Monday: Tech Orlando bound; London shakes up staff at UVa; Rocco leaves, fed up with uncertainty
Could go a million different ways today. I’ll just put it out there and let you guys choose the direction.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
-Hokies (6-6) will play Rutgers (9-3) in the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando. Game is 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 28. Andy has more here.
-UVa coach Mike London, citing conversations with administration, fires four assistant coaches: defensive coordination Jim Reid, tight ends coach Shawn Moore, defensive line coach Jeff Hanson and running backs coach Mike Faragalli. He also strips Anthony Poindexter of his title of special teams coordinator. Doug has the details here.
-The one that really surprises me is Reid. I mean, is anybody going to blame a defense that ranked 31st nationally in total yardage for the team’s struggles this year? The players I interviewed always talked about how they loved playing for Reid — without being asked about it. Strange to me that he’s caught up in this.
-Doug caught up with UVa quarterback Michael Rocco, who explained why he’s transferring. “A lot of things went into my decision,” he said. “I just want a place where I know I’ll be able to compete and I don’t think Virginia is that place for my senior year. I had no idea what was going to happen next year. The quarterback position is one where, if you have a lot of things going through your mind, it inhibits the way you play. It’s an unhealthy environment for any quarterback at UVa. It was hard on all the quarterbacks, not just me.”
-Rocco handled himself with poise and class throughout, never grumbling during the season. Best of luck to him. Hope he finds a place he can thrive.
-BCS lineup: Notre Dame vs. Alabama in the title game, Stanford vs. Wisconsin in the Rose, Florida State vs. No. Illinois in the Orange, Florida vs. Louisville in the Sugar and Kansas State vs. Oregon in the Fiesta.
-A lot of grumbling about No. Illinois getting in. Here is the Huskies’ resume:
Sep 1 Iowa Lost 17-18
Sep 8 Tennessee-Martin Won 35-7
Sep 15 @Army Won 41-40
Sep 22 Kansas Won 30-23
Sep 29 C. Michigan Won 55-24
Oct 6 @Ball St. Won 35-23
Oct 13 Buffalo Won 45-3
Oct 20 @Akron Won 37-7
Oct 27 @W. Michigan Won 48-34
Nov 3 Massachusetts Won 63-0
Nov 14 Toledo Won 31-24
Nov 23 @E. Michigan Won 49-7
Nov 30 @Kent St. Won 44-37
-NIU won’t have its coach at the game. N.C. State introduces ex-NIU coach Dave Doeren as the replacement for Tom O’Brien.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
-The 7-0 Hokies are off until Saturday, when they travel to West Virginia. If you missed my column on their win over No. 15 Oklahoma State, here it is.
-Apparently Berman agrees with my premise that the Hokies deserve to be ranked. He ranked the Hokies 19th on his ballot this week. Polls come out later today.
NFL
-Giants at Redskins tonight in a key NFC East matchup.
-Patriots, Broncos, Falcons and Texans clinch postseason bids.
-Ravens safety Ed Reed unloads about the rules taking physicality out of the game. “If they was really so concerned about the violence and the injuries and players getting hurt, answer this question for me: Why is there ‘Thursday Night Football?’ We played three games in 17 days [earlier this season]? Why?”
NAME THAT TUNE
Ha! I got some skeletons in my closet
And I don’t know if no one knows it
So before they throw me inside my coffin and close it
I’m a expose it; I’ll take you back to ’73
Before I ever had a multi-platinum selling CD…
December 3, 2012 - 8:27 AM
I looked at the ACC bowl schedule, and I don’t like the matchups. Really, aside from FSU-NIU, I don’t see any games that ought to be good chances to win. If the ACC manages 3-4 or better, it will be a really successful bowl season…but I’m leaning toward a 2-5 effort.
I don’t like where UVA is heading. They started well and showed promise after the first years with London, but this year they slid backward badly, and the defense was not part of why. I just don’t see that Mike London is the solution there…I think the shake-up will go for naught in the long run, possibly.
There were a lot of grumblings over Louisiana Tech getting ‘snubbed’ and not getting a bowl game despite a 9-3 record and the country’s #1 offense. But, it appears that the ‘snub’ may not have really been quite like that. While their AD is denying it, he appears to have turned down the lone bowl invite they got, because he did not want to play in-state rival Louisiana-Monroe in the Independence Bowl. Regardless, I still don’t think Georgia Tech should be in a bowl game at 6-7.
There are idiots out there, and then there are people like Bob Costas who is in a category all his own.
Using a tragedy like what happened in Kansas city as fodder to further HIS personal political views on gun control during a halftime segment of a football game.
We have seen sport people be silenced (fired) for saying politically incorect things about race (Jimmy the Greek, Rush Limbaugh), sexism (Ron Franklin), homophobism (take your pick), and will NBC do anything about Costas running his mouth?
Probably not.
I disagree with the majority of the UVA changes so far. The young guys on defense for UVA improved as the year went along. Also the TE position was one of the few bright spots on offense so you let Moore go? That makes no sense either. No guarantee either one can be improved on. The bad points of the team like QB and the offensive line struggles were not addressed at all. Not to mention London’s mistakes in gameday coaching.
BTW. think the song is by Marshall Mathers, cleaning out a closet or something like that. Not a fan of (c)rap music but my son used to be a big fan in the heyday and that sounds like one he used to listen to.
I’m glad to see Northern Illinois make a BCS bowl. It will spark some life in an otherwise drab bowl season. There are only about 4-5 of the 35 bowls that are even decent. The MNC game lives up to the hype, certainly, but most of the other bowl games will make for dull watching.
Michael Rocco, what’s he thinking? I mean, I think we can all agree he’s not going to make it even as a backup in the NFL. There is no European league for him to play, like in basketball. His football career has exactly one season left. Then he’ll have to join the big boy world and get a regular job. I’d think he would want that UVa degree on his resume much more than one from some lower tier school, both academically & athletically.
Maybe he already has his degree, I don’t know. But, despite wahoos being obnoxious snobs, UVa is definitely a great academic school, and a degree from there is an impressive card to play.
As for the NFL hypocrisy, isn’t that redundant? Hasn’t the NFL been hypocritical for decades now? As much as he dislikes it, Ed Reed should be thankful he won’t have to fight the ‘violence in the game’ battle much longer. He’s on the backside of his career, so he might as well play it out.
A very informed source told me last year the BCS exist to match up the #1 and #2 teams in the country. So, the title game is the meat and potato game, while the rest are just heart-stopping, calories busting, and cream filled snacks sponsored by Hostess. So, the one that truly matter is Notre Dame taking on Alabama.
Very sad to hear that Rick Majerus passed away over the weekend. The man have battled weight and health problems over the years, and damn, he can coach. I remember that final four game against UNC when he coaches Utah to their title. He was good.
Ed Reid does have a point about the Thursday night game. If he have a problem with it, may I suggest he and the rest of the team just pull a popovich and sit out the game? Is the money worth it?
I would like to congrulate the Hurrying Hokies for their win over Oklahoma State. I would hold off the ranking until they have played West Virginia. The zone defense should give the Hokies fit, and if they overcome it, then by all means, rank them. That’s my 2 cents.
“BOB H.”…….
I totally agree with you!!……..Yes, I am totally “PRO” gun control, HOWEVER, this was not the proper forum for Bob Costas to relay his “political” views on this issue and I think it was very insensitive and displayed a lack of common courtesy, respect and CLASS!!………..Using such a tragedy, as a murder/suicide, to further one’s agenda in simply incomprehensible and says a lot about the source in terms of character!!
Shame on you, Bob Costas!!!……………..Shame on you!!!!
For those looking for that lovely, warm, and inviting vacation home, here is your chance. ARod has put his South Beach home up for sale, to the tune of $38 million. It’s a beautiful location, right on the water.
Take a look at the photos, and see if you don’t agree that the home really is very appropriate for ARod.
http://www.justluxe.com/lifestyle/real-estate/feature-1811334.php?ref=obrain&ref=obrain
What is UVA doing!!!……….The administrators should have FIRED London!!!….I don’t agree with retaining Anthony Poindexter – even though he will be assigned “other duties” other than the pathetically HORRIBLE special teams that he oversaw…..
And if I had my choice of which assistant to “keep”, the defensive coordinator “JIM REID”, would have been the one retained!!
I still believe that Mike London is in over his head at the Division 1 “big-time” college football level……Great person, good character and was a great “FCS” coach at Richmond……BUT, with the big money and conference-jumping that permeates the college landscape today, I don’t believe London is the man that can carry UVA to the next level on a consistent level………
Hopefully, he will hire “EXPERIENCED” Divison I assistants and calm the waters next year……….However, another losing campaign in 2013 and a “tenth” lose in a row to rival Va Tech, and it should be “ADIOS, LONDON”!!!
Freedom of speech!
Everyone has an opinion. doesn’t make it right or wrong, but we all have the right to have an opinion.
I guess the NRA is besides themselves this morning over Costas comments, but who really cares?
only the ones who thinkg they are going to take our guns. That’s NEVER going to happen! anyone who thinks otherwise probably think Elvis is still alive, and we didn’t walk on the moon.
OJ, info I read indicated that the LaTech AD had some ‘assurances’ from various other bowls that LaTech was high on their wish list. He got pressed hard by the Independence folks about their timeline, and he went after the bigger bird in the bush, instead of the small bird in hand. In doing so, he lost both.
I think he was chasing after a bowl game more illustrious and inviting than the one about an hour down the road from campus. It’s a tough choice to make, and you roll the dice either way. This time he made the wrong choice.
I consider myself a fan of UVA, and I don’t blame Rocco for leaving. While London has been criticized for game management, etc., his biggest weakness to me has been his handling of the QB’s.
Go back to week 2 vs. Penn State. In a close game, Rocco finally started hitting his stride in the 3rd Quarter. Then, immediately after a scoring drive, London inserts Simms into the game. The entire offense bogs down & UVA basically loses the game (except for the fact that PSU’s freshman kicker couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn that game).
With London, it’s been the same thing the past 2 seasons. Constantly juggling QB’s, ultimately inhibiting the growth of both of them and the team. He need only look to where Simms came from at Alabama, where early in 2011 (also vs. Penn State), with a budding QB controversy brewing, Nick Saban plugged then-Freshman AJ McCarron into the game full-time, never played Simms, and ultimately the rest is history. 2-Quarterback systems don’t work. Never have, never will.
There may be several reasons or justifications for London trying to play Simms more this year & Watford more last year, but the actual on-field performance of his offense doesn’t always seem to be high on the list.
PS – It wouldn’t shock me to see Rocco transfer to Penn State. Bill O’Brien is a quarterback guru whose turnaround of Matt McGloin may be the underappreciated story of the year. Rocco is also from the area.
I agree those fired don’t appear to make sense. However, one has to wonder if there’s more to it for a couple of those guys. Rumors of Moore getting into administration and of Reid getting “tired” lead me to believe this wasn’t just a performance based decision.
Thanks for the additional information, CR. I can understand why the AD would want a more prestigious bowl…no doubt, but the way LT is making it sound, they are flat denying they turned down any offers, which appears to be incorrect/miselading at best.
Tim,
Free speach? How do you then square that with what happened to Ron Franklin? Does your knife cut both ways?
Maybe you and Costas ought to read the 2nd amendment of the US Constitution? (note: It says the right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed).
OJ used a knife but didn’t have the guts to use it on himself. Where is the outcry over his WEAPON of choice?
Hollow. Very Hollow.
OJ, it sounds as though the LaTech folks might be trying to cover their tracks in PR spin. The AD was in a tough spot. I’m not sure I wouldn’t have done what he did. Then again… See, you just don’t know. You want a bowl, any bowl, but you don’t want to miss your one big chance, either.
I’m not informed enough on the sporting politics about ULMonroe, etc down there with LaTech. It might be like a mini-version of VaTech not wanting to play WVU again in football. It’s too bad for the players & the fan base, though.
First off, crooked road, not all of us are snobs. Second, I think if anyone should have been given the boot at UVA, it should have been Lazor. I hated his play calling for the majority of the season. The QB situation was a mess and I really hope that with an entire offseason to evaluate the top two guys in Sims and Watford that we can get rid of that dumb rotation. London really impressed me last year with an 8-5 record but if it’s a flash in the pan season then no one really cares. Not really sure what is going on in his head most of the time. I think everyone can agree that their defense did improve as the year went on and the point totals that they gave up had a lot to do with the field position they were put in based off of special teams errors and turnovers from the offense. Example: Michael Rocco. I’m sure he’s a nice guy but let’s be honest here, the guy cannot throw the ball over 30 yards which is why they even had the system put in place. Sims brought a new dimension with throwing the long ball. Watford also has an arm, so again, hopefully that will get rid of the system considering they both have the ability to be a starting quarterback. I really think UVA would have been fine next year if London had left Reid in place. With him gone, I’m hearing there are some recruits that are taking visits elsewhere. Awful, awful timing with having to replace the top two players on defense. Great offensive class coming in and a lot of good players in the skill positions are coming in or returning, but if you have no defense it really doesn’t matter.
Also, AM, I don’t really recall a rotation last year for the majority of the season. Watford got just three or four series a game, if that, in the first few games of the season. By the last game of non-conference he was only getting about four or five plays a game for wildcat looks. I may be wrong but I remember Rocco being the prominent starting QB last year
First congratulations to the Hokies basketball team. They are playing well and deserve to be ranked. I’m not sure they deserver to be 19th as Mr. Berman has them but I don’t put a lot of stock in his rankings anyway. Personally, I think votes from the beat writer of a school should be thrown out anyway. It’s like a mom bragging about her kid. We know your mom loves you, but how about everybody else.
I don’t think NIU deserves the BCS game but there have been plenty of times that schools from the AQ conferences have gotten bids they didn’t deserve. So it’s nice to see some of the unfairness spread out to help the little guys.
With that resume I can’t see how NIU made a BCS date. FSU can’t take any team lightly that won by 1 at West Point.
UVA is a mess. I thought London’s last decision as coach at UVA was going to be that timeout he finally took with 4 seconds left against us (after letting the cock wind down). All those Hokies who are worried about a resurgent UVA team should catch a breath or two.
Don’t know if we can beat Rutgers. On paper it looks like a loss. Depends on which VT team shows up. A win would be good.
Mel Kiper says Thomas is a late first round/early second round guy and that most scouts see the problems this year as lying elsewhere. Interesting.
As for the Costa’s comment this is what happens when you think emotionally
rather than logically. Look at the cities that have the tightest gun control laws and you will find the highest murder rates. Gun control only prevents law abiding citizens from protecting themselves.
How’s the QB competition at UVA working out? At the beginning of the season you touted the benefits of a QB competition. What a fiasco! What high school QB would be interested in UVA? London has solidified his standing as the least qualified of ACC coaches. Can we expect any better next year?
I am sure London will attract some great assistants after a 4-8 season and then you fire your DC whose unit basically carried the team. London should have been the one fired but for this Hokie it is fun to watch them flounder under yet another coach. Maybe Groh will come back as DC if he is still available!!
The biggest problem with the NIU Orange Bowl bid is in the polls. This should be proof that the voters (coaches poll and Harris poll) never bothered to take the time to educate themselves, and voted simply on record. NIU is not a top-25 team. Hopefully this will be solved by the “playoff committee” once the new system goes into place, but that will all depend on how seriously they take their job.
On a different note, I can’t wait until the playoff finally arrives! After watching the SEC championship game this past weekend, imagine how cool it will be when playoff bids hinge on 3 or 4 conference championship games each year. Should only help the game.
Philip — I still think competition is good. But at some point you have to declare a winner of the competition and go with it. London failed to do that. Tech had the same problem with its running backs this year.
UVA still has a guy under contract that could serve as DC. The price tag on getting rid of these 4 was, what, 1.4M? They could save some $ and just bring him back……
Ah, yes. Here at Christmas time, the gift that keeps on giving. As Frank Beamer once said in yet another of his several defenses of Marcus – ‘Nobody knows the Vicks as well as I do…’
http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/317509
The coming ‘playoff’ in college football will solve nothing. The only thing it will do is ensure that no one hit wonder ever wins the national championship, not that many do now. There will still be the same problems as now. The same problems that existed before the BCS evolved into existence.
And yet even more court news: Two Hokies walk-ons arrested after explosive device detonated last night in Blacksburg. http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/317507
GREAT WIN VT BASKETBALL!! Come Selection Sunday, you will be GLAD this win is on the resume!
In the same way that people won’t respect the Atlanta Falcons until they win *IN THE PLAYOFFS*, the NCAA tournament committee doesn’t respect VT unless they win against QUALITY OPPONENTS. Which stinks because you have all these games on the schedule that have a cost if you lose, but if you win NO ONE CARES (VT goes 10-6 in ACC and 13-1 in noncof play in ’09-’10 and the NCAA tournament committee treats it as garbage). Having all these games with some cost and ZERO REWARD creates this heavy, sinking feeling in my chest and it makes it hard for me to breathe sometimes. YEEEARRRRRRRRGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ACC is down, people (it ain’t no Big East); there are only some nails sticking out here and there qualifying as “quality wins” THAT MUST BE HAMMERED DOWN. I HAVE A TREMENDOUS HEADACHE AND AM THOROUGHLY MESSED UP.
TIM………..Yes, we all have a right to our opinion, but, there is such thing as DISCRETION, also……….
Shame on you!
“UVAFAN”………is absolutely correct!!……..Of all of the assistants fired, LAZOR should have been first????……His play-calling was puzzling, unimaginative and pathetically predictable!!…….He also should have put his foot down on the “QB rotation” problem and simply stuck with ONE quarterback – win or lose!!!
As I stated before, if, in 2013, Uva has yet “another” losing season and gets beat at the hands of their rival VA TECH for the “10th” consecutive time, then it is time to CLEAN HOUSE!!!…………Starting with LAZOR and LONDON!…..
I am sick of losing!!
Bob Costas will not change anything! He had an opinion and he voiced it. You nor I have to agree or disagree with it.
Fear has been the number one reason for bad decisions since the beginning of time. Fear that the government is going to take our guns will someday make someone make one of those bad decisions.
When the constitution was written, the primary weapon was a muskett. Our founders had no clue that one day someone would invent a weapon that could shoot thousands of rounds in a second. If we are going to let ordinary citizens own those types of guns, there should be extensive background searches and i would argue psychological tests to determine if that person is of sound mind and judgement to own such a weapon.
For both of you that commented i should be ashamed of my beliefs and comments, i want you to be clear i do NOT feel ashamed.
You should feel ashamed that you are acting like a kid over a comment made instead of just ignoring it. You want your amendments to only fit when you agree? I say no!
What Ron Franklin did was unprofessional against a collegue. I don’t see how that relates to this incident.
You want someone to call your wife or significant other “sweet baby” or “sweetheart” while they are at work?
I would guess your answer is no to that.
Maybe London and UVA’s AD (Littlepage) can get Steinspring…..
Paging Jimmy Turk… paging… Jimmy Turk. Mr. Turk, you’re needed in Merryman STAT!
Yep, it’s that time of the year…
“Two Hokies walk-ons arrested after explosive device detonated last night in Blacksburg.” Maybe it was an engineering class project? I set off an M-80 or two in Blacksburg myself years ago.
Will Frank Beamer allow the two walk ons to ride the bus to Orlando? GT does belong in a bowl game, they proved it with a near win over FSU. Rutgers might look better on paper than VT but if VT can put together a complete game, they will win this one. They will need the last half effort against Duke and 2 Qtrs of the FSU game plus the first 6 minutes in the Clemson game to do it but it can be done. They have the pre-season favorite Heisman candidate Logan Thomas as well. If they stop Rutger’s running game there is a good chance they will return to the winning side of the ledger in Bowl games. More challenging for the Hokies will be to have enough players for the game; this is usually the time of the year that VT players are arrested and given the boot, at least for a few months.
I know I would love for Tech to have an explosive offense, but come on, not like this!
If the Hokie’s hoops team keeps playing like this, I will find my 12/4 win prediction to be short of reality. I still think their lack of overall depth will hurt come conference time…but they continue to impress.
“TIM”……..Oh, Tim!!……..Elvis is NOT still alive…….
…..And “NO” we never went to the moon…….The Van Allen belts of radiation, which is about 300 miles up and has 10 times more radiation than space, would have killed the astronauts before they even made it there….That is why EVERY manned flight, since, the supposed “walk-on-the-moon”, has been UNDER these radiation belts!!………We had to beat the Russians, who sent up the first manned rocket in 1958 (Sputnik) so, the astronauts orbited the earth for eight days and we saw on TV the “filmed” version out in “Area 51″…..Why do you think AREA 51 is so secure??……So, get real!…….The radiation is why the Russians truly never intended to go to the moon and is the VERY reason why we have never “WENT BACK”, so to speak………..
I heard that Beamer Trimble with rage when he heard about it and became Rody about it.
It’s tough being Beamer.
Another indication from the Blacksburg P.D. booking room that the Beamer needs to go. I wonder if the Beamer will be a character witness for Marcus since he knows them so well.
UVA fires a productive DC and VT won’t let go of a bunch that thinks ok is good enough as long as they get good tee times. NIU gets a BCS game, GT gets a bowl game with a losing record and LaTech is passed over. Florida gets a BCS game while UGA, which trounced them and came close to beating the defending national champions, goes … somewhere. Hopefully the Mayan calendar applies only to college football.
YOU ARE VERY CHILDISH AND UNINFORMED “TIM”………..
GROW UP!
cr – Mr. Turk will not be getting a call to help those boys out. They are walk-ons. Walk-ons don’t have access to the team attorney. When are the walk-ons going to learn. If you are going to get in trouble, make sure at least one starter or the teams only kicker is with you. That way you have access to the Turk Treatment by default.
Sorry, not reading the other 30′something comments above, so I may be repeating some things.
Thumbs up on N. Illinois getting in a BCS game. Let’s face it, only one of those games matters worth a damn. Put the little guys in now and then, when they have a spectacular season.
Hokie hoops deserve to be ranked. This team has a chemistry that is so important – you put the guys in that transferred/didn’t enroll, and this team might be 4-3. There is a very thin line between guys talent in hoops. Basketball is more about chemistry than anything else, and these guys, and staff, seem to have it down.
I like the VT-Rutgers matchup. Went to a few games at Rutgers, was my favorite place to go in the Big East. Easy tickets, great parking and shuttle, lots of room to spread out, and then you headed to the Big Apple for a couple of days. For this one, you get to head to Disneyworld. I’ll take NYC.
Tim,
If you don’t like what the constiution says, then go through the steps to AMEND it. It has been done many times in the history of this country. Please do that rather than give more of this baloney about it being some 200 year old document and that YOU are now inside the minds of the founding fathers and now YOU know what they would have written if they would have known that “someone would invent a weapon that could shoot thousands of rounds in a second” (BTW, talk about drama and exagerration, no such firearm exists).
I got news for you Tim. The gun was just the MEANS that was used. It didn’t do the crime. Going after the MEANS of the crimes is much like going after the car because the person driving it was drunk.
Even more hollow than before……
Ron Franklin doesn’t have rights to free speach in your book?
Oh yeah, La Tech got what they deserved. If you wait on the pretty chick to say yes to go to the prom, you might just not get to take the easy one and have a better time.
They would have packed the Independence Bowl. Home field advantage.
There is an AD that should be looking dusting off the resume and looking for a job.
I’m glad they didn’t have all these rules when I was at Tech. I’ve thrown enough cherry bombs to take out half of Bagdag. Oh well, guess it’s just the times. They’ll take a commode right off the floor too. The experience helped in Nam.
And, one final thought for the day.
A moment of silence for Rick M., from Rick H.
I thought he was just such a cool guy. Great basketball coach, and just lived life his way. He was one my short list when Tech hired Seth Greenberg, although I knew that was a longshot.
I know it doesn’t really matter, but the college hoops poll is out. Tech is second among “also receiving votes.”
The Hurrying Hokies 2.0 should get into the Top 25 if they beat WVU in Morganhole. There are just a ton of teams out there right now with shiny records, and it takes a while to break through the clutter. The Top 25 ranking doesn’t really matter, though, except as a boost to the team’s confidence. Building the program is what’s essential.
It’s a long season, with 75% of the games still ahead of us. Marathon, not a sprint.
From some that I’ve read, there is a belief within Louisiana Tech that they are far and away better than Louisiana-Monroe, and they felt it beneath them to play them in Shreveport. Never mind the fact that it would have been a good in-state game that could have drawn well from both fan bases having a local game…so yeah, I don’t feel bad for LT. The players? Yes, awful for them…but their AD caused it…he’s at fault.
Actually,
I fear the Hokies will start reading the headlines and forget to show up for a game. I would rather be off the radar than on it as far as polls go. Polls, right now, mean very little.
BTW Tim,
Please provide a link to that weapon that can shoot THOUSANDS of rounds in a second.
The Mrs. has asked me to give her a Christmas list and I would like to put one of them on it.
#43: What? It sort of depends on what the “explosive device” was and the circumstances, don’t you think? An M-80? A handgrenade? A pipebomb? No difference, right?
I was arrested in Blacksburg as a student for picking up my wife and carrying her over my shoulder on College St. They said it was “disorderly conduct”. So why not fire my Faculty Advisor (who got an Endowed Chair that year).
As for Marcus, why blame Beamer for the unlawful behavior of a man he THREW OFF THE TEAM years ago? How is Coach responsible for what a 28 YEAR OLD WITH NO TIES TO THE PROGRAM does?
Yes, I was yelling to try to get your attention.
If Beamer continues to try to help either Vick I would characterize it as a christian act of charity or act of mature friendship as I can’t see what it has to do with VT Football anymore.
I know it veers off sports, but like Bob H…I too would love to own a weapon that could physically fire thousands of rounds a second (that would be hellaciously fun at the range). Problem is, they don’t exist (and even ones that can fire at incredibly high rates are so gosh-darned expensive that I’m not putting my house up for one). Fully automatic weapons also require a number of special permits and background checks to purchase and own (way more than what is required to buy a regular handgun), which is why they are generally pretty rare from a legal ownership perspective. I own several semi-automatic firearms though (handguns, rifles), and a few single-shot ones too (rifle, shotgun). Most readily-available firearms are of the semi-automatic nature, which means the firing rates are as fast as the weapon cycles a round and the user can pull the trigger again…and they are limited by magazine size, usually 5-15 rounds.
To pull it back to sports (sorta), shooting sports are a good deal of fun. I don’t hunt, but target shooting is a lot of fun, and a good way to spend a few hours on a nice day. And, it’s something my wife loves to do as well, so it’s a good joint activity…like going to the driving range for golf (which she also enjoys), or watching a hockey game (which, thankfully, she also likes). Aside from plinking with a .22 and some pellet guns, I hadn’t done much else until getting to fire an M-16 during a training week at Little Creek Amphib Base my freshman year in college. Talk about fun…but we could only use the semi-auto mode.
Maybe the walkons should have made sure a UNC athlete was with them when they lit the cherry bomb.
Sorry, but some of the posts on this blog are exceptionally painful to read today. We’re coming off of one of the great sports weekends in the season; there should be plenty to comment about that stays true to the topic. If you want to post about wacko conspiracy theories, go to Dan Casey’s blog. You’ll fit right in.
Thanks OJ (and BTW, the OJ I referred to in an earlier post was Orinthal James Simpson and not you!).
I just get a little tired of gun control fanatics using such ridiculous exageration in their (ir)rationale to justify their views. In this case, there is no weapon in the world or on Star Trek ot Star Wars that fires thousands of rounds in a single second and I notice that Tim is singing the old 4 Seasons song “Silence is Golden” on finding a link.
I guess it is just a difference in theology. Me, if I don’t like something, then I don’t BUY it. But I don’t try to prevent someone else from buying it. Especially not a constitutionally guaranteed right!
I am 180 from you. I hunt and seldom recreational target shoot (other than to sight in). Mostly I hunt with the crossbow but I hunt with my shotgun, rifle, and muzzle loader (which, BTW, also does not fire very quickly either….). That being said, I do consume what I kill (deer) and never kill more than I need.
But, we are not on Mark Taylor’s BLOG here!
My take on this VT stuff is that this is a prank that got out of hand. The bomb was a soda pop bottle and the explosive was bathroom cleaner.
Sounds alot to me like the guy who brought the machine gun (eh, umbrella actually) into Valley View Mall a few months ago.
The whole “boom goes the sodea bottle” reminds me of two “explosvie” experiences I have been part of it.
I lit up a firecracker in a friend’s pickup one day. Never saw someone get out of the truck so fast before. I tossed it outside the window and was about to stamp out the fuse. I’m happy to report my foot is still in one piece, and still attached to my leg. I can’t say the same about the firecracker.
The other time, I was prepping a burn barrel to burn some cardboard trashes, and I was dousing it with gasoline just to speed up the burning process. I then proceed to toss the match on it and the match went out. Puzzled, I moved closer to take a look, and boy what a booming experience. Some of the trashes went skyward, burning, and landed on the dried, crunch summer sun beaten grasses. Some of the trashes promptly lit the grasses on fire. I told my daughter to hurry and get me some water while I ran into an outside buidling to get my shovel. I got busy stamping out the fire with my shovel and my daughter comes running out with a cereal bowl of water. Seriously. I had to tell her to get me the garden pitcher so I could properly put out the fire.
I was glad there was never a 911 call or I would have gotten in trouble for sure. It was a lesson learned. Now…I just use blowtorch to light the cardboards.
I’ve had Tech students blow up bottles of dry ice in my yard. It leaves quite an impression.
It actually is quite impressive – and scary.
I guess I am doomed.
London’s tenure has just perpetuated the same basic problem the team had under Groh, inability to “coach up” players during their time at the school. The ACC is embarrassingly weak and other than at quarterback, UVa’s talent has been equal to most of the league’s teams for years, yet they consistently under perform.
Also reminds me when I attended Vt before transferring to Georgia Tech. One of my VT professors had instructed us on how to tell if there was still gasoline in a can or if it was totally empty. He told us to light a match near the spout and that would give us enough light to see what was in the can. I didn’t think that was a very good idea and I am here today to tell about it. Not sure what happened to the rest of the class, they may have also become Yellow Jackets.
haha Bob H, I knew which OJ you meant, but I’ll be honest that I had to re-read it! It would be really cool to have a phaser…or a transporter, that would eliminate my commute and I’d love that.
I failed to mention my Lions earlier. Yet again, they had a chance to score a win, and found a creative way to lose. They’ve had probably 4 games that they could/should have won, but didn’t. They have resumed their regularly scheduled mediocrity.
OK, so the gas can blew Barry all the way to Atlanta. Nice.
If you want automatic weapons, move to Arizona. They are freely sold there. I don;t know if you can buy an airborne mini-gun but they sound like tearing paper (ok a little louder) when they fire. That is the fastest firing thing I know of.
Good for defensing your house in the Zombie Appocalypse.
FIRE BEAMER! His players blew up a soda bottle!!!!! FELONY OFFENSE!!!!! FATALLY STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE HAS LOST CONTROL!!!!!!!!!!
geeez. GTH you Beamer haters. Or at least wait until the facts come out before going haywire.
Barry, sounds like that professor was trying to separate the smart students from those that needed to transfer to lesser schools, say GT, for example.
Rocco is a very smart young man, and a pretty good quarterback. We all make mistakes…..
Mistakes were the least of Rocco’s problem……….He simply was not a Division “1″ quarterback!!…….”TWO-STARS” rivals rating = FCS