For many of you, I have revealed oodles, but I enjoy shooting the shizz, so openfully I open some new avenues of quirks on today's AMA.
- While I played "little kid" rec league sports, I didn't play any organized football until 9th grade, and outside of little league baseball (which, much to my chagrin because baseball was my favorite sport when sports became a thing in my mind in the spring of 1986), I didn't play any kind of organized sports until I was an eighth grader.
-My favorite sport was tennis. I was a huge Andre Agassi and Jim Courrier mark. I had one of the first Head Radical Trysis rackets in the neon green and black. However, I didn't play at an organized level. I played against friends who played organized tennis at the town courts behind the public library every day I could from 6th-8th grade, but had enough shade thrown at me by being a chunky kid (was usually around 200-220 and no muscle at that time) that I never even asked to try organized. I continued to play for fun through college (won the EHC intramural championship in 1998 against one of @Wiley's frat brothers) and until around 2010, when bicipetal tendonitis and back issues caused me to stop playing. My cousin played at Virginia Tech and is now a tennis pro in Richmond.
- I got goaded/bullied into throwing shot and discuss by one of my mom's coworkers in eighth grade. We ran a mile everyday as a warmup. Even when I was at my most athletic in college, running any kind of a distance without there being a competative element was miserable because my mind would wander and rationalize not doing it. I am pretty convinced that I am undiagnosed ADHD. Look at that groundhog. I was ok at shotput (best throw was 42-6, but didn't qualify for regionals my senior year) and sucked at the discuss. You guessed it, even though I wasn't the biggest guy, I had heavy feet and couldn't build momentum.
-After eighth grade track season, I got into the weight lifting program, and the same colleague of my mom berated me into playing football. That first year, especially the first eight weeks or so, was brutal. I didn't know what pads I needed. I had no idea how to move or control your body. My neck ached so bad I couldn't sleep at night just from the extra weight of the helmet. And most importantly, I had no idea how to absorb or deliver contact. I got knocked around pretty badly, didn't play, and generally hated life. But, I enjoyed the commraderie. I never became very good, but learned pretty quickly so I could hold my own.
- A couple of days after we lost to Gate City in the playoffs my senior year, I was with my Dad and Uncle on a hunting trip in Craig County. My uncle had major health issues that caused him to pass out at times. He shot a deer, and radioed for me to come aid him with the gut and drag out. I took my belt off and started to turn around in my stand to climb down. As I did, the ladder kicked out sideways. We found out later someone had loosened the chain around the tree. I fell about fourteen feet and landed on the outside of my left ankle, suffering a grade three sprain (major tear) of all three ligaments on the outside of the ankle. The pain was so bad, I thought I had broken my leg just below the knee. Game warden and EMS had to come up into the woods and haul me out. The doctor told me it would have been better off if I broke it. I was in a cast from November to February, and that sumbitch smelled rank.
- The ankle killed any chance of playing any sport in college, so I went to EHC just hoping to enjoy the college experience. I loved the liberal arts and history curriculum, and especially loved having free access and people to constantly compete against. Basketball, tennis, golf (all free), so I was out moving around constantly. And it paid off physically. I went from around 270 when I graduated from high school to down around 215 that fall freshman year. But, I had left high school football with such an embittered experience that it nagged me every Saturday when I saw my dormmates take the field. Finally right before Christmas, I went and talked with Fred Selfe, the offensive line coach at EHC who had played with my dad in the 1960s. He made no promises, but suggested I join their spring S&C program and see how it went. I stuck with it, and was asked to attend fall camp. I never thought I would see the field, but college football was a real eye opener. There was instruction, not yelling. You were expected to come to camp in shape, so they didn't kill you with the conditioning (it was way easier from a cardio perspective than high school was), and the training staff meticulously made sure you were well hydrated. I took to the intellectual approach, and while the speed of the game and the ferocity of the contact was much more violent than high school, the way practice time played out, I loved the experience. I played in the very first game I dressed, against a top ten ranked Washington and Jefferson (we beat them 38-10 if I remember correctly). That was really something.
- I didn't play a huge amount. I was undersized (6-0, got back up to around 240 after two years in the lifting program), but at least I was slow. But, I lost the love of the game by my last year. I probably should have left things thing. Despite nagging pain in my injured ankle, at least I didn't get hurt my first two years. My senior year, in my first ever scrimmage working on first team, I was down field blocking a safety on a toss sweep and our All-American tailback ran up the back of my leg. It was the left ankle again. I missed two weeks of practice, tried to come back way too soon, and never really recovered mentally or physically. Even though I was on XP/FG team, I was mentally completely checked out. Football, even as a fan or an impartial observer, has always been something that was more a labor than a love, but I do love thinking about the art of it, and I miss the comraderie.
- kids, don't get a history degree if you aren't going to teach. After school, I worked in juvenile corrections, a Civil War museum in Petersburg, a dental secretary, a concert promotion company, a temp, and a grass roots civic education non-profit. I was very fortunate that a Hokie alum recommended me to her boss as a great mind when it came to Congressional grass roots advocacy, and said boss hired me to a healthcare technology not-for profit. That was in 2006. I am still there-today is my first day as Senior Director, Public Policy and Content Development.
- Cheese- as someone noted in another thread, I enjoyed cheese as a little kid, especially brown sugar cheese sandwiches. But, I got violently ill once from an Arby's Beef and Cheddar when I was around four. While I still was able to eat pizza (except Dominos because the powdered parmasaen made me gag) with cheese until my early 30s, everything else triggered a violent gag reflex. Just walking through the cheese area in Wegmans gives me a seasick type of reaction.
- Stuff I loved as a kid: Airwolf, Iron Eagle, The Transformers, History (let me tell you about the yellow and blue Spellbinder's Fisher Price cassette about George Washington and naming all the presidents in order in second grade), dinosaurs (my first dream was to be a paleontologist- Diplodocus was da man), Don Mattingly, Steve Largent, Thurman Thomas, James Worthy, Sean Elliott, Jerry Rice, ETSU baseketball Agassi, Courrier, and for some reason, when the Indianapolis 500 came on, Danny Sullivan? I still don't rememember why.
- Favorite Bar- the Sophisticated Otter in Johnson City TN. A old friend of mine who I haven't seen in a very long time was the owner. We had some good times there.
- Favorite concert- so many... my musical memories and preferences vary day to day. Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Flogging Molly at Ziggys, Oasis and Travis at the Patriot Center, Soundgarden at the Patriot Center, Reel Big Fish and the Ernies at Trax, and any number of Gran Torino shows would probably be up there
- it is no secret that most of my time not working is focused on New York Rangers hockey and fishing.
Okay. Enough emoting. Fire away the questions.
Comments
If you could have three guests over for dinner from any time period, who would they be and why?
This may be an expansion of the parameters, but I'd rather have three dinners with one invitee each:
1) George Washington- I was fascinated with George Washington as a kid, and to this day I would love to learn more about his experience as a surveyor NW of Winchester. That time period, particularly the way land was developed and rented (sort of like a subdivision today) intrigues me. In his own diary, Washington (when he was 14) kept a record of his first surveying trip with James Genn, the surveyor for Prince William County. The first French homestead we can find record of was surveyed by James Genn in a big bend of the South Fork of the Potomac in Hampshire County WV that is still called French's Neck. I have always wondered if Washington was part of the survey group.
2. I would love to have dinner with my Dad, but when he was a teenager.
3. Probably Jen Carfagno from the Weather Channel. When you get old, you get weird crushes on attractive women who tell you it is nice outside and you should go fishing.
Washington certainly lived a full life. That period of time in Virginia history certainly seems to be interesting but not as well known. I was just down in the Standardsville area and saw one of the historical markers for the Knights of Golden Horseshoe expedition. That was where governor Alexander Spotswood took a bunch men to explore Virginia past the Blue ridge mountains near Swift Run Gap. Sounds like it was a big party with a bunch of guys drinking their bottoms off. Washington was big into self control so not sure if he did anything like that.
I just have to because I grew up a few miles south: STANARDSVILLE (just one D)
Darnit, you got me there. So sorry about the mistake.
I grew up on the other side of the mountain near Elkton and had a teacher that would make the trip from Greene county over to our school every day. I thought he was a bit crazy, but a job is a job.
Did you go to school in Greene county?
I still have nightmares about making that drive. Lost brakes twice with a load. One time I lost a wheel off my dad's old dually right at the swift run pool before heading up the mountain. Had 2.5 tons of landscaping stone in the back so thank God I didnt start up the hill.
My folks wanted albemarle county schools when they moved there from the Midwest so they are about a half mile on that side of the county line. I could make it to William Monroe HS in about 15 minutes. My high school was over 45 minutes away in Crozet.
Love that run over the mountain through the twisties. Gotta do it in a good handling car though.
All my siblings went to Western. I ended up at Albemarle myself. I think Western is the better school tbh. My siblings are all smarter than I am
We were right on the edge of a districting line so I had maybe 5 people from my Broadus Wood class that went to WAHS and the rest went to AHS. I didn't realize WAHS was a good school, but a few years back my wife was talking about how highly rated her HS was so we looked it up for our graduation year. Western was #400 something and her school didn't make the top 1000 (AHS was around #600). Side note, it's not a good idea to win arguments like that between you and your wife...
My wife's school was almost certainly better than mine. Regardless, she is absolutely smarter than me so whether or not her high school was better is moot. We both went to VT so we have that common schooling and she absolutely left me (and everyone else) in the dust. She was honored as the Outstanding Senior for her class when she graduated. Then she went and got her Masters (and got paid for it).
I say all of that to say this: Even if your high school was better than your wife's school, you can still convince her that it doesn't matter and she's smarter than you anyway.
I have a photo of a signature that is supposedly by George Washington on a cave wall that he did the inside survey and drawing of in his early surveying years.
I'm going back through "Washington: A Life" for a second time. If you haven't read or gave it a listen, it's a pretty nice audiobook for listening to installments here and there over long drives, cutting the grass, etc.
Young Washington by Peter Stark is an excellent look at Washington's years trying to make the leap from colonial militia to commissioned officer in the British army.
Astoria is another great Peter Stark history. My wife got me that book and I had honestly never knew about the lost colony of the pacific northwest or even anything about John Jacob Astor. Dude had 1% of the world's wealth at his peak. He was literally THE 1%.
I've had a crush on Jen Carfagno for a very long time.
If you could invite 3 fish for dinner, which would they be and how would you have them prepared?
Pacific Yellowtail for sushi
Tautog for fried fish cakes
Wahoo on the grill
Why Emory and Henry?
My Dad went there. They had a great history curriculum and that was what I was best at. Once I got accepted, I didn't really look elsewhere, although I did visits to JMU, Lenior Rhyne, and CVC. Initially it was a great choice. The liberal arts curriculum suited me. I liked to write and expound. The small classes created a good learning environment. And, socially, going to a small school kind of makes it feel like you were all in it together. I felt like I was on a first name basis with everyone, where at a bigger school I think I would have found a comfort zone of people (likely from my hometown) and really isolated myself. It was terrific initially- always walking distance and willing people from a pickup game, a swim, a round of golf or tennis. It was heaven- I can't run 20 seconds, but if it is a competition, I could play all day. It was great for my health and mental wellness... at first.
By my last four semesters though, the fishbowl got too small. You knew everyones personal business, including the not-so-comfortable stuff. If anything embarassing happened to you, you couldn't get away from it. And, in retrospect, while the curriculum reinforced being well-rounded for success in a lot of environments (particularly critical thinking and public speaking), EHC did very little to prepare me for getting a career and having other important skills (project management, use of tools like Office, spreadsheets, power point). Hence, when I finished school, I didn't have one iota of what to do. The only think the school helped with is the director of the communications department got me an interview with the local WCYB affiliate to produce (I did one of her electronic communications classes to get a chance to do my own sports talk radio show on campus radio.) I was offered but didn't take the job, and then got hired by the juvenile justice place to do life skills counseling and sucicide prevention a few weeks later.
When factoring the additional cost, and the fact that outside of SWVA, EHC had zero name recognition (I would tell people I went to Emory, their face would light up, and then I added the "and Henry" and their face would drop) professionally, I would have likely made a very different choice in hindsight.
Fourth and goal, 6 yard line, OT in the natty, you have to score a TD. What play are you calling if you're on offense and what about on defense?
So, in honor of Coach Selfe, who always called one of these two plays on first and goal- either a speed option into the boundary (19) or a bootleg to the field off an iso fake into the boundary.
I was always an offensive guy first, so I will go with my favorite defensive call from Alvin Mack in The Program- Eagle Zipper Hero. Assignment- kill the quarterback.
The correct answer was "jet sweep into the boundary"
What's the soundtrack to your life?
Why are you so interested in film review? Do you go back and review any other sports/teams that you are interested in?
What's your favorite story (about you)?
I could write War and Peace about that first one. I have so many mood-based songs of choice. If I had to make an album length playlist, it would likely include the following (no particular order)
Janes Addiction "Just Because"
Dilated Peoples "First Comes to First" (my all time favorite driving song)
Frank Turner, "Love Ire and Song"
George Clinton cover of "Erotic City"
Frank Turner "I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous"
The Refreshments "Nada"
Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers "Heaven on a Paper Plate"
Goldfinger "Superman"
Oasis- "Rock and Roll Star"
Soundgarden "My Wave"
Old Crow "Carry Me Back to Virginia"
Travis "All I want to Do Is Rock"
Coheed and Cambria "Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3"
Mars Volta "Goliath"
Reel Big Fish "I'll Never Be"
Soul Coughing "Soft Serve"
Matthew Ryan "It Could Have Been Worse"
Southern Culture on the Skids "Banana Pudding"
If I had the new fangled spotify list, this could turn massive. So much depends on my need at that moment.
Soundgarden and The Mars volta 🔥🔥
More-
The Ernies "Here and Now"
Kasabian "Clubfoot"
Stone Roses "Love Spreads"
Rakim "When I B On Tha Mic"
Jackie Wilson "Higher and Higher"
Radiohead "Paranoid Android"
The Fire Theft "Chain"
Jurassic 5 "Quality Control"
Hepcat "Bobby and Jo"
Faraquet "Cut Self Not" (Devin Ocampo is by far my favorite guitarist from the DC local scene)
Jane's Addiction "Mountain Song"
Led Zeppelin "Over the Hills and Far Away"
Otis Redding "Sittin on a Dock of the Bay"
Jimmy Buffet "A Pirate Looks at 40"
Pearl Jam "Evenflow"
Incubus "Redefine"
Oasis "Live Forever"
Travis "Sing"
Bosstones "Rascal King"
Gershwin "Rhapsody in Blue" hits me just right
Roger Miller "King of the Road" (pretty much anything from the Swingers soundtrack pops me.)
Ohh man, Here and Now is a great song. Two very solid lists o' tunes here French.
I saw them twice before Mojo Records screwed them over. Once opening for Reel Big Fish at Trax in Hooville. The other was at the Port o Call in Kill Devil Hills. My brother and I were the only people there to see them. A bar goer asked them if they could cover a song by Kansas. Needless to say, she went back to her chair disappointed (no disrespect to Kansas.)
Man Science era incubus was top notch stuff😤
Tons of amazing songs on both lists. I love J5. Have you seen them live?
Sadly I have not. Once my hearing started giving me issues, I backed away from a lot of my concert going.
Protect your ears, folks
The film review thing was an accident. Intiially, it just helped me enjoy the game more. I started writing my thoughts about the game on my own to try and raise the discourse (part was not enjoying OL being blamed for everything when a play didn't work.) Writing here was an accident. I found it, and wanted to share observations during the 2011 season. Joe asked me to stay, and I have been doing it since.
I will say, it does become more difficult over the years. I don't like being critical- back then the player were more like peers, now they are younger than my stepson. It is a weird dynamic. I also don't get as upset about poor perfomances, because again, it is tough to have people half your age have the power to ruin your week.
I like telling stories. Off the top of my head, I had a woman on a first date pause, look vexed, and then say "there is something I need to tell you." (LONG PAUSE)
"I have been excommunicated from the Mormon church."
I thought someone was playing a prank on me. Fortunately, I had the classy response of "well, I always wanted to be the reason why a Mormon got excommunicated."
I am a boring guy.
I love your response to that. Did she offer more insight as to why you got her excommunicated?
It ended up being because she was a pro-choice, which given the build seemed really anti-climatic.
Dating in the DC area sucks. I am glad Ms. Susie and I collided when we did. Otherwise i"d be a hermit living in a cave now.
I agree that was very anti-climatic
Transcript of the date:
F: It's good to see you
D: You too. (Deep pause) I have something to tell you.
F: Okaay? (while thinking to himself "What the hell have I gotten into? Do I need to cut this short and look for the emergency exits?)
D: I was excommunicated from the Mormon Church
F: well, I always wanted to be the reason why a Mormon got excommunicated. That's an interesting ice breaker. Is there a story behind that?
D: Oh, I'm pro-choice.
F: Uh huh (to himself um yeah.... and she brings this up on a first date why??)
Date continues somewhat awkwardly...
F: It was nice meeting/seeing you. Check please.
There had been about three hours build to that point, but outside of the silent finishing of a hamburger and walking her home (it was en route to the metro), you have nailed the pertinent facts.
I'm baking cookies this evening, which variety should I make? Leaning towards chocolate/caramel chip at the moment.
I like chocalate and peanut butter chip cookies.
But my favorite- my grandmother used to buy off-brand yellow oreos. When we left Bluefield to go home, she would give me two as "just in case cookies." Now, those cookies in the grand pantheon of desserts weren't very good. But the memory, that was priceless.
Chocolate/PB chip/Caramel....
Whats your connection to Virginia Tech?
Very little, frankly. As a kid, we got almost no exposure to Virginia Tech football on television (I didn't have cable growing up) and we were inundated with Tennessee coverage. I didn't like the Vols, so I sort of trailed along with other teams that were on TV. I liked Auburn's uniforms. I liked how BYU and Miami threw the ball (I thought wishbone and option football was boring), but I watched much more of the NFL and college basketball, with ETSU becoming a mid-major power in my backyard and Sean Elliott at Arizona as the first basketball player I pretended to be while playing pickup with friends.
When the Shawn Moore/Herman Moore/Chris Slade/Terry Kirby UVA team made their run to the top of the rankings, I paid attention because it was a team from Virginia. I can still remember Scott Sisson kicking a field goal on national tv to end their short stay at number 1. A couple of weeks later, UVA's wheels had fallen off with Shawn Moore's injury. During our annual hunting trip to Craig County, we would always leave the woods Thanksgiving afternoon to have dinner at one of my aunt's, either in Thaxton or Roanoke. That year, we were at my aunt's in Roanoke and I saw VT football for the first time- the Will Furrer shredding of UVA on ESPN.
It didn't stick though. We still had very little coverage at home, so it was probably the year after the Independence Bowl when I started paying attention. The part of the brand that grabbed me was the aggressive defense and quarterback pressure. I listened to a lot of games on AM radio, and the combination of Bill Roth describing quarterbacks seemingly under pressure on every snap, and the Hokies band playing Empire March after sacks (something I wish they brought back) hooked me. By the time the Sugar Bowl came and went, I was all in on the football.
But, and this will probably anger some folks, I didn't like the campus when I went with my cousin to tour the place, so I didn't fall in love with Blacksburg and don't share that connection with many of you. But, I had some good memories visiting (my cousin lived in the apartments above Gumbys), had some great times at the old music venue where Cabo is now (Gran Torino with some members of the girls tennis team was a great time, my brother opening for the Pietasters there was also great even though I was out of school at that point.) But, it really was the football brand and the fact that they were local... Virginians, people I could relate to, that made the connection.
To this day, I don't like seeing football in person though. I don't see the game as well, and I feel uneasy not being on the sideline. I enjoy it the most is when I can watch from the endzones... it relieves that anxiety a bit. But, the games I go to have tended to be the ones that were most logistically easy (ACC title games and the Belk Bowl are always fun, road games at Duke and Pitt, etc.)
Favorite fishing story?
Favorite fish you've caught so far?
What's the one fish (or trip) you'd love to go after?
This is hard because his loss still hurts so much, but in 2002, my dad and I both caught our first cobia from Avalon Pier. We had been trying for two years, and were learning piece by piece on how to do it. Our equipment wasn't great- a cheaper Mitchell surf combo for an anchor rod, and a Penn 209 paired with a Long Beach rod was the set up. I got a 37 pounder. We didn't have a cooler big enough or weren't sure how to clean it, so I put it in a trashbag, ran back to our time share, and put it in the bathtub with a couple bags of ice. When I got back, Dad was hooked up on his fish and he made the choice to release it (a very rare thing for a keeper cobia on a NC pier back then.) We were both in heaven. Then, to beat it, we found out that when my Mom got back, she thought there was a shark in the tub. Freaked her out a bit.
The best trip with him was live baiting amberjacks on the surface with Captain Brian Harrington in Morehead City in 2009. He grinned the whole time, even though fighting AJs as fast as your could put a bait out wore me out. I am blessed to still have video from that day. I don't know if I ever saw him smile more, even when I was able to take him to catch a bluefin tuna a couple years later.
Favorite fish I have caught would have to be my first forty inch striper at Sandy Point. Unlike a lot of the pier fishing where I got to observe and learn up close, the pre-season "eight and worm" fishing at SPSP was me trying to figure it out all on my own. When I finally got my first cow, it was after two years of trying. I don't know if I have ever been so excited to land a fish.
Which Sandy Point? I live in northern neck, and we have a sandy point, and great rock fishing
Pretty part of the Neck, love all the white sand beaches along the Potomac in that area.
Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis. When I lived in Falls Church, we had a great fishery for catch and release big cow stripers using circle hooks and bloodworms.
I don't know if I will ever get them, but my bucket list fish are:
1) a billfish... I have been offshore about a half dozen times. We have only seen one (a blue marlin in 2011 that wouldn't eat) and I have never caught one. I'd love to do it on the Pacific coast of Colombia, as I spent a lot of time in Colombia as a little kid and that would be an amazing full circle experience. But, if I get to do it, it will probably be out of Oregon Inlet.
2) a pier king mackerel- I tried via pin rigging for a decade, and saw plenty caught before the population crashed. I am planning a trip to Destin to try and get one off Navarre on spinning tackle and a lure (X-Rap) to check the box. It was going to be next spring, but MsSusie informed me we have to go to a wedding in Arkansas during my post-conference time off window.
3) I'd love to go to the Keys and hook a tarpon from shore/bridge.
Got to see a king mackerel hooked up in the Indian River Inlet in Delaware a few years ago. Seeing him jump was a sight. That's stuck with me for some time. (And the same day I had a huge doormat flounder swim right by my feet at the rocks!)
I would love to get out and land a big tuna. Fresh sushi at the dock!
What's your favorite TKP inside joke/moment?
Wow... probably just the shared joy after beating Ohio State. That felt so damn good. I wish it could have lasted.
I like all the inside stuff primarily because it shows community spirit. One thing that adulthood has lacked for me has been a sense of being part of a community because I have moved around so much. I get to enjoy it vicariously through y'all.
one of my favorites has been when MsSusieCue logs in to dunk on french, but it's been a few years
She monitors, but she has enough French to handle in real time. She doesn't need to dunk on me virtually to get her fix.
But what about our fix! We have needs!
She has been informed.
What is your favorite cheese dish sans cheese?
Probably a good beef ragu over papadarlle pasta.
Never had it but it looks pretty damn good with or without cheese.
In your opinion, what (football) scheme is most fun to watch (from a fan/viewership standpoint)? Offense and Defense.
Who was your cousin that played tennis at VT/what years was he on the team?
My favorite defense was the 4-4 that Jim Lambright ran was Washington. Phil Elmassien and Bud used a variation of that scheme before 2004 at VT. I wish Bud had a Steve Entman type at DT in that scheme. My god, he was a monster in that defense.
Offensively, loved the K-Gun (Bills no huddle that Ted Marchibroda perfected mixing Bill Walsh and Sam Wyche's short passing game with Joe Gibbs counter treys from the gun) in the late 80s/early 90s. Now, I love really nuanced option football. Whatever the choice the defense makes is always wrong if you can run it properly. Plus, a lot of the spread option team blocking fundamentals (point of contact, low man wins, footwork) is better than zone blocking teams.
In college, our offense looked a lot like Pitt in the James Conner era. I formation, not much of a passing game. In high school, we ran a Delaware wing-t.
His name is Miguel Castro. He played at William Byrd and then was at VT 96-2000, although he dropped tennis pretty early while there. I think he was done in 98, but don't quote me.
While horribly unfair to an entire profession, I can't help but equate "tennis pro" with "guy that causes at fault divorces." Thanks a lot, Hollywood.
You are transported back to the 1400s and get to choose a position in the court of some European king. What role do you choose (area of responsibility in parentheses) and why? Other is an acceptable answer if explained.
General (army/conquests)
Admiral (navy/exploration)
Foreign Mijister (diplomacy)
Archbishop (religion)
Royal Alchemist (science/magic)
Chief Steward (food/parties)
I'd be a hermit, who would come out of my cave to rant crazy stuff about the evils of cheese, then suffer as the Inquisition took us all down.
Nobody would give me any responsibility other than as a policy advisory. I am "the guy, behind the guy."
Favorite TV show theme:
(Night Court, Greatest American Hero, and Simon and Simon are close behind)
The Simon and Simon theme probably edges Airwolf's for me. But Great American Hero and Night Court are great sound tracks as well.
Tour of Duty had helicopters and Paint it Black. Child version of me loved it.
Also loved that intro. But, never really paid attention while Dad was watching the show.
Airwolf was amazing! One of my all time favorites
thought on your rangers hiring peter laviolette? how quickly do the rangers need to win a cup for chris drury to keep his job?
Second question first- Drury will keep his job as long as Sather and Dolan allow it. It is funny how a lot of smart hockey people became dumb working for James Dolan.
As for Laviolette, the biggest issue with the Rangers was defensive structure and playing north south hockey when the skill stuff isn't going. I think Laviolette may bring more accountability than the veterans need, but I don't see him as a real advanced defensive structure guy, and even less of a young player development guy.
Ultimately the success of the Rangers requires:
Kakko, Miller, and Laffreniere taking big next steps.
Fox staying healthy (I thought he took a big step backwards this year, and I believe that health and/or being worn down was a factor)
Igor playing at a premium level.
The stars adapting their game to be great in the playoffs. Last year, Z did. This year, Kreider scored a bunch of goals against the Devils but I would be hard pressed to say any member of the forward group played well.
Of those four keys, only one happened against the Devils. Igor was great. The rest of the team was too slow and too easily moved off the puck.
what would it take for you to consider an OL related job at the college level (school? pay? position?)?
Off the field role, three year contract, $135-150K to even consider it. Anything less would be a step backwards, and as much as I love football, it is a stressor.
I would have a stroke in 6 weeks or less if I was an on field coach. The highs are too high and the lows are too low.
What's the dumbest thing you have ever done?
Whats the nicest thing you have ever done?
What's your favorite sound?
What's your guilty pleasure?
Whats the oddest/strangest thing you have ever seen happen, where you literally said to yourself: 'I cant believe that just happened right in front of me?
If you could remove one thing from existence in the world, what would be? It could be a person past or present, a thing, an emotion, .....anything.
What's the dumbest thing you have ever done?
Playing football that last year of college when I wasn't fully invested anymore wasn't a smart move. In terms of fun dumb, housing a fifth of George Dickell while playing a half of Madden 97 wasn't a great move. Pretty much every single choice I made while dating before meeting Mrs. Susie Cue was tragic.
Whats the nicest thing you have ever done?
I'd like to think of myself as a pretty charitable guy when the opportunity presents itself. I think the value of that can only be measured by the impact it had on someone else, so I am not sure I can assess.
What's your favorite sound? Oh, this is easy. The sound of a drag screaming on a fishing reel. Nothing beats that. It is the best alarm clock in the world.
What's your guilty pleasure?
So many. I like watching old wrestling from the territory days, which is probably the biggest thing out of step with most polite society. I enjoy cartoons and super hero movies. I generally don't invest much in watching the wave of critically acclaimed long form TV show stories (Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, the Sopranos... barely watched any of them) because I can't mentally stick with it. And I love baseball history, even though I was terrible at it and understand the nuance of it less than any other sport. I can watch Ken Burns Baseball over and over again.
Right now I am also on a strange kick learning about central european history. I have no idea why.
Whats the oddest/strangest thing you have ever seen happen, where you literally said to yourself: 'I cant believe that just happened right in front of me?
This isn't a great story. I lived in an apartment in Johnson City TN for about year. I had met two guys in the complex because a friend from college had lived next door to them and moved out right about when I moved in. I didn't even know their full names, but would see them at the pool and say hello. Well, I was watching TV one night maybe a month after moving in, and I got a loud bang on the sliding screen door. One of the two neighbors I had met was on fire. Literally head to foot, skin melting off him like the lines on a map moving away from his face. He ran past me up my stairs, leaving bloody hand prints on the wall. I ran outside and the second floor of his unit was completely engulfed in flames.
We called 911, and fire trucks and a WCYB Channel 5 news unit showed up. The videographer was someone I went to college with. She asked me what happened (I was really shook up) and then asked if her reporter could talk to me. Stupidly, I said sure. Camera comes on and the idiot's first question was "what did he look like?" I yelled "HE WAS ON FUCKING FIRE. WHAT DO YOU THINK" and stormed off.
Turns out, he had been involved in selling some drugs, ripped off his supplier, and got gasoline poured on him while he was asleep and set on fire. Worse yet, he told the police my roommate and I were "his best friends" at the complex, so we also got harrassed by investigators about what happened even though all we knew is that some guy just ran through our home on fire and his first name was Dustin. He ended up with 3rd degree burns over most of his body, and I don't know if he ended up surviving. It was effed up, and while I stayed until the end of my lease, I wasn't going to live in Johnson City after that.
If you could remove one thing from existence in the world, what would be? It could be a person past or present, a thing, an emotion, .....anything.
COPD or ciggarettes. Take your pick.
I terms of Central European history, I got recs on the German front.
A Most Dangerous Book by Christopher Krebs. Traces the impact of Tacitus' Germania through German history. Reads like a novel.
Germania and Danubia by Simon Winder. Basically beach read level explorations of German and Austro-Hungarian history.
Burning Down the Haus by Tim Mohr. How punk rock in East Germany won the Cold War.
Thanks. The Simon Winder book has been on my radar because it was referenced on my favorite podcast (BBC's How to Invent a Country.)
It's well done and digestible history. That said, I'd do Burning Down the Haus, then a Most Dangerous Book, then Germania, then Danubia. Which is the exact opposite order I read them in. Burning Down the Haus was a page turner. I think it took me like 3 days. A Most Dangerous Book was one chapter a day. The winder books were slower to read for me cause there was just so much in them and was hard to find natural break points.
Curious as to what you consider "central Europe"? Various definitions seem to settle on "mostly Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland; in the broader sense Romania and Serbia too, occasionally also Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg."
So basically Germany and much -though perhaps not all-of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, Being a big WW2 history buff, I know so much of the seeds of that were sown in the dissolution of the WW1 empires(including a also the former Ottoman empire which spawned the middle East as we know it today-but that's another story)
Balkans, Alps, Austria, Ukraine, Poland. Basically the Austrian Empire/Austro-Hungarian empire geographic footprint.
Best announcing duos:
Vin Scully and Tony Kubek
Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy
Gary Thorne and Bill Clement
Dick Stockton and Tommy Heinsohn
Dick Stockton and Al McGuire
Ron Franklin and Mike Gottfried
Do you follow tennis anymore?
(If so, who are your favorite players/things to watch?)
Not nearly as much. I watched Wimbeldon and the French open religously as a middle schooler because it came on NBC in the mornings in the summer. It was ideally suited for my summer schedule and TV availability. I love Federer, Nadal, and Djokavic's game, but I don't have the emotional connection like I did.
I can't tell you how much I hated Wade Boggs for beating Don Mattingly for the batting title, and Pete Sampras for stomping Agassi at the US Open the first time. I have an irrational hatred of both guys, even though I'd probably get along with Boggs well (and he and Mattingly are good friends.)
Also, Monica Seles was great fun to watch. Her game was so unique, especially before the fan stabbed her. My favorite players were the ones who crushed it from the baseline. If you hit slice backhands, you were unadulterated evil in my book.
She was fun to watch, but she also originated the girls "grunting" when hitting the ball.
This is the hottest French take I've ever heard
I hear Pat Narduzzi hits slice backhands.
Unlikely. The tennis equivalent of Narduzzi's offensive philosophy is someone who just grinds from the baseline; a David-Ferrer-type player who refuses to change anything about his game or play offensive tennis at all.
The slice backhand (at least in the last 20 years of tennis) is an essential tool for anyone who plays an 'all-court' game. The players (again, looking at the last 20 years) who use the slice back hand frequently and effectively are some of the most creative offensive players on tour (AKA very much NOT Narduzzi-esk). This was perhaps most exemplified by how Roger Federer used the backhand slide to neuter Andy Roddick's game; he would use the slice to take a pace off the ball and not just pull Roddick forward, but put him in a position where he had to either hit a low-percentage winner, or play a weak shot that Federer would then easily take advantage of.
To further analogize the slice backend (or at least its use in the last 20 years) to football, it would be one of the bread and butter plays or route structures in a Chris Peterson offense.
When you look at the slice backhand pre-2000s, it's a bit more boring; it's kinda just meant to keep the ball low (so the player on defense is forced to hit up on the ball) or slow (so the player who hit it - be it on offense or defense - had adequate time to reposition themselves on the court). The advent of polyester strings has completely changed how the backhand slice is/can be used at the pro level.
I taught myself to play with a wooden racket on a gravel driveway against a run down shed in Riner. (I'm a little sad they never rounded out the Grand Slam with a gravel event).
At the time, a one-handed backhand still seemed like a viable way to play. (In retrospect still a pretty stupid choice for somebody as scrawny as I was).
I never really developed a reliable backhand stroke. Reading that part about unadulterated evil I'm obliged to offer up an apology- I'm one of those people.
My favorite player these days is Ons Jabeur- she plays an improvisational hillbilly game and I just think it's wild to watch. Was a huge Ivanisovic/Randy Johnson/Alex Cole fan growing up (I guess I always thought I would grow up super tall and lanky).
My favorite Virginia Tech win- 100% beating Tennessee in the Peach/ChikFilA Bowl
Tyrod had two of the most perfectly thrown deep balls I've ever seen in that game. That was the first VT bowl game I attended.
I was there because I dealt with Tennessee fans berating me from Day 1, and they got thumped. It was glorious.
Same. I even went to the game with my best friend who attended UT and his college friends. The ride home was so quiet but I just sat there smiling because VT whupped their asses and shut them up.
As a fellow SWVA guy, knowing that hockey used to get slightly more tv coverage than the national tiddlywink circuit, how did you get interested in hockey?
Also, your profile pic used to be one of you in a tri-corner hat.....what was the story with that, and where is the hat today?
This is a bit long winded, but 1986 was sort of my immersion into sports. Baseball and football were first, then NBA, then college basketball. The 1988 Olympics in Calgary were my first exposure to the Olympics and hockey. I loved it and was totally USA USA. Two of their best players were Mike Richter and Brian Leetch. Besides speed skating (Bonnie Blair and Eric Flame) I got sucked into hockey the most.
As time went on, I tended to root for NYC based teams, so as I got limited exposure to hockey, Leetch and Richter were there. My favorite overall guy was Mike Gartner, loved his speed and the shot. Then I got to see a little bit of the Rangers when they acquired Messier and had a bunch of goons when I was with friends or at my grandparents.
Rangers won in 1994, and at that point I listened to as many games as I could on the long range signal for WFAN. Then I finally got TV coverage at home the next year with Fox. Hence I hate the Flyers and Devils way more than the traditional rivals. I was hooked, and haven't been able to get off the sauce since.
The Tri quarter hat was just a souvenir from Yorktown. But as a kid, I was totally into the Revolutionary War. I have been to Valley Forge, Washington's Crossing, Yorktown, Guilford Courthouse, and Kings Mountain so far. Saratoga, Camden, Cowpens, and the Boston tour are on my list.
I highly recommend Saratoga. My wife & I went there on a vacation swing through NY & Canada. Beautiful area, steeped in lotsa history.
We are doing Cooperstown this year, and hoping to do Saratoga-Ticonderoga, and Vermont drive next year.
Ticonderoga was fantastic. Didn't venture over to Vermont, much to my wife's disappointment. It's one of (I think) three states she hasn't been in.
If you could remove one school from existence, which one and why?
Assuming you drink bourbon, what are your top three?
What are you reading right now?
If you were hired as director of Top Gun over Tony Scott, what changes would you make that would make it a movie you don't hate, but also a fun 90 minute advertisement for naval aviation? You cannot not choose to kill the project, but every other decision from casting to story is yours.
1) Washington & Lee
2) I don't drink at all for medication interaction reasons. When I did, I was a gin and tonic or a Pilsner guy. Loves Labatts.
3) I am currently slowly reading The Guns of August. My favorite book is called Looseballs, the Wild History of the ABA
4) I detest Top Gun, so if given the choice I would recast Iron Eagle and then make the exact same movie again.
We need the WHY for W&L. That's a niche choice and I bet it's good.
Guns of August may be one of the best history books ever written.
As long as the F-14 has a starring role, I think it could work. Especially since Top Gun: Maverick was basically Top Iron Eagle Gun with better practical effects and a somehow more questionable plot.
I mean they built a chapel on top of a horse, seems odd.
When I played my only road game there, the fans chanted "that is all right. that's ok. You will be working for us some day." Even though we won all three games (at that time, EHC had not lost to W&L since 1978), my teammates were ready to go in the stands and start shoving bow ties up sphincters. I made a vow that I will never have anything to do with a W&L alum. I violated that rule one time, and said individual revealed themself to live up to every single awful blue blood asshole stereotype you can imagine.
To be fair, only the dregs went to their football games, lacrosse was their popular sport on campus. But they do have a type there.
The Guns of August was good ut, yes it's a slow read. I couldn't cover much each day.
When does the pain and suffering end as long time VT and NY Rangers fans?
Far be it from me to try and answer anything for French, but I can answer this one from my own standpoint (and as someone old enough to remember) - 1994 was enough to make being a Ranger's fan worthwhile.
It was great because I was 8 years old, but man is it rough trying to figure out when it'll be our time again.
My guess is never.
MFK:
Oprah Winfrey
Yoko Ono
Amy Schumer
F Yoko just to tell her how completely lacking in talent she, her husband, and his bandmates were. (I know I know, I like Oasis and hate the Beattles.)
Kill- Schumer. Know very little about her, but the other two present good business opportunities.
Marry- Oprah. Payday baby.
No questions, just wanted to say thank you for all you do for the site. Your content is a big reason why I stay and joined the Key Players Club.
Much obliged. It is hard to believe it has been over a decade. I got old.
May St.Phillip beg for ankle, St.DeClan for neck/back, and St.Julia for the 'ceps.
Coach God Bless,
b.street
I will start needing glue soon. Lower back issues chased me out of DC Sports flag football leagues. Shoulder ruined tennis.
French. What's your opinion on Chevelle? (The band)
Sort of in the middle. Nothing that hooks me enough where I would pay to see them. Nothing that offends me.
I'll take it 🔥
Since I am a history guy... ever wanted to see what Dell Curry was like in a Hokies uniform?
I couldn't be more shocked that this was on memphis's home court. shocker
Got a nomination for next? Alternatively, Kville Hokies And LBT are on the side burner-
Since KVille is next alphabetically, have at it.
Paging Kville Hokies!
Sorry - had to catch a 6:23 AM flight to DC and work in DC and Baltimore today. Driving back to Greensboro area tomorrow, working through the rest of Baltimore, Manassas and a stop in Roanoke. Looks like I'll be around Thursday through Thursday if someone else wants to jump in first.
LBT? Frosty's Dad? - either of you guys wanna take a turn?
I'll give it a go. But be warned, I'm boring.
Back from vacation in the UK, so I could go now if needed. But I'm pretty boring too.
Sure- fire it up....haven't heard from HOAT.
Okay. Will do. Getting caught up with work today, so might not be until tonight that I can do anything.
Hey Frosty- you still gonna go or should we skip over you for now?
Sorry. Yes, I will get it set up. Have just been in the 'get back from vacation so swamped getting caught up at work mode' at the moment. Will try and set it up this evening.
I thought Frosty's Dad was on the burner too?
Maybe i missed that....ill add him to the list with Kville and LBT.
Which quirk of George Costanza do you most associate with yourself?
Every year I try to have a "summer of French", and it immediately gets derailed. This year, weather and the job transition has crushed my hopes. Someday, I am going to hit a goal of 30 days fishing in a 3 month window. The last time I came close, we were still within a decade of Y2K.
Another feel good moment. Keion Carpenter intercepts Scott Covington using a robber coverage to slip underneath a post route (I can't understand why this doesn't happen any more) to beat Miami in the Orange Bowl.
https://youtu.be/mJ9Lc_HfmcA?t=8457
That was absolutely amazing. Took it to the house. Gave me chills.
I wonder why no one uses that robber coverage in the red zone anymore? Infrequent payoff not worth the price of dedicating a man to fill that job?
How teams spread the field to create matchup issues, plus receivers having more freedom to option based on coverage are likely reasons. Bud still did it at the end, but it seemed like the throws got there before the safety got over to inside leverage. RPO makes it even tougher because it freezes the robber.
That actually makes sense to me. Thanks!
french60wasp
also french60wasp
I almost feel that the game needs some rule changes to bring back more balance between offense and defense. Barring just having superior talent on the DL and being able to control the line and manhandle the opposing offense (Georgia, Bama), the advent of spread option/RPO offenses and the no huddle has made the game all about flashy offense. Teams are putting up NCAA video game numbers and scoring ridiculous amounts of points. I guess high-octane offense is fun for most viewers, but if you watch a game with great offense and defense its almost like watching a chess match. Not saying I want to watch an offensively inept game that is 0-0 at the end of regulation. But I feel the rules are very biased in favor of more offense these days.
Just makes it that much more embarrassing that VT can't field an offense anywhere near the top half of the 130+ teams in fbs.
I think all that would be necessary would be to strictly enforce the rules keeping OL from being too far downfield on passing plays.
I think if you just consistently enforced the illegal man downfield rule, it would restore a lot of balance. Feel like the rule is only enforced when it's blatant.
Or when our wide receiver throws a TD and the Linemen is celebrating as he walks down field
Out Cold has been mentioned as a movie you like. It's a solid one in my view. Enough so, that I will suffer listening to Island in the Sun just because of the movie connection. Do you have any songs, places, or people you would otherwise loathe, but tolerate because of their presence in a movie you love?
I can't think of any songs I hated being paramount because of a movie. Generally if a song enhances a scene I love, it embeds the song into my brain. For example, I wasn't a fan of swing music, but Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's appearance in Swingers gave me an appreciation for the art form.
Best vacation you ever had?
Worst vacation you ever had and why?
Weirdest thing that ever happened on vacation good or bad?
Non-fishing related: Taking my wife to Australia with me while on a business trip
Fishing related: Taking my dad fishing for as fast as you could hook them amberjacks out of Morehead City in 2009
Worst vacation: As a kid, we did a trip to Freeport in the Bahamas. For some reason, I blocked most of it out except I liked the pool and conch was good. But, I can't really recall any bad vacations.
Weirdest thing on vacation... traffic backed up and stopped just west of Southport by a gigantic alligator in the middle of a four way intersection. It took a long time to get it out of the road.
Which question were you preparing to be asked, hoping to be asked, or afraid would be asked that has not been asked, and what is the answer?
What international sporting event would be your bucket list item?
- When I was in college, I had a chance to do a Europe trip with my family- a week in England, a stopover in Paris, and a week in Switzerland. My entire extended family went, except for me. I stayed for a girl (and we broke up like two days after the plane touched down in London.) Long story short, that was one of the rain-delayed Wimbledon years. My brother and my first cousin got to go to the women's double final (Novatna and Hingis won). I was a huge tennis fan and loved to play (without a doubt my favorite sport to play before my shoulders went to hell and I got too heavy.) To go to Wimbledon, with the French Open as a close second, top my list.
Others in the realm:
1) World Cup
2) A Premier League game
3) An Olympic hockey game, track and field meet, and water polo match
I have checked one box. When we went to Australia, we got to see Brisbane play the South Sidney Rabbidoh's in Brisbane in Rugby. That was something.
This could have gone in the Dad Joke section but because I thought of you when the fishing link was made, here it goes:
"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. "Teach a man to fish and he will spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on gear that he will only use a couple of times a year."