The Virginia High School Coaches Association (VHSCA) Football All-Star Game was held Thursday night in Hampton, and the East cooled off the West by a score of 30-16.  The only TV highlight I was able to catch on Channel 10 was a Ronald Curry (UNC) to Bobby Blizzard (Kentucky) TD pass, and as I surfed channels trying to catch some other highlights, I missed Channel 7's clips.  So at this point, I don't have any idea how future Hokie stars did in the game.

As of Thursday afternoon, several message board posters were planning on attending the game, so I'm sure we'll get some eyewitness reports that I'll pass on to you.   I'm betting that it will get good coverage from the papers, too, particularly the Daily Press and the Virginian-Pilot, because the game was in Hampton.

Just when it seemed like nothing was going on, a few noteworthy articles appeared on-line yesterday, so I thought I would link to them here in News and Notes.

The first article is a great piece that appeared on the official VT sports web site about the impending opening of the Merryman Center.  The article doesn't contain any really new or shocking news about the Merryman Center, but once it's done talking about the M-Center, it does an awesome job of recapping all of the recent athletic facility improvements that have occurred over just the last few years at Virginia Tech.

The article also describes some work that is going on right now to refurbish the concrete and seating in Lane Stadium.  To read the article, click on www.hokiesports.com and select the article "Building the Best."

The second article is a piece about Ace Custis that appeared in the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot.  Titled Ace Custis: Maybe this time, some long-deserved good fortune, the article brings us up to date on the former Tech roundball star with the cool tattoo.  Last year, Ace was about to make the Dallas Mavericks when he tore up a knee and had to spend another year rehabbing.

Lastly, there's an article about Michael Vick and Ron Curry that was posted in the Newport News Daily Press. On the eve of the VHSCA All-Star Football game, a game in which Vick and Curry were slated to split time at quarterback (and a game which will be over by the time you read this), A double shot of QB power profiled their thoughts on the game, their careers, and on each other.

The most interesting quote from the article?  Curry says about Vick, "(Vick) is a good quarterback -
he's as good as me or better."

A quick smattering of some of the items I've received in my email In box lately....

• Now that the Merryman Center funding is almost complete, Tech's next big facilities project will be Lane Stadium improvements / renovation / expansion.  The long-term planning is about to begin, and then comes the tough part:  fund-raising.

• The incoming freshmen who have the best chance of playing are LB Jake Houseright, DB Ronyell Whitaker, and DB T.J. Jackson.  It's no surprise that those are the rumors, because Jake is a total stud, while Ronyell is a player that the coaches have been extremely high on since he was recruited.  As for Jackson, he was rated the #16 defensive back in the nation by SuperPrep.

• VTAF fund-raising was $6.4 million for the fiscal year just ended, up from $5.2 million the year before. During the six-year run of "The Campaign for Virginia Tech," which just ended at the end of June, over $30 million dollars was raised for athletics.   For more information on the Campaign, see the official web site of The Campaign for Virginia Tech.

• Although the final total has not been announced yet, Tech exceeded last year's record season ticket sales total of 16,750.

• The Big East long-term planning document that was due in April is not finished yet. Hey, Mike and company, I've got your plan right here:

1.)  Kick Notre Dame out to reduce the number of "basketball" schools to twelve.

2.)  Force Miami to play Big East baseball (they're independent).

3.)  Let Tech and Temple in for all sports, making a true all-sports conference with 14 all-sports teams and 8 football teams.

4.)  (alternative to #3) Kick Temple out for football. Invite in someone else (Army, Navy, ECU, Central Florida) for all sports.

Silly me.  I'm sure the final document won't bear the faintest resemblance to what I outlined here.

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