 |
|
The John Paul Jones Arena hosts Bruce Springsteen tonight. |
The John Paul Jones Arena roars to life tonight as Bruce Springsteen brings his tour to Charlottesville. I’m happy to say I’ll be headed back to the JPJ for the first time since Sean Singletary ‘s final farewell and I can’t wait to take in the show. But this is a sports column, so what the heck does Springsteen have to do with anything? There’s no better time for a gimmick column than when someone famous is coming to town. So with all due apologies to The Boss and his song titles, let’s hand out some totally meaningless awards!
The Radio Nowhere Award goes to …
Mac McDonald, the radio “Voice of the Cavaliers,” certainly gets a mention here since the news of his resignation hit the headlines today. The official release doesn’t say where McDonald is heading next, but for now there’s no Mac on the radio so he gets one fake trophy. Thanks for your time at UVa Mac!
I could be wrong and if I am, someone please set me straight – maybe Coach Groh did make some radio appearances and the news didn’t make it to the message boards, but that seems unlikely since Chris Long ‘s media tour last week got a virtual play by play from the Sabre-ites out there. Someone in the athletics department should have been in “public relations, sell the program nationally this week while we can” mode, making phone calls, shooting emails, and telling Coach who he was talking to next. Seems like a lost opportunity to me.
The Born To Run Award goes to …
Cedric Peerman and Kevin Ogletree , who both returned to the field this spring as part of the football team’s spring practice period. Peerman had offseason surgery after an injury in the Middle Tennessee State game while Ogletree spent last season rehabbing a 2007 spring injury. While neither played significant snaps in the so-called Spring Game, it was nice to see them back in action this spring. I have a hunch the duo will be a big part of any success this fall.
The Countin’ On A Miracle Award goes to …
The optimists among you. It seems like many, if not most, UVa fans have already written off the season opener against Southern Cal as a guaranteed loss. In fact, many have written off the chances of the Cavaliers even playing the Trojans close beyond a quarter or so. Hey, USC is arguably the premier program of the decade so I get it, but count me in the optimist camp that likes to believe anything can happen … even if you need a miracle to happen.
The Magic Award goes to …
The Land Of Hope And Dreams Award goes to …
The All Or Nothin’ At All Award goes to …
The Reason To Believe Award goes to …
On the men’s side, the team has lost to just two opponents this season and the Cavs should have a shot at another Final Four when the tournament gets started. But the favorite to win the whole thing is ACC rival Duke, which already handed two losses to the Hoos in 2008. Of course, Virginia did at least make things interesting at times in both games.
The Glory Days Award goes to …
 |
|
Somdev Devvarman and Becky Sauerbrunn took home the 2007-08 honors as UVa’s top athletes. (Photo courtesy Virginia Media Relations) |
Chris Long , Sean Singletary , Somdev Devvarman, Sharnée Zoll, Becky Sauerbrunn, and others. Talk about a remarkable senior class. When you are a Rhodes Scholar finalist (Sarah Kirkwood, volleyball) and a multi-time Tewaaraton Trophy nominee (Ben Rubeor, lacrosse) and you aren’t a stone-cold lock for one the top 5 athlete spots in your class, it says something about that class. There are plenty of others who didn’t get a mention here either.
Long leaves Virginia as the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and one of the best to ever wear the orange and blue. Singletary is the only player in ACC history to record 2,000 career points, 500 career assists, 400 career rebounds, and 200 career steals. Devvarman is the defending National Champion in singles for tennis and UVa’s top 2008 athlete, as awarded at the school’s annual awards dinner Monday.
Joining Devvarman as the award winner on the women’s side is Sauerbrunn, who is a three-time women’s soccer All-American and the 2007 ACC Defensive Player of the Year. She is also the 2007 National Soccer Coaches Association of America Scholar Athlete of the Year. Zoll, meanwhile, broke the career assists record at Virginia of Dawn Staley, a legend in Wahoo history.
The Better Days Award goes to …
The football fans. It’s been quite the offseason for the football team and the men’s basketball team couldn’t get it going in 2008. It’s not always all about the big two, but it still was a rough few months for Cavalier supporters. Read the previous entry to be reminded that better days are both past and prologue.
