Friday, April 9, 2010

P.E. Heartbreak

TGIF mi gente!

I have a guest blogger today! He feels how I feel about the Eagles and the Donovan trade, but articulates his disgust a little bit better than I do :-) Introducing Brian "Da Big Smooth" Gillard...let's go!

P.E. Heartbreak...by Brian Gillard

So it finally happened on Sunday night. I’m doing my usual ritual and flipped the TV to ESPN to check in on the daily sports happenings - and what do I see? Donovan McNabb has been traded to the Washington Redskins. I closed my eyes and opened them again. Then I read again. Saw the same thing. Donovan McNabb has been traded to the Washington Redskins. At first I was sad that D-5 (Donovan’s jersey number for the non-football fans) wasn’t an Eagle anymore. Then I became mad! The ‘Skins? Really?! They really sent him to one of our hated rivals?!

Before I really get into this post and dissect what this move really means to Eagles fans like me and how this relates to what happened in New York City a few years ago, I want to give you a disclaimer.

Disclaimer: Yes, I’m a born and raised New Yorker (Boogie Down Bronx representin’ here) and a sports junkie. However, this doesn’t mean that I’m one of those fans who roots for all NY teams, because…. I don’t. Here are my squads: NY Yankees (again BX represent), the Philadelphia Eagles (no NY there), and the LA Lakers (Magic is my favorite all-time b-ball player). With that said, I also like the NY Knicks (which has to do with this post) and the NY Jets. Dislikes - the NY Giants (sorry just hate ‘em) and all of the other teams in the NFC East, and the Boston Red Sox (I’m a Yankee fan. ‘Nuff said.)

OK, now that we understand each other, let me tell you why this post is titled P.E. Heartbreak. P.E. stands for Patrick Ewing, the great NY Knicks legend that repped this city the last time the Knicks were actually, I don’t know...GOOD. Remember that? "Heartbreak" stands for the way I felt when he got traded. This is the same feeling that I had on Sunday when Donovan got the boot. Put those together and you have P.E. Heartbreak - a little variation of the New Edition song, "N.E. Heartbreak." Get it? I know I’m dating myself. And what?!

The more I thought about this trade, the more I thought that from the beginning, Donovan’s career is very similar to P.E.’s in a few ways.

1. Lack of Appreciation - Both of these guys were the best to ever do it for the teams they were on, but most of the fans really didn’t appreciate them. They always focused on the fact that they never won a championship (even though these are team sports), and ignored the fact that they were killing teams almost single-handedly at times (see #2 for more detail on this). I mean, Eagles fans booed Donovan when he got drafted! Before he even suited up! Never appreciated. Disgusting.

2. Lack of Help - These cats have to be two of the best athletes that did the most with the least. Patrick never had a legit #2 player that most championship NBA teams have, but yet he got them to the NBA Finals. As for Donovan, he only had a legit player to throw the ball to for only one year (we won’t even mention that clown’s name), and got them to the Super Bowl and 5 other championship games. Good enough for me.

3. Don’t Let the Doorknob Hit Ya - Fans of both of their teams were happy and almost giddy when both of them got traded. Fans were and are like, “Yes! Now we can start winning!” even though a) they were winning already and winning a lot and b) not remembering the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for…." This irked me the most this week. Eagles fans on Facebook, Twitter, etc. saying that Donovan was overrated, that they never liked him, and that they were better off without him. Blah, blah, blah. Funny, I heard the same thing before - when P.E. got traded.

So in the aftermath of all of this, what do I hope for? The same thing that I hoped for when P.E. got traded. That people who hate on Donovan would find the “errors of their ways” or just shut up, whichever comes first. Also, as much as it hurts me to say it - that the ‘Skins beat the Eagles twice next year. I hope Donovan TORCHES Philly to prove the team and its fans wrong and FINALLY get the respect that he deserves. It took P.E. to get his number retired to finally get some ‘spect.

Oh yeah, by the way, I forgot to mention something else in the disclaimer. I’m Syracuse University alum like Donovan is, so I’m a little biased. Also, I was a big Georgetown fan growing up (before going to SU of course) and P.E. was my favorite college player. These were some of my favorite all-time college players that happened to play for teams I like and were done dirty by the fans of those teams. Now I ask you, do you think that this is why I’m a little pissed off by this?

-Brian

79 comments:

Rameer The Circumstance said...

FIRST, BITCHES!!!

Rameer The Circumstance said...

DAMN YOU, KELS!! LMAO!!!

Anonymous said...

sorry Rameer... not so fast...
;-)

Anonymous said...

That was hilarious!!! I just came out here to re-read some stuff from yesterday! FUNNNNY!!! lololol

Rameer The Circumstance said...

Okay - I read the blog, and I must say - I COMPLETELY RELATE. Actually Brian, we're similar in sports interests:

- I became a Lakers fan cuz I LOVED Magic Johnson as a tiny boy. Whatever team he went to, I was going to be a fan of...he went to the Lakers, and I've loved them ever since.

- As a NY State resident, I too rooted for the NY Knicks - until they got rid of Ewing. And I too hate how he was never appreciated for what he was and how great he was. Hell, they wouldn't even hire him as an assistant coach! All he's done is make Yao Ming and Dwight Howard unstoppable all-stars. I said then - the Knicks won't be ISH until they do right by Patrick Ewing (a variation of Celie's curse from The Color Purple). And guess what? They HAVEN'T BEEN ISH! I cast the same curse upon the Philadelphia Eagles.

- I'm an Oakland Raiders fan, but Philly was always my "secondary" team. I loved many Philly players over the years - Clyde Simmons, Reggie White, Randall Cunnigham, Keith Byars, Westbrook, Dawkins, and McNabb. Now...I'm DONE with them, like I was the Knicks.

- I'm a proud alum too, and went to school with Don. So yes - it's personal when they do one of ours greasy.


The Eagles are going to find out how hard it is to replace a Hall Of Fame QB and your franchise's cornerstone player, just like Buffalo did when Jim Kelly retired (ain't been ISH since) and Miami did when Marino retired (ain't been ISH since). HOF QBs don't just come along - Denver has been competitive, but they haven't recovered from Elway. The 49ers would let Montana or Young play right NOW if they wanted to. Look how many years it took the Colts to recover from Johnny Unitas!!! Wasn't until Peyton came that they became a decent franchise.

In fact, the only team in NFL history to ever win a Super Bowl with a QB who wasn't SQUAT was the Baltimore Ravens with Trent Dilfer. That's IT. Every other team had a QB who was AT LEAST a top QB that year they won, and who went down as a pretty good QB when it was all said and done (though you CAN win without a HOF qb).

Playoffs every year? GONE. NFC Championships? GONE. Making up for talentless bums on offense and masking a 70-30 pass-to-run ratio? GONE.

The idiots in that organization and city who wanted Don gone will feel pain for years to come. And then maybe - MAYBE - they'll understand how STUPID they were to want to oust the greatest player in franchise history. Oh, and while some may think that's opinion, just turn on ESPN when they flash his stats, win %, etc.

Ron Jaworski is considered the man in Eagles history - and Don's records and accomplishments make his career look pedestrian comparatively. Maaaaaannnnn...let me get off this blog before I get pissed again.

Good blog, bruh.

Jay said...

Hold up. Brian. You're a born and raised New Yorker and you're an EAGLES FAN?? Not a Giants fan??

wow.

Anway, I feel you on Patrick Ewing, cuz I felt the same way.

And I see what you mean about Donovan. I'm not an Eagles fan, but I like him as a quarterback, especially a black one. I agree, he never got the respect he deserves from that city, and I hope he murders them when they face each other again. (I hope the Giants put him on his back tho, hey...still division rivals!)

No wonder Brooke let you post today as a NYer...you like her Eagles and her quarterback and are an SU alum. I don't think she'd ever let ME post a sports blog - go Giants! LOL!

Brooke said...

Nope Jay, I never will - no G-Men posts on MY blog :-) LOL!

Anonymous said...

Well, we've definitely been down this road before, but I just caught something of interest in this blog.

Being that I'm not an Eagles fan, nor a huge 'Skins fan (I go to games when they are playing my Giants, the Bears since I live in the Chi, and occasionally the Cowboys since I hate them)... I had no idea the 'Skins was such a huge rival of the Eagles. So in reading that, the true enormity of the trade reached a new high (or low depending on how you look at it) for me.

I knew pretty much right away that Andy Reid wanted to keep him and had no part in that except they made him be the bearer of the bad news. If I were him, I would have told them to go screw themselves lovely while I went out on my boat for a couple of days and let the owner or one of the other personnel make the announcement.

BUT, to give him to an in-division hated rival (something Green Bay refused to do which is why the Jets got the privilege of working with Favre for a year), with no qualms I might add, is just proving how much they hated him. Push aside the non-appreciation. That's a whole 'nother thing. That's nice compared to what they did. This is hate. As a fellow SU alum, I hope Donovan doesn't let himself absorb it. He's got to shake it off, not look at his new teammates as the absolute enemy, and take it not only to the Eagles, but to the whole NFC sans the Giants. I hope he rips it up this upcoming season. This is a doggoned shame.

The Cable Guy said...

I don't think I even KNOW a born and raised NYer who is an Eagles fan. This is a first!!

Brooke must have worked her voo-doo magic on him or something! LOL!

But I'm feeling this post because they did Patrick Ewing dirty and I haven't rolled with the Knicks since. So if that's how Eagles fans feel about Donovan, then I can totally relate.

Although I want the Giants to smash the Eagles every time they play, I can't deny that McNabb is a great QB, and I dread playing the Eagles every year. They never gave that man the respect he deserves, and they'll feel it now that he's gone.

But hey, better for us! Giants fans ain't worried about the Skins, but we were definitely worried about the Eagles. I don't think the Skins have the same team dynamic that Donovan had with the Eagles, so hopefully the Skins won't be a threat now. We'll have to see who they pick up to go with him. Eagles fans should be worried though, cuz he's gonna be gunnin for ya'll asses!

SU is thick up on this blog huh? I can't be mad at that. Donovan is gonna be alright, but Eagles fans are gonna be hurtin!

Great blog, Go Giants!

Brooke said...

Redskins are definitely a rival, but not like we are with Dallas. Eagles fans DESPISE Dallas...just like all other NFC teams do, but in Philly, it goes to a whole different level. I'm sure they built the jail in the Linc ESPECIALLY for when we play Dallas. It ain't nothing pretty.

I actually like the Redskins - when they weren't playing the Eagles, all because of Kevin Mitchell. But now I'm gonna be cheering for them as if I was from the DMV myself. I can't beleive I'm even saying that, but I can't be happy with the Eagles right now. I just can't.

Rameer The Circumstance said...

Kels - just so you know, if you don't already - the reason Don went to Washington is cuz HE wanted to. The Eagles wanted to trade him to Buffalo or Oakland, and he let them know he either wouldn't sign and extension with those teams (he's currently negotiating one with Washington) or he'd retire. He basically forced their hand.

If you scroll through my wall on Facebook or go through Yahoo Sports archives since the trade, there's an article on how he basically engineered his trade to Washington. He wanted to be close to Philly and to play them twice - though he'll never admit that.

So it's more on him that he's at that particular team than Philly. Philly just wanted the best deal possible...Oakland and Buffalo weren't gonna make a trade for a dude who either wouldn't play more than one year or would retire before training camp even started.

And Andy Reid wanted no parts of trading him - I agree, he should've told Eagles management to do their own dirty work at that press conference.

Jaz said...

I must say, I love the Syracuse family connection you all got going on. I've said this before, but I didn't go to a big school, especially not one known for sports, and I wish I had. You all are so tight up on here! Love to see that!

I can't say I'm a big sports fan, so it's hard for me to feel what you all are feeling. But it's sad when you're not appreciated for your accomplishments in ANY job, so I can only imagine how betrayed Donovan Mcnabb must feel.

I would have said that he probably doesn't care, because he's going to get paid his money regardless. But then someone told me he played in Philly for 11 years and hoped to retire there. That's gotta suck. I'm sure it's about more than money with him, it's about respect and being appreciated for his contributions. I'm sure it stings, and I can't imagine how that must feel - especially from so called "fans."

Great blog, I could feel your pain Brian! LOL!

Anonymous said...

Born and bred NY'r! BX stand up! Whiddup Brian! Whiddup Meer...Zay Boogie in tha buildin and i'm devastated...i have two fav football teams...GIANTS and the Eagles...Love the eagles bcs of the BQB history and the GIANTS bcs i'm from Neeeeew yoooooooork...and the Yankees of course. now...i was devastated when i heard that the Eagles did Don sooooo dirty by sending him to this horrible no O-line havin..no game havin..racist name havin team known as the Fedskinz. I live in the DC area and root against the Fedskinz all the time..but now i am soooo torn bcs my dude McNeezy is the QB...this sucks!...and i definitely want him to crush philly this year for doing him dirty...but damn it hurts to see him playing for this crappy team....on a brighter note...once Donovan buys a crib in the area we will have another spot to throw the DMV SU alumni summer picnic...yaaaay...Brooke i know you are heated!

Anthony Otero said...

I am not a big football fan. I watch it because my dad always had it on and my bother loves. Things changed when I went to SU and actually knew some players in the NFL. So I root for teams that have SU players on them because we want our people to get the ring.

If I had a football team I would say that it would be (and in no particular order) Raiders, Giants, Jets, Eagles. But I will say that I hate the Cowboys,

I agree with Brian about Ewing. He was the heart of the Knicks and the heart of how that era of basketball was in NY. I have been struggling to find why I am not interested at all in the NBA. I am not saying it is because of what they did to Ewing...but i just don't see heart anymore.

I am a Mets fan (from the Bronx...if u don't like it you can eat a dick)so i understand heartbreak in sports and I already hated Philadelphia for the most part. Now I can hate that city with no bias what so ever (except for Brooke...she is hot). What they did to Donovan is just not right and now you give a man a purpose. He will roast the Eagles.

DMoe said...

Great blog.

I was a diehard Knicks fan back in the P.E. era, and "underappreciated" hits it on the head then and now...

As I said and will repeat after first hearing of this wack-azz trade:

This is the ultimate slap in the face and ridiculous move by this wack franchise.

Consider me an Eagles HaTer from now on. First they boo'd the kid when he was drafted, 5 NFC champ appearances later, they pull this? To the Deadskins?
Ludicrous. Boulderdash. Horsepucky. Tomfoolery.

Football gods, curse this blasted organization. Mcnabb has served them well, now this. The same fan base with a jail in the stadium. I hope their dumbasses go 3-13 for 13 of the next 16 seasons.

DMoe

Unknown said...

'Sup y'all!

Thanks for the comments. It feels good that to know that I'm not the only one who really watches and not skims through it.

Yes I'm an Eagles fan that lives in Giant territory. Crazy huh? I'm like a jumbo shrimp- a walking oxymoron. LOL

Rameer, I'm REALLY feeling your comments. You know exactly where I'm coming from! Jaws can't carry Donovan's you know what. I'm going to be a disgruntled Eagles fan next year just like I've been a disgruntled Knicks fan since P.E. got traded.

Jay, being an Eagles fan DOES have it's privileges. I don't think she gonna be down with a G-Men post unless a season-ending one with them missing the playoffs, bruh. LOL


KP, yeah it's a really big deal. What makes trading him in-division worse is that the Eagles are saying that think he's done and that they can beat him twice a year, which is the ultimate disrespect for an athlete. They're saying that they don't fear him at all! They'll pay for that!

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah! and i refuse to rehash the horrible heartbeak i have had to deal with over the years with the NY Knicks! that has got to be the most painful situation ever. wooosaaaah...it's your booooooy....Zay boogie.

Unknown said...

Whattup Zay!

Yeah get us info. on his new place and organize that reunion. Stat! LOL

Unknown said...

Just so that everyone knows, if I posted this after Monday's press conference, the post would've been filled with a lot more anger! I've calmed down a bit but I'm still heated!!

Unknown said...

Jaz- SU is a true family. We protect our own. That's why you're seeing so much venom towards the Eagles right now. We can make you a honorary member if you like. LOL

Anonymous said...

I'm on it!lol...
LL Cool Zay

Stef said...

oh damn. DMoe and his football gods blasting fools! Brooke might hurt you for that! She says she's mad now, but she is and will always be an Eagles fan. She'll be back! LOL!

Jaz said...

I would love to be an honorary... orange person?? What do they call female orangemen? LOL!

Brooke said...

We call them "Lady Orange" Jaz :)

@Stef,

I'm proud of my Philly teams, but the Eagles done pissed me off. Of course I'll want them to win, but damn...why they have to do that!?

Zay, you're right. I'm HEATED. Brian told me they traded Don while we were talking on my way BACK from Philly to NY. I almost had to pull over! Watching that press conference was hard for me. I still can't believe it.

Unknown said...

BTW, I'm really feeling all of the love for P.E. Who says there aren't any "real" Knick fans out there?

Brooke said...

Oh, and despite my Philly pride, I was a HUGE Knicks fan growing up, and a BIG Patrick Ewing fan (and a big Georgetown fan too - before I went to SU of course). I had his sneakers and everything, and wore them when I played ball in school. When he left the Knicks, I left the Knicks. Haven't been back since.

Stef said...

LOL@Ant! "you can eat a dick" LMAO! SO foul!

I'm mad he said he can hate on Philly except for Brooke, cuz she's hot LOL! Men!

I agree with Jay, the only reason Brooke allowed this post was because Brian is an Eagles fan, and they share a love for PE. Jay would NEVER be allowed to post on here - only Eagles fans! LOL!

Anonymous said...

Oh wow!!! I didn't know that Rameer! Okay. Then that makes sense because I can see myself doing something like that if I had the chance (though to a team with a stronger supporting cast, but whateva!)... lol. Then power to him doggonit!!! lol

And yeah, I don't understand how I run into so many fellow former NY Knicks fans (though I for one still harbor a secret hope they'll turn it around and get back on top at the head of every season) that feel the same way about how under-appreciated Patrick Ewing was. It's starting to make me think maybe it was a media thing (can't remember that far back but did the media hate on him or something?) and a Knicks management thing? My whole family (grands, cuzzins, etc. included) loved him. But yet the stigma was that he was being done dirty and under-appreciated by his fans as well as management. He NEVER lived down (to this day) that missed finger-roll against MJ's Bulls during the NBA finals in what- '92? Everyone was always trying to make him out to be the bad guy in a loss when there were four other dudes on the court and he was always outscoring them. But yet and still every fan from that era that I bump into loved him. Tsk, tsk. I see the parallels here, but it makes me wonder how many Philly fans in about 10-20 years are going to point the finger at all the other Philly fans at being the ones to make their best player in franchise history thus far bounce to their division rivals.

And thanks for the clarity Brooke. I knew I could feel the negative energy bouncing off the screen if I flipped into an Eagles/'Boys game. I KNEW IT!!!

And yeah, other than Art Monk back in the day when I was a youngin', I never really liked the 'Skins until Kevin joined. Then I started getting an appreciation for them and they got on my list because of him. Never wanted to see them lose if they weren't playing the Giants but I can't claim to be a straight-up fan. I'll be rooting for them a bit stronger this upcoming season. This shall be interesting!

But 'Zah Boogie' -- whatup man! -- is a case-in-point 'Skins non-fan Rameer. THAT's what I was talking about yesterday! lol Thx Zay for driving my point home!

Brooke said...

Correction Stef, I've allowed another post about a team other than the Eagles. I let DMoe blog about The Saints when they won the Super Bowl...so there! LOL!

The Cable Guy said...

You and Brian were driving back from Philly together?? This is why she allowed a NYer to post on her blog today! LOL!

Rameer The Circumstance said...

What up, Zay! What up, Brian!

Yeah, SU is like FAMILY. I meet people all the time who say "I graduated SU '67" or whatever - and regardless of age, race, gender, political allegiance, etc. - it's like instant family. It's not like this at ALL big schools - but it is at MANY. My Michigan State and UNC heads that I know are similar, but nothing compares to life on The Hill. Doesn't hurt that most of the population is from NYC and NY state, so we share another commonality.

Plus, as Ant posted - we tend to cheer for our own, cuz many times we KNEW or still know the players. I'm sure if I drop Tebucky, Donovin, Roland or Keith (Bullock)'s names, heads on here will nod and remember the last time they spoke to them...

I didn't make the last DMV-SU reunion. But I gotta hit up the next one! Zay, make sure you distribute that info freely!

As far as Patrick Ewing goes - it tore the heart out of any REAL NY fan to see him playing for Seattle and Orlando. Ugh. I stopped cheering for them then, and I REALLY had no use for them once they hired Isaiah Thomas. I told my Dad (still a big Knicks fan) "he's gonna DESTROY your franchise"...and he DID...

Patrick should've gotten at least one 'chip. He truly elevated that franchise, when his best supporting scoring option for many of those years was...JOHN STARKS?!?

Under-appreciated doesn't even BEGIN to scratch the surface.

Brooke said...

I was talking to Brian ON THE PHONE man...and I allowed this post because he feels the same way I do! LOL! But I allow NYer's to guest blog for me all the time - just not about the Giants :)

Rameer The Circumstance said...

I see what you mean, KP!!

Jaz said...

Well, it's beautiful to see the SU blog family on here. I don't think I can just be an honorary member just like that can I? Do I have to go thru some sort of initiation first? :)

Then I can get an SU jersey and snap a pic of it like Brooke is gonna do :)

Brooke said...

I was actually at the NBA Finals game where John Starks couldn't BUY a basket. Talk about HEATED!

After that I was REALLY done!

LOL@Jaz, she's really trying to be one of us! Welcome Jaz, welcome!

I'll definitely come down to the DMV for the next reunion!

Stef said...

@Cable Guy,

Stop minding grown folks business! If she was driving with him or talking to him on the phone, it doesn't matter.

Why?

Cuz she don't WANT YOU MAN! LOL!

The Cable Guy said...

Stef is such a hater!

Anthony Otero said...

Stef...i have a history of telling people to that on this blog..lol

Rameer The Circumstance said...

@ Jaz - I had two of my boys who didn't even GO TO SCHOOL AT SU who are honorary members! They were up there with us so much, people just accepted them as SU fam.

As long as a true alum accepts and vouches for you, you're good. So if Brooke-Ra says you're honorary, you're honorary.

You know you must cheer ALL THINGS SU though, right? Lolz!

Oh, and I meant to mention this earlier - what the hell is up with us and GTown?? I grew up liking GTown too! Well, except when they played SU. I think it was a John Thompson thing - I LOVED him. I stopped cheering for GTown when he left, but now that his son is there, I cheer for them when they aren't playing us and it has no bearing on us or our season.

I famously bumped into Allen Iverson and a few GTown players before they played us at the dome that year, and I had a SU hat on. He immediately started talking ish, and I gave it as good as he did! He walked away saying he hoped I would enjoy watching him light us up...

Went to the game, and he MURDERED us. My boys John and Mike wanted to obliterate me off of the Earth after that - they probably STILL blame me for that game to this day...

Anonymous said...

LOL!!! Just like Rameer to get a dude riled up AGAINST us... ;-)

But it's interesting, I loved GT too back in the day and it WAS because of Coach Thompson. And I am happy for his son as well. And I had GT going far in two of my three brackets, with SU going all the way in two of my three brackets.

But yeah, the SU family is alive and well. It's always exciting to meet others- young, old, black, white, orange ;-), whateva. It's great and we really look out for each other. More importantly, as a huge traveler for what I do, it makes me feel great that just about any city I hit across this country, I can call someone up and deal with a friendly face or two in the midst of my business trips. I have fam that used to think that their connection in their alma maters was just as strong, but over the years, they've had to admit that it doesn't compare. SU was hard as heck to get through between the school load and all the drama that folks tried to give ya at that school, but the aftermath makes me feel very blessed. In my head, I'm hugging all you SU heads right now! Go 'CUSE!

DMoe said...

As a Knicks fan, can we just talk about the dreaded "finger roll" that P.E. SHOULD HAVE DUNKED!!!!!?????

I still have nightmares about that game. That was his championship ring, down the drain.

Here's a quick walk down P.E's "supporting cast" memory lane:

1. Derrick Harper
2. Anthony Mason
3. Doc Rivers
4. Xavier Mcdaniel
5. Mark Jackson
6. John Starks
7. Marcus Camby
8. Charles Oakley
9. Charles Smith
10. Greg Anthony

and who could forget the backup of all backups....HERB WILLIAMS!!!

LOL. Stay thirsty.
DMoe

Rameer The Circumstance said...

Great list, DMoe. And those were GREAT players - but outside of maybe Mark Jackson and Doc (both PURE PGs), none were real secondary scoring options - they were just really good overall players. Still, those names are better than 65% of the current league.

I always laughed at how Derek Harper was the model of a good guy player when he played for Dallas - then he came to the Knicks and became completely thugged-the-f-out!! Lmao! He used to get it IN!! Remember when he took the fight INTO THE STANDS in Chicago??

Oh - and you forget the best QB in NYC when he played - Charlie Ward...

@ KP - it's amazing. I haven't found ANYWHERE on Earth where I don't encounter an Orange alum! And you're RIGHT - we DO look out for each other. I know I've gotten like 5 heads jobs since graduating (at least), and had cats look out for me in all types of ways.

Membership has privileges...lolz!

Jaz said...

I feel like I was already rooting for all things Syracuse once I started reading Brooke's blog. She's a true sports fan, and a real proud alum, as all of you seem to be. So if Brooke gives me the nod, then maybe I can roll with y'all. Brooke doesn't know me personally, but she's a friend in my head :) LOL!

I always wished I had that big school connection. I saw that Brooke had over 500 friend on FB once and I told her that she couldn't possibly know that many people. She said that over half of them were SU alum and that she really DID know them some way or another, even if she'd never met them because they were SU family. I didn't believe her at first, but now I see from KP's and Rameer's description of your bond that it may be true. I was shocked when she told me that she never met Rameer or Yolanda in person, or before she met Serena, because you all just seem to love each other. I know she talks to you all on the phone or whatever, but she said she feels like she's known Rameer, Yolanda, Serena, Ant, etc. like she's know them forever, all because they're SU family. I think that's awesome!

Jay said...

I must admit, y'all do seem to be tight. AND EVERYWHERE. I find that I'm always running into people who either went to SU, or know a ton of people who did. I always thought it was because it's a NY school that alot of heads from the NYC went there, but it just seems like you guys are roaches! EVERYWHERE!

I haven't met an SU alum that doesn't bleed orange though. I know cats who went to big schools, Penn State, Duke, Florida State, etc. who don't show the same love for their alma mater, or who couldn't wait to leave. But SU folks LOVE and PRIDE themselves on the fact that they went to SU, like no other school can even come close. And I'm talking YEARS and YEARS after graduating. That's the way it should be.

Rameer The Circumstance said...

True story - at the SU-Georgetown game in DC this year, I hugged most of the alums I bumped into. Like, REAL HUGS. An it seemed strange to no one, cuz they were hugging people too!

We really ARE one big family. That school's environment instills a pride and family-like feeling and culture that can't be matched elsewhere...

The Cable Guy said...

Brooke, where else did you apply to school, cuz the way you talk about SU, you'd think no other school would be good enough for you! LOL!

Brooke said...

@Cable Guy,

No other school WAS good enough for me, that's why I only applied to SU. Ask anyone who knows me, I only applied to Syracuse and that's it.

Hindsight being 20/20, that probably wasn't the smartest thing in the world to do, and I worried my mother sick. She kept asking me to apply to PA schools as a back up, like Penn, Penn State, Temple, etc. But I told her not to waste the application fee on those schools. I wanted to go to Syracuse and that's it. I knew what I wanted to major in and I knew SU's communications program was the best, so no need to apply anywhere else. I was very clear and focused, so good thing I got in! I had no doubt that I would get in and I can't imagine myself going to any other school. So you're right, no other school was good enough...for ME.

Jaz said...

That's great Brooke. Most people just apply to every school in their state, and just hope they get in or go where they have a scholarship. I would have thought you would have said you applied to Philly colleges and maybe some black colleges as well. Did you ever wonder what it would be like to go to a HBCU? Or are there alot of black people at SU?

How did you research and pick SU?

Brooke said...

@Jaz,

It's funny, because I never thought of Syracuse until my junior year of high school. I always thought I'd be an engineer believe it or not. But my favorite subject was always English and I was ALWAYS writing. When I told my English teacher that I was going to be an engineer or an architect, she laughed at me. She was like "Brooke, you're more of a creative person, a writer, you're intrigued by film, you're not an engineer. Not even close. You should major in journalism. That's more you."

That conversation happened on my birthday. Later that day, I went to basketball practice and I jokingly said to my bball coach, "what you get me for my birthday?" He looked at me like I was crazy, reached in his sweaty gym bag and pulled out a Syracuse sweatshirt, threw it at me and said "here, take this." I was like "what kind of mess is this? I don't want your sweaty hand-me-downs!" I looked at it and thought, "well it IS a nice sweatshirt" and I took it home to wash it. My coach was a big time Big East fan - all of our plays that we ran on the court were named after Big East schools, and we were always "running Georgetown" or "running Syracuse." So it was no wonder he had a sweatshirt for every school.

Anyway, as most college bound high school students know, you get stacks and stacks of college brochures in the mail everday during your junior and senior year. My mom had a designated place where she kept mine, and would just pile them up for me to read when I got home from school. That same day that my coach gave me the SU sweatshirt, and the same day my fav English teacher told me I should major in journalism, I got home to find on the top of my stack of brochures...one for Syracuse University. I thought, "okay, this must be a sign" and I sat down and read it from cover to cover. There was a section in the brochure dedicated to the Newhouse School of Public Communications that sold me...and one of the majors listed was Broadcast Journalism. It was right then and there that I knew I wanted to work in that industry in some way, shape or form, and I knew that since SU was the best school for it, there was no other option but to apply and get into Syracuse. I sat down, filled out the application, wrote the essay, enclosed recommendations that I had already, and even asked for a few more tailored to the SU application. I threw the rest of the college brochures in the trash, never even read them. And that was it.

Again, probably not very smart, but something in my gut told me that SU was it, and I never looked back. My mentor during college was an SU alum (and my uncle's best friend), the one who hired me for my INROADS internship at an all sports radio station was an SU alum, and I got my first job in tv because my alum mentor made a call and got me the job. My ex, who is an SU alum, got me the interview for my second job at MSNBC, and the woman who hired me after only talking to me for literally 5 minutes was a 6 feet tall black woman who went to SU. SO yes, we roll thick and deep and take care of each other. I wouldn't be where I am doing what I'm doing if I didn't go to school there, and I'm so grateful to have that eduation as well as the friends I've met (and the ones I haven't yet met) that I wouldn't have known without having gone to school at SU.

Anonymous said...

Jay... out of all the analogies you could've made.. roaches dogg.. really? ;-) How about the air? That's everywhere too! ;-)

There are two people- one dude and one chick- that definitely don't bleed orange that came out of our school- one wanted to be at Wesleyan of all places, and the other is still very much in love with UConn and for him, we definitely come in behind them. But honestly, they are the only two on the face of the planet that I know of that are like that.

And as to that GT-SU game back in February...

1st, I did start to say how interesting it is that we all like Georgetown but GT is legitimately our biggest BBall rival followed closely by UConn.

2nd, It was amazing as to how many SU folks descended upon DC from all over the country for that game! I bumped into Chris Gedney (former Bear tight-end, SU '89) at my hotel with a bunch of SU ol' heads from Wisconsin of all places. And my breakfast was inundated with SU gear-wearing folks from all over. It was hysterical and it was how I found out that the game was that night as I was in town for business! lol Ironically, I had on a business suit with my SU cap on my chair because it was kind of frigid outside so I blended right in. lol

Then I get to the game and I don't have seats with all the Orange folk up top, so who comes sauntering down the aisle but Zay with his front row seats which made me feel so much more comfortable in the mix with all of that gray/blue jazz... LOL!!! When the game was over, you would have thought DC was an SU campus. We were like the air... just EVERYWHERE!!! LOL!!! It was so much fun. And like Ram said, everyone, whether we knew each other or not, was hugging everyone like we did know each other because in the end, we know all things 'Cuse! lol That was a great day.

@ Brooke... you are a true testament to "faith". That's HOTTT!!! I had sort of a similar story. Sort of. I had NO desire to go to SU at first. LOL... I was pursued by a lot of ivy-leaguers or Division 3 schools (I was an athlete too, but not Division 1 caliber). My guidance counselor sold me on going up to SU for a Fall Friday with my parents because it wouldn't count against my perfect attendance (I was a nerd admittedly) and I would get away from the school. Got up to SU and fell in LOVE with the school. It was the only school at the time that had an undergraduate major for both business law (Law & Public Policy) in the School of Management and Computer Engineering (as opposed to Computer Science or Electrical Engineering that was being offered everywhere else- even MIT). So I lost interest in everything else which made my folks really upset because I already had free rides elsewhere and SU is EXPENSIVE!!! lol But I was a chick on a mission! And in the end, I am very, very glad for it. Besides, I get to hob-nob with the likes of you guys!

Jaz... Though I know your question was directed at Brooke, personally, I wasn't big on HBCUs because I come from the inner city so I was open to a different experience. With that being said, when we were there, SU boasted the highest minority percentage at roughly 25% of the school out of all privately-owned institutions. And you could tell. Outside of your classes, you could go weeks without seeing a white person if you wanted to depending on where you hung or where you stayed. Some people exercised that option. To each their own!

The Cable Guy said...

That was one long commercial for Syracuse :) LOL!

DMoe said...

Yep, Cuse sounds like a cool-azz place to be for yall, and I'm glad you enjoyed the time and experience there.

@KP, its funny you mentioned the inner city as a reason to shy away from HBCU's. Alot of times we have a tendency to stick with what we know, and it says alot that you branched out in that way.

I would color myself an inner city boy also, but my HBCU choice was really about my advantages/perks playing an instrument.

I applied to a bajillion schools, and got into a few traditionally black and white. Ultimately, I chose the one I chose purely for the chance to be in "that number..." lol. I'll just stop there. This blog is about love for the Cuse...

lol.
Dmoe

Brooke said...

@Jaz and KP,

I didn't address the HBCU question, but to answer it, no - never considered it. Not because I didn't believe in them or anything, but simply because I wanted to go to the best school for what I wanted to major in. It was nothing personal, just didn't look at it that way. I've visisted HBCU's to see friends and hang out, but something in the air didn't match the same spirit at SU. When I went up for Spring Minority weekend after I got accepted, as soon as we drove up to the hill and I saw the Carrier Dome, my soul lit up. I knew at that moment that I belonged there and I fell in love with the school. I knew my decision was the best one.

And like KP said, it was a majority white school, but you didn't feel like it was. For all the drama that went on up there (admittedly), we were still a tight-knit group of black and latino folks. I'm closer now with most of them 15 years after graduation than I was when I went there! I dunno, just something special about the school. Not to knock anyone else's college experience, but SU is just in a league of its own if you ask me.

Stef said...

Well, I went to Howard and didn't love it as much as you all seem to love SU. Where did you go to school DMoe? Or did you tell us and I missed it?

And of course DMoe plays an instrument, with his musical self! LOL!

Anonymous said...

It's funny because this blog was about Donovan and Patrick, but it has seemed to turn into a 'Cuse ad. But D'Moe, don't censor yourself. Clearly we don't do that here. I'd like to hear about your experience at your school. One of my younger cousins went to Hampton and I used to visit him all the time down there. But I think he liked visiting me more... lol ;-) Back then, SU knew how to party. I hear it's pretty watered down now...

The Cable Guy said...

Yeah, I thought this blog was about Donovan and the wack ass Eagles! Now it's one big Syracuse ad! LOL!

Not mad though, Donovan belongs in there since he went to the Cuse, and the blog WAS written by an alum...soo.....LOL!

Carry on!

Jay said...

Sorry KP, roaches were the first thing that came to mind! LOL! I mean, come on...don't front. Roaches ARE everywhere! LOL!

Just like y'all asses!

Good stuff though. It's great to have pride in your school, no matter where you went.

The Cable Guy said...

I tell you one thing, EVERY girl I've ever met that went to SU is fine as hell! So KP must be cute as a button! We all already know Brooke is FINE! LOL!

The Cable Guy said...

and where is my boo Yolanda? Where is Serena? They went to SU too right?? I would think they'd be all over this blog today!

Annamaria isn't even here! WTF?

Maybe they don't follow football like that. :)

Jaz said...

Didn't DMoe say he played the drums in school for a famous band? Like Drumline? :)

Geeque4u said...

@DMoe- That was a hell of a line up!! The KNICKS will never get a squad like that again!!!!!

DMoe said...

@ Stef -

Howard? that was my SPOT!

Yall's homecoming was...
(ahem, throat cleared)

"Fiyah like cayenne!"

As for me, yeah - I went to FAMU, and went JUST so I could play in the band.

I confess: I made my final choices in schools based on the bands, and had a few to choose from. Ultimately, I chose the Marching 100. I'm sure I spoke on that in previous comments, but its said with Love. L.O.V.E.

At the end of my time, they ended up giving me a diploma for Broadcast Journalism. I vaguely remember some classes here and there, and a gig at the radio station, but I had priorities.

DMoe

Stef said...

That's right! You went to FAMU! Well, if you're gonna play in a band, that one was THE ONE to play in. That's HOT!

Oh, and you happened to actually graduate with a degree too?! :) (wink) You and Brooke had the same major I see. ALot of tv people on this blog. Brooke, Rameer (I think?), Yolanda (I think?) and now you! DO you work at a tv station too? That's cool!

Yeah, Howard was fun, but I didn't party much. I didn't like the DMV area that much either, I missed my NYC!

Jay said...

FAMU's band is no joke. I heard them play at a homecoming somewhere back in the day and they tore that shit up. Not mad at you bruh. You must be able to PLAY to roll with them cats.

Rameer The Circumstance said...

Yo - y'all got me all sentimental about good ol' 'Cuse reading all your comments! Damn I miss those years.

I was kind of destined for SU, too. I wanted to go since I was a kid. I grew up loving Syracuse, and had a great-aunt who I ADORED who lived there. I was always excited to go visit her and her kids, and older cousin and one who was my age. So I had a love of Syracuse, and since she loved SU, I loved SU! My family loved SU, too.

When I went to high school, we had a TV/Film department that I manged to get into freshman year (you weren't allowed to take those classes until junior year; the teacher liked me and basically changed the rules - which pissed all the rich white kids off). I LOVED shooting, editing, being on-camera, etc. My teacher told me the best schools to go to for that were SU and NYU. Well, I knew which one I wanted to go to!

But I was more cautious than Brooke-Ra. I applied to NYU, UB, Michigan, Fordham, and Howard University. My grandfather, who went to a HBCU, really wanted me to go to one - and I promised I would go to Howard IF SU didn't let me in. All the white kids at my school said I had no shot (racist/ignorant asses).

I knew I was accepted before Christmas.

That was it. No turning back! I never even walked on-campus - I always drove past and around the campus with my aunt, but never THROUGH it. My first day on-campus was my first day as a student there - I never even took the college visit. And the SU recruiter came to Buffalo, not me going there.

First day there, I was IN LOVE. The campus is like a mini-city - HUGE. And what they said is true - you can go WEEKS without seeing or noticing white people. I was up there for S.I. (Summer Institute), and as I was unpacking, I left my stuff in my room with the door open. When I came back up, Pilar Biggars (or Pilar Sanders as she's now called, since she's married to Deion Sanders) was laying on my bed, waiting for me to get back.

"Don't leave your door open with your stuff in it", she said. "People will come and take your stuff. Close your door, just leave it unlocked until you finish bringing it up. I'm Pilar - I'll be one of your RA's".

Daisy Duke jean shorts. Oiled up legs. White short sleeved shirt tied in the front showing that sexy-ass stomach of hers, and breast just looking scrumptious. Long, silky hair. PERFECT face.

I RAN downstairs...

"Mom, Dad? Baby (my little sister)? I love y'all - see you later!"

"But I thought we were gonna stay a while, go get food, visit your aunt, help you get settled in..."

"NOPE! I'M GOOD! TALK TO YOU LATER!!!"

True story. She was the first woman I saw there, and I was SMITTEN! Lmao!

Plus, my boys from Buffalo John and Mike came to S.I., so we had a crew from the jump! All the NYC heads were cool...man, nothing like The Hill. And it only got better when campus-wide classes began in late August!

We had the BEST women. BEST education. DOPEST campus. Everything about SU was DOPE. If I could rewind time, I'd gladly go back to Day One and live it all over again.

Yeah. SU was THE ISH. And the bonds formed and still being formed make it the biggest and best non-blood family I can ever imagine having.

We BLEED Orange. No doubt!

I hugged KP too in DC...lolz! ;-)

Brooke said...

I have plenty of pics of Pilar with that same outfit on, I can mail them to you if you want Rameer :-) LOL!

Rameer The Circumstance said...

@ Stef - yeah, I work in TV. ABC affiliate here in Western New York state out of Buffalo.

And Howard's Homecoming WAS the ish!! Man - the memories I have of going to visit during their Homecoming - holy spit! Only thing I wish we had at SU. We had Greek Freak, which was great - but it wasn't HU's Homecoming!

SU was like the best balance of partying and social life I could ever imagine at a college. Serious - if it could've been better, I don't even WANT to know. Cuz I wouldn't have gotten ANY work done if it was better than THAT!

As far as fly women - people still go through my photo albums and can't believe how DOPE the women were at my school. Seriously - we OD'd on bad-ass chicks! I remember bringing my little brother up to visit my sophomore year...he and his boy FROZE at some of the women we intro'd him to at a party (I think it was in Manley, actually). And when I told some females I knew to "take care of them" and show them a good time (no, not in a NASTY way, just to dance with them and make them feel at home)...they couldn't BELIEVE we could tell these dimes to take care of them while we went off to go dance and talk to some OTHER dimes! Lmao!

He wasn't even going to go to college until THAT night. After that, he started filling out applications! Haaaa!

Anonymous said...

Sho nuff!!! lolz! ;-)

That was a great story. Pilar is definitely a trip. Too funny.

Anonymous said...

Brooke... ya killin' me!!! LOLOLOLOL!!!

Rameer The Circumstance said...

@ Brooke-Ra - oh, I HAVE my pics with Pilar. One day in-person, I'll tell you the interactions I had with her...no, I NEVER got romantically involved with her in the least. But some of my memories are pretty funny.

I spent all of S.I. trying to get with her...I remember she caught me in one of the girls suites (we were in Haven) after we decided to have a secret pajama jammy-jam. Well...THE GIRLS decided to. Me and my boy Ant decided to crash it, and we were the only dudes the girls let stay. Pilar knew the girls were doing it, and she okayed it as long as NO BOYS were gonna be there. She comes in at 2am after hearing men's voices, sees me, and says:

"Oh? I thought you said *I* was 'Forever Your Lady'?? See...and I was thinking about seeing what's up with you, too."

MINDF**K!! She completely messed with my head. She didn't even kick us out or rat on us, she just left. It took my boy Any a hlaf hour to get me to stop worrying about if I had just messed my chance up and to get back to focusing on the fact we were in a suite with like 15 chicks...

She loved messing with cats heads like that. I admit - she got me too in the beginning...

Anonymous said...

LOLOL!!!! She used to pull crap like that with one of my boys.. Ben. It was funny to me for a good while, but then I felt the need to cut in, straighten him out and help him see she was just having fun because it was affecting his school (he was in the engineering program). But she was always madd cool and alot of fun.

Too funny Rameer. Too funny!

Brooke said...

She messed with ALOT of dudes heads like that...just for fun :) I have stories man, I'm sure KP knows most of them :)

that's funny tho :)

Jay said...

I looked through Brooke's school photo albums and you ain't never lied about fine ass women. Brooke's roommate was hot too. I was like "damn, you two lived together?!" I'd have been up in their spot daily :)

I see her SU friends on FB too and I'm like "dayumm!" But then again, most of B's friends are cute. I don't think Brooke even knows any unattractive women. It's like they're in some sort of cult or something :)

I saw Pilar Sanders on that tv show they had once. Show wasn't that great, but she's hot. When I saw her in Brooke's photo album, I was like "you KNOW her?" Between her and seeing Lex Steele up in her photos, I was like "wow, SU must've been SOMETHING when Brooke was there" LOL!

The Cable Guy said...

How did you see Brooke's photo albums Jay???

Rameer The Circumstance said...

Man, listen Jigga...to this day, me and my boys scratch our heads at the girls we TURNED DOWN who were uber-dimes. We be like "there were so many women, and we were so full of ourselves, we were turning DOWN dimepieces!" Lmao!

From what the ladies tell me, they didn't have a hard time with attractive men, either. Everything at SU was based on personality, cuz we really didn't have a campus full of quasimodos. So a girl I would go "hell naw!" to or a guy Brooke-Ra may have been like "Never!" to would be looked at by an outsider like "What's wrong with him/her? He/she looks good!"

But it was always about the person. I don't really remember anyone ever saying "naw, that chick is busted - I couldn't go there". Some people were more attractive than others, but we were an attractive campus from all accounts.

This was especially confirmed by the ridiculous amount of visitors we would get from other schools...lmao!

Jay said...

@Captain Cable,

Damn man, really?? LOL! You're a funny dude :)

Anonymous said...

@Brooke... oh you know I know quite a few of them eps...

@Jay... OK, you just went allll the way there! lol I was on the phone with Trey... or "Lex" not too long ago as one of my boys keeps up with him. I'm sure most folks would find it hard to believe he used to be a Wall Street superstar before he 'switched industries'. lol Also probably wouldn't believe he was one of the nicest, sweetest, seemingly conservative, and definitely quietest Ques of the whole Que clan up there. And he used to be super-devoted (from what I could tell) to one of Brooke's closest friends. Funny how life twists and turns... lol.

Rameer The Circumstance said...

@ KP - Davene told me the whole Lex thing like two years ago. Blew my wig...

And Captain Cable IS pretty funny! Lmao!!

SarKism said...

I know I am crazy late but I've been reading all these good, long post comments....

wow! thanks for the walk down memory lane guys! ditto on all the comments about Syracuse. It is definitely a special place. That holds lots and lots of good memories.

I will always bleed Orange and Blue ( oh and maroon and gold for the Redskins!!!)


When the 'Cuse is in the house....OMG Danger!!!

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