Recent Comments
"Seated Rivalry" is perfection
I plan to call in a pizza today when they open.
"Go Paige! Hokies are cheering for you!"
Yeah, it's kind of a trade off. The guys with 2 legs tend to have better balance and strength so they can knock guys off the puck more easily. The guys with no legs can get pushed around more, but they're usually quicker and can shoot from different angles since there are no legs in the way.
Oh will they? Did I miss an announcement or you have a source?
There are neutral third party CBB analysts that would disagree with you because everyone on the bubble is losing these games. Even if the odds of getting in are only 5-10%, there's not another administration in the country that would knock themselves out before selection Sunday.
It appears that the players with 1 or 0 legs have a big advantage in this version due to better control and quickness
My wife asked me why I wasnt wearing VT gear today (she isnt a sports person). I explained that for the first time in 40 years of VT fandom, I didnt feel like supporting the team. I have more VT gear in my closet than the rest of my clothes combined. I wear it when I travel all over the world - nothing like a 'Go Hokies' when walking down the street in Paris or Tokyo. But watching a team quit, when there were still games to play, hurts.
The fact that this is even an option just shows how bad college sports are these days. I used to be fans of players on the team. Everyone loves Hunter Cattoor, Malcolm Delaney, Ace Custis, Dell Curry, Allen Bristow. Could name many more. Now, those players that I rooted for their success? They will move on and I will not care at all. This means I am less engaged in the team, and honestly, the school.
I can deal with not meeting expectations. I can deal with mediocrity and poor performance. After all, every new season would bring hope. But quitting? When there are still games on the table - no matter what the importance of those games? Nope. That does not sit well with me.
If there is a mass exodus from this team (and I suspect there will be) then I am pretty sure that when next fall rolls around, my calendar wont be marked for every game. My winter vacation plans wont revolve around whether I will be able to watch the team. And in the streets of Oslo this summer, I suspect the Hokie gear will be sitting in my closet at home.
This makes me sad - I never thought this would happen.
My desire to watch this team play and their desire to play lines up exactly
Though that is a big reason they are in this situation already. Too concerned how they look for their next stop or payday instead of focusing on what's best for the team now.
By the way, happy Pi Day. Daughter and I will be getting pizza pie from one of my favorite places, Vito's in Cherry Hill, NJ, while my wife will be getting it from one of her favorite places, Franco's, later today. The Iditarod website lists Galena-to-Nulato as 37 miles (Paige is about halfway through the run now), Nulato-to-Kaltag as 47 miles and Nulato-Unalakleet as 85 miles. If anyone wants to send Paige a pizza, she'll probably be in Unalakleet tomorrow.
Little Bobby Tables had posted the link above for pizza delivery to the mushers - thank you LBT - but reposting here for visibility.
https://alaskapublic.org/iditarod/2024-03-11/this-unalakleet-restaurant-...
Interview with Paige while on her rest break in Galena and she talked about the trail being a little soft and slow. The analyst video from the prior day was thinking it probably would not be warm enough to slow things down, but sounds like it did a little bit. She noted that the dogs were not knocking her around as much as they normally do. That is good for comfort of the musher, but not good in that the dogs were a bit more subdued. Thinks it may be because they were running in much warmer temperatures during the day on the Ruby-to-Galena leg. Was certainly not warm, but warmer than it has been. She was hoping that after the rest in Galena and the Galena-Nulato leg being run at lower temperatures, the team will be more energetic. Said she plans to do the entire leg in one run, it is a fairly short one of 37 miles, but has to see how the team does.
Saturday morning March 13 ~9:15 AM east coast/5:15 AM Alaska. I just typed up the morning report, hit post and it disappeared. Blasted technology. Let's try it again.
It continues to be Jessie Holmes, then Paige, then everyone else. Jessie pulled into Galena last night at 7:51 PM Alaska/11:51 PM east coast with 14 dogs and was followed by Paige at 10:02 PM Alaska/2:02 AM east coast. Both rested their teams for just over 4.5 hours and decided to drop a dog in Galena before pulling out, Jessie at 12:28 AM Alaska/4:28 AM east coast and Paige at 2:35 AM Alaska/6:28 AM east coast. Most of the teams at the front have chosen to take an extended rest at Galena, either to do their 8-hour layover or to just get a multi-hour rest. The one exception so far is Riley Dyche, who spent only 6 minutes at the checkpoint. Standings as of ~8:50 AM east coast when I captured them are:
1. Jessie Holmes running 13 dogs 570 miles in/405 to Nome
2. Paige Drobny running 13 dogs 555 miles in/420 to Nome
3. Travis Beals running 15 dogs 551 miles in/424 to Nome
4. Riley Dyche resting on the trail with 15 dogs, 550 miles in/425 to Nome
5. Mille Porsild resting in Galena with 16 dogs, 545 miles in/430 to Nome
6. Michelle Phillips resting in Galena with 12 dogs, 545 miles in/430 to Nome
7. Wade Marrs resting in Galena with 12 dogs, 545 miles in/430 to Nome
8. Pete Kaiser resting in Galena with 11 dogs, 545 miles in/430 to Nome
9. Jeff Deeter resting in Galena with 15 dogs, 545 miles in/430 to Nome
10. Matt Hall resting in Galena with 12 dogs, 545 miles in/430 to Nome
Among the top 10, Jessie, Paige and Mille Porsild are the only ones that have completed their mandatory 8-hour layover along the Yukon River. Ryan Redington and Lauro Eklund (in 12th and 13th, respectively) have also completed their 8.
Red lantern position is held by rookie Jody Potts-Joseph, resting in Cripple with 11 dogs, 425 miles in/550 to Nome.
I won't go so far as to wish for the "olden days", but I'll readily admit that I still want our athletic teams to want to be Hokies. I still want them to want to come to Tech, with a scholarship and the perks attendant being payment enough. As a fan, I want to see my team play again, be it a meaningless NIT (which we've won a couple of times) or an anonymous bowl game that only fans of the teams are watching.
But, things are diff-er-ent today, aren't they? I'm out of touch with so many things today, natural with the aging process, but short of wanting to yell "Get off my lawn" at least a couple of times a day, not much I can do but try hard to enjoy what we do have as I shuffle off this mortal coil, playing in the band as the Titanic goes down.
Me, thought #1 - Oh, I have to show this to my Canadian wife!
Me, thought #2 - Wait, I want to live to see our daughter's graduation, don't I?
Too close to the dogs.
You have no idea how bomb proof they are.
Team USA will try to make it 3 for 3 in Hockey Gold Medals when the US Sled Hockey Team takes on Canada in the Gold Medal Game on Sunday at 11am. For those of you who have never watched Sled Hockey before, now is your chance to watch the two best teams in the world go head-to-head. Sled Hockey (also known as Sledge Hockey or Para Ice Hockey) is my favorite Paralympic sport.
The @usahockey sled team put on a SHOW to open up their #WinterParalympics campaign.📺 @peacock pic.twitter.com/CmkaAH8SZP— Team USA (@TeamUSA) March 7, 2026
The US is trying to win it's fifth straight Sled Hockey Paralympic Gold, and Canada is looking for their first gold since 2006 (and second gold overall).
Appointment television. 🍿#WinterParalympics pic.twitter.com/lh0DWUc3qQ— Team USA (@TeamUSA) March 13, 2026
The US is 4-0 in this tournament, and they've outscored their opponents 40-3 thus far. They also have the greatest sled hockey player of all time in Declan Farmer. In Team USA's four games, Farmer has four hat tricks!
No country has ever won Olympic/Paralympic Gold in Men's Hockey, Women's Hockey and Sled Hockey in the same year, so Team USA has a chance to make history. AND we have a chance to beat Canada in the hockey gold medal game three times in one year!
At least the Balleins will be gone in a few weeks
In a sane world, that's how things work.
In the NIL Fantasyland...you get to do what you want, get paid anyways and sue when you don't get your way.
Essentially being a college athlete now is like being a little kid at a toy store having a temper tantrum because your parent didn't buy you a toy except it works 95% of the time and the stakes are higher.
At least things make sense now. It's pretty clear why this team underachieved and looked completely incohesive when the pressure was on. Obviously not everybody was bought in....just bought.
**cough**Basketball is run by the Balleins**cough**
I'm sure that's a total coincidence, though**cough**
Whit definitely should still have a job**cough**
LOL
Oh man, good point. Blast him!
The author, Chris Graham, is a LOLUVA alum, and he seems to have a less-than great relationship with the powers that be in wahooland....see the two articles below. The orange and blue burr under his saddle seems to have created a crater of a saddle sore.
https://augustafreepress.com/news/ive-had-all-im-ever-going-to-take-from...
https://augustafreepress.com/news/podcast-uva-athletics-has-its-favorite...
They have firearms. Somebody pop a cap in that dirty bird!
Hes always a Hokie! Good luck in whatever endeavors he pursues.
I still want to hear the story about NOLA Pry alluded to in a press conference.....
If CMY is a player's coach, then teach them how to win; and not just to execute a system for the sake of the system.
These guys were fighters earlier in the season. Something changed. A couple scenarios come to mind. A coaches inability to rise above that means he's not running the team.
Watching the live feed and Jessie Holmes just pulled into Nulato. 10:42 AM by my computer. Vet is looking at the dogs and Jessie getting his supplies set up. Expects to pull through.
GPS says Paige is 14 miles behind now.
EDIT: Jessie pulls out at 10:53 AM by my computer time.