Tuesday: Kenseth wins crazy Daytona 500; Tech, UVa football skeds released
HAVE THEY FINISHED THE RACE YET? My, oh, my, what a weird Daytona 500 this turned out to be. Matt Kenseth takes the checkered flag in an event that takes more than six hours to complete, thanks to a fiery crash that brought out the red flag for two hours with 40 laps to go.
-Dale Earnhardt Jr. finishes second for an outstanding start to his season. Tougher going for Hendrick teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, who finish 42nd and 40th, respectively. Full results are here.
-Danica Patrick crashes on lap two when Johnson clips her car. She comes back out after lengthy repairs and finishes 38th.
-As for the long delay, here’s how NASCAR.com described it: That’s the nightmare situation track officials faced with 40 laps remaining in Monday’s rain-postponed Daytona 500, when a suspension piece evidently broke on Juan Montoya’s race car and the red No. 42 veered sharply into a jet dryer under caution. The resulting fire took several long, frightening minutes to be brought into containment, required the use of a laundry detergent to clean spilled fuel off the track, and resulted in a red flag that lasted 2 hours, 5 minutes.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
-The ACC releases its 2012 football schedules. Here is Virginia Tech’s:
Mon., Sep 3 Georgia Tech * 8 p.m. ESPN Lane Stadium
Sat., Sep 8 Austin Peay TBA Lane Stadium
Sat., Sep 15 at Pittsburgh TBA Pittsburgh, Pa.
Sat., Sep 22 Bowling Green TBA Lane Stadium
Sat., Sep 29 vs. Cincinnati TBA FedExField, Landover, Md.
Sat., Oct 6 at North Carolina * TBA Chapel Hill, N.C.
Sat., Oct 13 Duke * TBA Lane Stadium
Sat., Oct 20 at Clemson * TBA Clemson, S.C.
Thu., Nov 1 at Miami * 8 p.m. ESPN Miami Gardens, Fla.
Thu., Nov 8 Florida State * 8 p.m. ESPN Lane Stadium
Sat., Nov 17 at Boston College * TBA Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Sat., Nov 24 Virginia * TBA Lane Stadium
-And here is Virginia’s:
Sat, Sep 01 Richmond Charlottesville TBA
Sat, Sep 08 Penn State Charlottesville TBA
Sat, Sep 15 Georgia Tech * at Atlanta, Ga. TBA
Sat, Sep 22 TCU at Fort Worth, Texas TBA
Sat, Sep 29 Louisiana Tech Charlottesville TBA
Sat, Oct 06 Duke * at Durham, N.C. TBA
Sat, Oct 13 Maryland * Charlottesville TBA
Sat, Oct 20 Wake Forest * Charlottesville TBA
Sat, Nov 03 NC State * at Raleigh, N.C. TBA
Sat, Nov 10 Miami * Charlottesville TBA
Thu, Nov 15 North Carolina * Charlottesville TBA
ESPN
Sat, Nov 24 Virginia Tech * at Blacksburg, Va.
-Defensive backs work out at the combine today at 9 a.m. on NFL Network. Andy will be updating Jayron Hosley’s progress on his blog here.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
-VMI advances to the quarterfinals of the Big South tourney by defeating Radford 55-53. The Keydets face Coastal Carolina at noon Wednesday.
-Michigan State-Indiana at 7 p.m. on ESPN has potential to be a good one tonight.
YOUR SIX-WORD STORIES
-Nice job yesterday, guys, as we try to get this off the ground. My favorites on the Daytona topic:
-From Trevor: Daytona: Fast and Furious. Umbrella required.
-From Big Hokie at 11:32 a.m., which turned out to be prophetic — Under the lights, Danica wrecks (again)
-Today’s topic: Tech’s 2012 football schedule in six words. Go wherever you want with it.
BASEBALL
-Scott Sizemore of the A’s will miss the entire season with a knee injury.
-Boston’s Jason Varitek is set to announce his retirement on Thursday.
-The Rangers have been impressed with Yu Darvish so far: “He’s got some serious stuff,” manager Ron Washington says. “He can run his fastball inside, he can run it outside. He can sink it to the left and sink it to the right. He can hang you up with his breaking ball … he’s got the splitter. He can bring heat.”
NAME THAT TUNE
I knew a lady who came from Duluth
Bitten by a dog with a rabid tooth
She went to her grave just a little too soon
Flew away howling on the yellow moon
February 28, 2012 - 8:35 AM
Lake of Fire, Nirvana…fitting given the 500.
O.J. lying in wait. Nicely done.
As to the sports, I actually watched a lot of the 500 last night, it was much more interesting than many of the previous year’s races had been. I might just have to watch a few more this year too. Just glad everyone was ok in that freak fireball wreck.
VT has a brutal, brutal schedule, with 5 of the 8 ACC opponents getting more than a week to prepare for Tech. Even though the team will be better, I see 9-3 as a likely outcome. Between the 2 championships, Alabama had a year very, very similar to this with many of their SEC opponents getting long preparation times for their games with the Tide. As a result, despite being one of the 5 or so best teams in the nation, they finished 9-3 that year, with Auburn winning it all. The stretch of Clemson, Miami, and FSU will make or break the season.
Have no idea on song so I`ll go with “I`ve seen Fire and I`ve Seen Rain…” Sweet Baby James. Any truth to the rumor Danica was texting before the early Big One?
I’m tired, folks. That was a long day and night.
If only Jr. had gone for it a lap earlier, I think he’d have won it. Very impressive crowd for a rain delayed race. Poor Danica, talk about a hard luck weekend, she sure had it. She found the wrong place at the wrong time just about every time she turned around.
I’ll be napping, see you tomorrow.
Meat Puppets – Lake of Fire
Meat Puppets is also correct.
Regarding Scott Sizemore, it sucks that he’s down for the entire season…but I’m glad the Tigers traded him to Oakland so they don’t have another season-long injury to deal with. A lot of Tigers fans panned that trade, but he hadn’t really produced much on the field so the trade made sense. Hopefully, he can recover quickly. Another former Tiger, Joel Zumaya, looks like he’s hurt again with his new team as well, shortly after starting to throw with the Twins he left the mound in pain. He also had a lot of promise, but injuries derailed what could have been a promising career. Makes me thankful that the Tigers brought in Kenny Rogers to mentor Verlander and help him become a true, solid pitcher…rather than simply a hurler.
And yeah, Nirvana covered the Meat Puppets, and Curt makes mention of it at the end of the song. It’s a great cover though…can’t say as I’ve heard the original more than a time or 2, but I usually hear the Nirvana version a few times a month.
UVA has a pretty tough schedule too…they could theoretically wind up starting the season 1-3, which would make getting 8+ wins very tricky. Then again, if they can score an early-season win over a Penn State team likely still to be in turmoil, they could start 3-1 and be well on their way to a really good year.
Too bad we have to wait 6 months for football…
Six word stories: One more from yesterday. JJ bumps Danica`s rear bumper. Hmmm. (Can that count as a word?) Today Prime Time: Tech`s Schedule Lights Up
We should know a lot about Tech and UVA by the end of September with those schedules. Not that Austin Peay, Louisiana Tech, Bowling Green, and Richmond are the toughest of competition but both have a big divisional game against Georgia Tech early and then two non-conference games against BCS opponents.
Speaking of the Jackets, they and/or the Hurricanes could be out of the running or in cruise control come the end of September since both open up with three ACC games a piece. The Jackets play the Hokies, Cavs, and Hurricanes in the first four weeks of the season while the Hurricanes play BC, Georgia Tech, and NC State in the first five weeks to start the season. Advantage Miami since two of those three games are against the other division, but a 1-2 or 0-3 ACC start by either team will be a big hole to climb out of.
Hokies’ football not gonna be undefeated.
OJ, I share the same W-L as you do. My evaluation of the spring game is going to give me more insights. My biggest concern is how quickly the offense can jell.
UVa might have tougher OCC games compared to Tech. I emphasis might.
My other question is – will the ACC finally get respected?
Re: VT’s sked…
Ten wins again. Seen this before.
ACC schedule comments : looking at the non conference schedule of other ACC schools, how come the Hokies cannot get ND, PennSt, and other biggies to play us ? they seem to have no problem playing the others in the conference. Do we demand too much ? Is Weaver not trying to schedule them ? The only big time games we get are on neutral fields and a one time deal. I think Weaver is giving the Hokie fans a lot of lip service and not many facts !!
Well for VT’s schedule I have to go with one of my favorite’s of all time….
“Fly Is Open, Let’s Go Peay!
Ok so if I could re-do last night’s six word story it would be:
Juan set fire to the rain. I couldn’t stay up to watch the end which is sad, because I was excited that I’d get to see the race when the start was moved back to 7.
As for the upcoming VT schedule: “Cupcakes September Saturdays, November’s for real.”
No cupcakes this year…This is a much better lineup than we have seen in many years. Tough games in the middle gives more time for Mr. Thomas to show the nation he is “That Good”.
Six-word stories:
Tech schedule, they’re a tough crowd.
October, November make or break season.
At least Georgia Tech is early.
Very psyched about Penn State’s trip to Hooville next September. Not so psyched about the current starting price ($228 per ticket) for that game on stubhub…
I enjoyed the race, too. Junior would’ve won if he were in 2nd instead of 3rd, but it was too tough to pass both them, especially when Biffle seemed like he was following team orders to protect Kenseth. If nothing else, the superspeedway races have gotten to the point where it’s quite refreshing to see an actual race to the finish, rather than a demolition derby on turn 4 of the final lap.
My tongue-in-cheek answer on the Hokies’ schedule: “Ten wins again; thanks, Austin Peay!”
On Varitek: I watched him play at Georgia Tech in ’93 and ’94, and back then, he was clearly a man among boys on the field. To borrow the old quote about Josh Gibson- the ball just sounded different coming off his bat. (Of course, they were aluminum bats, so it was a different “ping,” but you get the idea.) His arm was a cannon compared to every other catcher that came across the field those years. Before every inning- after the last warmup pitch- he fired a pill to second base, knee-high and right on the bag, every time that I remember. He was like a machine. We all figured he would be the next Johnny Bench in MLB. Not quite, but he did have a very successful run in the bigs. Congrats to ‘Tek on a great career!
Nomar was the shortstop on those Yellow Jacket teams, too. Another eventual major-leaguer, Jay Payton, roamed center field. Pretty good talent for a college student to watch for cheap back then.
I agree with John, Tech got a pretty difficult ACC schedule. Not only with the extra rest their opponents will be getting but also catching both Atlantic beasts, Clemson and FSU. For better or worse Virginia dodged those 2 but have some touch OOC games with PSU and at TCU.
Have to agree with O.J., one of the better 500′s in recent memory, even though I couldn’t stay up until the end. I went to bed after they put the fire out. That was an amazing crash, thank goodness there were no major injuries or worse.
Schedule: It is what it is.
Just saying the Hokies schedule has been made and the games will be played. Not makeing any predictions but would be happy with 9-3 or 10-2.
Just hope the season opener against Ga. Tech doesn’t turn out like the last time they tried to open against the Ramblin’ Wreck. I got real wet.
Other John,
I think your definition of “brutal” is not the same as most peoples…
Trying again: (I hate the CAPTCHA code)
“Virginia Gentlemen choose Wild Turkey”
“Wild Turkey declaws animal opponents”
“Turkey hunt yields no game”
“Turkey hunters got no game”
“Turkey hunts eagles, panthers, bearcats, panthers”
“Dukes and Cavaliers get ungentlemanly treatment”
“Deacons praise schedule; no Turkey hunt”
“Wild Turkey bests all hunters”
“Franklin’s choice: Wild Turkey; National Bird”
“Tame storm and animals, wrecks injury-free”
“Turkey leads Seminoles astray”
This could go on all day. Sorry, have to work.
And “Peay-nuts get pay-out”
“Foiled: the failed Wild Turkey hunt”
“Wild Turkey is wiley bird”
“Wild Turkey toast of Nation”
“Wild Turkey spikes BCS punch Bowl”
Geez the list of possibilities is endless
Oh, and considering the overall quality of the Daytona 500 I still think NASCAR should have run in the rain with extreme speed water skiers in tow.
And:
“Lightening strikes again; Corso picks Hokies”
stop me before I flap again
“Red Tails soar: Wild Turkeys win”
“Wild Turkey season ends, birds win”
Curse you Aaron…….
“Wild Turkey guano covers opponents”
Woah…I told a colleague to approve comments during bowling (Fourth Estate wins 3 of 4, no 300s, by the way), but apparently my message went unheeded. I’m here for you now, guys.
SM, it’s brutal for an ACC schedule! But yeah, compared to say the Big Ten (or whatever they call it now) or the SEC, not so brutal. Depending on how well the team comes together, there’s 9 games that the opposition has a good chance to win, only 3 games I would consider locks to win: AP, BG, Duke. They *should* win the games against GT, Pitt, Cincy, UNC, and BC…with some tough matches against Clemson, Miami, FSU, and UVA that could go either way. One thing is for sure: if the team stumbles and bumbles around this upcoming season like they did on a regular basis last year, the wins will be tougher to find now that teams like Appy State, ECU, Arkansas State, Marshall, and WF are not on the slate. Last year’s schedule was favorable for breaking in a new starting QB. This will be the year that tests his growth and the playcalling (or lack thereof) for the offense, and if the defense is for real or just got boosted stats against a relatively mediocre schedule.
Saw a headline that’s sure to make Hokie 24 cringe, “Former Virginia Tech stars Marcus Vick to serve 10 days in jail.”
Looking at Tech’s schedule again, my best scenario is they go 9-3, and go to the ACC title game. Worse case scenario is finishing 6-6 and missing the title game. That could be possible given the brutal final legs of the schedule starting with Clemson, but with a “beatable” game against Boston College, provided they don’t have another 19-0 win.
For UVa, I see a possible 10-2 record, but might miss the title game. Worse case could be 7-5 record.
Trevor, I could see a 7 or 8 win season for VT this year, even if they are improved over this year. I forget who said it, but when they read through the schedule they said something to the effect of ‘VT fans had better be ready for more losses than they have been used to’. I agree with that assessment. UVA could very well have a better record than VT this year, their schedule is pretty favorable after the opening 4 games. We’ll see though.
As for the ACC having more respect? They need to win the out-of-conference games against BCS programs. If UVA flops against PSU and TCU, and VT struggles with Cincy and Pitt…it’ll be another year of mocking the ACC for their lack of on-field success. It’s put up or shut up time, and unfortunately the ACC has a long, storied history of rolling over and playing dead.
Tech schedule: “Those Who Don`t learn From Past….”
I see you Trevor! Yeah, it sucks that VT has to be attached to that story to attract readers, but why else would Marcus Vick be important enough to print news about? I have a sneaky feeling that he’s not the only person sentenced to serve time for avoiding a court date… but since he at one time put on a football uniform, somehow it’s newsworthy while the others sentenced to serve time for the same exact offense won’t make headlines.
Trevor, 6-6 for Tech as a possibility? Really??? Break the games down for me. I hate to say it, but I could QB this team to a 6-6 record, and I’m certainly no Logan Thomas.
Tech is going to blow away GT, A-Peay, Bowling Green, Duke, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh (the BE simply is not all that good, despite what WVU pulled on Clemson), BC and UVA (they lost a TON of seniors this last year, London is still a couple years away).
Tech has 8 built in wins. The UNC is hardly a toss up, Tech will likely do fine, even on the road. The Heels are still reeling from their indiscretions. 9-3 is the absolute worst I can see for Tech.
And, Miami still has to prove to me they are worth a crap, and FSU can always seem to find a way to blow more talent than Paul Hewitt did at GT in hoops.
The Tech defense is going to be the strong suit, and I’ll take a seasoned QB with some new starters around him any day of the week. The ‘new’ starters are not as new as people think. At WR, they’ll list 2 new guys, but for all practical purposes, Dyrell Roberts and Marcus Davis are returning starters.
Thinking UVA could go 10-2 is as big a stretch as Tech going 6-6. I’d peg the ‘Hoos at about 8-4. VT, TCU and PSU are the L’s I see, with another slip along the way. They certainly do have the most favorable ACC schedule they’ll ever have, avoiding Clemson and FSU, but they have some really big shoes to fill, despite the easy schedule. Being in C’ville for senior day (or is it 4th year day?) was excrutiating. I thought it would never end.
And remember it’s not just a Hokie thing for me… my initial posts about how attaching schools to things like this to attract readers was because I was upset with continually seeing the Huguely/Love murder trial referred to as the “UVA Lacrosse murder trial.” The UVA lacrosse program wasn’t on trial (at least it shouldn’t have been), just one guy who happened to play for them was who was actually on trial. The fact that he played sports at UVA didn’t play any part in causing that crime… just like Marcus Vick playing at VT doesn’t have anything to do with the stupid decisions he’s made off the field. Just don’t see the need for the negative publicity for schools who didn’t cause the crimes.
Other Tony,
Some if the last two years of scheduling has to do with teams backing out and conference re-alignment. Since 2008 the Hokies have had to push back, or remove, series with Syracuse, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Kansas State for various reasons.
Assuming Pitt and Syracuse don’t join until 2014, here are the non-conference slates through 2017 for the Hokies to give you an idea of what’s coming up:
2013: Alabama (in Atlanta), Marshall, Western Carolina, Pittsburgh
2014: @ Ohio State, East Carolina, William & Mary
2015: Will have to drop one of Ohio State, Akron, Furman, or @ East Carolina. Originally slated to play @ Kansas State before Nebraska and Colorado left the Big XII last year.
2016: Will have to drop one of Wisconsin, Western Kentucky, Western Michigan, and @ ECU. Originally slated to play home vs. Kansas State
2017: @ Wisconsin, ECU. Still need a 12th game
To me, the “conference respect” argument comes down to a select few games between elite teams from various conferences. Most casual fans don’t pay attention to games between middle-of-the-road teams in different conferences. The Big 10 got a bad reputation because its teams lost badly in a few BCS bowl games over a 5-year span. Likewise, the ACC’s lead teams have all come up small in showcase games — in 2011, it started with FSU losing at home to Oklahoma & continued through Tech’s loss in the Sugar Bowl.
My point is that nobody is going to care whether Tech beats Pittsburgh or Cincinnati in relatively meaningless regionally televised day games next year. For the ACC to gain respect, they need a few teams to win high-profile games. Looking at the composite ACC schedule (available on the league’s website), the key games in terms of “ACC respect” would probably include:
- Tennessee vs. NC State (Chick-fil-A kickoff game, 8/22)
- Auburn vs. Clemson (Chick-fil-A kickoff game, 9/1)
- (maybe) Maryland at WVU (9/22, assuming WVU is ranked in the top 10)
- (maybe) Cincinnati vs. VT (if both teams are ranked at the time)
That looks to be pretty much it, until bowl season. None of the other non-conference games on the league’s schedule would generate enough hype to generate any kind of national interest.
Re VT’s schedule:
Cavalier fans complain: No LSU, USC.
In six words:
Eight and F O U R.