TSLMail is powered by our sponsors:

Questions/Problems?
  Click here

TSL Links
  Home Page
  Football Home
  VT Hokie News
  Football Recruiting
  Message Board

TSL Products
  The TSL Extra
  TechLocker.com

TSLMail Archives
  Complete Archives

To Change Your Email Address: first remove the old email address (see the bottom of this email for instructions), and then add the new email address to the list by clicking here.

To Subscribe to This Email List: click here

TechLocker.com Categories - Stock Up! New Items - T-shirts - Other Shirts - Headwear - Outerwear Home and Auto - Women's Items - Kids' Wear - Glassware and Barware
	Back in Stock! I Survived Hurricane Isabel T-Shirt   $16.99 Were you one of the hardcore Hokies that braved Hurricane Isabel to support your team? Let everyone know YOU were there. Our I Survived shirt features great graphics, the date and the score of this remarkable game.
	Maroon VT logo Hardhat   $24.99 The ultimate topper for the ultimate Hokie fan. This is an actual OSHA approved hardhat and can be used on the job site. Our maroon hat features a great looking VT logo in the front. Complete your Hokie fan uniform with this GEM!

Advertise Your Business On TechSideline.com!

TechSideline.com has come a long way since its conception in 1996. We are the #1 media source and community covering Virginia Tech athletics; producing an average of 110,000 unique viewers and over 6 million page views each month.

We reach a coveted demographic (you know who you are) 24/7, 12 months out of the year. Furthermore, TechSideline.com provides a powerful advertising opportunity, leveraging our unique two-way medium to clearly and precisely communicate our sponsor’s marketing goals to our loyal community. This permission marketing approach has resulted in unprecedented marketing success for all our sponsors, "brick and mortar" and dot-com alike.

Each custom sponsorship varies in investment according to the desired target reach, frequency, geographic territory, category, and/or time your campaign requires. In a nutshell, our custom targeted sponsorships allow you to focus your message and product to the right customers in the right market at the right time.

To learn more, please contact Trey Copeland at (434) 823-9714 or [email protected] . To view a list of our sponsors, please visit our Sponsors Page.

TechSideline.com is pleased to welcome Comfort Inn of Blacksburg as a new TSL sponsor.

The Comfort Inn of Blacksburg can be your Hokie home away from home. Conveniently located off I-81 and Rt. 460, close to many area businesses and attractions, including the Virginia Tech campus and downtown Blacksburg. Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure in the southwest Virginia area, show your support of our sponsors and look to the Comfort Inn of Blacksburg.

Comfort Inn Promises:

• 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
• High speed Internet in every room
• Free local calls & Free long distance access
• Free deluxe continental breakfast
• Free USA TODAY
• 75% of all rooms Non-Smoking
• Kids stay free, 18 & younger
• Pool and exercise facilities
• In-room workspace
• In-room coffee makers, hair dryers, irons & boards
• Choice Privileges® Rewards Program

Click here to view an overview their unique amenities and for contact and reservation information.

Thoughts on the New ACC Schedule
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you know that the ACC released their scheduling arrangements for 2004-05, in football, men's basketball, and women's basketball. Dates were not announced, of course, but opponents were.

Let's talk about the football schedule a little bit. In 2004 and 2005, the Hokies will not play Florida State or Clemson, but they will rotate home and home with the other 8 teams in the ACC. Here's the breakdown:

2004 Home: UVa, Duke, Maryland, NC State
2004 Away: GT, Wake Forest, UNC, Miami
2005 Home: GT, Wake Forest, UNC, Miami
2005 Away: UVa, Duke, Maryland, NC State

I've got a number of comments about the setup:

1.) Overall, the ACC continues to treat VT with respect, and this is apparent nowhere more than in the fact that they preserved the home-and-home rotation that the Hokies have with both UVa and Miami. Tech hosts Miami this year, and travels to UVa. Next year, they'll flip-flop, meaning that the Hokies won't have to play at either place twice in a row. Think the Big East would have done the same? I don't, but that's another topic for another time.

2.) I'm disappointed that VT won't be playing Clemson, but that's the only complaint I have. Of all the teams in the ACC, the Tigers are most like the Hokies, I think, in the size and enthusiasm of their fan base, coupled with the agricultural roots of their university and their small-town location. No other school in the ACC is quite like Clemson, other than VT. I had a great time down there in 1998, and the Hokies and their fans won't get another chance like that until at least 2006.

3.) The Roanoke Times had the unfortunate headline, "ACC sets schedule; Tech dodges FSU." Somehow, to me, the release of a scheduling strategy for an 11-team league is a little bigger than Tech "dodging" FSU.  Give it three years, and the Hokies will play the Noles anyway. Having said that, not playing FSU doesn't move me either way. I'm not too fond of FSU, due mostly to their habit of beating the Hokies, but I think VT will eventually figure out how to play the Seminoles and finally start beating them some.

4.) I'm glad to see that the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill trio of NCSU, Duke, and UNC is broken up for the Hokies, from a home-and-away standpoint. That means that VT grads in that area will be able to see one Hokie road game nearby in 2004 (UNC), and two in 2005 (Duke and NC State). That's better than all three road games in the same year. Man, I'll bet you Triangle Hokies are digging Tech being in the ACC!

5.) Speaking of NC State, the Hokies finally get to resume a rivalry that started in 1900, involved 44 games, and was last played in 1992. What's the big deal about that? Well, the 1992 game ended in a 13-13 tie, so there's a little unfinished business there, for both teams. NCSU leads the series 23-17-4, and the series reached its height in modern times from 1986-1992, when they played five times. The Hokies went 3-1-1 in those games (1986 Peach Bowl, 25-24; 1989, 25-23; 1990, 20-16; 1991, 0-7; and 1992, 13-13), despite being racked by probation while NCSU was fielding strong teams in the late 80's and early 90's.

6.) The UNC series is interesting, too. Tech and UNC have played 27 times, but just once since 1946. From 1895 to 1946, the Hokies played the Heels 26 times, including 17 times from 1895 to 1913, but after 1946 ... nada, except for the 42-3 whipping that a great 1997 UNC team laid on the Hokies in the Gator Bowl that season. VT will be catching a down UNC team in 2004, and will hopefully get to exact a measure of revenge for that 1997 thrashing. The Hokies lead the series, with a record of 12-9-6.

This Week in Recruiting
by Chris Horne

Here are updates in recruiting from the last week. To access these links, and for updates and information on all these players and more, subscribe to TechSideline Pass. Information on how to subscribe follows.

One Visit Set for McPhearson
Maryland will receive an official visit from Derrick McPhearson on December 12^th. The DeMatha Catholic star receiver will take all five before deciding. VT, led by Billy Hite, is heavily in the mix.

Bradshaw Gearing Up for Third Visit
Ahmad Bradshaw (Graham HS – VA) RB/DB has visited VT and TN and enjoyed both. He visits UVA on October 18^th. He doesn’t expect to make a decision anytime soon.

Sintim Plans to Wait
Gar-Field standout Clint Sintim will make all of his official visits and wants to decide around signing day. UVA, VT, and MD are his current favorites.

Mayo Sets Two Visits
Jerod Mayo (LB – Kecoughtan) will visit UVA (12/12/03) and NCSU (12/05/03) and says he will definitely visit VT and TN as well. UNC and Purdue are up for the final spot.

Olu Hall Talks Recruiting
Olu has no leaders at the moment. The Robinson (Fairfax, VA) star talks recruiting and says he will wait until the end of his senior season to schedule official visits.

Q & A: Sean Glennon
Check out how Westfield QB and VT commitment Sean Glennon is doing this year. Westfield is 4-0 and looking good.

RB Jones Back in Action
VT is one of the top five schools for Lakewood (NJ) RB Dwayne Jones. UVA, OSU, BC, and NEB make up the rest. He hopes to travel to see VT play Miami on November 1^st.

Hall Looking at Same Five?
Mammoth DT prospect Marque Hall likes UNC, NCSU, TN, VT, and UVA as his top five (no order). He wants to get his SAT straight before thinking about recruiting.

Cooke Enjoys VT Visit
Nansemond River (VA) point guard Marquie Cooke enjoyed his visit to V-Tech for the Texas A&M football game. He is scheduled to visit Clemson on October 11^th and is expected to decide between the Tigers and Hokies. VT is in great shape.

Fagan Returning to Form
Westlake (MD) athlete Jared Fagan has been battling a high ankle sprain all season, and is starting to become healthy again. The speedster favors VT.

Top Target Daniel Returns from VT
Ely (Pompano Beach, FL) defensive end Brandon Daniel enjoyed his first official visit, which was to Virginia Tech. He has scheduled trips to Kansas State and Pitt in December and will take all five before deciding.

Scouting Report: LB Hugh D'Imperio
Thanks to Mike Gavin for an excellent scouting report on Hugh D’Imperio. D’Imperio, a MLB prospect for Washington Township (NJ), likes the Hokies and will likely take an official to Blacksburg.

TechSideline Pass - $34.95 a Year
(Monthly and Quarterly options also available)

• Feature Articles
• Interviews with recruits
• Editorials
• Flash recruiting updates from Chris Horne, our in-house specialist
• Recruiting prospect and class evaluations
• A subscribers-only Recruiting message board (only accessible to subscribers)
• A subscribers-only message board for general discussion

As an additional bonus, all subscribers will receive a 10% discount on all purchases made at Techlocker.com, our online store providing Hokie-related apparel and gift items. If that's not enough, you should know that your subscription will help support your favorite website, TechSideline.com.

For more info on TechSideline Pass, and to subscribe, click here. To give TSL Pass as a gift (one-year subscriptions only), click here.

-- Will Stewart

VT Recruiting War Room: Offense
by Chris Horne, 10/3/03, 3:00 pm
Last week, we went over VT's defensive needs and targets. This week, it's the offense. Here's the rundown of what Tech needs and who's being targeted by the Hokies.
in TSL Pass

Beerman's Picks
by Ben Shapiro, 10/2/03, 9:50 pm
Shed a quiet tear, as our emotional and often hard fought rivalry with Rutgers is about to come to a close.  *sniff*  I need a hug :(
in Voice of the Fan

Game Preview: #4 Virginia Tech at Rutgers
by Jeff Ouellet, 10/2/03, 1:35 pm
With a 4-0 start and a #4 ranking, Virginia Tech is starting what should be a defining conference season in the last year, ironically, that they will be in the Big East. The Hokies are only 7-7 in conference play over the last two seasons, and the issue that VT fans wrestle with is whether the record is a product of system familiarity on the part of opposing Big East coaches, or whether other unanticipated factors such as injuries and youth led to the downturn in conference record. This year may help settle that debate.
in Football

2003 UConn Game Analysis
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com, 10/1/03, 10:10 am
Virginia Tech's "preseason" slate of out of conference games is now over, and like the last five seasons, the Hokies have gotten out of it everything they could possibly want: an undefeated record, a top-5 ranking, and plenty of hype heading into the conference slate. The Hokies will now take a deep breath and prepare to head into conference play with the hope that this season comes out better than the last two.
in TSL Pass

What Exit? (One Last Time Up the Turnpike)
by Jim Alderson, 9/30/03, 9:30 am
The first month of the 2003 Virginia Tech football season is in the books. As we usually find ourselves at the end of September, Tech is undefeated and in possession of a very high ranking. As is also the case, it is the remaining months in which we will find out whether that ranking is justified.
in TSL Pass

Wide Right: Randoms
by Jeff Cockey, 10/1/03, 12:25 am
Randoms is a Wide Right column housing the whimsical tidbits that consume my day. Most are football related, but as with all my columns, a small dose of the arbitrary is thrown in.
in TSL Pass

Hokie Hotline Notes for September 29, 2003
by Wayne Clevenger, 9/30/03, 3:05 pm
Bill Roth opened the show by making several announcements. Jason Lallis suffered an MCL sprain against UConn and will miss 2-4 weeks. A total of six players will miss this weekend's matchup against Rutgers due to injury. Mike Imoh was named the Big East Special Teams Player of the week after his kickoff return for a TD vs. UConn. Imoh is the first VT player to return a kickoff for a TD since Tony Kennedy in 1992 at Louisville.
in Hokie Hotline Notes

Small Pleasures: UConn
by Kevin Cuddihy, 9/29/03, 9:30 am
Welcome back to Small Pleasures. It's easy to stand up and cheer for the diving catches for touchdowns, or long runs to the end zone, but with Small Pleasures we give a little bit of recognition to the little things that can sometimes mean the difference between success and failure. So with that, we're off!
in Voice of the Fan

Hokies Big-Play UConn Into Submission, 47-13
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com, 9/28/03, 1:50 am
Blacksburg, VA - Fifth-ranked Virginia Tech scored two special teams touchdowns and one defensive touchdown to spur a 47-13 rout of Connecticut, giving the Hokies a 4-0 record heading into Big East play.
in Football

A Freshman Finds Home
by Nathaniel Bishton, 9/26/03, 11:00 pm
So we’ve made it a third of the way through the season, and it seems that we have yet another promising product on Worsham Field every Saturday. It is amazing the tumult of emotion that goes through a freshman. I’ve been to many a Hokie football game in my day, but I can’t say that I’ve anticipated any more than I anticipated the three that have passed us to this point.
in Voice of the Fan