Pinstripe Bowl planning unique experience

An old adage holds that everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. In the case of the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl matching Syracuse and Kansas State on Dec. 30 at Yankee Stadium, bowl officials have chosen to not talk about the cold and do all they can in terms of providing entertainment to distract the participants from the freezing temperatures.

The itinerary outlined by Pinstripe Bowl executive director Mark Holtzman sounds like the vacation of a lifetime for the visiting teams and official traveling parties. The teams are scheduled to arrive on Sunday, Dec. 26, and they will be feted at a reception at the Yankee Legends Club Monday night of bowl week. Tuesday night, there's a New York Harbor cruise to the Satue of Liberty and Ellis Island and another function at Rockefeller Center.

Prior to the Thursday afternoon game, there will be private shopping excursions for some of the wives in the official parties, and the kids will attend a pizza party at Chelsea Piers. Plus, there's an ice skating party at Bryant Park on Wednesday, and of course, the usual distractions, such as Broadway plays, are available at all times and requests will be accomodated by some of the city's top concierges, says Holtzman.

If it's a bowl experience the schools want, it's a bowl experience they'll get. While it might be cold when they take the field at 3:30 p.m. on the 30th, the coaches aren't worried about that.

As Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said, "Temperatures in Manhattan, Kansas, are no different than what they are in Manhattan, New York. It wasn't the weather you give thought to but the history of the Yankees. As a youngster, that was my team."

Snyder was a Yankees fan growing up in St. Joseph, Mo. Syracuse coach Doug Marrone was a Yankees fan growing up in Throgs Neck, N.Y., right under the bridge of the same name about nine miles away from the Stadium by his calculations.

Not only is Marrone excited to be coming home for his first bowl game as coach of the Orange, but he said his players are, too. Regarding the temperature, which has been known to dip precipitously in upstate New York, Marrone said, "I think people look way too much into that stuff. You're talking about New York City during the holiday time.

"I've been to Rockefeller Center when they've lit the tree the first night. I've been to Broadway plays. The experience of New York City, there's no other place in the world like it. Our players are excited about being in this area at this time of year. There's a lot to do and a lot of history. They'll have an experience that's going to last them a lifetime."