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Grant's "Mind Nugget Monday"

November 19, 2009

Many apologies for the lateness of the Mind Nugget Monday, the November 9^th edition was written and ready to go but we had technical difficulties. You can read that entry below, this week’s edition is late cause I was sick as a dog on Monday and Tuesday and didn’t come into work and sure as heck didn’t feel like writing a blog from home. Because I didn’t feel like doing anything, I didn’t even feel like doing some of the things I was forced to do cause of my sickness.

So here is an abbreviated edition of the MNM written on a Wednesday at about 1 in the morning as I am still at work trying to catch up on work, most related to doing the Virginia Tech Sports Today Show. This is another side of this job that isn’t so glamorous, but when someone does this kinda thing depends on the type of person. Some people like to come in early and get stuff done. I prefer staying late and working when no one is around and there is no deadline of a newscast rushing me. Then when I get done I am done and don’t have to stress about anything when I go home to go to bed. Because we certainly can’t really take editing a story home, not yet at least, I am sure it is coming eventually.

Must say thanks to Bob Rotanz over and Mac and Bob’s, he sent over a Bostonzone after Natasha Ryan shot her Friday Night Bites story at Bob’s. I used to work at Mac and Bob’s and Bob has always been good to me, he is one of the good people in the Valley.

 

Sports related thought, it is weird that Virginia Tech is eliminated from ACC Title contention only because when covering the Hokies we have gotten so used to having them in the ACC Title game that for them not to be is very strange.

 

I covered the VT-Maryland Game and saw a Hokies team that seemed to be back being focused and a Maryland team that is awful. I got some video of Ralph Friedgen to have in case he gets fired in the off-season. I have plenty of Al Groh file ready for that as well. My brother went with me to the VT-MD game, it was cool to take him to a game, he graduated from Tech and he makes a great microphone holder cause he is taller than me and can get his arm in there for interviews.

He and the rest of his family will be down here for Thanksgiving next week, I am going to be thankful to hit my bed this evening and rest up after the sickness. Take care of yourselves everyone and hopefully the Mind Nugget Monday will be back on Monday next week.

November 9, 2009

It’s Mind Nugget Monday time here again and we begin with the question of what gets you excited anymore. I got a call from my oldest niece Abby on Saturday and she wanted to tell me that she had just ridden her bike around the track for the first time without training wheels and without help from her dad! She was genuinely excited about this accomplishment and well she should be. My brother was taking here to get a milkshake or a smoothie.

So what gets sports fans excited anymore? And do Sports Fans expect too much? Will Hokie fans be happy with 9 wins in the regular season and another bowl trip where they could win 10 games. I would say the post 1999 fans will not and the pre-1999 fans probably will be happy but not totally enthused.

When it comes to UVA fans I think the only thing that will make them happy this year is a win over Virginia Tech and a new Head Coach. What name will they be happy with and what name will actually want to come to Charlottesville. Tommy Tubberville, Jim Grobe, Brian Kelly, Derek Dooley, Who? I am of the opinion that Virginia will need to hire a young offensive minded coach that is willing to come in and reenergize the program.

UVA has been known as a football school when they were number 1 in the country with Shawn Moore and Herman Moore, the Wahoos have been a basketball school back in the day with Ralph Sampson and Terry Holland as the head coach leading Virginia to the final four.

With both football and basketball struggling recently whichever program is able to start and upward swing the fanbase will totally embrace, they just want a winner in one of the two right now. It should be easier for basketball I would think than football, but you never know.

What will make High School Football fans happy, for their respective team to just make the playoffs, if you Staunton River how happy are you if you’re a Golden Eagles fan to just make the post-season.

If your Cave Spring and you’re the number 1 seed in Division 3 are you happy to be back in the post-season or is success in the playoffs what your looking for from the Knights.

If your Salem do you need to get to get by Amherst and win the state title for the Spartan fans to be happy.

If your Amherst do you have to get back to the State Title game and win this time. There are plenty of these to think about, I am not sure what will make fans happy.

What will Redskins fans be happy with, anyone owning the team but Daniel Synder might be the only thing that will enthuse Washington fans.

I know that another week of 3-0 in fantasy football will make me happy, which looks like will happen.

Quick Hits:

-Phil Mickelson beat Tiger Woods overseas, as a golf fan wouldn’t a couple of Sunday Showdowns at Majors with both of them in the final group be fun.

-Got tickets to the Tim McGraw concert coming to Roanoke for me and J-Anna, it will be the first concert I have been to in sometime and tip of the cap to both Salem and Roanoke as I feel like they are both bringing better acts to town.

-If you’re a sports fan and haven’t checked out the 30 in 30 documentaries on ESPN then you should. I don’t think all of them have been great, but more of them have been enlightening than not.

-Basketball season is starting, I’m not ready for that quite yet.

That’s gonna do it for this week, I’m outta here, until next week, Be Good!

November 2, 2009

 

Welcome to the first Mind Nugget Monday of the Month of November for 2009. We begin with a little XYZ. You all remember what that was when you were young, don't you? "eXamine Your Zipper!" I was at the UVA-Duke game this past Saturday and during the second half the man in the red hat/red shirt who stops the game for TV timeouts, says something to the official on the sidelines, he promptly yells to the lead official and gives the signal for XYZ. The lead official then zips up his pants in front of the entire crowd, one fan behind me in fact did yell XYZ. I am guessing someone must have seen this on the Internet broadcast and pointed this out, kinda embarrassing for the official.

What to me is even more embarrassing is the behavior of some other fans at the UVA game and believe me this doesn't just apply to UVA I have seen this all over. One guy was yelling and pointing his finger at Al Groh as he left the field. I know this guy bought a ticket and feels that gives him the right to say whatever he wants, but that doesn't mean that he needs to get to the point that security has to pull him back from the railing. That is going a little far to in a way threatening Al Groh. I can say that while he may not be doing a good job at the UVA Head Coach I know he is working hard to make sure the Cavaliers win.

The loss to Duke had to be a heartbreaking one as the Wahoos had the lead with under 4 minutes to go when Thaddeus Lewis threw a touchdown pass on a 3^rd and 9 play. Chris Cook came close to knocking the ball away, Cam Johnson came close to getting to the quarterback before he through, but close doesn't count and that throw and catch may have been the final nail in the coffin for Coach Groh at UVA. He must win 3 of his final 4 games to get to 6-6 and be bowl eligible. That is a tough task with Miami, Boston College, Clemson, and Virginia Tech left on the schedule. Worse than the losing is ALL The empty seats in the stadium. People have just stopped caring about the program. Whoever they bring in to take the job better be someone who is a people person or who can at least fake being a people person and go out and shake A LOT of hands because the fanbase is going to need to be reinvigorated.

Virginia Tech's loss was one of those that just left you shaking your head. The first time in a longtime that I have seen a Frank Beamer team look like they just didn't want to be on the football field. They looked like a team that hadn't played a game in 12 days and a team that during that stretch saw Miami lose and Georgia Tech win, meaning they basically had no shot at another ACC Title. It is Coach Beamer and his staff's job to get the team ready to play, but unfortunately sometimes it just doesn't work when you are dealing with 18 to 22 year olds.

Quick Thoughts:

-Hey JMU got a win over Delaware, that was a surprise!

-Richmond received a vote in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll! Probably not that far off, they

won at Duke to start the year and are undefeated this year.

-Nascar might have to do something, Jimmie Johnson rides around in the back of the field all day Talladega and then finishes in the Top 10. That pretty much clinches a 4^th straight Sprint Cup Title.

-Halloween, glad it's over. Saw lots of Billy Mays costumes, a little to early for that one?

-Everyone please go out and vote on Tuesday!

 

I'm outta here!

October 26, 2009

Welcome to your Mind Nugget Monday and man are my arms tired, oh sorry lapsed into that bad joke thing cause I am tired. Been a long couple of day for this guy, I was going to write you about my last couple days, but I am guessing you just don't care.

The Martinsville Race this past Sunday, I was at the Track on Friday. Everyone seems resigned to the fact that Jimmie Johnson is going to win a fourth straight Sprint Cup Title unless the 48 team messes up, basically admitting that they can't catch him. Goes back to the days when Jeff Gordon was dominating and then when Dale Earnhardt was before him. Someone will figure out how to be Johnson, it just might be a years. If Johnson and his crew chief Chad Knaus don't split up this could be a dynasty for a while.

I went to Greensboro, NC on Sunday for ACC Operation Basketball. It is very interesting to sit down in a room and interview each Men's basketball coach in the league one after another. Everyone is different in certain ways but all are feeling good or at least pretending to feel good about their team right now. Here is an interesting way to look at things if you are a team in the ACC that has to play both Duke and UNC twice during the season. If both are good and both usually are, and you lose both games to them, no shame in that, your ACC record is 0-4. That means you have to go 8-4 in your other 12 ACC games. That is extremely hard to do in a league that is very talented from top to bottom.

 

Quick hits for you this week:

 

Very sad story about the Uconn player stabbed to death, even sadder someone is posting intimidating messages to anyone coming forward with cellphone pictures or videos

What happened to Morgan Harrington is a sad story, hopefully with a happy ending, but why does the national media latch onto some missing person's story and not others?

What happened to Dale Earnhardt Jr.?

The hype has already started on the Phillies-Yankees Series, people expecting a classic, that means it will probably stink.

Has anyone ever had the right side top of your head hurt, your right ear and the right side of your throat hurt for a week, I have, any help would be appreciated, gkittelson@wdbj7.com

Hambone was the only one with a Halloween costume and he went old school but that is cause he has known me for a while and knows one of my old costumes

Speaking of Halloween, has slowly become one of the biggest amateur nights of the year, Saturday Night will probably be crazy in a number of different ways

Mike Stevens is alive and well folks, I know no one was wondering but I thought I would pass this along, he actually was out of town enjoying a Friday night with his wife this past weekend, I think he earned a few off!

 

Looks like if you ask you might receive, if Philadelphia's defense can score 2 points in my one fantasy football league tonight, I will go 3-0 for the first time in a week this season.

That's gonna do it for this week, I'm outta hear!

October 19, 2009

Welcome folks to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday and we are creeping ever closer to Halloween and my niece Abigail is getting ready by losing her first tooth!

Speaking of losing, the Hokies lost this past Saturday when the defense let them down. A friend text me to say when is the last time that you could say that Bud Foster's crew didn't get the job done. Not very many times. Here is the follow up to the game. The Hokies though still have a chance to win the ACC Coastal Division and the ACC Title and a trip to the Orange Bowl but you get the feeling that the Hokie Nation will not be happy with that. If they went to a third straight Orange Bowl I don't think very many fans (very many in Virginia Tech terms) would go to the game. That to me is pretty sad, but it's due to the let down that so many of them got their hopes up twice to play for the National Title. Maybe next year?

UVA would love to be in the Orange Bowl and the Cavaliers have a shot all they have to do is continue winning, they have won 3 straight and host Georgia Tech this weekend. Al Groh said today at his weekly press conference that he knows why the team is winning, cause they are doing what they are suppose to do and get better as the season goes along. (VERY BRILLIANT I KNOW!) But he is right, the team has improved each and every week and is playing their best football now. The question for UVA fans is do you want Al to keep winning so you might have to keep him for another year?

Lets just agree to not talk about JMU anymore this year on the Mind Nugget Monday, the Dukes are rebuilding lets just go with that!

Random Thoughts!

What the heck are the weather balloon parents doing? Someone go take their kids from them please before they get screwed up anymore.

Just sad when you hear about a college football player being stabbed on campus at Connecticut when from all initial indications this kid was doing his best to escape such violence when he left South Florida to go to school in the North.

Alex Rodriguez, good for you for just finally playing baseball and not worrying about everything else, also good for you for dating Kate Hudson!

 

In some ways very happy that fall is getting here but also means almost time to put away the golf clubs, BOOOOO!

Went and saw Couples retreat with J-Anna on Sunday Night, much better than I thought, but I didn't expect a lot just a few laughs. Much funnier than I thought.

And can someone please explain to me why in fantasy football I go 2 and 1 with my 3 teams. In the WDBJ league I am undefeated, as long as things go as they probably should tonight I will be 4-2 in my longtime keeper league and 2-4 in my Martin's league. Every Week! 2-1! Every Week!

That's gonna do it for this week, I am in need of a Halloween Costume so please e-mail ideas to me at gkittelson@wdbj7.com I can't go as a Sports TV Anchor every year. I'm Out!

October 12, 2009

Welcome folks to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday!  And we are 5 games into the college football season and there are just 2 teams in the ACC that are undefeated in ACC play, and they are both here in Virginia.  UVA is 1-0 with a win over UNC, while the Hokies are 3-0 with a resounding win over Boston College.  While both teams are undefeated they are in very different places.

I was at the Cavaliers game on Saturday against Indiana, the Wahoos destroyed the Hoosiers.  I think that UVA is much better than the start of the season, first off they have stopped turning the ball over, secondly they are getting much better play out of their offense.  Al Groh said after the game that Jameel Sewell is a notoriously slow starter and that is was the case again this year especially with a year of rust to shake off.  Plus the Cavs got Vic Hall back at full speed and they are using him in a perfect way.  Vic probably isn't an every down quarterback but he is a great player with the football in his hands. The Wahoos are beginning their yearly Al Groh reclamation project.  They are 11-1 in October the last couple of years a stat that Aaron Clark the Cavs Senior Co-Captain didn't know or that is what he just said during UVA Media Day.  I am typing the Mind Nugget in Charlottesville in the media room. 

Clark also gave us a laugh when he said Coach Groh likes to say the Bull doesn't care what you did in the past.  Another way that he tries to keep his players looking ahead.

Virginia Tech certainly wasn't looking ahead.  It is time to start saying that the Hokies are a legitimate National Title contender.  Tech destroyed Boston College, I listened to the first half of the game on the radio and Frank Beamer confirmed what I thought when the game was going on.  Tech hasn't had a game like that in a while when they have totally dominated an ACC opponent.  Tech is 4th in the country and if Florida and Alabama stay undefeated until the end of the season one will have to lose in the SEC title game.  So as long as Tech keeps winning they could see themselves looking pretty at the end of the season.  But they have to keep winning, tough challenge this weekend down in Atlanta.

I have had a rough week when it comes to physical injuries.  I am playing Coed Softball and took a line drive off the chest, have a nice bruise on my left pec and then I scraped my knee up sliding to try and make a catch, ripped that scab off playing flag football on Sunday, so blood was running down my leg.  Every now and then I think I am getting too old for this stuff, but as my Mom likes to say I am just going to keep running from the rocking chair. 

That is going to do it for this week, take care folks, I'm going to get back to doing some interviews for UVA basketball Media Day.

October 5, 2009

Welcome to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday. This week's topic is has to do with exit strategy and what is the best way to work one out. I got to thinking about this cause of a couple of different things.

One was Brett Favre. First off, I am a sick of this topic as the rest of you, but I wondered how could the Green Bay Packers have handled things better. 2 years ago the Packers wanted to go in another direction with Aaron Rodgers and they got tired of waiting every season for Favre to decide if he wanted to comeback. I don't fault the Packers they were looking at the future, I don't fault Favre cause if your whole life the goal is to be a NFL QB how do you know for sure when to retire when you can still play. This one couldn't have had a good ending and that is why tonight Favre will be playing for the Minnesota Vikings against his old team.

 

The other exit strategy that got me thinking was Bobby Bowden at Florida State. Newspapers down in Florida are calling for Bobby to retire, resign, get fired, whatever you want to use, but they are loud and they are numerous after FSU lost to Boston College this past Saturday. Florida State already has a head coach in waiting in Jimbo Fisher but when is he getting the job full-time. If you're a player do you listen to Bobby Bowden, depending on if he coaches at all, or do you listen to Fisher. I know I would be confused. Bowden's better days as the Head Coach are behind him, but there is no guarantee that Fisher is going to do any better. Bowden built FSU and it may fall after he leaves.

This transitions into a conversation I had with someone who wanted Frank Beamer gone at Virginia Tech. I told him he was crazy, cause VT wasn't very good before Beamer arrived and it may not be any good when he retires whenever that is, no matter who replaces him. I think Jim Weaver made the right call of not hoping on the bandwagon and naming Bud Foster Head Coach in waiting for reasons expressed above about Bowden-Fisher. Bud may get the job but lets wait until Coach Beamer is ready to retire. And ALL Hokie Fans better appreciate Coach Beamer and what he has brought to the Tech Program cause he has made them a top 15-team year in and year out and played for a National Championship. When you name off the programs who are always in the Top 15 and played for a National Title in the last 10 years they are historic programs who have been around for years except Virginia Tech. Frank Beamer has taken the program to that level and for that he deserves the right to stay on as long as he wants. If the program starts falling dramatically like FSU then someone might have to make a tough choice.

Al Groh's exit strategy could be tricky if Groh pulls another rabbit out of the hat. The Cavaliers beat UNC in an upset this past Saturday. Lets say they beat Indiana, Maryland, Duke, Boston College, and Clemson and pull an upset against Georgia Tech, Miami, or Virginia Tech. That puts him at 7-5 and goes to a bowl game. He could then have reason to say, look at the turnaround, but would that appease the UVA fans. At some point this season, Athletic Director Craig Littlepage better decide is he all in with Coach Groh or is he going to get rid of him. Cause Littlepage's future probably rests with the future of Groh.

That is going to do it for this week, I am going to go think about an exit strategy for me cause we all need one at some point in time.

September 28, 2009

Welcome to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday and if you want sports related thoughts then skip to the bottom of this week, cause I am going to get on my soap box a little and I am going to ask you to think about more than yourselves a little bit.

First let me start with my friend Carrie Wickert, she has been diagnosed with cancer, there was a benefit for her at 419 West on Sunday that I attended with J-Anna and Captain Mike. Hambone and his wife were there along with a number of friends of mine from High School. I went to High School with Carrie as well and she and I are actually godparents to Hambone's 3^rd child. Carrie is someone who is always smiling and someone who will make sure that you are having a good time at any and all events. She will also never hesitate to press you on an issue of any kind, I experienced this on Sunday even as she is fighting cancer, and I do mean she is fighting this hard. If you have any desire to help out a girl that is fighting this disease hard and want to be assured that the money will go to the right place then I have an option for you.

The Carrie A. Wickert Cancer Fund
First Citizens Bank

You can deposit money into this account at any First Citizens Branch. It does not have to be a local branch. You can also mail your donation to:

First Citizens Bank
c/o Mike Shorten
3862 Electric Road
Roanoke, VA 24018

If you choose to mail your donation, please include a note inside that states, "For Deposit Only."

Checks should be made payable to: The Carrie A. Wickert Cancer Fund

That is one way you could help someone out. I also found out today that a co-worker of ours here at the station has Colon cancer and will be going in for surgery shortly, if you know Mike Bell please keep him in your prayers.

On a good note, my friend Brandon is able to use the Internet and has posted a message on his facebook page. This is great progress for Brandon, every one is hoping it continues.

This it totally my Opinion and not that of WDBJ-TV - Time for me to get on my soapbox. News 7 is running a story on Monday about a vote at Saint John's Lutheran Church and how they have voted to change Lutheran Church affiliation because the one they are currently a part of voted to allow Gay Clergy. This story has more meaning to me because this is the church I went to as a child and my parents still attend this church and I know that this whole process has really upset my mother.

Let me say I absolutely and unequivocally disagree with the 70 percent of that congregation that voted to change because they don't want Gay Clergy. They are following the wishes of Pastor Mark Graham. I know Mark and he has done some good things for the church but in this case Mark is Wrong and is using his power over his congregation to mold this vote. Saint John's Lutheran Church was around before Mark Graham came to be the pastor and the church in some form will be around after Mark is gone, I would hope that the people in the congregation would take a minute to think about things for themselves and not just follow the word of Mark. And just because 70 percent voted for the change that doesn't make them right, as Sandra Day O'Connor said when I heard her speak last week, the majority isn't always right.

I have gay friends and am completely on the side of supporting them as no different than me. My friend who goes to the church says that Mark would not marry me in that church because of things I have done in my life. Funny thing is that Saint John's Lutheran taught me at one point when I was a kid at Sunday School that they would be accepting to all people, clearly that message has been lost by those currently in the church.  This all my opinion and not that of WDBJ-TV

 

Now to some Sports, Wow did the Hokies put on a show on Saturday. I was at the game, my camera broke after Tech went up 14 to nothing because of the rain but that didn't stop Tech from continuing their domination and did certainly didn't stop the rain.

That is one of the best all-around games that I have seen Tech play in the last 5 years. Give credit to Frank Beamer who I heard was really grinding this week and spent a good amount of time with the offense this week. If Tech can keep these types of performances up they have a chance to play for the National Title this season. The Hokies would be helped greatly if UNC, Georgia Tech, and even N.C. State would win and be ranked this season.

I know this MNM was a little bit off topics compared to others but I felt the need to get things out there and off my chest. Have great week folks and be kind to one another.

 

September 21, 2009

Welcome to the Mind Nugget Monday and we will start with a finish. I was shooting the VT-Nebraska game and standing in the endzone that Tech scored in to take the lead late in the game. It was definitely a case of luck shining on the Hokies. I was also in Lane Stadium a couple of seasons ago when Boston College came back to beat Tech with 2 late touchdowns so I have seen both sides of the coin. Tyrod Taylor made something happen, finally when he needed too and you just tip your cap to him for getting the job done.

Next point, to the fans who left! How the heck can you call yourself a fan when you leave a game that is not decided, if this doesn't hammer home the point that if there is time on the clock and you are down just one score DON'T LEAVE. Anything can happen, sports are the original reality TV, you never know what is going to happen. If you left, sell your tickets for the rest of the season as a self-imposed penalty! I'm kidding, kinda. If the Hokies had been down by 9 or above then you are allowed a pass, since it was just a 5-point game you don't have any excuses. Plus it was a nice day, stay the whole game and then go back to the car and tailgate some more, this comes form someone who so rarely gets to tailgate because I am working the game.

UVA, another nail in the coffin of Al Groh, his team had a 17-point lead and they had 34 points on the board. The problems came from the Defense, which Groh is in charge of, and the special teams, which he brought Ron Prince back to be in charge of, just the special teams. Those 2 phases let the Cavaliers down. That can't happen when you're coaching for your job.

Something that I heard a lot about on the radio and on TV last week was everyone bashing Michael Jordan for his Hall of Fame acceptance speech. Why people were so upset I didn't understand. It is Michael's speech he can say whatever he wants. People were upset he didn't say thank you to everyone under the sun and that instead he talked about stories from his career and rubbing his success in the noses of people. To me it is his right as the greatest player of all-time to say what he wants. Some people were upset that he brought his old high school coach and the player that was kept instead of Jordan when he got cut from his H.S. team. Guess what they didn't have to come to the ceremony, they agreed to it, so why should other people be upset about it.

Covered the Bath County-Alleghany game for Friday Football Extra this past Friday, cool connection, Jake Phillips is coaching for the Chargers, wish Jake had gotten a shot to play more football, but no surprise to see him back involved in the Bath County program.

Looks like I will be headed to the Miami-VT game this Saturday, Tech is going to have to play much better if they want to get a win over the Hurricanes, the "U" looks like they are really good so far this season.

That is going to do it for this week, I'm out!

September 14, 2009
 
Good Monday Morning to everyone in the Mind Nugget Monday world.  Hope everyone had a great weekend.  I will start with the game that I covered on Saturday.  The UVA-TCU game.  WOW!  The Cavaliers looked really bad!  They were down 30 to nothing and they hadn't done anything on offense.  They scored 14 points late in the 4th quarter, one came on a almost hail-mary pass and another thanks to a long punt return.  At this point I don't know how UVA can keep Al Groh on has Head Coach.  The team doesn't look very good and worse the crowds look horrible!  The stadium was basically empty when the 2 touchdowns were scored.  Even if UVA wins some games the rest of the season the fan base is so disenchanted with Groh that he can't get them back. In my opinion if Groh does get fired the University needs to bring in an offensive coach to get people excited.  You can't have another defensive guy like Groh you need someone to give the fan base hope.
 
As for the Hokies I didn't see any of the game, but I did see where Tech may have found their new identity.  Williams and Wilson the 2-headed running back monster.  Williams and Wilson give the Hokies something that Darren Evans didn't, home run hitting ability.  I have been touting Wilson since he came out of G.W. Danville and I think the more they give him the ball the more he will impress.  A great running game will make Tyrod Taylor look a lot better.  Big test for the Hokies this Saturday against Nebraska, I will be at that game.
 
Was at the Northside-Cave Spring on Friday night.  The Knights won the game on a last second field goal.  That game is the perfect example of how enjoyable high school sports can be and having a script that is too hard to write for Hollywood.  Ethan Hafey made his the field goal the first of his high school career.  Hafey is a soccer player and seeing him being lifted up by fans and teammates after the game makes you enjoy what sports can do for kids.
 
An update on my friend Brandon, he continues to do better, he is getting up and moving around more and more.  They have let him have his laptop.  Who knows maybe he will be reading the Mind Nugget Monday!  If so keep on getting better Brandon!
 
That is going to do it for this week, keep on keeping on folks! 

September 8, 2009

Welcome to the Tuesday Tidbits! With Monday a Holiday I had the pleasure of being off so I check in a day later as I am back to work and not out of town.

First things first have to start with college football! Watched all of the VT-Alabama Game and then watched a good portion of the UVA-W&M replay on Sunday.

Hokies still have to find some offense. Watching the game it reminded me of the '04 game between VT and N.C. State. That was the game that Bryan Randall got sacked like 10 times. Late in that game Randall figured out that when they blitz 7 and you only have 6 to block you have to let your receivers go make plays. On obvious passing downs Alabama brought pressure. Tyrod needed to let his wide receivers who had one on one coverage make a play on the ball. It isn't going to be like High School or on crossing routes where your receiver has three steps on a guy. You are going to have to trust the guys you have out there to catch the ball.

The Cavaliers meanwhile had one major problem in their loss to William and Mary. They couldn't hold onto the football. When you turn it over 7 times you probably should lose to a peewee team. It was all across the board too, Vic Hall, Jameel Sewell, and Marc Verica turned it over. Vic evidently hurt is his hip, but if he hurt his hip why was he out there returning punts in the second half. You have to have someone else that is healthy that you can put back there and just catch the punt. Sewell's interception that got returned for a touchdown looked like a throw that a guy who hasn't played football for a year would make. Head Coach Al Groh said before the game when asked about turnovers by Marc Verica a year ago that they didn't show themselves during practice, only during the games. Went on to say that all three QB's weren't turning it over in practice. But, a game is a whole different story as we saw on Saturday. This is going to make Al Groh keeping his job even more up in the air. But I did read something interesting today or at least I thought it was. In the last 21 seasons UVA have lost their opener 11 times. In all but one case the Cavs have responded with a win. Will be tough this week with TCU coming to down.

With the W&M win as well as the Richmond over Duke win the CAA is 2-0 against the ACC. JMU plays at Maryland this Saturday they could make it 3-0. It just shows how many talented football players there are and they aren't willing to go sit at a big-time school when they can go Division 1-AA or FCS, they want to go play.

As for a FCS school, I went to VMI game on Saturday. The Keydets struggled with turnovers against Robert Morris and had to score with under 2 minutes to go to win the game 14-13 thanks to a blocked extra point. Hopes were high coming into the season on post but VMI is going to have to get a lot better on offense to do better than 4-8 that they went a year ago.

Having an extra day off I went up to Washington D.C. on Sunday with J-Anna and went out with some of her friends. D.C. is always fun to visit. You just feel surrounded by the history of our country. We stayed right downtown, so we walked to where we needed to go. That is another great thing, we were right near the mall but could walk to an area with restaurants and bars. I was disappointed, one of my favorite places Dan's Café was closed on Sunday night. I hope it was just a Sunday thing and not permanent. If you have ever been to Dan's you know the good parts about the bar.

Had a Fantasy Football draft in D.C. on Monday. This one went much better than my previous one. This league I have been in for about 7 years. It is amazing how just based on how other people draft it can make you feel so much better about your team. I finished 2^nd in this league a year ago, I am looking for the title this year.

That is going to do it for the special edition of Tuesday Tidbits! August 31, 2009

Welcome folks to another Mind Nugget Monday and I write to you feeling like a giant bruise! Nothing is wrong with me, I just happened to be very sore. I went to the lake with Captain Johnny, J-Anna, and El on Saturday. I went water skiing and tubing and man, I am paying for it today. J-Anna tells me that the second day of soreness is the worst and I believe her right now.

To some Sports, I went up to UVA today for their weekly media session. The Cavaliers have moved their session to Mondays this year. That is good for us here in the Sports office, it means that UVA and VT aren't on the same day which makes covering them both a little easier.

 

Coach Groh was his normal cryptic self when it came to talking about what player would start at Quarterback for the Cavaliers. But that is to be expected with him. He was quite funny about picking his outfit today, his wife is out of town so he bragged about matching the suit, tie and shirt. This was in relation to Coach Groh going with Gregg Brandon's spread offense. If you like what you see, you buy, he bought the offense, just like he bought the suit. Might be one of those things that you just had to be there for.

I talked with one of the UVA players off camera about how many hours he spends on football during the week, he replied with somewhere in the 30's. This was no surprise to me and if he really added it up it would probably be around 40. None of this was forced. I asked him this because of the Rich Rodriguez story going on at Michigan. Current players saying that Coach Rod makes them work on football for over the NCAA allotted 20 hours. Lets get real, all the players in major college football are putting in way more than 20 hours. They do this cause it is necessary to compete and they want to do it most of the time. The UVA player said he does extra stuff with his friends on the team. It is a lot like hanging out to those guys. I would love to know how many hours Jon Copper spent on football during hit time at UVA. Copper was known as the guy who watched a ton of film while playing for the Cavaliers. So while it may technically be a violation, if they are found guilty. I think Rich Rod and Michigan is just doing what everyone else is doing in major college football.

We got the first week of Friday Football Extra under our belts. Hopefully you noticed a couple of new things. We have a new set and a new segment called Open Mic. I put that together this past Friday, turned out pretty good I thought. I hope you enjoyed it and we will continue to try and give you a little something different in that segment all year long.

Just a quick update on my buddy Brandon, he is doing better, he is able to communicate with a board by spelling out the words. He is moving around a little, got in trouble when he was trying to roll out of bed when he wasn't suppose too. That sounds like him as does his continued flirting with the nurses.

That is going to do it for this week, hope you all are ready for the kickoff of college football.

August 24

Welcome to another edition of Mind Nugget Monday! I write to you on the beginning of the week with a clear mind that had a 3-day weekend! I am just curious who decided that a 5 day work week was the way to go? Why don't we have a 4-day workweek and all 3-day weekends? For the people that do have a 4-day workweek of 10 hours, I am jealous. I would love that schedule.

This past weekend I got to play a couple rounds of golf at new courses. The second round was at Ballyhack in the Mount Pleasant area. I am here to tell you that it is one of the best courses I have ever played and when it matures I think it will be even better. I am not sure that I have putted on better greens. They were perfect! The ball rolled where you hit it and a lot of the time that wasn't good where I hit it. The course itself rewards good shot and penalizes you for bad ones and I mean really penalizes you. I know one of the hopes of those in charge of Ballyhack is to host a Walker Cup one-day and I could really see that happening once the course grows in.

I did see this weekend where the Hokies once again had injury problems at running back. I am starting to get that feeling that even though all the talent is there for Tech to make a run in the national rankings that they might be snake bit and it all started with Darren Evans injury. Not saying it is for sure, but they need Oglesby, Williams, and Wilson to get healthy in a hurry.

If you are a fan of football and UVA in particular than I got something you should check out! I watched today at virginiasports.com a day in the life of Al Groh. The UVA MEDIA Department and Todd Goodale did it. They took you inside practice and meeting rooms, something that Coach Groh doesn't let anyone else. Also read the corresponding column written by Jeff White. It gives you a little more information.

For you High School Football Fans, I hope you are ready for a new season of Friday Football Extra! It starts this Friday and we are letting you vote on the game of the week this year. The poll is up at WDBJ7.com under the Friday Football Extra page already, so go vote this week and every week following. Also this year we will be doing chats. One of Thursday before the week of games and another on Friday Nights after the show. Get your questions ready I will be doing a number of these.

An update on my friend Brandon, he is using a board to spell out letters and is responding to questions. He seems to be improving, I am excited about this news.

That is going to do it for this week, until next week, keep on keeping on! Especially you Brandon!

August 17

It is football season here at the Mind Nugget Monday, the reason I know for sure that it is football season is because I have been to Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, and Radford in the past week to talk with football teams. I have been a number of other places but I figure that would give you a good triangle far away from Roanoke.

The Cavaliers held there meet the team day and media day this past Sunday. Media day is one of the few times all year that the UVA assistant coaches get a chance to talk. Gregg Brandon the new offensive coordinator spoke with the media for about half and hour. He seemed very excited about the offense and using both Vic Hall and Jameel Sewell. They keep saying that Marc Verica is in the running but I don't see that happening at all unless there are injuries. Brandon was at Bowling Green as the offensive coordinator when I worked in Toledo so I have seen what he can do with an offensive in his early years I wouldn't sell him short.

On the defensive side of the ball, I am calling the linebackers at UVA the last chance brigade this year. Aaron Clark, from Rockbridge County, leads this group. He just impresses when he speaks and you can see why he was selected as a captain. Clark is one of 3 fifth year seniors who should start. For most of their careers the trio hasn't seen the field very often so they sound like they plan on making the best of their final year on the grounds at UVA.

I went up to JMU on Friday for their media day. Always a pleasure for me to go to Harrisonburg, this is my alma mater so it is cool to see how much things have changed and also talk with the Dukes and Head Coach Mickey Matthews. Hopefully JMU will be able to get back to a level they were last year when they were ranked number 1 in the country. They will need to replace their quarterback Rodney Landers, but Drew Dudzik looks like he could fill that role. The other player in the running to start at QB is Justin Thorpe. He had the flu on media day so didn't get a chance to see him practice.

I spoke with Coach Matthews about Peter Rose the former Amherst County quarterback who got busted by an undercover cop trying to sell drugs. He was suppose to go to Virginia Tech, but is getting a second chance at JMU. Coach Matthews said they did their homework on Peter before letting him come to school. His brother Jon is on the JMU team and spoke to him about Peter as well. I will have a story coming up later this week, stay tuned for that.

As for Virginia Tech, Darren Evans going down really doesn't worry me. I think David Wilson might be the best running back to ever play for the Hokies so getting him on the field right away is not a bad thing. Get used to hearing Williams and Wilson A LOT because those two are going to be running wild for Virginia Tech.

I know I am in the minority but I was rooting for Y.E. Yang and I know I was in the majority when I was shocked that he beat Tiger on Sunday. Tiger Woods doesn't lose when he goes head to head with another golfer. I thought Nick Faldo said it great on the CBS coverage, Tiger isn't used to not making clutch putts and he doesn't know how to deal with it.

I was just as surprise to turn on the radio on Sunday and hear that Dale Earnhardt Junior was leading a Sprint Cup Race. It is about time Junior, now just do it more frequently.

I am completely moved out of the house I was renting and into a downtown apartment. It is kinda neat to be downtown and to walk out in the morning or afternoon and see people always walking around, going somewhere. Gives things a different energy, parking is a different story.

My one-day off this weekend, was spent at my buddy LH's house at the pool with J-Anna. It was really nice to just relax, I hadn't done that in a while. I have a three-day weekend coming up not sure I will relax a bunch but I hope to hit the golf ball at some point.

That brings me to my final thought of this MNM. The Roy Stanley Memorial Golf Tournament was this past Sunday. I couldn't attend because of working in Charlottesville. For those of you that didn't know Roy, I am sorry. He was a one of a kind individual who taught me so much about working in this business and dealing with people. And I can just imagine what Roy would say about writing a blog. It would probably go something like this: #(*)&)(&%$(*&^@^(*&)$&)(*$(*))(*#&()*&$#()*&#()*&)(*&#(*&

Well said Roy! You are missed.

August 10

Welcome folks into a Mind Nugget Monday.  This is the first MNM in 2 weeks cause last week was just one of those crazy weeks with too much to do and that is the first sign that Football season is here.  I was off Monday and out of the office pretty much every other day except for one.
 
So lets get to football, I went to the first day of practice for both Virginia Tech and UVA.  The Hokies looked like I thought they would, got the right guys in the right places it seems like and it still comes down to the Alabama game if this is going to be a special season.  I don't think we will know how good Tech can be until they match up against a top notch team.  I want to see the Hokies live up to some high preseason expectations, cause then you really know that you are a top level team when you can beat all the teams when they are truly gunning for you.
 
I was allowed to shoot video of the first 30 minutes of UVA's first practice.  I was impressed with the high pace that the Cavaliers went through the beginning of practice.  They went from drill to drill really quickly and went fast in all their drills.  This might be in an effort to get the players ready for the spread offense where they won't huddle up or they might have been doing it because it was the first practice.  I was struck by on offense and defense how few really name guys the Cavs have.  We know about the quarterbacks Vic Hall and Jameel Sewell.  But outside of Mikell Simpson who wasn't very good last year, give me a really proven name guy.   On defense there is a couple DB's but nobody of real substance.  That is what I want to see out of the Wahoos, who steps up this year.
 
I also attended ODAC Media day this past Friday.  It is very interesting to deal with the Division 3 coaches compared to the Division 1 coaches.  In the ODAC all of the coaches know football and all of them want to win, but they are more relaxed, they don't have a ton of media hounding them everyday so they actually seem to enjoy talking to us, this maybe an act, but they seem to.  There isn't the pressure with high dollars as the big-time Division 1 guys but the pressure comes from the coaches themselves who want to win and what more could you ask for last year the ODAC had a 4-way tie for first.
 
To a non-sports item, I am in the process of moving out of the house I have been renting with the pool and hot tub and into a downtown apartment with Booker T.  Some may say I am crazy, but taking care of a pool is a pain in the you know what.  I advise, get a pool membership somewhere and buy the hot tub.  Those you can use year around.  I won't miss mowing the lawn either.  The challenge with downtown living is going to be the parking, but I think I will enjoy the experience.
 
Couple of random sightings two weekends ago, saw J.J. Redick and J.R. Reynolds both back in town on separate nights.  J.J. was in town for a bachelor party and J.R. was in town for a wedding.  That is some reporter skills right there.  More information than we all probably needed.
 
That's all I got for this week, Got to go move the rest of my stuff into the new place! I'm out!

July 28

The Mind Nugget Monday is coming to you a day late due to my attendance of the ACC Football Kickoff down in Greensboro, N.C. But hopefully that means it is filled with plenty of good nuggets for you.

Let me set the scene for you of this event. It is two days where you are in a room for about three and half to four hours. We set up our camera in a room with a few other local TV stations and then on the first day they bring two players from each team into your room. The players are there to answer all the questions you can get in during the 15 minutes they are in the room. Then on the second day it is every coach from the ACC who comes into your room to answer your questions. It is a little bit more laid back then massive press conferences, there is a golf outing in the morning of the second day and plenty of good food and drink during the days. Plus practice and the season hasn't started so everyone is in a good mood and excited about the possibilities.

Let me give you quick thoughts on each team from the comments made by the coach and players. I am going to go in order of prediction by the media vote. Yes, I did vote in the poll. I will start with the Coastal Division and then go to the Atlantic.

Virginia Tech:

The Hokies seem like a confident group that understands the chance in front them for a special season. It all begins with Alabama on September 5^th in Atlanta. This will tell us a lot to how Virginia Tech matches up in the National Scene.

I think Kam Chancellor is going to be a beast on defense with a full year under his belt at Free Safety. Coach Beamer said coming out of the spring they were short 2 players, those being backup players. That isn't like having to fill a hole at right tackle or find some receivers. It is just a matter of Tech living up to the expectations this year and it is time for the offense to put up some points.

Georgia Tech:

They expect the offense to be better in the second year under Head Coach Paul Johnson. Questions about the Triple Option are getting old for those at Georgia Tech, they think they can compete for the Coastal Division Title and if they can stop people on defense they might just do that, cause I think the offense is going to be hard to stop.

North Carolina:

May have the best front 7 in the conference, they are loaded with talent. On offense, who is T.J. Yates going to throw the ball too. They want a couple of guys to really step up in the Fall and show they want the job of starting Wide Receiver.

Funny side note, E.J. Wilson was on the Brunswick High School Basketball team that beat Cave Spring, my alma mater, for a state title. E.J. apologized for beating the Knights, with a big smile on his face on the way out of the interview room.

Miami:

They are always going to have plenty of talent. They were in the drivers seat a year ago but couldn't finish things off. How will Jacory Harris do as the starting quarterback? He doesn't have Robert Marve there as a QB to split time with. At Miami they don't accept 8 and 4 as good seasons they want to be back in the National Spotlight.

Virginia:

I feel like the Cavaliers are going to surprise people. With plenty of options at Quarterback with Vic Hall, Jameel Sewell, even Marc Verica if you need him, I think UVA will score points with Gregg Brandon running the offense. All three of those guys have the luxury of playing in front of an offensive line with plenty of experience.

Al Groh running the defense will keep them in games. If they can find a way to win the close games like they did in 2007 why not another 9 win season.

Duke:

I want to play for Coach Cutcliffe this guy had me fired up in the interview room with his energy and passion. He is trying to do his best to fire up the Blue Devils fanbase, by doing such things as Coaching with Cut. He has regular students meet with during the week on Tuesdays and he breaks down about 25 plays from the previous weeks game. How cool is that! Plus he has a quarterback that he really likes in Thad Lewis. Duke could surprise some teams. Just remember this fact, I won a bet in a bar on this last year. Duke beate Vanderbilt out of the SEC and Vanderbilt went to a bowl game from the SEC.

Florida State:

Picked to win the Atlantic, Bobby Bowden seems fired up more so than the past couple of year and I think the NCAA trying to take away 14 wins has done it. Bobby and FSU are fighting the ruling but a few teams on the schedule might take the brunt of their disdain. Plus Bobby has a quarterback with experience that he really likes. He brought up that was the case when they were in their heyday. A QB didn't see the field when they were really good until they were a red-shirt junior. Guess what Christian Ponder is, yep, a red-shirt junior.

Clemson:

Dabo Swinney is full of energy and ready to rock and roll! He has C.J. Spiller in his backfield and they are pushing him for the Heisman, you should have seen the full-sized posters down at the kickoff. Spiller caught some heat from the other players for the posters, but he can back it up.

Swinney had a funny comment when asked about VT-Alabama to open up the season, being as Clemson opened up with the Tide a year ago and waxed. He said thanks to his alma mater, Bama, for beating Clemson last year cause if not he probably wouldn't be the head coach at Clemson.

N.C. State:

Tom O'Brien is a straightforward guy, his players were some of the most laid back guys in the interview room you have ever seen. With Russell Wilson at QB, the ACC Freshman of the year in 2008 the Wolfpack has a guy running the show. But he does have competition. Mike Glennon, the younger brother of Season Glennon will see time to be ready if Wilson goes down. He did miss time with injuries a year ago. O'Brien said Mike Glennon reminds him of Matt Ryan.

Wake Forest:

Riley Skinner was at the Kickoff and it feels like he has been in the ACC forever. Jim Grobe would like to have him for another 4 years. Coach Grobe admitted that his team relied on Skinner too much last year and has to be more balanced. He also said they need a defense to step up with the loss of the likes of Aaron Curry to the NFL.

 

Maryland:

What happened to Ralph Friedgen, the man has lost around a hundred pounds. The Fridge is still a large man, but he does seem to have a little more pep to him. The Terps have an experienced quarterback in Chris Turner, whose father was the original drummer in the band RATT, he is back and hopefully better. I am not sold on Maryland being a real contender this year.

Boston College:

I am happy for Frank Spaziani to get the Head Coaching job at B.C. He probably should have gotten the job a couple years ago. He is a guy who coached 9 seasons at UVA under George Welsh. He is a guy who wants to be at Boston College and isn't looking to move up to the next best thing. He is going to have a rough first year I think with no real quarterback on offense to rely on, his defense will have to a lot of work and they are missing there best player out with cancer.

That is a quick little rundown of the teams. The season is just around the corner!

July 20

 

It is Monday so that means it is time for another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday! This is a transition time of year here in the News 7 Sports office. We are gearing up for football season as we talk about the upcoming plans for Friday Football Extra, there are some changes in the works for this the 26^th season so everyone stay tuned. One of the things I am really looking forward to this year in Friday Football Extra is a number of new coaches in new places. How is Brad Bradley going to do at Patrick Henry the same goes for Chris Jones at Franklin County. Those are just a few of the new coaches in our area, we will be checking in with a number of teams when practice begins and leading all the way up to the first live Friday night on August 28.

Also for the last week I have been working on some Virginia Tech coaches show stuff for the upcoming season.. Expectations for Virginia Tech is straight through the roof, with plenty of National Championship talk being thrown around. I am not ready to go out on the limb and say the Hokies are going to be playing for the title in January. I am going to take the cliché that both coaches and players like to use. I am taking this one game at a time. Meaning lets just wait and see what happens with the Alabama game and then a lot of questions will be answered cause if Tech can win on a neutral field against an upper echelon team in the SEC then we can start pushing the expectation meter a little higher.

As for UVA, I will be attending their media day on August 16^th that I know. When else we get a chance to see the Cavaliers before they begin their season is anyone's guess. The success of Virginia this season hinges on their offense. With Coach Groh in charge the Cavs will always have a great game plan on the defensive side, those are the words of a former UVA player I talked too. If the players execute the game plan they will stop the opponent. That means you have to put up some points and if whoever plays quarterback, Vic Hall or Jameel Sewell, can learn and run the new offense the Wahoos will win more games than they lose. I don't think Marc Verica will be in the running for playing quarterback at all in Charlottesville.

Quick Hits:

-As soon as Tom Watson missed the par putt on 18 at the British Open on Sunday, I knew he was done, didn't even have to watch the playoff.

-Is Tiger Woods kicking himself for another missed chance at winning a major this season, 7 over in a 6 hole stretch, I can do that!

-It was 55 degrees on Saturday Night, is it really summer?

-Went to the lake on Saturday, I don't think there is a more relaxing place at about 7:45pm when the sun is going down and you're riding along on a boat in smooth waters.

-Played golf on Sunday with Jessica Hollandsworth, the Floyd County product who was the Number 1 player as a freshman at Maryland. Man she makes it look easy, expecting even bigger things from her as a sophomore, no pressure Jess!

That is going to do it for this week, until next Monday, have a great week everybody!

July 13

Welcome to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday. Last week the Nugget took the week off to go to the beach with the entire family, J-Anna included for some rest and relaxation definitely would have liked to stay down there for a lot longer.

 

Normally we like to keep it light and talk about fun things, such as sports here in the MNM, but today I walk to blog about a guy that many of you would have never met, and probably never seen, but he played a large part in the coverage of sports at WDBJ, as well as all over the state and region.

 

Mike Colley passed away this weekend, he was 46 years old. Colley worked in the UVA sports media relations department. He was somebody that I got to know in the early going of my sports TV career in the state of Virginia. He was somebody that helped setup interviews for us with the football players and the lacrosse players mostly. Mike was a fan of the UVA all of UVA. He was also somebody who you could have fun with and he realized we were dealing with athletics, not life and death. Unfortunately we are talking about Colley because of his death.

Colley will be missed at UVA for a long time to come, things just won't be the same when we begin travels up to Charlottesville for football season.

A couple other notes, looking forward to the Home Run Derby but I can't imagine anything will be as good as Josh Hamilton last year.

If the UFC wants to make it into mainstream sports, they can't have their heavyweight champion acting like Brock Lesnar did.

Since I have been golfing a lot lately and doing pretty well I am looking forward to the British Open, you just have to think that Tiger is going to win at least one major this year.

That is going to do it for the Mind Nugget Monday this week, have a good one folks!

June 29

Welcome to another Monday and another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday.  I am thinking about putting myself on the disabled list with exhaustion after a long weekend at Myrtle Beach with the boys.  If Dontrelle Willis can be placed on the DL with anxiety disorder I don't see why this couldn't be a legitimate excuse for me.
 
On the drive back from the beach we listened to the entire Nascar race on the radio, I can truly say this is the first time that I have listened to an entire race on the radio.  It was an interesting experience; as I write this I still haven't seen a single highlight on TV but I feel like I know everything that happened in the race because of the way the action and the setting were described.  It proves the power of the word when used correctly, although in my mind the skies in New Hampshire were darker than any skies you have ever seen.
 
I was happy to see Joey Logano get the win on the rain-shortened race.  The first time I interviewed Logano was just a couple of months ago when he was testing down at Virginia International Raceway.  Let me set the scene for you at a test , session: the cars are allowed on the track in the morning, then they take an hour-long lunch break from noon to 1pm.  During that hour is the time you have to get interviews with the drivers.  It is really up to the drivers if they want to talk. I asked Juan Pablo Montoya if we could ask him a couple questions; he declined saying it had to be set up with his public relations person.  The problem was, we didn't know Juan was going to be there until that morning. (Note: Juan Pablo isn't the only driver to decline an interview at a test session, he was just the example of this at VIR).
 
One of Logano's crew members came up to me and said he watched WDBJ growing up, so we talked for a while about the history of sports guys at Channel 7 and then I asked him if Logano would be willing to talk. He said no doubt just grab him when he comes out of the hauler.   Sure enough, I asked him when he walked out and he was more than willing to talk.  He was very open with his answers about earlier in the season when he got ripped by a number of people for being a bust a few races into his Sprint Cup career, and then how everyone was back on board after a few good runs.  It was refreshing to have him talk so openly about this, I am sure that will probably change over time as he will become more and more tugged on for interviews and become trained to give the canned answers that so many drivers or athletes period tend to give.
 
But, for now I can hope that Logano will stay an open interview and talk about his experiences, as most likely he will continue to win races.
 
One last note, speaking of winning, myself and Johnny once again swept the competition's over Booker T and Neal at the beach.  Wins in darts, golf, and bocce made us champions once again for the entire year! 

June 22

Good Monday morning everyone and it is another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday.  First off if someone has found my golf swing could you please return it to me cause I have definitely lost it.  Watched a good amount of the U.S. Open over the last 5 days.  I was really rooting for Phil Mickelson to win the tournament not only cause I am a Phil fan but also for his wife Amy who will begin breat cancer treatments in about 10 days.  Phil couldn't finish it off making bogeys on 15 and 17.  I can relate to making bogeys.  I played golf on Saturday and Sunday.  The Saturday was a part of the Don Holliday tournament, our group played reasonably well.  On Sunday I played with Hambone, Big B, and Neal.  I hit a few good shots and a lot of bad ones.  I need some consistency!  Especially since I am headed to the beach on Thursday for my annual trip to the beach with the boys.  We like to compete during the weekend and crown jewel is the golf round on Friday.

Did a story last week on Michael McGuire a 13 year old driver who has already won in Virginia and North Carolina in Limited and Late Model cars.  Michael is the son of Tim McGuire and the nephew of Tony McGuire, both accomplished drivers of their own here in our area.  If you get a chance check out Michael and tell everyone about him.  He seems to have all the talent in the world and he wants to one day drive on the top level of Nascar.  I sure hope he makes it, he comes from a good family and I feel like he is just going to need a chance when he gets old enough.

I am going to finish this edition with a tip of the cap to the UVA baseball team.  I watched the last 7 innings of their loss to Arkansas when they had a runner on third base with less than 2 outs in the 9th through the 12th inning and couldn't score once.  I am sure all the players and coaches felt disappointed, but what a run they made this year and hopefully with all the youth they have on the team they will return to Omaha.

That will do it for this week, Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.  Until next week, be good to each other!

 

June 15

Good Monday morning everyone and welcome to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday.  I am sure you all were waiting breathlessly for it!  One thing you might also be waiting for is the WDBJ7 Sports Department Twitter Page.  I have started it up and we will be Tweeting away shortly, feel free to check it out on Twitter at WDBJ7Sports.  

Had a chance to go up to UVA last week and talk with the Cavaliers about their trip to Omaha for the College World Series.  Brian O'Connor continues to impress me each time I speak with him about a number of different topics. 

We did a number of stories on the Cavs last week and you can check them all out on our website: WDBJ.com.  One of the stories we did had O'Connor talking about the type of kid he brings in.  He won't bring in a "me" guy, he wants a TEAM guy. 

I asked him later how he figures that out in the recruiting process and he responded with a number of different questions, like "who is your favorite player" and other questions.  He said it is not an exact science but he seems to have it down pretty good.  I watched all of the UVA game on Saturday Night against LSU and I don't know if it would have changed the outcome of the game, but man did the Wahoos get hosed on the fair-foul call in the second inning.  I felt like they got the short end of a couple of other close calls but they still had their chances.  Hopefully they can bounce back with a win this afternoon against Ca, , l State Fullerton.  

The focus here in the News 7 Sports Department starts to shift this time of year.  There is no high school or college sports for us to really cover so we try and catch up on good stories and good people.  If you have any of these feel free to e-mail me at gkittelso, n@wdbj7.com.   

I got to hit the golf course a couple of times this past week.  I played at Roanoke Country Club on Thursday and at The River Course on Saturday.  Great weather both days for the golf rounds and I can say one good thing about all the rain we have had is that the courses were in fabulous condition!  I mean no complaints about either one what so ever.  There is a complaint about where my golf swing has gone.  I have been driving the ball great, but you put an iron or a putter in my hand and I don't know where it is going. 

Any ideas on that would be greatly appreciated as well!  Feel free to e-mail any and all tips to the above address.   That is going to do it for this week, have a great next 7 days.  I'm out!

June 8

 

Good Monday to everyone and welcome back to the Mind Nugget Monday.  The MNM took a week off as the author was down in Hilton Head taking in the sun, the sand, the pool, the golf course, and the beverages!  I went down with J-Anna and spent most of the week with my mom and dad as well as my sister and her boyfriend T the H.  It was very relaxing and enjoyable to get away and really do nothing.  

I came back for the Spring Jubilee, the High School State Championships up at Radford for the Group A and Group AA.  It was suppose to be on Friday and Saturday but rain postponed the games, with the exception of tennis, to Saturday and Sunday.  This caused me to miss a golf tournament on Sunday that I was suppose to play in, but what are you going to do, when work calls you go.  

 I was up in Radford both days and congratulations goes out to all those who brought home state titles and to all the teams that made it to the Spring Jubilee - an accomplishment in itself.  

But I want to talk a little about the Blacksburg Boys' Soccer Team.  I was at almost the entire two games that the Bruins played on Saturday and Sunday.  Let me say the comebacks they pulled off were just amazing.  As the cliché says: grasping victory from the jaws of defeat.  On Saturday they were down one goal to Jefferson Forest in their semi-final match with less than 2 minutes to go in the game when Allistair Moore scored off a corner kick to tie the game.  They went through four overtimes before the Bruins won the game 3 to 1 on penalty kicks.  Tip of the cap to Jefferson Forest Goalie Blake Hubbard who played a great game and made it so his team got to the penalty kicks.  

Then Blacksburg after taking a one goal lead in the final found themselves down 2 to 1 with less than a minute to go and somehow found a way to comeback and score!  Then Allistair Moore won it in the 4th overtime. They call it the golden goal and it was golden for the Bruins who win the program's tenth state title. 

It is the ninth for Head Coach Shelley Blumenthal.  He returned to the Bruins sideline after a year away and brought home another state title.  This is not an indictment at all on the coaches for Blacksburg last year, th, ey did a great job as well. 

But watching Coach Blumenthal on Sunday in the State title game, during the overtimes he is asking the VHSL representative questions, about what I don't know but he certainly was into the game all the way.  He subs very frequently during games, keeping plenty of players fresh, but also getting plenty of players time on the field (easier to do when you have a lot of talent).  All you needed to see as to how his players care about him is when Moore ran almost the length of the field to give Blumenthal a hug after the game winning goal. 

Coach Blumenthal in my book is a great coach, but an even better guy to deal with and a well deserved return to the top of the mountain.  

Another coach who got a well deserved trip is Brian O'Connor, the head baseball coach at UVA. Getting his team to the College World Series after getting screwed on their NCAA Regional bid is quite the accomplishment.  Hopefully the Cavs can get a national title out in Omaha, NE.  We will be heading up to Charlottesville to talk with Coach O'Connor.  

****** Update on my friend Brandon-  He has been moved to a long-term care facility and will be there for at least 4 weeks.  Our friend Joe went to see him on Saturday and said he was moving his toes and he could open his right eye, but not his left.  Hopefully he will continue to improve.************

May 26

 

Good Tuesday to everyone out there in the wonderful world of cyber-space.  I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day!  I was at work and was also watching the Nascar Race where there were plenty of rain delays. They also did something really cool and stopped the race at 3pm when the President asked everyone to stop and take a moment to remember the service men and women that have done so much to allow us to live our lives as we do.  

My father was in the military, he served in the Air Force and while he didn't have to go fight in any wars the fact that he was willing to sign up and go into the military with the very real chance that he would have to go to war is a sacrifice that not all of us are willing to make.  I watched a story on Friday that was on the CBS Evening News done by Steve Hartman. 

I recommend you watch it, I have posted the link below here as it talks about his father who was in the military and how he didn't end up fighting in a war but was just about ready too.   http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/22/assignment_america/main5034672.shtml  

My father once told me when I was going off to college that I would have done really well in the military.  I asked him why, he said because when somebody yells at you, you just sit there and listen to them yell and let it roll off your back.  I think this was one way of complimenting me and another way of saying when he yelled at me or told me to , , do something I usually just sat there and didn't listen intently!   

Thanks Dad for being willing to serve in the military and for the compliment - or at least that is how I am taking it!  Because we both know I ALWAYS listen!  

The Mind Nugget Monday will be taking next week off as I head to Hilton Head with J-Anna and the family.   

*****An update on my friend Brandon, He responded when asked to give a thumbs up and he stuck out his tongue******

May 18

 

Welcome to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday and if you folks out there in blogdom will indulge me this week I am going to talk about something very personal.  Most weeks I tend to write about Sports or light things that are going on in my life.    This week I want to write about my friend Brandon Hiller. 

Brandon is 6'7" and lives outside of Cleveland, Ohio.  I first met Brandon when I moved to Toledo, OH from Roanoke in 2000.  I was leaving WDBJ where I was a full-time news photographer and going to WUPW to be a part-time sports reporter because I wanted to do sports.  Brandon was a news photographer at the Fox Station, he had gone to school at the University of Toledo.  Brandon is a big sports fan and we became friends talking about his love for the Cleveland Indians and plenty of other teams.  Brandon welcomed me into his social group of friends in Toledo and as a guy who had never lived outside the state of Virginia and had just moved to a new town for the first time in my life and knew not a single person in town, I am very thankful for that. 

Brandon and I went to plenty of sporting events together, he would go with me to Cleveland Browns games when I was covering them, he just went cause he wanted to be at the game, never got paid for it.  We found a way that we could get us both on the field, you're supposed to have one person shooting the game and the other in the press box, but Brandon wanted to be on the field so we found a way around the system.   

After I left Toledo, Brandon and I have stayed friends, I have visited him in Cleveland, we crashed a wedding together, he has come visited me here in Roanoke on a couple of occasions, the most recent being in March when he came down for a weekend.  This picture is from last summer when I met Brandon and our friend Joe in Washington D.C. and went to a Washington Nationals game.    

I tell you all of this because my friend Brandon is now in serious condition in a Cleveland hospital.  Brandon who plays and referees volleyball was refereeing a game a few weeks ago, when he passed out while on the ref stand.  He fell and hit his head.  From the information I have received from Joe, Brandon is in an induced coma.  It has b, een over 2 weeks since Brandon's accident.   

Brandon is one of my best friends in this world and someone who I don't know what I would do without.  Brandon, I, we, your family, your friends we all need you to wake up and be alright, cause you bring a joy and passion for life that not very many people have.  You make people's lives around you better.  My girlfriend J-Anna likes to make fun of the childish conversations that you and I have.  I am alright with that, cause we have plenty of serious ones to go along with them, but we have both enjoyed our lives and have fun just living.  

We need that back, all of us!   

May 12

 

Good Tuesday to everyone and I welcome you to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday that is coming out on a Tuesday, this is really just a marketing ploy by the WDBJ7.com folks to get more page views!  That is a joke just so you all know.  

Golf is a game that I have really grown to enjoy over the years, especially recently, and I played a lot of it this past weekend.  I played Friday, Sunday and Monday morning.  That is a couple rounds fewer that Tiger Woods played last year, but we both have something in common, we have been playing with a bum knee.  Tiger is coming back from knee surgery and still finishing in the Top 10 it seems like every week.  He even has a win under his belt at Bay Hill when he came from behind on the final day.  Tiger had a chance to win this past weekend at the Players Championship but failed to claim the title.  We are so used to Tiger closing the deal whenever he is in contention that it is strange to see him not do it recently.  But I think that will be a fading memory as he continues to come back from his surgery.   

My golf game is not quite up to par with Tiger's but I did find that I seem to be on that one round good, one round bad syndrome, so I played bad oon Friday and Monday and played well on Sunday.  Sunday was the day I played an individual round of golf and Friday and Monday I played in Captain Choice tournaments so that might have had something to do with it.  Johnny and myself once again prevailed over Booker T and Neal, another dominating win, it really is getting to be old hat beating those guys but it is still very enjoyable. We played at Mariner's Landing up at the lake which is in great condition for anyone that wants to know.  

As a victory celebration Johnny and I jumped into the lake after cleaning his boat.  Let's just say it wasn't as cold as I thought, but it was a bit chilly when I first jumped in, going to have to wait a couple more weeks before it is a good temperature to really enjoy the lake in a relaxing way.   Back to my knee problems, let's just say that I am having some issues with it and have an MRI schedul, ed for Friday, so if you see me hobbling around don't be alarmed, hopefully this will tell us the problems that have been making my knee sore for a couple months. 

I will give you the full rundown of the saga that has been my knee and why I continue to have a real problem with some doctors, while there are others that have made me have faith in some of them that they actually do the right thing.  

Until next week, take care folks and no putt that never got to the hole ever went in!

May 4

 

Good Monday to everyone out there and welcome to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday.  This week I am going to talk about lacrosse. I played one year of lacrosse when I was a senior in high school at Cave Spring here in the Roanoke Valley.  When I played it was a club sport at Cave Spring; there was no real support from the school or the school system.  To my knowledge it is still a club sport over at Cave Spring as they have a team with Hidden Valley and it is not a varsity sport.   

I thoroughly enjoyed my year of playing lacrosse and wish I would have played it for longer than the one year that I did play.  As you can imagine I wasn't very good at the stick work but my coaches Nelson Davis and Jason Drake did a great job of taking the basketball skills I had and using them with lacrosse as a long-stick midfielder, they also made the terminology translate over.  The sport combines a number of abilities and I have since then always followed the sport with more interest than I ever did before.  

In this area alone there is plenty of great lacrosse to follow: UVA has had a great lacrosse program for over a decade and Dom Starsia's club is the top seed in NCAA Division 1 Tournament that starts this coming weekend.  The Cavaliers have a couple of National Titles and many more appearances in the Final Four. A little closer to us here in the Roanoke Valley you have the Roanoke College Lacrosse teams. Both the men and women are in the NCAA Division 3 tournament; the men have been ranked number 1 in the country this season. The Washington and Lee men also are in the D-3 Tournament after beating the Maroons on Sunday in the ODAC Tournament Finals.  Plenty of schools that have great lacrosse programs, yet their rosters don't have very many Virginia players on them.    

I don't blame any of the coaches for not having a lot of Virginia players, they will recruit the best players anywhere that they can them, it doesn't matter where they are from.  It is just a matter of there not being as much lacrosse talent in the state of Virginia. I hope this changes as the sport is great and there are many more lacrosse youth leagues starting up and being played all over the country and all over the state.  

I covered the game between Roanoke and W&L this past Sunday. There were plenty of young kids there watching, hopefully some them will grow up to be top-notch lacrosse players who would want to and would be able to play at Roanoke College, W&L, UVA, or whatever program in the state. 

April 28

 

Sorry that the Mind Nugget Monday got pushed back to Tuesday but the work day on Monday didn't allow me to sit down and craft the quality information that I know you folks crave so I didn't want to cheat you.  

I promised that I would give you a report on t, , he Foxfield races.  Quite entertaining, I went once when I was in college and let's just say I remember a lot more about this Foxfield than I did the one when I attended while at JMU.  We got there early and parked my car at the plot and proceeded to eat, drink, and be merry!  The weather was gorgeous so sun-tan lotion was applied quite frequently.  To be honest where we were there weren't a lot of people watching the horse races.  I did see parts of a couple of races, including one where the horse and jockey took a tumble.  It is a fun event for those that might want to attend in the future.  

All I can tell you about the Virginia Tech Spring game since I was at Foxfield is that my brother, sister-in-law and my nieces had fun, the girls rocked the Virginia Tech cheerleading outfits that they got from Nana and Pops for Christmas.  

Met a lot of interesting people this past week while doing stories.  I did one story on a member of the Bassmasters elite series, Kevin Wirth, who used to be a jockey before an injury caused him to have to stop riding horses.  So he went to fishing where he has won a couple of tournaments.  Then when he is done fishing he wants to join the Champions Tour.  The fact that Kevin could ride in the Kentucky Derby, one of the biggest horse races in the country, and then make it to the top of another sport is quite an accomplishment.   He has finished well in a couple of golf tournaments so I wouldn't put it past him to make it three.  Going to the weigh-in on the first day of the Blue Ridge Brawl to interview Kevin was pretty cool.  I had never been to one of these, seeing all the boats come in and then each fisherman coming up and weighing his fish in front of the fans.  Neat to see behind the scenes as there were tubs that each fisherman kept their fish in while they were waiting to go up on stage.  

Another story was on students at Arnold R. Burton that had built a Drag Racing car from the ground up and were going to race it last weekend down in Concord, North Carolina and do so while they were shooting an episode of "Pinks All Out," a show on Speed TV.  Just to see the car and all the work that you could tell had gone into the car was impressive.  Even students that had already graduated had come back to help on the car to get it ready.  The project took 4 years to complete.  This to me speaks to the dedication of the kids involved and how the Burton school is a great thing.  

The final story I did was on "The Happy Golfer"   Nick Karnazes is traveling cross country in an R.V. playing 96 rounds of golf in 96 days in 48 states. One of his stops was at the River Course at Virginia Tech.  Nick is making the trip for the most part on his own.  So you can imagine that he was quite talkative, and quite entertaining.  I encourage you to watch the entire interview which is online at WDBJ7.com because at age 72, soon to be 73, he is very vibrant.  He isn't the only one in the family that has done such things.  Very fun guy to talk to!  

That's gonna do it for this week.  Take care folks, congrats to all the players that got drafted from our area:  John Phillips from Bath County High School, Cedric Peerman from William Campbell High School.  That is quite an accomplishment!  Also hopefully Jon Copper can make an impression on the Green Bay Packers during their rookie mini-camp.

April 20

 

Good Monday to everyone and welcome to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday.   

As promised my thoughts on the UVA Spring Game/Festival this past Saturday.  The offense is a true no-huddle spread offense, with four wide receivers and the quarterback in the shotgun with one running back, everything is signaled in from the sidelines and all the players have to pay attention.  The quarterbacks were all in orange jerseys which meant that they were not allowed to be hit.  In the Spread offense that Gregg Brandon has installed, and one that I witnessed him run while he was at Bowling Green, it is important that the QB does run with the ball.  So on many occasions when whoever was at QB and took off to run they were down as soon as they were touched.  This won't happen in a real game, Vic Hall got past the Defensive Line and was touched with one hand from behind; that will not bring him down.  

Vic looked decent as a quarterback, he had a couple of nice throws and a couple not-so-nice ones, but of course he hasn't been behind center full-time at UVA since his first year on campus at UVA.  I am excited to see him when they go live in the fall.  It was, also the return of Jameel Sewell after a year off.  He is excited to be back after talking to him after the Spring Game.  This offense suits him just like it suits Hall.  I can see the Cavaliers using both players behind center this year.  With the way the offense is set up I am not sure that Marc Verica has much of a chance.  He did have a Touchdown pass but he also had an interception.  That is something that plagued him at the end of the 2008.  I wouldn't be surprised if Verica transferred.  I am by no means saying that he is going to do so, but just wouldn't be surprised.  One thing that UVA will struggle with is having the right personnel to run the offense.   They don't have a ton of wide receivers and they were billed as Tight End U, a title given to them, by themselves.  There aren't any more true tight ends, the running backs don't have to be a big and bulky.   It will be interesting finding the right guys for all the positions.  

Played a little golf this weekend on Sunday, my game is in horrible shape, didn't play well at all.  It was a tie in the match between myself and Johnny against Neal and Booker T.  It did feel like a win though, Johnny and I came back from 4 holes down with 4 to play!    

That is all I got for you this week folks, this weekend I will be going to the Foxfield races in Charlottesville for a little fun, I'll be sure to tell you all about it, or at least what I can tell you next week.  Until then take care.

April 13

 

Good Monday to everyone, hope you had a great weekend, and in this week's Mind Nugget Monday I am going to give you my impressions of the Virginia Tech Scrimmage this past Friday.  It was the Hokies' first scrimmage of Spring Practice.
 
First things first - Ryan Williams is explosive!  The first time he touched the ball he ran 80 yards for a touchdown.  He has the ability to take it to the endzone every time he touches the ball.  Darren Evans had a great season a year ago, but the one thing I don't believe he has is that next gear that allows him to score when he gets to the next level by out-running people.  Williams has that ability, after the run Sergio Render was going down the sidelines and I told him, you guys are really going to like blocking for that guy. He just smiled REALLY big.  Williams also had a run of about 8 yards where he made about 8 guys miss.  I asked him after the scrimmage which he was more proud of: the 80 yarder or the 8 yarder.  He said the 8 yarder because he made something out of nothing.  He said he wants to make plays.  I think he will this year for Tech.  He gives the Hokies great depth in the backfield.
 
Kam Chancellor is a large human being that can lay a big time hit on you as well as play the pass.  He had a couple of big hits in the scrimmage as well as an, interception.  I think he will have a great season after learning the position a year ago and having a great bowl game, I think he will be even better this year.  Plus he is downright scary running at you.  Tyrod Taylor threw a ball away that went over my head.  I proceeded to then look towards the field and got a glimpse of Chancellor running full speed at me.  This is a scary sight with him in full pads.  I thanked him afterwards for not hitting me.  He has pads on and I don't, I don't think that would have been fair.
 
Tyrod Taylor looked good with a touchdown pass to Danny Coale in the first series.  Didn't play a lot after that.  Ju-Ju Clayton got better as the scrimmage went on, he had a touchdown pass as well where he got hit in the mouth but still made the throw.  I think he will be your back-up quarterback.  Marcus Davis is a great athlete and will contribute on the Tech Football team somewhere.  I just don't see it as a quarterback. 
 
Overall I think the Hokies will be very good this year as long as they stay healthy.  Another note, the coaches were in mid-season form, especially on the defensive side of the ball, many times you could hear Bud Foster, Charley Wiles, Jim Cavanaugh, and Torrian Gray giving stern advice (that is what my father called it when he talked loudly to me) during the scrimmage. 
 
Next week I will give you my thoughts on the UVA Spring Game, I am headed to Charlottesville on Saturday for the first look any of us have had at the Cavaliers this spring, that is of course if Al Groh lets us, the media, into the Spring Game.

April 6

 

Good Monday Afternoon and we have hit a milestone here at the Mind Nugget Monday World Headquarters.  I went and looked back, the MNM has been going strong (or not so strong depending on your opinion) for a year now.  

I hope everyone had a good weekend, mine was full of activities, it was J-Anna's birthday so we did some celebrating and yes I did get her a present for all you that think I wouldn't do such a thing.  Happy Birthday J-Anna!  Plus there was some softball, miniature golf, and a hike up the Star Trail: all great activities enjoying the weather outside this weekend.   

To some sports, the National Championship game is this evening and I am rooting for North Carolina to bring home the title., I think they will.  I have always admired the way that Roy Williams has handled himself.  Some may not agree, but I loved it when he told Bonnie Bernstein that he didn't give a S--T about North Carolina after he had lost with Kansas in the final four.   He did go to UNC but at that time I don't think he did care about the Tar Heels, he cared about his team.  He has always been gracious when I have interviewed him at the pre-season basketball gathering. 

Note:  Most of these coaches are kind but some can be difficult when you are asking questions.  I am also rooting for Tyler Hansbrough to get a title.  The kid has taken plenty of flack from fans and media for many different things, from the way he looks to the way he plays to the way he talks.  I maintain much of it isn't his fault.  He has been, if not the best player, one of the best players on North Carolina's team for 4 straight years.  UNC is a high-profile program and that means Hansbrough is going to get plenty of air-time and publicity.  He has been one of the most productive players in the history of college basketball players.  He can't control how much some members of the media talk about him and how much he hustles and how hard he plays.  All he does is play.  He can't control how much he is on TV and he can't control how he looks, none of us can!  So perhaps enjoy what isn't normal these days: a guy who stays 4 years in college and adds something to the college game.  I don't think he will be a great pro, but he is a great college basketball player, celebrate it, don't hate!  

Went to Virginia Tech's first Spring Practice, I didn't get to see much of it, I was editing for the shows. I will be heading back to shoot the first scrimmage of the spring that has been moved to Friday and give a full-report of how the Hokies looked in this very space.  

I wish I could tell you something, anything from UVA's Spring Practice but Al Groh hasn't let the media in at ALL!  And it doesn't seem there will be any plans that he will.  But that is the case quite often at UVA.  

Until next week, if long is wrong I don't want to be right! 

March 31

 

This is the Mind Nugget Monday on a Tuesday folks,  I apologize for being tardy by a day, but I had to go to Martinsville Speedway to cover the Truck Race on Monday and I was feeling a little under the weather, so by the time I got back to the station all I wanted to do was go home and lay down.  

What a crazy week it was, all kinds of things going on.  

I must say the first part of the week was rather depressing, on the same day that Billy McBride Jr. the Head Pro at Hanging Rock passed away they took my fraternity brother Chris Carter off life support.   Let me say that these two men who never met had something very much in common.  Anytime that I saw either one of them they had a smile on their face and a kind word.  

Billy McBride was a great supporter of the Roy Stanley Memorial Golf Tournament and Auction.  I can't imagine how we are going to be able to do all the things that have been done in honor of Roy without Billy.  I am sure that none of us know all the things that he did.  It is scary how quickly things can happen as it did with Billy passing.  You will be missed Billy in so many ways.  

As for Chris Carter, this is the first one of my friends my age that has passed away, it is pretty scary for me to think about such things.  Chris was a year above me in college but we were in the same major and he had taken many of the same classes that I eventually did and had many of the same professors.  I didn't get to see him that much after college, he lived in Northern Virginia and I lived all o, ver.  But when I did get to see him, he always said how cool he thought it was that I was doing Sports TV.  He had an infectious laugh that you could hear from way across the room.  C.C. Meal you were one of a kind my friend.  

The week ended with my friend Brandon coming into town from Ohio.  We had a blast, that included Old School Keg Party #3.  I think a good time was had by all especially when 5:30am was my bedtime.  That might have contributed to me not feeling great on Monday, not sure!  

Sunday afternoon "Prime-Time," our Rec Basketball team, won the championship. So ends another athletic season, it is now on to softball and golf!  

Back to the Truck Race. I really enjoyed watching the Truck Race on Monday, it was back in the day racing at Martinsville with plenty of beating and banging and a bumper pass by Kevin Harvick to win.  Kyle Busch made a bee-line for the exits after the race.  He literally ran down Pit Lane and out of the Track towards 220.  I really want to know who was going to pick him up and where?  

Then while I was at the track Travis Wells told me that Tony Bennett had been hired as the Head Coach at UVA.  To me it is like the Cavaliers are going back to the Terry Holland, Jeff Jones day.  Bennett favors games in the 50's with stout defense.  That is what Jones did while he was the UVA coach.  Virginia just couldn't go back and hire Jones so they hired someone very similar to him.  It remains to be seen if this will work.  Craig Littlepaige better hope it does or he will be out of a job and it better work early cause there isn't much leeway.  

Spring Football starts this week at Virginia Tech, I'll be at the first day of practice tomorrow.  Be Good Folks!

March 23

 

Good Monday Morning to everyone and I hope you have enjoyed the March Madness, I know I have.  The NCAA Men's basketball tournament is one of the best sporting events in the world in my opinion.  It helps that college basketball is probably my favorite sport.  I went down to Greensboro, NC to cover Radford in the tourney against UNC.  You pretty much knew that the Highlanders were going to get beat, but I didn't expect them to get beat by 40 against UNC.  But, RU didn't play as well as they would have liked against the Tar Heels and in case you didn't know, North Carolina is really good.  The future is bright for the Highlanders with almost everyone returning next year.  

Hopefully this will be the beginning of a nice run in Radford and they can build their national profile.  It took Winthrop a couple of years to build things up as the dominant team in the Big South before they got better than a 16 seed and when they did, they almost beat Tennessee one year and then took down Notre Dame the next season.  If Radford can consistently win the Big South and do better in their non-conference schedule they will be able to get , a higher seed in the tournament and have a better chance to win a game.  

Speaking of the tournament, I reached a new level in relaxation while watching games.  I ran cable outside to my deck and set up a TV so that I could watch basketball and sit in my hot tub.  I pulled this off on Saturday night and was able to have a cocktail in the hot tub while watching the Duke-Texas game! Fantastic!  This setup should be great for the summer.  

Dave Leitao got first this past week by UVA.  I wasn't shocked by any means when I heard the news.  Leitao, to me was always enjoyable, but I just think there are guys that are better suited to be assistant coaches. 

Leitao has been very successful as an assistant with Connecticut, but he just hasn't gotten the job done as a Head Coach.  I would like to see UVA return to the level as a very good basketball program such as the days under Terry Holland.  But, that is going to a tough climb back. 

UVA does have a GREAT building to recruit too, but the ACC has also gotten tougher, you will always have to compete with Duke and North Carolina who can pluck whatever recruit they want from anywhere, even your own backyard, examples: Ed Davis, J.J. Redick. 

I would like to see Jeff Capel take that job, I covered him while I was in Richmond and when he was at VCU.  It remains to be seen if they will pay for him and he will come back to the Commonwealth.  

That is going to do it for this week, enjoy the games, I know I will!

March 16

 

Good Monday to everyone out there and while sometimes I tend to talk about light-hearted things in the Mind Nugget Monday, this week I want to talk about Brenda King.  Brenda passed away last week from cervical cancer, and what a great loss it is to everyone that ever got to know her.  Brenda coached basketball at Radford high school, Pulaski County High School and while she never really got to coach a game at Hidden Valley was the coach of the Titans.  While at Radford Brenda coached both the Boys and Girls basketball teams. She was hired in 1991 to coach the boys team, think about that back in 1991 a woman coaching boys high school basketball, that is rarity in 2009, she was doing it back in 1991, that just tells you how special of a lady she was.  

I attended the Memorial Service for Brenda on Sunday at Pulaski County and got to hear many people speak about Brenda, including her Twin Sister.  All the words and stories rang true as to the type of person that Brenda was.  I got, to know Brenda when I was hired here at WDBJ in the Sports Department.  From the first time I met her she was very welcoming to me and always appreciated it when we showed up to cover something that she was involved in.    I remember when I went up to cover a high school national letter of intent signing at Pulaski County.  This one was very special for Brenda cause not only was one of her players T.T. Webb signing to play college basketball at Gardner-Webb, but also her son Jared was signing to play baseball at UVA. 

It was emotional for a number of reasons, the joy of seeing 2 people she had helped mold have a dream come true of going to college to play sports, but also Jared's dream being realized but his dad Danny not being there, he passed away 3 years ago from cancer as well. Many people who spoke on Sunday mentioned Jared's test message when his mom passed away.  Now mom can go be with dad and watch mine and Kelly's games together.    

To me that is the real heart-breaking part of all this.  Now both Jared and Kelly have lost both their parents to cancer, I can't imagine this, I am 33 years old and still rely on my parents for things.  Not having them around would be terrible at this point in my life, I can't imagine what that would be like as a Freshman in college or an 8th grader.  Remember these kids in your thoughts if you have a chance and take time to appreciate those you have in your life who are special to you.  That is all I have for you this week.  Take Care.

March 9

 

Hey Folks it is late Monday afternoon, sorry didn't get to this earlier but I was down in Welcome, NC taking a tour of the Richard Childress Racing Shop set up by Martinsville Speedway, spoke to a couple of employees from our neck of the woods, one from Floyd County and another from Martinsville.  They were fun to talk to and we chatted about them still having jobs while many of their friends in the business.  I did a little story on RCR not having to lay employees off.  I found this pretty amazing considering the economic climate and the way Nascar is driven by sponsorship deals.   

It is the greatest time of the year as far as I am concerned when it comes to Sports.  College Basketball is my favorite sport and tournament time is great, of course you can watch all the action on your Hometown Station (Shameless plug for our company here, maybe I'll get a hardy pat on the back for that one!)  I was really happy to see Radford go to the tournament after winning the Big South Tournament Title, I am also appalled to see some projections having them in the Play-In Game.  That of course is the game between what the tournament committee determines the worst 2 teams in the tourney that have to play on a Tuesday Night and then go play a number 1 Seed.  I hate that game and I can't stand the fact that they put 2 teams that won their conference tournament in that game.  

In my opinion you need to put the last 2 at-large teams in the play-in game.  I don't care if it is a team from the ACC, the Big East, the Big Ten, whatever.  One of the best things about the tournament is that all the small teams have a chance to play on the big stage.  They may not win, they may not even come close but they also have a chance and there has been upsets before from small schools, and I think they deserve a shot, if you are the 7th team in from one of the big conferences you certainly didn't come close to winning your conference or earning your way into a high seed, so have them go play the play-in game.   

One great example of this was Saturday Night when I was at a party and a bunch of us were watching basketball, we switched over to the Finals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament and saw a Double Overtime game between Morehead State and Austin Peay for the right to play in the tournament.  It was full of drama and to see the joy and disappointment was fantastic because they new they were going to the tournament and hopefully not the play-in game.   

Who else enjoyed the weather this past weekend.  I played golf, softball and basketball as well as had 2 meals while sitting outside on a deck!  FANTASTIC!   

That is all I got for you this week, Be Good Everybody until next week!

March 2

 

It's a great day to be alive!  Go, t to love it when we get a good snow!  I would have liked to see us get the big snow falls that everywhere to the North and South got but us, but I will take what we did get.  After playing basketball yesterday, J-Anna and I went to the movies and that is when the really big snow flakes were coming down!  My parents lost power which is never a good thing, but they made the best of things.   

The bad side was this morning I had to shovel the porch and sidewalk of the house that I rent with 2 other roommates.  That is not a good part of the snow, but I will take the tradeoff.  Now that we got a snow, I am of the opinion that Summer can get here.  The 7 day forecast according to those guys in the SKYTRACKER 7 Weather Center says it will be around 70 this Saturday, sounds like a GREAT plan to me. GOLFING!  

Saw a lot of basketball this past week, I think the ODAC is always fun to watch cause the league is so balanced you never know who is going to win, plus the Chili was good in the Media Room!    I think that High School Basketball is way to watered down with the splitting of Group Double "A" into 2 different divisions. 

I am not a fan of the everyone gets a trophy mentality but that is where society seems to want to go these days.  In my opinion, the Virginia High School League continues to add divisions, more teams in the playoffs in order to get more money.  They can say it is about getting more teams involved which it does, but it also puts team in that don't belong. 

The VHSL gets half the gate of every playoff game that is played so of course they want to add more games, they get more money!   

Went up to Radford today to talk with the Highlanders as they get ready for the Big South Tournament. 

Congrats goes to Coach Brad Greenberg on Coach of the Year honors that is well earned and congrats go to his big men Art Parakhouski and Joey Lynch-Flohr who made first team with Big Art being the Player of the Year. 

I am rooting for some combination of the Radford, VMI, or Liberty to play for the Big South Title so one of them would win and go to the NCAA Tournament.    That is all I got for this week. 

Until next week keep it in the short grass!

February 23

 

Good Monday to all you loyal readers of the Mind Nugget Monday.  Today is one of those days where I want to be anywhere but at work.  You ever have one of those days where your motivation to show up and do your job is basically none.  Well that is me today, but I am here and as Mike Stevens used to say "I'm doing it for the people"  What I would really like is a day at work that has nothing to do with work.  And let me explain this by putting it in the context of sports and what maybe the Virginia Tech Basketball team needs.  

On the way into work today on ESPN Radio I heard that Joe Giradi the manager of the New York Yankees canceled workouts on the field at Spring Training and took everyone to a Pool Hall to play billiards.  This to me is a great idea.  When I played basketball for Cave Spring way back in the day, I remember sometimes when we had lost a game and fully expected the next day at practice to come in and have to run our bu, tts of, f for all the things we had done wrong to lose.  Then sometimes, not all the time, we still ran plenty a bunch of times, but sometimes when expecting that we came in and our coach would say we are playing a big game of HORSE or we would break up and have a 3 on 3 tournament.  It was FUN! and basketball is suppose to be fun.   

The Virginia Tech team looks very tight and the pressure of trying to get to the NCAA Tournament is wearing on them a little bit. So my advice to Seth Greenberg which that and 25 cents will get you a cup of coffee (at least here at your Hometown Station a quarter still gets you a coffee) is to let the air out of the ballon a little, have a fun practice day, do something light and fun.  Just think if Coach Greenberg was an avid reader of the Mind Nugget Monday!  

So what I am saying is that maybe if all you folks don't mind we are going to cancel the News, Weather, and Sports today on WDBJ and we are all going to play Pool or Bowling or maybe have a 3 on 3 tournament.  I don't see any of these things happening but a guy can dream can't he!  

That is all I got for you this week!  Until next Monday have a great week!

February 16

 

Good Monday to everyone and welcome in to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday.  A lot going on this first day of the week in the Sports world.  Jeff Allen flipping the bird up at Maryland looks like it will draw him a suspension is just depends on for how long.  You have to wonder if Seth Greenberg gets tired of dealing with this kinda stuff.  From the A.D. Vassallo blow up on the bench to Allen telling all the Maryland fans that they are number 1 after bumping an official last season that drew a suspension.  Is it to much to ask kids to just behave, Really is that too much?   

The Hokies needed that win over Maryland.  They got the win against Georgia Tech on Wednesday but they needed to sweep those games.  The game against UVA this Wednesday is a must win if the NCAA Tournament is in the Hokies plans.  

The UVA Football Staff continues to be in flux.  News over the weekend by multiple media outlets that Bob Diaco is leaving the Cavs to become defensive coordinator at Cincinnati.  Diaco was suppose to be the defensive coordinator this year for the Wahoos, so why would he leave the same job for one at Cincinnati.  When you are coaching under Al Groh he is the Head Coach but he also runs the defense.  So Diaco will actually get to run the defense at Cinncy and will be reunited with Brian Kelly whom he has coached with before.  Also there are reports that Ron Prince could come back to Charlottesville.  He was Offensive Coordinator at UVA before leaving to be Head Coach at Kansas State, where he was dismissed from after this past season.  If Prince comes back to UVA it could be great news for Vic Hall.  I have talked to people that said Prince was very high on Hall playing Quarterback at UVA, then when he left that kinda did away with plans to have Vic behind center until of course the final game of the 2008 season.  If Prince comes back he could lobby the new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon to give Vic a shot as quarterback.  

Who else was disappointed the the Daytona 500 ended early.  I feel like we all got robbed of the ending at Daytona.  

It was Valentines day this past weekend I hope you all did something nice for your special someone.  I had a great weekend with my girlfriend J-Anna.  She was a trooper and experienced Monster Trucks on Friday Night along with our friend Johnny.  She says it is something she can check off her to do list, but probably not go to again.  I can't blame her.  It is something that is entertaining to go to about once a year.   

On Saturday I took her out to dinner and we exchanged gifts.  The dinner was a little more her style.  Weird experience at dinner though, the couple next to us, said about 5 words to each other the WHOLE meal.  That is strange to me, cause I like to talk, but maybe it is what works for them, I don't know.  

High School District Tournaments start this week.  It begins the road to Richmond.  I do believe I will be going to the Capitol City to cover the State Tournament this year, will be interesting to see how many teams we have in the Final Four and how many bring home the Trophy.  Until next week I'm Out.  Peace!  

February 9

 

Good Monday to everyone who checks in with the Mind Nugget Monday.  I went snow skiing for the first time in my life on Sunday with J-Anna, Neal, Johnny and DJ Sis.  It is now something that I can check off the to-do list in my life.  It was fun, I feel like I did better than I expected.  There were definitely some falls but overall I didn't spend to much time on my butt!  Of all things my biggest problem was trying to stop.  I was good when I was just skiing along, turning wasn't a problem it was a lot like water skiing which I have done a lot in my life.  But that whole snow plow thing wasn't something I mastered!  Not nearly as sore as I would have expected either, Bonus!

On Saturday I took advantage of the warm weather and hit the golf course.  For the first time in over a year Johnny and I lost to Booker T and Neal.  It is not something that I am happy about but every dog has his day.  While we didn't win the war, Johnny and I did win the battle.  During our round that took 5 and half hours we had a little snow ball fight!  How weird/cool is it that you can be wearing shorts, I was, and playing golf in the beginning of February and have a snow ball fight!  That is awesome!

On Thursday Night I went to see Larry the Cable Guy with Hambone.  I must admit this guy was hilarious, I hadn't heard any of the stuff that he performed before, maybe others had, but I laughed a ton!  I understand that his humor isn't for everyone but it entertains me, I have seen the Blue Collar Comedy Tours with him and 3 other comedians and they still make me laugh when I watch them again on reruns.

Hey there were some sports this week as well!  On the way up to skiing I was listening to the Virginia Tech game on the radio.  The Hokies made a monster comeback and went on to win in overtime. That team could have folded after the last 2 games where they lost to Clemson at home and then lost to Boston College on a Tip-in.  But they found a way to get a win.  It is going to be interesting to see how the Hokies finish down the stretch, they are currently 5 and 3 in the ACC.  If they can duplicate that in the second half of the Conference Season they will be in NCAA Tournament I believe.  If they go 4 and 4, while that makes things a little testy.  Considering that Tech has to play Clemson, Duke, and North Carolina all in a row near the end of the season.  That is a daunting task.

That is going to do it for this week, hope everyone has wonderful week!

February 2

 

Good Monday to everyone, hopefully you made it to work the day after the Super Bowl.  Evidently this is the day that more people call in sick than any other.  Damn Super Bowl Hangovers.  I watched most of the game, thought it was entertaining, really didn't think the commercials were that entertaining.  The game had way to much influence by the referees for my taste.  It is football not flag football.   

 

Part of me wished I could have called in sick today, not cause of a hangover but because of being very tired.  Every now and then I have those nights where you just can't sleep well.  It takes forever to fall asleep and then when you do, it feels like you toss and turn all night long.  I had one of those nights, I don't know why, I was tired and thought I would fall right asleep, but then it didn't happen, so I was trying everything to go to sleep.  I have a couple remedies that I usually try, I will go out to the couch a lot of times and try and fall asleep out there.  Sometimes I like to flip around in my bed and lay with my head at the end of the bed that my feet normally are.  Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't.  Nothing worked last night  so my eyes are a little heavy.  

What a bummer of a week for the Virginia Tech basketball team, I was on hand for the Clemson-VT game and watched most of the game against B.C.  Two heartbreakers, the Clemson game they played so well in the first half and then comeback to take the lead in the second half, but couldn't get over the hump.  A.D. Vassallo really didn't have a good second half, he didn't score against the Tigers and then had a dust-up with Coach Seth Greenberg on the sidelines.  Every Coach-Player relationship is different, but in the end the Coach is the one in charge or at least I have always been taught that. 

If you have a different opinion, there is a time and place and a way to do it.  On the sidelines in the middle of a tight game is not the place.   Hokies had another chance and lost another close game on Saturday, one rebound was all they needed or at least just a tap out to mid-court. 

The one replay I saw it looked like not many Hokies went up for the ball at all.  Just Jeff Allen, in that situation a referee isn't going to call over the back, so you got to man up and go up for the ball, just knock it out and they win, that didn't happen and B.C. won.  Tech has to find a way to win some of these close games and I think you can learn how to win close games.  

The UVA men, GUH! another loss after getting down big.  Not a lot going well in Charlottesville, besides the Women's Team who is pretty good.  

Can someone please explain the weather to me!  almost 60 and then possibly snow in the span of about 12 hours, That is a little hard for me to deal with.   Off to take a Nap, or do some work, not sure which right now! 

Maybe I can convince the bosses that we need to bring back nap time like they have in kindergarte, n.  Man was that fun, lay down on your little mat and catch a few Z's. 

Some things about Kindergarten were GREAT!  If you ask some people, my handwriting hasn't gotten much better since my elementary school days,  ok, I think I might be rambling, got to go! 

January 26

 

It is another Monday here at the Big 7 hopefully everyone had a good weekend and just can't wait to read the Mind Nugget Monday.  I just loaded up one of our station vehicles and am getting ready to drive up to Lexington to interview the Holmes Twins, Chavis and Travis.  They passed Ramon and Damon Williams for the highest scoring twins in Division 1 Basketball history this past weekend.  Who knew that they would keep a stat for the highest scoring twins.   A tip of the cap to those Holmes twins for the accomplishment but also lets remember how good the Williams Twins were.  Those 2 guys could light it up back in the day.  Both of them are also still involved basketball.  Ramon is an assistant coach at Depaul and Damon is working as a basketball referee here in our area, doing high school and college games.  They also continue to put on their basketball came here in Roanoke every summer.   

Now to a burning question that I always have had when it comes to twins playing on the same basketball team.  So lets say that one of the Twins has drawn the assignment to guard the best scorer for the other team because one twin happens to be the better defender of the 2.  He happens to get 3 fouls in the first half, the other twin has lets say just 1.  At halftime, they go into the locker room and change jersey's they come back out, it looks like the coach has just switched the defender.  Could this be done, has it been done?  Could the twins just d, ecide to do it for the fun of it, nothing to do with fouls or anything.  Just a question, I know it isn't morally right and all that, but if I had a twin, and we were playing in a game together that was a blowout, I might try it, not telling anyone else and then I could say down the road, you remember that game that scored 20 points as you in the second half, Coach still yells at you for that game when I was shooting all the time and he thought I was you!   

How about the Hokies!  Beat number 1 Wake Forest on Wednesday and then take down Miami on the road on Sunday.  Seth Greenberg's club is heading in the right direction.  I think they should be ranked in the Top 25 this week.  I don't know if they will be, I checked the USA Today poll and they weren't in, haven't seen the AP Poll yet today.  

On the other hand, UVA is on the downslide.  How quickly we judge sometimes.  UVA won their first ACC game beating Georgia Tech, haven't won a conference game yet.  The Hokies got blown out by Duke in their first ACC game and they haven't lost a conference game.  As Coach Greenberg likes to say, it's a marathon not a sprint!  

Man do I like the Texas Tavern!  

Another eatery I enjoyed this weekend was Moe's, loaded up the car, myself, J-Anna, Booker T, and Neal went to Blacksburg for lunch.  If any of you loyal and wonderful MNM readers have some extra money that you don't know what to do with.  Call me up and , we can talk about how I think we should start a Fast Food Burrito place here in Roanoke, get the right location and we can make lots of money and retire early.  We don't have one here in the Roanoke Valley, I am partial to Chipotle but I can be talked into one of the other franchises!  Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?  Yeah I don't think I will get a lot of takers on that one.  

That is going to do it for this week, I'm off to Lexington! 

January 20

 

Another Good Monday, or Tuesday, as I this week's Mind Nugget Monday it getting written a little late.  First off I have been feeling a little under the weather.  On Sunday I woke up with a sore throat and then proceeded to go play basketball (We improved to 3 and 0) and that didn't help the throat at all but it did feel good to run a little.  After putting together a bookcase with J-Anna we went to watch the Steelers and Ravens game with some friends at Buffalo Wild Wings Tanglewood.  So I couldn't talk very loudly and with the game on and plenty of other noise it was pointless of me trying to talk but I tried and that caused the voice to go away a little, safe to say I didn't sound so good then and a little better today but not great.  That is a long explanation as to why I don't sound great.   

Also need to say congrats goes out to Booker T who got himself a job after he got let go last month, it was another case, , of a company letting go the person with more experience and better talent and knowledge because he had been loyal to the company so they could hire someone with a lot less experience and a lot less talent who would work for a lot less.   I covered the Virginia Tech-Boston College game on Saturday. 

I was impressed with the way the Hokies got another ACC win.  Seth Greenberg seems to have his team rounding into form once again.  The Hokies have a tough test this Wednesday when they travel to Number 1 Wake Forest.  Coach Greenberg VERY JOKINGLY responded to a question after the game saying that they were going to cancel the game against the Demon Deacons because they were so good.  I thought it was quite funny, that might be one of those had to be there moments, not sure it comes across that funny in print, but it amused me and I thought I would pass it along to you folks.  

I had the pleasure of speaking to the Roanoke Valley Sports Club on Monday Night.  This is the second straight year that I have been on a media panel with Randy King, Doug Doughty, and Aaron McFarling from the Roanoke Times. 

I have covered a number of RVSC meetings to interview their guests and the people involved are just great.  They are sports fans no matter who they root for and I always enjoy going over there.  Thanks to those folks for having me.  Aaron said something while he was speaking that I agree with.  He commented on h, , ow the Sports Media members in this town do actually get along with each other.  We all see each other and the same sporting events and I do enjoy talking with the guys that work at the paper and at other TV Stations.  I don't know if anyone cares, but I have always said that Sports is a little different.  It isn't like a Virginia Tech game is going to break out on Interstate 81 and we have to be the first to cover it.  We all know the schedule it is just a matter of how you want to cover it.  We compete for who gets a story first on coaching hires and things like that but we also do get along and I enjoy talking to those guys about sports and other assorted things.  

Was talking to my dad the other day, Pops,, as we call him and he told me that the Mind Nugget Monday is reaching far and wide these days.  Pops grew up in Minnesota on farm and evidently we have some MNM readers in the North.  Hello to my relatives up there, hope you are all doin, g well and staying warm, we had Minnesota like weather down here last weekend, Who else REALLY didn't like the single digit temps!   

Sidebar, for anyone who things Roanoke is a small town, go to Balaton Minnesota where Pops grew up, you want to talk about Small, that is small, but I have fond memories of going to visit my Grandma and Grandpa there and getting money to walk down to the store and get Milk.  It was that small you could walk to the only store in town.  Grandma always gave enough money for Milk and Candy.   

That's about all I got for you folks this week.  But I do have a question.  When was the last time you folks had to evacuate somewhere because of a random fire alarm?  Happened to me Saturday Morning at about 9:30am.  I like to sleep late and this got me up from my slumber, I was not a happy camper.  I felt like I was back in college when the fire alarm went off in the fraternity house in the middle night. 

I don't encourage anyone to do this, but in college I used to crawl in my closet and go back to sleep instead of going outside when it was cold.  I'm Out!

January 12

 

Good Monday to you folks out there in Mind Nugget Monday land hope you all had a go, od, week.  I will start with the UVA-Virginia Tech Basketball game that I covered on Saturday in Blacksburg.  The Hokies got the win but they had to hold on down the stretch after leading by 15 with under 5 minutes to go in the game.  Tech was led by Malcolm Delaney and A.D. Vassallo, they both scored over 20 Points.  It seems that Seth Greenberg can count on those 2 each night out.  As for the Cavalier.  Sylven Landesberg the Freshman can flat out play.  I was very impressed with his game, but Dave Leitao has to find other players to step up and help him out on a consistent basis.  

I was interested in the outcome of this weekends NFL games.  Find it kinda odd that 3 of the 4 Home Teams lost, with Pittsburgh being the only one to come out with a win.  Proves that as long as you get in, to the playoffs it doesn't really matter where you play, you just have to be the best team on the field that day, not the best overall.  

I went to the bowling alley on Saturday night and was very disappointed with my performance, thought it should have been much, much better, but the team I was on did get the win.  So we can rejoice in that.  The Rec Basketball team improved to 2 and 0 with a 4 point win on Sunday so that is a good thing.   

Went over to my parents house on Friday when I was off after playing golf.  Not sure why I played golf , , , ,, , wh, en it was below 50 degrees but it wasn't too bad.  Had a cup of coffee to warm the bones and managed to make it through.  Back to my parents house, I went to pick up a box of my old trophies and assorted stuff from my childhood that my parents had saved.  I see an afternoon where I am sitting around doing not much of anything and then going through all that stuff and having a trip down memory lane.  Also picked up a new piece of furniture that my Pops made for me.  He already has made me a dresser,  if he wanted too, he could probably sell this stuff, cause it is really nice, but I think he enjoys doing it as a hobby and not as a job.  Not much rolling around in the old brain on this Monday.  Hope you all have a good week, I'm out.  

January 5

 

Welcome everyone to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday.  Every now and then I really feel like I know what I am talking about.  Of course I didn't put this in the MNM last week, but anyone who asked me what was going to happen in the Orange Bowl, I said that Virginia Tech would win by double digits.  They won by 13, 20 to 7.  That proved me right.  My reasoning behind this wasn't anything scientific or X and O's related it was purely based on focus for the game.  Frank Beamer made sure that everyone knew that the Hokies were going to prepare different for this bowl game.  He changed the way the team practiced and he moved up curfew when the team got to South Florida.  I don't think that the change in practice was that big of a deal.  I think the change was in the mindset.  It made everyone know that this game was important for everyone involved.  That it would help this years team, next years team, the alumni, the fan base and the coaching staff when they went on their off-season banquet tours.  It worked and things look very bright in Blacksburg, everyone for the days after the game was already talking about next year and possible national championship and not talking about a Bowl Game f, ailure.  Will this year's Orange Bowl have any real effect on the way that next years Tech team plays, I don't think so, but everyone is happy in Hokieland at least until Tech tees it up against Alabama to start 2009.  

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve.  Since I wasn't in South Florida with Travis and Chris I was given Wednesday off.  I went to Washington D.C. with my girlfriend J-Anna and went to a party at a house, which was just fine with me, cause over the years I have learned that there are a few holidays that have become amateur nights.  I calls these holidays or nights like St. Patricks Day, New Year's Eve, Halloween, where people that normally don't go out on the town and celebrate take these evenings go out and have themselves a grand old time.  It can be annoying, so that is why I found a nice little house party was perfect.  

Now that Football is done with for our local teams, all that is left is the NFL playoffs we shift to basketball back here in the Sports office and if Dave Leitao comes into UVA's game this Saturday against Virginia Tech with no hair it is probably because he has torn it all out.  His Cavalier team beat Georgia Tech on the road in their ACC opener, then they return home and lay an egg against Xavier, losing by 14, but it was a much bigger blowout than that, the Musketeers had this game well in hand leading by 20 in the first half and much more than that in the second half.  I like Coach Leitao, he is an intense guy and I appreciate that from a coach, but his teams need to show some progress with his recruits.  Almost his entire roster is guys h, e brought to Charlottesville.  The best season he had was with J.R. Reynolds and Sean Singletary in the backcourt, they are both gone now.  

The Wahoos opponent Virginia Tech this Saturday is coming off a loss to Duke.  Turned this game on in the second half when they Hokies were in the game and then watched the Blue Devils just blitz Tech.  The Hokies have talent and can make a run like they did last season.  But the Hokies don't have the excuse of being young this season, most of their key players have experience and Coach Seth Greenberg says this a lot.  It is such a fine line between winning and losing in the ACC.  

Speaking of basketball, started our Rec League season on Sunday and happy to report we came out with a win.  I made my first 3-point attempt of the year and in a flashback quote  "I can make em"  That was a quote in the Roanoke Times from my high school playing days that my teammates got a great kick out of.  Take care everyone and have a great week. 

December 29

 

Good Monday to everyone, I hope you had a wonderful Holiday Season, I enjoyed my time off it was full of family, food, and fun.  But I want to begin with a thought on age.  First off let me say that I am 33 and I don't feel old at all.  I feel pretty young and probably act A LOT younger than I should, but I am alright with that.  My girlfriend J-A, nn, a likes to give me a hard time about being old and I have to admit I had a couple of instances where I did feel like I wasn't quite a young as I would like to think I am.  I went to the eye doctor a couple of weeks ago and in the past when I went to the doctor it was always somebody significantly older than me and I felt like he was much wiser and new what was going on.  This time around I went to a new eye doctor and I don't know for sure, but he could have been younger than me and I don't know how I felt about this.  He did a fine job but it was just the first time the Doctor might have been younger than me.  More on the eye doctor later.  The other instance was I went to the store the other day and d, id some shopping for myself, I know I should have been shopping for other but I did get a 15 percent off coupon that I used to buy presents so it turned out alright.  I bought a couple of dress shirts a couple casual shirts and a pair of pants.  I have a hard time finding pants cause of the size I need, it is 40x34.  So I saw some khakis in my size that were on sale, I grabbed them and took them to the register.  I didn't notice they were the expandable waist pants.  I have never had a pair of these in my life, I thought of them as pants that older men bought.  When I put them on at home, I found them to be alright.  I am not completely sold that they are the most comfortable pants that I have ever had in my life, but they weren't bad.   

Back to the eye doctor, I went and got my eyes checked and then went to get a new set of contacts from them.  While the price of the contacts seemed a little high to me from when I had bought contacts in the past.  So, I told them I would be back.  I went a checked a couple of other places and for the contacts I get, the price was 25 dollars less at the other place than the eye doctor for the exact same contact.  I am no dummy but 50 dollars less is a sizable amount of money.  So safe to say I will be going back to the eye doctor and getting my prescription from them and going to the other place to order my new contacts, unless the eye doctor wants to match the price.   

As for my Holiday, the entire family was in town at my parents house for the week.  Got to see my nieces, Santa Claus brought my 2 older nieces remote controlled cars, safe to say that Uncle Grant played with them out in the driveway on Christmas Day!  Emily wasn't feeling great on Christmas day, she might have eaten a few too many M&M's according to Abby the Oldest or it might have just been a bug.  It was fun to see them all.   

One other note on me not being as old as some of my friend my age.  Hambone and I met up on Friday Night, he was in a lot worse shape than I was on Saturday when I went and played golf.  It is a wonderful thing when you can play golf on December 27th and it be 60 degrees and Sunny.   

That's all I got for , this Monday, Take Care folks!

December 22

 

The Mind Nugget Monday is a short and sweet one this week, cause the author is off for most of the week!  I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday Season, whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, or whatever you're celebrating.  Be good to yourself and more importantly be good to others, especially the ones you care about.  I give you as a MNM present a picture of my youngest niece. 

This is what happens when her two older sisters think it is a good idea to put her in their baby doll crib.  

December 15

 

Good Mind Nugget Monday Morning to everyone and it is a sad week for the JMU faithful, myself included.  I was, working Friday Night when the Dukes were playing in the National Semi-Finals.  It was heartbreaking as James Madison dominated the game but they turned the ball over 4 times that resulted in 14 points for Montana and took a minimum of 6 points off the board for the Dukes.  JMU lost by 8, I am not good at math but if you turn that around the Dukes win the game.   But, at least JMU got a chance to play for the National Title as did Montana.  What a novel idea that there is a playoff in College Football at every level but the top level. 

JMU was ranked the number 1 team in the country and Appalachian State was the Number 2 ranked team in the country going into the FCS Playoffs.  Neither Team is going to play for the National Championship.  While I wish that JMU was playing for the Title, you can't gripe about it, cause they had a chance to get there if they had won their game against Montana.  Get with the Program NCAA and give us a playoff in College Football at the Top Level.  

In order to honor the JMU season I have to tell you this story, and I don't know how much of this will make it through T-Mac but here goes.  One of my good friends and fraternity brothers D.J. Fred was born 2 days before me.  His birthday is November 26th and mine is November 28th and we were both born in 1975.  Starting in 2002 we have been trading bottles of bourbon for our birthdays.  It started while I was staying at his house in Richmond while waiting for my apartment to be ready when I moved to the Capitol City from Jackson Tennessee.  The day of his birthday I left a bottle of Makers Mark on his kitchen Table so he would have it when he got home from work.  2 days later the favor was returned.  Since then we have done the trade no matter where we lived and have not duplicated the bourbons that we have traded.  So Saturday Night I opened the bottle D.J. Fred had given me and toasted, the season that the Dukes had and toasted the Holiday Season!   

Need to send a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY out to my niece Emily.  She turns 4 years old today, I was told that they were getting one of the inflatable things that you can bounce on.  I must admit that I am a little jealous that I don't get to bounce on it!  

That is going to do it for this Mind Nugget Monday.  Hope everyone has a great week!

December 8

 

Good Monday Afternoon Folks and it is another edition of the award winning Mind Nugget Monday!  Still catching up on my sleep after the trip to Tampa for the ACC Title Game.  Must say it was an impressive performance by the Hokies.  The biggest thing I noticed , after the game was the relief and enjoyment by the entire coaching staff after getting their 3rd ACC title in 5 Seasons in the League.  Coach Beamer was happy and having a great time on the podium after the game during his press conference and his assistants were all hugging and enjoying the moment.   

The other side of the coin is at UVA where there has been a shakeup of the assistants for Al Groh.  A clear cut display of College Coaching being big business is that Al Groh let go of his own son Mike Groh.  Not a surprise, in that a lot of people have been calling for some type of change in Charlottesville.  But I think if your a administrator at the school you can't let go of Al Groh a year after he won ACC Coach of the year honors and was playing most of this season with what was projected to be his 3rd string quarterback.  But, I would say that Al Groh is on very thin ice for next season.  

I flew on my trip to Tampa and I had one of this little things in lift that make things so much better.  On the second flight on my way back I got the exit row and a I didn't have anyone sitting next to me.  As a tall man I really, really enjoy getting the exit row with the extra leg room.   

I don't enjoy being pushed against the window on a regular row with someone next to me, which is what happened on the way down.  I know that airlines have to make their money, but can we get a little more room in the seats, please.  The population as a whole is getting bigger!  

While down in Tampa, I interviewed Tiki Barber.  Tiki and Ronde were a year ahead of me in High School at Cave Spring.  It is always fun to see those guys, cause they are still down to earth nice guys.  One of the guys on the sidelines asked Tiki if he was coming back to play running back with Ronde this year and help the Bucs win a Super Bowl,  Tiki just smiled and said nope, he is retired.  

It is now time to shift the focus to basketball season with football being over except for the NFL and Bowl Games.  I have always said Sports people are the smartest, we move indoors when it gets cold.  When did it get so cold, it was nice sunny and warm in Tampa!  That is going to do it for this week, I'm going to put on my flannel lined pants and stay warm.  I'm Out!

December 1

 

Good Monday to everyone and welcome into another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday.  The Battle for the Commonwealth Cup once again went to Virginia Tech.  I was at the game on Saturday and the thing that stands out to me was a player on th, e losing team.  Vic Hall!  When he got the star, t, , many UVA Football Fans and many High School Football Fans from Southwest Virginia got their wish to see the former Gretna Hawk at Quarterback at the College Level.  Hall who is the all-time leader in yards in the State of Virginia just looks different when he has the ball than other players.  Hall who did his damage on the ground showed that he has the ability to still change a game.  I was surprised that Al Groh gave Hall a shot at Quarterback after NEVER entertaining the idea for the past 3 seasons.  Halls showed that he can change a game and it will be interesting to see if he gets a chance to play on offense more next season.  

The Winning Team, Virginia Tech, will have a chance to defend their ACC Championship.  You have to give the Hokies and Frank Beamer credit for getting back to the Title game, it hasn't been the season that many Tech Fans envisioned but they could be Champs again, granted they needed some help down the stretch.  

Since I was at the Tech-UVA game on Saturday, didn't get to any of the High School games and since I am going to Tampa for the ACC Title game I won't get to see any this weekend.  But it is pretty cool that we still have 4 teams alive for State Championships.  We have 2 of our teams playing against each other as Floyd County takes on Gretna.  The other 2 Teams Amherst County and Brookville will be playing a stones throw from their Home Fields in Lynchburg and here is hoping they can both bring home the titles.  

Got to do some celebrating this weekend as I turned 33 years old on Friday.  Didn't go to big on Friday Night with the work day on Saturday.  But the beverages were flowing freely on Saturday, had a darn good time!  

Early in the week, it was Thanksgiving and who doesn't like to sit down and eat A LOT of Turkey, went to my parents house and did nothing but eat and watch TV, I love Thanksgiving!  

Hambone called me today to ask for something funny in the Mind Nugget Monday.  I have a couple of humorous stories but they wouldn't make it past my editor T-Mac so here is one that was told to me.  Be happy you didn't live in this guys neighborhood during the VT-UVA Game.  Guy goes out in his back yard to install a pull-up Bar, few minutes late the cable goes out in his house, this is in the 4th Quarter of the UVA-VT Game.   Guy sticks his head in the living room a few minutes after that to ask if the cable went out,  the response is yes.  This is not good news for the guy.  He calls the cable company, they say can't get out until Monday to fix it.  They call back 45 minutes later to say they are on their way.  Evidently this guy cut the cable wire running to the entire neighborhood so all the people living around him that were watching the game missed out on the end.  Is that funny enough HamBone.  

And last but certainly not least!  JMU wins again!  On to the next round of the FCS Playoffs.  GO DUKES!  Until next week when I will be back from Sunny Tampa, Florida, I'm OUT!

November 24

 

Good Monday Afternoon to everyone.  The Mind Nugget Monday is up late this week, cause I think I need more hours in the day this week.  Not that any of you care a lot about this, but when High School Football moves to Saturday's, the State Semi-Final Round, Friday Football Extra turns into a preview show instead of a Highlight show.  That means that we have to go catch up with all of our local teams and then do preview pieces on them.  That means more time spent during the week and less on Friday Night.  This week on the calendar at least f, or the last couple of weeks was not the Saturday after Thanksgiving it was the following Saturday.  So that has meant more work during the week and trying to get that stuff done while also having the Holiday is proving to be a little difficult.  Oh, and not to mention it is UVA-Tech week.  

Moving on to something positive or at least in my eyes!  I filled up my car the other day at the gas pump, did it for under 40 dollars!  I drive a Durango and I can't tell you the last time I filled my car up for under 50 dollars much less 40.  I find it interesting that everyone is always up in arms over when the price of gas is so high, but now that it is back down to a wonderful level in my eyes, it is ho-hum.  We here at WDBJ were part of the media that would run stories all the time about how high gas is, but it tends to get ignored when things go down and there isn't a huge outrage.   

I am running in the Drumstick Dash this Thanksgiving, I ran in the race last year with my family, no, family this year.  I am running it with Natasha Ryan and my friend Johnny.  I have not run nearly as much this year as I did last year, so it should be interesting to see the results.  

This past weekend, I was at the UVA game in Charlottesville covering.  I sent back stories and then got to stay in town with J-Anna and her friends.  They introduced me to a place called the White Spot.  If you have been there before you know what it is, if you haven't, everyone in Roanoke that has been to the Texas Tavern needs to go to see the Tavern's brother.  The places look very similar and the White Spot even serves a Hamburger with an egg on it. Sound Familiar?  I don't like egg, haven't since I was born, ask my mom, I spit them at her many times when I was a baby, I don't remember this!  But the White Spot is like the Texas Tavern on Red Bull, much more going on, much faster paced, less people sitting down and eating, more getting it to go.  They didn't have a To-Go window so everyone went inside for To-Go, cause more traffic.  They also didn't have Chili.  Boo! I wanted Chili.  

A couple stories that I did last week make my job very rewarding.  I did a story with Mike Vann a Ferrum Football Player who is married with 3 kids at the age of 21.  In an age when it feels like many young males are not taking responsibility for their kids, Vann is and he is going to school and playing football at the same time.  His Wife Alicia is great, she is going to school as well and raising their 3 daughters.  I wish their family the best of luck.  I also did a story on the Phillips family.  I really felt bad for the family.  They have 2 sons both playing college football.  John at UVA and Jake at, William & Mary.  Jake is the older brother by 17 months, yet because he red-shirted and John did not their college careers would end the same year.  And what are the chances that they would both have the same Senior Day at that kickoff would be at the exact same time.  Bugs and Susan their parents had to split up, Bugs going to C'ville to be with John and Susan going to Williamsburg to be with Jake.   The Family wanted everyone to be together, and unfortunately they didn't get that chance, but they made the best of the situation.  Talking with both families makes you feel good about people in this world!   

That is going to do it for this week, have a great Thanksgiving, the next time I check in I will be a year older! 

November 17

 

This BUDS for you!  Good Monday everyone and welcome to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday. 

It is sweeping the nation in case you didn't know!  I begin with Bud Foster.  I was down in Miami on Thursday Night when after the game Virginia Tech Head Coach Frank Beamer said that Foster would be interviewing for the Clemson Head Coa, ching job this past weekend.  I was happy to hear that Bud was getting an interview for the job, he deserves to be considered for a Head Coaching Job.  Earlier in the season I wondered why Bud's name didn't come up more often and why it still doesn't come up as much as a guy like Will Muschamp. I don't know Coach Muschamp never met the man in my life, but I wondered why he was this hot Head Coaching Prospect and Foster was not mentioned as much if at all.  

Foster has been the Defensive Coordinator at Virginia Tech for the past 13 years and had a Defense that led the Nation in Total Defense for two straight seasons.  Muschamp in reading his bio has never had a Defense ranked first in Total Defense.  So I wonder is it because Muschamp has moved around to a number of different schools.  He has been a Defensive Coordinator at LSU, Auburn, Valdosta State, and is currently the D-Coordinator at Texas.  He also worked in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins as the Assistant Head Coach for Defense.   

So is Bud Foster being penalized for being loyal?  And when did Loyalty become a bad thing in so many different cases?  Foster has been at one place for 22 seasons and could have left.  Steve Spurrier wanted Foster to become his Defensive Coordinator on a couple of different occasions.  He stayed with Coach Beamer at Virginia Tech and has had a darn good defense year in and year out.  Would he have gotten a Head Coaching job already if he had left, I don't know, no one does.   

It seems like in this day in age, you have to move around to a number of different places to show that people want to hire you.  If you stay to long in one place people wonder why you haven't moved on to another job, is the person on hirable for some reason.  Then it seems to follow a path that if you have b, een at on place for a long time you make too much money and they get rid of you for a younger person that will do the job at a much cheaper price but not have nearly the knowledge for the position.  

That is going to do it for this edition of the Mind Nugget Monday, I hope everyone has a great week!

November 10

 

Good Monday to everyone out there in Mind Nugget Monday Land.  It is the beginning of another week and one that will have me busting out my shorts and t-shirts as I am headed to Miami for the Virginia Tech game o, n Thursday Night.  Hopefully it will be nice and warm down south.  I was covering the game this past Thursday Night when the Hokies beat Maryland 23 to 13.  It was an impressive performance by Tech, especially Darren Evans who runs hard every time he touches the ball.  When you go for a school record 253 yards your doing something right as is your offensive line.  It was good to see Sean Glennon get back in there and do well.  I like Sean Glennon as a person and I would hope that all Tech fans at least admire all that he has been through and what he has done for the program.  

This brings me to another point.  Glennon is always a hot topic on message boards.  Massage boards have become a total animal of their own.  Full Disclosure, I do read message boards, but I have never, ever posted on one.  I don't see myself ever doing this.  My reason for this is that all the people that go on these boards with their screen name and proceed to bash whoever and whatever they want.  They do it without any accountability. They hide behind their computer screen and write things that most of them would never say straight to the face of the person they are talking about.  I would love to see some of the posts I have seen on Sean Glennon, said straight to his face by some of these people.  Sean Glennon is a big boy and I have a feeling those harsh words wouldn't be quite so forceful.  

This message board stuff is not just towards athletes, there are posts that have been directed towards our sports department by some people.  They like to say things without knowing anything about what we do and why we do it.  I would like for these folks and their screen name to say these things to someone in person.  Just my opinion.  I understand that with the job that we do, it is in the public eye and subject to public opinion.   But, I also get a kick out of the experience that most people who have complaints about what we do, don't watch every newscasts and don't have all their facts straight.  I'm a big boy I can take criticism but when it comes from someone who doesn't have the stones to put their name on it, I don't give it much credence.  

Found it interesting that Craig Littlepage has already come out and said that Al Groh will be back as the Head Coach of UVA in 2009.  I don't know whether he should be back or he shouldn't.  But I do know that it seems like i, nterest in the program has gone down.  The attendance has been lack-luster since the opening game against USC.  What happens if a number of big money donors come to Littlepage and say no more money from us as long as Al Groh is the Head Coach.  They then say that they would pay the buyout of Groh's contract.  What does Littlepage do then?  

That's all I got for this week, if you any suggestions of what you would like hear my opinion on, feel free to e-mail me at gkittelson@wdbj7.com.  I do strongly encourage you to put your name on it though, that is a joke, kinda!  Until next week, Keep on keeping on!

November 3

 

Good Monday Afternoon to everyone out their in Mind Nugget Monday Land.  I hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween on Friday Night.  I have never been a really big Halloween guy.  Not really sure why, but the whole dressing up thing doesn't get me really excited. I understand those that do enjoy it and it makes for great people watching.  I assumed that everyone knows what people watching is, but in my friend Neal didn't know what we were talking about it, when people watching was brought up.  I don't really know the best way to describe people watching, but I assure you that I used to have the best job ever fo, r people watching.  Earlier in my life I worked as a bounce at a number of different places and a number of different towns.  I started in College at JMU and then bounced here in Roanoke and in Toledo, OH.  It is a great job to watch the way people act, dress, and deal with people.  Plus I would get paid for it.  Fantastic!  

A couple of sports plays definitely stand out from the weekend of College Football.  Felt really bad for Cedric Peerman when he fumbled in overtime for UVA.  He is a great kid to cover, very humble and always talks about the team before himself.  The Cavaliers all talk about him being the inspirational leader of their team and his return to the lineup on a full-time basis coincided with the Wahoos Winning Streak.  So in my opinion Cedric has won a lot more games for the Cavs than he has lost.  Peerman was at UVA's Tuesday Media Day last week and talked about how he has small hands and that makes it sometimes harder for him to hold onto the ball than others.  I don't know if that played any part in the fumble on Saturday.  I don't think so, I think the Miami player just made a good play.  

The catch and run by Michael Crabtree to win the game for Texas Tech over Texas.  That was just a Man making a play, Awesome.   

The ACC as a conference WIDE OPEN.  Anyone of about 10 teams still has a chance to win the conference.  I don't think that the ACC as a conference is very good in football, but it sure is exciting come down the stretch in November to see who will play in the title game.  

One other Halloween note, here are the pictures of my nieces.

 

Spiderman is Emily

Abby, the oldest!

The heat in my house is now fully fixed, that is exciting.   

I hope everyone out their in MNM land has an exciting week, til next Monday, enjoy all your treats.  If you have any good tricks or treats feel free to send them my way, gkittelson@wdbj7.com.  

I'm Out!

October 28

 

Hello all out there in Mind Nugget Monday Land.  I apologize for not getting the MNM up on time but the song "On the Road Again" is in my mind an applies to what I have been doing lately.  

The Miles on the odometer having been turning for me.  On Friday I went to Franklin County to cover the G.W. Danville-Franklin County game for Friday Football Extra.  It was a wonderful game with G.W. coming out on top. 

David Wilson the running back for G.W. ran for a school record 349 yards and 3 Touch, downs.  It was the first time that I had seen him play in person and he is the real deal.  Wilson is heading to Virginia Tech next year and he has the Speed to take it to the house on any play and the toughness to run inside and run over people. 

If he can handle the adjustment to College next year, I would not be surprised at all to see him play as a True Freshman.  He would give the Hokies some much needed Home Run ability.   Then on Saturday, myself and Chris Miles got in the car nice and early and drove to Atlanta, Georgia.  We went down for the UVA-Georgia Tech Football Game.  A big ole tip of the cap to Cavs Head Coach Al Groh and his team. 

The Wahoos were horrible earlier in the season, I saw them play their first 2 games in person and they were not a good football team.  Watching them in person for the first time since, I got to see how much they have improved.  There offense looks really good with Marc Verica at quarterback and Cedric Peerman in the backfield, and their defense took a little while to figure out the Triple Option that Georgia Tech runs on offense.  

The Wahoos are now the front runners to play for the ACC Title from the Coastal Division.   Then on Sunday Chris and I got up and went into a Conference Room at the Hotel to interview every single Coach from the ACC Men's Basketball Team and players from each team.  There is plenty of good stuff that we get from this day, but it is weird to be in a room for 6 hours and then come out to the day almost over. 

Look for a number of stories from this day in the coming months.  Chris is working on a story about how the ACC has more African-American Head Coach than any other conference in the, country.  Georgia Tech Head Coach Paul Hewitt has a very strong opinion and point when it comes to the disparity in Division 1 basketball and Division 1 Football.  

After we were done with the day of interviews we got back in the car and drove back to Roanoke.  Another long day.   On Monday it was a little bit shorter drive but I was back in the car driving to Danville then on Tuesday I went to UVA for the Cavaliers Media Day.  So suffice to say I am looking forward to a day in the office on Wednesday.   

To Random thoughts and comments, One thing I have learned recently, how nice it is to have heat in my house.  Didn't have heat for a couple days last week, very cold, it got fixed but evidently my roommate informs it is out again today.  Suppose to be cold, I might be screwed tonight.  

, My Niece got baptized this weekend in Northern Virginia, I couldn't be there but my mom told me that she was a trooper and didn't cry at all.  She was born at over 10 pounds and is still a LARGE kid.  

I went suit shopping the other day and the first place I went to buy a couple told me that couldn't take in the pants enough so I would have to buy it separately,  I told them I would be back later.  I won't be, I went somewhere else and the pants there fit fine.  Why penalize me cause I have wide shoulders and not as wide of a belly.  

That is all I got right now, until next week I'm out.  Everyone give a big welcome back to T-Mac and congrats to her.

October 20

 

Good Monday Afternoon to everyone out there in Mind Nugget Monday Land.  It has been a slow beginning of the week for myself here.  I am walking with little catch in the gitty-up.  Played in our Flag Football Game on Sunday and while trying to grab the flag of the other teams quarterback I got kicked in the thigh.  It has a caused a few issues when it comes to bending my leg.  But we did win the game so that is what matters in the end.

What a difference a couple of weeks make.  3 weeks ago everyone was ready to call it quits on the Al Groh era in Charlottesville.  Now with an overtime win over UNC this Saturday the Cavs have a winning record and all of the sudden are 2 and 1 in the ACC and in contention for the Conference Title game.  Didn't see all of the UVA game, but I did see the Wahoos drive to tie the game up at the end of the fourth quarter.  Have to give UVA credit for having almost nothing to show for on offense the entire game and then going straigh, t down the field and scoring with ease.  The Tar Heels seemed to be playing the lovely prevent defense.  They definitely prevented the win.  A friend of mine Charlotte Sammy has always held to the theory that Butch Davis is not a good Football Coach.  He says he is a great recruiter but a very average Football Coach.  After watching the Tar Heels lose to Virginia Tech earlier in the season and seeing the end of that game when they played prevent and then took a knee to go to overtime I tend to agree with Sammy.  

Then in the evening I watched most of the Virginia Tech game against Boston College.  Tech couldn't have gotten off to a better start with the Interception return for a Touchdown and then the fumble.  But, the Hokies offense didn't convert the second turnover into a touchdown, settling for a field goal.  That proved to be a theme all night long.  The offense didn't do anything at all.  The Tech Defense accounted for 17 of the Hokies 23 points.  You can't win with an offense that is going to help you out and the final drive looked very unorganized.  Now Tech has to find a way to regroup for a game at Florida State whose Defense is even better than B.C.

As a fan of the underdog, I thought it was awesome to see the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox last night in Game 7 of the ALCS.  It is nice to see the team without all the money beat the big money clubs.  It would be nice to find a way that Tampa could keep all the young talent together and continue to win.

Congrats goes out to J-Anna for her accomplishment this past week.  Well Deserved! You put in all the work and it paid off.    

October 13

 

Good Monday to everyone out there in Mind Nugget Monday land.  I have a couple of topics that I feel need to be talked about:  Getting a Massage, Wedding Dancing, and JMU FOOTBALL BABY!  

Lets start with the Sports topic of James Madison Football.  As a 1998 graduate of JMU I was very interested in the big game this past Saturday between the Dukes and the Richmond Spiders.  I had Saturday off to attend my friend J-P's wedding.  The ceremony started at 5pm with the reception beginning at 6pm.  The game between JMU and UR kicked off at 3:30.  I got to watch the beginning of it while wrapping gifts for the wedding.  I didn't use a bag like I used to do for all my Christmas presents back in the day.  So I got to watch a good part of the first half and listen to other parts on the radio while I was in the shower and getting ready. 

After the wedding ceremony I went back to my house to pick something up I , had left.  I had the game on the radio while driving back and forth.   I heard the 4th quarter driv, e where the JMU Radio guys said the Dukes had fumbled and lost it, then they were wrong and that JMU had recovered.  Just before going into the reception with J-anna I heard the Dukes score and convert the 2 point conversion to tie it up with less than a minute to go in the game.  So I am thinking overtime is coming next.  While in the wedding reception my cell-phone starts buzzing.

I got text messages from my buddy DJ Fred who was at the game, the first one was a little sketchy but I knew something good had happened.  Then my MOM text messaged me, So I REALLY knew that something big had happened.  Then my sister text message me to say the Dukes had won, but I still didn't know how, until DJ Fred came through with the message that Scotty McGee had returned a punt with a second to go in the game to win for the DUKES.  

So fast forward to later in the night,  I still haven't seen the highlight of the Punt Return.  Everyone was well-hydrated and I turn on the late sportscenter and use the wonderful function on Digital Cable of being able to rewind.  I figure that the Punt Return had to be one of the Top 10 plays of the night.  It turned out to be number 1.  I made Booker T and Johnny watch the play like 5 times!  

Now on to Wedding Dancing.  Lets start this topic with I am not a big dancer, I'm not saying I am the worst but I am certainly not the best dancer in the world, but at almost 6'5" when I am dancing it stands out, it isn't like I can hide between people, it is just very noticeable. 

Now Wedding Receptions though, I feel like it is an accepted activity for everyone to dance and do take part.  I must admit that I stole this little bit of Wedding Reception Dancing from J-anna.  The intergenerational dancing that always goes on.  It happens as part of the ceremony, you tend to have the Mother-Son Dance, the Father-Daughter Dance, all wonderful things.  But then you also end up with Aunts, Uncles, Grandmothers, Grandfathers dancing with the next generation below. 

At my college roommates wedding I ended up dancing with his Mom.  Then you also have young kids at weddings just dancing the night away and they sometimes end up dancing with the next couple generations above.  This intergenerational dancing tends to happen more at weddings than , anywhere else.   We now move to the final topic of this MNM. 

Getting a massage, right about now, T-Mac who is kind enough to read over my Mind Nugget Monday before they get posted on the web, so that I don't get in trouble is probably freaking out, cause she doesn't know where this is going to go. 

Last year for my birthday my Mom got me a gift certificate for a half hour massage.  (Note: My birthday is coming up next month, it is around Thanksgiving)  I hadn't used the gift card until I decided this past Friday before Friday Football Extra I would get a massage, my shoulders and back was hurting.  The massage was great felt much better after it was done.  I had only had a professional massage once before and that was from a friend of mine who was in Massage Therapy School and , she need, ed test subjects.   

When it comes to getting a massage I think there is sometimes a different connotation for a guy getting one and a girl getting one.  In this case, my mom got me a gift card totally acceptable.  For a woman to get a massage, totally acceptable.  But there might be people wondering if a guy says I went and got a massage the other day, did he go to a really nice Spa or did he go to a shady place in a back alley that might offer special services at the end of the massage that would make the man "Happy". 

I know all people don't think that way, but some do.  This is why I say that a massage gift for a guy that would be into a legit one, is a great gift.  Just a random thought about massages.  

Until Next week everyone have a great week.  Congrats goes out to J-P and Pammy on your wedding, very happy for you guys!

October 6

 

Good Monday afternoon folks, and welcome to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday.  I am coming of a weekend where I didn't have to work.  It was fantastic, first Saturday in a long time that I haven't covered a College Football Game.  It was a bachelor party day for our friend J-P.  It involved golf in the afternoon and evening festivities, a good time was had by all.  Thanks goes out to Pearl from everyone along for the trip.   <, /P>

The Virginia Tech game was pretty much what I expected.  The Hokies were coming off an emotional win over Nebraska and they were playing an overmatched team.  They got up big on WKU and relaxed.  Heart goes out to Kenny Lewis Junior a good guy who tore his Achilles and is out for the year.   I was totally shocked by the UVA-Maryland game.  I thought maybe that Virginia had a chance to win, but I didn't think that they would win 31 to NOTHING over the Terps.  This will subdue the heat on Head Coach Al Groh for a little while.  

Last Monday evening I had the pleasure of being a guest on the Hokie Hotline.  It was a cool experience, I got to talk about the Tech Football season a little bit with Bill Roth.  I used to do a radio show when I worked in Toledo, Ohio.  I was on a Sports Talk show with Norm Wamer.  Radio is a much different format than TV, you get to express your opinion more and have more time to talk about topics.  It was nice to go back and do something similar.  

We said goodbye to a member of the WDBJ family this week.  Alex Lawson who was a reporter/producer here at the BIG 7 left the station to take a job in NYC.  Congrats go to him as he leaves for a great opportunity.  I wish him the best of luck in his new job, but it is always a little sad to see a good guy leave, cause Lawson was a die-hard UNC fan and we got to have many good discussions on sports and other topics.  

That is all I got for this week folks.  If you have any suggestions or questions you would like answered here in the MNM, e-mail me at gkittelson@wdbj7.com.  Until next week, Keep it in the short grass.

September 29

 

Good Monday Morning everyone and welcome to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday.  I am back from my trip to Nebraska and for this week, I decided I would show you folks just how glamorous it is to be a Sports Guy Covering a Road Game.    

Disclaimer:  All Times are approximate.  

FRIDAY 5:15AM:

6:30AM:  Our flight to Chicago took off from Roanoke and we began our travel.  

9:00AM:  Flight from Chicago to Omaha, NE was delayed a half an hour because the speaker in the back of the plan didn't work.  I am all for safety but just cause a speaker didn't work it was me, a 6'4" 230lbs man crammed into one of those small seats for an extra half hour.  

11:00AM:  Land in Omaha, NE.  On both our flights there was plenty of Hokie Fans heading out for the game.  I think all of us rented a car from Hertz.  Only problem at the Omaha Airport, the Hertz counter didn't have enough cars for all the Virginia Tech Fans.  A 45 minute wait for our rental car.  

Noon:  After walking a nice hike to the rental car lot, we are ready to rock n' Roll.  M-L and myself head to Lincoln to pick up our gear that we shipped out to the stadium.  Weather was wonderful out in Nebraska unlike back here on the East Coast I under, stand.  

1:30PM:  We get to Lincoln, find our way to the stadium and unpack our gear and then head out to the stadium to shoot some stand-ups for stories that will run in our 5 and 6 o'clock sportscasts back here in Roanoke.  I only messed up a couple times I promise.  

2:30PM:  We make our way up to the Press Box to see if it is possible for us to feed our stories back through the internet which is a huge must since we need to feed material back on Saturday Night for the game and for the Virginia Tech Coaches Show.  

4:00PM:  We find out that it is possible to feed our stuff back from the Press Box.  We sent back 2 stories for the Sports Segments of the News then a gorgeous Weather Shot, No Idea of if they used it.  

5:00PM:  Hop back in the car and depart for Omaha which is where our Hotel is.  Can't help but want to sing, On the Road Again, I can't wait to get on the Road again.  Good Thing this is in print not audio version.  

6:30PM: We took a couple of detours on the way back to make sure we knew how to get into our parking lot for the next day.  We get back to our Hotel check in.  We then tested the ability to feed material from our Hotel Room.  That was a no go, which meant the stadium was our only option Saturday Night.  

7:30PM:  We went to try and find someplace to possibly feed a story for Friday Football Extra, that was a bust as well so we went to get some dinner.  

8:30PM:  The Day was finally done and we could relax a little bit for a long day on Saturday.    

SATURDAY 10:00AM

FULL DISCLOSURE:  Back in High School I did a mentorship program with those two guys and also interned with them when I was in College.  So it is always fun to chat with those two guys who helped me get my feet wet in this business.  

NOON:  M-L and myself went to get some lunch at a nice little sports bar in downtown Omaha.  They had 7 Flat screen TVs on a wall with nice soft arm chairs to sit in.  (I was not getting paid at this point in the day, Just so you know)  We watched a number of games including the UVA-Duke Game.  Wow are the Cavs in trouble.  

3:15PM:  We left O, maha for Lincoln and Memorial Stadium  

4:30PM:  We arrived at the stadium, set-up our gear for the pos, t-game interviews  

7:00PM:  I started shooting video of pre-game warm-ups.  Larry the Cable Guy was on the field, an honorary coach for the Cornhuskers and Rush Limbaugh was there as well.  

7:20PM:  I was a guest on a pre-game show for one of the Nebraska Stations.  Got to talk to the Husker Fans about the Hokies that was enjoyable.  

8:00PM:  GAME TIME!  

11:45PM:  Game Over, Hokie Win, I shot a standup before the game finished then went to do post-game interviews.  

SUNDAY12:15AM

12:45AM:  Press Box to begin editing Stories for the Morning Show and the Virginia Tech Coaches Show.  

2:00AM:  Sent back my story through the internet for the Morning Show (Thanks to J-Anna, for the text message conversation that kept me from being totally tired)  

3:00AM:  Sent back the first piece for the Virginia Tech Coaches Show.  Didn't work  

4:00AM:   Sent back the first and the second piece for the Coaches Show and it did work.  

4:30AM:   Depart Omaha to drive back to Lincoln.  

5:45AM:   Get back to the Hotel, take a shower and pack  

6:15AM:  Head to the airport to drop rental car off.  

8:25AM:  Take off from airport for Chicago  

8:30AM:   Sound asleep on the plane.  Normally I can't sleep on planes, but I found the remedy.  Must stay up all night, then get the exit row and have nobody sitting beside me on either side.  

10:00AM:  Land in Chicago  

2:15PM:  Land in Roanoke, hop a ride to the station.  

3:30PM:  I was done with my work weekend and went home to sleep!

September 22

 

Good Monday Afternoon to everyone, I hope you all had a great week.  It was an interesting one of the Sports front for a number of reasons.   

First things first how about the James Madison Dukes Football Team.  For those of you out there in Mind Nugget Monday land that do not know.  I graduated from JMU and really wanted to be in Harrisonburg on Saturday for the Dukes game against Appalachian State.  I was unable to attend because I had to cover the Virginia Tech-UNC game, more on that in a bit.  On my way down to Chapel Hill I talked to be fraternity brother DJ Fred who was going up to the game and meeting up with a number of other friends.  

On the way back from UNC I was in the car editing my story for out 11pm newscasts and getting text message updates from those at the game and those watching on TV.  I had no other way to know what was going on.  It was a depressing start with JMU being down 21 to nothing.  Then the comeb, ack started.  I routinely started singing the fight song in the car as the Dukes came all the way back to beat the 3-time defending FCS  National Champions.   

To the Hokies game at UNC.  When the Tar Heels scored to go up 17 to 3 and the Tech offense had done NOTHING the entire day, I turned to the guy standing next to me and asked him for a fork, he asked why?  I said cause the Hokies are done.  BUT, somehow som, eway Tech found a way to win the ball game.  It was an amazing comeback that the Hokies pulled off and with such a young team it could be something that carries them through the rest of the season.  It was a huge win in ACC implications.  Tech now has what amounts to a 2 game lead over both North Carolina and Georgia Tech in their division.  That means both those schools would have to finish a full game above the Hokies to win there side of the Conference.  

The Virginia Cavaliers had the week off but they found a way to make news.  Peter Lalich is off the team and I don't get the feeling that Al Groh was in favor of the decision.  The whole strange way everything unfolded leads me to believe that UVA's Athletic Director Craig Littlepage was the man pulling the trigger on everything with influences from others above him.  It could be a long year for Virginia from here on out.  A question I have asked to a number of UVA fans that I know is, If Al Groh goes 1-11 or 2-10 this year, does he get fired?  I don't know the answer to that question, he is coming off a 9-4 season that saw him win ACC Coach of the year honors.  But, there has been all kinds of off the field things going on and Coach Groh has never really endeared himself to the entire fan base. 

Coach Groh has said many times in his press conferences that Bill Parcells gave him a nam, eplate for his desk that says "Just Coach the Team"  In this day in age I don't know if you can just coach the team anymore.   I am off to Nebraska this weekend to cover the Hokies and Cornhuskers, should be interesting I have never been out there.  Until next week keep it real for the people. 

September 15

 

Good Monday afternoon to all you folks out their in Mind Nugget Monday Land.  I must say the eyelids are little droopy to begin the week, it was one of those weekends where sleep was not at a premium, but I wouldn't trade any of the activities for a few more hours of zzzzzzz.   

One of my events this weekend was covering my first Virginia Tech Game of the year.  It was good to see the Hokies pull out a win over Georgia Tech.  My impressions are that Virginia Tech is very young and inexperienced this year and it seems that Frank Beamer and his staff are going with a youth movement.  If the team is going to have some struggles, which they clearly have had already they are going to get the youngsters into the game.  Tyrod Taylor went the whole way at Quarterback, the young receivers were on the field a lot and Darren Evans had a very nice day at tailback.  I DON'T think in way shape or form that Beamer and company are looking at things as a rebuilding year, lets get ready for the future.  The guys on the staff work to hard and want to win games too bad to ever concede ANY game.,   I just think if it is close as to what player gives them the best chance to win, they are going with the younger player.  I will be traveling with the Hokies the next 2 weeks going to Chapel Hill and going to Nebraska, a tough couple of tests for Tech.  

I caught a little of the UVA game Saturday night on TV.  WOW! I didn't see a blowout that big coming by Connecticut but they made Virginia look very bad on both sides of the ball.  The Cavaliers have a lot of work to do this week to get ready for Duke on the 27th, the Blue Devils are much improved with David Cutcliffe as their Head Coach.  The whole Peter Lalich situation puzzles me a bit.  , Clearly Al Groh was planning on starting Lalich at quarterback against Connecticut, Lalich was at the Teams Media Day on Tuesday that I attended and spoke about his football situation and his off the field situation.  So somebody somewhere had a change of heart or told Coach Groh to have a change of heart in regards to Lalich going with the team to Connecticut.  Lalich has a court date on September 26th the day before the Wahoos play Duke.  The outcome of that should go a long way in determing the future of Lalich at UVA and perhaps the future of the Cavs season.   

Outside of the Sports world, I got to go to the Lake on Sunday, probably the final time before it gets cold again.  It was an adventure getting to the water though.  Myself J-Anna and Johnny were suppose to go the Lake a couple weeks ago, but Captain Johnny got calle, d, into work so that trip got canceled.  The 3 of us were scheduled to go again this Sunday when we got about 2 minutes from the Boat when the Captain got called into work again.  So some wheeling and dealing got done with J-Anna and myself meeting up with another group going to the lake and a drop-off and pick-up point was arranged.  It all worked out in the end, and the day on the Lake was great.  

That's gonna do it for this week, good to see Snickelfritz and T the H, they were in town and attended some festitivies as the House on Saturday Evening.  Hope everyone keeps on keeping on!    

September 8

 

Good Afternoon Folks and welcome to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday.  I feel like this is a normal MNM in that it is Monday before Noon and I am typing this.  For about the last Month I feel like things have been rather chaotic and that is probably been the case with a number of things going on that have caused me to be late posting on the Mind Nugget Monday.

Lets start with the weekend, I went to UVA on Saturday for the Cavalier Game against the University of Richmond.  The first 3 quarters of this game was brutal.  The Wahoos were wearing the Retro Jersey's and it seemed like the two teams were trying to set football back by the , of, fensive production.  I guess you can either say it was really bad offense or really good defense.  Still not sure how good the Cavs are this season.  I have seen their first 2 games and it is still up in the air.

One thing I am very sure of, is that I LOVE the old school Orange jersey's that the Wahoos were wearing on Saturday.  Maybe it has something to do with the era that I grew up in.  I was reminded of it when they honored the 1989 UVA team with Shawn Moore and Herman Moore.  What talent they had and those teams were decked out in the Orange Jersey's with the White Helmets on the Astro Turf at Scott Stadium.  Takes me back to my youth.

Didn't see any of the Virginia Tech game, I will see the Hokies in person this weekend for the first time.  But I would say judging just by the score at half and at the end of the ga,, me, that the Hokies are a work in progress and it remains to be seen how good they will be.  I think it is very possible that Tech could struggle this year with the number of youngsters that they are playing.

A side note JMU WON big.  GO DUKES.

This past week I finally got around to un-packing everything from my move, into a new place.  Once I accomplished that I felt a huge relief.  I had moved everything in, but it was in that phase of having not un-packed all my boxes.  That phase has now passed.  At the new place that I am living, I have to mow my own grass, I did that on Sunday.  I felt like I accomplished something with my day off, but I am not looking forward to having to now the grass on a regular basis, since I have not had to do it since I was a kid living at home.

A side note on that topic.  When I was growing up, my dad had the old school push mower that myself and my brother had to use.  Then when we both had moved out of the house, he goes and gets the nice riding mower so he can ride in style when cutting the grass.  Where was that when it was my chore?  Just asking!

Need to send congrats out to Hambone, glad that you are back on a payroll.

That's gonna do it for this edition of the MNM.  Until next week Don't go Changing Folks!

September 2

 

Good Afternoon folks and we are back for another special edition of Tuesday Tidbits!  We are a day late because of the hol, ida, y, and a Dollar short because that is just how the saying goes.

Hope everyone had a great long weekend it was one filled with a lot of stuff for me.  Lets begin with Saturday as I went to the UVA-USC game in Charlottesville.  I really wanted to see the Trojans in person, they were just voted the Number 1 Team and I can see why.  They are VERY IMPRESSIVE.  They are big and fast and good!  They play like an NFL team and they might be able to hang with a couple of teams in the league.

It is hard to say how good the Cavaliers or how bad they are, I am going to their game this weekend against Richmond.  It will not be a cakewalk for the Cavs, the Spiders are pretty good and might give the Wahoos a run for their money.

A note on Virg, inia Tech.  I didn't see much of the game at all cause I was on the road to Charlottesville, but when I heard they got beat I wasn't shocked.  When I heard that they got beat on a blocked punt at the end of the game, that was the surprise.  Frank Beamer takes a lot of pride in coaching the Tech Special Teams and to have them get beat on that type of play couldn't have made him happy. 

I took part in my second Fantasy Football Draft of the year on Labor Day.  I have been in this league for about 6 years with my college roommate and some friends.  The Draft and the trash talking are probably the most enjoyable parts of the league.

Also while up in the Northern Virginia area I got to see my oldest Niece Abby go to her , firs, , t d, , ay, of Ki, ndergarten.  She was awesome, just got right on the bus, no looking back and trying to find Mom and Dad, just went on the bus and went to school. 

I am heading out to cover the Game of the Week this Friday for Friday Football Extra.  If the weather guys are correct I am bringing my rain slicker and an extra pair of dry socks cause what is left of Hurricane Hannah will be pouring down upon us.  I hope this is not the beginning of another year of me getting rained on every Friday Night I go in the field to cover a game.  That happened a couple of years ago when it seemed like every game I covered I got rained on.

That is going to do it for this week, hope you all keep on keeping on.

August 25

 

Good Monday Morning everyone and welcome to another edition of the Mind Nugget , Monday. 

Must say that I am still a little bleary eyed as I came into work this morning.  I still haven't caught up on some sleep after staying up Saturday Night/Sunday Morning and watching the USA Men's Basketball Team play for the Gold Medal, it was a close game, the Americans trailed by just 4 with about 2 and half minutes to go in the game.  But the Redeem Team did bring back the Gold to the U.S.  

Then on Sunday I held my first of what will be 2 Fantasy Football Drafts.  I like my team in this league A LOT better than I did a year ago.  I am not saying that my team will be great but it will be better than last year, when I just snuck into the playoffs.  I have another Fantasy Football Draft coming up this next weekend.  It is a league that I have been in for about 6 years now, it is with my College Roommate and a bunch of guys, that is it though I can only handle 2 teams and I have help managing the first team by Johnny, I can't keep track of a bunch of different players, I end up rooting for and against my pla, yers.  

We got the first Friday Football Extra of the year under our belt.  It went pretty smoothly all things considered, the first one always has some issues that we have to deal with behind the scenes that you folks don't see which is probably a good thing.    

College Football begins this week, I will be heading to Charlottesville on Saturday to cover the Cavaliers taking on USC.  I am looking forward to seeing how good USC really is in person and see how UVA is going to look this year, with a bunch of departures from last years team that went to the Gator Bowl.    

Not much interesting going on outside of work these days, I have had the Nose to the Grindstone and almost have all my stuff moved into my new place, so close to being settled.  

Our new Sports guy Chris Miles starts today, so it will be nice to get some help back here in the office with our busy season in full swing.  Folks keep on keeping on I will do the same.  If you have any feedback or just feel like there is something I need to know drop me an e-mail:  gkittelson@wdbj7.com.  

August 18

 

Good Monday Afternoon Folks!  Hope that everyone had a good week.  The first thing on the front of my brain is the Olympics.  I was totally engrossed in the Swimming with Michael Phelps and the rest of the American Team.  Full Disclosure, I swam for 15 years growing up here in the Roanoke Valley Aquatic Association.  Early on I swam for the Elks Club and then for Our Lady Of Nazareth when I was a lifeguard there.  And yes I wore the Speedo Swimsuit, otherwise known as the Weenie Bikini, , my mother has photos that can prove it.  Hoping she doesn't decide to release those one day.  I enjoyed swimming and the competitiveness of trying to get to the wall first.  My best event was the freestyle, I was horrible at the Breaststroke I always dropped that at City County every year.   

So my past history in swimming is part of my enjoyment of watching the sport.  The other part was seeing Phelps reach history.  I was yelling at the TV on a number of occasions for him and the relay teams he was on to win.  AND THEY DID!  I did my part I feel like.   

Friday Football Extra is getting ready to crank up this Friday.  It got here quick.  Looking forward to another season, I always enjoy going to the games and being in the stadium when High School Games are going on. It just seems pure to be at those games.  

I need to take a moment to stop and talk about Roy Stanley.  We had the Roy Stanley Memorial Auction and Golf Tournament this past week.  Roy passed away in 2002.  I had the pleasu, re to watch Roy growing up on the air, when I was a kid in the Roanoke Valley.  Then I got to work with Roy here at WDBJ after I got out of college. 

Roy found out that I liked to golf and he would ta, ke m, e to the golf course during the week when we both had days off.  Roy was one of the best people you would ever meet.  He was a lot different on-air than he was in person but in a good way.  When they made Roy Stanley, they broke the mold after they made him.  He was one of a kind and anyone that was around him was blessed to have had him in their life.   

Kinda a short one this Monday, been really busy running around finishing up the High School Previews and I am starting to move.  Not enough hours in the day to get it all done.  

So as Roy always ended his morning Sports Broadcasts here and Channel 7 and how I have done ever since I have been on-air no matter where I have been working.  HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYBODY!

August 12

 

Hello Folks, I apologize for not having Mind Nugget M, onday up on its normal day, but I was off on Monday and that is why we will have a special edition of Tuesday Tidbits.  Catchy isn't it!  

Lets begin with football in full force.  I attended a couple of media days last week.  On Friday I went to JMU's media day.  Of course James Madison is my alma mater always good to go back.  Where we parked in the parking garage next to the stadium, you could see the window of my room in the fraternity house.  A place that I lived in for 3 years.  Man is there some memories in there! We won't talk about them in this forum just to be safe.  Now a sorority is in that house, what irony, all the fraternities are off campus now for one reason or another.   

I will get back to football now.  It was refreshing to hear that JMU was openly talking about playing for the National Championship.  In this day in age of every coach and player spouting about taking it one game at a time, I think there is nothing wrong with have a big goal at the end of the picture. 

In the FCS level formerly known as the Division 1-AA level you can lose a couple of games and still get into the playoffs so one loss doesn't have to change your ultimate goal.  The Dukes and their coaches talked about focusing on the first game, but also having goals of winning the CAA conference championship and the National Championship.  I like it, I am hoping for another National Title coming to Harrisonburg.    

The second media day that I attended was at UVA on Sunday.  The Cavaliers always have a their media day for the players on the same day as Meet the Team day so the media is one corner of Scott Stadium with fencing around to keep fans out while we do interviews.  The players go mingle with fans and then come in the area to do interviews.  It is a fun environment, while their talked to a number of players and a lot of them from our viewing area.  Jon Copper one of my favorite players and an all around great guy, John Phillips a Bath County boy, spoke to him and his family, great people.  I am heading back t, o Charlottesville this Thursday to shoot video of all these guys practicing.  

One thing about Media Day is also it is one of the few chances we get at UVA to talk with assistant coaches.  Al Groh has the one tea, m, one voice policy and assistant coaches are normally off limits during the season.  That is his policy nothing we can do about it, but man- are there guys on that staff we would like to talk with more.  I interviews Wayne Lineburg who is the son of Norm Lineburg, the longtime Head Coach at Radford High School.  We will run the soundbite from Wayne at sometime about the influence his father has had on him and the rest of the family.  It is really awesome to listen to the way he talks about his father.  Another great family of people to deal with, all of them.  

Another assistant coach that I got to interview was Anthony Poindexter.  Such a great vibrant guy, Dex is.&, nbsp; His Wife and daughter were along with him.  I told Dex and his wife that he is probably th, e best all-around athlete I saw when I was in High School here in the Roanoke Valley.  Besides his football ability which was on display at UVA and Jefferson Forest.  I played basketball against him at a Summer Camp, he was a great basketball player.  I saw AP take part in the Commonwealth Games at Cave Spring as a baseball player, he was fantastic at that as well.  Could have played whatever sport he wanted.  It is a shame that he hurt his knee, his senior year at UVA, would have been a fantastic Pro Football Player.  We will be running soundbites with Dex in the coming weeks as well.  

That is going to do it for this special edition of MNM on a Tuesday.  Keep your nose to the grindstone this week. I'm Out.

August 4

 

Good Monday Afternoon to everyone   out there in Mind Nugget Monday Land.  Man is there a lot of stuff going on, I feel like I need more hours in the day and some  of  the stuff isn't welcome.  When I was running some errands this afternoon my car decided it wanted to have a problem.  It is in the shop right now, hopefully there isn't anything to big wrong with it.  Car problems are not fun.  I am fired up about a change, I am getting ready to move at the end of this month, going to move into a nice house with a Pool and Hot tub.  Enough Said!

As for this weekend I went up to Washington D.C. after anchoring the late sports on Friday Night.  I got to my brothers place at 3:20am and was asleep by 3:30.  I got up and drove into downtown D.C. to meet up with my friend Brandon and Joe.  They were in town from Ohio.  We went to the Newseum and it was Awesome.  Partially cause I am in the News/Sports business it was very interesting, but I recommend it to anyone going to visit.  Lots of neat, stuff.  After we were done being tourists we went to the Washington Nationals game against the Cincinnati Reds.  The Nats won and their new ball-park is amazing, had a great time at the game.  Good People, good atmosphere, and good beverages.

Would like to make a statement on friends.  I met Joe and Brandon when I lived in Toledo, Ohio.  Brandon was one of the first people I met when I moved from Roanoke to Toledo.  We worked together at the Fox Station and became friends.  Brandon got out of the business, but we have stayed friends. , ; I hadn't seen him for probably 2 years but we picked up like we had seen each other 2 days before.  I have been blessed to have friends like this, many of them in my life.  To have people that you know would do anything they could for you and y, ou would do the same for them is such a wonderful thing.  I have lots of them here in town, like Hambone, Neal, Booker T, and Johnny but also ones that don't live here in town, those are the things that make your life rich, in my opinion.

On Sunday I stopped off at my brothers place to see him and his family.  I went to the pool with my nieces and played around for a while before driving home.  Happy to say that at this time next week there will be another addition to the Kittelson Family.  My Sister-in-Law is pregnant and she has passed her due date so they are going to induce labor on Tuesday.

Last week it was High School Football practice beginning this week it is College Football.  Both Virginia Tech and UVA began practice on Monday.  It just adds to the things that we have to cover back here in the Sports office.  But it is an exciting time of year.  Football really gets the blood flowing for the upcoming season, but I am going to need a car that runs and the Hot tub to soak my aching body when I am done with the days.

Until next Monday, be good folks and Just Keep on Keeping On!

July 28

 

Good Monday to you folks, sorry that Mind Nugget Monday is getting a late posting it has been a hectic day.  First thing on the docket was a trip to the dentist.  Always love to get the pearly whites cleaned, got to take care of them, my parents paid enough money to make sure they were straight when I was kid.  For people in my generation if you had the old school metal braces you remember some torn up gums when getting popped in the mouth for whatever reason.  Most of mine came while playing basketball.  Spitting blood was a constant occurrence when taking a good shot.

After getting a good cleaning it has been out to the practice field for the first day of High School Football Practice, Yes let me say that again, it is JULY 28th and it is the first day of High School Football Practice.  Went to a number of High Schools checking in on teams as they workout for the pre-season, and while it is early it is nice to get things cranked back up.  Football season is exciting and the summer months are a little slow when it comes to local sports.  Not anymore!

I hit the links a couple of times last week playing golf on both Thursday and Friday, shot both rounds in the 80's so I definitely have the fever.&nbs, p; Planning on playing again on Tuesday, I have the day off, and might play on Friday before I have to come into work. 

This past week on the sports scene how cool was it to see the Olympic Softball Tea, m in S, alem, th, e sport of softball is definitely on the rise evidence by what they USA team has been drawing, a sellout in Salem and their popularity around the country.  We also witnessed how many people were interested in Virginia Tech going to the Women's College World Series.  This makes me wonder if the people running the Olympics are off their rockers.  How do you get rid of Softball as an Olympic Sport.   That is not understanding what is going on.  

Next Monday is another first.  The first day of practice for Virginia Tech and UVA Football.  Next on the horizon is crisp fall afternoons with crowds piling into stadiums for Games.  LOVE IT!  

I know I am all over the place in this MNM but my mind is going a hundred miles an hour as I type this out.  Saw the latest Batman movie this past week as well.  AWESOME!  One of the best movies I have seen in a long time.  !!!! SPOILER ALERT!!!!!  If you haven't seen this movie and want don't read on.  There is the one scene with 2 separate boats stranded in a harbor with explosives in the bottom.  Each boat has the detonator for the other boat.  You blow the other people up you live. One boat is innocent civilians the other is full of criminals, I KNOW VERY REALISTIC,  But I thought is was great speaking of the thought process that would go through people's minds.  Makes you think which I enjoy from movies.   

Ok, I am done rambling and bouncing all over the place, but we got a lot going on!  Until next week Keep it in the Fairway.  

July 21

 

Welcome Folks to another Mind Nugget Monday. 

For most of you it feels like summer is really just in full swing.  I hate to say it, but I feel like my summer is almost over.  This week Travis is down at the ACC Football Kickoff in Greensboro, GA. 

This signifies to us the football is just around the corner.  Practice starts in about 2 weeks for Colleges and actually High Schools can start a week from Today, that is ridiculous!   The British Open was played last week and I was really hoping that Greg Norman would win the title. 

What a story it would have been for the 53-year-old to win the title at that point in his career.  It didn't happen but a tip of the cap to him.   

I have a gripe that I would like to get off my chest to no one in particular.  First let me say that I am a Dog guy, some people like Cats, no problem with Cats, but I am a Dog Person.  I one day will have a dog, just at this point in my life I can't in my right mind have one and leave it at home for long hours during that day when I am working and a lot of days I wouldn't be able to let it out. 

So let me get to my point, I am amazed at the Dog Owners that will walk their dog down the street a block and a half to lets just say let their dog do is business.  Now they usually do this because they don't want their Dogs "business" left in their yard. 

But they decide it is just fine to leave it on someone else's yard and not pick it up.  What makes them think th, at someone else would want their dogs "business" in their yard.  Just a question/gripe.    Not a lot else going on. 

Hope everyone has a great week!

July 14

 

Good Monday Morning everyone and a welcome back to Mind Nugget Monday. 

I enjoyed the week off, I hope all of you did.  I went to the beach with my entire family and had a nice time.  We go to Holden Beach, NC which is an island.  I was there for about a week and left the island a total of 3 times.  I , went to play golf three times, one of those was mini-golf and ice cream, I won Mini-Golf, the other 2 a full 18 holes at different courses. 

Let me explain first that when I go to the beach another family goes at the same time and rents the house next to ours.  They have been friends of my parents since as long as I can remember.  One of their Son in Laws and I play golf against each other every year down at the beach.  We both are competitive and we wager a beverage at the end of the round.  The first round he beat me by 2, I was not happy, played like junk, shot 99. 

The second time we played, I smoked him. I shot an 84 on a pretty tough course.  So for the next year I got bragging rights on the last round we played.   The rest of the time was spent at the cottage or on the beach.  I spent a lot of time playing with my 2 nieces, they both rock, should have a picture of what happens when Uncle Grant decides it is a good idea to pl, ay in the rain on the deck one afternoon.  The results were wonderful.  I have another Niece/Nephew on the way, my sister-in-law is due to give birth at the end of the month.  

Also at the beach I get to catch up with a good friend of mine Cabbie who is retired at Holden Beach.  We hung out a couple of nights making sure that we finished the 24.  It is always good for me to talk with him and his perspective on life as he has been around longer and been through a lot more than me.  Pardon me for a tangent, I have never understood people that think they know it all already and won't listen. 

My old basketball coach taught me to listen to what everyone has to say, you never know where your going to get a piece of useful information.  I will never know everything so I try to listen too people, talk with others and ask questions.  You can always gather knowledge or a different perspective.  So never think you know everything.  

While I was on vacation also met my sister's new boyfriend, seems like a good guy from the time I spent around him.  He brews his own beer so that is big points with me!   While gone I didn't watch to much sports, but did take in some of the Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer match for the Wimbledon Title.  Tennis isn't always that exciting but that match sure was, man you could just feel the tension on every point.  I was rooting for Nadal, always like the underdog, but when it comes to the French Open next year, where Nadal is dominant I will probably root for Federer cause he hasn't won that tournament.   

The other sporting event that stood out while on vacation was the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.  WHAT A FINISH!  It was awesome, I was glad that Nascar didn't throw a caution when Je, ff Gordon wrecked and let them decide the finish on the track they eventually threw a caution.  It was exciting, at least I think so even if you aren't a die-hard race fan.  

One other sporting event note for you that strikes a cord with me.  Paula Creamer won the LPGA tour stop just outside of Toledo, Ohio.  Creamer is a former Scott Robertson winner so always good to see that.   But that event is the first sporting event that I covered when I moved to Toledo, Ohio to do sports back in 2000.  It was my first strictly Sports Job in TV and I went to the first round and sat on the 17th hole and shot video of pretty much every golfer that came through.  Long day behind the green, worked my way around the Network TV tower to stay in the shade.  I came better prepared the next day when I, went to the 8th hole.  I had earphones, snacks, drinks and a book to read.  I covered that event for 3 years so it will always have meaning to me.  

That is going to do it for the MNM.  Thoughts, comments, complaints feel free to e-mail me gkittelson@wdbj7.com  I'm OUT!

June 30

 

Good Monday Folks and welcome to another edition of the Mind Nugget Monday. 

First off let me say that I am completely exhausted.  Got back from a long weekend at Myrtle Beach with the Boys on Sunday and sleep was not high on the priority list of things to do down there.  But I am slowly trying to catch up on the zzzz's. 

In what has become the yearly competition down at the beach, for another 365 days myself and Captain Johnny will have bragging rights over Booker T and Neal.  And it wasn't even close folks,  we swept every competition that took place down a Myrtle.  Especially satisfying was the win on the golf course.  We actually played a really fun format, the first 6 holes was 2-man captain's choice, the second 6 holes was High Ball-Low ball and the final 6 was total combined score. 

The match was closed out with 4 holes remaining.   On Saturday afternoon we spent the entire afternoon at the beach and acted like 12 year olds, throwing a football in the ocean and playing Bocce Ball, Man was it fun, oh did I mention that Captain Johnny and I won Bocci, I think I did, but just a reminder.  If anyone happened to be at the Piano Bar on Saturday Evening I would appreciate that any photos of me doing the Hokey Pokey on Stage be burned, Thanks!  

While driving down to the Beach on Thursday we listened to the NBA Draft on Satellite Radio, yes we are sports junkies.  Then we watched the end of it down at the Beach.  Was really happy to see Sean Singletary and Deron Washington get drafted.  I hope both those guys do well in the NBA.  

The thing those 2 have in common that will serve them well is that they are high energy and hard workers.  They are going to give their best effort out o, n the court no matter what is happening.   

Watched the end of the Golf Tournament when I got home on Sunday Afternoon on WDBJ.  The Buick Open has a lot of interest for me, cause it is not to far from where I used to work in Toledo, Ohio and I actually attended the tournament one year as a fan and watched Tiger win.  No Tiger win this year, , but when watching the final holes and the close finish it was neat to say, yeah I was standing right there a couple years ago.  

Mind Nugget Mo, nday will most likely be taking next week off, I am planning on being back at the beach with the family.  Everybody is suppose to be coming, including my sister in law who is about 8 month pregnant.  She is a trooper.  Take Care Folks!

June 23

 

Hey Folks, Happy Monday to everyone and welcome to another edition of the MIND NUGGET MONDAY! 

This is up a little late to start the week cause I am in anchoring for Mike the next 3 days.  Lets see if I can catch you up on some goings on.  I went to the Lake this past Saturday and the Sunday before. 

Have I mentioned that I love the Lake.  Went with Captain Johnny on his Boat, did some tubing, some water skiing.  Last week, I was sore as the dickens from doing these activities, while I was skiing the first time the thought went through my mind, I remember this being a lot easier when I was in High School and water skied a lot at the lake with my buddy KD and his family. 

Not as sore the second time around.  I would like one day to have my home on a lake, who knows it might happen one day.   This past week my niece Abster, as I like to call her, was in town visiting my Mom and Dad, her Grandparents who she calls Nana and Pops. 

I was quite impressed that she made the 3 and half hour trip down and stayed for almost a week.  Abster came out and cheered myself and the softball team on one night.  What a cheerleader she is.  Quite vocal!  Then the next night I met her and my parents at Chuckie Cheese.  THIS WAS AWESOME! 

I do like acting like a big kid, so her and I went around playing games and having a blast!  They did get rid of the game that I love there.  The old school Hockey Game in a bubble with the USA taking on the USSR.  They had a BOO button on it.  I will see her and the rest of the family in a couple weeks when we all go to the beach.  

Speaking of the Beach, I will be departing on Thursday Evening for a Guys Weekend at Myrtle Beach with Captain Johnny, Neal, and Booker T. 

I would like to say that you can read all about the activities here next week, but if the trip last time was any indication, A LOT of what we do will not make it through the Censors and all you will get is Booker T did *?>**?>>><<< and then Captain Johnny did )(&*^$%$^**(*& this on Saturday Night, Neal followed that up with (*&^%$)(*   That is not fun MNM reading as far as I am conc, erned. 

We will be golfing and playing Bocci on the beach.  That I can tell you.   I guess maybe I should talk a little Sports. 

Tiger Woods, WOW! what else can you say!  Bum Knee, major drama and he pulled it off another U.S. Open title.  That is about all that comes to mind Sports wise right now.  This is definitely a slow time of year for us with Schools being out.  But we had a meeting the other day about Football Season.  It really isn't that far away.   Hope everyone has a great week. 

June 16

 

Good Monday Morning Folks and sometimes I struggle as to what I should begin my Mind Nugget Monday with, this is not one of those days.  We will begin with the Big Pink E, lephant in the room. 

Mike Stevens is leaving us here at Channel 7.  I don't think there is enough space on the entire World Wide Web to describe everything that Mike has done for this Station, this Community, and for me. 

Mike helped me get my start in , this business.  I came to work here at WDBJ shortly after graduating college in 1998.  I made no secret of my desire to do sports, Mike let me have my first package on the air, one on Jump's football team that ran in Friday Football Extra. 

I still have that story somewhere on Tape.&nbs, p; Looking back, that story is HORRIBLE.  But, Mike worked with me and doing that story and others helped me get my first Sports Job in Toledo, Ohio.  

A fond memory of my first stint here at Channel 7 when I was getting started.  Mike and I covered the first ever Arena Football game played here in Roanoke.  I was shooting inside the walls and a player from the other team got kicked out of the game. I followed him with the camera as he was leaving the field.  He made a left turn into the stands and got in an argument with a fan.  Hilarious and I told Mike he had to use it and he did. 

That was just the first of many Football Games that I have covered with Mike in my career.  When working with Mike at Football games, he makes it so easy, by listening to you when your shooting video.  When you tell him you got something really good, he uses it. 

Having worked with and watched him cover games he comes up with stuff that you wonder why you didn't see it or think of it.   Well most of you folks get to see Mike on-air almost every night, I have the pleasure of getting to see him almost everyday at work in person and off-air. 

He has always said if you surround yourself with GOOD PEOPLE, the rest will take care of itself.  I am here to tell you all that Mike is one of the truly GREAT PEOPLE.  It has been my honor and privilege to work with him and most importantly to now call him a Friend. 

So Mike as I like to say, Just keep Doing what you Do my Man!   That's all I got for today, everything else after that is pretty much trivial!  Have a Great Week.

June 9

 

Good Monday to everyone and after a week off the Mind Nugget Monday is back. 

I guess we can start with the vacation, Hilton Head was nice, all I did was lay at the pool/beach and play some golf.  Very relaxing, I came back tan and rested.  Had a fun time with my parents and sister, it also made me look forward to the day that I will go on vacation with my own famil, y and enjoy those experiences, just a matter of finding the right woman to do that with.  

When I came back to the Star City it was back to work with the Spring Jubilee up in Radford on Friday and Saturday.  The weather in Radford felt just like the weather at the Beach, HOT!  It is always fun covering the Spring Jubilee, as kids are playing for State Titles.   I will say this, I don't know the whole deal with some Hidden Valley Soccer players having to choose between playing a S, tate Semi-Final game and trying out for another team.  If they did have to make a choice of one or the other that is WRONG.  Adults in charge of both teams need to communicate and figure out a better solution.  Congrats goes out to the Radford Boys Soccer Team and the Gretna Softball Team for winning state titles.   

After spending about a week straight in the sun, I decided what better way to enjoy Sunday but go ba, ck out and play golf.  I teed it up with my best friend, he has requested to be called HamBone in the MNM, on his birthday and our buddy Brian.  So happy birthday again HamBone.  Then after golf, I came home and took a nap, and it was a great nap.  I have my own designation of what a nap is and the best way to do it.  For me a nap is not taken in your bed.  That is just going back to sleep. A nap is on the couch, I need to have a little ambient noise, it was the Race on Sunday.  And for this nap Air Conditioner cranked up was necessary.  And this was a great nap.  Since where you lay on my couch slopes from front to back it is only comfortable to lay facing out and it was such a good nap in the middle I switched ends of the couch and continued napping, WONDERFUL!   

A couple other Sports related thoughts, another chance at the Triple Crown goes by the wayside, Big Brown, didn't get the job done.  My old basketball coach, Chris Carr, who was in attendance at the Belmont (you may have read the article on him in the paper) and knows a lot more about horses than I do, said Big Brown was Rank to start.  I don't know exactly what that means but I know it isn't good.  Cause really when is it ever good to be Rank.   Watched a lot of the Stanley Cup Finals on vacation including all the overtimes in Game 5.  Playoff Hockey is great, the regular season, well it is the regular season.  The NBA Finals are going on and who else is having flashbacks to when they were young like me,  Celtics-Lakers, just bring back the short shorts and I can wear my Jams and Sebagos and it will be the 80's again.  If only we could bring back the Gas Prices from the 80's. 

Cost a pretty penny for me to fill up the old SUV.  But, coming from a big guy, when you have a car that you fit it, I will take the fill-up cost.   

Hope everyone had a good couple of weeks, Hard to believe it is June and as I told Mike Stevens on Saturday when the High School Sports Season wrapped up, remember, we are only about 8 weeks away from High School Football Practice beginning.  Really not that far away. 

May 27

 

Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend, that is why we are having a special edition of Mind Nugget Tuesday.  My Memorial Day was enjoyable, went to a couple of cookouts, I left the final one and went home when the police showed up because neighbors thought it was too loud at about 10 o'clock.  It was a fun day all around filled with good food and good p, eople, always a good combination.   

The other Highlight couple of non-work related items were I played golf on Friday, Good Front 9, very BAD back 9 but I guess that is what happens when you take a week and half off from the course.  On Saturday I ran in the Festival Run early in the morning.  I decided to do the 10k, my first ever race of that distance.  I ran the race in 54 minutes which beat my goal when I started.  Felt actually pretty good, being a part of race adds a little more motivation.  

To some Sports items,  How about that Virginia Tech Softball Team.  I anchored on Sunday and watched both of the games against Michigan as the Hokies won 2 games and advanced to the Women's College World Series.  What an accomplishment and I think everyone would say while Angela Tincher i, s a big part of the success of Tech, that it was total team effort.  I hope they do well in Oklahoma City. 

Went up to Blacksburg today and saw the team get on the bus and how cool is this, Frank Beamer brought his entire Coaching staff to see the team off.  People can say whatever they want, but Coach Beamer and his staff are class acts.  Also A.D. Jim Weaver and other members of the Athletic Department were there as well.    

While the Hokies were doing well, the UVA Lacrosse Team came up short.  I watch their NCAA Semi-Final and man was it exciting.  I love the sport of Lacrosse and seeing some of the save the UVA keeper made were amazing and talk about being so close to victory. 

The Cavs hit the post twice in overtime, maybe a centimeter difference and they would have been playing for the National Title on Monday a game won by Syracuse the team that beat the Wahoos.   Folks it is a short week for me and hopefu, lly you and then I am off for about a week.

So Mind Nugget Monday will take Next week off as I will be in Hilton Head, SC with the family playing some golf, sitting by the pool having a cocktail or two and playing my favorite card game.  It is called Mille Bourne, my college roommate's parents introduced me to this game, my sister and I always play against my Mom and Dad with the Kids coming out on top most of the time.  So for a couple of weeks, you all be good.

May 19

 

Welcome to another Mind Nugget Monday Folks, hope your week is off to a good start.  I got to sleep in this morning and then went for a 4 mile jog before coming into work so I feel pretty darn good.   

First off lets start with congrats to the Virginia Tech Softball Team for advancing to the Super Regional by defeating Tennessee.  It would have been a shame if Angela Tincher hadn't gotten out of the Regionals in her career at Tech, but it was a team effort that got the Hokies into the next round as the offense came alive in a couple of games.  

I know a lot of you will be shocked by this, but I actually didn't play golf this past week.  I've had a sore wrist from a softball slide but decided I would take the weekend off, no worries though I will be back on the links this weekend.  Well I didn't play I did go to the golf course a couple of days to cover the Scott Robertson Memorial Tournament, lets just say that watching these youngsters play golf is truly enjoyable.  They play the game so well at such a young age.   

One of my favorite sporting events is coming up this Memorial Day weekend.  The Men's Lacrosse Final Four will be held and the Virginia Ca, valiers are in the Semi-Finals.  They have survived a couple of close games to reach this point.  I played Lacrosse for one year in High School and totally fell in love with the sport.  I wish I would have played it earlier in life.   

Back to running, I am planning on running this Saturday in the Festival Run, haven't decided if I should do the 5k or the 10k. Maybe the girl in the Orange Top will be there for motivation. (Read below for that reference) Never run a 10k race, if you would like to vote on what I should run feel free to chime in, I'll let you folks decide what I should do.  E-mail me at gkittelson@wdbj7.com.  I got an e-mail response from a MNM reader, I appreciate it and am glad you are enjoying my random tho, ughts, cause I know sometimes they are random.   

With Memorial Day coming up, I guess that means the official start of the Summer.  I went to the lake this pas, t Saturday with my buddy Johnny to clean his boat out and then we went for a short ride on the lake.  Man, I love the lake.  I would like to have my retirement home on a lake one day.  Looking forward to going out this summer at some point.   

Take Care and have a great week, not sure if I am working this Memorial Day yet or not so MNM maybe be moved back to Tuesday Next week, we will have to wait and see.  Be Good Folks!

May 12

 

Good Monday Morning to one and all, I'm coming off a 3-day weekend that included golf and a 5k run. 

I finished the 5k in 24 and half minutes, ran the first mile WAY to fast, was slowing down big time at the end.  The whole reason I ran to fast in the beginning, was to try and beat this girl in an orange and gray top that I picked out as my competition.  I was out in front of her and didn't realize it at the turnaround and from then on things slowed down.  I have this thing about being competitive I want to win, I knew I wasn't winning the whole race, so I had to find my own competition.  Thank you to the girl for being my competition.  

A fun week of work especially Monday when myself and Travis Wells made a long trip through the state of North Carolina.  We went to Lowe's Motor Speedway early Monday Morning and covered the test going on at the Track.  Talked with a couple of drivers, also we got an interview with Darien Grubb from Floyd County who is working mostly with Dale Earnhardt Junior's team this year.  We will be running some of that as the Cup circuit hangs out around Charlotte for the next couple of weeks.  

After leaving the Track and stopping to get Mexican for Lunch, we had to, it was Cinco De Mayo.  Travis and I went to Hickory, NC and did and interview with Tom Hagan who graduated from Cave Spring and then UVA and is currently playing Minor League Baseball in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization for the Hickory Crawdads. 

Saw Tom and his team take batting practice then interviewed Hagan and stayed for part of the Game.  What a great guy, after we did the interview Travis and I talked to Tom out in front of his dugout for at least a half hour about a number of different topics and people we all know. 

I went to Cave Spring as well for , those that don't know that.  Payne, Hagan and I are so proud of you!!!!.  We will be running a story on Tom this week so stay tuned.  

Travis and I rolled back into Roanoke about 11:30pm, 17 hours after we left the station, long day but it was enjoyable.   

Have to send out congrats to Snickelfritz, she got a new job.  Watch out everyone.  Have a good week.

May 5

 

Welcome to another week and another edition of Mind Nugget Monday. 

If you read last week you know I said I would talk about me losing a bunch of weight starting a year ago today Cinco De Mayo. Lets start by saying that I lost a total of 50 pounds in the whole process from start to end.  <, /P>

It, began with me stepping on the scale at my parents house in the middle of April and seeing 269lbs pop up and I decided I needed to lose some weight.  I began working out more and eating better.  I dropped about 10 pounds doing that.  Then on the 5th of May last year I woke up with a bit of a sore throat, but then went on with my day. 

I worked the Chili Cook-off then went to a Kentucky Derby Party and a Birthday Party.  At the B-Day Festivities I was rather proficient at putting a Ping Pong Ball in a Cup.  I woke up the next day feeling horrible, by Throat was swollen and I was achy all over.  That was the first day of a mystery virus (My Words Not the Doctors)  I went to the Doctor 4 times with them giving me different medicine but in the end I think it was just time that did the curing. (Not a big fan of Doctors here, never have been) 

They even tested me for Mono, I knew it wasn't mono cause I have had Mono twice before, that is miserable.  But, I was sick for a, bout a month total and for the first week and half, my throat and tonsils were so swollen all I ate was Soup and apple sauce.  Nights were filled with the being cold and waking up drenched in sweat (Probably to much information)  After a month of not going out and not eating much, I finally felt better but in the process had lost another 25 pounds.  That is 35 total. 

Since I was all the sudden ahead of the gam, e on the weight loss thing, I started running outside to keep the weight off.  This was new to me, while playing athletics running was always punishment.  The only thing that cured me of this was running outside.  I can't do it indoors on a treadmill or something like that.   Outside with different scenery is the only way I can do it.  So the running thing got me going and in that process I lost another 15 or so pounds.  My lowest weight on a scale last year was 217.  So that was 52 pounds total lost.  I am now in the 225 range and trying to stay in that area. 

With it getting warmer I have been trying to get back to jogging more outside.  I ran my first 5k last Thanksgiving, would like to do another soon.  So that's my weight loss story.  

Back to the present, I played in the Same Fight Golf Tournament up in Floyd County on Saturday Morning.  I had the Pleasure of playing with Jessica Hollandsworth and Matt Poff from the Floyd County State Title golf team and Jessica's Grandfather Paul. 

Our team finished in second place and I had very little to do with it, the kids hit the ball great.  It is the second straight year I have played with Jessica and wish her the best of luck at Maryland, she is a great golfer and a great person and the tournament itself is for a great cause.  

Another local product who has done very well at the college level is Angela Tincher, saw her throw a no-hitter last week and get her 2000 career strikeout.  Tip of the cap to Angela and her fantastic career.  She has done amazing things at Virginia Tech, I don't think we will see a pitcher like that come along for a little while.   Take Care Folks have a great week. 

If you have any questions you want me to a, nswer or maybe we will have a feedback Mind Nugget Monday one day, e-mail me at gkittelson@wdbj7.com. 

April 28

 

Good Monday to everyone all across the World Wide Web.  We begin with something slightly sports related at least for me.  What would your perfect day be, and I don't mean on vacation or you can go anywhere you want.  What would your perfect day be in your everyday life?  I'm not sure if you can ever actually have the perfect day but you sure can try and I came close on Saturday. 

I didn't do anything of substance on Friday Night just watched a movie so I was well rested and ready to go for the day.  I got up and played golf, I know a shock at 10 o'clock.  Played rather well, shot 1 over on the back 9 and the 4-some I was on came out on the right side of things. 

After finishing golf I drove up to Radford and played in the Dana Palmer Charity Basketball Game at Radford High School.  I still enjoy playing basketball and it was for a great cause and plenty of great people on hand.  The team I was on came up short, but I say the teams were skewed.  We got all the football players on my team, Jeff King from the Carolina Panthers (Who played as hard as anybody in this game for the second straight year and probably has the most to lose), Gary Clark the former Washington Redskin and Torian Gray the Virginia Tech assistant coach.  ,

We were up against Dell Curry, as well as brothers Darris and Shane Nichols, they didn't miss much in the second half.  So after playing 2 sports in the afternoon I came back to town showered up and went out with my buddies Booker T and Johnny, we met up with other friends around town at a couple of different spots and as my father would say "A good time was had by all!"  Who doesn't like Texas Tavern Chili.  So it was a darn good day if not perfect, hopefully you all can have a close to perfect day in your life sometime soon.  

As for the week of sports the only thing really on my mind is the NFL Draft, I didn't watch much of it obviously Saturday was busy and played golf again on Sunday.  I might be addicted.  Glad to see the UVA guys go early and then a number of Virginia Tech Players get drafted.  But I can't figure out why in the world Vince Hall doesn't get drafted.  I am biased, Hall might be one of my favorite players I have ever covered, but how does a guy that produced on the football field for a Top 25 team for 4 years not get drafted AT ALL. 

He clearly can play the game of football and I think somebody should have used a pick on him.  He has signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Rams.   Hopefully he can make the team and I can dream of Chris Long and Vince Hall lined up in the same Defense.  That I would like to see!  

On a TV note, we went High Def last week and I had to anchor the 10 and 11 o'clock sports the first night of it.  The biggest change for me about this all is all new Makeup.  First of let me say this, the one thing I HATE about doing TV is having to wear makeup.  Can't Stand it, but it is part of the job. Also, yes I have to put on my own makeup.   

We had a makeup lady come in and she showed me how to do HD makeup.  Lets just say there is a lot more to do than I used to have, eyebrow trimmer, a bunch of other stuff I don't understand and I am still looking for some Milani Lipstick 21B, don't ask why I need lipstick but it actually goes in the corner of my eyes.  So if you know where I can get some let me know. 

Have a great week folks.  Coming next week on my blog, the year anniversary of what led to my massive weight loss a year ago. 

April 2, 1

 

Good Monday to anyone and everyone, at least it is Monday when I am writing these words.  It was a Sports filled week away from the workplace for myself.  Of course I hit the golf course last week. Pl, ayed reasonably well against Johnny and Neal. 

Johnny won our little match at Blue Hills and for his efforts he left jingling in the pockets all the way to the parking lot.  Besides golf there was a lot of softball.  I played as part of a team in the Chance Crawford tournament that was all over the Valley.  I must admit I didn't do a lot of the heavy lifting as our team made it all the way to the Championship game on Sunday Afternoon. 

I played in our first game Saturday Morning, a win, but then had to go to work, anchoring the Saturday Evening Sports.  The team then went on to win 2 games on Saturday.  We played 3 games on Sunday winning 1 and losing 2 to the same team which won the title.  It was the first Softball Tournament that I have played in like that.  Very interesting and enjoyable! 

I will admit that Softball is not my strongest sport, but I enjoy being out there and having fun.  I quit playing baseball as a kid when I was in Middle School.  I remember one time a coach got mad at me for taking a walk instead of swinging at pitches.  I thought the point was to not swing at bad pitches I guess he wanted me to swing since I was one of the bigger kids.   

On Saturday while I was anchoring, Travis Wells, who we are proud to say has joined me in Blogdom, WHOO HOO! went to the Virginia Tech Spring Game.  I picked the right one to go to and the right one to stay in-house as UVA's game was sunny and nice, while rain was in the air in Blacksburg.  Since I didn't see the game in person, I can only comment on what I saw and heard. 

Sean Glennon seems to have gotten the best of the QB situation.  Now all this talk about Tyrod Taylor red-shirting makes me laugh.  First off, what are the Hokies going to do for a back-up QB.  They have already moved Ike Whitaker and Cory Holt to Wide Receiver. In College Football it is very rare that a Quarterback goes through the wh, ole season without getting hurt at least a little.  I like Sean Glennon he is one of my favorite players on the Tech Football Team, the way he has handled everything has impressed me greatly over the past couple of years.  Also everyone who thought Tyrod Taylor was the greatest thing since sliced bread, must admit he hasn't progressed the way everyone thought he would.  So the Hokies are in a situation where maybe the 2 Quarterback system is the best for the Program.  Frank Beamer and his staff know a whole lot more about Football than most everyone else, so whatever decision they make is going to be best for the Football Team and the Program.  What is going to help them win games NOW and down the Road.  Cause the name of the game is still winning.  

Had a lot of thoughts of going with a non-sports related topic this week. , ; Many things going through my head from a discussion I had with someone about the way you view yourself and the way others view you.  I told this person that even though I am 32 years old, that I don't view myself that much different than when I graduated college 10 years ago, yes I graduated!  Others may view me as much different than then, heck I weigh less now than I did then.  But, I like to think I am a little bit more mature and responsible, But in all honesty I am still just trying to enjoy life and have fun.  I have a job that I enjoy, getting, to go to work, think about, talk about and go to sporting events, was something I wanted to do as a kid and have been able to do.

A college roommate told me I was the least stressed person that he had ever met.  That was a great compliment, I try not to get to caught up in things that in the whole scheme of things aren't that really important. Although sometimes I do, everyone does.   As I get older though I see priorities changing and what I want out of life changing.  And what I want out of life is way to deep to be getting today.    Folks take care, have a GREAT week and Hold onto your Britches, cause you never know when it's going to be a wild ride!

April 14

 

Good Monday to everyone out there.  Hope you all had a great weekend.  Mine was filled with work but we begin with some non-work related Sports Fun. 

Saturday Night I went bowling with friends as a going away type of event.  Good Luck in San Fran Maya!  And to be honest I was fired up to go bowling, not really sure why but I was.  First off I looked good in my rental shoes, that had RENTAL stamped on them so I didn't mistake them for my own and take them home with me. 

While I didn't take home the sho, es I did leave with a souvenir, while bowling my first game I threw the ball down the lane on about the 5th frame and it didn't come back.  The people on the next lane over bowled a couple times and their balls didn't come back through the ball return either. 

After calling for help from the people at the lanes, they told us that on my throw the ball I was using had broken and gotten lodged in the ball return.  They gave us a piece of the ball that I was us, ing and I now have it at home.  Weight Room Baby!  We had to move lanes to continue our game.  I won against the people I was bowling against in Game 1 and beat my friend Justin in our Grudge Match of Game 2.   

Played some golf on Thursday afternoon and proud to say that I recorded my 3rd ever eagle in my life.  A Par 5 went Driver-7 iron-made the putt and yes Brian the Tees were up a little but not much.  The Masters was this past week and it is one of the events I enjoy watching, I was working on Sunday and had it on all day in the Sports office.  But with Trevor Immelman running away with it, the drama on Sunday that is normally there was gone.  I like many others was waiting for someone to make a charge, anybody, Tiger, Phil, please someone give us some intrigue but it never happened which is a credit to Immelman who led wire to wire.  

On Saturday I went to the UVA Spring Festival and it was a festival cause there was no real game played just a scrimmage.  Really hard to tell what the Cavs are going to look like when they open the season against Southern Cal on August 30th.  The Defensive starters that are returning played only 1 series, with guys like Jon Cop, per, one of my favorite players, taking a spot on the sidelines for most of the day. 

The Offense did the same thing with guys like Tight End John Phillips from Bath County catching a Touchdown on the first series and then watching.  (We are going to run a story on Phillips and another Friday Football Extra Player Aaron Clark this week).  The Offense did throw the ball a lot during the session.  Scott Deke looked the best out of the quarterbacks, Marc Verica looked pretty good and Peter Lalich had his moments but also some very poor throws, . 

Head Coach Al Groh says the QB battle is wide-open, we will see what happens when they start practice again in the Fall.   

Virginia Tech's Spring Game is this upcoming Saturday.  What a difference a couple of months make.  The Hokies tailback situation has completely changed.  Branden Ore got booted from the program.  Kenny Lewis Jr. is going to have shoulder surgery, Jahre Cheesman has a broken fibula.  That was the top 3 on the depth chart a short time ago.  This opens the door for others to get a chance.  Dustin Pickle a walk-on from Salem who earned a scholarship and a very respectful kid may get a look. Also youngsters Darren Evans and Josh Oglesby will now be in the s, po, tlight.  

Speaking of Virginia Tech as the year anniversary of April 16th gets here take a moment to remember all the people that were and continue to be affected by the horrible events that happened on that day on campus in Blacksburg.    Take Care Folks!

April 7

 

Welcome everyone to another Mind Nugget Monday, MNM for those that want to shorten it up.  I had the pleasure of having a 3-day weekend with Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. 

I was able to work 27 holes of golf in on Friday, and being on the course while it was around 70 degrees was great, my golf game was anything but, it was horrible. (I say around 70 cause I'm not really sure what the temperature was, I leave that to our weather guys). 

I, had a chance to watch both NCAA Men's Semi-Final games on Saturday and the second game between Kansas and UNC was a shocker.  The Tar Heels got down 40 to 12 in the first half and it looked a lot like Roy Williams had the North Carolina Junior Varsity Team on the floor as they got beat at their own game, the Jayhawks just out-ran UNC getting a ton of easy baskets and while the Tar Heels made a comeback, the hole was just to large to dig out of. 

In the first game, I feel like UCLA and Memphis were pretty evenly matched the differen, ce w, as the Tigers made shots and the Bruins didn't.  Darren Collison would love to have a mulligan.  If you checked out the Final Four picks by us back here in the News 7 Sports Department, you can see we are all done for after the Semi's. 

All we got left to look forward to is One Shining Moment at the end of the CBS Broadcast of the Title Game.  I haven't gotten the official vote, but I am pretty sure that when that is playing it is one of about five moments in life that a man is allowed to shed a tear, especially if your a big college basketball fan. 

I do have a rooting interest in the game, my sister will win here Tourney Pool, for purely bragging rights of course, if Kansas cuts down the nets.  GO SNICKELFRITZ!  

I went to see Virginia Tech at Spring Practice again last week, and as I have gotten o, , lder, I'm 32 in case anyone asks, and gotten farther away from my High School Athletic days I find myself appreciating the process of practice more. 

Watching the Hokie coaches work with their players and the different manner in which they go about it is great.  All the time and effort that coaches at all levels put in usually goes unappreciated, I am here to say thanks to al, l you coaches out there that help shape young kids in a positive way, and a real BIG THANKS to all the coaches that helped me become a better person. (There is a future MNM coming on how coaching has changed at the High School Level) 

As for the Hokies themselves, they looked good in some spots, I think that Tech will be able to run the ball better this season no matter who is at Tailback.   Fret not UVA fans, I will be going to Charlottesville this Weekend for the Wahoos Spring Game.  Really interested to see Peter Lalich, who takes over the reins at Quarterback for the Cavaliers. 

In hindsight, you have to give Head Coach Al Groh credit for playing Lalich as a True Freshman.  Many questioned the decision at the time to burn his Red shirt in the manner that he did, but with Jameel Sewell not in school, getting Lalich playing time in his first season on campus should benefit UVA greatly in 2008.   

The Salem Avalanche got underway this past weekend as well, didn't get to see any of the , games, , but it is nice to have the option back of b, eing able to go over to one of the great minor league ballparks and taking in a game. 

When it's a nice night being at Salem Memorial Stadium with a beverage and Hot Do, g is fantastic.    Fun week for the Golf Fan, the Masters is this week.  Virginia Tech's Drew Weaver will be playing in the season's first major.  We will be running some stuff with Drew this week, Really hoping that he does well.  Making the cut would be an awesome accomplishment.   If you have any questions, suggestions, or good jokes for the MNM feel free to let me know at gkittelson@wdbj7.com. Who doesn't like to laugh.  

Take care and until next week try and avoid being 3-Jack Billy on the Greens.

MARCH 31

 

You maybe asking yourself what is Mind Nugget Monday, the easy answer is the name I have given my blog.  The I, would be Grant Kittelson from the , Sports Department here at WDBJ-TV.  If you have any better suggestions for what is planned to be my weekly commenting feel free to e-mail them to me at gkittelson@wdbj7.com or any other thoughts you may have.  So here is the first installment.

Welcome to another Monday folks.  It was a busy sports week for myself and the News7 Sports Department. 

Lets start with Sunday and work our way backwards.  On Sunday, I went down to the race at Martinsville Speedway and did a couple of stories.  One was on the cold weather for News, and how Clay Campbe, ll, the , , speedw, a, y p, resident, , said it was the coldest Cup Race he had ever been at.  I can vouch for that, put on the flannel lined khakis and toughed it out, love flannel lined khakis. If you don't have a pair of pants like them, I highly recommend them.  Thanks to my buddy D.J. Fred for telling me about them back in college.  I digress.  

Also, did a story on Bryan White, the Jackman for Ryan Newman's #12 team who used to play football at UVA.  Great Guy, really enjoyed talking to him about making the change from Football to Nascar, the entire raw interview with him is on our Sports Page. 

I had Saturday off and it was nice, so I hit the golf course, always a good day and then watched the NCAA game.  The Carolina game got a little close, but I was glad to see the Tar Heel, s pull it out cause I have them winning it all in my bracket from the , get go, have them beating UCLA in the Final.  

Earlier in the week, we had a lot of Virginia Tech athletics.  The NIT quarterfinals were the same day as the beginning of Spring Practice.  The hokies basketball team came up short, but, WOW, I don't think a lot of people thought they would be as good as they were this season, finishing 4th in the ACC and winning 21 games. 

Tip of the cap to Seth Greenberg for getting that many new faces to gel and play so hard.  Ole Miss just a couple BIG bodies down low that took charge of the boards.   

Spring Football is back, but it is just practice and then the Spring Game is cool for like 5 minutes and then you realize it is just a scrimmage.  I understand it for the value that it presents the team, but as a fan it is just a reminder of how much you look forward to the beginning of College Football in the Fall.  

<, P>As for the Hokies on the Field, seeing Victor "Macho" Harris run at Wide Receiver was a lot of fun to watch.  I covered Macho in High School when he was at Highland Spring and I was working in Richmond. 

 

Having seen some of the things he can do with a football in his hands is fantastic.  I like Macho and was glad to see him comeback for his Senior Season, and if the Tech Coaching staff can get the ball in his hands, hold on for some fun times. 

A couple of position battle intrigue me, what are they going to do at quarterback, both Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor look bigger, in a good way.  Then at Tailback, who steps in for Branden Ore, is it Kenny Lewis Jr., Jahre Cheesman, or one of the underclassmen who we really haven't seen carry the ball yet.   

Now a non Sports related item from the weekend, saw a relatively new band, Sugar Love on Friday, really enjoyed them.  Nice job Charlie!  

Have a great week, it will be a sad day next Monday, the college basketball season will be ending with the National Championship game, that means One Shining Moment after the title game. 

Love the montage that CBS puts together to the song, but man will I miss the tournament and college basketball season.     

But it also means the Masters is the next week and that really means the beginning of GOLF Season.    

Just remember if Long is Wrong,  I don't want to be Ri, ght.  That's a golf term for you folks that don't hit the links.

 

                        :  Put my voice down for a story that would run in the morning show, then M-L and I had to pack up our gear to ship it back to Roanoke.   :  I woke up from a nice long deep sleep to do a radio interview back here in Roanoke.  I was on a show with Greg Roberts and Justin Ditmore:  I arrived at the TV Station here in Roanoke.  Myself and M-L, who was along for the entire trip with me, hopped a ride to the airport with Bob Grebe.