Final columns
It's been a few months since I've written a column for this newspaper. But during its last week of publication for my last semester of college, I couldn't pass up an offer to have my ugly mug appear on these pages once more.
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It's been a few months since I've written a column for this newspaper. But during its last week of publication for my last semester of college, I couldn't pass up an offer to have my ugly mug appear on these pages once more.
For three-and-a-half years - in accordance with Cavalier Daily style guidelines - I have been typing, "Virginia coach Al Groh." Striking any other keys prior to that name is truly an odd experience.\nHere goes: A week ago, I had the opportunity to catch up with new Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Al Groh. For those of you that haven't been keeping up, Groh was hired by Yellow Jackets coach Paul Johnson Jan. 14 - 46 days after Groh was fired from his post at Virginia.
When William McGarvey Dudley died a week ago today at the age of 88, few students blinked an eye. Heck, it took nearly a week for this newspaper to run a story about him.\nBut if there's any community who should mourn the passing of "Bullet" Bill Dudley, it is the University community.
One year ago, in March, Dave Leitao was fired from his post as the coach of the Virginia men's basketball team for a number of reasons. A big one, though, was that during the two previous years, he couldn't get his team to play defense.
Jason Kidd attended the University of California, Berkeley for two years, which sits one spot ahead of the University of Virginia in the U.S. News and World Report's rankings of the best public colleges and universities in the country.
Sixteen hours, 57 minutes and 34 seconds. What productive thing have you done for that amount of time?
There is 2:08 remaining in regulation, and your offense is on the field leading by six points. It's fourth-and-2 on your own 28-yard line. Your opponent has just one timeout and the two-minute warning to stop the clock. Automatic punt, right?
At various times during my time at U.Va., students and fans have called for the firing of Virginia football coach Al Groh. In my time as a student reporter, though, I have stayed away from the subject. I do not feel it is my place to call for the firing of someone who has coached football for longer than I have been alive.
The day after the Virginia football team was clobbered by Georgia Tech, I made the trip to Greensboro, N.C. for the men's basketball ACC media day. Prior to team interviews, I attended the annual Commissioner's Forum, where this year's rule changes were announced by John Clougherty, ACC coordinator of basketball officials.
At one of last fall's football games, the Virginia women's rowing team was honored at halftime. The Cavaliers had just won their ninth consecutive ACC Championship and placed fifth at the NCAA Championships, finishing in the top five for the eighth time in 11 years at the NCAAs.
What were you doing at 8 a.m. last Saturday? Drooling on your pillow? Recovering from one night's intoxication to prepare for gameday drinking?
Being a D.C. sports fan and a U.Va. student is just a bundle of fun right now.
For University students, midterms are about two weeks away. But Virginia athletics run on a different schedule, with the fall season starting a couple weeks before the academic semester starts, and ending a couple weeks before the academic semester ends.
Anyone looking for something positive to say about Virginia athletics?
I am as sure that the Virginia baseball team is set for the long haul as I am that Virginia has a better football team than William & Mary.
Anyone and everyone associated with the University and mildly interested in sports wants to know how the U.Va. football team is going to be at the beginning of every season.\nNever, though, is that more true than this year, when there is so much that is new and so much to lose. There are five new assistants - six if you count Virginia coach Al Groh as the official defensive coordinator. (He was the de facto coordinator in previous years, but now it's official.) Groh's job is absolutely on the line. This season is as unpredictable as Virginia men's basketball coach Tony Bennett is handsome. Or so I have been told ...\nBut, I have the answer. There's no need to go to games this year once you've read this. Virginia will go 3-9.\nOr 9-3. Or somewhere in between.\nI know. I know what you're thinking. Take it easy! Don't count your chickens before they hatch! I'll tell you what: If I'm wrong, then at the end of the school year, fire me. Or I'll just graduate on time.\nWhen looking at the schedule though, I am convinced that my bravery is warranted. That being said, I'll make a more specific prediction that you absolutely shouldn't hold me to: 6-6. Exactly between 3-9 and 9-3. Here is, game by game, how the season will - probably not - break down.\nGame 1: vs. William & Mary\nVirginia really could lose this game. No, seriously. The Cavs easily could have lost to fellow FCS opponent Richmond last season, and William & Mary took that same Spiders team to overtime. And that was before Virginia's starting quarterback got kicked off the team. And that wasn't during a season-opener when Virginia is testing out a new offense.\nBut, like last year against Richmond, I think Groh's defense will keep the Tribe out of the end zone enough to keep Virginia's head above water. Cavs win, but it's not an easy one. Prediction: Virginia 13, William & Mary 6.\nGame 2: vs. TCU\nThe Horned Frogs not only have the coolest mascot on the schedule, but they also are the best team from outside of the conference. They are No. 17 in the country preseason and they have three running threats - two tailbacks and a quarterback. Running attacks with two prongs or more killed U.Va. early last year what with an inexperienced D-Line - see games against UConn, Duke, even Georgia Tech if it hadn't turned the ball over. TCU will have the same effect against inexperienced linebackers. Second game of the season, first real test; Virginia flunks. Prediction: TCU 28, Virginia 10.\nGame 3: @ Southern Mississippi\nThink Virginia will roll over the Golden Eagles? If anything, it will be the other way around. Southern Miss has a legitimate shot to win the Conference USA, which also includes East Carolina and Tulsa. It also runs its own version of the spread, so a defense that sees that every day in practice won't be taken off guard by U.Va.'s spread look. Combine that with the home field, and Southern Miss wins a close one. Prediction: Southern Miss 13, Virginia 10.\nGame 4: @ North Carolina\nUNC is one of the few legit teams in the ACC, and it has the home field. Plus, the Heels are peeved that Virginia stole a win last year in overtime. Tar Heels win, and it's not a steal. Prediction: UNC 30, Virginia 14.\nGame 5: vs. Indiana\nIt's one of the alleged worst teams in the ACC against the alleged worst team in the Big Ten - what a dream matchup! Originally, I had planned to make this game an upset-special. But then I realized it's only because I love the movie, "Hoosiers."\nThese Hoosiers have a reputation for struggling with spread offenses and with massive offensive linemen - Virginia has both. Plus, if the Cavs get to six games as I predict they will, then they have to win this one. At home, and at 1-3 with their backs against the wall, they will do so convincingly. Prediction: Virginia 31, Indiana 7.\nGame 6: @ Maryland\nThis one's tough. Two teams with question marks. A coach who's job is on the line vs. a coach who just lost 100-plus pounds since last season. Though I'm not sure if that's relevant ... just thought I'd throw that in there.\nI'll go with Virginia, only because of karma. The Cavs' win at Maryland in 2007 was probably their biggest win of the season. Jameel Sewell is back, and maybe Mikell Simpson's memories of his breakout performance during that game will get him going once again. On an eerily similar last-minute drive to the '07 game, Virginia wins a huge contest on the road. Prediction: Virginia 20, Maryland 17.\nGame 7: vs. Georgia Tech\nYou want to talk about a home game Virginia is going to lose, this one's it. This is the second year in coach Paul Johnson's triple-option offense for quarterback Josh Nesbitt and the rest of the Yellow Jackets. They are the highest-ranked team on the schedule other than Virginia Tech. Virginia is just coming off an emotionally exhausting win. GT is ticked about last year. Prediction: Georgia Tech 34, Virginia 14.\nGame 8: vs. Duke\nHere's where I go out on a limb. This one's a loss.\nYes, I know: It's Duke. But it's not the same Duke. Coach David Cutcliffe is turning this program around. Thaddeus Lewis is an All-ACC caliber quarterback. The Blue Devils could very well come into this game still winless in the ACC, so they'll be motivated and they have the confidence to beat the Cavs after stomping them by almost 30 points last year. And, I just have a feeling that this is a game during which Virginia could lay an egg. Prediction: Duke 20, Virginia 14.\nGame 9: @ Miami\nThe Cavs are the underdog in this one but they will pull it out. Just like last season, a loss to Duke gets Virginia going. Miami's secondary is extremely aggressive, so they will bite on Virginia's option fakes and screens, which will be seasoned by this point in the year. The Cavs closed out the Orange Bowl with a 48-point triumph in 2007 - their first game in Land Shark Stadium won't be quite so one-sided, but the result will be the same. Prediction: Virginia 30, Miami 20.\nGame 10: vs. Boston College\nNew Eagles coach Frank Spaziani is my favorite coach in the ACC but he's got a lot on his plate. He does not have a quarterback who has thrown a pass in college. The Eagles best defensive player - 2008 ACC Defensive Player of the Year Mark Herzlich - was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. The Eagles put up a fight, but in the end, the Cavs soar. Prediction: Virginia 24, Boston College 10.\nGame 11: @ Clemson\nVirginia is 5-5 and must beat Clemson to avoid the daunting task of beating Virginia Tech to become bowl-eligible. Hmmm. Sound familiar?\nVirginia faced the same scenario last season, and the Cavs' offense had one of its more frustrating performances of the year, turning the ball over four times en route to a 13-3 loss. This year - on the road, against a better Clemson team, mind you - Virginia pulls it out. Fueled by the desire to keep Groh's job and to stay eligible for a bowl unlike last season, this one isn't based on Xs and Os, just a gut feeling. Prediction: Virginia 14, Clemson 13.\nGame 12: vs. Virginia Tech\n"If we can just beat Virginia Tech, I'll be happy."\nI'm sick of hearing this around Grounds. I hate those shirts at the University Bookstore that say, "Beat Tech." Beating the Hokies would be nice, but Wahoos should want a good team, period.\nAfter this game, if you bought one of those shirts, you better put it back in the dresser until next season. This Hokie team is ranked No. 7 in the AP poll for good reason. It is just too doggone good and it will have too much on the line. Prediction: Virginia Tech 31, Virginia 10.\nSo the Cavs go 6-6. Do they make a bowl? Maybe they do, maybe they don't. Does Groh keep his job? Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't.\nI don't have the answers. All I know is, Tony Bennett has a really nice smile. Or so I have been told ...
Like several of you, I went to the Girl Talk concert Saturday night. I was hoping to make it in time to hear Virginia men's basketball coach Tony Bennett and football coach Al Groh speak to the crowd; I did not.\nI was disappointed to miss Bennett. I was happy to miss Groh. And probably not for the reason you think.\nIt's not that I'm glad to miss Groh, per se. It's the reception he received - or so I have been told - by those in attendance at John Paul Jones Arena that I am relieved not to have witnessed. From what I heard, the boos were as loud or louder than the cheers. Frankly, I am appalled.\nI, too, am frustrated by the performance of the football team in recent years. I, too, expect better than 5-7. But to show such disrespect for a man who lives and breathes Virginia, for a guy whose life achievements as a coach are awe-inspiring, for someone who wants the Virginia football team to win as much as or more than anyone, and moreover, for an alumnus of this University, is entirely unwarranted.\nI could make a heck of a case that, in fact, Groh's best year as Virginia's coach during the last three years was 2008, when Virginia went 5-7, not the year before when the Cavs went 9-4 and made the Gator Bowl. But that is irrelevant to the point.\nHow would you like to walk into an arena filled with the students whom you spend your life representing, and they simply dismiss you like the scum of the Earth? I don't care how many millions of dollars Groh makes. I don't care how bad his teams have been. Just because he has been to the NFL and back doesn't mean he's invincible and can't get his feelings hurt.\nLet me be clear: I am in no way saying that we should never be critical of a coach. Heck, I have on several occasions disagreed in this newspaper with his decision-making. For example, I don't think Peter Lalich should have started against Richmond last year. And let me add to that: I think Groh should redshirt his freshmen more. Yesterday on a media teleconference, he said he has no reservations about quarterback Vic Hall also returning punts; I have many.\nBut there are ways to voice your criticism, and there are ways not to. Booing Groh when he is going out of his way to address you, the student body, is immature and unbecoming of a University student. You want to make your voice heard? Post on one of numerous free message boards. Write an e-mail.\nIt's the same reason that on Virginia's weekly radio show with Al Groh, the University has elected to no longer take callers. It's because rather than asking respectful questions, fans were calling in and simply berating Groh. They decided to drop the callers, and I don't blame them.\nAnd you know what is the most laughable part about it? That this blatant disrespect is coming from Cavalier fans.\nThe majority of Wahoo students, in my estimation, don't go to the football games because they have a thirst for football. They go because it is a social event. They go so they can tailgate and wear sundresses and shirts and ties. There are University students who really do know the team, but I would venture to say that they are in the minority.\nSo, of the people that jeered Groh, I would guess that many of you don't know that Vic Hall may start at quarterback this year, or even who Vic Hall is. I would bet you can't pull the name of Virginia's new offensive coordinator or special teams coach - Gregg Brandon and Ron Prince, respectively - and no, I did not just look up those names. Fans are booing Groh for what they see as a flawed past, and yet many don't know how he has already addressed many issues with his team.\nI have never been too enthusiastic about the Virginia fan base. I wish more people around here would treat athletic events as opportunities to follow their teams as opposed to opportunities to socialize. I prefer chest paint to formal wear. That's the culture of this University, and I have come to terms with that. But to then turn around and be disrespectful and degrading toward the football coach is nothing short of two-faced. You don't care most of the time, but when the head coach comes to speak to you, you care enough to degrade him.\nI'm not Al Groh's personal cheerleader. I have my own opinions that differ from his, too. But when I am critical, I try to have a certain amount of respect for a guy who has been coaching football for longer than I've been alive - never mind the kind of respect that one University alum might show another.
Athletes talk about team chemistry and camaraderie like chefs talk about adding ingredients in appropriate proportions. And, speaking from outside the locker room, I won't deny that these qualities make up a factor that goes into winning and losing in sports.\nBut frankly, I always thought that it was mostly hogwash.\nMaybe part of it is that even as an amateur, I'm beginning to turn into your stereotypically cynical sportswriter. But I played sports in high school, so I also reference personal experience. I played on teams divided that won, and teams that were just smitten with each other that always found a way to lose. I've played with guys who I never knew whether I could count on, yet we still found a way to win - and vice versa.\nThen, I covered the 2009 Virginia baseball team - and I was born anew.\nWhy? Because this group's accomplishments just don't make sense. It doesn't make sense for a team that starts three, sometimes four freshmen to make the program's first trip to the College World Series. It doesn't add up for a bullpen to return two players who pitched significant innings in 2008, have both those pitchers blow up midseason, and then post a 1.45 ERA in the postseason run to Omaha.\nBelieve me, I've considered other possibilities - namely, that the Cavaliers, ranked No. 5 in the nation at season's end, have the No. 5 class of talent. But truly, they don't. You tell me that freshman standout pitcher/first baseman Danny Hultzen was projected in the second round of the 2008 MLB Draft, and I'll tell you that sophomore pitcher Kevin Arico went from throwing 14.1 innings in 2008 to being the team's lights-out closer in the last two months of the 2009 season. You tell me that freshman third baseman Steven Proscia already has the physical stature of a big leaguer, and I'll tell you that freshman second baseman Keith Werman, at 5-foot-7, 140 pounds, would make more sense as the coxswain for the club rowing team than as a .400-hitting second baseman - which he was.\nSo how does a team that starts six underclassmen position players and two of three underclassmen in the weekend pitching rotation end up at the College World Series? This group, as O'Connor and players repeated throughout the season, was as close as could be. Even on day one of the spring season, when everyone was predicting a season of growing pains, O'Connor said he had never coached a more tight-knit group in his six years with the program.\n"They just showed a toughness and a level of character and pride that I haven't been a part of," O'Connor said.\nAs the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding. Here are a few morsels - some examples of individuals who came through when they probably shouldn't have.
OMAHA, Ne. - To win the College World Series, a team must survive a bracket composed of four powerhouse teams, then win a best-of-three series against another premier opponent in one of the most electric environments in college baseball.\nVirginia did not win it all this season, but one could argue that, just to arrive in Omaha, the Cavaliers won the equivalent of a College World Series.\nFrom the beginning of the spring season, the Cavaliers were on a mission to prove that they were not too young, that they were ready to contend as an elite team one year earlier than expected. Virginia carried that chip on its shoulder through its second-ever ACC Tournament championship and into the NCAA Tournament, where Virginia survived what many dubbed the "Regional of Death" and a hot-hitting Ole Miss team at its raucous stadium in Oxford, Miss. When the dust settled, the Cavs had reached their first College World Series in program history.\nThe Cavs were not quite so fortunate once they arrived at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, however. They were the second team eliminated, after they suffered a gut-wrenching 4-3 loss to Arkansas in 12 innings. But perhaps no team left Omaha with more respect than coach Brian O'Connor's Cavaliers.\n"There weren't a lot of high expectations in the preseason of this team," O'Connor said. "We've played all year long with something to prove."\nWhen the Cavaliers won the ACC Tournament, it seemed that they were worthy of hosting an NCAA Regional pool. When the NCAA announced all 16 one-seeded teams before the championship game had been decided, though, the NCAA Selection Committee looked past the Cavaliers, giving North Carolina, Florida State and Clemson the right to host - all of whom had fallen to Virginia in the ACC Tournament.\nThe most startling news, though, came the next day, when the entire tournament field was announced. Virginia was sent across the country to the Irvine regional; where host team University of California-Irvine was the No. 1 team in the nation. The Cavs' first opponent, three-seed San Diego State, featured Stephen Strasburg, one of the most anticipated MLB pitching prospects of this decade.\nAnd the fourth-seed, Fresno State, entered the tournament as the defending national champion, having shocked the nation by winning it all in 2008 - as a regional four-seed.\nIt was written that Virginia got "screwed," and that the difficulty of this regional was an indication of the Selection Committee bowing to pressure from ESPN, who had already declared interest in covering the Irvine Regional, as stated in the San Diego Union-Tribune May 27. Nevertheless, Virginia managed to put a positive spin on the selection.\n"First reaction, you're just shocked that you get put in a regional like that," junior pitcher Matt Packer said. "But when you think about it, you have to beat the best teams anyway. We might as well get it over with right off the bat."\nAnd so the Cavaliers did. They first knocked off Strasburg, handing him his first loss of the season. Then, Virginia made quick work of Irvine, bouncing the Anteaters in back-to-back games.\nAdvancing to their first Super Regional in program history, the Cavaliers' reward was a trip to Oxford, Miss., to take on one of the hottest teams in the nation at the time in what O'Connor called one of the top three baseball atmospheres in the country. Nine thousand-plus screaming fans arrived to Swayze Field to cheer on the Ole Miss Rebels, daring the underclassmen-dominated Cavaliers to feel overwhelmed.\nBut, even as Virginia lost the first game in walk-off fashion, it rebounded with the elasticity it had shown all season. The Cavs recovered to down the Rebels, 4-3 in game two and 5-1 in the third and final game of the series.\nThe Cavaliers' furious postseason run put them among the final eight teams in the country, and in Omaha. Virginia not only arrived as the Cinderella, but also as the hometown favorite by way of its manager - O'Connor was raised in Omaha and went to college at nearby Creighton, the team for which he played in the College World Series.\nThe Cavs again faltered early, however, dropping their opening game to powerhouse and eventual champion LSU. They then landed a win by eliminating Cal State Fullerton, exacting revenge for the Titans' elimination of Virginia in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.\nBut, if it was fitting that the Cavaliers overcame adversity to arrive in Omaha, it was equally appropriate that Virginia, the loser of 10 games by two runs or less in prior contests, was eliminated by the smallest of margins. Going into the ninth inning against Arkansas with a 3-1 lead, sophomore closer Kevin Arico surrendered a two-run homer to tie the game. During the next three innings, Virginia put nine men aboard but failed to score, and the Razorbacks eventually plated a runner in the 12th inning, sending the Cavaliers back to Charlottesville.\n"I told them that I couldn't take the hurt and the pain away from them because I know that it means so much to them," O'Connor said. "I know that they felt coming here that we could legitimately win the national championship."\nVirginia fans were far from disappointed, however. As O'Connor made a slow walk back to the team bus with his head down after Virginia's loss to Arkansas, a small group of Cavalier fans stuck around to give him a rousing ovation.\nEven an admittedly frustrated, disappointed O'Connor could understand why.\n"I couldn't be more proud of a group of young men than we have in our uniform," O'Connor said after the loss. "I don't think there were a lot of people that predicted that we could be in this position right now."\nNow, with Virginia losing at most three players who made significant contributions this past season, the College World Series will not be a dream so much as an expectation.\n"I think the competition in our program will be the best that it's ever been," O'Connor said. "There will be expectations on this team next year that this program has never had before"
For the first four years of Virginia coach Brian O’Connor’s tenure with the Cavaliers, a home run was an uncommon occurrence.Last night, though, this year’s power-heavy Virginia offense lifted the Cavaliers from a two-run deficit against Georgetown, which has the worst winning percentage on Virginia’s schedule. A solo homer from sophomore centerfielder Jarrett Parker and a three-run moon shot from sophomore left fielder Phil Gosselin fueled the Cavaliers to a 9-3 victory against the Hoyas at Davenport Field.“I don’t think that we played a really good baseball game [last night] fundamentally, and that’s what I shared with the team after the game,” O’Connor said, “but the important thing is that we won the ball game. College baseball games are hard to win, and you need to enjoy ‘em when you get ‘em.”Virginia (32-8-1, 11-7-1 ACC) faced a scare from Georgetown (11-26) early. After Parker cranked an opposite-field solo shot to give the Cavaliers a one-run lead in the third inning, Georgetown senior Sean Baumann crushed Virginia freshman pitcher Will Roberts’ delivery with two runners on base to put the Hoyas up 3-1.Roberts is “a freshman and he’s learning,” O’Connor said. “He’s given us some really good quality starts in his career.”That margin stood until the bottom of the fifth, when the Cavaliers finally delivered. Sophomore Corey Hunt led off the inning with a drag bunt single, and the next batter, Parker, was grazed by Georgetown starting pitcher Jared Cohen to put two runners on base with no outs. After freshman John Hicks grounded into a 6-3 fielder’s choice, Gosselin yanked a towering shot deep into the left field bleachers for his fifth home run of the season and his first since April 5 against Maryland.“I was just trying to get something to the outfield to get the run in,” Gosselin said. “He left the pitch over the plate, and luckily I was able to put a pretty good swing on it.”Though Gosselin’s home run was the more important of the two, Parker’s also was a relief. Parker had gone two for his last 17 at the plate, including 10 strikeouts against Boston College in last weekend’s series. After being placed in the leadoff role last night for the first time since the series opener against the Eagles, Parker knocked his 12th home run of the season and went 3-for-4 with two RBIs last night.“Everybody goes through a tough stretch at some point,” O’Connor said. “I think Jarrett had his; he figured out what he needed to do to get through it, and now he’s back.”Following Gosselin’s home run in the fifth, O’Connor removed Roberts and sent out sophomore pitcher Tyler Wilson to start the sixth. Wilson, continuing his excellent play in recent games, allowed no base runners on just 21 pitches during two innings. In his last three outings, Wilson has allowed just one run and three hits in eight innings of work.“[Wilson] has pitched in so many big games for us when he’s stepped up for his team,” O’Connor said. “I think he’s pitching really good baseball, and it’s been a real shot in the arm for us.”The Cavaliers then exploded for a five-run seventh, taking advantage of two Hoya errors in the inning to seal the game.This weekend, the Cavaliers have their first home ACC series since April 5 against N.C. State. The upcoming series is the third to last for Virginia, as it hosts Duke the following weekend and finishes the season on the road against Virginia Tech.NotesFreshman Steven Proscia had a two-run single in the eighth, giving him seven RBIs in the two midweek games this week. Against Virginia Commonwealth Tuesday, Proscia knocked a grand slam for his fifth home run of the season ... The Cavaliers now have 38 home runs this season; the previous season high for Virginia during O’Connor’s tenure was 35 in 2005 ... Freshmen pitchers Sean Lucas and Justin Thompson each threw an inning to finish the game for Virginia. Neither allowed a hit, though Lucas walked two batters and Thompson walked one ... Hunt went 3-for-4 on the evening. His only other game of three or more hits was Feb. 28, 2008, when he had four hits in a 27-1 victory against Coppin State ... The Cavaliers have tallied at least nine hits in each of their last seven games.