WVU v. Maryland: No bombs will be bursting in air
September 13, 2014 by Mike Casazza
You are looking live at the scene outside Byrd Stadium this morning, where there is a noticeably heavy security presence. I mean, large enough that I thought, “Wow, there is a noticeably heavy security presence,” and when I got into the press box, others said something along the lines of, “Wow, there is a noticeably heavy security presence.”
It’s more than just this particular checkpoint, I promise, and I don’t have to tell you about other security concerns this area has this week. But I thought that was cheeky, given the occasion and the uniforms today and the bicentennial celebration not far from here for the Star Spangled Banner.
And there’d better be an amazing national anthem today. I happen to know one great American fit for the occasion.
Uhoh, time to begin…
Hertz and I had a brief, private ceremony to commemorate the scene the last time we were here. He and I cornered a stunned and saddened John Marinatto hours after Pete Thamel and Brett McMurphy informed him, and the world, Pitt and Syracuse were leaving for the Atlantic Coast Conference. We were the only people he spoke to on the record that day, and it was surreal because he was clearly out of sorts and, as it turned out, out of options. Classy move by Maryland to remember the occasion. Emotional moment for Hertz and I.
