Greg Robinson is only 57 years old and probably will be coaching
football for at least a few more years. But this figures to be his
final autumn at Syracuse University.
He’s likely to enjoy at least one more victory before he leaves.Thank
goodness for the Northeastern Huskies.Coming off an embarrassing 42-28
loss Saturday to the Akron Zips in SU’s home opener, Robinson and his
Orange take on Penn State Saturday. If Joe Paterno isn’t in a
charitable mood, his 26 1/2-point favored (and likely to go up)
Nittany Lions could win by 50.
I hope Robinson and his players aren’t caught looking ahead to their
home game against Division I-AA Northeastern on Sept. 20. It would be
difficult to lose that one. The Huskies were 3-8 in 2007 and are 0-1
this season after a 48-14 loss at Ball State Aug. 28. They figure to
get spanked Saturday at Georgia Southern.
So don’t expect SU to go winless for the first time since 1892. SU was
0-8-1 that season with four losses to the Syracuse Athletic
Association and one loss each to Cornell, Union, Hamilton, the
University of Rochester (22-0) and St. John’s Military Academy by a
combined 218-4.
Jordan C. Wells was the team’s first-year coach. He was not
retained.Robinson is 7-30 in three-plus seasons at SU. The Orange was
outscored by an average of 18.3 points in the 30 losses. SU doesn’t
only usually lose, it too often isn’t competitive.
Robinson spent 15 years as an NFL coordinator or assistant coach and
is supposed to be a defensive specialist, but he had no answers
against Akron’s spread offense and his players gave a horrible display
of tackling. If it had been a flag football game, SU might have won.
He won’t resign, nor should he. He always wanted to be a head coach
and hasn’t given up hope of turning this SU team around.
Unfortunately, the only person who could do that is the team’s bus
driver. In Robinson’s first stint as head coach, he is only proving
why he had to wait so long.
John Grant’s career-threatening knee surgery Friday was a devastating
blow to Rochester pro lacrosse fans. I’ve always argued that Grant is
the greatest athlete in his particular sport in his prime to ever wear
a Rochester uniform (with NBA Royals star Bobby Davies a close
second).
The Knighthawks and Rattlers play in the top level indoor and outdoor
lacrosse leagues and Grant has been the consistently best offensive
player in the sport over the last decade. Area lacrosse fans were
fortunate to be able to watch him play, and if you never did, you
missed something special.
The loss of Grant is one reason new Knighthawks general manager Regy
Thorpe last weekend traded defenseman and faceoff man Stephen Hoar to
the Toronto Rock for forward Aaron Wilson. Said Thorpe: “We need to
try to replace John’s goal production, and Aaron Wilson should be good
for around 30 goals this season. He always seemed to score three or
four goals when we played Toronto.”
Highly respected former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn, 65, is
the new coach for Canada in the upcoming world junior hockey
championship in Ottawa. That’s a clue to the credentials of Benoit
Groulx, who stepped down from the prestigious assignment to accept the
job as coach of the Rochester Americans. It probably isn’t a stretch
to think Groulx will be the next coach of the NHL Florida Panthers.
University of Buffalo football season-ticket sales have topped 11,000.
Who knows? If the program continues to improve, the Bulls might be
playing a game or two against high-profile opponents at Ralph Wilson
Stadium in a few years. This might be a dream, but a big-time college
football program at UB would fill the fall football void if the NFL
Bills ever pulled up stakes.
One of the National Lacrosse League’s top offensive players has
retired. Jeff Ratcliffe is calling it quits after eight seasons (seven
with the Philadelphia Wings and last season with the New York Titans)
and 240 goals.
The golf course designed by Tiger Woods in Dubai reportedly will
include 30,000 imported full-grown trees. The lavish course is
expected to be completed by late 2009. The Tiger Woods Dubai course
will be part of a huge theme-park complex called Dubailand. Almost 200
palaces and villas will line the course. No one is saying how much
Woods is being paid for his part in the venture, but it might dwarf
what he makes playing golf.
The LPGA Tour was wise to respond to the backlash from the majority of
the public, media and politicians (plus some sponsors) by backing off
on plans to suspend foreign players who cannot speak English well
enough to meet and greet sponsors, do interviews or accept trophies
and checks after winning tournaments. I still believe the LPGA was
within its rights and wise to encourage all players to speak basic
English, but threatening suspensions was an ill-advised dumb move that
was sure to cause trouble.
Chicago White Sox slugger Carlos Quentin paid a steep price for
breaking his wrist when he jammed it into his bat in disgust. He was
leading the American League with 36 HRs and could cost his team a
playoff berth. He already has erased any chance he had of being
selected AL Most Valuable Player. The White Sox also appear to have
lost hard-hitting third baseman Joe Crede for the season with a back
problem. … White Sox slugger Jim Thome recently took advantage of an
off day to visit the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown with his father, who
proudly watched his son present his 500th home run ball to museum
officials. Thome called the father-son outing “the best off day I’ve
ever spent.” It always is refreshing when a pro athlete recognizes the
history of his sport.
In seven starts for Minnesota since Francisco Liriano was recalled
from the Red Wings, he has a 5-0 record and a 1.86 ERA. Justin Morneau
last week called Liriano the “ace” of the pitching staff. That was a
nice compliment and absolutely true. If the Twins miss a playoff berth
by a game or two, keeping Liriano in Rochester and sticking with Livan
Hernandez for a few starts too many might have been the difference.
… Pitcher Brian Bass, who pitched well for the Red Wings in 2007
(7-3, 3.48 ERA in 37 games) and spent most of this season in
Minnesota’s bullpen, was traded last week to Baltimore for a player to
be named.
The Washington Nationals, so pathetic that even a new stadium couldn’t
get fans stampeding to their home games, is reducing the ticket prices
for around 7,500 seats in 41,888-seat Nationals Park. The average
ticket price in non-premium seating in 2009 will be about $29. That’s
still too much to watch the Nationals — unless they’re playing
against an attractive visiting team. … 40-year-old Frank Thomas (521
career HRs and a two-time AL MVP) probably has played his last game in
the majors. One plus is that his plaque in Cooperstown would have him
hitting above .300. His career batting average plunged from .330 after
the 1997 season to .301 when Oakland put him on the disabled list Aug.
31. He still can hit a bit but can’t run a lick.
The Quad City Riverhawks won’t play in the Premier Basketball League
in the 2009 season but plan to start up in the 2010 season.
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Bob has been a sports columnist for the Times-Union and Democrat and
Chronicle and a regular “As the Sports World Turns” contributor to the
Gannett News Service since 1978. He is the only person to be selected
Press-Radio Club Sportswriter of the Year (five times) and
Sportscaster of the Year, and was a pioneer inductee into the Frontier
Field Walk of Fame. He is a graduate of Brighton High School (where he
led the basketball team in scoring, but the opponents he guarded
scored more) and Gettysburg (Pa.) College, and a proud Vietnam
veteran.
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