Monday, September 20, 2004
Respect
Mine. Earned.He's OK and willing to talk about the injuries now, but back during the 2003-04 season Gerry McNamara kept everything under wraps.
The injured shoulder. The pulled groin. The stress fracture in his pelvic bone.
McNamara sealed his lips and tightly wrapped his aching body, never missing a game as Syracuse advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. "I didn't let out that I hurt really bad," McNamara said recently. "Once you get out there, there's no excuses. You have to fight through it."
So McNamara gritted his teeth. He stretched his tender left groin before every practice and every game. He ignored the pain that shot through his left leg every time he landed after taking a jump shot. He applied ice to his right shoulder after every game, looking like a pitcher who had just thrown 120 pitches.
I never knew. But I find G-Mac's toughness quite admirable. Maybe I ought to be more positive in my assessment of Syracuse basketball?
