "Manny being Manny" references per year.

Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan- We were hoping he'd be related to Duce, but when we saw his picture, there was absolutely no family resemblance, and we don't think Duce has adopted, so....

Ben Grubbs, G, Auburn- We really just like his name. And we know what you're thinking, "Hey wasn't there an 80s baseball player with that last name?" Well you are pretty close, but you are more than likely thinking of former Detroit Tiger Johnny Grubb.

Tony Ugoh, OT, Arkansas- We took a look at Ugoh, and he's big. So I don't think a lot of people would call him an Ugoh. Tony, we, personally think you are quite handsome.

Zak DeOssie, OLB, Brown- Zak is actually related to former NFL player and Boston radio talk show host, Steve DeOssie. His dad is somehting of an a-s-s, but Zak went to Brown so he might actually have a bit of brains, who knows?

You can also look forward another Charles Johnson, Steve Smith and Tony Gonzalez getting drafted. I'm sure this year's Charles Johnson hopes his NFL career goes a bit better than the last Charles Johnson. While, Steve Smith hopes his receiving career is much like that of the Steve Smith on the Carolina Panthers. Their is also a Keith Jackson that should get drafted, and drink for every "whoa nelly" or any other Keith Jackson catch phrase uttered when the defensive tackle out of Arkansas is drafted.

Brian Leonard, FB, Rutgers- He's just a feel good story. And if it feels good...do it. Dubbed Brian Leonard "Part 6" , it'll be a happy day once he gets drafted. But if he starts babbling about Imus, we'll turn on him fast.

David Irons, CB, Auburn- We were saddened to find that he is not realted to the actor Jeremy Irons, but are still sure that he is an iron-clad pick for whoever gets him. We found that there is also another Irons who could get drafted, also not related to the thespian, but oddly enough is related to a lesbian. Okay that last part about the lesbian's not true, but it felt good, so we did it. We were also disappointed that the safety out of Washington State, Eric Frampton, is not connected to Peter Frampton as far as we can tell, but he's sure to, come alive, in any defense.

Kenneth "Terence Trent" Darby, RB, Alabama- Okay so we gave him that nickname, but it works don't it? We have a feeling that he'll be all right.

Turner Booth, LS, Michigan- Cool that he's a long snapper, and might have to be lumped in with the placekickers and punters in the "Bitterness is a Fish You Can Catch Drinking Game." Would be way cooler if his last name was Hooch, am I right? Then he could be Turner "and" Hooch. And what if his middle initial were "N"? Turner N. Hooch!

John Talley, CB, Duke- No, he's not related to Darryl Talley, but we think he shuld bring back the spider web spandex on the arms. Oddly enough, Darry Talley was once nicknamed, "The Duke of Awesome" and John Talley attended Duke University. Well, talley-ho, I say bring back the "Talley-Whackers". But his name is also close to former Bad Boy, John Salley. But his name is not as close as...

Reggie Lewis, CB, Florida- Obviously we just like him because he has the same name as a former Celtic. We will not go any further into the tragedy that occurred with the Celtic, but just hope this Lewis, can't lose.

Baraka Atkins, DE/DT, Miami- His first name makes us think of Barack Obama? Plus if he somehow lands on the same team as either Samare or Antrell Rolle, you'd have Baraka and Rolle. Okay it's a stretch, I guess, but here's a better one.

Marquies Gunn, DE/LB, Auburn- Obviously a cool last name, but he is projected to go to the Jets a pick after the Broncos. Why wouldn't the Broncos go after him? Team him up with Rod Smith and you've got Rod and Gunn! Beautiful.

Doug Free, OT, Nothern Illinois- No relation, as far as we can tell, to World B. Free. And if you want a Doug you're gonna have to pay for it! Especially if it's.....

Doug Datish, C, Ohio State- We don't really know why we like this guy, but we do. There's something about the name Datish, that sings to us. Like maybe if someone's like, "was it a date?" You would reply, "Well, it was dat-ish." Datish, of course meaning, of or relating to date qualities.

CJ Ah You, DE, Oklahoma- I think the name speaks for itself. His name being something that people say when being overcomplimented, or being given a gift, like "Ah You".

Tank Tyler, DT, North Carolina St.- We almost weren't gonna put him on there, since you know, Tank's are kinda passe, what with Tank Mcnamara and Tank Johnson already out there. But then we realized that it's still a cool name.

HB Blades, ILB, Pittsburgh- Gotta a love a Big East pick, but what is up with HB? I mean if he was a running back, we could understand, but not a linebacker. I don't see what's wrong with Horatio Benedict?

Kevin Boss, TE, Western Oregon- Can't go wrong with Boss. Currently they have KB projected to go to Buffalo, while he's no Pete Metzalaars, he's gotta be better than Jay Riemersma. Let's just hope he never names any of his kids Hugo.

Ameer Ismail, OLB, Western Michigan- No relation to "The Rocket" or "The Missile", but by calling himself Ismail, he should have a cool nickname, like "The Shuttle"or something.

Antwan Applewhite, DE, San Diego State- Like most of the other names in here, he is not attached to who we were hoping he was. Yes Antwan, believe it or not, is not related to former SU Quarterbacks coach Major Applewhite. On a side note, how did he get hired as a an offensive coordinator at Rice after doing nothing at SU? Weird.

Well, just a couple more draft notes:
There will be two players drafted with the first name Dallas, Dallas Sartz out of USC and Dallas Baker out of Florida. There are also two possible draftees with the last name of Ball, Alan Ball out of Illinois and David Ball out of New Hampshire. But no one named Dallas Ball, and no prejected draftees from Ball State or the University of Dallas, weird?

Well that does it for the Saultan's Draft Preview, good night, good luck, and don't do anything we'd do!

GET THOSE TAXES IN NEW YORKERS!

Syracuse University alumnist Irwin R. Schuyster is adamant that you get those taxes in folks or he'll hit ya with his patented Stock Market Crash!

TOMFOOLERY

Well, Saul's been a bit lazy of late, but not to worry, I've scoured YouTube and stolen some fodder for my loyal readers.

Don't get too excited,as a magician named G.O.B. is not about to appear:





That Otto, sure can act!



And since the Chiefs season is almost upon us, here is Borat learning the game of baseball:

WAIT'LL NEXT YEAR!

While the Orange basketball team didn't make the tournament this year, help is on the way. Syracuse has one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, and you can catch two of their recruits in tonight's McDonald's All-American game. Donte Green (above) and Johnny Flynn are two cogs in the bright future of Orange basketball. Green is another long-armed player toman the front line in that 2-3 zone and Flynn could be the "true" point guard the Orange so deeparetly needed this year. You gotta like next year's chances, though, especially considering every NCAA men's basketball champion since 1979 has had at least one McDonald's All-American on the squad. Green and Flynn will join anther McD's All-American, Eric Devendorf next year, super-sizing the 'Cuse lineup. So catch a sneak peek tonight if you can.

GO HOYAS?

We know Georgetown is a long time Syracuse rival. And yes we know SU's season is over, while the Hoyas are headed to the Final Four. But there's no sense in crying over spilled milk. We should root on the Hoyas, as it will make the selection commitee look even more ass-ish. As the Orange were the last team to beat the Hoyas, eight games ago. Georgetown has now won 19 out of 20. The one loss? To Syracuse, who was denied an invitation to the Dance.

YOU'RE AS COLD AS ICE

-- Congratulations to the Oswego State Lakers, who are NCAA Division III Hockey Champions! Al Roker, we're sure, is ecstatic! To the Oswego Sub Shop we go. We're all gonna get laid!

TWO DOWN, THREE TO GO

The Orange beat the Aztecs in front of the largest crowd in NIT history on Monday night. It's been over a week since the Syracuse Orange, who are used to frigid conditions by now, got the cold shoulder from the NCAA Selection Commitee. They've responded by winning both of their NIT games at the Dome and will now head south to meet the Clemson Tigers in the quarterfinals, for the right to go to the NIT Final Four. The Orange should have no time getting past Clemson, who clearly should not be a #1 seed. So start booking your tickets for NYC, the Orange will soon be in the NIT Final Four!

OTIS...MY MAN!

That's right folks, today's Syracuse Orangeman of the fourth day of the tournament is none other than Otis Hill. The Big "OH" was a key cog in the orange machine that went to the Final Four back in 1996. Otis, who is the cousin of former Boston college great, Danya Abrams, had a powerful inside presence on the court and off. It was widely rumored, that during his time on the Hill, he would, on occassion, partake of some "adult beverages" and become intoxicated. Now, oft times, whilst in this intoxicated state, Otis could be known to whip out his wedding tackle and slap unsuspecting people on couches across the back of the head with it. Now as Saul was only on the Hill for one year with Otis, he never had the pleasure of being slapped with OH's "Linus", and as such can neither confirm, nor deny this rumor. Otis is currently playing in Isreal, the country. Unfortuantely, we have no Israeli contacts, and do not known if Otis still brings his Lil' Big Man out of hiding at parties anymore?

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

What better SU basketball players to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than Billy Ce-luck of the Irish and "Train Wreck" Jeremy McNeil? Both averaged close to triple singles over their careers and gave us many, many, many hi-jinx!

In other news, Arkansas and Stanford, really proved they belonged in the tournament over Syracuse. Arkansas lost by double digits against USC and Stanford was blown out by 20 points by fellow Big East team Louisville. Oh yeah, Louisville beat Syracuse by five and only cause the Orange couldn't finish and blew a big lead. Kudos selection comittee, you've outdone yourselves!

ORANGE JANULIS

We almost forgot our first Thursday of the tournament Syracuse basketball player! Where is our head! Thursday's player is none other than sharpshooter Marius Janulis. Janulis is one of the greatest Syracuse three point shooters of all time, as well as a fave the 'Stop Network'! The man, who came to the 'Cuse from Lithuania via Plattsburg, NY, bled orange! Always a hustler, Marius enjoyed his one shining moment in the late 90s, as he saved the Orangemen from a first round upset by the MAAC's very own Iona, with a late three. He danced an spun in jubilation as he sent the Gaels packing. Here's to your Mr. Janulis!

SAUL'S GOIN' ELECTRIC!

Yes folks that's right as part of the "Bitterness is a Fish You Can Catch" Stop Network, we are headed to the Electric city for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Now of course, whilst there we will meet up with the one and only "Electric City Paul". Now this could, quite possibly lead to blogging of cataclysmic proportions. We're hoping to get some sort of cross blog-ination where "The Hoff" may grace your presence. Right here on this very blog! Yes folks the possibilities are endless! These two blogs meeting face-to-face in the Electric City, the Genny Cream flowing like wine! I'm giddy just thinking about it. Shut of the generators at GE, cause this blogasm will house enough electricity to fire up the entire Capital Region! Now on top of all this, with Syracuse not in the Big Dance this year (they beat South Alabama in the 1st round of the NIT), we've decided to honor some of the Syracuse greats, each day of the tournament. So be on the lookout folks! The next blog from the Saultan will be from the Electric City! Giddyup!

NIT PICKIN'

Howdy y'all! time to give you, you're NIT preview! That's right we'll give you the ins, outs, ups, downs of "the Lil' Dance". Are you ready? Here goes:

SOUTH REGION:
The top seed is Clemson and they should have no troubles with East Tennessee State in the 1st Round. We like the five seeded Appalachian State to knock off #4 Mississippi. Earlier in the season most people were lookin' to the Mountaineers to be a Cinderella team in the tournament. But their clock struck midnight a bit too early and now they will look to make a run the good 'ol Invitational. I like them to beat both Mississippi and Clemson en route to the quarterfinals. But that's where they'll run into, the eventual champs, the Orange of Syracuse. The 'Cuse should roll through South Alabama, but they'll get tested in the second round by Blake Ahearn and Missouri State, but have no fear, the Orange be headed to NYC.

EAST REGION
We like the top four seeds in this region (West Virginia, UMASS, Drexel, and Oklahoma State) to get past the first round. Although the Dragons may have some difficulties with NC State and the Minutemen will have to fend off a feisty Alabama squad. We like Drexel and West Virginia to play in the Elite Eight, with the Dragons prevailing. Elegar will not be ele-gant, but will be dominant as the Dragons prevail.

NORTH REGION
This is a weak region, for the NIT that is, as we like Utah State to knock off the three seeded Michigan Wolverines in the first round. In the 2nd round, though, they should run up against Florida State, and the Seminoles should be able to handle the Aggies. The top half of the bracket seems pretty weak in our minds, with Mississippi State rolling through Mississippi Valley State and Bradley knocking out Providence. Then we like Bradley to beat the Bulldogs, but fall to the Seminoles.

WEST REGION
This is the upset region. We like all the lower seeds in the first round. Number eight Austin Peay could very well prevail over top seeded Air Force, who was just dreadful down the stretch. Mike "The Big Stromboli" Trimboli and #7 Vermont have an excellent shot at K-State, who has struggled in big games. Well, actually, we flipped a coin when it came down to it, and we ended up picking Fresno State over Georgia. It was a similar scenario for the Hofstra- DePaul matchup. There's just too much pride in Hofstra though and I think the Demons will come out flat. It'll be a Vermont-Fresno State matchup to determine the who goes to the NIT Final Four and we like the Catamounts to mount a run and win it.

Now we think this sets up for Syracuse to avenge and early season loss to Drexel, and we feel they will, and, will beat Florida State in the final. Now we also like to point out that we did no research whatsoever and picked mostly on biases, but we don't think that makes a difference.

ORANGE.....CRUSHED

Well, despite what most college hoops pundits thought, the Orange of Syracuse did not make the NCAA Tournament. Many thought their big win on Big Monday over Big East Champ Georgetown would seal the deal for the Orange. Others thought they had secured an invitation after handily beating UCONN in the Big East Tournament. So much so, that the local paper, the Syracuse Sub, I mean Post, Standard had the headline, "Dialed in for the Dance" on the front page of the Sports section the day after the UCONN game. Now this is pretty shotty reporting, since there was no actual evidence that they were in after that win. Basically the Sub Standard was, flat out wrong. Of course this isn't the first time, and, hopefully, for this blog's sake won't be the last. But, if we could, let's stop beating around the bush here people. The real reason the Orange aren't in...those weird new uniforms. Now I'm sure they will grow on me, maybe they won't, who cares? I mean the tight shirts with uber-baggy pants looks goofy. The white ones especially, as they really accentuate the whiteness of Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins. This has to be the reason SU is headed to the NIT. But there's no sense in crying over spilled milk. It's time to strut our stuff in the NIT and win the whole effin' thing! So bring the noise South Alabama! We're ready! And tune in tomorrow for my NIT preview and picks!

THE FEBRUARY

Who says the Salt City music scene sucks? The Syracuse University band The February have released their debut album! The February have drawn comparisons to Yes and the Violent Femmes. They even go a lil' do-woppy on one of their tracks. With tracks like, 'The Poor Man's Brooke Shields" and "Number One Friend with a Number Two Pencil", they don't sound like they have too much depth. Seems too college radio, if you will. And from what little I've heard they're not very good. They're no Seraphim, that's for sure, but I'll let you judge for yourself.

CUT.....IT......OUT!

So little to say, so much time! Wait, strike that. Reverse it.

-- Today's history lesson- 128 years ago yesterday the first bowling match in Syracuse history took place at Lenehan's Bowling Alley. It was the back end of a home and home match with a team from Utica. Of course the rollers from the Salt City were triumphant winning in Utica and at home. In 1905 the New York State Bowling League was formed with teams from Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Binghamton, Albany and Schenectady. And then in the late 1950s the Professional Bowlers Association was formed in Syracuse. One of the greatest Syracuse bowler's of all time was Bernie Maurer who was ranked as high as #2...in the nation, back in 1912.

-- Syracuse comedian Moody McCarthy has just released his first comedy album. But his biggest accomplishment is that Dave Coulier has signed him to tour with him and other "clean" comics.

-- It's Crunch time for Britney Spears.
The invitation's out there. So it's only an amount of time before Britney is in the Salt City. Where she could be looking for the next K-Fed. And where is the best place to find a K-Fed type in the Salt City? Um, why, Change of Pace, of course! It's got a heavy dose of beer, quality bar food and enough dudes to form a "So You Think You Can Be the Next K-Fed?" reality show. So Brit, we look forward to your arrival. We'll crank the Jay-Z and keep the PBR flowing like wine!

BIG MONDAY

Tonight the Orange will play their final home game against longtime rival, Georgetown, on ESPN's Big Monday. An SU win could be just what the Orange need to give them some "cred" for the Big Dance. But also it will mark the last regular season home game for the seniors (if they go to the NIT they could have another home game). Which of course means it is the last time we will see Matty Gorman grace Boeheim Court at the Carrier Dome. Matty-G has been a fav of the Saultan for, well as long as he's been here. Now Matty doesn't fill up the traditional stat sheet. But he has hustle, spunk, and he just plain, bleeds orange! And that don'tshow in the box score,my friends! Look for big things from Matty tonight in front of the home crowd. Matt Gorman, more like Phat Gorman! We can only hope that Matty sticks around and joins the Dome Ranger as his Dome Tonto or something? While it's a long shot, we here at SCS dare to dream. For we are the dreamers and we are the musicmakers. Thanks for the memories MG!

WHAT'S YOUR SIGN?

Well it's black history month and today we thought we'd honor some great black people. Today's theme: Astrological signs!

Of course we'll be starting wiith the first ever black, male American Gladiator, Gemini. His best event was the Joust, where he lost only 8 times in his career. But the most interesting thing about him is that he appeared on the game show, Press Your Luck. He was then just known by his birth name, Michael Horton. You may be wondering if there is any tie to the Salt City? Well, in Season 2 of American Gladiators, former Syracuse University football player, Larry Csonka joined Mike Adamle up in the announcing booth. We can only speculate, but we think it's safe to say that Csonk and Gemini were probably off galavanting together quite a bit!



Next on this list is a fine, fine comedian. He's probably best known for his role on Mad TV, where he does a great impression of Shaquille O'Neal and many other famous black persons. That's right, it's mister Aries Spears! The closests connection we could find was that he does an impersonation of weather maven Al Roker, who has a sub named for him in Oswego, which is but a mere stone's throw from the Salt City.






And then of course, there is Dr. J himself, Julius Erving. Now his name is not an astrological sign, but the good doctor played the star player of the Pittsburgh Pisces in "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh." Now, we could have just as easily of used Meadowlark Lemon, who played one of Erving's teammates in the movie, but since Dr. J is actually a Pisces, we decided to use him. Oh and belated Happy Birhday to the doctor from SCS (it was on the 22nd)! If you haven't seen "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh" than you don't know what you're missing! Sure the plot, acting, basketball are all, well, not good, it's still a good watch we feel. The SCS connection? SCS is also a Pisces, and Dr. J spent some time in the ABA, which will, soon enough, be in the Salt City.


And our final honoree today is of course is Terrell Owens. Huh? Well we consider him to be a Cancer. A locker room cancer that is. Owens is a pompous media hungry primadona, who puts himself above the team. The Salt City connection? Well Terrell is on the Dallas Cowboys, and on the Cowboys coaching staff is none other than former Syracuse University head coach, Paul Pasqualoni.




And there you have an astrological look at Black History Month from the Salt City.