Friday, 22 August 2008 01:03 by
Dave
By now, you’ve heard about the University of Virginia’s decision to ban signs at athletic games. It is a thinly veiled attempt to stop folks at football games from holding up signs to television cameras that say “Fire Al Groh” or some variation, no matter what the administration says.
Some are up in arms about what amounts to censorship. Others point out the irony of a University founded by Thomas Jefferson denying free speech. Both are certainly valid.
But I don’t like the decision for a different reason: It chips away another small piece of the unique character of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
I grew up with the ACC when it was a conference of great basketball and average football. Even while watching C.D. Chesley broadcasts (you may stop humming “Sail With The Pilot…”) on a 19-inch television, the ACC had a definite mystique. When I finally reached the point in my life where I could see some of these games in person, that mystique only grew. Much was due to certain schools’ fans, and their talent at turning a sign into a piece of biting commentary.
The leader in the clubhouse was always Duke. Who can forget being at Cameron Indoor Stadium, when thousands of Blue Devil students carried in signs of Maryland Coach Lefty Driesell with a gas gauge on his forehead pointing to empty? Time after time, they figured out how to get under another team’s skin with a few words and a small piece of cardboard.
Virginia also excelled in this area. As a Virginia Tech graduate, I must give the good people of Charlottesville their due. They are a clever group of very smart people, who when not puking their guts out from drinking enough alcohol to numb a small herd of cattle, bring sarcasm and satire to a level that rivals an art form.
Pictures like the one above add flavor to a rivalry. I don’t, for example, remember the details of certain Tech-Virginia football games of the 1970s. But I sure remember the drum major dressed up as Colonel Sanders, leading the UVA pep band waving an oversized drumstick. And I also remember Virginia Tech’s band responding with a musical salute to Thomas Jefferson, playing “Lay Down Sally” for Jefferson’s good friend Sally Hemings.
Banning signs takes some of this flavor away. The intense pressure these days to be ultra politically correct removes even more. Pretty soon, the ACC will be just like the NFL.
But there is hope. College students in general, and UVA students in particular revel in doing what they’re not supposed to. That spirit of rebellion against censorship should be particularly strong at a University founded by the man who authored the Declaration of Independence. So I’m guessing we’ll still see signs from UVA students this season. Quite a few, in fact.
If not, maybe they're too busy with other things. Like delivering pizza.
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Thursday, 21 August 2008 00:11 by
Dave I never thought this day would come. But a deal’s a deal. And now the invoice has come due.
It all started many years ago. If you know me, you’re aware I live and die for the Washington Redskins, and Virginia Tech football and basketball. There has been many a happy weekend in my household when both teams would favor their fans with a win. Likewise, there has been many a weekend when I didn’t speak to anyone until Thursday after one or both teams delivered a crushing defeat.
I graduated from Virginia Tech back in the 1970s, and it’s fair to say that from the time I was a kid, two things were certain. The Atlantic Coast Conference was the premier conference in the region, and Virginia Tech was always the second-class citizen of college sports because they weren’t in the ACC. To say that many of us dreamed of VT one day being in the ACC is an understatement.
At times, we had a glimmer of hope. In 1977, the ACC was going to expand, and Tech was nominated. Folks from UNC were to fly to Blacksburg and check out the facilities, but rumor has it the plane stayed on the ground for about 11 minutes, then took off. That’s all they needed before flying home to say no. This may explain why my MBA diploma isn’t in a place of prominence in my home: it has the words “University Of North Carolina” on it. One day, I might get over it.
Tech would eventually go through a maze of other conferences and broken promises before gaining a good deal of success in the Big East. But in 1999 there was a rumor the ACC wanted the Big East's glamour team, Miami. I happened to be playing golf at Grandfather Mountain in a foursome that included Bill Foster, the Tech basketball coach who also used to coach at Clemson. His buddies at Clemson were telling him the Hokies were in. “They want to go to 12,” Foster said. “Miami’s one, Tech’s two. They can’t agree on the third.”
It all eventually fell apart, but for a few intoxicating weeks, the thought of Tech in the ACC was pretty cool. Three years later, the same scenario came back, and this time, the parties behind it reached consensus on all three teams: Miami, Syracuse and Boston College.
I heard this on the radio driving from Roanoke to Ashburn, and my heart just sank. If that came to pass, the Big East would be dead, VT would never end up in the ACC, and the prospects for Tech’s athletic future looked pretty dim. For days I, like thousands of other Hokies, were glued to computers looking for any glimpse of hope that this too would fall apart.
Eventually, hope did arrive. Governor Mark Warner, a rumor stated, was strong-arming the University of Virginia to not vote for any expansion that didn’t include the Hokies. This was crucial because the pro-expansion crowd was a vote short. Without Virginia, there would be no expansion.
Now if you know me, you also know I tend to vote a certain way. I’m a person who prides himself in voting for the man and the issue, not the party. It just turns out that 99.9 percent of the time, the man or issue I agree with belongs to a Republican. My wife is just the opposite, voting 100 percent of her time for Democrats, so we tend to cancel each other out.
But with the Hokie athletic program on the rocks, I did what I had to do. I said out loud, with God as my witness, that if Warner got the Hokies through this and into the ACC, then whatever office he ran for, whenever he ran for it, I’d vote for him and I’d support him.
We all know the rest. The Hokies got in, and have been tearing up the ACC in football ever since.
Warner was here in Loudoun County last night for a fundraiser, along with Madeleine Albright and a number of other dignitaries. Warner is running for the U.S. Senate, and will be the keynote speaker at the Democratic Convention Tuesday in Denver. I wasn’t invited, or I’d have made a point to say hello, shake his hand, and tell him face-to-face.
So here’s the next best thing: Mark, a deal’s a deal. You did your part. Now tell me where to sign.
I’m in.
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Wednesday, 20 August 2008 17:22 by
Dave He’s not grabbing headlines. But when you read deeper into the stories, Jeron Gouveia-Winslow (who appears to be picking up the moniker “JGW” in Blacksburg) seems to be getting it done at Virginia Tech.
Earlier this week, much was made of the early struggles prize recruit running back Ryan Williams was having, with specific attention made to a play where a defensive back blew by him as he was trying to block. That defensive back? Jeron Gouveia-Winslow.
Today was another of the team’s scrimmages, with this one having certain restrictions. The starting quarterbacks (Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor) would play, but everyone else would be non-starters. The logic, I’m guessing, would be to see who can play before decisions regarding red-shirting are made this weekend.
Willilams, not having to face the first-team defense, looked much better. He had 94 yards on only two carries, and both quarterbacks seemed to have fun as well. Glennon was 5 of 9 for 98 yards and one interception; Taylor was 7 of 8 for 102 yards, no INTs.
So who made the day’s only interception? That would be No. 43, Stone Bridge’s own JGW.
Kyle Tucker of the Virginia Pilot posted preliminary stats after the scrimmage, and the leading tackler was Lorenzo Williams, with 11. Second on the list was Gouveia-Winslow, who had six tackles and the above-mentioned interception.
When you read the coach’s quotes in state newspapers, JGW isn’t being singled out, so I don’t know how well he’s doing. But he seems to still have that knack for being around the ball. And when he is, he seems to be either catching it, or knocking down the player who does.
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Monday, 18 August 2008 11:19 by
DaveA few Monday morning thoughts…
- I tend to pull for all area players to do well, but if I had a favorite this season, it would be Stone Bridge quarterback Patrick Thompson. Several of his teammates (including his brother Zach) have signed Division I scholarship offers, but Patrick has been relegated to the “two star” group of area players, something I think is a bit misleading.
We’ve all seen our share of unsuccessful QBs with strong arms. The really good ones have an intangible leadership quality, and Patrick has it. He led his team to a state championship last year, battling through injuries, and seemed unflappable. The morning of the state title game, there was some thought he may not play due to arm and shoulder problems. All he did was throw four TD passes that day, then afterward acted like it was no big deal.
I thought he’d be the surprise player of the area this year. But he’ll have a big uphill battle now. In Friday night’s scrimmage with Broad Run, he injured his throwing hand and according to Dan Sousa at Loudounprepsports.com, could be lost for up to six weeks with a ruptured tendon in his throwing hand.
Next man up? Kyle Gouveia, younger cousin of Jeron, who is only a sophomore.
- Speaking of the Gouveia family, I can’t help but wonder if Virginia Tech is going to be forced to take a look at Jeron at wide receiver this season. He was recruited as a defensive back, and he’s been mentioned in a few blurbs out of Blacksburg for making a good play or two. This Friday is when the Hokies have their final scrimmage, and that’s when decisions regarding who is going to be redshirted are made.
Tech was an embarrassment of riches at wide receiver the last few years, with players like David Clowney, Eddie Royal, Josh Morgan and Justin Harper. They’re all doing well in the pros, and this year’s starters were supposed to be Brandon Dillard and Zach Luckett. Dillard was injured during the summer and is out for the year. Luckett was suspended indefinitely yesterday for a DUI-related offense.
Somebody has to play wide receiver. Jeron caught a 99-yard touchdown pass, among other things last year….
- Finally, the Redskins’ plan to imitate Steve Spurrier’s first season seems to be going according to plan. They may be 3-0, but they really didn’t look good against the Jets Saturday night. Alarm is starting to creep in when you look at how QB Jason Campbell is moving the team, and backup Todd Collins still hasn’t figured out the offense.
It’s interesting that the team is looking worse as the preseason progresses, because it’s as the preseason goes on, opponents play more of their starters longer. That’s why Spurrier got so excited with his first win in Osaka, only to watch his offense revert to the stone ages when teams started playing their real players.
But if you are bi-lingual, there is some news. Owner Dan Snyder is going to convert one of his multitude of radio purchases to all-spanish sports. He’ll be carrying ESPN Desportes. I don’t know if we’ll be hearing Michael de Larry calling the actually Redskins games, but if they do a postgame call-in show, I’m going to have to bone up on my Spanish. Anyone know how to say “we suck?”
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Sunday, 10 August 2008 17:46 by
Dave Judging from Saturday’s media day at Virginia Tech, it looks like former Stone Bridge standout Jeron Gouveia-Winslow will be the Richard Petty of Hokie football this season. Team pictures were taken and posted on Beamerball.com, with the true freshmen wearing white jerseys versus the upperclassmen wearing maroon jerseys. If you’ll look at the second from the top row, six places from the left is Gouveia-Winslow, wearing No. 43. At Stone Bridge, he wore No. 3. Note to Jeron: I know it’s been 30 years since I took my last class at VT, but I think they still have places on campus where you can get a haircut…just in case you want anyone to know you have eyes.
Gouveia-Winslow isn’t the only Stone Bridge alumnus on the team. In the fourth row is big No. 77, Ed Wang. Both will be joined next year by another Bulldog, as Wang’s younger brother David has committed to play for the Hokies. Should Stone Bridge make it back to the state championship game this season, they’ll all be together even sooner. This year’s Group AAA title game will be played at Lane Stadium on the Virginia Tech campus.
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Tuesday, 15 April 2008 21:03 by
Dave
Today is the day it all comes back. All the images, all the sounds, all the memories of one of the worst days many have ever experienced.
April 16, 2007. The day “massacre” and Virginia Tech became synonymous. The day the world learned about Blacksburg, Va. The day we all became Hokies.
The airwaves today will be full of replays from that day. Newspapers have been running stories since Sunday, with The Roanoke Times running a 10-page special section entitled “One Year Later.” The Washington Post has had several excellent stories, including stories on the parents of the shooter, and survivor Derek O’Dell.
Each will bring back memories and stir emotions. The memory I won't ever be able to get out of my head involves a phrase I’d never heard before. I was at WAGE that morning when the phone calls started coming in from parents of Tech students asking for information on the shootings. I immediately turned on CNN, then went online in search of any details. One site, Techsideline.com, was filled with posts from students and people in the area, and several were suggesting the situation was far worse than what was being reported.
One post had a link to the police band radio in Blacksburg, so I connected with it and turned the sound up as loud as it would go. I then grabbed another computer and was able to pick up streaming video from a Roanoke television station.
While monitoring all three sources of information, I selectively listened to each for a few moments at a time. Just as I was turning my attention to the police scanner, I heard the end of a transmission with a voice saying “31 black.” At the time, police were only reporting one fatality. I walked down the hall and asked anyone if they knew what it meant. No one was sure.
As the day went on, and the casualty numbers kept increasing, it became apparent what the transmission meant. Several weeks later, Randy Breton, who runs EMS services locally, told me it was terminology for triage in an emergency medical situation. “Red means critical injury,” he said. “Green means they’re not critical. Black means they’re dead.”
In Norris Hall that morning, 30 students lost their lives, plus the shooter. 31 black.
While much will be made today of the senseless loss a year ago, I hope a few other things from a year ago won’t be overlooked. While devastated by the tragedy – any Hokie who tells you he watched that first week of news coverage and didn’t shed a tear is lying – most Hokies were equally flabbergasted by the outpouring of support from every corner of the world. As each show of support became known, the waterworks among Hokie Nation kept going. If you were one of them, thank you. The world will never know how much that support meant to so many.
Then there’s the person who really started the healing, but will probably never be identified. He or she is probably a student, and just followed an instinct during the convocation ceremony the next day. After Nikki Giovanni hit a home run with her “We Will Prevail. We Are Virginia Tech” speech, and the applause died down (click on the screen below to see), one person started clapping as if at a basketball game. “Let’s go Hokies” started off quietly, then immediately rose to a level that filled Cassell Coliseum. The crowd roared.
In my mind, that’s the moment the healing began. It’s as if the students were saying to the world, in their own way, we’ve taken a huge blow. But we’re going to be OK.
One year later, a lot of healing has taken place. There's still a long way to go. But we're going to be OK.
Nikki said it best: We are the Hokies...we will prevail, we will prevail, we will prevail.
We are... Virginia Tech.
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Friday, 21 March 2008 11:12 by
Dave This week, the time had come.
Since last April, I had been avoiding a certain section of the Virginia Tech campus. And if you know anyone with any ties to the University, you know why. The tragic events of April 16, 2007 will never be forgotten, and those memories continue to create an emotionalism that won’t go away.
Obviously the mourning over the senseless loss of so many young lives is part of that emotionalism, but it’s a bit more than that. For most of us who went there, the Virginia Tech campus has a unique quality about it that serves as a sanctuary from the rest of the world when in later years you went back to visit. It’s a beautiful campus embedded into a small town and tight-knit community. Take an hour or two to visit the book stores, walk across the drill field, cruise by the duck pond, or head downtown and you are soon transported to “back in the day.”
All that was shattered last April. Every night for weeks you could come home, turn on the news, and see story after story of horror from the Tech campus. Most Hokies (myself included) watched it with a towel nearby to wipe away the constant stream of tears. It didn’t matter whether you knew any of the victims. The constant thought was “how could anyone do this to our children, our families, our campus?” This was our home. Someone had broken in and committed unspeakable crimes.
Months later, most Hokies I know still couldn’t talk about it. Blended into the sorrow and grief were the emotions of incredible pride for the way Tech students handled the crisis in the aftermath, and incredible gratitude for the outpouring of support from the rest of the nation. Tech used to be a working class University, and my generation isn’t used to anyone standing up for us for anything. To see the posters that say “Today We Are All Hokies” still makes my eyes appear as if allergies are bothering me.
So when going back last fall for football games, my itinerary never included going over to the memorial for the 32 fallen students and faculty on the drillfield. I just wasn’t ready to see it. But a few weeks ago, my roommate from 34 years ago called to say it was time. The New York Yankees would be on campus to play the Tech baseball team, and he was willing to make the trip from Mississippi to Blacksburg to see the game and go see the memorial. It was spring break, my wife’s family lived in nearby Roanoke, so there wouldn’t be a better opportunity.
Late Monday, I finally visited the site. It’s simple, but powerful. Nikki Giovanni’s “We Are Virginia Tech. We Will Prevail” is inscribed in one area. There are individual memorials for each victim. The names are recognizable if you’ve followed the story: the professor who gave his own life to hold off the shooter while others escaped; students from our own area here in Northern Virginia with such bright futures ahead; another who had helped many others during his short time on earth.
The next day, the entire New Yankees team would visit the memorial. They then would play a baseball game, where the score didn’t matter. The Yankees came to be part of the healing process. That’s just what they did.
I’ll be the first to admit that I was raised in a family where the Yankees were seen as the evil empire. My mother is from Brooklyn, my late father from Pennsylvania. They hated the Yankees, and that was passed down to the next generation.
But the Yankees changed all that Tuesday. They didn’t have to come. No one in the organization has any ties to Tech. They had already given a million dollars. But they wanted to. Just about the entire team came, and they were not going through the motions. Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon seemed almost excited about being in Blacksburg. Alex Rodriguez spent most of the game sitting in the Virginia Tech dugout, signing everything put in front of him. Derek Jeter and many of his teammates visited with fans long after they didn’t need to. If you didn’t know better, it seemed as special to them as it did to the Tech community.
So Tuesday night, I drove away from Blacksburg with about $100 worth of maroon and orange hats with the Yankee and Hokie logos on them, and a new respect for the Yankees. Before leaving, I got a chance to visit with the Tech sports information director, who I had been friends with as a student several decades earlier. We reminisced about the old days, our children, and the past year since the shootings. “I still can’t get through a conversation about it,” he said.
I struggle too. But that night, I did share the events of the day with my 12-year-old daughter. She knows all the details of April 16, and she understands that no one can answer the question of “why?” But she’s as proud as I am of the way Hokie Nation has handled this, and after we talked, she finished the conversation by saying that she “can’t wait until she gets to go to Virginia Tech.”
When that day comes, my allergies will flare up again. One towel may not be enough.
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