Syracuse coach Doug Marrone walked into Yankee Stadium yesterday and saw pinstripes. The Bronx native and diehard Yankees fans can mimic the batting stances of his favorite players.
Syracuse athletic director Daryl Gross saw dollar signs. He sees them on every street corner in the Big Apple.
The Orange will play Kansas State in the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 30 at the Stadium. The Syracuse men’s basketball team played Michigan State last night in the Jimmy V Classic at the Garden.
If all this Orange exposure makes other Big East teams green with envy, Gross offers no apologies.
“We’re the only school that pays property taxes in New York,” Gross told The Post. “That’s why we wear that NY on the back of our helmets.”
And that’s why Gross and Marrone spent a good portion of yesterday fund-raising in the city. The donations of ‘Cuse supporters from the South Bronx to South Ozone is a big reason why the university is poised to announce that a new indoor practice facility for football and men’s and women’s lacrosse is about to make the big step from concept to reality.
“We want to take it to the next level,” Gross said. “We want to be able to compete over the years at the highest level at Syracuse. We have inclement weather up in Syracuse, so we want to be able to have a facility that’s state-of-the-art.”
The new facility still needs Board of Trustees approval, which is easier to get when a chunk of the $12 million price tag is derived from donations.
No wonder Gross was hopping yesterday from Yankee Stadium to an IMG luncheon — where Kansas coach Bill Self and Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim spoke — to the National Football Foundation awards dinner at the Waldorf Astoria to a donor party to the Garden.
Having Syracuse (7-5) in the Pinstripe Bowl was a no-brainer for all the parties involved. The bowl needed a strong Big East anchor team. The Orange get the exposure of playing in the world’s largest media market.
If only the weather cooperates. This just in: Yankee Stadium does not have a roof. The press box does not have windows. At least Syracuse and Kansas State (7-5), which is located in Manhattan, Kan., should be ready for whatever Mother Nature brings.
“The temperature in Manhattan, Kansas, is no different than they are here in Manhattan, New York,” K-State coach Bill Snyder said. “Whatever is here today is the same in our Manhattan as well.”