Between the Two Little Posts, Ideally

Three for eleven on the year.

You see, at this point your more insightful sports blogs would have a comment on this. Advice. Analysis on whether this is effecting the team, coaching strategies, or the headspace of the nineteen year-old who's foot has sent eight oblongs in the wrong direction this year. (And if the blog in question was a fan of the red and white, there would also be calls to fire the athletic director, but that is neither here nor there.)

This is not an insightful sports blog. This is a sports blog who's kicking record at Kenan is 0 for 1, and I didn't have 50,000 people screaming as I did it. (Of course, I was trespassing, which I'd argue adds a little bit of pressure, but still.) So all you get here is a plea to please put the ball through the uprights. That and a facile analysis of the upcoming game:

Miami will be looking ahead to Virginia Tech. Miami will be more concerned with their special outfits. Miami is a beatable team, and Carolina is a team that beat them. Their stadium is banged up, and despite the name, they don't do to well in games after a hurricane's been through. Our defense has held three teams to their lowest point totals of the season. And gave up more points to a Big East team than in those three games combined.

Those are the optimistic points. And none of them involve what's likely to happen between the goal posts on Saturday. N.C. State can walk into a game looking to avenge an embarassing loss and trip over their own feet. With Miami, that's a lot less likely. Miami over the Tar Heels by a couple of touchdowns.

(Where's the incurable homer gotten to? I'm saving it up to pick the upset over Virginia Tech. No, really.)

Wahoo, Serious

If you're ever in the mood to do something slightly illegal, you can sneak into Hill Hall on campus and make your way to the back of the recital hall. From the the wings you can climb a ladder into the rafters, after which you can make your way over the auditorium, stepping over the sprinkler system pipes installed well after the fact, to the space overlooking the rotunda. There, just before reaching the roof access, there's a rafter on which was scrawled during construction

Virginia 66, North Carolina 0

Apparently some of the builders were fans of Mr. Jefferson's University.

Of course, that score was in the news two weeks ago, after the Tar Heels surpassed it in futility at Louisville. I didn't see the game - wouldn't want to see the game - but the impression I walked away with was of a game that began to slip away and then just snowballed. Or, as someone else put it, "From what I've seen, both teams are completely schizo."

The good news is, Carolina's developed a talent in losing big before a bye, and then bouncing back. 2001's Florida State victory after the Texas shelling. Last year's Miami upset after Utah too them behind the woodshed. So mental resiliency has been shown.

The lead story in the bad news this week has been the Cavalier's reenactment of an upset, knocking off the Seminoles in a game honoring, well, knocking off the Seminoles. They come in motivated, they come in ranked, and they come in with a recent history of owning the UNC. (56-24, 36-13, 37-27 - These are your Pick Six numbers for the Haplessness Heel Lottery.) All that being said, I don't think they're going to win.

I have no reason to think UNC can pull it off, really. Maybe it's not seeing enough football to be convinced Virginia's for real. Maybe it's one too many previews written by folks not convinced there's going to be an actual game played. More likely, I'm an incurable homer during football season. But Carolina will squeak it out.

(At least it's not in Charlottesville. I don't think Carolina's walked out of there with a win since 1981.)

This Isn't Exactly a Healthy Respect

Three weeks from now Carolina travels to Miami. It's a homecoming game for the Canes, a chance to avenge last year's shocking upset, and a must-win in the race for the conference championship. Is Miami looking ahead to it?

Yes, because of the pretty, pretty, dress-up clothes they're going to wear.




This should probably be bulletin board material somewhere.

(Also, "We are aware that 'The U' is one of the strongest brands in the country?" Walk into the average sporting goods store, say, 3,000 miles from Chapel Hill. You'll be able to pick up an interlocking NC hat. A big M hat. The occasional Blue Devil hat. "The U" doesn't really fall into that catergory, I'm afraid.)

Louisville

Your pronouncing it wrong.

Seriously, if you're not from Louisville, you're pronouncing the name wrong. Having had proper pronunciation drilled into me in college by a native Louisvillian, I will tell you this:

• There's no "ee" sound in the name.
  
• You're not putting enough L's in there. There's roughly fifteen L's in the proper naming of the town. Lou-ell-vuhl.

The game? UNC goes up against a team in red-and-white with a fearsome and potent offensive attack and a cupcake schedule. This entire season is one big Groundhog Day. North Carolina 31, Lou-ell-vuhl, less than 31.