This is it. The final piece to the puzzle that is the 2009 S.O.B. Awards. It's been quite a ride...because that's what I'm supposed to say. I think the Three Idiots summed it up best...
It's not often that nerds sitting in our parent's basements can hand out fake awards cleverly named after curse words to players who have no idea they are receiving them.
Amen to that. This truly is a golden age.
We had two one-vote-getters. The first is a bit of an outside the box choice from an outside the box thinker. The Glaude from HoyaSuxa:
Ken Krayeske, Syracuse graduate and local Connecticut muckraker. By turning Calhoun into even more of a blathering idiot, he set the foundation for Syracuse to win The Greatest Game in the History of Everything.
More of an MVP for the game of life than just SU. Also receiving one vote...Eric Devendorf, courtesy of Jameson:
Flynn was most important through the whole season, but Devendorf took this team on his back down the stretch, in the Big East Tournament, and against Arizona State.
Fair reasoning, but at the end of the day it was that "whole season" issue that most people flocked to.
Alright, so, who was the MVP of the Syracuse Basketball Team in the 2008-2009 season? I suppose I could build this up with some false sense of drama but let's face it...you're like The Oracle at this point, you already know what I'm going to say.
It's Jonny Flynn.
Had he stayed another year we might put Jonny up among the all-time greats at SU. As-is, he'll be remembered as one of the best point guards and a true leader who put the Orange on his back when he had to and made all of his teammates better. We'll be lucky to get another Jonny Flynn sometime soon.
Let's hear from some of the other SOB voters as well...
Brian from Orange44 - "This is not a contest...Without him, there would have been a lot of games that we clearly would have lost. He was electrifying to watch, he posterized a number of people, broke a lot of ankles, and dazzled us with his moves. His smile will be hard to replace."
Ray from SWRLU - "Who else? In these tough economic times, no one is safe. Jesus Christ got fired and was replaced with none other than Jonny Flynn."
Alex from the other SWRLU - "What more can be said about him? He carried this team when he had to, created opportunities for others, and did it all with a smile on his face. We'll miss you, Jonny."
Damon from Orange Fizz - "Jonny Ice. Most dynamic playmaker at point guard since... General Sherman? "
Matt from The Orange Report - "Jonny Flynn. No question."
Daniel from SWRLU - "He was just great for this team, and without him we wouldn't have won 10...uh...we probably wouldn't have won 25 f'in games!"
Nick from Nick's 2 Cents -"If I write any more flattering dissertations on the man-crush that I have on Jonny Flynn, the kid might put a restraining order against me... so I'll just leave it at this. He was arguably the most valuable player in the COUNTRY to his team in the month of March, when things mattered most."
And Danny from The Sport Hump intros this video tribute to the MVP with... "Heeerrreee’s Jonny!"
Full S.O.B.'s wrap-up forthcoming, stay tuned.