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Lap 500--Hamlin hangs on for his second victory at Martinsville. Johnson second, Montoya third, Kyle Busch fourth and Gordon fifth.

Lap 494--Caution again. Scott Speed hits the wall between turns 1 and 2. Not over yet. Montoya will start on the inside. Could get interesting.

Lap 489--Strong restart for Hamlin. It's his to lose.

Lap 485--The debris looked like it was a piece of rubber "about the size of a pop tart," according to one press box denizen. It was sitting on the inside groove just beyond the start-finish line. We all feel safer now that it's been removed. Here's the order when we resume: Hamlin, Johnson, Gordon, Montoya, Newman, Stewart.

Lap 483--Caution for debris on the frontstretch. Here we go.

Lap 476--The leaders will should hit lapped traffic before it's through.

Lap 472--If it stays green -- a big if -- I don't think anybody catches Hamlin here.

Lap 469--Gordon snags third from Montoya. We'll see if he's got anything for his teammate.

Lap 459--Hamlin has maintained a two-length edge on Johnson. Montoya third, Gordon fourth.

Lap 448--Hamlin, Johnson, Montoya, Vickers, Gordon will lead them to the green flag.

Lap 443--Andretti spins in turn 2 to bring out the caution.

Lap 441--Hamlin has a 2.5-second lead on Johnson. Montoya third.

Lap 436--Hamlin pits. Will update the leaders when it cycles through.

Lap 433--Here comes Johnson into the pits. He's the first of the leaders to go down under the green here. Montoya and Martin join him...Here comes Gordon, too.

Lap 413--Hamlin has put tons of space between himself and Johnson.

Lap 394--About time for one of those dubious "debris" cautions, don't you think? Maybe that fan will chuck his mayonnaise bottle on the track. Speaking of fans, I've noticed a severe drop-off in Dale Earnhardt Jr. gear being worn by people here. This placed used to be a sea of red (and later green, when he switched sponsors), but there's only a smattering now. He still gets the loudest cheers in prerace introductions, but fewer are hitching their wagons to a guy who's currently three laps down. Purely unscientific research here, of course.

Lap 379--No change in the leaders: Hamlin, Johnson, Montoya, Martin. We're getting to the point where double-file restarts that were supposed to enliven the action might really be a factor.

Lap 367--For all you Allmendinger fans out there -- and really, who isn't an Allmendinger fan? -- there's good news and bad news. The good news: He's back on the track. The bad news, he needs 87 "lucky dogs" to get back on the lead lap.

Lap 363--Hamlin gets the lead from Johnson. For a moment, Johnson looked like he was going to try to take it back immediately, but he's backed off now. Montoya and Martin are in third and fourth, respectively.

Lap 353--Lapped traffic has allowed Hamlin to catch up to Johnson. They're nose-to-tail. Still not sure if Denny has the better car, though.

Lap 338--Kahne is six laps down and running in 34th. Safe to say his championship hopes are officially over.

Lap 328--While we watch Johnson pull away by a dozen car lengths, let's tell you who's out of the race: Robby Gordon, Joe Nemechek, David Gilliland, Dave Blaney, Michael McDowell, Derrike Cope and Travis Kvapil. I propose that, after Johnson wins this thing, we allow that bunch to step into UCars and give us an interesting wreck-fest.

Lap 320--In a stunning turn of events, Reutimann was unable to hold the lead. One guess who has it. Yep, Johnson. Hamlin should be passing Reutimann for second here in a bit.

Lap 305--David Reutimann stayed out during that last caution, so he'll lead them back to the green flag. Johnson in sixth, Martin seventh and Hamlin eighth.

Lap 287--Montoya is right on Johnson's tail but can't make the pass. I'm liking that guy more and more. He reminded me of Manny Ramirez with some of his answers in the media center on Friday. Remember when Manny ticked off all those Red Sox fans when he implied that losing a playoff series wouldn't be the end of the world? That's sort of what Montoya said: He lost a bunch of points at Charlotte last week, but he doesn't care. He's going all out and leaving the rest for others to judge. He's certainly been impressive today (although Gordon might use a different word for it after their early back-and-forth).

Lap 275--We have confirmed that there is a gentleman chugging mayonnaise in the grandstands. Actually, we're speculating that it is Jell-o shots contained in a squeeze mayonnaise bottle, but whatever. You see some strange things at Martinsville. What you don't see is anybody other that Johnson win. Still time for somebody else to step up as Johnson leads the field. PROVE ME WRONG, KIDS! PROVE ME WRONG!

Lap 260--Whaddya know...Johnson leads at Martinsville. Martin is in second.

Lap 259--Allmendinger evaluated and released from infield care center.

Lap 252--A.J. Allmendinger's day looks like it's done after he's wrecked in turn 2. The wrecker is out, but he's out of the car and walking around.

Lap 241--Nearly halfway home and the leaders are all prominent names: Hamlin, Johnson, Montoya, Martin and Kyle Busch. That's not unusual here. This is a tough place for second-tier teams to break through.

Lap 217--Jeff Gordon's working hard to try to get back in the top 10. He's in 13th now. Johnson's up to third. Hamlin still leads.

Lap 210--Kasey Kahne spins in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. Been an up-and-down Chase for the 29-year-old Kahne, who has three top-10 finishes and two finishes of 34th or worse. He entered the race in ninth place, 331 points behind Johnson.

Lap 206--My dream finish would pit Montoya against Johnson side-by-side in the final laps, with Mark Martin stalking in third. The ex-Formula 1 ace wouldn't be shy, that's for sure.

Lap 202--Kyle Busch has snared the lead for the moment, with Hamlin in second. Johnson is in fifth and you can bet he'll find the front in the next 100 laps.

Lap 199--There are empty seats here, but the crowd is actually a little bit better than what I thought it would be. The reduced-price tickets helped fill in the unsightly gaps between turns 3 and 4 that we've seen here before. Those look terrible on TV.

Lap 183--Denny Hamlin has the lead after some pit shuffling. He's always strong here and is the only guy not named Jimmie Johnson to win at Martinsville in the past six races. Vegas listed his odds today at 7-to-1. Johnson was at 2.5-to-1 and Jeff Gordon was 3.5-to-1.

Lap 180--A few news items from the track today as we wait out caution No. 6 of the day: Martinsville Speedway announced that the Southern Virginia Higher Learning Center will now produce the grandfather clock trophy that goes to the winners. Also, track president Clay Campbell announced a three-year contract extension to keep Pepsi as the official soft drink of the speedway.

Lap 178--Dale Earnhardt Jr. looks like he'll be a nonfactor once again. Early problems have left him in 34th place, two laps down of the field.

Lap 164--How about Juan Pablo Montoya shakin' things up with some aggressive early driving against Jeff Gordon? And then he actually PASSED Jimmie Johnson for the lead. Are you really supposed to do that here?

Good for him. Montoya looks pretty strong about 150 laps in, and the dent in the right side of the car is proof that he's willing to do what it takes today. We'll see what happens.

-- Aaron McFarling

Greetings from Blacksburg, where Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer visited Saturday for Baseball Night in Blacksburg.

Quick note that needs to be written: Palmer wasn't paid a dime to come here. Virginia Tech baseball coach Pete Hughes got him to come and speak through a mutual acquaintance, which speaks both to Hughes' recruiting ability and Palmer's class.

My Sunday column focused on the big news of the day, Alex Rodriguez and (sigh) steroids and baseball. Obviously, we reporters were interested in Palmer's thoughts on the subject. But that wasn't the only topic of discussion. I also asked Palmer, who does color commentary on Orioles broadcasts for MASN, whether he thought the O's were heading in the right direction with the moves they made this offseason.

“I certainly hope so," he said. "As you all know, it’s a very difficult division to be in. Nobody can outspend the Yankees…The Orioles have to try to sign players and develop their young talent. I honestly think that they helped themselves with [Cesar] Izturis at shortstop, because that was one of the weaknesses. [Melvin] Mora was one of the best hitters in baseball the second half of the year, even though I think he’s going to be 37 this year, he had shoulder surgery to take care of what bothered him the first half. [Nick] Markakis is as good a right fielder as you could have, and they just signed him long term. That’s a positive. Catching is going to be somewhat of a dilemma. [Recently jettisoned] Ramon Hernandez, his first year was great and then his second year and third year, he was not the most ambitious guy. And I think people resented that. It’s such an important position. You need to have somebody who understands how important catching is. [Matt] Wieters down the line will probably be the catcher but Gregg Zaun, he was there a long time ago and he’s really matured as a catcher. I think he’ll be able to do that…Is [Aubrey] Huff going to have 32 home runs? He’s certainly capable of doing it. It’s a contract year, so that’s a lot of motivation. Brian Roberts is one of the best leadoff guys in baseball. I think Adam Jones has a chance to be as good as anybody in baseball in center field. He’s still going to have to mature as a hitter, but he’s a great kid. And I think the bullpen’s going to be special, especially if some of the guys come back. The starting pitching, obviously…there’s going to be some holes....Everybody else, at least on paper, is supposedly better than them. But there are a lot of good teams on paper that haven’t done well.”

I also asked him if he thought the economy would create a greater disparity in baseball.

“That’s a good question," he said. "There was a great article on class resentment. When things are going well, people don’t mind that people on Wall Street are making money, the executives at GM or Chrysler or whatever are making money. But when things aren’t going good and you’re losing jobs or whatever, the whole playing field changes. So it’s going to be very interesting in baseball…it’s going to be a difficult sell. I think you have to try to get your fans to relate to your players. While we made nice salaries, I don’t think we made so much that people resented us. Which is too bad.”

(He laughed after he said that last part and pointed out that he was joking.)

I asked Hughes if he had to dust off a steroid speech when news like Saturday's breaks. He said no, that the NCAA does a good job of testing, but they do talk about the issue occasionally.

“It’s out there," Hughes said. "Steroids is no different, especially for kids who are competitively motivated. Someone’s always looking for an edge. And we’ve just got to tell them that’s not where you’re going to get your edge."

Aaron McFarling

So the guy taking orders Friday at the Fuddruckers in Omaha, Neb., did not know there is a big football game in the state today. Neither did the lady at the Kwik-E-Mart, who was very curious why two guys from Virginia were in her store on Friday (hint: jerky was involved). This leads me to believe that, contrary to popular belief, not EVERYONE in the state of Nebraska cares about Husker football. It only seems that way. And another thing: They never, in a million years, should have closed that Fuddruckers in Salem. -- Aaron McFarling

As you might expect, the result of the Virginia Tech game was greeted warmly hear at Scott Stadium as we prepare for kickoff of USC-Virginia. Still no word on who's starting at quarterback here. I've got plenty of thoughts on the Tech loss -- half of which I heard on the radio, the other half I watched on television in the press box -- but that'll have to wait. Jeff Gilbert's in the house in Charlotte to give you all the gory details.

--Aaron McFarling

MONDAY, JULY 21, 6:30 P.M.

Aaron McFarling here from Greensboro, Ga. Day 2 of the 2008 ACC Football Kickoff is in the books. The coaches have spoken, and here are your highlights:

First of all, Virginia coach Al Groh was positively charming today. Really. OK, so I thought he was. For Al. Plus, he quoted God. Maybe he was just thrilled about the new injury policy in the ACC. More on all this in a bit.

The polls were released today. Virginia Tech got 58 of a possible 65 first-place votes to win the Coastal Division, followed by (first-place votes in parentheses):

2.North Carolina (4)
3. Miami (1)
4. Georgia Tech (1) (huh?)
5. Virginia (1) (double-huh?)
6. Duke

"I'm surprised to be honest with you," Tech coach Frank Beamer said of the solid consensus for his team. "We've got some coaching to do."

I told Groh it looked like there was at least one believer among us media types in his team.

"And I bet you all are laughing at him, aren't you?" Groh said.

Oh, yes. We are. But it could be a "her," you know.

In the Atlantic, Clemson was the runaway choice with 59 votes. The rest:
2. Wake Forest (5)
3. Florida State (1)
4. Boston College
5. Maryland
6. N.C. State

Clemson, a top-10 team in many preseason magazines, got 51 votes to win the conference.

Beamer, as you might expect, was asked about his quarterbacks. He reiterated that he'd like to find a clear-cut No. 1 before kickoff on Aug. 30 against ECU rather than go in with the mindset of just playing them both.

"We've got to get that figured out," he said.

He acknowledged that Tech probably wouldn't have won the ACC without the two-quarterback system last year but felt something snapped out of place in the Orange Bowl.

"We seemed we were always one play behind," he said.

Asked what that meant exactly, he smiled.

"When you're throwing interceptions and they're going back to the end zone, you're one play behind," Beamer said.

Frank said the loss of receiver Brandon Dillard to injury really ratchets up the need for the Hokies to identify about six wideouts early in fall practice that they can work with regularly (he said he'd like to narrow the tailback race to three in the same swift time frame). But he seemed pleased at the talent level of the incoming freshman and reprized one of his familiar sayings: The farther you are away from the football in the formation, the earlier you can play in your career and make an impact.

"If [receivers] get any farther away, they're going to get out of bounds," he said.

One of the major factors that gives Beamer pause when he looks at the preseason poll is the fact that his team has to go on the road to Miami, Florida State, BC and UNC this year (as well as a tough nonconference trip to Nebraska).

"I don't know when we've had as demanding a schedule as we have this year," Beamer said.

Onto Al quoting the Lord. Don't worry -- it was merely a clean joke he relayed when he was asked about whether players are getting the message that they can't get in off-the-field or academic trouble. Paraphrased, the joke goes thusly:

Man goes to mass. Man prays: "Lord, just let me win the lottery and I'll forever be thankful." Man comes back the next week. Prays the same thing. Finally, after weeks of doing this, man is praying again when a crash of thunder booms outside the church. (this is when Groh cupped his hands over his mouth, imitating the almighty):

"HELP ME OUT HERE....YOU HAVE TO BUY A TICKET!"

Not bad. And not a bad parable for what he was getting at with the player-retention issue. His point was that you can put all the policies in place you want, but at some point the players have to buy the ticket, or, in this case, buy into the team standards.

Anyway, Groh was in a pretty good mood. One possible reason: The ACC announced Monday a "suggested minimum standard" for reporting injuries this season. Under the plan, the coach defers all injury-related questions to the sports medicine contact. Each Monday, the school announces any players who are out for the season or are scheduled to have surgery. No other questions or announcements will be made until within 90 minutes of the end of Thursday practice (or Tuesday for a Thursday game). Player will be classified with one of five labels:

1. Definitely will play
2. Probable
3. Questionable.
4. Doubtful
5. Out.

So the gamblers should be fairly happy. But so is Al, who was wholeheartedly in favor of the plan.
"So I don't have to answer all these stupid questions from Sunday to Thursday," he said.
Groh said they wouldn't have agreed to play USC this year unless it was the first game of the season. Like most coaches, he prefers not to create such a major distraction within or near the conference slate.

And finally, we leave you with a tongue-in-cheek quote from Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, who was talking about why he won't be calling the offensive plays this year like he did last season.
"I was spreading myself too thin," he said, smiling. "Not to use a pun."

That's all for now. Look for Randy King's story on the poll in Tuesday's paper.

SUNDAY, JULY 20, 5 P..

Aaron McFarling here from Greensboro, Ga., where we've wrapped up Day 1 of the 2008 ACC Football Kickoff.

First things first: We're 138 days, 19 hours, 59 minutes and 21 seconds -- nope, make that 19 seconds...now 18 -- from kickoff of the ACC championship game. Are you hyped? Well, what if I told you it's now 138-19-58-50?

I know what you're thinking: How does he know this so exactly? Well, let me tell you. I now have an official "The Road to Tampa Bay" countdown clock, courtesy of the fine folks of the conference. Think of the uses! I could...put it on my desk at work. Or...give it as a gift. Or...simply watch it tick slowly down as I salivate. As far as I can tell, that is its only function -- counting down. (Wait. I just fiddled with the buttons on the back and revealed a clock as well. Oh, well. Lame punchline coming anyway.) I'm hoping when the countdown numbers reach zeroes it magically turns into a flat-screen TV upon which I can watch the title game. Guess we'll see.

Every team sent two player representatives to the interview room today. Virginia Tech went with quarterback Sean Glennon and defensive lineman Orion Martin. Virginia sent linebacker Clint Sintim and tight end John Phillips.

The preseason poll will come out Monday, and Tech will almost certainly be the favorite in the Coastal Division. (I voted for Tech in the Coastal, Clemson in the Atlantic, with the Tigers winning the league title game). I asked Glennon if he thought the Hokies were deserving of that division-favorite label despite significant losses at the offensive skill positions and on defense.

“I think so," Glennon said. "I don’t want say that we’re the favorites, but being defending conference champions and with the tradition we’ve set up at Virginia Tech, we expect to win 10 games, we expect to go to the ACC championship.”

Another reporter suggested that this might be a "bridge" season to big things in 2009. Glennon, a fifth-year senior, wasn't buying it.

“That’s what they said in 2004," he said. "We won the ACC and went to the Sugar Bowl, so…this team is similar. That year Bryan [Randall] was working with a whole new crew of receivers…It may be a rebuilding year in terms of we’re young, but I don’t think it’s a rebuilding year in terms of we should expect less wins or anything like that.”

Glennon spent the offseason working out with his younger brother, Mike, a freshman at N.C. State and one of five candidates for the Wolfpack quarterback position. Sean recently served as a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy in Louisiana, teaching high school kids the position alongside Peyton and Eli Manning. The college counselors also had an opportunity to talk with the two NFL stars in a private Q&A session.

“We were asking them how they work out, how they study film, what it takes to remain a guy at the next level," Glennon said. "We were just asking them everything. I gained a lot from that, just picking the brains of the last two Super Bowl champs.”

Obviously, the QB spot at Tech is still open, with Glennon battling sophomore Tyrod Taylor for the job. Martin said he's confident both QBs will play this fall. Glennon, though preferring to be the full-time guy, said he knows the dual system is a possibility.

“A lot of things remain to be seen, but I’m not ruling that out," he said. "We only went four games or so with it last year, we haven’t experienced a whole season. That will be interesting to see if that plays out. Is it working? If we’re winning, I’m sure it’ll keep everybody happy. But what do we do if we lose a couple games?”

The offense will no doubt look different either way. The receivers are all new and a fresh tailback will take over for the departed Branden Ore. The one sure thing seems to be the line -- seemingly a rarity in Blacksburg.

“I don’t know if it plays in my favor, but I was really pleased with the line play," Glennon said. "We had pretty good protection this spring. We have four guys that have been around the block: [Ryan] Shuman and [Nick] Marshman and Sergio [Render] and Ed Wang. They’ve got a lot of starts under their belt…If you give me four seconds, I think I can do a lot of damage. I see that happening this year barring injury.”

Martin brought up a good point that the Aug. 30 season opener against ECU, played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, will be "almost like a bowl setting." While Tech fans might cringe at that thought -- the Hokies are 1-4 in their past five bowls -- it ought to be an interesting atmosphere that could help build some confidence for December or January.

On the Virginia side, a reporter asked Sintim if he had to pick one game to win -- and only one -- would he prefer a victory over USC in the season opener or a win at Tech on Nov. 29?

"Oh, man," Sintim said, smiling. "I can't take 'em both?"

Roanoke Times scribe Doug Doughty tossed the linebacker a lifeline.

"You're only supposed to be thinking about the next game," Doughty said.

"Good answer!" Sintim said. "I'm just thinking about the next game right now."

You hear that, Hokies? He'd rather beat USC than you!

Just kidding.

Sintim was pretty funny. Doughty pointed out that he wasn't wearing his trademark eyeglasses, then asked Sintim how his eyesight is without them.

"Terrible!" Sintim said. "Why do you think that I don't have an interception [in his career]?You think I don't have an interception just because? I can't see!"

Nobody's giving the Cavaliers much of a chance against USC, but Sintim's fired up about the opportunity at Scott Stadium.

"What's the point of dipping your foot in the water?" he said. "You might as well jump in."

That's all for now. Look for stories by Doughty and Tech beat writer Randy King in the morning. I'll leave you with one final Glennon quote.

“Not being brash or overconfident," he said, "but I’d be disappointed with anything less than a trip to Tampa. That’s probably the best way to put it.”

Here's another way he could have put it: "In 138 days, 18 hours, 56 minutes and 23 seconds, my butt's gonna be in Tampa. Count it down, brother."

Well, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer called today's Maroon-White scrimmage one of the best Spring Games he's seen, which probably ranks it about 12,475th on his list of best games he's seen. Sean Glennon's White team defeated the Tyrod Taylor-led Maroon squad 24-3 in a fairly well-played scrimmage that had some encouraging signs on both sides.

For Sunday, Randy King will have a story with heavy emphasis on receiver Brandon Dillard, who definitely made a case that he deserves a scholarship. The former Bassett standout and redshirt junior still does not have one, but he was the top performer on the field today, rushing for 49 yards on one carry and catching a 25-yard touchdown pass. For a team looking for replacements in the receiving corps, Dillard stood out. Zach Luckett caught two passes for 20 yards, while Danny Coale had two receptions for 18 yards.

Glennon also looked good, completing 9 of 15 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

“Definitely not a perfect spring, but I like how it ended," Glennon said. "I thought I played pretty well today.”

Taylor's line wasn't as effective, and he was sacked three times while completing 11 of 19 passes for 67 yards and an interception.

Josh Oglesby's 25-yard run in the second half gave him a Maroon team-leading 40 yards. Darren Evans ran nine times for 24 yards and one touchdown for the White team, with Dustin Pickle toting it once for four yards.

The kicking game is another unsettled position. Chris Hazley hit a 42-yard field goal, the longest of the day. Dustin Keys connected from 18 yards out, and Tim Pisano was short on a 52-yard attempt.

Tech's not providing any estimates on the crowd, but the press box consensus is 30,000. Definitely not bad considering the cool, drizzly weather.

That's all for tonight. I'll have a column in Sunday's paper (and online) about what I think Tech should do with the quarterback situation, and Randy will have his story and other notes and quotes from the game. Hope you'll check it out.
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White wins 24-3. Back with stats and a wrap-up later.
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Fitting end to a tough day for the Taylor-led Maroon team. A 16-yard completion over the middle to Andre Smith ends in a fumble. Dean Hill recovers for the White team with 33 seconds left.
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Getting sloppy here at the end, with two bad snaps in a row for the White team. They'll punt it away to give Taylor one more crack at leading a TD drive.
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Maroon turns it over on downs with less than 3 minutes to go. Cory Holt did make his first catch on the drive, a 17-yarder from Taylor.
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Unofficially, White has 199 total yards while Maroon has 74.
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Ike Whitaker makes a diving catch in the end zone on a 12-yard pass from Glennon, and the rout is on for the White team. White leads 24-3 with 5:17 remaining in the fourth quarter after Dustin Keys boots the extra point. Spectacular play by the former quarterback and the present one. Glennon eluded pressure and threw on the run where only Whitaker could get it, and Whitaker went full-out on the dive to snag it in the corner. Highlights on the drive: Evans caught an 11-yard pass out of the backfield for a first down. Tight end Andrew Lanier got loose over the middle to collect a 27-yard pass from Glennon.
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Maroon puts together a long drive, at least in terms of time, but they have to settle for a 52-yard field goal attempt and Tim Pisano is well short on it. Macho Harris fields the ball in the end zone and returns it to the White 36. On the drive: Danny Coale shows his stuff as a possession receiver, picking up a first down on a 8-yard pass from Taylor on 3rd-and-7. Tailback Josh Oglesby has his first big play of the day, breaking through a hole on the left side for 25 yards on third-and-2. But Macho Harris sacks Taylor from behind for a big loss and Maroon cannot make up that ground.
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White goes three and out to start the second half. Zach Luckett dropped a sure first down pass from Glennon on third down. That's three drops from the unproven receiving corps thus far.
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HALFTIME: Your MVP thus far is the White team's Brandon Dillard, who caught a 25-yard touchdown pass, had a 49-yard end around to set up another score and also had a nice kick return. The redshirt junior (have I mentioned he was a Bassett guy?) is a former walk-on with a diverse set of skills. As for the quarterbacks, Sean Glennon has looked great, while Tyrod Taylor hasn't looked very comfortable. I'll get some stats when they become available.
Spring awards are being announced. They are:
Paul Torgersen Award (top offensive and defensive newcomer) are Blake DeChristopher on offense and Barqell Rivers on defense.
Dr. Richard Bullock Award (most improved) are Ike Whitaker on offense and Demetrius Taylor on defense.
Frank O. Moseley Award (most hustle) are Dustin Pickle on offense and John Graves on defense.
Don Williams Award (team-first mentality) were Devin Perez on offense and Cam Martin on defense.
The Coaches Award (outstanding spring player) are Nick Marshman on offense and Brett Warren on defense.
President's Award (leadership): Orion Martin and Kam Chancellor, both on defense.
George Preas Award (most valuable spring performers): Greg Boone on offense and Jason Worilds on defense.
Biggest Loser Award (most weight loss): Cordarrow Thompson, defense.
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The ATM (Evans) can't punch it in this time from 1-yard out, and an incompletion on second down forces White to settle for a field goal just before the half. They're up on Maroon 17-3 at the half.
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Taylor is intercepted by Kam Chancellor and an underthown pass that the QB threw on the run across his body. Chancellor returns it from about midfield all the way to the Maroon 1. Hasn't been a great day for former QBs now playing receiver. A wide-open Cory Holt dropped a pass on that last drive.
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Brandon Dillard again. The former Bassett Bengal catches a perfect 25-yard pass in the end zone from Glennon, and the White team leads 14-3 with :57 remaining in the first half. A nice connection from Glennon to Boone -- who was in his more familiar tight end position -- picked up 20 yards. Luckett also caught a 16-yard pass on the drive.
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Chris Hazley boots a 42-yard field goal with plenty to spare, and the Maroon team is on the board. They now trail White 7-3 with 1:39 remaining in the first half. Hazley's boot was a good sign for the Hokies, who have struggled some in the kicking game this fall while trying to find a replacement for the departed Jud Dunlevy.
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A 14-yard touchdown pass from Taylor to tight end David Stanton is called back by a holding call. Either way, very nice catch by the redshirt sophomore Stanton, who was face-guarded well in the end zone by Davon Morgan.
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Here comes Maroon. Redshirt sophomore Prince Parker blocks a punt to set up the Maroon team first-and-10 on the White 15. A couple of guys playing relatively new positions got a shot on that last drive. Tight end Greg Boone lined up as a back and took a handoff for minus-2 yards. Then former QB Ike Whitaker, now a top contender to start at receiver this fall, dropped a pass over the middle from Glennon.
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Another 3-and-out for the Maroon team. Taylor's been moving around back there in the pocket, but he's not finding a lot of room against this defense. The rain looks like it's coming down pretty good now.
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Darren Evans -- aka the Automatic Touchdown Machine -- punches in the game's first score from 1 yard out. Dustin Keys boots the extra point and the White team leads 7-0 with 7:21 remaining in the first quarter. That 64-yard drive came exclusively on the ground.
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The first quarter ends with the game scoreless, but the White team is threatening. They've got it first-and-goal from the 3 after a 10-yard run by Evans and a nice 49-yard end around by wide receiver Brandon Dillard, a former Bassett high school standout.
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Linebacker Cam Martin is shaken up on a 2-yard run by Darren Evans. He's helped off the field.
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The Taylor-led Maroon team picks up the initial first down of the game, when the QB hit Danny Coale for a 10-yard pass. But a fourth-down pass later falls incomplete, and the White team's got it back.
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Both QBs are off to a shaky start. On his first play, Sean Glennon connects with tailback Darren Evans, who is stuck hard by linebacker Purnell Sturdivant for a loss of 3. A short pass to Zach Luckett and an incompletion down the middle followed, and the white team is forced to punt.
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Tyrod Taylor leads a 3-and-out series for the Maroon to start things off. A false start by tight end Andre Smith, followed by two incompletions and a Demetrius Taylor sack will give Sean Glennon and the white team possession.

What this game needs is stakes -- or even steaks. My college baseball team would end each fall practice season with a seven-game intrasquad series, with the losing team buying the winning team a steak dinner. Always upped the intensity a tad, more out of pride than anything. Come to think of it, that's probably some sort of NCAA violation.
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About to kick off. Might not be a record crowd, but it's a good one. The east side of the stands is about half full, while the west side is about 3/4 full. There are also several hundred in the end zone seating area.

Fans are pulling out their ponchos as a light rain begins to fall. Chilly down here today.
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Aaron McFarling here from Blacksburg, where we're about an hour away from kickoff for Virginia Tech's annual Maroon-White scrimmage. I'll be posting here with updates throughout the game.

If the parking situation is any indication, we could be looking at a record Spring Game crowd today.

-Aaron McFarling

Their magic number is 156. And you’'d better believe every Orioles fan knows it. After 10 years of purgatory, the baseball gods gave the Birds a week to remember to open 2008, as they completed a four-game sweep of Seattle on Monday to improve to 5-1 and remain in SOLE possession of first place in the AL East. Someone posting under the handle “"Aubrey Huff"” chimed in on the blog at roanoke.com under my quick thought from last Monday, an Opening Day loss-inspired rant headlined “"Optimism low for Orioles."” Huff’s post? “"Don’t look now...but the O’s are 3-1!!”" Know what? Huff’s right. Scrap that previous post. Optimism is HIGH for the Orioles. Crazy, irrational, loony-bin, never-gonna-last high. And I love it. —-- Aaron McFarling

Aaron McFarling here at Martinsville Speedway, where we were awaiting Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer's press conference at 11 a.m. I'm not really sure what we were going to ask him -- "So ya like racin', Frank?" -- but now we won't have a chance to find out.

Speedway officials just announced that Beamer's helicopter could not get out of Blacksburg this morning. Iced in. Yes, iced. On March 30.

Needless to say, the crowd here today might be the smallest in a long, long time. But no rain as of yet, so here's hoping we see some racing.

UPDATE, 10:55 a.m.: Some guy from Goody's just "filled in" for Beamer in the media center. I'm reminded of the "Kamp Krusty" episode of "The Simpsons," when all the kids are waiting to see Krusty but instead get a video presentation and a substitute.

"Hello kids, I am Mr. Black..."

But they are trying to get Beamer on the phone for us.

UPDATE, 11 a.m.: Goody's guy, searching for stuff to say about Tech, just said something profound about "The Tighty Whitey Band." Then somebody reminded him they are actually called the "Highty-Tighties." Although the Red Hot Chili Peppers once performed in tighty whiteys, so maybe that was what he meant.

UPDATE, 11:09 a.m.: Frank just spoke. He said both quarterbacks will get equal reps in the spring. He said Kenny Lewis Jr., begins the spring as the team's No. 1 tailback.
But you know that already. He also said that he likes NASCAR. Did you know that? Yep. Likes the speed, the fans, the whole deal. Loves all the tracks in Virginia. Said there's a lot of things he thinks he could do in life, but climbing in a race car is probably not one of them. For that reason, he has a great admiration for the sport and the athletes in it.
"Mr. Black" promised to send Beamer some Goody's headache powder to ease his disappointment for not making the race. Frank thanked him.

Aaron McFarling here from Blacksburg, where Virginia Tech has just defeated Wake Forest 80-58 to clinch no worse than a 9-7 record in the ACC and set up a huge game Sunday at Clemson.

Senior night was good to both departing Hokies, as Deron Washington had 22 points and 13 rebounds, finishing two points shy of a career high.

"Out of this world," Tech coach Seth Greenberg called Washington's performance.

Little-used Marcus Travis (Blacksburg High School) also played well. Given the start by Greenberg, Travis scored the first basket of the game on a wide-open layup, igniting a 17-3 run to start the game.

Travis said the play was not designed for anyone in particular. It was just the normal motion offense and his defender made the wrong move, so he took it hard to the basket.

Travis, a guard who hadn't played more than 3 minutes in any games this year, played 12 minutes, had two points, a rebound, three assists and two steals.

“I love basketball," Travis said. "Any day I can come in the gym and play for free – I can come in here any time I want to. It’s definitely worth it…It wasn’t even a matter of playing time. Just coming in here and being around everybody in the whole program has been really special.”

The Hokies took a 47-26 halftime lead and led by as many as 30 points in the second half. They had 15 assists in the first half -- more than two better than their season average per game.

“We’re just having fun now," freshman point guard Hank Thorns said. "We’re just playing. We’re not worrying about the ACC tournament or the NCAA tournament and stuff like that. We’re just having fun out there, and that’s what we’ve got to do to keep winning.”

Tech (18-11, 9-6) now has a four-game winning streak heading into the regular-season finale at Clemson. A win over the Tigers -- or a loss by Miami on Wednesday or Saturday -- would give the Hokies a first-round bye in the ACC tournament. More importantly, a win over the Tigers would give the NCAA selection committee a marquee victory to consider. As of now, Tech's got a strong conference mark and two wins against fading Maryland, but not much else to impress the committee.

You might recall last year's senior night was against Clemson. The Hokies lost that one by one point, denying themselves the top seed in the ACC tournament. Standout point guard Zabian Dowdell struggled mightily with turnovers early in that one -- and later admitted he was very nervous about his last home game -- but neither Washington nor Travis had that problem.

"I told the guys when before the game, when you talk about these seniors, Deron Washington, he came to Virginia Tech on a pipe dream," Greenberg said. "We hadn't had a winning season in the Big East. We were an 'if.' We were selling a vision.
"He helped create a little bit of a culture. He came to Virginia Tech when it really wasn't fashionable to come to Virginia Tech. He trusted us, and he bought in."

That's all for tonight. As usual, the intrepid Mark Berman will have his game story on this one in the paper and online bright and early Wednesday morning. I'll have a column centered on Marcus Travis, and what his performance showed about the the Tech program.

I really need a fancy sign-off line. Let's try this: Until they tip it again, this is Aaron McFarling, saying ... don't eat raw fish after midnight.

Naw, scrap that. Good night everyone.

You want your email inbox to fill up as a columnist? Write an NCAA tournament bubble column. Presto. Filled. Simple as that. My take that Virginia Tech still needs three wins to get in generated a variety of responses this morning.

From Jason in McLean, Va.: "First of all-if we go 10-6, we're in, win or lose in the ACC tourney. Just no way to dispute that. Leave a 9-7 ACC team behind, yes, it has happened before, but not 10-6 and that's not going to happen this year either. Not to mention, our RPI would be in the mid-40s (RPI factors in win-streak and we would've beat a top 25 RPI Clemson team). You should check out realtimerpi.com so you can get more up-to-date info than citing "Sunday's RPI" for a Wednesday article (even if it was written last night)."

More on this a bit later.

From Brett in Washington, D.C.: "I think it's time to give VT a new nickname attributed to success in all sports: 'Defense U.' Think about it....football, nuff said. Basketball? We wouldn't have won like we have this year or the past 2 years if the defense wasn't nasty. Soccer? I hear a very stingy defense as well. Don't know about baseball. Nonetheless, it's just funny how Greenberg has taken the 'business model,' if you will, of the football team, and applied it directly to basketball. Awesome coaching. Defense U. We take pride in defense."

I have no doubt Brett -- a devoted Tech fan and frequent emailer, particularly during football season -- makes good money as a financial analyst in the big city, but I think he'd do all right for himself in this business, too.

And even my own colleague threw in his two cents. Mark Berman, our Virginia Tech men's basketball beat writer, sent me this in reference to the column: "So what if no ACC team has been left out at 10-6? Sure, back when ACC had 9 teams and everyone played Duke and UNC twice, a 10-6 record meant something. But in the watered down 12-team ACC we have now, a 10-6 mark does not mean the same thing as it used to because teams' schedules aren't the same."

That's the main reason I think Tech needs at least one win in the tournament, too. Although I stand by my assertion that leaving them out at 10-6 would be historic. Probably not unfair. But by definition, historic.

Here is ESPN's updated take on the bubble situation.

And, as usual, here is a fresh piece of fake news for all to enjoy.

-- Aaron McFarling