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Pastimes : Virginia Tech Hokies -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: appro who wrote (696)	10/14/2006 11:19:42 AM
From: appro	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1332

Apple, have a crisp? Say it fast with emphasis on "have" and it sounds a bit like Aponavicius (pro-nounced Ap'-eh-NAV"-ah-Chus') college football's latest household word. At least that is how it sounded as I struggled to wake up this morning with this earworm repeating in my head. You know how hard dreams are to describe in the rational light of day? I just kept seeing this marionette in a Hokies linebacker uniform, on the field no less, dancing to the infectious sounds of a deafening crowd of Boston College fans roaring with Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," their arms and hands swaying and pointing appropriately for the words, "Good times never seemed so good I've been inclined I believed they never could Sweet Caroline" Still it was a dream, a dream come true for Aponavicius. We watched his glowing parents in the stands. We heard a lissome lass, no less comely than Erin Andrews, suggest this is playing out according to a script like the movie, "Rudy." Hey, I loved that movie too but imagining myself in Aponavicius's shoulder pads, I would go tilt at that analogy. After all, he scored again, and again and again (and again) against the nationally ranked big bad team which has a staggering record of 12 and 1 on ESPN Thursday night football. Tech's only previous loss came to, yup, BC. Somehow it seemed appropriate to have Doug "Hail Mary" Flutie in the broadcast booth watching another Boston mythological legend in the making. It did seem to have the makings of a great Boston sports movie like "Fever Pitch." It could happen, if BC finishes really, really well this season. In my dream, one thing seemed amiss. Coach Beamer on the sidelines appeared to be in black and white like he was wandering in an episode of the Twillight Zone. Maybe he was mentally asking himself, "How many turnovers?" And how many fouls erased the results of what would otherwise have been huge momentum changing plays to get the Hokies back on track? I dunno. The mistakes just seemed to repeat over and over again like I was have some kind of delirious dream. Halfway through the second quarter, I thought it might be healthier if I started rooting for BC to win instead of pulling my hair out. Even now, my mouth is agape with my lower jaw shifted to one side and my head tilted in befuddled disbelief. The one saving grace in my opinion was the broadcast crew's pyscho-analysis of the Hokie team ethos. Maddening as it was to hear, it rang true. I have watched a variety of characters in recent years come and go with that "It's all about me" first and the NFL second attitude. Sorry to ramble. My therapist would say, "It helps to talk about these things. Otherwise you could end up wandering around muttering and kicking dogs. That reminds me, Coach Beamer really kept his cool, on camera at least. I did not think this game would affect me because my expectations were so low this season. They just weren't this low. A guy who has never played any form of organized "Futbol Americano" can come out and seemingly score at will on us. That hurts. It might make a good movie though - but I hope not. The early season rankings have been a cruel joke this year especially for certain ACC teams. P.S. Some player from Blacksburg was quoted by ESPN before the game saying how really important this game was to him and the team. He said something to the effect that the outcome of this game would mean the difference between going to a major bowl or to Boise. He should be so lucky. Somehow, I cannot imagine the folks in Boise would even consider extending such an invitation after what I saw. I'd say an apology to the folks in Idaho is in order. A big mental attitude adjustment would not hurt either. I bet the coaches will be working on that. At least there are some big games looming on the horizon that will present opportunities for the Hokies to refurbish and hopefully redeem this football season - starting with Southern Miss. Looking ahead to Clemson and Miami would be a big mistake. Big mistake.