The Asylum will shut down this week... and this should get interesting

This week, we pour one out for the Syracuse.com comment section. What was once a primary reason for the creation of this site and long referred to as “the Asylum” will cease to exist come Thursday. While the writing may have been on the wall for some time, it’s still weird to see it actually happen.

For those that haven’t ventured there in a very long time, or didn’t even know about this dynamic, the Dot-com comments have long been a hive of scum and villainy that I’d stack up with other assorted legends like AL.com comments, Yahoo news comments, YouTube comments and perhaps the TNIAAM Facebook page too.

This is not about the content appearing above said discourse — Syracuse.com actually does a pretty excellent job despite the challenges of covering the Syracuse Orange and the overall dynamics working against press today. However, despite the quality of the articles, comments were always a mix of sexism, racism, other specific forms of hate, yelling about the 2-3 zone and lately, political vitriol. Every corner of the web’s been infected by today’s political climate because it’s inescapable. As you know, even this website isn’t free from it.

As the news rattles commenters on Dot-com in the coming weeks, we’ll probably see some new faces pop up here (we already have following the paywall changes a year ago), and I’d just ask that we give these folks the benefit of the doubt first and foremost. Though the overarching vibe of the Asylum was anger and intolerance, there were certainly a few holdouts from such feelings. Hopefully those folks find a new home here, among a mostly normal group of Orange fans.

Or maybe they’re all just be this guy, and the Ban Hammer is going to have to return with a vengeance. We’ll see soon enough.

Farewell, Asylum. You were an angry Facebook uncle before there was such a thing and that helped birth a lot of better Syracuse things on the internet as a result. I can’t say I’m thanking you for that, but at least we found a positive outcome.

Syracuse.com to end reader comments on website beginning Thursday (Syracuse.com)

Despite a significant investment of resources devoted to monitoring and moderating the comments, the conversations too often devolve into off-topic and hateful discourse. We field complaints each week from readers who say the comments unfairly paint our region and its people in a bad light.

Fast break chances helped Syracuse defeat Georgia Tech twice; the Orange wants to run (Syracuse.com)

“When we run, we’re better,” Sidibe said. “We have guys who can run the floor – even me. I’m a big guy but I can run.” “It’s the easiest way to score,” Girard said. “It’s usually a 2-on-1 or a 3-on-2. You have an advantage. You get out and run, you have an advantage.” Girard executed the pass of the game when he bounced the ball through traffic to Dolezaj, who finished in transition.

Robert Mathis on Cathedral’s Kendall Coleman: ‘This kid is going to be the steal of the draft’ (Indianapolis Star)

“He went to Syracuse, which is a Power-5 school, true enough, but he’s still an underdog. He’s not getting the pub, he’s not getting the shine, per se, and he’s in the sense of the word, still in the shadow of his running mate,” Mathis said. “I can see it in his eye: ‘OK, they’re sleeping on me. I don’t like that they’re sleeping on me, so I’m going to do something about it.’”

Ranking the ACC’s starting quarterbacks in 2020 (247Sports)

DeVito said in January “there will be no hype” for Syracuse ahead of the 2020 season after last year’s demise for a squad ranked in the preseason was a major disappointment. DeVito admittedly struggled, but it was the Orange’s defense that surprised most by failing to be one of the nation’s stingiest units despite an impressive lineup

A conversation with John Wallace on jersey retirement, James Dolan, early entry, Syracuse love (Syracuse.com)

Syracuse women’s basketball’s Tiana Mangakahia cleared for practice (Twitter)

The Sports Bar: Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim (ESPN Rochester)

Syracuse wraps up NCAA attendance crown for 2nd year in a row (Syracuse.com)

Kiper’s 2020 NFL draft rankings: Top 25 prospects Big Board and best 10 at every position (ESPN)

Behind the mask (Daily Orange)