Jerry Sullivan
Sullivan: Motivated Syracuse plays like a top seed
Maybe it was watching Villanova get taken into overtime by Robert Morris before surviving
on Thursday. It could have been Georgetown's stunning loss to Ohio later in the opening day of
the NCAA Tournament. Or perhaps it was seeing a couple of its Big East brethren, Marquette and
Notre Dame, bow out as No. 6 seeds in the opening day. (Updated: 03/20/10 12:43 AM )
Sullivan: SU ignores distress signals from its fans
Over the years, I've found that Syracuse and Buffalo sports fans are connected by more than a
140-mile strip of interstate. They share a wary, well-earned skepticism, forever watchful of a
calamity lurking around the bend. (Updated: 03/19/10 3:59 PM )
Sullivan: Buffalo's brackets will be tough
Still aglow over Ryan Miller's performance at the Olympics, Buffalo sports fans have another
reason to puff out their chests in a show of civic pride. The NCAA Tournament brackets were
released Sunday, and our subregional might well be the toughest of them all. (Updated: 03/15/10 10:01 PM )
Sullivan: Newark's McCrea blocks Billies' road to Glens Falls
It's been basketball's one abiding truth, ever since the first peach basket was nailed to
a wall at the YMCA. When a title is on the line, a great big man will beat a great little man.
Especially when the big man is a foot taller. (Updated: 03/13/10 10:11 PM )
Sullivan: Tuneup day puts Vanek back in synch
Lindy Ruff gave Thomas Vanek a break from practice on Tuesday, giving Vanek two days off in a
row. Ruff said Vanek was suffering from some undisclosed, nagging injury. They both called it
a "maintenance" day. (Updated: 03/11/10 10:41 AM )
Sullivan: Bills fail to provide sign of hope
With free agency under way and the NFL entering an uncapped year, teams in the AFC East are
losing no time in declaring their intentions to compete for a Super Bowl. (Updated: 03/12/10 3:41 PM )
Sullivan: Lewis looms large as Niagara's season ends
ALBANY — There's one thing that Joe Mihalich can be thankful for. He won't have to
come back here for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament any time soon. The league
finally did the wise thing and pulled the event out of here, at least through 2014. So Siena
will no longer enjoy a huge home-court advantage. (Updated: 03/08/10 12:08 AM )
Sullivan: Turner's Canisius career has a bizarre end
ALBANY — Frank Turner has played 125 games at Canisius, the most of any player in
school history. Turner rarely leaves the court, so he has played the most minutes of any
Golden Griffin. So you can imagine how crushing it was for Turner to spend the last five
minutes of his career in the locker room, watching. (Updated: 03/07/10 12:37 AM )
Sullivan: Faustin is rewarded for keeping faith
ALBANY — Were there times when Kendra Faustin questioned herself? Are you kidding?
The Niagara women lost 24 games in a row last year. They went exactly three months between
wins. It lasted almost as long as the TV show "24." (Updated: 03/05/10 11:06 PM )
Sullivan: Miller gives Regier reason to make move
Ryan Miller has made his statement. Powerful and assertive, it resounds through the hockey
world, two days after the close of the Olympics. Gold medal or not, Miller showed he is one of
the world's elite goaltenders, capable of leading a team on a seemingly unimaginable ride. (Updated: 03/02/10 9:48 AM )
Sullivan: Miller backstops a nation as a hero of Buffalo
The big question for a lot of people right now is when can they see Ryan Miller again in
person? Can they meet him at the airport, the way they did Dominik Hasek in 1998? The Sabres
haven't decided whether Miller will join the team in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, or travel straight
from Vancouver to Buffalo to get a little rest. (Updated: 03/02/10 9:48 AM )
Sullivan: Boeheim is in a New York state of mind
Jim Boeheim has been pretty outspoken about the NCAA Tournament lately. The Syracuse coach
has been one of the most fervent advocates of expanding the field to 96 teams. Boeheim also
sees no reason to be coy about his team's likely destination in mid-March. (Updated: 02/25/10 9:53 AM )
Sullivan: Trivia column stimulates addiction
Thank you for joining me today. Many of you have come to know me through the years. You
have supported me in good columns and bad. Now, you have good reason to be critical of me. All
I can say is I'm sorry for my irresponsible and foolish behavior. (Updated: 02/22/10 10:32 PM )
Sullivan: Tiger Woods' well-coached tale finds fairway
Tiger Woods kept the ball in the fairway Friday. He didn't stumble or
stray from the script, which is easy to do when you limit your audience to a select gathering
of friends and business associates and refuse to take questions afterward. (Updated: 02/20/10 9:26 AM )
Jerry Sullivan: As T. O. fades Bills should look at Hardy
Late Wednesday morning, the Bills’ media were escorted to the practice field for their allotted 15 minutes of viewing time. It was soon apparent that Terrell Owens was not practicing. He was nowhere to be found. Naturally, we suspected the worst. (Updated: 11/15/09 12:42 AM )