I'll be in Blacksburg all weekend covering the Tech-UVA baseball series. Game 1 has been moved up to noon today due to rain in the forecast for tonight. There will be a full article published Monday morning as usual, but since top-ranked UVA is in town, I'll also be posting updates in the comments below for anyone interested.
UPDATE:
Game 1: W, 2-1- Hokies stun UVA behind a brilliant performance from ace Sean Keslica.
Forums:
DISCLAIMER: Forum topics may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.
Comments
The baseball team is unveiling some pretty sweet new uniforms:
I wonder how Hokies who are also Nationals fans feel about these uniforms, though...
I can't speak for all Nationals fans, but this one certainly approves.
Feels more like a St. Louis ripoff more than anything else.
Well we've ripped off the 80's era Astros and the O's so why not hit up another team with a bird mascot?
Yeah, I think they unveil a new MLB-style jersey each year now.
I like the fact that we are seemingly playing off at least one MLB team per year. We've already mimic'd the Yankees, the old school Astros, the Orioles, the old school Padres... Keep it going, its fun.
Thanks for including all of the links! Forgot about the Pads one.
It's clearly an homage to the cardinals, which is why I was asking what Nationals' fans thought - since the Cardinals have recently become a big rival.
So this is basically me:
I was all, "What does that have to do with the Nats?"
why are the Nationals and Cardinals rivals?
Because Cards fans are the MLB equivalent of WVU fans. Everyone should hate them on principle. AL teams should consider the Cards their rivals simply by virtue of their existence.
@BestFansStLouis is a gem.
I think Philly fits more with the douche mentality of wvu.
I'm a Pirates fan so I don't like the cardinals but I've never had a bad experience with one. Then again I don't live in Illinois and don't come across them as much as you
Actually I don't even know how they act toward non-CubS fans. But the way they act toward Cubs fans reminds me exactly of how 'Neers fans act toward us. There is no shortage of white trash in and around the St Louis area, and most of it packs Busch Stadium regularly.
I can't think of a worse comparison. St Louis is the best baseball town in America. I've been to dozens of cardinals games home and away and have never witnessed any poor sportsmanship.
Oct 13, 2012 - Game 5 of Division Series
Top of the 9th 2 outs, Nationals up 7-5. Cardinals have a man on 1st and 3rd. Yadier Molina is at the plate.
He walks on a 3-2 count. Here are the four balls:
Cardinals won the world series.
Edit: For some reason, the link to the image broke. It is now fixed.
I don't personally think the Cards and Nats are really rivals, as the 2012 postseason is less fresh in our minds. I may change my mind if they face off in the 2015 postseason, though.
Replace Nats with Braves and I would have gotten it based on all the referencef teams. Nationals still a novelty to me.
Cardinals rip-off aside, I'd buy the hell out of one.
Love when college teams throw a little MLB uniform action in the mix, especially the retro ones. Tennessee used the old Astros ones last year and looked pretty sharp.
Ugh, #1 next to uva is painful. hopefully we can wipe those smirks off their Zima drinking faces...
Love the unis, hate the 'hoo?s. At some point, without going all jiggy with it, almost all uniform styles have been at least approximated in the past. And besides that, who gives a fig what Nationals fans think of our uniforms. If the players like 'em, and they're not genuinely embarrassingly horrible, this Hokie fan is just fine with a new look.
After 3, the Hokies and 'Hoos are tied at 1.
Game still tied after 5 innings. The Hokies have 5 hits off of Kirby but have left 8 runners on base and are 1 for 6 with RISP.
Listen online at http://tunein.com/radio/Virginia-Tech-IMG-Sports-Network-s230249/
unless your work blocks it :(
1-1 game heading into the eighth. Sean Keselica has been brilliant on the mound and at just 79 pitches, he should have some gas left in the tank.
Batters Interference ends the top of the eighth for the Cavs and UVA's Head Coach, Brian O'Connor, was tossed after spiking his hat during an argument with the home plate umpire. Still 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth.
We're in their heads
C'mon lets give them the L in the ninth!
A leadoff walk from Ricky Surum and an error by UVA on a sac bunt has put runners on first and second with no outs in the bottom of the ninth. Another sac bunt should be coming next.
The sixth Hokies sac bunt of the game puts runners on second and third with one out. UVA is intentionally walking Erik Payne to put the double play in order for cleanup hitter Brendon Hayden.
LOLUVA
HOKIES WIN!! Walk-off walk!!
Did...they just walk in the winning run?
Hokies win 2-1! UVA walked Hayden on four pitches to bring home the winning run.
They walked in the winning run?
Somewhere a case of Zima died realizing it would not be drunk in celebration...
That's a solid line.
All people named Sean are awesome.
Now if UNC can just take care of their basketball team tonight it'll really be a great start to the weekend!
Wish granted.
*I acknowledge that this would be more appropriate if it featured the chicken emoji that all of the recruits use*
After the game, Coach Mason said of pitcher Sean Keselica, "it was the best I've seen him look in his four years here."
Don't care if I'm late...
Great Win! LOLUVA. Hahahahahahaha
"O frabjous day!" Callooh! Callay!" He chortled in his joy.
After a 30 minute delay, Game 2 is underway at English Field. UVA is up 1-0 in the top of the third.
The Hokies have taken a 3-1 lead off of 2 walks and 3 perfectly placed infield singles in the bottom of the fourth.
Heading into the 7th, the Hokies still hold a 3-1 lead.
Thanks for the updates, Joey.
Hokies win 3-1! This win marks the second series win over the 'Hoos in the last three tries.
Part 2
Listened to this wonderful game on the Hokie Sports Xtra deal on Hokiesports.com. That was FUN.
One more tomorrow, and the Zima goes flat all over the world.
After this weekend in sports, the meltdown in Charlottesville is underway. Plan Z now in full effect.
certainly keeping game three interesting. At work today, but listening online. Bitter, you got a shoutout!
Get out your brooms because the Hokies just SWEPT #1 UVA!
Skadoosh! Take that Wahoos!
YOU!
...Just got swept!
...by a horse!
...in a treadmill!
Bahahahaha hahaha.... How sweep it is!
What just happened, Hoos?
This was impressive. VT doesn't even have votes for the top-30 rankings (51 teams received votes). UVA is #1. A sweep with late inning heroics is just absurd.
Well done Hokies. Keep knocking it out of the park.
Note: this is from 2013 ACC tournament, but I felt the walk off mentality is perfect.
Dat bat flip...
Just started my computer day on the LeShears before coming here...
Reading news of the sweep there? Magically delicious!
The usual suspects?
Always heard about the lemmings in pop culture (cartoons) but never saw the real thing. How bout the ones that got to the edge and was like "wait a minute..."
Awesome!
Sad Hoos be like...
How sweep it is!
They're real happy for us, at The Sabre
http://chat.virginia.sportswar.com/message_board/baseball/
Me every time I visit that site:
Ugliest and least user-friendly layout ever. Also really classy to see some of the disgusting stuff thrown at a few Hokies that posted there. Even innocuous stuff is met with straight vitriol. Ugly all around.
The worst part is their stereotypes are archaic and are now more offensive than in jest. Their redneck jokes and implications that a VT degree is the equivalent of third grade only highlights Thier own elitist attitude which has gotten them eviscerated in the media lately. They should be making nerd jokes since our top-notch engineering and architecture programs are what Tech is nationally known for. They know they have lost their spot as the top dawg in VA and now that thier claim in Olympic sports is sliding, they are freaking out.
The thing that really gets under my skin is that some (not all) of their fans/students whom I've encountered have actually, and EXTREMELY VEHEMENTLY, stooped to insulting my intelligence and worth as a human being in being a VT student/fan. I was once at a bar with some other VT students watching the Tech-UVa football game and celebrating the win. A UVa fan, who was with his wife and kids behind us, went out of his way to tell us "we didn't have the brains or education to get into UVa." I was obviously incensed, but when I saw his kids and wife setting there embarrassed by his outburst, I simply turned my head and ignored it. I've even had UVa fans with no association to the university whatsoever, nor whom attended any college, hatefully insult Virginia Tech and my academic ability. That kind of behavior is absolutely crossing the line in my book in what should be acceptable fandom/jabbing.
The worst part is that I have found the ones who most often whip out the academic insults are the ones who they themselves went to a community college... The sense of entitlement by just wearing the sabres is astounding.
I used my VT degree and got accepted, and now attend, one of their science PhD programs. Always wear my VT shirts/hoodies and nobody ever says anything. Haven't gone out of my way to offend anyone but other than the undergrads, nobody in Charlottesville seems to care.
The SABRE / A collection of classless WHINERS
LOL. The sheer arrogance and snobbery of some of those people is incredible. I love how they use their new-found success in basketball/baseball as a crutch for their utter embarrassment of a football program. And the notion that they have always been some basketball/baseball powerhouse...wow. I had a bit of a chuckle.
A buddy was following the twitter feed of a huge LOLUVA fan he knows while we watched their game vs UNC on Friday. It was hilarious watching the stages of loss and grief for a LOLUVA fan play out in real time:
Denial - "Wake the boys up, Tony!!"
Anger - "These refs are garbage!!"
And, ultimately, Acceptance - "UVA Basketball sucks and chokes."
No baseball coverage on "streaking the lawn" I wonder why. So LOLUVA is stuck with "well VT ONLY beats us in baseball and football, we are a basketball school anyway"
At the end of the day this is a great stretch for our club but it's still too early to celebrate anything...build from this and try to create some momentum to get our boys into Omaha.
so...you're saying I shouldn't have printed 10,000 mission accomplished t-shirts?