Probably for all of you, as for me, one of the biggest events of Saturday was the Va. Tech / UVa game. Â Okay, I realize that is not likely true, especially from my regular readers from Eastern Europe and Asia. Â But for those of you who regularly read this blog, AND live somewhere around Virginia, AND like college football, AND don’t have some sort of weird “I have always lived in VA but I just LOVE Ohio State football” thing going… Â It’s a big one.
Sports columnist for the Roanoke Times, Aaron McFarling, and I don’t always see eye to eye. Â But I recently discovered a gift that has, up to this point, remained hidden from my view.
Aaron may be my new favorite poet. Â And looks a bit like my friend, Mike Snow.
I would like to share his gift with you so that he can be your new favorite poet as well.
You can check out his article
But today isn’t about other columns. Â Today isn’t about his thoughts about other important issues in the world of sport. Â Today is about poetry and the Tech/UVa game. Â So grab a pipe, light a fire and let this wash all over you…
They showed up on schedule
Saturday, noon,
One team was streaking
The other? Full swoon
Every statistical break-
Down would say
This game favored Tech,
And not UVa
Yet still they must play it
Proceed with the show
For after James Maddy
You simply don’t know
So up went the kickoff
To spark all the fun
And down went J. Hosley
(Nice 50-yard run)
“The rout’s on,” we all said
And we would be right
But a touchdown explosion?
Not really; not quite
One scoreless quarter
Went by in a flash
Could it be? Just this once?
A competitive clash?
Nah, just a tease
A Mojave mirage
The Hoos would get smoked
Just like Paalen’s fumage
Tech swiped the momentum
‘Twas predictably quick
The Hokies got going
On Verica’s pick
When Williams ran in
From five yards away
“That’s it,” we all said
“Same old UVa”
But these Hoos were worse
Sloppier still
The Hokies gained yardage and
First downs at will
And every time UVa
Had bits of hope
Flags flew or Tech’s defense
Stopped them, said “Nope!”
Tyrod went out with
Another fine day
Tech’s new passing leader?
Yep, so they say
With win 239
Frank was so good he
Moved past a legend, a
Buckeye named Woody
As for London, well,
By now you should know
He wasn’t so fortunate
Looked much like Groh
At this point he’s left to
Plead toward the heavens,
“Where can I get me
A Tyrod, an Evans?
Or even a Wilson
Third string? That guy’s sick!
Or how ’bout a Hazley?
Have you seen that man kick?”
Alas, as it’s been like this
A while now — too long
UVa lousy
Virginia Tech strong
Despite early losses
Regrettable sins
The Hokies have grabbed
Ten consecutive wins
“So far,” said Beamer
“It’s been quite a year”
But as he well knows
It cannot end here
It’s onward to Charlotte
A title’s at stake
More rings to capture
More mem’ries to make
You just have to wonder, though
Has it come the day
Where it doesn’t excite them
To whip UVa?
As this game dragged on
Another Tech flogging
It got to a point where I
Even stopped blogging
Who’s reading this stuff?
Nobody, I bet
It’s nothing that these folks
Haven’t seen yet.
Where is the juice here?
The sizzle? The crackle?
And who taught these Wahoos
How NOT to tackle?
One question lingers
Just hangs in the air
It’s not nice to ask it
But still it seems fair
Can we honestly call this
A rivalry game
When the yearly results
Are always the same?