Hokie Dominance

What a way to start 2009. WAY TO GO HOKIES!!

EDIT-good news-starting FS Kam Chancellor announced after the game that he will return for his senior season. This team is going to be LOADED next year, losing only 9 players that really contributed at all this year (although the number could rise to 10 if G Sergio Render ends up declaring, as he has submitted paperwork but has not hired an agent).

Tech Triumph

Even though the calls and the bounces went Maryland's way, Darren Evans still set a VT rushing record, the Hokies' D held the Terps to negative 12 rushing yards and this happened (not even the best hit of the night-check out the video on this page of Darrius Heyward-Bey getting drilled).

Big trade!

I knew JimBow would come through and get us that key pitcher!

Today the Nats acquired 2005 9th round draft pick Matt Avery from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for 2005 33rd round draft pick Ryan Buchter.

According to Chico, Avery is a Fairfax native who went to the University of Zima (now the University formerly known as the University of Zima, as Zima is no longer going to be produced). He is a servicable relief pitcher, with a 3.26 ERA and 7.91 K/9 over the last 3 years (in which he has been almost exclusively a reliever, with only 2 starts). Too bad he can't throw strikes, with a career 3.73 BB/9 (which rose to 3.89 as a reliever).

Buchter had a decent 2008 (I don't really feel like crunching his numbers), but gave up a high proportion of unearned runs (4 of his 11 runs allowed were unearned). His 2006 and 07 seasons were pretty bad.

So basically, a 25 year old AA pitcher (LeVale Speigner, anyone?) for a 22 year old A/A- pitcher (Clint Everts, anyone?). Don't really care, neither will likely make any difference in the future.


And the Chief says he isn't opposed to coming back next year.

And I'm rooting for the Skins harder that I ever have (and likely every will) for one reason. That's the closest to poltics you'll ever hear out of me ever again.

Mission complete

The Nats' intentions of losing were very evident today with the most pathetic lineup in baseball history:
Bonifacio
Hernandez
Casto
Langerhans
Gonzalez
Bernadina
Montz
Orr
Perez

Seriously, Odalis Perez was our best hitter today. Pathetic. Our lineup today was an embarrassment to our franchise. I don't care what our record is...we should NEVER field a lineup this horrible. Manny should be beyond ashamed of himself.

Thanks to the awful lineup, we've clinched Stephen Strasburg. He better live up to expectations, because we seriously look like the worst franchise in all of baseball right now.

All of our coaches minus Randy St. Claire are gone. Glad to see Lenny out. I'm sure Corrales will retire. Good to see Bowden finally took the 'classy' road and notified them last night that their contracts wouldn't be renewed. Hopefully we'll see a similar decision regarding Bowden in the next few days. I want Rizzo before the World Series is over.

In other news, a big win for the Hokies last night at Nebraska. They tried (once again) to give it away late, but ended up on top for their fourth straight win, vaulting them back into the top 25 (#20 in the AP poll, #24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll).

Fantasy Football Update

Okay, it's not really an update. I never did tell you about my teams, and for good reason.

I'll just come out and say it-I'm a fantasy football addict. I don't spend any money on the game, nor do I spend a whole lot of time on it, but I do have 5 teams. The main reason I didn't want to update it until now was because I wanted to make sure all of my teams are respectable. And they most definitely are, in my opinion. After a debacle in week 1, I wasn't so sure, but my teams went from a combined 1-4 in week 1 to a combined 10-5, losing only 1 of my 10 matchups over the last 2 weeks.

Week 1 was awful, as I said before. You never want to lose 4 of 5 fantasy matchups, but especially not 3 losses by 10 or fewer points. Having Tom Brady on two teams didn't hurt quite as badly as I thought (not that I would have cared anyways, because I hate Tom Brady).

My most important team, the Orange Iguanas, is the one I'll feature throughout the year (just updating records for my other teams, at least until playoff time). The Iggies compete in a keeper league, so I came into the season with the likes of Carson Palmer, Adrian Peterson and Larry Fitzgerald before the draft (and if I could have kept anyone from my team last year, you would have seen Brandon Jacobs, Marshawn Lynch, Reggie Bush, Calvin Johnson, T.J. Houshmenzadeh...boy that team was stacked). A 2-point loss in week one was painful, but I was lucky to only lose by that much, as my opponent, the Pioneers, started Tommy Brady. I left Baltimore's defense on the bench and that proved to be the difference, as starting Minnesota proved to be a negative-8 point swing.

Strong performances across the board helped me to a 60-39 victory over the Fallen Angels in week 2, anchored by Kurt Warner's 300+ yard 3 TD game. All of my skill position players had huge days that could have been even better if they scored TD's (269 combined rushing yards and 442 receiving yards between Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Jennings, Dwayne Bowe, Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson but no touchdowns). If I had lost this game due to a lack of scoring out of these 5, I would have been incredibly angry.

I got lucky in week 3, beating the South Park Cows 59-56. I was happy with Fitzgerald (10 points) and the Vikings defense (19 points), but disappointed with many other team members (9 combined points for Peterson, Johnson and Jennings). But the Cows' recievers only scored a total of 2 points and Vernon Davis and Kevin Smith put up goose eggs.

After 3 weeks, I stand 2-1, behind only the 3-0 T-Birds for first place in the North division of the VA/NJ Keeper. I face the T-Birds in weeks 4 and 8. Week 8 is a very bad bye week for me (as I lose Greg Jennings, Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor and the Vikings defense). Both matchups avoid his best players' bye weeks, as the only players I miss in both weeks combined are Ricky Williams, Ryan Longwell, Jay Cutler, Seattle defense and Kevin Boss.

Here is my roster:

A moral dilemma

I was getting frustrated by my Hokies today, as they were down 17-3 in the third quarter and didn't look like they could make anything happen. So I went to do my laundry (go figure). While I was in the laundry room, they scored back-to-back touchdowns and since then have added a field goal to make the score 20-17 Tech.

I am a generally superstitious person. My dilemma: should I spend the last 10 minutes of the game in the laundry room?

Weekends are wonderful

There's just something about waking up on a Sunday morning, eating a waffle with strawberries and whipped cream and watching football all day. And while I don't have any rooting interest for the two games on TV for me right now (Miami vs. New York Jets and St. Louis vs Philly), they're still fun to watch. The storylines are great: Favre's first game with the Jets, Philly fans being jerks, etc.

Yesterday was a great day for me as well, as the Hokies finally got their first win (does a win against Furman count, though?). And then ECU wrecked West Virginia. Now losing to the Pirates doesn't look so bad...and it's always great to see WVU lose. One of the more random events of my life occured yesterday when Subway's Jared Fogle was introduced on the 20-yard-line during the 1st quarter of the Tech game. As some of you may know, I worked at Subway during high school...so Jared is pretty much the bane of my existance. Still, it's cool to see a random "celebrity" supporting the Hokies.

I know most of my readers are used to seeing me blog about the Nats, but I can't watch games at school, so it's pretty much impossible to say much that hasn't already been said by other blogs. I'll still try to keep up with the Nats, though. After watching last night's highlights, I wasn't sure I was watching the same team. 5 homers? Boy, Dukes and Zim have been hitting the tar out of the ball. Harris' career year continues. They better keep him around for next year. It's nice to see Langerhans get some redemption against his former team, too.

I'm not too surprised Bergmann has been bounced from the rotation. I love Bergy and I hate him at the same time. He's either going to shut down the other team completely or get destroyed (and lately, it's been the latter). I have a feeling he'll be in the rotation next year nonetheless (just a feeling, but I doubt Martis will be in the rotation next year to start the year, Zimmermann maybe), but I like Bergmann out of the pen. Also good to see in the same article that Mock has a 2.35 ERA as a reliever. He and Hanrahan both have great stuff and with the two of them, we might have a decent back of the bullpen in a year or two. If Mock can develop into a nice setup man (sorry, Saul, but you're better in the 7th), I like our pen.

One last bit-On Mondays, I'll be posting stuff about my Fantasy Football teams. I know many of you won't care so much, but I'm just looking for things I'll be able to update throughout the winter when things are slow on the baseball front. I've got 5 teams, so there is going to be a lot of opportunities for material there.

At least today can't be worse than yesterday...

Yeah, I know the Nats won. In the grand scheme of things, though, I would prefer a Hokies win to anything else. I'm not going to talk about the game any because it makes me want to cry, but I will leave the following as my statement of the game:

In other news, the Skins made their cuts. I'm very proud of Justin Hamilton for making the team and I'm also happy that Durant Brooks grabbed the punting job from Derrick Frost. Frost seems quite bitter for someone who shouldn't have had any feeling of job security. The best way to sum up the punting battle in my opinion came from The Redskins Report (via the official blog of the Redskins):

If you are one of the worst punters in the league, you’re going to have to whip the competition to win a camp battle, Frost didn’t. It was close and tie goes the guy who might not suck.

Tonight has to be the night Odalis gets dealt. He has no value to the team anymore (just blocking youngsters) and has been surprisingly effective for someone who nobody else wanted. I don't think anyone else gets moved...Colome, Boone, Nieves, Harris and Langerhans could be of some use to contending teams as well, so maybe one of them could be dealt. I'd say there's a less than 10% chance anyone gets dealt, though, and if anyone it's gotta be Odalis. Check out MLBTR's list of guys who have cleared waivers. Expect a few trades tonight before the playoff roster deadline at midnight.

Hat-tip to NFA, who was the first (or at least the first I saw) to note the Nats' press release concerning the September call-ups:
Roger Bernadina
Kory Casto
Alberto Gonzalez (activated from the DL)
Mike Hinckley
Shairon Martis
Levale Speigner

The Nats' press release has some decent detail on everyone. The other day I predicted Casto, Gonzalez, Tyler Clippard and Brian Sanches would be added, plus good possibilities that Hinckley, Luke Montz and Bernadina would get the call. I was less pessimistic on Leonard Davis, Yunior Novoa, Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Desmond and Mike Daniel, and for good reason, as none were called up. Everyone seemed to miss out on Martis, probably because they figured his innings limit was coming, but it's not a real surprise. I'm very surprised Clippard and Montz didn't get the call, but they might when the AAA season concludes (or at least Clippard might).

And about this. Are you freaking serious? Vladimir Nunez, you are not a good pitcher. Become a ML-quality reliever and then comment on the awful taunting that is celebrating after a win. Geez, what a moron. It's the second time this year a crappy pitcher has attempted to diss the Nats for being "unprofessional" after losing to them. The first one, Nelson Figueroa, is unprofessional himself, because he is no longer a professional baseball player (or at least a ML one). I have a feeling Vladdy Nunez is going to join him soon.

Tomorrow...

Wednesday Links

Just a few to throw out at you today:

Nationals Farm Authority goes through their picks for September Call-ups (with good write-ups):

Roger Bernadina
Kory Casto
Tyler Clippard
Alberto Gonzalez
Mike Hinckley
Luke Montz
Yunior Novoa
Brian Sanches
Maybe Leonard Davis

Chico Harlan of the Post also named his picks today in his chat:

Kory Casto
Mike Hinckley
Luke Montz
Roger Bernadina
Jordan Zimmermann
Leonard Davis
maybe Ian Desmond and Mike Daniel (currently in Harrisburg)

I tend to agree more with NFA than Chico. I don't see Zimmermann, Desmond or Daniel being called up. The definites are Casto, Gonzalez (he's not really a call-up per se, but he'll be added after September 1), Clippard and Sanches. Beyond that, I'd say Hinckley, Montz and Bernadina will all have 75% chances or better, followed by Davis and Novoa at 50/50. Zimmermann, Desmond and Daniel I'd say are all 25% chances at best.

Another thing to keep an eye on (from the Pirates' official website via NFA):

At the Pirates’ request, the Office of the Commissioner today placed Pedro Alvarez on Major League Baseball’s Restricted List. The Pirates were forced to request that Pedro be placed on the Restricted List because we were informed by his agent, Scott Boras, that Pedro will not sign the contract to which he agreed on August 15. Boras further informed us that Pedro will not report to the Club unless we renegotiate his contract and agree to pay him more than the $6 million signing bonus to which he agreed.

If for some reason Pedro Alvarez ends up not signing with the Pirates, it will probably void Eric Hosmer's deal as well (as Hosmer's came later than Alvarez's). And then the Nats' compensation pick for failing to sign Aaron Crow falls to number 12 overall rather than number 10.

And the last NFA link for the day (Brian has really been on a roll lately) is this one discussing the Nats' Arizona Fall League players. The guys named to the team are RHP Adam Carr, LHP Cory VanAllen, RHP Zech Zinicola, SS Ian Desmond, 1B Bill Rhinehart and 3B/OF Leonard Davis.

Last link of the day: Chris Cooley is offering an autographed jersey to whoever finds and returns Chief Zee's tomahawk.

Picture of the Day: Sign of the Apocalypse

To borrow the series from Sports Illustrated, here's your picture of the day:

Yes, this is a Hannah Montana Fathead. I guess business was slow with the Barry Zito and Stephon Marbury ones.

I made it to Blacksburg fine, thanks. Unfortunately I was greeted by the news that WR Zach Luckett was arrested for a DUI. I'm tired of the labels our program is getting. No one who gets a DUI should ever play again. No one should get a DUI in the first place in Blacksburg...there is a free taxi service for drunk kids! Kick him off the team.

Saturday morning thoughts

I read through a couple of particularly unimpressive predictions regarding Virginia Tech and the 2008 college football season.

Here's what the first article said (from the Fort Worth Star Telegram):

Why Virginia Tech is No. 22: An experienced offensive line and two quarterbacks return, but there are numerous questions on both sides of the ball, and the schedule includes four potentially tough road games.

Potential problems: Start at quarterback, where Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon remained even through spring and neither won the job outright. Taylor is a running threat, while Glennon is more of a dropback passer. The Hokies also must bolster the running back position after Branden Ore was kicked off the team and two others were injured. The receiving corps has little experience, and the defense must replace seven starters who were drafted. Virginia Tech has a tough four-game stretch in conference that includes contests at Boston College, Florida State and Miami.

Yes, the Hokies do play some historically good teams on the road, plus North Carolina (who will be good next year rather than this year). But Florida State's offensive line is starting I think 3 sophomores and 2 freshmen, Boston College lost more key players than Tech did, Nebraska sucks and Miami lost a ton of players from an already-bad team.

The "potential problem" at QB is just stupid, as it's a good thing to have two starting quarterbacks. That way neither of them can take a play off. The two worked well together last season and should continue to this year. Branden Ore was a detriment to the team last year, and his replacements (Kenny Lewis Jr. and Jahre Cheeseman) both averaged either around as many or more yards per carry than Ore last year. Throw in Josh Oglesby and Ryan Williams and the Hokies will instantly improve at the position over Ore.

The Hokies went to the Sugar Bowl in 2004 with their top 2 wide recievers being freshman (plus their third and fourth were a true sophomore and a true freshman, respectively). Again, I'm not worried.

It's incredibly ignorant to ever question Bud Foster's defense. He's done more with a worse group before. That's an awful argument. The Virginia Tech defense is a never-ending reservoir of talent, and that will continue for the forseeable future.

And to the second bad prediction:
3) VIRGINIA TECH - Coach Frank Beamer's Hokies have earned the respect they get in the preseason, but if you put a different name on this team's resume, it probably wouldn't be favored to reach the ACC title game. Tech returns only 10 starters and said goodbye to its leading rusher and four top pass catchers from last year. There are no obvious replacements. The top three tacklers on defense? Also gone. In fact most of last year's typical tough D will be playing on Sundays this season. Rebuilding year, anyone?

Why wouldn't the Hokies be favored to reach the ACC title game? Nobody else is anywhere near as talented or experienced in the Coastal Division. Unless something clicks with another team, the Hokies could win the Coastal Division very decisively. Kenny Lewis, Jr. and Jahre Cheeseman were obvious replacements. Again, defensive players are ALWAYS replacable at Virginia Tech. Another poor analysis, but this is why you're writing for USA Today, I suppose.

All of this sounds a ton like the 2004 Virginia Tech team that went 10-3, losing to 2 undefeated teams (USC and Auburn) as well as a 1 point loss on a missed field goal at NC State. I'm not scared to predict a 12-1 or 13-0 season (because Clemson will choke in the ACC Championship, as always).

Whatever Wednesday/Tumbleweed Thursday

I've been thinking of having a new semi-series that comes out once a week. It doesn't serve a huge purpose, mostly just to keep the blog updated as the year turns, I head back to school and the baseball season winds down (no, I won't stop blogging, there just won't be as much to blog about). The series will probably come out on Wednesdays and Thursdays and will contain basically anything, both sports and non-sports related.

So, without further ado, here's your first Tumbleweed Thursday, fresh from Panera, where I'm stuck for 2-3 hours every day this week (Barry Svrluga-style).

Baseball Links of the Day
Check out the on-going list of players who have reportedly passed through waivers on MLBTradeRumors.com (continuously updated).

Also, if you have time and want to feel like you should feel sorry for someone (without actually feeling bad for them), read yet another article about Mike Bacsik. My favorite quote: "One of the things I think about is, do the Nationals not want me there because I'm popular there because of that?" [Bacsik] said. No, Mike, it's because you suck. You suck so much your name should be Mike Bacsuck. I do like the Nats' idea of having him retire and host the pre-game show, though. He and Robert Fick would make an awesome broadcasting tag-team (and, although I was never a fan of him on the field, Paulie was semi-amusing in the booth as well, when he wasn't divulging Ryan Zimmerman's top secret injury status).

Hockey Links of the Day
Check out all of these Capitals concept jerseys from NHL Tournament of Logos (now Icethetics). I'm quite partial to this one as a 3rd jersey. The Caps need to find a way to add the Best Secondary Logo in the NHL to the front of a dark blue sweater.

Football Links of the Day
Florida State QB Christian Ponder finished his undergrad degree in 2 years, and is now enrolled in the Graduate program at FSU. I know, I know it is FSU, but it's gotta be hard graduating in 2 years (including summers) anywhere. I don't even want to graduate in 4! Ponder's only game experience in his short career came last year in Blacksburg, where he didn't totally embarrass himself, going 8-18 with 105 yards, and 1 TD while rushing for 51 yards on 5 carries. Oh wait. He's the guy whose miscues (2 INT and a fumble) directly accounted for the Hokies' last 12 points (INT returned for TD, fumble set up a FG and INT set up the Hokies to drive to the 1, where FSU stopped them on downs and subsequently allowed a safety. Sorry, Christian, but I'm an FSU hater. Quit your stupid chant and maybe I'll stop hating.

I (finally) added Chris Cooley's blog to the sidebar. Every post is somewhere from 7-12 on a 10-point scale of hilarity, but this one really sticks out and actually made me laugh out loud in The Barry Svrluga House of Bread.

And if anyone's into MMORPG's (I have no idea what that stands for), here is a fun game to check out: Goal Line Blitz. Basically it's a free game where you create your own player and as time goes on, you develop them into a better player. Your player usually starts on a CPU team, but will be offered contracts by human-controlled teams generally before your player's first season ends. That's the best I can describe the game. As time goes on, you can accumulate "flex points" and either create more players, "own" a team or buy custom equipment. If you don't want to wait to accumulate "flex points" you can either buy them or invite people to join the game, as I'm doing now.

Try this Product
I (semi)recently won a contest where I received two flavors of Pop'rs. Pop'rs are essentially awesome-tasting, good-for-you Pop Rocks that you sprinkle on foods. They're mostly marketed toward families (so moms can get their kids to eat their veggies), but with my two flavors (Cocoa and Taco), I can add both flavor and nutritional value to my ice cream and Ramen noodles. They're really worth trying out. Go to Pop'rs.com and order some or stalk the "Eat Your Veggies" blog for similar giveaways to the one I won my Pop'rs in. To borrow the catchphrase from Pringles: Once You Pop'r...well nevermind.

24
For those of you who, like me, are in completely 24 withdrawal there is good news. A 2-hour "prequel" movie to the show's 7th season will be shown on Sunday, November 23. The movie, entitled "24: Exile" will bridge the gap between season 6, which ended last summer, and season 7, which was pushed back an entire year because of the writer's strike.

Random Updates
Since my interview with 2008 Nationals draft pick Chris Curran a week ago, he's caught fire, hitting .419 (13/31) with 2 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 12 R, 6 RBI, 5 BB/4 K and 1/2 SB over 7 games (including 3 straight 2-run, 2-hit games. We're proud of you, Chris! Keep up the good work!

It's been a while since I mentioned Brian Conley, my first cousin once-removed (I think), who was a 2008 draft pick and is an outfielder in the Orioles organization. He's at .258/.364/.400 through 34 games in the GCL.

One last Link of the Day
Here's a post I found on StumbleUpon, entited "How much is inside cookie dough ice cream?" The post is pretty funny and not too long, so be sure to check it out. If you have Firefox or Internet Explorer and don't have StumbleUpon, get it. Now.

Skins trade for Taylor, Nats celebrate with football-like score

It's my 100th post, so I figured I'd have a nice, big and exciting headline. Unfortunately, my dog ate it. I don't actually have a dog, so I'll just say I left it at Subway. Whatever.

So to the news-you've probably heard this from 400 people by now, but the Redskins traded a 2nd rounder in the 2009 draft and a 6th rounder in the 2010 draft for DE Jason Taylor, who will replace the injured Phillip Daniels. Hog Heaven put it nicely in terms of what to expect: a contract extension, poor run defense and a bunch of sacks (click the link to read up in-depth). John Clayton of ESPN also had nice things to say from the Skins' standpoint. I'm pleased...a 2nd and 6th rounder isn't a whole lot to pay for a good DE, even if he's 34.

As the headline suggests, the Nats scored two touchdowns (one with an extra point and one with a two-point conversion) today. Or 5 field goals. Or 4 safeties and a field goal. Or one touchdown (with an extra point), two field goals and a safety. Or (insert another combination here). No matter how you put it, the Nats scored 15 runs today in their win against Atlanta. Flores led the way with 5 hits. Willie Harris (I'll start calling him Willie Mo, as he's 4th on the team in homers. That way when I said at the beginning of the year that Wily Mo would be a beast in the Nats lineup, I can still take credit. And wow, this is a long thought enclosed in parenthesis) had two hits (one of which was a homer), 3 walks and 5 RBI. AK-25 (Austin Kearns' new nickname, shorter thought enclosed in parenthesis) scored 5 runs and tallied 3 hits (and one homer) to go with a walk and 2 RBI. Even Fail-ipe had a nice day, going 3-4 with 3 runs and 3 RBI.

I think Austin's back. He's hitting the ball hard every at bat, whether he gets a hit or not (hitting .327/.414/.531 since his return on July 3). This is the kinda player I want on my team-good hitting, great defense and good hustle. Now if we can sign his best bud, Adam Dunn, in the offseason, we might be in business!

Another note-is anyone else intrigued by Milwaukee's trade for Ray Durham? It (theoretically) cuts Rickie Weeks' playing time. Weeks is young enough (only 25 years old) to take a chance on, and he has a ton of potential (still). With top SS prospect Alcides Escobar hitting .338/.367/.443 in AA this year, the Brew Crew could definitely afford to move Weeks (and scoot J.J. Hardy over to 2B in the process...or just scoot Escobar there). I still think it would be a longshot, but worth looking into if the Brewers were interested in a guy like Rauch. Heck, we'll even give them Fail-ipe to split time with Durham in case the Brewers want "tools" in return...Fail-ipe's got a few (speed and ____, plus he is a huge tool himself!). And since we're talking speed, I'll even throw in Johnny Estrada! Talk about legging out an infield single last night! A guy Estrada's size has to love beer and brats, so he must just be incredibly depressed to leave beer and brat world in Milwaukee. Just a thought. And just kidding about Lopez and Estrada, Brewers fans.

Last news-Virginia Tech has released their 2009 home jerseys I had talked about earlier.



One word description: Nikesucks. I like the numbers, but the "sleeves" look horrendous. The "old" jerseys were great. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

All-Hokie Post

Virginia Tech is taking another step toward respectable football scheduling by agreeing to play an SEC school to start the 2009 season. The HokieSports.com release says that "talks are currently underway with the University of Alabama. In the event an agreement cannot be reached with the Crimson Tide, Tech's opponent will likely be another Southeastern Conference team." The game will be held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and will be the 2009 NCAA opening game (not just the VT opening game).

This isn't exactly breaking news, but the Hokies will host Wisconsin in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge this year. The game will take place on December 1 at 7 PM and will be on ESPN2. Look for me there, in an orange afro wig. I'm just excited that we'll play a good non-conference team at home. Watch out for Tech Basketball this year. They might shock some people.

Last but not least, Virginia Tech (and West Springfield HS!!) alum Joe Saunders pitched in his first All-Star game last night. Saunders allowed no runs on one hit (a single by Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins). It only took him twelve pitches to retire the side, which also featured Chicago Cubs Kosuke Fukudome and Geovany Soto and Philadelphia Phillie Chase Utley. Also, congrats to Joe and his wife, Shanel on the birth of their daughter, Matea.

The Face of VT Football

ESPN.com ran a series on the "Face of the Program" for many NCAA Football Teams.

They picked Head Coach Frank Beamer as the face of the Virginia Tech program, and listed assistant coach Bud Foster and former players Frank Loria, Bruce Smith and Michael Vick as the other 4 candidates.

I agree wholeheartedly with the decision to pick Beamer as #1 (as do 49% of the voters so far). At the moment, Vick is #2 in voting (36%), followed by Loria (6%), Smith (4%) and Foster (2%). I think the order should go like this:
1. Frank Beamer I'm just going to quote ESPN's Heather Dinich here: "Not only has Beamer coached the Hokies to bowl games, but he also helped get them there as a three-year starting cornerback (1966 to 1968). Beamer has led his alma mater to 15 straight bowl appearances, two ACC titles, two ACC Coastal Division titles, three Big East championships and a trip to the national championship game. The only thing left is to win the big one. Beamer's overall record heading into 2008 after 21 seasons at Virginia Tech is 167-85-2. He became the program's winningest coach in 1997 and was named the ACC coach of the Year in 2004 and 2005."
2. Michael Vick: Probably the most famous VT player of all time (for some of the right reasons as well as some of the wrong ones), Vick led the Hokies to the National Championship and the team was 22-2 during his stay in Blacksburg. There is really no need to go further on about the electrifying player/dog electrifier.
3. Bud Foster: Foster is probably the second most-beloved man in Blacksburg (behind Beamer) and is the brainchild of the Lunch Pail Defense. You can go to his Wikipedia page linked to his name if you want to review his awards and such, but he's built the strong and dependable Virginia Tech defense over the years.
4. Enter Sandman: It may just be a song to most of you, but it's a way of life to Hokie fans. Combine this with "key play" and "LETS GOOOOO! HOOOOOOOOOKIESSSSSSSSSS" and you'll see why Lane Stadium was rated #2 by ESPN in the "Scariest venues for opposing teams" article.
5. Bruce Smith: You know the records and the awards. "The Sack Man" was an All-Pro 8 times and ended his NFL career with 200 sacks. He was the first overall pick many moons before Vick was.

VT to get new football uniforms?

From a chat/interview with Tyrod Taylor from BeamerBall.com via Tyrod-Taylor.com:

Coach Beamer has hinted at some type of uniform changes this fall. Would you and the rest of the team like to see uniform changes? And, if so, how much does stuff like that matter to the players?

John Owen
Scottsville, VA

Taylor: I’ve heard some rumors, but I don’t have any details. I like the uniforms that we have now. I’m not really all that concerned about the uniforms. If you play well, the uniforms will look good. If you don’t play well, they’ll look bad.

I personally am a big fan of Virginia Tech's current uniforms. They're simple and classy, without a whole lot of noise going on. I'll defer judgment on any new uniforms until I see them, but I'd like to be seeing these for my next 3 years in Blacksburg:

That is, as long as they don't go back to these unis:

Picture of the Day

Thanks to SI.com for this one. Now as if we don't have enough reason to hate the Patriots and Bill Belichick, he wears awful sandals with suit pants. And his wife (I assume that's his wife) looks kinda scary.