Bearcat Bob

OH MY...this thread is starting to make the congressional testimony given yesterday seem believable...

If the two best teams are on the same side of the state, what is the big deal? They may play each other before the finals? Okay, one will win regardless if it is in the quarters or semis or sooner. The whole point of the playoffs is to beat the team on the other side of the field, regardless of who it is or in what round. I, for one, do not subscribe to the "they both deserve to get to the final game" theory. No, you do not deserve any more than what you earn on the field. Play the game at hand. The 2 teams in the championship deserve to be there because they won games on the field. Unless Virginia switches to a balanced schedule statewide (not feasible), it is comparing apples to oranges as to who is the '"best".

I wonder if Abingdon has ever tried to schedule Tenn. High, D-B or even one of the Sullivan County schools (Central, East, North). Travel distance would not be an issue.

Ahh... Mary Jane and Rosie. The good old days. Almost forget Hannah, the really ugly sister.

The bye week does not necessarily change a teams position. It is the rider points they get, while on a bye, from teams they have played that may slightly effect their points average. The total points are divided by the number of games played at a particular time. Teams are not "jumped" at the end of the season just because they are on a bye.

I always get a kick out of these types of strings/posts. They almost always follow the same formula. I "pick this team" by a score of (fill in the blank). Then somebody's nose gets out of joint and demands to know how/why you could possibly have made that prediction. Then somebody throws the "we beat this by 50 and you only beat them by 40 so we are going to win". Then, somebody else points out that it rained/snowed/ or some other phenomena occurred. Then somebody defends the first prediction (but then wishes everybody good luck). Somebody defends EVERYBODY else's picks and then tells everybody to grow up. Egos are bruised, opinions are bashed, etc. Then, at the end of the day, the losing side lavishes credit on the team they just lost to. A love fest ensues (among most, not all). Then we do it all over again. Yeah, I know before it is said..."if we didn't argue back and forth it wouldn't be any fun..." But some get SOOOOO worked up over other people's predictions against THEIR boys. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with any of this; it is just comical to see/read the posts and know almost exactly what the responses will be. Personally, I seldom make predictions on high school sporting events. There are too many variables at play. 16-18 year old boys (or 20 somethings if speaking of GC) are way too easily affected by Mary Jane Rottencrotch breaking up with him; or failing an English test; or not having gas money; or reading message board BS posts; or whatever. A couple of weeks ago, I saw a game up here in the Valley where one team was clearly better, based on records, like opponents, etc. But they lost because of the inspired play of one RB who was reportedly "pissed" off because a player from the other team insulted his truck on a message board! That brought back memories from Fast Times at Ridgemont High...check it out for those of you too young to have seen the flick. And just what is the point of this post you may ask. There is no point. It is just an observation; one person's opinion. Just like predictions are one person's opinion.

Dang it! Crap! SMH! I knew an 0-6 GC team would be trouble. Maybe next year..........

I hope it is moved to Bristol but I doubt it would happen. VHS has had little luck in Gate City. Anyway...as a VHS alum and supporter, I would rather play a 6-0 Gate City team instead of one 0-6. I know it sounds silly to say that but the Blue Devils starting 0-7? Unless the mentality has drastically changed over at "D-B light", they will be really up for this one. BUT.....I believe that Coach Crisp has the Pumpkin Brigade on the right path. I am sure they would like nothing better than to assist Gate City with the continuance of their worse start in program history. A loss here and the Gate City faithful may just jump into the abyss; dragging Houseright with them.

I waivered between Lee and Gate City at #10...probably slighted Lee but GC usually gets it together and appeared to be on the right track v. Union.

1. Pulaski Co. 2. Abingdon 3. Union 4. Richlands 5. Giles 6. Honaker 7. Bluefield 8. Geo Wythe 9. Radford 10. Gate City -- as I hold my nose

I initially thought there may be some modicum of value in you. But after that ^, it is obvious that you are truly devoid of any redeeming qualities. I do not have the time or crayons to explain it to you. I am gone. My hypocrisy only goes so far.

UVAO, may I add "eventus stultorum magister"? Seems that some just never learn.

On second thought, never mind. I see that you have been weighed, measured and found to be lacking by UVAO. I will not waste my time on an unworthy adversary!

Parson...if you are attempting to engage in a battle of wit, sarcasm and general mockery, I'll be your Huckleberry. If you care to continue, toe the line.

I tried to take the edge off by being light hearted and somewhat self-deprecating but that has been obviously lost on some or I have failed miserably (probably a little of both). So I am closing my part in this odyssey with two last thoughts: (1) True humility is expressed in deeds not words. To paraphrase a person much smarter than am I, "Pride works frequently under a dense mask and will often assume the garb of humility". (2) If you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you know he had some help! Well, 3 last thoughts...good luck to all of our youth as they take to the gridiron tonight. Win, lose or rain out...Godspeed.

Any and all references to VT is not isolated to any one person. Insecurity an issue? On a serious note, I had to take grandpa's laptop from him after seeing the bad things you said about his favorite grandson. He was prepared to lay an old fashion tongue lashing on you but I talked him out of it. The last time he got this worked up, he accidently zipped his manhood up in his zipper. The poor old guy has a hard enough time with his prostrate, please do not make it worse. And to kinda' respond to an earlier post...I would disagree -- there has been only one perfect person to grace this Earth, and Brethren, none of us are him!

After posting the information I received earlier this morning, I realized that SOME of the data may not have been factual. So, in the interest of fair play, I decided to pull a few strings, call in a couple of favors and make a phone call or two. The result was that I was granted an exclusive interview with the VHS head honcho in an effort to clear up this murky situation. It was a very enlightening conversation. To eliminate any suspicions that I may have slanted any of the comments, here is the actual transcript of that meeting: BB (that is me -- for those from VT): Thank you for meeting with me coach CC (you should be able to figure that out on your own): No problem. Thank you for helping to clear up this mess. You know how the drive by media works. BB: Yes I do. Lets get started. Is there or has there ever been any consideration to forfeiting the Richlands' game this week? CC: Absolutely no truth to that rumor at all. We are trying to build a solid program here at VHS. Playing the Richlands, Tennessee Highs and Gate Citys will only make us stronger. Win or lose, we respect those programs and what they have accomplished. That is not to say that we do not respect all of our competition. We do. Those are just a couple of the opponents on our schedule that have long, proven track records. BB: To be frank, there is a lot of "coach speak" in that comment. Are you saying that a close loss to a quality program would be a moral victory? CC: Do you have mud in your ears? There are only "W" or "L" columns. I have not seen a column for "MV" (Again for you VT grads -- MV is short for moral victory). We are going up to Richlands with every intention of winning the game. We are preparing for a very good team. We will have to play exceptionally well but we believe victory is possible...why else play? BB: I like your moxie coach... CC: You like my what?!? BB: Anyway...what is your take on message board comments? Are these motivational tools? CC: Bob, you know that these are 16-17 year kids and who knows what really motivates them. I like to think that we as a staff provide these young men with the proper techniques, game plan and encouragement so that "motivational" things like message boards are irrelevant. BB: Well you know that some of these "keyboard commandos" like to stick out their chest and make bold predictions of massive blowouts and imply the futility of any effort against their chosen team... CC: Bob, aren't you one of those people? BB: Hold on coach, Bearcat Bob seldom, if ever, makes predictions. I know that anything can happen on Friday nights. High school football is too irrational for me to make predictions (often). CC: Glad to hear that Bob. But you have to remember that most of these folks on the message boards are "good ol' boys" just trying to support their respective teams. I doubt any of the comments are really meant to be personal. Most just like to get a rise out of the other posters. BB: Good point coach. Now back to the game. Do you have any special plays set for Richlands? CC: We just came off a bye week. We work on what we do well and try to improve in areas we do not do so well. BB: But have you installed a special play or two... CC: You are persistent aren't you? BB: I'll ask the questions here. What about a letter supposedly sent from the VHSL office warning of the consequences of playing Richlands? CC: I'll turn that over to our SID (Sports Information Director). SID: There is no truth to the rumor that Ms. Tornadoski sent a letter to us warning of potential infertility. We received the same letter from her that Richlands received; the one explaining the equipment rules. You know: the inflation of the footballs; the length of the field; and a highlighted section concerning the length of cleats. But everyone who plays up there gets the same letter so nothing to see here. CC: (To SID) Shut up stupid. BB: Uh, thanks for that Mr. SID. Back to you coach. What kind of atmosphere do you expect Friday night? SID: Let me handle that one coach. I just received some news that you may not be aware of yet. It has been confirmed that Flo (the Progressive Insurance spokeswoman) and her cover band will be playing their version of Enter Sandman as the Tornadoes enter the field. And instead of real confetti, everyone in attendance will receive a 20% off coupon from Progressive. CC: Oh geez..are we done here? BB: Thanks Coach. Good luck Friday and the rest of the season. CC: You are not one of the Boosters are you Bob? BB: No, why do you ask? CC: No reason. But that letterman's jacket is getting a bit small for you. BB: Thanks again COACH. Folks, there it is for all to see. There is no truth to the vicious rumors surrounding a possible forfeit. I think I will definitely make it down for the game. Besides supporting the Bearcats, I need a break on my insurance.

This just in from the BHC... Dateline September 24, 2015 In a move that can only be described as inevitable, the Virginia High School football team has decided to forfeit their game this Friday versus Richlands. In reports just received from the VHS staff, they decided to forfeit the game after discovering that "99%" of the SWVASPORTS followers deemed this contest as not winnable; a frivolous exercise in futility. This move was not well received by the Bearcat players however. Reports from the locker room indicated that the actual players believe that games are won or lost on the field, not on message boards. Apparently, many "grownups" have decided otherwise. "Earlier in the week it was a toss up among our staff if we should play or not", said an unnamed staff member. "But then we heard that Richland players had posted message board comments in their lockers. Well, OH NELLIE, we knew then that all bets were off". Other reports indicated that while VHS does have very capable athletes and a stable coaching staff, that the VHSL sent a letter to VHS warning that a trip to Richlands would void their insurance, cause infertility, and may well be the beginning of the long expected "end of days". VHSL spokesperson Mary Tornadoski denied that a letter had been sent specifically to VHS with these warnings. She explained that the letter was sent to all VHSL participants who may have the unfortunate luck to be scheduled against Richlands. The U.S. Postal Service confirmed that the letter sent to Union High School had been undeliverable, "marked as return to sender". They had no further comment about the matter a this time. Rumors abound concerning this situation. One report surfaced just moments ago that the players have found a bus driver, a large contingent of supporters, and plan on making the pilgrimage north. Another report is that they have taken a page from the Richlands playbook and have posted online comments in their lockers, just in case their is any truth to that old myth. Please follow BHC for breaking details.

Thank you so much for that! UVAO...I could not quite get the Ewok reference at first. But after thinking about it, those furry little boogers did give the Storm troopers a fit in the Endor forest. Was that a back door vote of confidence for the Bearcats? Probably not but I had to ask.

What is the over/under in this battle of SWVA heavyweights? (Calm down, that is a tongue-in-cheek comment).

I explained my rationale. If they falter, I will adjust accordingly. Too each his own... By the way, I noticed that you did not post a ranking but only questioned those who are not giving Giles what you obviously feel is their just recognition. Why not walk out on that limb instead of questioning those who have expressed an opinion?

Pulaski is an undefeated 4A team. Hard to go against that. I will take a good 4A team over a good 1A-2A team just about every time...until they prove otherwise. Pre-season games do not prove otherwise, IMHO.

1. Pulaski Co. 2. Abingdon 3. Union 4. Richlands 5. Radford 6. Giles 7. Bluefield 8. Honaker 9. VHS 10. George Wythe

That was a very kind and honorable gesture you made G-man. That little boy will remember and will appreciate it.

Over the weekend, my brother and I were having a discussion in reference to the republican field. He brought up what I think was a very intriguing possibility concerning Trump. We were disagreeing on what role Trump was actually filling in this campaign season. I was of the opinion, that at the end of the day, his run would be bad for republicans or at least not helpful. I do think he forced candidates from both sides, and the media, to take on topics that would not normally be broached. That is a very good thing. Some of his comments and stances would not play well in a general campaign. However, I think/thought that when the curtain closed on that polling booth, many would not support him. Remember when Kelly asked him just how long he had been a conservative? I did not agree with her tone or timing but it is a relative question; one which may create pause for those who do not lean left. Also, roughly 40% will vote democrat and 40% will vote republican no matter who the party puts out there. So I am not sure Trump could garner enough support of the remaining 20%. My brother presented this stance: Trump being in the campaign at this very early juncture keeps the field from eating each other. It keeps the media from hammering away at the "front runners". Trump, just by his presence, is actually protecting the truly viable candidates. Remember the damage McCain and Huckabee inflicted on Romney? It was brutal. The opposition and media did not have to work hard to harm Romney. All they had to do was rehash the primary rhetoric and mudslinging of his own party. Trump is keeping that as a minimum. Trump is the headline; Trump is the story. The other candidates can work on building their campaigns instead of responding to acts from the other candidates. He even opined that Trump may be doing this purposely to, in effect, keep the dumb arses from irreversibly damaging the eventual candidate. My big brother and I usually have "lively" debates on the most asinine topics. But after letting his theory sink in, it appears to have some merit. There will certainly come a time when the field dwindles that they place each other in the crosshairs. But at least at this early stage, Trump is taking all the heat and serving as a shield (on purpose or not) for the rest of the contenders. By the way, I think Trump is WAY too narcissistic to do this on purpose.