It Must Be Football Season

That old familiar feeling is creeping into my stomach again. My blood pressure is easily up 15 points. I just spent 2 weeks watching 130 videos of highlights from previous Hokie football campaigns. Yes, my Calm and Beloved Reader, it must be football season.

I don't listen to Metallica's Enter Sandman from April until August. If I hear it on the radio, I'll change the station. I don't want to become "used to" that song. I don't want to be numb to what it means. It even makes me a little sad to hear parts of it when it's not football season because it reminds me that there's no football and I get sad. But today, on the way home, on the same day that the Hokies opened their summer practice, the riff of Enter Sandman began blaring through my car stereo. It was fate. And instead of changing the station, I nearly wrecked my car exiting the highway while I headbanged my heart out. Oh yes, my Calm and Beloved Reader, it must be football season.

I reviewed the current heights and weights of the full Hokie roster and pondered over the fact that backup whip LB Alonzo Tweedy lost weight over the summer and only weighs 188 lbs. Is that big enough? Blake DeChristopher put on weight. Will he be able to maintain his stamina into the 4th quarter of a key game? Is Nick Acree actually human at 6'5", 301 lbs as a true freshman? Yes indeed, it must be football season.

I've begun practicing cursing the name Bryan Stinespring. I've noticed that I've begun pacing a little. At work, I just started walking back and forth when I talk on the phone, whereas usually I'll just sit at my desk. I am wondering about the torn quadriceps tendon (Barquell Rivers), dislocated kneecap (Vinston Painter), injured knee (Darren Evans) and strained groin (Jayron Hosley and Dyrell Roberts) of young men in college I've never met. Strained groin??? It must be football season.

I've reviewed the roster of the Boise State Broncos and I know that one starting receiver is Titus Young who hails from Los Angeles and is majoring in Communications. The younger brother of Boise star QB Kellen Moore is Kirby Moore and he's the other starting receiver. Those two have to know what each other is thinking at all times which is a dangerous weapon on the field. I'm beginning to dislike the color blue and staying away from anyone I know that went to UVa (ok that last one is pretty much year round). Ah yes, gotta be football season.

I'm showingmy 4 yr old daughter the proper spike of a toy football and demonstrating to her what the various referee hand signals mean. I'm teaching high fives and low fives to my 2 yr old daughter and I have begun adding the RSS feed from just about every Hokie site I can get my hands on. It must be football season.

Finally, I've budgeted the additional charges for every channel of FoxSports, Versus, ESPN (including ESPN 3 on the internet), ACC All-Access Pass, and any and all means to catch every Hokie game this year. Now that I'm out in Kansas City, where these people THINK they take their college football seriously, I'm getting the VT flag ready to be mounted out front and I'm checking the HOA rules/regulations for any prohibition of painting my mailbox maroon and orange. The Hokie Viking helmet is ready and I've got my line of credit established at the local beer/liquor store (which is inside the grocery stores here which is convenient). My Calm and Beloved Reader, IT MUST BE HOKIE FOOTBALL SEASON AND TSF IS FIRED UP!

Go Hokies!!!!!!!

Thirty Days of Wait

This is it folks. 2010. The year we have been talking about since perhaps 2007. The year, that many of us TSF faithful discussed on that fateful morning walking around before that evening's wedding.

2010 is the chance. Sure there have been chances since then. But with the maturing of Tyrod Taylor, the mega-core of the stacked backfield, a seasoned set of receivers, and a solid offensive line, the Hokies appear to have one of the most balanced attacks we've seen this side of the turn of the century.

So Boise State will travel to -- lets face it Hokie Country -- Washington DC to open the season on Labor Day. By all accounts, the 2009 [Insert U-word] Broncos will be ranked in the top five, perhaps as high as two or three. They return 21 of 22 starters from that squad.

The Hokies return eight starters on offense and for once the questions are on the defense and special teams side of the ball. However, we can always count on DC Bud Foster to put together a solid team.

If you follow the buzz on the boards, the Hokies are stronger, faster, and generally more talented at every position. Faster in the secondary. Stronger on the line. This means one thing. The game will be exciting. I can't wait!

Go Hokies!