Since I arrived at Syracuse University and started writing for The Daily Orange, my goal was to become sports editor. I’ve read so many ducks over the last five semesters, and it’s hard to believe the time has come to write my own.

I’ll miss the late nights, the weekend coverages and especially the camaraderie. But making it to sports editor and navigating such an usual semester wouldn’t have been possible without a lot of help along the way, including from those below.

Roshan: I always knew you were talented. It’s why I spent that Friday night helping you cover your first game at C-NS, why I re-worked your gamer in Recess Coffee until 1 a.m., why I know you’ll do a fantastic job in charge of the section next semester. But it’s also why I’m so hard on you: you’re going to accomplish incredible things in this industry. Cherish your time as sports editor, and know that Mr. Crane is always around to help whenever needed. I wish we could’ve spent last summer in the Veterans Field press box, but I’m glad we got 13 weeks of production in 230. 

KJ: I literally could not have made it through this semester, or through my first two-plus years at The D.O., without you. Those 1 a.m. trips to McDonalds, those porch talks after production, those hour-long phone calls — they all mean so much to me. Thanks for answering all of my weird, random questions as a freshman, for hiring me to be your copy editor as a sophomore and for always pointing out areas I could improve as an editor. But most of all, thanks for always being a great friend.

Danny: Man, I don’t even know where to start here. Maybe it’s the fact that I never thought we’d become close friends like we are now. Maybe it’s that trip to Storrs, or those early morning rides to women’s basketball media ops. Either way, watching you develop into such a talented writer has helped me grow, too. You’ll be happy to know that I still have those Mario lyrics memorized, and the list of movies I need to watch is close by. 

Dabbundo: Our friendship’s starting point will always trace back to the J.S. Coyne Stadium bleachers, where you taught me how to cover my first game in between celebrating Andrew Luck’s two touchdowns and groaning when Andy Dalton led the Bengals to victory. I’m still not sure how you balance all those commitments, but I’m glad you always made time to help guide me through beats and working in-house. Long live the Sadler 7 and Booth quad legacies, and I’m excited to finally be on a beat with you.

Skyler: The energy and passion you brought to the Sports staff as a digital editor this semester has been amazing, and I’m excited to watch you continue to develop as an assistant. Trust that your personality and determination will take you far. Keep that newsletter going, too.

Allie: I’m glad you decided to balance CitrusTV and D.O. positions this semester because you have a bright future at this paper. I can’t wait to see you run the section one day. Go Yanks.

Thomas: Hamer once described you as a “workaholic” with a “grandma’s sleep schedule.” He’s not wrong about either. I’m glad you decided to join The D.O. last year, and I’m even more glad that you decided to work in-house. By the way, that was pass interference on Darious Williams. Go Bills.

Hamer: I’m not sure we’ll cover another game as cold as that Oct. 16 men’s soccer game. I’m still shivering. 

Anish, Anthony, Gillian, Ella, Connor, Nolan, Cirino: You all have a lot of potential and are the future of this section. Trust yourselves, and The D.O.’s process, and you’ll achieve your goals at this paper.

Aro: I really, really missed not working in-house with you the last two semesters. Your positive personality always lights up a room. Cheers to 3 a.m. quesadillas, Chipotle, Snooker and whatever other random topics we laughed about late at night in the Sports office. I can’t wait to cover MLAX again with you this season.

Hillman: We were the best sports copy editing duo around. Hands down. You’re such a smart reporter who’s not afraid to ask the tough questions. Just make sure you have the right lens and setting on the camera before trying to photograph a field hockey game.

Scarglato: Your passion and drive for understanding what it takes to become a good writer is something not a lot of people have. It will take you places.

Tim: Maybe one day you’ll have a semi-decent sports team to cheer for. Until then, I look forward to reminding you when the Bills beat the Jets, the Yankees beat the Mets and the Sabres beat the Devils. Oh, by the way, how’s Taylor Hall?

Rest of the Sports staff: I wouldn’t have been able to fill a budget and navigate this weird semester if it weren’t for all of you. Sorry if I ever forget to reply to your emails or texts — I promise it wasn’t personal. I’ll still be around for the next few semesters, so always hit me up if you need help with anything.

Schafer: It’s been weird seeing everything come full circle this semester. You were my first sports editor and gave the volleyball beat to me, a new freshman with hardly any experience. This semester was the first since you graduated, and I was the sports editor giving people their first beats. I’ve tried to be like you as SE, since you were so good at it. Your advice, your guidance and your mentorship have allowed me to become the writer and editor I am today. 

McCleary, Alvarez, Graham: Three integral members of our Media Cup run and, perhaps more importantly, three of the smartest reporters and editors I know. I enjoyed all of our Food.com conversations, chicken tender Thursday swipe-ins and other conversations about the craft. You all get it and will accomplish phenomenal things as professionals. Thanks for setting aside time to pass along some of that knowledge to me.

Mitch: I really wish you had more than one year at SU. It was an honour to remove your en dashes, replace them with em dashes and fix the rest of your Canadian-Autocorrected words. I hope you hit some parlays at the casino soon.

Schneidman: The email from Hans Weisansal, with the subject line “FROM DAVID SCHNEIDMAN,” one hour before the FSU coverage was absolutely legendary. “Crane I need you to respond to this. Come drive to Lucy’s I’m here. I will explain when u get here.” At least you found your key, you weren’t drunk and we covered the napkin play buzzer-beater together.

Guti: I’ve missed our mango smoothies and meals at Habiba’s Kitchen this semester. Thank you for always carving out time to meet for lunch or talk over the phone. I’m looking forward to seeing you on press row during men’s basketball games.

Fortier: Our hour-long conversation in Schine two years ago inspired an eager young writer. So have all our phone calls since. I’m extremely grateful for all the time you’ve set aside to help me. 

Billy: Those Ernie Davis lunches helped me find my way as a freshman, both as a journalist and as a college student. 

Hipp, Maggie, Sarah: The three of you are super smart and immensely talented writers, and I loved getting to know you all more this semester. If I can ever help with edits, stories or anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out. The South Campus bureaus were elite, and the News-Sports kickbacks were awesome. Let’s do more of those in the spring.

Gabe: Gabe. Stern. A real bro of The D.O. Also, that coat, man. 

Sessa: “@MichaelSessa, thoughts?” still might be the best Slack trend we’ve had in my time here. Keep grinding — you’re going to kill it as news editor.

Casey, Emma: You both care so much about The D.O., and it’s awesome. Thanks for believing in me as a sports editor and for trusting that I could navigate the section through such an unusual semester. Long live the USTFCCCA rankings and VB middies.

Lamb: Still dumpster diving for Danny’s MAC pitches? You’ve probably found a lot of mine along the way. Those things were pretty bad.

Nabeeha: I’m not exactly sure how you manage to put together a paper two nights a week, but it’s incredible. I’m beyond proud that we got to work together on two guides — your visual storytelling talent allowed them to look fantastic. 

Shannon: I was always amazed when you’d breeze through designing Sports and finish by 10 p.m. It gave me confidence as an editor that our pages were in good hands. I’m excited to see what you do as PD next semester, and I’m always around if the paper needs a scribble done. Or, just have Roshan do it.

Katie and Richard: I loved working together on guides and digital projects this semester. Sorry for taking so long to get MACs over to you, too. I’m just that bad at coming up with them.

Mandy: I’m going to be honest: I have no clue how you brainstormed all those Culture story ideas. But they were always fun to read. You did a great job running the section this semester.

Nick Robertson: I’m sorry that Cincinnati sports teams are so bad. I’m looking forward to reading your bylines in News next semester.

Emily: I promise I’ll fill out the photo request doc soon. And those A3 courtesies…

Haley, Leffert: Thanks for allowing KJ to hire me last fall, for allowing Danny to do the same thing last spring and for rejecting all of my MAC pitches. Except Signed, Sealed, Spiked. That was an all-timer. 

Chris Cicchiello: Well, sir, we’ve made it. We entered The D.O. at the same time, and it’s pretty fitting that we officially duck at the same time, too. Has it really been two years since we were in the Sadler study pod until 3 a.m., re-writing our COM 117 video script after it got torn apart in class that day? Then we were in NEW 205, interviewing each other for the first-day profile. Then it was MND 305, dinners at Ernie and 2 a.m. homework sessions in the MakerSpace. You’re my closest friend at SU, and I can’t imagine my college years without those memories. Can’t wait to see where we both go in this industry.

Mr. Andriatch: My month-long internship at The Buffalo News as a junior convinced me to attend SU and major in journalism. Thank you for providing that opportunity to a St. Joe’s student.

Coach Nasca: I’ll never forget the smile on your face when I walked into the batting cage my senior year and told you that I had been accepted into SU. Playing in your program for four years shaped me as a young man, well beyond remembering to pivot my back foot, drive the knob to the ball and rotate the hips. 

Schu: Remember that one day we were leaning up against the St. Joe’s press box during a soccer game and I mentioned that I was debating between becoming a sportswriter or a sports information director? Thank you for making sure I chose sportswriting.

Falbo, Zulia, D’Anniballe: Fellas… I’m missing our days on the diamond, our groundskeeping moments, our spontaneous pickle ball games after school. You three made me more outgoing and helped create the personality I have today. Athletic taps all around.

Tim, Jae: The two of you are the best friends anyone could ask for. From St. Chris to St. Joe’s and everywhere in between, you’ve always been there for me. Let’s grab lunch a few times over break.

Prygon, Luke: I promise that now I won’t come home midway through the movie and ask 20 questions about the plot to catch up.

Luca: From Senor Ruiz’s Spanish III Honors class to Sadler 705 to the Booth quad, it’s been a ride. Thanks for being the exact roommate a shy, naive freshman needed and for dealing with all my weird, early-morning alarm clock times. 2K?

James: Your intelligence and knowledge amaze me every day, and I’m grateful to have you as my brother. It’s clear that you’re well on your way to accomplishing grand things in this life — know that I will be there supporting you every step of the way. Now, I’ll take Luna on all the walks over break. I owe you for the last three semesters.

Mom and Dad: It doesn’t seem like that long ago when I wanted to go into sports medicine, then business, then teaching, then back to business and then, out of nowhere, journalism. Instead of saying no — insisting that I should really consider a more stable industry, asking why all of a sudden I wanted to become a writer — your answer was a resounding yes. And here we are. 

Thank you for your endless love, for always being around to talk about anything, for supporting my dream of becoming a sportswriter, for not getting too annoyed when I needed to leave dinner or stay up at weird hours to post stories, for understanding that this newspaper, and this Sports section, mean so much to me. My 2,500-word duck could’ve been spent thanking you for everything, and it still wouldn’t be enough. I love you both.

Published on November 19, 2020 at 2:03 am

Contact Andrew: [email protected] | @CraneAndrew