the wayback machine

The football team has got themselves one, and they're dialing up 1989. OK, the stated purpose is to celebrate the years from 1984-1993, but they're honoring the 1989 ACC championship team and selling tickets at 1989 prices. So think Like A Prayer. Think Milli Vanilli. Actually, don't. That's some bad music right there and we're not even up to the New Kids on the Block era yet.

What's this mean?

- One, the team is probably having trouble getting people out to the Richmond game. Jeez, lemme see, I can go to the USC game which is the week before, or I can go to the Maryland game (the next home game) and throw donuts at Fatty the Coach, or I can go watch the part of the schedule In Which A Respectable Team Emulates One From The SEC and drops half a division to I-AA for a week. (If we were Florida State? Two weeks.) Tough choice there. Thus, $16 tickets.
- Two, orange uniforms! The team will be wearing the orange jerseys, white pants, and weirdly-two-striped white helmet of the day.
- On the plus side, Astroturf will not be part of the show.

The one distinctly non-1989 aspect of the game: the opponent. No, we didn't play Richmond in 1989. Nor in 1988, or 1990.....in fact this will be the first time Richmond ever sees the two-stripe helmet. The era we're throwing back to? Never played Richmond in that time.

Heather Dinich at ESPN has been blogging her little hands off today, and here are the results. Actually, lemme rephrase that. Heather Dinich has spent all day writing bits and pieces of columns. Sorry, when you write for a major outlet like ESPN, you don't "blog", you "go to work, type some stuff, send to the editor, and go home." The plus side is you get money and health benefits for doing that, and you get to eliminate the part of the sports journalism gig that's actually tricky, like interviewing a coach who is a man and is 40. The downside is, um.....huh.

Well anyway, here's what she had to say on the subject of your Virginia Cavaliers:

Under "Toughest Stadiums in the ACC":

6. Virginia, Scott Stadium (51,500) -- Despite the open press box (which I always seem to forget on the coldest of Saturdays), this place is gorgeous. The columns on the hill and the architecture make this one of my favorite fall road trips.

Thats: 61,500, Ms. Dinich. I didn't think "gorgeous" and "favorite fall road trips" are what people look for in a tough place to play. And given that UNC's Kenan (Ivory Wayans) Stadium made #4 on the list with its "picturesque pine trees" I can't help but wonder which criteria Heather was using. Tough to play at Kenan? Have you noticed who you actually play when you get there?

Under "ACC in the 2009 NFL draft":

1. Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia: This hulking 315-pound left tackle might be the best offensive lineman in the ACC and should be a first-round pick.

Under "ACC position rankings: Quarterbacks":

10. Peter Lalich, Virginia: These last three are a toss-up, really. Who knows if these guys will even wind up being the starters? Lalich, you would think, has the edge because he played in eight games and threw the ball 61 times.

I wish I could argue, but Lalich needs to show a little something first.