Story Links
June 25, 2004
It’s already started. The hype. The talk. The finger pointing.
The Virginia-Virginia Tech rivalry is heating up like a Boy Scout campfire. It has always been there…we understand that. And maybe it’s just me, but lately there has been more chat, more comparison, more recruiting news, and more office water cooler stuff than ever before.
Take last weekend. I was playing in a member-guest golf tournament in Virginia Beach. The Hampton Roads area is a melting pot for college athletics. You see Duke hats, North Carolina basketball shorts, Virginia gear…the V-Sabres, big “VT’s” on SUVs and trucks. College pride is popular. That’s what makes what we do so much fun…until someone makes it personal.
As my host and his wife were having a casual beverage with other friends next to a beautiful country club pool, just two blocks from the Virginia Beach ocean front, I was introduced to a couple of Wahoo fans.
“This is Mac McDonald, the ‘Voice of the Cavaliers’,” my host told his friends.
“Man, what is Al Groh doing up there?”
“You mean with the recruiting class that now numbers 17 commitments?”
“Yeah….”
“He has a plan…a mission. His staff has been working like dogs.”
Just then, like in a Humphrey Bogart movie, a golfer, whom I could tell had another agenda, approached me. His face spoke volumes. He was a Hokie. And not a happy one.
“Al Groh is arrogant,” he blurted out.
I was stunned. I was hit with this arrogant line that caught me totally off guard. The seven or eight people who were standing poolside now parted to make way for this UVA-VT showdown. They stared at me waiting for a return volley. This was Ali-Frazier…McEnroe-Borg…Clemens-Piazza. I tried to smooth things over with a little humor.
“Oh, I guess last fall you took the Hokies and the points, huh? Maybe you’re still smarting from the baseball game this spring…or our basketball game in University Hall?”
There was laughter. I hit a baseline winner. I threw a punch that landed. I struck out the side.
“As a matter of fact, you’re just as arrogant as Groh is!”
The crowd that gathered stood quiet. The Virginia-Virginia Tech rivalry had reached a poolside member-guest cocktail party. What’s next…a grocery store express line?
Before I could return the next salvo, I was ushered inside for the barbecue buffet. The battle was over. The competition was quieted.
The next night at the member guest dinner party, the same Virginia Tech fan approached me again. I waited for him to make the first move. Say the first thing. I wanted to see where he was going.
He apologized. Said he was sorry. That he should never have said what he said. And he asked me to forgive him. His apology was sincere and very classy.
“Hey, forget it,” I told him. “I never thought anything about it”.
I walked away after shaking hands and felt so much better. I have realized for a long time that college fans are loyal. Very loyal. They wear their emotions on their sleeve. They compete like the athletes. Fans spend thousands of dollars supporting their schools, traveling, and buying gear.
Rivalries are healthy. The competition real.
I love it. September 4th cannot get here too soon.