Welcome to the Friday Feedback. I’m out of words. Short week next week. I’m gone Monday and Tuesday and then back Wednesday to begin the marathon. Thanks for hanging on through these slow weeks. Maybe you like the light load because the stories you might see this time of the year are generally not good ones, but, man, it drives me crazy. Some quasi-exciting stuff is coming, though. Not bad stuff. Mostly silly stuff. It is significant to me, though. Nothing to worry about, but something I believe you’ll like, if it comes to fruition.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, stand tall.

SheikYbuti said:

Two observations: (1) WVU is the most volatile proposition on the list, when one combines the payoff for the under with the lay amount for the over; (2) of the 35 teams listed, the Mountaineers are the only one from from the Big East. As previously indicated by the numbers illustrating the relative popularity of clothing and paraphernalia bearing the trademark of a particular school, WVU continues to be the preeminent national brand in the conference.

I’d call those facts, not observations. The volatility is interesting. There’s a risk, obviously, but still a fairly even reward if you’ve got the cash to throw at things like that.

Josh24601 said:

As a blatant emotional hedge, I take the under, and note:

(1) WVU is an historically horrible frontrunner;
(2) The offensive line may or may not be able to block anyone;
(3) Despite the Majesty of Casteel, the defense is light up front and young all over;
(4) Bitancurt may or may not be over the yips; and
(5) The other shoe looms; gather ye canned goods.

(That said, the 9.5 O/U reflects there being a chance something excellent could happen! Haven’t been able to say that about WVU since the wee hours of 1/3/08. Welcome back, possibility.)

Nos. 1 and 5 seem most relevant, to me, at least.

Mack said:

I’d take the under. Nine wins will be the most that this year’s team will get. The more I think about it, unless the defense overachieves, this will be more of a “rebuilding” year than we want to admit. With that said, a rebuilding year should still get nine wins with our talent and the Big East schedule. I think next year is the year WVU finally gets back to where it was.

If this counts the bowl game, then I’d be more inclined to say 10 wins.

The offensive and defensive lines seem like the biggest and most critical issues. If you’re not strong there, you’re not strong elsewhere, particularly with the way relies on its line on defense.

ccteam said:

The safe bet is definitely under. What if the offensive line is still not very good? what if the linebackers and young secondary aren’t good enough? what if Dana finds the jump to the head job bigger than he imagines? The big one: What if Geno gets hurt? And even if all those potential problems don’t occur, it only takes a couple bad bounces to lose a game or two you don’t count on losing. Definitely betting under.

… and then there are the intangibles, the things you can’t account for in July when guessing how many games a team will win. Seems like WVU has a bunch of them, yes?

KMS said:

safe bet….never bet on the Mounties. NEVER.

EVER?

Lee in Dayton said:

This is all well and good, but what’s the over/under on number of lobsters Bruce Irvin will eat at Big East Media Day?

Depends. Will he consult with Noel Devine first?

Bill said:

This hasn’t really been discussed yet but I find it MORE interesting that we recently went from 60-1 to 25-1. Or maybe this doesn’t surprise anyone here? Apparently Vegas also likes the fact that DH is now our guy.

I think 9 wins is reasonable due to all the problems we’ve already discussed ad nauseum. Our schedule is pretty favorable so I could see 10 wins, as our offense should give us a good chance to outscore opponents due to weaker defense.

I just hope that if we only win 9 games that all of the Stew supporters and WVU bashers don’t come running out of the bushes like “SEE! I told you! You fired Stew for winning 9 games a year! Are you gonna fire DH! WVU is a 9-win kinda program….get used to it!”.

I’m excited for 2011 but just as excited about 2012 and beyond.

I’d argue it’s as much about who is the coach as it is about who isn’t the coach. It also has a lot to do with the LSU game. If WVU wins that, the odds change again and Vegas starts making late money. Right now it’s in that intriguing territory and people might want to get in before things change again.

rekterx said:

Dave Johnson, by all accounts, is a great guy. I wish him the best. I’m sure that he will land in a situation, in or out of coaching, that is right for him.

You won’t find a nicer guy in his profession and it makes me mad because he deserved better treatment than he received. I know coaching can be a ruthless business and bad things happen to good people. I just hope no one ever forgets what Bill Stewart did to Dave Johnson and I hope nobody ever, ever believed, or believes, Stewart’s bogus defense about a clause in his contract that prevented him from telling Johnson.

overtheSEC said:

Dang! I was so busy with work this week I missed out on a chance to make Jeff Mullen_ jokes, so it looks like I’m basically backed up on my own 4 yard line, down by at least 2 jokes with only about eight minutes to go.
However it seems like the prevent defense is on so maybe I’ll actually toss some jokes out there while the coverage is soft, throw my jokes downfield instead of laterally and basically ignore what I’ve done up to this point. And of course after it’s successful and I land more jokes in eight minutes and an overtime than I’m able to land in 5 complete games for the rest of the year, I’ll NEVER TELL JOKES LIKE THAT AGAIN!

… feel better?

The 25314 said:

http://charlestondailymail.com/Sports/MikeCasazza/201011151004

This article has been brought to you by:

“We are working out harder this summer than ever before;”

“From what I hear, 7 on 7 drills are going great;” and

“I hope it is hot during summer practice.”

“Mike Joseph is doing a great job” is furious about the omission. And for the record, I didn’t write the story I included in the post. The one you link is from the preseason last year, when I kind of believed it would happen. I actually didn’t even go to the basketball interviews this summer. This is probably terribly conceited, but I’m allergic to the generic. That’s why I (seem to) hardly write during the summer. That said, I’ve got a great idea for a post next week!

Jeff in Akron said:

Strange that I never noticed before, but, ESPN’s WVU basketball page has them rated 228 in field goal percent and 149 in points scored from last year. Plus, they were ranked 56th in rebounds per game, add that they were in the top fifty in only one category of the four listed, 41st in assists.

From those stats, WVU won playing defense and not much else. I have to believe that the team will improve in all the above mentioned categories. Finally, the basketball team will be fast.

I would love to see this team run the floor like the 82/83 team did. Greg Jones, Lester Rowe, and Russel Todd were a thing of beauty to watch. “The Turk” could be this teams version of Phil Collins, the WVU center from those teams not the singer.

Hmmm. Let me say something without saying it, OK? My cousin is getting marries in Dallas March 13. In my family, it’s an occasion you can’t miss, though everyone is already offering their understanding if I can’t make it. That happens to be the first Saturday of the NCAA Tournament … and I can give you a very accurate assessment of what it’s going to cost to fly PIT-DFW.

lowercase jeff said:

yeah, i can feel that coming

in the air

tonight

I thought I’d try to move on and hope no one caught that …

SheikYbuti said:

For the first season, or at least for the first several weeks, it will be more like “Land of Confusion.”

… and so much for that.

jtmountaineer said:

The Turk does seem to have that invisible touch.

Wow, we got started early today, huh?

JP said:

Which freshman will perform well against all odds, and say take a look at me now

I don’t know, but this is just another Friday in paradise here.

The Artist Formerly Known as EER96 said:

Huggs’ favorite album is No Jacket Required! You think about that.

I think I’ll wait for you all to finish.

glibglub said:

I’d like to see one of you smart guys find a way to work in “Abacab”.

Yeah! Don’t come around again unti– what’s that? Jeez …

Jeff in Akron said:

Glib, how about this:

Look up at the scoreboard above the floor
The over is certain, with all the scores
The opponent is cracking
There’s a whole in the defense everywhere

When they do it they’re never there
When they show they stop and stare
Huggins’ is everywhere
Abacab

If you’re wrapping up the final
Cause you’ve taken someone’s game
When they turn on Sportscenter
Don’t you think they know
Tell me, don’t you think they know

When they do it they’re never there
When they show they stop and stare
Huggins’ is everywhere
Abacab doesn’t really care

Fans want it, they got it, you gotta go
Fans want it, they got it, now you know

It’s an illusion, it’s a shame
Or reflection of WVU’s game
When you wake in the morning
Wake and find you’re in mourning

Well there’s a whole in there somewhere
Yeah, there’s a whole in there somewhere
Baby, there’s a whole in there somewhere
The Mountaineers found it so often, so often

When they do it they’re never there
When they show they stop and stare
Huggins’ is everywhere
Abacab

I’m not even mad. I’m impressed.

SheikYbuti said:

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Mike Joseph, Director of Strength and Conditioning for West Virginia University’s Athletic Department, is devoted to his craft. Joseph’s unwavering focus is never more apparent than during the summer months, when the football team’s off-season conditioning must be closely supervised if those efforts are to pay maximum dividends in the waning moments of close contests in the fall.

Recently, Joseph’s dedication was sorely tested. Although he frequently camps out in the school’s Puskar Center to be close to his charges, Joseph took a rare break last week to spend a quiet evening at home. Unfortunately, upon arising early the following morning, Joseph discovered that a recurrent mechanical difficulty with his aging SUV had once again impeded him from traveling to work in a timely fashion.

Undaunted, he phoned the local Yellow Taxi service, which was able to dispatch an emergency taxi immediately to Joseph’s residence. With the swift response, Joseph was able to arrive at the Puskar Center with a minimum of delay. “In the past year or so,” Joseph said, “I have been having trouble every once in a while with my truck. Luckily, I happened to find out through a mutual friend that the owners of Yellow Taxi share my commitment to personal fitness, and we have since bonded. We talk about it all the time. So, whenever I break down, all I have to do is phone their hot line and they send out a car and driver specifically reserved for me. They call it their Ab-A-Cab, although I have no idea why.”

See that? That’s how you let a meme spin out of control and then bring it back full circle. What the hell were we talking about?

The 25314 said:

by the way, we need to add butch davis to this…

http://blogs.charlestondailymail.com/wvu/2010/11/10/im-without-words/

I still have no idea who sent that to me. Hopefully that person still reads and can make the needed additions.

Karl said:

OK, this Butch Davis thing just may snatch WVU’s crown. It’s not there yet, but once the inevitable infighting over his replacement starts, Dennis Dodd and whoever else may not remember Bill Stewart’s name anymore.

Possible. It needs a few twists and monkey wrenches, but, yes, the infighting may deliver it. I’m surprised so many people are surprised here. Davis was, I thought, an obvious fall guy. Then again, is it becoming just to easy to see a problem and cut off the head? Are head coaches and AD’s unfair fall guys? Maybe we’ll know more soon. As for the sympathy for Davis and “Oh, but he went to ACC media day!” well, yeah. What’s the alternative? Not have a head coach and deal with that publicity? It wasn’t a particularly nice thing to do to the guy, but since when is this a nice business? Bad people, bad decisions.

rekterx said:

The Productal Son Returns

He was lost and now he is found.  Bring the fatted calf!

pknocker40 said:

Anybody know what Alvarez shot? The scorecard was shredded…

I’m concerned about the Product’s skill as a caddy. Say Alvarez is in between a 3 iron and a driver on his second shot with water 200 yards away. He opts for the 3 and finds water. Rodriguez hands him a ball. Same club. Same water. Ball. Same club. Same water …

The Artist Formerly Known as EER96 said:

Did Rich make it the entire 18 holes? I heard he renegotiated after the front 9 for a cart but quickly left the course after the 10th hole. He was spotted exiting the Greenbrier through a side door!

That didn’t happen.

bow_Howdy said:

“This is unbelievable,” he said. “I think the nice part about it — I’m a West Virginia guy”,

No, RR, your license was revoked.

Tough crowd. Can he reapply?

Homer said:

I long for the day when I may be able to urinate on his grave. Until then, not interested.

And we’re done.

The Artist Formerly Known as EER96 said:

Dear UCONN,

Ed Pastilong is available!

Also, Bill Stewart is on line 3 inquiring about the fundraising position…

That would be neat to see.

Wayne said:

How does Calhoun manage to maintain a decent national public image? He must have one “heck” of a good pr staff.

I’m not sure he does. Seriously. He does have impeccable timing, though.

Bill said:

This is delicious. I love seeing cheaters go down at major programs. Maybe Edsall knew what he was doing by bolting.

Is Hathaway the cheater here? I’m not so sure. And I am sure Edsall was trying to get out of there for years, not just when it started to look bad recently.

Josh24601 said:

NAWT A DIME, MISTAH HATHAWAY!

Enjoy …

overtheSEC said:

If Calhoun had a heart, I’m sure it would be broken over this article.

… the weekend!