Your Move, Coach Beamer

From EDSBS comes this news from the University of Kentucky that I wish Virginia Tech had thought of first.

UK coach Rich Brooks has his own collectors edition bottle of bourbon. And it's for charity.

Building on the past success of the Maker’s Mark/Keeneland charitable bottle series that supports projects at the University of Kentucky, Maker’s Mark and Keeneland are continuing the program with the celebration of UK football coach Rich Brooks, whose likeness will be featured on the bottle label. Coach Brooks has led the Wildcats to multiple wins in bowl competition and is the first coach to win three consecutive bowl games in UK Athletics history.
[...]
Maker’s Mark will donate its proceeds from the sales – estimated to be about $200,000 from 18,000 bottles – to an extension program bringing the UK Symphony Orchestra and students from the UK School of Music into public schools and communities throughout Kentucky. UK is in the process of securing matching grants that, if sales of the bottles are successful, may create funding for this unique program in excess of $1.2 million.

Get rid of those White Out shirts Beamer has us buy to help Herma's Readers. I want a bottle of Wild Turkey with ol' Fancy Gap Frank's face on it. I can think of no better way to help the yutes of Virginia learn to read than by getting invisible.

The Fran Fraschilla Drinking Game

Living in Big 12 country, I have to watch a lot of basketball games involving ESPN color commentator and former New Mexico head coach Fran Fraschilla. What has amused me about Fraschilla's broadcasting the last few years is he seems to be interviewing for his next head coaching job throughout each telecast.

I'm sure there's a lot of color guys who do this, but Fraschilla is the most blatant. Well, as if you needed another reason to drink on Wednesday, Coach Fran will be calling the Notre Dame-UAB game at 9 p.m. on ESPN. If I'm conscious, I'll play along. But, I haven't lasted 'til 9 p.m. in many a St. Patrick's Day.

Fran Fraschilla Drinking Game

Coaching

One Drink: Fran needlessly over analyzes a mundane situation with coach-speak.
Two Drinks: Fran draws up his own play in an end-game situation.
Three Drinks: Fran mentions he coaches at a lot of summer camps.

Sucking Up

One Drink: Fran mentions the AD of a team involved in his game.
Two Drinks: Fran mentions the coach of another sport of a school involved in his game.
Three Drinks: Fran praises the town/facilities/fans of a school involved in his game.

Players

One Drink: Fran mentions a player as a conference award candidate.
Two Drinks: Fran mentions a player as a national award candidate.
Three Drinks: "I would have won a lot more games if I had (name of player) on my teams."
Finish your drink: Fran takes credit for improving a player at a summer camp.

So there you go. No complicated rules. Just straight forward drinking for when Coach Fran calls a hoops game. Enjoy.

Happy Birthday!

On this day one year ago, I realized I needed some sort of catharsis when it came to writing about sports and the Hokies. I combined the two into this blog. The first few posts were really horrible (OK, they've all been really horrible) but thanks for sticking with me and making it worth doing this. Without all you commenters out there (all three of you) I wouldn't want to churn out posts on Tech and the ACC from a thousand miles away.

Thanks again for indulging me. Without this blog, Tech would cost me at least $100 an hour in therapy. Here's to another great year of blogging on the Hokies, the ACC and all the cobwebs I have in my brain.

Help Rename TSL's Blog

I always thought TSL's Blog had a, well, ummmmmm..., overly-long name. However, now you can help rename TSL Blogs: Off the Beaten TSL Path. And like any good name-the-doohickey contest, there's a fabulous prize. You get one free month of TSL Pass if your name is selected.

Click here to contribute your entry. Please note this is a message board post and this link will eventually expire.

So far the leader in the clubhouse has to be "Blogsburg" which is my personal favorite as well. I made my own contributions, but mine were lame. It's a fun endeavor. Some of the other good names I noticed were "Turkey Tracks" and "The Deep Fryer".

Slumping Hokies take on Tigers

Virginia Tech (16-10, 6-6) at Clemson (22-4, 8-4)
Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, S.C.
7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2

Virginia Tech finishes its regular season ACC slate with four games against the top four teams in the ACC standings: at Clemson, Duke, North Carolina and at Florida State. The first of Tech's run through the gauntlet is tonight against the Tigers.

The Hokies have lost three in a row and five of their last seven. Tech has also lost its last three road games and four of its six road games in ACC play. The Hokies' struggles against Clemson have been well documented as they've dropped four consecutive match ups with the Tigers, including a 86-82 decision at home on Jan. 29.

The Hokies led that game by 15 points just before the under-16 media timeout in the second half before watching the Tigers out-score them 38-19 to end the game.

It's been a long time since Tech's "Big Three" (Malcolm Delaney, AD Vassallo and Jeff Allen) have all clicked at the same time. If the Hokies have any chance of making the NCAA Tournament, all three will need to be on tonight.

If the Hokies lose tonight, it's officially football season. If they win, they have momentum going into back-to-back home games against Duke and UNC.

Linkage

- ACC Sports Journal says the Hokies aren't quite ready for prime time.

- Tech Hoops has its always in-depth preview of the trip to Littlejohn.

- Tech Sideline points out the Tigers actually shoot better in Blacksburg vs. VT than at home.

- Block-C has its take, calling us "a complete team." They don't watch us very much, do they?

- Coach Beamer supports Mike Vick's effort to return to the NFL.

- Maker's is actually a bourbon, Brian.

OT: Weekend guide for single people

CGB has his own off-topic discussion at his blog.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Or, as us single people call it, "Saturday". I live with two other guys who are in long-term, committed relationships. So, I'm going to have the house to myself tomorrow, which is going to be awesome.

Here's how I plan on getting through the day. Leave your own ideas in the comments. Unless your idea is to watch NBA All-Star Weekend. No one cares.

Morning: Golf

I've played golf each of the last three Valentine's Days. The courses are deserted. While all the slow-playing hacks are off with their wives at some restaurant I can't afford, I'm on the course enjoying one of the few days I can walk without having a bunch of bald, fat, ass holes in carts complaining how slow I am since I'm on foot.

If you're not walking, you're not golfing.

Afternoon: VT at Maryland

This is for those of you on the East Coast only. I'll probably just play another nine holes. The Hokies have had the Terps number as of late and Gary and Grievous are on the verge of a complete meltdown.

Can we make Gary and Grievous live together and then give them their own reality show? I'd watch that. Then again, I DVR "Tool Academy" so I'm probably not the best test audience for whether or not a reality show is good.

Late Afternoon: Hooters

The V-Day crowds are always fun at Hooters. Plus you'll occasionally be assigned a waitress who's single and desperate on Valentine's Day. Or at least one willing to act that way for a fat tip. It doesn't really matter.

Evening: Hockey Night in Canada

Thank you, NHL Network, for giving me this wonderful gift. This week it's Pittsburgh at Toronto and Calgary at Phoenix. The Leafs have given Sid fits this year, particularly on HNIC, so that will be a fun game. Calgary is at least a fun team to watch and has one of the better goalies in the West. Plus, I can only imagine the suit Don Cherry is going to break out for Valentine's Day.

Night: Wild Turkey Rare Breed

This is my Valentine's Day present to myself. Costs just as much as flowers.

All together now: Awwwwwwwww!

Congratulations all-round!

Congrats to Jeff from BC Interruption for making the decision to ruin his life by getting married this weekend. Awwwwwwwww, they're getting married Valentine's Day weekend. Ain't that sweet?

Congrats to the Hokies for beating the Jackets/Sid Bream Speed/Winfield/Dane/Bird on Wednesday. Is "ass kicking" hyphenated? Just kidding. That was a lot more difficult than it should have been.

Below - Master P celebrates the Hokie Hoops win (NSFW)!


Congrats to the entire ACC, for having something to talk about in the morning. The ACC is (allegedly) announcing its football schedule at 11 AM EST.

Congrats to the Sabres, for sucking in their first game with Vanek on the IR. This is going to be a looooooong three weeks. Good thing Les Canadiens are firmly in the tank.

Road Trip No. 6: VT vs. Maryland

Gobbler Country Road Trip No. 6
Football: Maryland at Virginia Tech
Lane Stadium
Blacksburg, Va.

Miles Round Trip: 2,200
Total Dollars Spent: $320 ($200 gas, $50 food and drink, $40 ticket, $30 souvenirs)

Yeah, I cut this one short and came home on Friday. Needed to save money for the trip back for Thanksgiving and the UVa game. I still hit most the stops I wanted to, as you'll see below.

What Impressed Me
- Corky's BBQ. That's a given.
- Cody Freaking Grimm. Damn, son, damn.
- Maryland fans. Not as big of ass holes as advertised.
- My car's gas mileage, which was better than ever.

What Didn't Impress Me
- The weather. The fact I wore short sleeves at Lane in November is unacceptable.
- Maryland's defensive line.
- Corky's new bread pudding. I'm the world's biggest fan of bread pudding, but theirs was overcooked. I like my bread pudding creamy, not crispy. I'll stick to their pe-can pie from here on out. That's what I get for breaking from tradition.
- My ability to not be a belligerent drunk during the game.


The traditional pit stop at Corky's.


Hokie House.


TOTS. Rails, FTW. I had two rails on an empty stomach at 1 p.m. on gameday and was hammered.


Greatest license plate ever?


Outside of Lane.


The World Famous Clubhouse Tailgate.


Communion call for Maryland. My first home game communion.


Hokies take the field. There's a reason the photo is slanted and it has nothing to do with me trying to be artistic.


Lane at night.


OMG!!1 Our hero was in the house! Will M.F.-ing Furrer returns to Blacksburg!


Points on the board means girls in the air.


Hello, win column!


Car on fire on 81. About a 20 minute delay on the drive home.


The Appy State equipment truck on its way to Chattanooga.

VT 23, UMD 13

Hats off to Bryan Stinespring. He called a good game. Glennon was less than sharp, but played well for a one-legged quarterback. The offensive line played like we all thought they could at the beginning of the season. The question is, how much of it was due to how bad Maryland was on D?

Quick Hits

- The Wild Turkey or Wild Boone or whatever you want to call it worked two ways. Boone is tough to take down and took his toll on whoever tackled him. It also pumped the crowd up every time he took a snap.

- It will be interesting to see if Boone still gets plays under center when Tyrod gets healthy.

- Our offensive and defensive lines were dominant, as predicted. The Terps couldn't do anything on the ground and when Turner was forced to throw, he never had enough time.

- Taco Thompson and Cody Grimm share defensive players of the game in my book. Grimm was all over the field on both defense and special teams. Thompson always seemed to be around the ball and seemed like he knew what the snap count was going to be every play.

- Maryland was able to use Tech's aggressiveness against it on the Heyward-Bey screen pass touchdown. However, you won't fool Bud Foster on the same play twice, as Heyward-Bey later learned in the red zone.

- Finally a decent game from Kam Chancellor.

- This was an experienced, good offense that the Hokies shut down. Yes, Da'Rel Scott was banged up going into the game, but everyone else was taken out of the equation as well. Other than the Hey-Bey screen pass, it was a damn near perfect performance by the D.

- Maryland's defense, particularly its defensive line, isn't very good. As they like to do, they lined up in a 3-4 a lot with their "leo" player on the the line in a two-point stance. That's the main reason Tech was able to destroy them up front. The Terps were under-sized and compensated for it by not stacking the box and running a 3-4. It was comical.

- However, give credit to Darren Evans. He ran with purpose on Thursday. It was great to see.

- Glennon is still missing high. That's going to lead to interceptions if he isn't careful.

- The receivers continue to get better. They made some tough catches and ran much better routes this time around. Boykin and Coale have stepped up as the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers. Roberts is getting better and hopefully is close to emerging as a legitimate deep threat.

- Speaking of Roberts, he was a machine on kick returns. Macho also had a nice punt return.

- On the flip side of that coin, we let another punt get blocked. The punt coverage team is still terrible, but the kickoff coverage team had a better game.

- Miami is a much better team than the Terps and the game this Thursday will be on the road. While I feel better about this game than I did on Wednesday, I still think it's going to be tougher to move the ball and get pressure on the quarterback this week.

- Apologizes to anyone who sat near me in the Tech student section Thursday. I was invisible. Sure I've been much drunker for Hokie games, but that was probably the most belligerent I've been in a while.

- The staggering hangover I had Friday was cured by the Cracker Barrel in Bristol, Va. Damn skippy I stopped on the Virginia side. The only place in Tennessee I'll give my money to is Corky's.

Road Trip No. 3: VT at NU

Gobbler Country Road Trip No. 3
Football: Virginia Tech at Nebraska
Memorial Stadium
Lincoln, Neb.
Miles Round Trip: 900
Total Dollars Spent: $380 ($200 hotel, $50 gas [split], $65 ticket, $5 program, $60 food and drink)

It was on of the biggest wins in program history. The win over Texas in the 1995 Sugar Bowl and the 2003 win over Miami are the only other two that come to mind as far as wins that boosted the programs national stature. No, this Nebraska team wasn't close to being on par with the Nebraska team that beat the Hokies in 1996. But the Hokies still went to one of college football's grand venue and came away with a huge win.

The Nebraska defense did a good job of stifling the Hokie run game early and often. However, Tyrod Taylor was the difference. His ability to escape pressure and get first downs with his feet helped sustain drives. His ability to finally see open receivers downfield helped set up a lot of points for the Hokies.

Tech was unafraid of the Sea of Red and played lights out from the beginning. I can't think of another game where I was as proud of the Hokies as I was after this one. Maybe Georgia Tech last year when the Hokies followed a disappointing loss to BC by going on the road and thrashing the Yellow Jackets. But Saturday night the team played like I knew they were capable of playing. It was great to see them show where their ceiling is at the most opportune time.

Lincoln is a great place to be for the weekend of a big college football game. The Husker fans were very welcoming. Some were really, really welcoming. There was plenty of good-natured trash talk the night before the game, but the Husker fans were first class all the way. They were even gracious in defeat, a quality I like to think the Hokie fans have but many fan bases don't.

O Street was the place to be Friday and Saturday Night. It's a row of bars just south of the stadium that tries to emulate 6th Street in Austin. It isn't nearly as big as the 6th Street area, but it has something for everyone. There are hole in the wall bars for folk who want a quiet atmosphere, sports bars for mingling with fans and full fledged clubs blaring techno and hip hop. The place I ended up spending most of my time was a sports bar called Brother's. It had a decent beer selection, including a favorite of mine, Leinenkugel Honey Weiss.

I ran into a friend of mine I knew was in town on Friday night and we bar hopped until last call, which for some un-Godly reason is at 1 a.m. in Nebraska. What a gyp. Saturday night I ran into another friend of mine at Brother's who I didn't know was in town and who I hadn't seen since the '05 Miami game. We proceeded to close the place down.

Saturday was spent with the guys from the Clubhouse Tailgate. I was able to watch the early and afternoon games and sample some of the best homemade BBQ I've had. And this is coming from someone whose family owns a BBQ restaurant. Great food as always, guys.

Thanks to all the Huskers for making my first "real" Lincoln experience a pleasurable one. Thanks to all the Hokies who made bar-hopping and tailgating before the game and partying after the game a success. What a weekend and what a game.

Corn. Everywhere.

Clubhouse Tailgate enjoys the UNC-Miami finish.

No words, really.

Communion call at Clubhouse Tailgate.

Memorial Stadium from the bridge to Haymarket Park.

Kickoff of VT-NU.

Husker score and release a Sea of Red (Balloons).

Sweet.

Brother's on O Street after the game.

Lost a bet with Hokie Nation.

Hokie fans celebrate a hard-earned victory.

I Like Ike Update: I Love Ike

Blow, you savage hurricane, blow. Unleash the fury of your ancestors onto the plains of central Texas. Feast upon a multitude of nourishing gulf water and grow strong and prosperous as you approach the Lone Star.

Seriously, hurry up and postpone this bogus little Arkansas-Texas drubbing-in-waiting so I can see the Hokies without having to cough up money that had previously been allocated for Wild Turkey 101.



Right now, I'm slated to see the Horns and Hogs Without Nixon Coming at 2:30 on Saturday. If that game gets wiped off the slate, chances are the Oregon-Purdue game will be seen in my area. Then, the Hokies and Jackets will be on ESPN, instead of the Ducks and Boilers.

With the Reverse Mirror game, the Ducks and Boilers are shown on ABC in the blue area above and on ESPN everywhere else. The blue area gets VT and GT on ESPN. So without that pesky game between Texas and Arkansas, the coverage area for the Oregon-Purdue game increases, along with my odds of seeing VT-GT on ESPN.

Weather.com is predicting heavy wind and rain for the Austin area around gametime on Saturday. The "Spectator Index" is listed at 1, which is at the bottom of its 1-10 scale.

Is it morbid that I want a hurricane to strengthen in order to see my favorite football team on TV for free? Yes, but at least I'm willing to admit it. The best case scenario for everyone is for the thing to strengthen, the Texas game to get postponed and then for the hurricane to weaken and not kill anyone. There, that's the politically correct statement, right?

Go Ike!

UPDATE: Phase one is complete. Texas-Arkansas has been postponed. Now all we have to do is get ABC to put the Oregon-Purdue game in my market and it's Peanut Butter Jelly Time.

So help me, God, if ABC shows that lame Penn State-Syracuse nonsense I will shit a Frisbee. The wrath of that hurricane will have nothing on what I will unleash if I have to see Syracuse's pumpkin uniforms instead of the beautiful bastion of orange goodness the Hokies will unveil against the Yellow Jackets.

UPDATE: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!





All areas in yellow (read: me) will see Oregon-Purdue on ABC and VIRGINIA TECH-Georgia Tech on ESPN. Thanks, Ike!

Naming Drinks is Fun

This post is being brought to you by Wild Turkey 101. Because that's what I'm drinking right now to unsee what I just saw. My buddy Mike, who was unfortunate enough to have to watch that game with me, and I started off with a shot that was half 101 and half Jager.

According to Webtender, it doesn't exist so I'm taking it upon myself to name it. From here on, a shot that is half 101 and half Jager will be called a "Brandon Flowers" because it knocks you the fuck out.

Yeah, we played great. Yeah, it was nice that we played so well against the No. 1 team in the land. But we lost in the worst way imaginable. We led the whole way and Tyler Fucking Hansbrough ripped my heart out. At least it was the player of the year and not the dook player who shall remain nameless who added salt to the wound one day after the football team laid an egg in the ACC Title Game in '05.

This one hurts more than that dook game because it probably knocked us out of The Tournament. I like that the ESPN guys are talking about how we deserve to be in because of how well we played. What I don't like is that the committee doesn't give a shit about almost beating No. 1. The committee takes the Yoda approach to things like that. Do or do not, there is no try.

I'm glad they played well, but this team had two chances in six days to come up with a win that would have put them in the field, no questions asked. And twice they got complacent and choked down the stretch. Both the UNC game and the Clemson game are on the coaches. We stopped attacking, we started bleeding the shot clock and having empty possessions late because we were trying to shorten the game. And twice it led to tough losses. Tournament teams keep attacking, keep putting pressure on their opponents and get the job done.

I'll have a Selection Sunday post later today that will basically be a homer rant as to why we should be in. Until then, I'm going back to my 101 and diet.