I’ll choose Virginia Tech over our association

I probably take it too serious.  In fact, I know I do.  And I’ve tried working on it but sometimes it still hits close to the heart.  With that said, I’ll choose my alma mater over you.  You in this sense being anyone who wants to take pot shots at my Hokies.  I may not come out and say we’re no longer cool.  Actually, I probably won’t say anything much at all…to you…ever again.  Yep, I’ll definitely choose my alma mater over our association.

I’m trying to put into words what the difference is for an alumni versus a fan.  See, to have gone to Virginia Tech, lived it, breathed it, loved it is different than to watch nationally televised games or cheer for them because you’re from the state.  Being an alum, it becomes part of you, it’s in your makeup, it becomes a characteristic of you. When friends think of you, they think of all the things they love about you and that includes your love for Virginia Tech.  It is part of your personality.

The exhibition of this part of you is seen during football games but it’s felt year round, through tragedy and through accomplishment.  I may not tote my VT flag on my car every day of the year for every accomplishment but I am proud throughout the year.  Not because of the football or basketball team.  But because of what Virginia Tech made me.  The person I was when I stepped on that Blacksburg campus was but a fraction of the man I was when I left. The experiences, the friends, the education — all combined to let me blossom into the person I am today.

So how do you explain to a fan of some team why you take Virginia Tech insults personally?  Unless they’ve attended a school and have those same feelings, is there a way to explain it?

I’m sure my serious approach has turned some people away from me at various points in my life, and I’m ok with that.  Like I said, this is part of me and not part of me I necessarily want to change. So yeah, I know you’re having a little fun at the Hokies expense, and I know I take this too personally.  With that said, keep in mind I take this personally.

Ut Prosim.

Chick-Fil-A Bowl Fun

A week ago today, I was excited beyond belief. I was headed to my first ever bowl game. Well, technically not my first. I did drive down to Miami for an Orange Bowl game against Nebraska only to find out that my girlfriend’s brother (who never liked me) hadn’t secured my ticket. So I sat in a bar outside of the Orange Bowl watching a game that I was supposed to go to drinking pitchers of beer (which apparently it was illegal to serve a single person a pitcher of beer but they thought I had friends coming) while Nebraska handed VT an arse-whipping.

Walking to the dome

But I digress. I can’t explain the feeling of a bowl game. In the scheme of college football this game meant nothing.  But to the fans in the packed CNN Center and later the packed Dome, there was indeed a lot more on the line.  

The Tennessee fans were there in droves.  The Hokies travel well, but as one drunken fan expressed about the Vols, ‘They brought their whole state…they brought their whole state!’ 

Per request of Vols friend, I purchased our tickets on the Vols side of the field.  As it turned out, looking at the crowd, everywhere was the Vols side of the field except for the Hokie Band.  It seems the band was the only place that Chicago maroon held a solid foothold.  

Well, there and on the field of course! 

The fans around me were good natured — the sober ones anyway.  The drunk ones were victimized by my wit, including Lance the Tennessee fan with absolutely no Tennessee paraphernalia on but rocking his Wal-Mart nametag.  It’s a lot easier to silence your foes when the footsoldiers on the field are doing it big.  Unfortunately, many of the drunkest fans whom I would have proudly gloated and toted my VT love for escaped at some point during the third quarter. 

Highlights of the day include: 

• Realizing 24 oz pints at the CNN Center were only six bucks
• Realizing the dome would be serving at the college game
• Starting a ‘Lets Go…Hokies’ cheer in the men’s room at the CNN Center
• Having a Vols fan try to gobble at the end of the game
• Having a guy wearing a Vols t-shirt admit he was going for the Hokies but his girlfriend made him wear the t-shirt
• Having the VT band completely embarass the Vols band – they played after every play, during every commercial, after every score – hell they may have even gone to the restroom with their instruments at one point.  I can honestly say I did not hear the Vols band until midway into the Third quarter.  The Hokies band played even when Tenn scored.  Rocky Top did not make it to our section once!

This experience was awesome and I have to thank my boy Gary for being such a good sport though his team was embarassed on national TV.  In his words before the game ‘Yall are ranked 11?  Why the hell are we playing yall?’  Exactly, my friend, exactly. 

MVP - Hokies Band!

Full Circle

The Hokies started the season in the Chick Fil A Classic at the Georgia Dome for the 2009 season and will end in the Chick Fil A Bowl at the Georgia Dome on the last evening of 2009.

In a season filled with resounding disappointment (Alabama, North Carolina) and stunning performances (Nebraska – even if a little late, Miami), the Virginia Tech Hokies hope to cap their season off in the Dome much differently than they started it. 

The Tennessee Volunteers will be the Hokies opponents under 1st year coach Lane Kiffin.  To be honest, I’ve no clue what to expect as I didn’t watch any of Tennessee’s games.  From what I’ve heard or at least determined from the scant words throughout the season was that this was more of a rebuilding year.  There had been some fiery words from Lane Kiffin but even those seemed almost like more ploy than anything. 

The Hokies in my oft-noted jaded opinion are still the best team the ACC has to offer.  Georgia Tech won the conference title this year and my hats go off to them.  I will leave it at that as I don’t want to add ‘buts’, ‘howevers’, and ‘what ifs’.  The Hokies have one statistic that has been the mantra since a conference championship became unattainable – 10wins.  The Hokies are one of three teams (Texas, USC) to win at least 10 games the past 5 seasons.  Impressive company and an impressive streak. 

Even better….I’m going to the game!  Yeah, the Hokies have been in town 3 times this year and this is my first game…I suck…I’m lazy..and we lost both games in our previous trips which is probably my fault….nonetheles…I’m going to this one and doing it with a Tennessee fan no less.  The last time I watched a game with an opposing fan, we lost to UNC…..suddenly I feel like I’m going about this bowl all the wrong way…..

The Sucker….Punch

If you’re any kind of sports fan, you’ve probably seen Boise St DE Byron Hout get remixed by LeGarrette Blount.  LeGarrette Blount has since been crucified publicly and nationally — and deservedly so.  There was also a latent backlash at Byron Hout.

I will admit that when I first saw the punch, I was pleased.   I know this may anger some but quite frankly, let’s look at this from the perspective of 5 seconds before the punch.  A deflated, embarassed, and probably still emotionally charged young man is walking off a hostile field in the midst of those that defeated him.  Another young man walks up, taps him on the shoulder to get his attention, and taunts him.  Was MMA’ing him the best decision?  Definitely not.  Was it a reaction, an instinct?  Probably.  But what’s lost in this is why did Hout feel the need to rub it in his face?

The presumed logic is that since Blount spoke the words ‘We owe this team an ass whooping’ earlier in the week the mouthy Blount should have expected some backlash.  However, Blount’s statement was in reference to last year’s game where two Oregon player were hurt and taken out of the game on arguably dirty plays.  So for him to state that we owe a team an ass-whooping, in that context, isn’t taunting. It is a reference to what many feel was dirty play last year.

All this is to say, the punch that sent Hout’s spit flying was actually dirty repaying dirty.  Unfortunately, this could very well end Blount’s football career.  For what it’s worth, Blount had been suspended earlier in summer workouts for his aggression so he is no angel in this matter.  But for such an unnecessary event to happen and quite possibly ruin this young man’s chances at doing and succeeding at his life’s goals, well, that is the real tragedy.  Hout was Sucker punched indeed, but he was also a sucker and deserved the punch.

I wonder if the public’s reaction would be the same if say Terrell Owens taunted Brian Urlacher and Urlacher hauled off and punched Owens when he wasn’t looking?

Robbery

“UNC, we the referees of the ACC have decided that in lieu of playing games, we will hand you the ACC Tournament title. With our favorite player, Tyler “Will be shit in the NBA” Hansborough, on the floor any and every call will be given to the baby blue.”

Absolutely disgusting. There is no reason UNC should have won that game. VT outplayed, despite Raycom broadcasting’s horrible (and noticeably biased) commentary, UNC from beginning to end. It’s hard to beat the number 1 seed and the refs. How can one team have only had three fouls called against them with less than a minute left in the second half — a team that has been playing from behind which usually results in a team being a bit aggressive? How can a VT lose by only three with ten less free throw attempts? Because VT outplayed UNC. Imagine what may have been had the game been called evenly? Tyler Hansborough shot one less free throw than the entire Hokies team.
As of 2:30 pm March 13, 2009, the officials for this game have been deleted from the box scores on Foxsports.com, sportsline.com, and espn.com. I wanted to look up some stats on their officiating tendencies but their names are simply not available. Odd.

After 15 minutes of searching, I found the trio responsible for this travesty of officiating:

Karl Hess, who has officiated 10 UNC games this year (the most for any team he’s officiated this season)

Ray Natili, who has a more even keeled officiating resume across ACC teams.

Brian Dorsey, who also has an even keeled officiating resume across the ACC.

Interestingly enough, all three officials have worked more UNC games than VT games. Referee info provided by statsheet.com

Not just a football school?

Virginia Tech, known primarily for it’s football team, is now making some noise as a basketball school. Granted, with two straight losses in conference play, I may be a bit premature. However, the Hokies have seven losses this year but a total of 38 points. That averages out to just under 5.5 point differential per game. It gets better. Exclude the 25 point pasting Duke put on the Hokies and you have six losses by a total of 13 points; just over 2 point differential per game. In reality, that’s six losses that basically came down to a missed free throw here and there or an offensive put back given up.

This is to say that I’ve been watching the Hokies roundball crew from a distance the few years. This year, I’ve been paying more attention. We’re a young team doing some nice things in one of the tougher bball conferences. Keep an eye on these youngsters!

Oh and the Hokies wrestling team is 17 – 1 and in the top 15 in the country!

The Athlete Story You Don’t Hear

Myron Rolle, Florida State University grad and NFL prospect, has decided to pursue his master’s degree at Oxford putting his football career on hold for one year. Using his Rhodes scholarship, the graduate student is forgoing millions of dollars that would be available in just a few months for the chance to enhance himself and his community after his playing days are over. This is a great story on so many levels. The fact that this young man chooses to postpone fame, glory, and money in a consumption society for his own, and presumably in the future, his community’s advancement is the real stuff of which role models should be constituted.

BCS Success

With a 20 – 7 victory over the Cincinnatti Bearcats, the Virginia Tech Hokies ended their bowl futility of recent years winning the Orange Bowl.  The win caps a roller coaster season which saw the Hokies finish with their fifth consecutive 10 win season.  Congrats to this young team.  Next year looks increasingly promising as 18 of 22 starters return to a team that started this season with only 60% of the squad having had played a college game ever in their life!

GO HOKIES…GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE!

Bud Staying?

Clemson has hired, to my surprise, the interim coach.  So what says you?  That means the pride and joy of Virginia Tech football may be around another season!  Bud Foster interviewed for the job but did not get it.  Though Bud deserves a head coaching shot more than anyone else I can think of, my selfish side is straight giddy thinking that he’ll be around to coach his defense in the fine art of covering the offense’s ass — both the our offense and the opponent’s!

Xpinionated Sports Recap

As some of you may have noticed if you’ve looked at the tags, my Redskins, Hokies, and Lakers blogs are now residing here.  My time and effort to those blogs had become minimal, not to say I’ve been a workhorse on this blog either but whatever.

Up first, we’ll go with the Lakers.  The Lakers had three games this weekend with double digit wins over Phoenix (thurs), Denver..again (fri), and Sacramento (Sun).  At 11 – 1, there’s a feeling that something special is a-brewin’.   Everyone knows their role, and does it well.  A coming out party for Trevor Ariza this season has been an unexpected surprise.  I am still looking for a bit more from Sasha Vujachic but Farmar is showing signs as being the successor to Derek Fisher.  Luke Walton has spiralled to a position on the end of the bench.  I’m not even sure he has trade value at this point.

The Hokies squeaked by the Blue Devils of formidable Duke.  As this game wasn’t televised, there’s not a whole lot I can say about the actual game.  Turnovers seemed to be what made it a tighter affair than what was expected with four turnovers from T-squared in the first half.  That still doesn’t explain the inability to score against Duke in the second half save for a pick six.  A win next week and the Hokies have managed to limp into the ACC game.  Still not so sure that’s a good thing.  I never want to wish bad luck on the Hokies, but part of me needs Bryan Stinespring fired.  And success does not act as a catalyst for severance.

The Redskins finally won a game in Seattle.  I believe Seattle has put the ‘Skins out of the playoffs in 2 of their last 3 meetings and beat them in a regular season matchup as well.  The ‘Skins were able to move the ball well 30 – 30 but had trouble translating that success into touchdowns.