Syracuse Softball Drinks A Lot Of Coffee, But It Helps

Caffeine isn't considered a PED, right? If it was, Syracuse Orange softball would be in some trouble.

The Daily Orange's Matthew Gutierrez -- the same mind that brought you "Syracuse softball is better because of the wind" -- is back at it again with "Syracuse softball is better because of coffee" (I'm paraphrasing). Maybe the wind is helping balls sail out, but coffee? This one has to be a stretch, right?

Well, actually...

Gutierrez talked to Jane Burrell Uzecategui, an SU nutrition instructor, about the effects coffee has on athletes. Uzecategui says drinking coffee could actually help on the field, but only if players are drinking it at the right time. Coffee makes people "just a little amped up" as Uzcategui put it, and if players drink some coffee about an hour before playing they'll hit the peak of that amped up feeling right at game time.

Of course, there's some down side to coffee. Restlessness. Insomnia. Increased heart rate. Nausea.

And Syracuse softball isn't always drinking their coffee at the "right time." Gutierrez says players are making Starbucks runs before practice, after practice, before games, after games, and during film sessions. SU pitcher Jocelyn Cater even drinks coffee before heading to bed for the night. I don't care if it helps your game or not, that's weird, girl.

Coffee can't be helping the Orange that much either, considering the Orange is only 9-11 in the ACC this year. If I'm going to pay $5 for a "venti" frappucino, I need to see more wins.

Conclusion: If Syracuse softball really wants to win, maybe it should look into pickle juice.