Legendary sportscaster Jim McKay passed away yesterday at the age of 86. For those of us who grew up enthralled by ABC's Wide World of Sports and knew McKay as the original voice of the Olympics (Sorry, Bob Costas) this is a sad loss indeed. McKay was one of the classiest guys in his field and was a true storyteller, having brought us such moments as the 1980 U.S. Hockey victory and the debut of the Jamaican bobsled team in 1988. The sports world won't be the same without him.

Of course, McKay will be best remembered for his role in talking horrified American TV viewers through those tense 16 hours when 11 Israeli atheletes were taken hostage at the Munich Olympics in 1972. McKay's haunting phrase "They're all gone" is surely as sorrowful, terrifying and unforgettable today as it was 36 years ago.

Everytime you hear that signature phrase "the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat" you can pause and remember one of the greats: Jim McKay.

Tonight's game between the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals marks the official opening of the 2008 Major League Baseball season. It also marks the Grand Opening of the Nationals' brand-spanking new ballpark.

Tonights game, as broadcast on ESPN, was full of pomp and circumstance, introduing America to the shiny new facilities along the Anacostia River. ESPN's broadcast included an opening with George Will and the first pitch by President Bush. President Bush also joined John Miller and Joe Morgan in the booth for some friendly baseball banter.

The Nats fans certainly got what they wanted tonight as the Nationals scored 2 runs in the first inning on RBI's by 1B Nick Johnson and OF Austin Kearns to take an early lead over the Braves. Odalis Perez pitched an efficient 5 innings, giving up only a solo shot to Chipper Jones. Then, after the Braves tied the game in the top of the 9th off of a wild pitch by John Rauch, the face of the franchise, former UVA star and 3B Ryan Zimmerman, came up to bat with two outs in the bottom of the 9th.

Zimmerman sent the Nats fans into a frenzy and himself into the annals of Washington baseball history with a walk-off home run to deliver the Nationals their first win in their new home.

Bottom line: Congrats to the Nationals on their win and thank God baseball is back! The new park looked great on television and I look forward to visiting it sometime this spring or summer.

In honor of opening day, here's some youtube action for ya:

and my favorite baseball commercial:

Congratulations to Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Seth Greenberg for being named the ACC's Coach of the Year today. That makes the second time in four years in the league that Greenberg has received the honor.

I can't help but smile at all those pretentious ACC basketball types who predicted that Virginia Tech was "just a football school" and that their basketball program would be dead weight on the conference. All the Hokies have done since joing the conference is finish in the Top 4 of the conference 3 out of their 4 years.

Now, if they could just win the ACC Tournament, that would really set some heads spinning down on Tobacco Road!

Go Hokies!

Well now that the calendar has turned to March it means that things ae getting interesting in college basketball.

Many of the smaller conferences are playing their conference tournaments this weekend, which means we will soon know who some of the first entrants into the field of 65 will be.

In addition, the major conferences are wrapping up their regular seasons and preparing for their conference tournaments next week. That means the opportunities to impress the Selection Committee are becoming scarce for those teams on the dreaded bubble.

Here are a few of the games to watch this weekend for bubble implications. The teams in bold are who I will be rooting for to help Virginia Tech make the NCAA Tournament, though some of these games are between two bubble teams:

UAB @ Memphis: Today @ 1:00
Baylor @ Texas Tech: Today @ 1:30
Stanford @ USC: Today @ 2:00
Kansas @ Texas A&M: Today @ 4:00
Marquette @ Syracuse: Today @ 4:00
Villanova @ Providence: Today @ 7:30
Arizona @ Oregon: Today @ 10:30
Florida @ Kentucky: Sunday @ 12:00
Michigan State @ Ohio State: Sunday @ 12:30
Maryland @ Virginia: Sunday @7:30

AND THE BIG ONE:

Virginia Tech @ Clemson: Sunday @ 1:30

Every once in a while, life affords me the opportunity to be in the right place at the right time. This weekend happened to be another one of those instances.

On Saturday, I went with one of my cousins down to Raleigh to visit my sister and, since she's a Duke grad, we decided to try and go to the Duke-NC State game at the RBC Center.

When we got there, my sister informed us that if Coach K won the game, it would be his 800th win. Being the sports fan that I am, I knew that was a pretty significant milestone. In fact, only five other men (and three women) in the history of college basketball have achieved the feat.

Unfortunately, for most of the game it appeared that we wouldn't get to see history happen that day. Somehow, NC State, who sits at 4-11 in the ACC this year, was in command of most of the game. When the lead stretched to 13 in the second half, things looked grim. But fortunately for us, things got much more interesting than we had anticipated.

In the last 10 minutes of the game, Duke finally decided to start playing some defense like they have all season. By the end of the game, our guts were in knots as the outcome seemed suspended by the thinnest of threads. Indeed, it was probably the most exciting sporting event I have witnessed since Game 3 of the 2002 Stanley Cup finals, a triple overtime thriller which, incidentally, was decided in the same building as Saturday's game.

When NC State's Ben McCauley missed the final shot to seal the one-point victory for the Duke Blue Devils, it took me a second to even realize that I had witnessed an historic event.

It seems appropriate that in the same season that the NCAA's winningest coach, Bob Knight, finally hung 'em up, his former player and protege, Mike Krzyzewski, reached the 800 win milestone. Even The General has to be smiling about that one.

I'm just lucky I was there to see it happen.

Today marks the 50th running of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500. There are certainly plenty of storylines to follow down by the beach this afternoon from the new (and seemingly improved) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to the rise of Toyota in NASCAR. ESPN highlights the fact that very few of the men who have won the first race of the season have gone on to win the Cup title in the same year.

For those of us in Virginia, however, the story might be whether another native of the Commonwealth can win the Daytona 500 for the first time since Ward Burton became the first Virginian to achieve the feat back in 2002.

Here's your Virginia driver rooting guide:

# Name Make Sponsor
11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEX
19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Best Buy
31 Jeff Burton Chevy AT&T

I'm also interested to see the performance of Scottish native Dario Franchitti, also known as Mr. Ashley Judd, who won the Indy 500 last year.

Let's get racing. Boogity, Boogity, Boogity!

Hmm, what's a guy to do when a closely contested Presidential primary is pitted against a key ACC basketball matchup?

I'll let y'all know how the Virginia Tech - Florida State game turns out when I get back. Let's just hope the Hokies aren't facing quite the long night that McCain and Romney appear to be prepared for.

UPDATE: Hokies beat Florida State 89-80 and my mom calls me to tell me that McCain wins Florida. Thanks Mom! For some good analysis on tonights political events, check this smart post from Mason Conservative. I pretty much agree, though I am hoping it is Virginia that puts McCain over the top on Feb 12!

Well folks, it is that time of year again. It is VT-UVA week in college football. That means, just like Jerome from the FedEx-Kinkos commercial, it's time for the Wahoos to talk a big game and then do nothing.

In all seriousness, this could be the biggest game EVER in the storied history of the UVA-VT rivalry. If you haven't been following along, the Hokies and Hoos are currently ranked #8 and #16 respectively in the BCS. The winner of the game will not only hoist the shiny silver bauble known as the Commonwealth Cup, but will also earn a trip to Jacksonville to face Boston College in the ACC Championship game, and play for a spot in a BCS bowl game.

While both teams come into the game with identical 9-2 records, the way they have obtained those records has been far from similar. Virginia Tech struggled early in the season getting blown out by LSU in their second game, benching their QB for a true freshman and surviving early offensive struggles before hitting their stride in ACC play. Aside from a last minute collapse at the hands of the aforementioned BC Eagles, VT has fairly well handled their conference competition this year. The Hokies average margin of victory in their 6 conference wins has been an impressive 21.5 points and their defense has held their 7 conference foes to an average of about 14 points a game.

Meanwhile, over in Charlottesville, UVA rebounded from an early whipping at the hands of the Wyoming Cowboys (a game which prompted Lighthorse Harry to call for Al Groh's head on a platter) to win seven games in a row before losing again, this time to NC State. Unlike the Hokies, however, the Wahoos have lived a little bit closer to the edge. UVA's average margin of victory in 6 ACC wins was 11.3 points, but that includes a 48-0 blowout of Miami, without which the margin falls to 4 points per win. However, UVA's defense against conference foes has been almost as stingy as VT's, having given up an average of 16.8 points per game.

It is true that when a rivalry game such as this is played the stats go out the window. And while these stats don't tell us everything we need to know about these two teams, I think they do tell us a lot. First, they tell us that these are two very good defenses. Second, they tell us that Virginia has made its living by surviving close battles, while VT has largely smacked down their conference opponents. Finally, it tells us that both teams can put up some high scores at times.

The end result is that I predict this game is going to be a slugfest. Both offenses will have a tough time finding a rhythm, and field position and special teams will be key. Fortunately, these are two areas where VT excels. The game is being played in Charlottesville, but VT is looking as good as they have all season AND they have the additional motivation of a possible rematch with Boston College. Furthermore, the hidden statistic in this game is VT's 11-1 conference road record since joining the ACC in 2004. The Hokies have been very comfortable on the road in the ACC, and it will be no different in a mixed crowd in Scott Stadium next saturday.

While I won't go so far as to predict a final score or anything, I believe VT will outlast the Hoos in this one (shocking, I know). Like most of VT's other ACC games, I expect a close back-and-forth game that VT blows open towards the end. UVA has battled valiantly this season, but they haven't played a team as good as VT, while VT has played a few teams at or above UVA's level. I wouldn't be totally shocked by a UVA victory, but barring a bunch of turnovers or a Cory Holt sighting for VT, I don't see it happening.

Let the smacktalk begin!

A couple weeks ago, I drew comparisons between the Boston College football team and a certain 2008 Senate candidate from Virginia. Well, ESPN.com has done me one better by pairing each of the top BCS Championship contenders with the 2008 Presidential candidate they most resemble. For example:

Ohio State: Hillary Clinton The Buckeyes don't make waves. They go out of their way not to be controversial, including not scheduling anyone this season who could beat them. They hope to bland their way to the nomination.

LSU: Rudy Giuliani The Tigers are strong on defense, and their fans aggressively promote their qualifications. They gloss over their past missteps, hoping everyone focuses on their willingness to take on anybody.

Oregon: John Edwards A good-looking team with an engaging personality, but the Ducks' stance on defensive issues is wanting. Do they have the substance to go all the way?

Oklahoma: Barack Obama Here's a team that looks like BCS material, and it has all the resources in the world. But its potential continues to outweigh its performance. Maybe the next race?

You can read the rest here and, of course, feel free to weigh in with your own comparisons. Personally, I'd like to know who college football's version of Dennis Kucinich is.

On Thursday night, #2 Boston College rolls into Blacksburg, VA to take on #8 Virginia Tech. This will be Virginia Tech's second meeting with a Top-2 team this season. Of course the first one didn't turn out so hot for Frank Beamer's Hokies, but there is reason to be more optimistic about this go-round.

For starters, Boston College isn't your typical #2 team. Frankly, they've been the beneficiary of a lot of teams in front of them stumbling and falling down in the rankings. If you look at BC's schedule, you'll see that they have yet to be tested against a quality opponent, at least not one with the quality of defense they will face in Lane Stadium on Thursday. BC has done its job, to be sure, by not falling victim to a let-down game against a lesser opponent, but they will also be facing their toughest test of the season against an opponent that will be eager to prove they are now legit after the afore-mentioned early-season beatdown.

Of course, being the political junkie that I am, thinking about this game got me to thinking about who might be labeled the "Boston College" of Virginia politics. In other words, who is the individual who has risen to the top of the field largely due to their ability to avoid career-crippling mistakes and thanks to the providence of watching those ahead of them self-destruct. Reading that sentence, it should be obvious that the answer is Mark Warner.

Now I am by no means predicting the outcome of either Thursday night's football game or the 2008 Senate elections, nor am I saying that the outcome of the former will have any bearing on the outcome of the latter. What I am saying, is that while know-it-all pundits like ESPN's Jessie Palmer are going around saying that VT doesn't even belong on the same field with BC, the truth of the matter is that the upcoming contest will probably tell us more about BC than any other on their schedule and the outcome could inform the viewers whether BC is headed for postseason glory or whether they'll be sent spiraling into obscurity.

I could say the same for Warner and 2008.

Word out of NASCAR is that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will double his pleasure by driving the #88 car next season after failing to extract his current #8 from the clutches of his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt. The move brings to mind other famous athletes who have gone the double number route, such as Wayne Gretzky (#99), Larry Bird (#33), Isaiah Thomas (#11) and Ray Bourque (#77)

While laser surgeons hoping to have an increase in business from die-hard NASCAR fans seeking to remove their outdated brands may be disappointed, tattoo artists themselves are no doubt rejoicing as those fans will now have to pay for a return visit to duplicate the same.

Funny how these things work.

I was shocked and saddened to read the news today of the death of former World Rally Champion Collin McRae.

McRae was not particularly well known in the United States, unless you might have played his awesome racing videogames, but he was an international racing icon, having participated in the World Rally Championships from 1987 until 2004.

If you are a NASCAR fan, as I am, and have never watched the WRC, you are missing out. Real cars, real roads, hairpin turns, high speeds, and the constant anticipation of the unexpected make Rallycar the most exciting motorsport in my opinion. In addition, oftentimes the spectators actually become part of the action, as there are rarely fences involved in Rally.

Collin McRae and his wicked Subaru are what got me hooked on Rally a number of years back. While McRae's driving career has given way to younger drivers, he has remained an ambassador for motorsports of all kinds. He will certainly be missed.

God bless Collin McRae.

Well, you knew it couldn't be long before I let some college football creep onto the pages of this here blog. This week's announcement out of Blacksburg that true freshman Tyrod Taylor will be the Hokies' starting quarterback this Saturday is a good opportunity to break the seal on my sports blogging.

First off, let me say that I was rooting hard for Sean Glennon to succeed this year and I feel terrible for the guy. I spent all of Labor Day weekend defending him as the starter and pointing out the reasons why he could still prove successful. However, I have to admit that I think Frank Beamer is making the right choice in replacing Glennon with Taylor and I am excited to see the results.

In some ways, the switch to Taylor is not entirely Glennon's fault, but rather that of a porous offensive line that could not protect him in the pocket. Further, the level to which Taylor has proved himself as prepared for the starting job has surprised even me. In addition, the schedule dictates that the move be made now while VT has a few opportunities (against Ohio, W&M and UNC) to get Taylor's feeet wet without risking too much. If VT had entered the meat of their ACC schedule without getting Taylor snaps under center, they probably couldn't have made the switch even if Glennon started stinking up the joint.

In fairness, Glennon did have an opportunity to quiet all the doubters and secure his spot as the #1 guy. The simple fact is that Glennon couldn't get the job done and his lack of production forced Beamer's hand.

I will be watching VT's game against Ohio University closely this weekend to see how Taylor responds to his new role. It is pretty remarkable that this young man has such an opportunity at such a young age. He appears to have all the physical tools necessary to do the job. Now, if he can just get a handle on the mental part, VT could have a lot of room to improve from their lackluster start to the season.

There should be celebrating in the streets of Charlottesville tonight. The Daily Progress is reporting that UVA Point Guard Sean Singletary will withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and return to school for his Senior Season.

Singletary has already brought so many memorable moments to the UVA faithful, like this one. I can't wait to see what he does for an encore.