A Sam Wheeler Sighting and Spring Depth Chart

Annette has the Hokies' pre-spring depth chart over at the Four-Letter Blog. Remember that there are a number of players, especially on the offensive line, that won't be participating in spring drills. Here 'tis:

OFFENSE

SE Jarrett Boykin -- Austin Fuller
LT Ed Wang -- Nick Becton
LG Greg Nosal -- Will Alvarez
C Beau Warren -- Michael Via OR Richard Graham
RG Jaymes Brooks -- Vinston Painter
RT Blake DeChristopher -- Andrew Lanier
TE Greg Boone -- Chris Drager OR Sam Wheeler
QB Tyrod Taylor -- Ju-Ju Clayton
RB Darren Evans -- Josh Oglesby OR Ryan Williams
FB Kenny Jefferson -- Kenny Younger
FL Danny Coale -- Dyrell Roberts

DEFENSE

DE Nekos Brown -- Steven Friday
DE John Graves -- Isaiah Hamlette
DT Demetrius Taylor -- Kwamaine Battle OR Courtney Prince
DT Cordarrow Thompson -- Antoine Hopkins OR Dwight Tucker
OLB Cody Grimm -- Jeron Gouveia-Winslow OR Alonzo Tweedy
ILB Barquell Rivers -- Bruce Taylor
ILB Jake Johnson -- Quillie Odom
FC Rashad Charmichael -- Cris Hill
FS Kam Chancellor -- Lorenzo Williams
ROV Dorian Porch -- Davon Morgan OR Matt Reidy
BC Stephan Virgil -- Eddie Whitley

SPECIAL TEAMS

FG Matt Waldron -- Justin Myer
KO Justin Myer -- Tim Pisano
P Brent Bowden -- Brian Saunders
LS Colin Carroll -- Matt Tuttle

One of the first things I noticed was Sam Wheeler listed as a co-No. 2 at tight end behind Greg Booooooooooooone. Wheeler was last seen being a general bad ass before tearing his left ACL at Georgia Tech in 2007. In my mind Wheeler was Sean Glennon's most reliable target in 2007 before the injury.

He didn't see a lot of playing time in 2008 because he wasn't all the way back from knee surgery. Hopefully he's 100 percent and can earn playing time in the spring and summer. I was a big fan of Wheeler's in 2007 and he's a solid pass-catching tight end.

It also appears Vinston Painter has been moved back to the offensive line. The argument could be made that this is just to provide depth to a depleted offensive line during the spring, but spring drills would be a crucial time for Painter to grow as a defensive lineman. My guess is this move is permanent.

No real surprises on the defensive side of the ball. It'll be good for the younger guys to get more reps at linebacker with Cam Martin out for spring practice. I like the group we have at linebacker, they're just all very green with the exception of Martin and Cody Grimm.

Beamer in the Blogging Business... Sort of

BeamerBall.com has a new blog on its Web site, but no RSS reader which means I'll check it about as often as I call my mom. I know, that's terrible and I should call her more often, I'm a bad son, blah, blah, blah.

Right now it's a glorified Twitter feed, but the big news on there today is Brandon Dillard is cleared to practice this spring less than nine months after rupturing his Achilles' tendon. The other big news is Beamer played 36 holes of golf at Augusta over the weekend. This was one week after he raced at Bristol. Must be nice.

JP Giglio is an Ass Hole

Actually, I like Giggity, but this little snide remark rubbed me the wrong way in his "Final Four cheering guide for ACC fans":

Clemson, Florida State, Maryland: UNC
Conference pride!

Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College: UConn or Villanova
Conference pride!

"Hardy-har-har, those invaders used to be in the Big East so they must want their Big East brethren to win. Doopy-doop-doop." For the record I'm rooting for Sparty because Carolina AND the Big East can eat my ass with a spoon.

Hockey > Hoops

I caught former OU signee Scottie Reynolds' shot to beat Pitt (yay) and Carolina's smackdown of my alma mater (boo), but most of my weekend was spent either A) cooking dead animals, B) watching college hockey or C) both. What's that? You missed the NCAA Hockey Tournament because you're uncultured? Well, let me recap it for you:

- 3 of the 4 No. 1 seeds lost in the first round.
- 3 of the 4 No. 2 seeds lost in the first round.
- No. 4 seed Air Force shocked Michigan 2-0 despite being out-shot 44-13 to kick off the Tournament.
- Minnesota-Duluth scored two goals in the final 40 seconds to force overtime with Princeton in the first round and then won in OT. The tying goal came with 0.8 secs left.
- New Hampshire scored a pair of third period goals, the last one coming with 0.1 secs left to force OT with North Dakota in the first round and then put away the hated Sioux in the first minute of OT.
- Cornell scored three unanswered goals, the last one with 18 seconds left, to knock off Northeastern, 3-2 in the first round
- No. 4 seed tiny Bemidji State crushed hated Notre Dame in the first round.
- Miami U. held off another last-second comeback by UM-D to advance to its first Frozen Four.
- Vermont punched its ticket to the Frozen Four by beating underdog Air Force in OT on a goal that went through the net and was then reviewed for 20 minutes before being counted.
- BU scored with 15 seconds left to beat UNH to advance to the Frozen Four.
- Tiny Bemidji State completed the Forzen Four with another huge upset of Cornell. The Beavers became the first team from outside a Big Four (Hockey East, WCHA, CCHA, ECAC) to advance to a Frozen Four. Oh, and the Beavers have no clue what conference they'll be in next year because theirs is disbanding after this season.

It was wild, it was unpredictable and I can't wait for the Frozen Four in two weeks. I just wish that I was going. Last year's trip to Denver was outstanding.

Linkage

Hokies

- The softball team won its series with UVa. (HokieSports)
- Bourbonstreet has his Top 10 things to watch in spring practice. (Blogsburg)
- Defense was the downfall of this year's Hokie hoopsters. (Tech Hoops)
- Vote Fraggle. (The North End Zone)

Atlantic Coast Conference

- I now hate Seth Curry. (ACCSJ)
- Miami had its spring game this weekend. (All Canes)
- What FSU WR Taiwan Easterling will experience after tearing his Achilles. Good read that makes me really impressed with how Dillard has recovered. (Tomahawk Nation)
- UVa won a 7 OT lacrosse game that kept me from seeing the first period and a half of UNH-North Dakota. (Good Ol' Blog)

Linebackers Will be Key for Hokies this Spring

For the second consecutive season, Virginia Tech has to replace two linebackers lost to graduation. Also for the second consecutive season, the Hokies will have to replace the same two linebacker positions.

"Mike" linebacker Brett Warren and "backer" Purnell Sturdivant stepped in as seniors for the departed Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi, respectively. While the duo was not as good as the pair they replaced, the end result was the same: An ACC championship.

The "whip" linebacker positions will again be filled by Cam Martin, who will be a third year starter for the Hokies. Joining Martin will be two players who will be a lot fresher faced than Warren and Sturdivant. It will be important for the Hokies to find replacements at linebacker who do at least as well as Warren and Sturdivant last year.

In addition to the two linebacker spots, it's important for the Hokies to develop depth on the defensive line and find a second cornerback. I don't think Rashad Carmichael is the answer at corner.

LB Jake Johnson

Barquell Rivers (who started in the Orange Bowl) and Cody Grimm (who recorded 7.5 sacks last year) are expected to take over at mike and backer. Hunter Ovens pushed Sturdivant at backer last year and saw some playing time. However, I'm most interested to see what Johnson can do after a year of redshirting and getting whipped on a daily basis by S&C coach Mike Gentry. Johnson is supposed to be a beast and will either add much-needed depth at linebacker or push for significant playing time this year.

CB Eddie Whitley

Whitley is most remembered by Hokie fans for his roughing the punter penalty against Florida State that led to a game-changing touchdown for the Seminoles. However, Whitley improved as the year went on and earned progressively more playing time. I'd like to see him pass Carmichael for the cornerback spot opposite Stephan Virgil this year. I think if Whitley puts on weight and muscle from the 179 pounds he was listed at last year, he could jump into Macho Harris' boundary corner role and keep Virgil at field corner.

DT Vinston Painter

Painter was a highly regarded recruit coming into preseason practice last year. He switched from offensive to defensive line and is expected to be a great player for the Hokies. I'm eager to see what he can do during his first set of spring drills. Hopefully he can add depth to the defensive line.

Get your questions in

Spring practice for the Hokies starts April 1. The Hokie bloggerati will be doing a roundtable to preview spring ball, but we need your help. There are three ways to submit questions to us: In the comments section of this blog post, by E-mail to gobblercountry-at-gmail-dot-com or on Twitter to @gobblercountry. I look forward to hearing from you.

Linkage

Hokies

- BCO looks at next year's basketball roster and how it could include Seth Curry (this isn't going to die, is it?). (Beer Control Offense)

- CGB and Al Groh are here to improve your life. (College Game Balls)

- The North End Zone thinks the second coming is not just nigh. It's here. (The North End Zone)

Atlantic Coast Conference

- Apparently when Tech's season ends, basketball doesn't stop. Who knew? Joe Ovies and the ACCSJ gang talk to SN's Mike DeCourcy about The Tournament and the UVa job search. (ACC Sports Journal)

- Annette reports on how UNC spring footbal practice and its new offensive coordinator. (ESPN)

- GT's passing game is still a work in progress. Good thing they don't really need it. (The Legacy x4)

- Maryland has a lot of issues to work out on defense during spring practice. (Turtle Waxing)

Randomness

- Former WVU kicker Pat McAfee is doing something similar to pro wrasslin'. (Dr. Saturday)

- Some tough matchups in the second round of Ogle Madness. I went with the upset and voted for Kristen Chenoweth even though she's guaranteed a loss. (The Lost Ogle)

- Bring back Trot! (Globe's Extra Bases)

- Wooooooofuckinhooooo! Wait, we're still how far out of the playoffs? (Die by the Blade)

Why Can't the Hokies Scrimmage Other Schools?

One thing that perplexes me about college football is teams aren't allowed to scrimmage during spring or summer practices. This makes absolutely no sense.

High school teams are allowed to scrimmage prior to their season. And in my state, non-district games have no bearing on whether or not a team makes the playoffs, so those might as well be exhibitions.

NFL teams not only scrimmage, but play meaningless preseason games as well. There's no reason for the level between high school at the NFL to not have scrimmages.

I think it would be in the sports best interest to let teams scrimmage. If not in August, then at least during spring drills. Virginia Tech would get a much better bearing on its players and be better prepared for Alabama if it was allowed to scrimmage Liberty or another team that's close by prior to the season.

This part is probably just a pipe dream, but it might also cut down on the number of teams who load up on I-AA teams out of conference. I'm sure a lot of coaches choose to play cupcakes so they have a better idea of what they need to fix before conference play starts.

Linkage

Seth Curry

- Tech Hoops looks at the odds Seth Curry will end up at Tech. Spoiler alert: Not bloody likely.

- A-Line on The Wahoo coaching search, Seth Curry and the NCAA Tournament.

- Joe Ovies has an interview with Dave Telep that goes over the Curry situation.

Atlantic Coast Conference

- All Canes looks at the effect firing Art Kehoe has had on Miami's offensive line.

- Annette reports Wake cornerback Brandon Ghee has a torn MCL.

- Clemson's coaches aren't All In apparently.

- From Old Virginia has thoughts on the early days of UVa's spring practice.

Randomness

- BCO needs a team to bid on in the Sweet 16. My original pick of Memphis is available, but looking at my bracket he may want to avoid it.

- When Brazilian waxing meets Goodfellas.

- Hockey, pierogies and sexual tension.

- George Kottaras will be Tim Wakefield's personal catcher this year. Once, in Portland, Ore., I saw Kottaras take a foul ball ... um ... below the equator, writhe around on the ground in pain for 10 minutes, get up and finish catching the game. Like a champion.

Don't Forget

- Submit your questions for our Spring Football Roundtable either in the comments or by E-mailing gobblercountry-at-gmail-dot-com. Thanks.

Submit Questions for a Hokie Spring Football Roundtable

Several Hokie sports blogs have agreed to participate in a roundtable to preview Virginia Tech's spring football practices. However, we need help from you all.

Please submit questions for us to discuss by leaving them in the comments or E-mailing them to gobblercountry-at-gmail-dot-com. Please try to limit the questions to Hokie football or the concept of spring football.

We'll pick five or six questions they will be answered by our panel. The roundup will be posted here after all the bloggers have chimed in.

Participating blogs:

Beer Control Offense
College Game Balls
The North End Zone
Tech Super Fans
Virginia Tech Fan

Watch Williams, OL During VT's Spring Practice

The Hokies lose only three offensive starters from last year's team. However, there are still a lot of fresh faces that I'm looking forward to hearing about when Tech starts spring practice April 1. The biggest key for Hokies will be developing depth on the offensive line. They'll get the chance to do so as only two returning starters (LT Ed Wang and RT Blake DeChristopher) will participate in spring drills. Guard Sergio Render had surgery on his left shoulder and won't be available.

RB Ryan Williams

This is a no brainer. Hokie fans are excited to finally see the redshirt freshman in action. Williams was redshirted last year because he was unable to earn enough playing time at running back to justify playing him in his first year. Williams had trouble with pass blocking, which will get you on Billy Hite's bad side quickly.

Williams will at least return kicks for the Hokies next season and is expected to provide the lateral-moving shifty type running style in the backfield that complements the hard-nosed running style of Darren Evans. I think you could also see Williams line up in the slot a lot next year as well.

WR Brandon Dillard

Dillard was the star of last year's spring game but tore his Achilles’ tendon in July and missed the 2008 season. I'm interested to see if Dillard's speed is anywhere close to what we saw last spring out of him.

The Hokies need a speedy wide receiver and Dillard can provide that if he's back. If he isn't, hopefully he can at least provide much needed depth at the position.

OL Jaymes Brooks

Brooks played well during the Orange Bowl against Cincinnati for the ineligible Nick Marshman. I'm interested to see which guard position he plays during spring practice. In the Orange Bowl, he played right guard and Render moved to the left spot. We'll find out if that move is permanent this spring.

The key for the Hokies will be maintaining the chemistry and progress the offensive line made toward the end of last year. They have to replace the main cog in center Ryan Shuman, who graduated, and if they can do that they should be able to hit the ground running in 2009.

Who are you interested in seeing perform during spring drills?

Linkage

Hokies

- BCO welcomes a new writer in HokieJayBee. He announces his presence with authority.

- The A-Line looks at the ACC's postseason performance, including that of the Hokies.

- The North End Zone is glad Tech's basketball season (and the weekend) is over.

Atlantic Coast Conference

- The Legacyx4 has an in-depth look at Georgia Tech's first day of spring practice.

- Brendan at From Old Virginia gives his thoughts on the guys at the top of UVa's bball coaching search.

- Impressive research by Tomahawk Nation. Leonard Hamilton does a much better job of improving his players than another hoops coach I know.

- David Glenn at ACCSJ interviews Aaron Curry.

Randomness

- South Park will have a Jimmy Buffett influence tonight.

- An Oklahoma team claimed a hoops national title.

- Burnt Orange Nation took a trip to G'boro for the NCAA Tournament.

- OMG! Miller's back! Too bad the season's dead. However, one Sabres fan still enjoys going to the games. Is she a fellow masochist?

- If The Captain can't hit OR field, what was the point of bringing him back?

An Interesting Way to Boost Attendance

The VT women's lacrosse team hosts North Carolina at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Thompson Field. The struggling Hokies are 4-10 overall and 1-2 in ACC play. I don't think I ever remember a point where the women's lacrosse team was any good, but that doesn't mean it won't see a big attendance figure Wednesday.

Wednesday's game will feature something called the "Greek Challenge" where the fraternity or sorority with the most members in attendance receives a $100 gift card to the business of its choice. My guess is you'll see a lot of greeks at Wednesday's game because from what I experienced in college greeks get excited about any opportunity to beat other greeks at anything.

Whether its raising money or drinking terrible 3.2 beer, greeks get a kick out of being the best at it. Hopefully it means a spirited atmosphere for the game against the 7-2 Tar Heels.

Attendance to women's lacrosse games are free at VT, but I assume the increased attendance will mean increased concession sales. And if the Hokies were smart and got that $100 gift card donated, it's all profit.

Linkage

Hokies

- Aaron McFarling has greater appreciation for the ADV era than I do.

- BCO really likes IPAs. I can't stand IPAs. To each his own.

- Tech Hoops gives its summer schedule.

Atlantic Coast Conference

- Enjoy it while you can boys. There's no spring break in the real world. /sobs uncontrollably. /applies to grad school.

- Jeff and Brian are too close to call in their Tournament pool. Jeff's only ahead because he had his wife pick his bracket.

- Pretty good motivational ploy by Roy during the LSU game.

- Apparently the near-empty Dolphin Stadium for Miami games isn't because 'Canes fans suck. It's because Miami fans suck in general.

- Spring practice starts at Georgia Tech.

Randomness

- Looks like all that money the Virginia Lottery gives to Virginia Public Schools didn't help Percy Harvin.

- Giglio looks at Gonzaga's history in the NCAA Tournament.

- Sad face.

- It was a bad weekend to be a Sabres fan.

Barnhart Talks Coastal, Tide Fans Talk Tech

Tony Barnhart, a/k/a Mr. College Football, posted his "What we know and don't know" about the ACC Coastal this morning on his blog. Barnhart has forgotten more about college football than I know, so I was looking forward to this.

Here's what he said about the Hokies:

VIRGINIA TECH (10-4, practice starts April 1, ends April 25)

What we know: Bud Foster’s defense will be very good again. The Hokies’ defense was supposed to be in a rebuilding mode in 2008 but when the season ended Virginia Tech was second in the league in total defense (279.4 ypg) and first in scoring defense (16.7 ppg). Seven starters return but the losses were significant. Victor “Macho” Harris started 40 games at cornerback. Foster also has to find a couple of inside linebackers. According the figures recently released by the school, in the last five seasons combined, Virginia Tech has had the nation’s best defense (263.06 ypg). There is no reason to think that will change in 2009.

What we don’t know: Can QB Tyrod Taylor and RB Darren Evans keep it going? If so, the Hokies are going to be hard to handle on offense. Taylor, a rising junior, was dinged up a lot last season but still managed to record 1,774 yards of total offense (1,036 passing, 738 running) in 12 games. Evans set an ACC record for the most yards rushing by a freshman (1,265) last season. Virginia Tech has won the ACC championship in three of the five years (2004, 2007, 2008) it has been a member and played for the ACC championship (losing to Florida State) in 2005. The Hokies may be the closest thing the ACC has to a Top 10 team in 2009. Do they have a chance to upset Alabama in the Georgia Dome on Sept. 5?

Pretty simple and straight forward. Also, the same thing could have been said in 2006, 2007 and 2008 about Hokie football.

Naturally, Barnhart's suggestion that Tech might beat Alabama brought out the best and brightest the state has to offer in the comments section.

"Roll fuckin' tahde":

From MtnBama: "VT like everyone else will be lucky to score ten points against Bama this year."

From Saint Nick: "Yeah VT will have a decent defense, BUT, Bama will have a GREAT defense!!!! VT or anyone for that matter run on this defense. Scott moving to DB will help sure up the secondary, the front seven will be the best in the country. RTR!!!!!!"

From Got 12? (ed. note - you don't have 12, either): "Once again, by scheduling the marquee matchup of college football’s opening weekend, Bama has already won. This game is about national exposure, branding, and recruiting. One a side note, we will beat Virgina Tech."

From Bob: "Virginia Tech does not fare well in games like this. Their record against top 25 teams from OOC is less than impressive, and that’s being generous. I think they are one of the most overrated programs in the nation."

That is some inspirational shit right there. For those of you who don't speak Crazy Fanatic Internet Shorthand, RTR means "Roll Tide Roll". Of course, there was no mention from Bama fans about how they were actually going to move the ball this year or how this game being on opening weekend might hurt the team that's having to replace its QB, RB and best offensive lineman.

Looks like we're going to have five months of smack talk between Bama and Tech fans leading up to this soiree.

Fitting End to Basketball Season

This year's Hokie basketball team was known for coming out flat and then having to regroup and make a comeback attempt. With the notable exception of the win over Wake Forest, this was S.O.P. for Tech.

So, naturally, the Hokies came out as slow and sluggish as they ever have against Baylor in the second round of the NIT and were promptly dispatched, 84-66 by the Bears.

It didn't help that Baylor couldn't miss from the field. The Bears shot 66.7 percent in the first half. Center Josh Lomers scored 12 points, all in the first half, to pace them early. Baylor made 10 of 21 three-point attempts in the game.

The Hokies were the polar opposite as they shot 32.4 percent for the game and 24.1 percent in the first half. Tech's "Big Three" of Malcolm Delaney, AD Vassallo and Jeff Allen combined to go 2 for 17 from the field in the first half.

It was an embarrassing opening 20 minutes from the Hokies. Baylor played excellent defense and forced Tech into poor shots. However, the Hokies hurt themselves by being generally lazy, especially while passing.

The entire game can be encapsulated into a stretch with just under four minutes to play. Baylor's Henry Dugat stole a lazy in-bounds pass and reset the offense. Baylor missed a three and Tech got the offensive rebound. However, another lazy pass at midcourt was again stolen by Dugat, who this time took the ball to the rim and jammed it home.

The Hokies were a horrible basketball team to watch this year. They were inconsistent and at times it seemed they were unmotivated. A very disappointing season that had a lot of promise in the preseason is thankfully over.

Linkage

Hokies

- Tech Hoops offers its take on the loss.

- BCO has an accurate visual representation of today's performance.

- VT Fan found it hard to get excited about the NIT.

- The North End Zone has joined the Twitter.

- The Hokie football team dished out some awards.

Atlantic Coast Conference

- As bad as Friday was for the ACC, Giglio says it could have been worse.

- The Buzz Blog says you only have to look at the coaches to see why some ACC teams are still dancing and some aren't.

- My thoughts on Tech's bball season are similar to All Canes' thoughts on Miami's bball season.

- Section Six sees a correlation between beating NCSU and winning in The Tournament.

Randomness

- EDSBS has Erin Andrews naked.

- Anne at Sabretooth's House does her best furrer4heisman impersonation after last night's loss to Philly.

Hokie Baseball Gets 100 Percent More Awesome

Because the Hokies will be wearing this little number for their game against Georgia Tech at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at English Field. The Houston Astros starburst-style jerseys are a part of Disco Night and old school VT shirts will also be given away.

Yes, they're ugly, but that doesn't make them any less spectacular. I'll pay handsomely for one of those things.

Honoring the Original Hokie

O.M. Stull, who came up with the "Old Hokie Cheer" that eventually gave Tech its nickname, will be honored by the Roanoke Valley Hokie Club. A memorial and plaque will be placed at his grave in Lexington, Va., to honor his contribution to Hokie athletics.

Stull won the school-wide contest to come up with a new cheer (and its $5 first prize) in 1896. He said the word Hokie was just something he made up to draw attention to the cheer.

Hokie Face Baylor in NIT

I'll be having breakfast with the Hokies when they host Baylor at 11 a.m. Saturday at Cassell Coliseum on ESPN. Coach Greenberg is certain the fans will be loud despite the early start time:

We are excited about Saturday's game. It's another national television game and we want to show the country that the "Hokie Nation" is ready to go, 24/7. Regardless of whether it's a 10 a.m. or midnight tip, we are ready to go. Thank you for your support throughout the season and we look forward to seeing you in the Cassell on Saturday morning.

The key for the Hokies will be stopping Baylor point guard Curtis Jerrells. After watching Duquesne's Aaron Jackson drive to the hoop at will against Tech's awful perimeter defense, I worry the same will happen when Jerrells takes on the Hokies.

Jerrells won't put up the same 46 points Jackson had because he has a better supporting cast. If the Hokies can't contain Jerrells, he'll be able to drive, dish and dominate Saturday morning.

The Hokies will need a big game from Jeff Allen to win this one. He can make a difference inside against a Baylor team that isn't great on the boards.

Linkage

Hokies

- KT is in St. Louis covering the NCAA Wrasslin' Championship.

- Coach Beamer will compete in a celebrity NASCAR race Saturday in Bristol, Tenn.

- Tech Hoops thinks the Baylor game will come down to three-point shooting.

- Blogsburg thinks Baylor poses problems for us and is glad the game starts at 10 a.m. CDT.

- BCO gives it up to Aaron Jackson.

- TV Theme Madness continues at The North End Zone. Vote Fraggle.

Atlantic Coast Conference

- Tar Heel Fan is in G'boro cheering on the Heels.

- All Canes thinks Kirby Hocutt should keep his pimp hand strong when dealing with the Irish.

- BC faces BU in a critical hockey showdown this weekend.

- Joe Ovies and Adam Gold interview public enemy No. 1 in Chapel Hill, Jeff Goodman.

- Why didn't you tell me Barnhart was back in the blogging business?!?

Randomness

- Doug thinks brackets can solve anything.

- Buffalo is actually talking about firing Lindy Ruff. I never thought this would happen.

- Ow-ah pitchahs cowntinue to dawminahte in Fahrt Meyahs.

*cough, cough*

"Hey, boss, it's furrer4heisman. Hey, yeah ... um, yeah. There's NO way I'm going to be able to come into work today. I think I caught that 48-hour flu that's been going around. Yeah, the 48 hour one. It's like the 24-hour flu but like twice as bad. No. Yeah, I've been throwing up all morning. It's terrible. So, I mean, I'll try to come in tomorrow, but we're just going to have to play it by ear. What's that? Oh, does that start today? I had no idea!"

I'm at home today. And tomorrow. Yeah, there will be hell to pay on Monday, but it will probably be worth it. For every year except My Year In Hell, I've skipped school and or work to watch the first two days of The Tournament (notice the capitalization).

My favorite memory was 1998 when my parents called me in sick so we could go to the Myriad to watch the first round games. Boy am I glad they did:



We bought tickets on the street prior to the game and ended up sitting two rows up, across the court from the Valpo bench. There were a bunch of higher-ups from the school sitting around us and we all went nuts after Drew hit the shot.

What I remember most was that shot woke everyone up. The game started at 11:20 AM or so and the entire arena (which was about half-full) slept through most of the game. Until it started to dawn on us Valpo had a chance.

There were great games at the Myriad that year. Right after the Valpo game, Florida State upset TCU. Two days later, Valpo advanced to the Sweet 16 and Rhode Island joined them by knocking off Kansas, who a lot of people picked to win it all.

What's your favorite three-day work week or three-day school week memory?

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Bracket

Here it is:



Those on Facebook are cordially invited to join The 4th Annual Teddy Dupay Memorial Basketball Pool.

Midwest Region

First Round

Lewwwwwvulllll over Whoever Won Last Night Morehead State
Siena over Ohio State
Arizona over Utah
Wake Forest over Cleveland State
West Virginia over Dayton
Kansas over NDSU
Boston College over USC
Michigan State over Robert Morris

Second Round

Louisville over Siena
Wake over Arizona
West Virginia over Kansas
Michigan State over BC

Sweet 16

Louisville over Wake
Michigan State over West Virginia

Elite Eight

Louisville over Michigan State

West Region

First Round

UConn over Chattanooga
BYU over Texas A&M
Purdue over Northern Iowa
Washington over Mississippi State
Utah State over Marquette
Missouri over Cornell
Cal over Maryland
Memphis over CS-Northridge

Second Round

UConn over BYU
Washington over Purdue
Utah State over Mizzou
Memphis over Cal

Sweet 16

Washington over UConn
Memphis over Utah State

Elite Eight

Memphis over Washington

East Region

First Round

Pitt over ETSU
Tennessee over OSU
Florida State over Wisconsin
Xavier over Portland State
UCLA over VCU
Villanova over American
Texas over Minnesota
Duke over Binghamton

Second Round

Pitt over Tennessee
Florida State over Xavier
UCLA over Villanova
Texas over Duke

Sweet 16

Florida State over Pitt
Texas over UCLA

Elite Eight

Florida State over Texas

South Region

First Round

North Carolina over Radford
Butler over Elleshoe
WKU over Illinois
Gonzaga over Akron
Arizona State over Temple
Syracuse over SFA
Michigan over Clemson
Oklahoma over Morgan State

Second Round

UNC over Butler
Gonzaga over WKU
Arizona State over Syracuse
Oklahoma over Michigan

Sweet 16

Gonzaga over UNC
Arizona State over Oklahoma

Elite Eight

Arizona State over Gonzaga

Final Four

Memphis over Louisville
Florida State over Arizona State

National Championship

Memphis over Florida State

Stuff to Read While Drinking and Filling Out Brackets

It's St. Patrick's, so I'm doing what I do best all day today. It's not even Noon and I'm on my third Guinness. I'm not an alcoholic, I'm just honoring my heritage.

I'm also filling out what will likely be the worst bracket in the history of filling it out brackets. Seriously, this thing is terrible. I'll reveal my picks tomorrow so you can point and laugh at them.

Everyone has advice on the NCAA Tournament and how to pick it. Well, I can only offer two pieces of advice.

First, the serious part: Fill it out backwards. Look at each regional, select the team you feel is strongest or has the best match-ups to get them to the Final Four and put them in Detroit. Then, fill out the rest of the regional. If you start from the beginning, you're bound to put the strongest team in a tough match-up in the Sweet 16 and then go against your better judgment and pick against them. Well, more often than not, that Sweet 16 match-up doesn't happen and you're stuck when you're original team ends up in the Final Four.

Finally, the fun part: Pick one huge underdog and have them winning in the first round. This way, if you're like me and your team isn't in the field, you at least have one rooting interest on Thursday or Friday. It's an added bonus if the underdog you picked is playing a team you hate.



Linkage

Hokies

- TSL has the Labatt Hokie Hotline notes. Greenberg on the officiating: "It is what it is."

- Tech Hoops went to the ACC tournament and naturally visited The Varsity. "What'll ya have!?"

- Niemo also previews the Duquesne game.

- Blogsburg has its unique take on the Dukes. With cheerleader photo!

- A-Line wonders aloud why Tech fans are complaining about the officiating Friday's hoops game after the officiating in September's football game. Good point. [stereotypical Hokie fan] I'll take the football win over a basketball win any day. [/stereotypical Hokie fan].

ACC

- Joe Ovies and Adam Gold interview Tom O'Brien about Irish Christmas.

- Blogger So Dear has advice on filling out your bracket. Don't look at the RPI, folks.

- Jeff of BCI took time out from being a neutered married pussy to attend the ACC tournament.

- TrueCubbie of Tomahawk Nation takes a preliminary look at The Tournament.

- Probably the best read of the week (even if it's from a dirty 'hoo) comes from From Old Virginia with his take on Dave Leitao's ouster. Good stuff. You know, for a 'hoo.

- Doug dissects Dabo.

Randomness

- Tulsa is finally better than OKC at something. Too bad it's making meth.

- Remember when Winfield of The Legacy x4 and I traded texts during the GT-Miami game last November? This is what it would have looked like if we were women. Notice the complete lack of swear words. And neither of them is drunk.

- Woo hoo!

- Double woo hoo!