First things first - you message board nuts are going to have to take a breather, because the Hokie Central message board is most definitely down. Some server maintenance was performed by the sysop for the server that the message board is on Saturday, and the result is that the message board isn't working any more.

I only have access to one of the guys who maintains the server (fellow Hokie alum Greg Lee), and Greg, last I heard, was in Israel (he wasn't the sysop who got on the machine this weekend, however - that was his partner). He will be back on either Monday the 17th or Monday the 24th, I can't remember which, so just hang tight, and we'll fix it when he returns. If he's going to be out until the 24th, I'll try to contact him via email, and maybe he can work some magic from across the ocean. I'll keep you posted.

I can tell by using my message board admin tools that new messages that are posted on the board are indeed being posted to the server, but not to the directory that the message board thinks they're going. So it's not a major problem, and one that should be easily fixed. Until then, check out all the old messages, and think of it as a "message board greatest hits" kind of thing. Also, note that I have included a link to the list of "frequent posters" on the main page, under the Message Board link. I will eventually link this info directly to the top of the message board, but for now, you can find it there.

For those of you who don't frequent the message board, here are some news items from last week that were announced and covered (and talked about extensively) on the message board:

Carol Alfano is Gone: Women's basketball coach Carol Alfano's contract will not be renewed. Alfano had been Tech's women's basketball coach for 19 years, and her contract, which expired at the end of this season, will not be renewed by AD Dave Braine. Dave said simply, "It's time for a change." Alfano was essentially a .500 coach over her career. Tech won 20+ games a year for three years in a row recently, but posted losing records the last two years, including a 10-21 record this year. Although very few people actually "stood up and cheered" over the announcement, the reaction to the news was general approval on the part of Hokie fans. Former Tech player and current WVU coach Susan Walvius has been suggested as a replacement. Braine said they'll take their time with the search for a new coach.

Carruth Signs Ten-Day Contract With Bucks: Former Tech basketball crowd favorite and orange-stocking-cap-hero Jimmy Carruth signed a ten-day contract to play with the Milwaukee Bucks. If you want to drop Jimmy a line, you can email his agent, Jim Clibanoff, at [email protected]. When I contacted him, Clibanoff emailed me and said, "Feel free to list my e-mail for Jimmy as his agent. I am going to see him play the Celtics Monday night and I have already printed a couple of messages for him." I have added Jim's email to my "Hokie VIP Email Addresses" Page. It's well known that "The Chief," as Carruth is called, loved his days at Virginia Tech, and I know he would love to hear from Hokies who are still following his career.

Hokie Bird Loses a Close One: In an ESPNet battle of the mascots Saturday, the Hokie Bird lost to Syracuse's Otto the Orange by a narrow margin, 53%-47%. For those of you who didn't stop by the ESPNet page, I've got to tell you that the picture they posted of the Hokie Bird is the worst photo I've ever seen of him. He looked like a giant spaz who was about 85% feet and 15% idiot. When I clicked over to the page, my first reaction was "Oh, my God, that's not the Hokie Bird!" That's how bad the picture looked. It's all part of the ESPN/ABC plot that I'm always complaining about, I'm sure. And I'm pretty sure that aliens were involved, too.

Defenders of the Crown Comments Have Been Forwarded: Lastly, I forwarded a compilation of message board comments about this year's Tech football highlight video, "Defenders of the Crown," to Bill Roth. The comment made the most often was, "Get rid of the herky-jerky, MTV, Film-School-101, video effects." Second most popular comment, "Make it longer, with more highlights. I'd pay more for that!"

A-10 champ St. Joseph's (and their tireless Hawk mascot) advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 over the weekend. Their second-round victory was particularly sweet, because it was a victory of the A-10 regular season and tournament champ St. Joe's over the Big East regular season and tournament champ Boston College. Other than St. Joe's, the A-10 didn't fare very well:

• UMass lost in the first round to the hated Louisville Cardinals (hated by me and most Hokie fans, anyway)
  
• Rhode Island lost in the first round to Purdue, in overtime
  
• Xavier and Temple both made the second round, but then lost (Xavier to UCLA, and Temple to #1 seed Minnesota).

So overall, the A-10 is 4-4, with only one team out of five left. Up next for St. Joe's is a bad Hokie memory from last year, the Kentucky Wildcats.

Over in the NIT, George Washington lost their first round game, getting pasted 65-50 by Michigan State.

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