All right, here's everything you could possibly want to know about HokieCentral Tailgate '98:

Location:  the tailgate will be in the Litton-Reaves (or Animal Science, for us old fogies) parking lot, which is Hokie Club lot #9.  Yes, you do need a pass to park in this lot, so if you don't have a #9 parking pass, you'll have to park elsewhere and walk to the tailgate.  Here is the exact location of the tailgate:

Those of you who attended last year's tailgate will recognize the spot as being the same as last year.

The Setup:  Message board poster "lanerat" will once again provide two nifty 10x10 tents (which will be used primarily to cover the food, so if it rains, be sure to bring an umbrella to hang out under).  I will hang my 8-foot "www.HokieCentral.com" banner off the tents, so you can't miss the location.

Date: Saturday, September 5th (ECU game).

Time:  11:00-4:00 (setup at 11:00, come by any time after that, party runs until game time, but I'm bailing out at about 3:30).

Cost:  Free!  This party is paid for by the generosity of the HokieCentral members, message board posters, and fans.  If you're short on cash, don't worry about it, because your Hokie brethren have taken care of you.  You do not have to be a HokieCentral member to attend.

Drinks: one very important point is that no alcoholic beverages will be provided.  There will be some Pepsi, Coke, Diet Pepsi, Diet Coke, and Sprite available, and cups and ice will be provided.  If you want to liven the party up with your own brew, that's your responsibility, so BYOB.

Food:  There will be food for about 150+ people.  Last year's attendance was over 100 people, so I'm not sure if I'll have enough food.  I should, but if you show up late, don't be surprised if there's nothing left to eat.

Here's the grub:

• 30 pounds BBQ (feeds about 120 people)
• 150 pieces fried chicken (no wings, just the big stuff)
• 150 mini-ham biscuits (yummy)
• 20 pounds potato salad
• "Big bag of peanuts" (provided by HokieCentral sponsor Whitley's Peanuts)

Man, I'm hungry already!

The party will be catered by Catering Unlimited of Blacksburg (Box 312, Blacksburg, VA 24060, 540-552-0053).

Last year, I took memberships at the tailgate, but this year, I do not plan on taking memberships.  Sounds like a stupid business move, because the tail gate was my most lucrative day of the year last year.  But at last year's tailgate, I couldn't enjoy myself as much as I would have liked, for two reasons:

1. I was trying to set up food and keep the party going.
2. I was taking memberships, shuffling money, and handing out stuff.

This year, I just want to hang out and talk Hokie football and web site stuff, so I'm not doing either of the two things listed above.

I may bring a few extra polo shirts that I have to the tailgate for sale, and I have about ten baseball caps that I might also bring along, but I'm really not placing an emphasis on that sort of stuff.  If you're interested in purchasing, then email me at [email protected] and let me know, and if enough people contact me, I'll bring some stuff.  T-shirts and magnets, unfortunately, will not be available, as I'm currently out of stock on those items and won't have a new delivery before the weekend.

I have received several emails asking how to contribute to the tailgate, so if you want to, you can either slip cash into my hand that day (cash is always good), or you can use the on-line form to contribute by credit card.

The Hokies have been pretty banged up this fall, with a number of players missing practice time due to various injuries.  Since The Roanoke Times has pretty much fallen flat on its face with coverage this fall (sorry Randy King, I know it's not your fault - your editors really ought to let you spend more time in Blacksburg and more time in front of the computer, and they ought to be printing more of your stuff, instead of hoarding it for some preseason advertising extravaganza), and the coaches keep injury reports close to the vest, it has been hard to figure out who's hurt and who's just not showing up on the depth chart.

Message board poster VTBBAD is pretty well connected to the team, and he assembled an injury report for me, for which I am very grateful.  Here's the lowdown, straight from the BAD one's computer terminal:

Quite a few Hokies are banged up going into the ECU game and some will see diminished or no playing time. The big news is that Jake Houseright had his knee "scoped" today (8-31) and according to Greg Roberts, Channel 10 Sports, he may be out for only 2-3 weeks. That means he may be back for the Miami game and that would be great!

Andre Davis has missed much of the preseason and all of the scrimmages with a groin injury, which is a tough break because he was really pushing for a starting position. Another potential starter, Phillip Summers, has a sprained ankle and missed the last two scrimmages, which will probably decrease his PT on Saturday. On the bright side, Tee Butler has been an able replacement.  Also, on the Hotline tonight, Bud Foster noted that Lorenzo Ferguson has really taken his game up a notch and is a lot more comfortable at the whip position.

Dave Kadela was carted off the field in the second scrimmage with what I think was a sprained knee, although I have read elsewhere on the message board it's a sprained ankle. Whatever the sprain, he didn't participate in the third scrimmage and he may be questionable for Saturday. Derek Carter suffered a sprained ankle about two weeks ago and during the last scrimmage came off the field in quite a bit of pain, but he should be ready to go this week.

Nick Sorensen missed some time with "nicks and bruises" but Foster said he will see playing time against ECU, probably 20-25 plays. Anthony Midget missed some practice time also, which may be the reason that Loren Johnson played with the first defense in the last two scrimmages.

In more serious injuries, Dan Wilkerson will miss the season after surgery on his leg, and Matt Lehr will miss the first 3-4 weeks with a bad knee.

Once again, thanks very much to VTBBAD.  There you have it.

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