Last night was a big letdown--of sorts. I thought for a few moments there that the Hokies weren't even going to put up a fight. That first quarter was abysmal. So many mistakes, and a porous defense. I am glad they came alive in the second and third quarters, but only to go silent again in the fourth. Overall, it was a disappointing loss for the Hokies, as it certainly puts National Title hopes in jeopardy. But Tyrod Taylor was amazing! I hope he can play like that all season, because if the running game gets going with Evans and Williams, that will be a three-pronged attack that few will be able to contain. The defense is clearly a work in progress, however, and the kicking game is even more of a liability. I don't think Hazley is the answer for field goals.
Overall, I took comfort in knowing VT could hang with Boise State until the end, and we showed flashes of greatness that could be. But consistency will be the key if we want to come out on top of the ACC. Depending on what happens with other National Title contenders, Tech could still have a shot at going to the Championship game. But no more losses, and other dominos have to fall. For instance, if you are a Hokie fan, you are also a Florida State and Miami fan for this weekend only, because they play Oklahoma and Ohio State, respectively. The more loses Oklahoma and OSU have, the better chance VT has of being considered a contender. So there is some hope!
In other news, Rob Dibble got fired as color commentator for the Washington Nationals. Dibble has always been a controversial choice as commentator for Nats games, due to some of the things he said during games. For instance, he was fascinated by two women sitting behind the dugout who appeared to be talking the whole game. He made a sexist comment about how they were probably talking about where the best clothing sales were going to be the next day. He focused on these women for several innings and continued to make sexist comments. The emails came flying in and Bob Carpenter, the lead commentator, kept trying to get Dibble to tone it down. I didn't watch this particular game on TV, but I would imagine Dibble had been drinking. That has been my running joke with my friend Keith, that Rob Dibble is a raging alcoholic, which is why he makes such stupid comments. And the worse the Nats are playing, the more Dibble drinks. But the straw that broke the camel's back was when he basically called Stephen Strasburg a cry baby because he injured his arm in a late August game. Later it was discovered that he tore the ligament in his elbow, which will require Tommy John surgery, the recovery from which takes 12-18months. I am now starting to think the Nationals will become a cursed team, starting with their star pitcher being out for the rest of this season and all of next season. Anyways, Dibble being fired gets mixed reviews from me. On one hand, I enjoyed making fun of his idiotic comments, his trying to quote lines from Adam Sandler movies, and his alleged drunken rants on how umpires don't call strikes as much as they use to "back in the day when I was pitching." Ironically, however, it was his idiocy that did Dibble in, and cost him his job.
Rob Dibble's demise kinda symbolizes D.C. sports in general: either a travesty already or one waiting to happen. The Wizards have not been relevant for years, at least not since I moved to VA in 1988. The Nationals are struggling to sell tickets and I wouldn't be surprised if the team moves in the next several years, because D.C. is not a baseball town. The Capitals have been good for a few years, but can't do anything in the playoffs. And the Redskins, well, they're the Redskins. Though I am fully confident the Skins will win more than four games thise year, I still have a sneaking suspicion they will be mediocre at best. Whether it's the aging backfield, the new offensive line, or the lack of good wide receivers (other than Santana Moss), this team does not feel like a playoff team to me. Donovan McNabb is a great QB, but who does he have to throw to other than Moss and my man Chris Cooley? One thing Coach Mike Shanahan will have to do is fix all the fuck ups the previous regime made. He has done that. The atmosphere around the team is more positive, and Shanny isn't taking any shit from players, whether they have a $600,000contract or a $100 Million contract. Looks like Albert Haynesworth may be traded back to the Titans, in a "Return to Sender" type scenario. And thank God! He is a cancer, no matter how much talent he may have.
I hope the future of D.C. Sports is bright, although I could care less about the aforementioned Wizards (I'm actually a Bobcats fan). I would love to see the Skins win another Super Bowl, for the Nats become contenders, and for the Capitals to hoist the Stanley Cup. Maybe in time, all of that will happen. But that is not my immediate concern. I now have to figure out what I'm going to do now that I can't make "Rob Dibble is an Alcoholic and idiot" jokes!
No comments:
Post a Comment