The Morning Orange: Baseball wafts (a bit) in the heart (Henderson's) of the Syracuse football season

Syracuse, N.Y. -- The Syracuse University football team is fully one-third of its way through the regular season. With Pittsburgh due in the Carrier Dome in six days, the start of the Orange?s Big East Conference campaign looms. There is much work to be done between now and the earning of any bowl-game berth.

But still . . .

Have you seen what?s going on in the American League? There are five playoff berths available in that thing, and there are just five games left for each of the contenders . . . and nothing has been decided.

Texas (92-65) . . . New York (91-66) . . . Baltimore (90-67) . . . Oakland (88-68) . . . Los Angeles (87-70) . . . Tampa Bay (86-71) . . . Detroit (84-73) . . . Chicago (83-74). On this last weekend of September, all eight of those towns -- and the AL clubs that play in them -- are still very much alive. Which means, if you recall what the St. Louis Cardinals did a year ago, that each is still in position to land in the World Series.

? MLB scoreboard, schedule | ? MLB standings

So, what does any of this have to do with Syracuse football? Perhaps only this: One of Doug Marrone?s assistants who has actually allowed himself an interest in something beyond Xs and Os is keeping tabs.

Uh huh. Donnie Henderson, SU?s defensive backs coach, is a baseball guy. And as he grew up in southern California playing the game with Ozzie Smith and Eddie Murray -- both of whom would eventually wend their way into the Baseball Hall of Fame -- perhaps he can?t be blamed.

So, he is a fan. And as he does work for a man, Marrone, who played baseball, himself, in high school and remains a devotee of the Yankees, he may be fairly well-placed in the college football universe.

?Oh, I?ll talk baseball any time,? Henderson will tell you. ?I love it.?

He?ll also confess to his admiration of that fella for whom the month we?re about to enter was so special.

?Reggie Jackson was my guy,? said Henderson. ?It was the demeanor. He always had the confidence. Reggie was a little outspoken, yeah. He walked with that swagger. He was labeled as ?Mr. October,? and he had to live with that. You?re ?Mr. October.? You go up against Billy Martin all the time. Who?s going to in? Yeah, he was my guy.?

Funny, but Jackson played for four of the teams still alive in the AL ? in order, the Athletics, Orioles, Yankees and Angels. So, his fingerprints, even if they've long since faded, might still be on this pennant race, if only poetically.

And so, who knows? Maybe that has made Henderson even more invested. Subliminally, if nothing else.

(In addition to his columns and "To The Point" observations, Bud Poliquin will begin virtually every morning, seven days per week, with an 8 a.m. offering of some kind or another on the Syracuse University football program. Look for it here on syracuse.com. Poliquin can be reached at bpoliquin@syracuse.com.)

Source: http://www.syracuse.com/poliquin/index.ssf/2012/09/the_morning_orange_baseball_wa.html

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