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The ladies just need to perform at a high level. They have a very winnable region and then would probably face Alabama. Beat them too and turn some heads. VT needs to get back in people's heads as a winning program across the board. We just haven't been where we need to be in a while. I'm excited for their opportunity. If the bats are going and the ball is leaving the park they will be fine.
I agree baseball is way easier to use metrics, but I'll argue that an AI department will make more of an impact in football. The gains are there to be realized, but getting those gains will be a much more difficult task. I predict AI will be used as a tool for scouting, identifying matchups, developing weekly schemes, and playcalling, and the teams with the better AI departments will be better at game planning and in-game management.
Yea, I can elaborate.
First, most of the major tangible improvements have been in the minor leagues. Every one of their minor-league affiliates have a winning record and doing pretty well. A good example specific to a player is Seaver King (2024 first round pick), which was highlighted here:
Jumping from a .576 OPS to a 1.145 OPS against breaking balls is a wild improvement https://t.co/didlY81B6i— Nats Of The Future (@NatsOfTheFuture) May 11, 2026
See also the major improvements of hitting at the major league level, notably James Wood and CJ Abrams. As of today, about 1/4 through the season, the Nats are 2nd in runs scored in the MLB. Last year they finished 20th. And they are doing it with a worse roster than last year (they signed no hitters in the offseason despite the fact they did not have a 1B on their roster). Their pitching is still bad, but they use AI to make in-game decisions on when to pitch each player. It's hard to make the argument their pitching is improved, but they did trade their best starter and their best reliever before the season for prospects, so it's hard to evaluate comparing to last year. They essentially decided not to get good pitching via free agency and just use AI to pitch their way through the season.
Based on roster, they were projected to be the 2nd worst team in baseball (fangraphs), but currently right in the middle at 19-22.
The team is still bad roster wise due to mismanagement for over a decade. They have the worst draft results of any team in MLB. None of their first round draft picks over the past decade (except Brady House) are in the MLB, and their later round picks are even worse hit rate. They only have two players they drafted in the MLB... Orlando Ribalta (low-end reliever) and Brady House.
Without AI, this team would be absolute dogshit. But, they're OK. And they are scoring a shitton of runs. And most of the players in the minors are doing better than expected (just not Dylan Crews). So, the future is brighter. They're setting themselves up for 2028. So don't be surprised when they trade the-best-hitting-shortstop-in-the-NL CJ Abrams at the trade deadline or in the offseason. The plan is to compete in 2028 and beyond and CJ doesn't fit that timeline (and his defense is bad).
Just a SEC, while I ACC with the PAC,
They are, probably odds-on Cup favorites at this point. And the Flyers didn't go down without a fight, I was just hoping the fight would be a little more even.
Exhibit A: Broadcast Tables at SEC Tournament vs ACC Tournament
Thanks'04. I have nothing scheduled at this point, but lots to do and folks to see while we're there. We lived in Giles
for 26 years, but have been gone for 13, so a lot of catching up to do.
Let me know if you have a window. newriverangler at that hotmail deal. Maybe we can rustle up a smallmouth or two.
Corey Moore likely wouldn't have played after speaking to the press.
From what I've heard from my wife's dad and immediate family that grew up there.
#Accurate
But to play Devil's Advocate: Michael Vick is probably playing for FSU or Miami .....
Slight disagree... if we had moved social media up a few years it probably would have prevented Peter Warrick from playing the the BCS championship in '99...
on the eSECpn point.... they are invested much more heavily, and recently in the SEC than the ACC. Let's not forget how corporate culture works that the current management team's things need to succeed and the prior manager's things failing can actually be good for the new manager. There are multiple layers of incentive within ESPN to have the SEC be propped up at the expense of their other coverages. Plus the value of the ACC investment is so much lower than the SEC that there is less pressure to get an ROI, whereas their investment in the SEC has been so large that they need tons of revenue to justify that expense (and not have people look bad).
They control every aspect of perception around the leagues and can even influence recruiting and investment based off of their coverages of the schools and conferences.
Unfortunately the NCAA the last five years though has rewarded the cancelations and set a precedent. In the last three weeks there have been almost 40 non-weather cancelations. The one that got the most attention was #2 UNC doing it with Wingate and expected to do it with UNCW tomorrow trying to stay in contention for the #1 Seed.
NCAA needs to fix RPI rather than issuing these wishy washy threats.
If the baseball schedules were set and confirmed prior to the start of the season... then I don't care who you are (Hokies included), if you cancel games with the intent to improve your data and metrics to reach post-season play, then all cancelled games should count as a quad 4 loss! My 2 cents.
And then they put this out....
pic.twitter.com/AKKB1YuOeG— Jordon Banfield (@JCBanfield) May 11, 2026
I was told there's some on some flats just north of Poquoson, along with big stripers.
There are some giants being caught on the flats of NC right now. Gun to my head and I still wouldn't say where.
re: bullet 2 I think the ESPN committee found a reason to keep us out of the top 16, and had that failed they had another out by blaming the lack of hotels available within a 30 mile radius. I firmly believe that the committee was looking for one more SEC team to squeeze in and we were the team that gave them the best argument to snub. We could have shut this discussion down entirely by beating FSU, but we had a solid enough resume to easily make an argument to host.
Bullet 3 - totally plausible. Doubtful, but plausible.
Bullet 1 - I dont know what to tell you. We've been watching exactly this happen for the last 15+ years, and it was only a matter of time before it spilled over into other non-Football/Basketball sports, Yes they have their media deal which is way better than the one the ACC has, but to think that they (SEC and ESPN) aren't in bed together trying to form a new elitist league...
I'd say critical thinking skills went downhill long before AI.
critical thinking started dying around 2001/2002
I'm a couple of hours down 81 from there but I've been dying to make a trip up this summer. I'll see if I can get my schedule to accommodate.
Boats don't boat the same!?!
Marshall game has been canceled
If there are any of you left on the thread in the NRV? I will be house sitting in Giles for a couple of weeks early in June and would love to get on the river.
Nothing good to report on the Bay. Hoping to find something to bite in the uplands...it sucks around here.
Shit, I hope you're right. I've never had a team win a title without something bad going on at home, and just today I found out we need to put our dog down this week, so.....
yeah