Friday Night Lights

UnderappreciatED


Unlike any other sport at any other level in the United States, and especially during March Madness, college basketball is universal. Everyone in the workplace, from the bald executive in the spacious corner office to the prematurely balding employee in the cramped cubicle who's writing this article, fills out a bracket, submits it to the finance guys who run the pool by default (or birthright), and hopes for Cinderellas from directional schools in directional conferences to knock off drab, overrated squads from the Big Ten and the Pac-10.

This scene plays out from sea to shining sea, from Maine to Hawaii, Alaska to Florida, and everywhere in between. It's electric for many reasons -- the thrill of clicking out of a spreadsheet to sneak a few minutes of the early game before lunch, the joy of tiny schools like Hampton knocking off power conference darlings that didn't have their best days on the court, and the pride that comes from seeing your alma mater competing in the sports world's version of Hanukkah -- eight crazy nights of the best competition any rabid sports fan could envision.

Just like everyone in the office has their favorite team, every fan has their least favorite player, the pariah (or golden boy) who inspires feelings of wrath and annoyance. Usually, this honor is split regionally, with the honor for "most hated" going to overcelebrated whiners like Christian Laettner or J.J. Redick. Unlike most years though, 2009's least favorite player by unanimous decision is Eric Devendorf.

Devendorf began earning his reputation early in the 2008-09 campaign, when he was arrested in November for striking a female acquaintance who was unlucky enough to be in the wrong place (that is, hanging out with Eric Devendorf) at the wrong time. He missed two games after being suspended by Syracuse's student conduct board for his offense, then promptly brought his antics back to the court.

This was most noticeable in the Big East Tournament, where Devendorf began his tournament of trash-talking with alternating episodes of false bravado and unnecessary woofing during a game against Seton Hall. Divine intervention (Devendorf's barely-late, last-second buzzer beater that would have beaten UConn at the end of regulation) didn't go far enough as our antagonist was allowed to play the rest of the tournament.

His behavior continued throughout the tournament, despite the fact that even parents Curt and Cindy Devendorf were probably joining all of Madison Square Garden in wishing that after his senior season, their only son would be coming off the bench as the eighth man for a third-division Polish team in a hardscrabble city like Wroclaw, traveling around by bus or unreliable train to gritty Eastern European locales, playing in front of fans that have not yet grasped the concepts of indoor plumbing or the use of vowels.

At this point, the hate for Devendorf has reached epic proportions. So I thought I'd use my public forum to write a brief list of good things about Eric. I feel it is my duty to prepare fans for his performance before the Orange take on Stephen F. Austin today. So without further ado, ten good things about Eric Devendorf:


1) The tattoo on Devendorf's right shoulder (basketball in the middle of a cross) almost exactly resembles a sample from the create-a-player mode of NBA 2k1 for the Sega Dreamcast

2) Sometimes it's nice to hear an E.D. reference without dropping the name of Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra

3) Devendorf is pursuing a degree in communications and rhetorical studies, which will prepare him well for a lifetime of circuit court appearances for petty crimes

4) #3 assumes he'll get his degree. Never mind.

5) The tattoo on the back of his neck, for his daughter, Madelyn, was constructed very artfully

6) Steadfastly maintains street image despite being from a town about as far north and as far right as Wasilla, Alaska

7) Devendorf has two sisters, who presumably, he has not punched in the face (recently)

8) Reneged on a verbal commitment to Michigan State -- Kalin Lucas is infinitely more exciting than Devendorf

9) Devendorf's urban image has increased the Orange fanbase at Rikers Island, especially when compared with the Gerry McNamara era

10) He actually considered going straight from Oak Hill Academy to the NBA -- good to see that his ego has always been in check


See, don't you like him more already?

Happy Bracketology everyone -- ring out ahoya this morning if you can.