Football recruiting signing day is Wednesday, February 3rd, and the Hokies only have one target left in their sights:  Warwick wide receiver Andrae Harrison, Michael Vick's old teammate, and according to rumors, future teammate-to-be.  Andrae finally visited Tech this past weekend, and he officially says that his decision comes down to Tech and UVa.  One recruiting service reports that he will announce his choice on Tuesday.

If Tech can land Harrison, it will cap off a nice recruiting year that some argue is as good as last year's haul.  I'm not sure I think it's as good as last year's class, but it sure is big, it sure is good, and it sure is darn close.  It's at least the second best recruiting year (on paper, I stress) that Tech has ever had, and it follows what is roundly regarded as Tech's best ever, last year.  From a talent standpoint, the Tech football program is definitely headed in the right direction.

Behind the scenes, the maneuvering has already begun to somehow fit this year's 24-25 recruits into a team that didn't lose many seniors.  Some players won't qualify, others will probably enter in January, and others are probably being asked to walk on.   The final days of recruiting can be hairy ones for a coaching staff, particularly when that staff lands more players than perhaps it thought it might, which may be the case this year.

In any event, Harrison's reported Tuesday press conference is scheduled for the afternoon, so keep an eye on the HokieCentral message board for all the latest.

Kudos to the Tech women's basketball team, who finally bowed for the first time this year, when they lost to Xavier on Friday night.  Bonnie's team righted the ship with a Sunday win at Dayton and now stands at an awesome 19-1, as they return home for a Friday game against (slobber, drool) Xavier.

I don't think the end of the streak will mean the end of the record-setting crowds.   Loss or not, this team has already worked its way into Hokie fans' hearts with their teamwork, their personalities, and their charisma.  And of course, the best coach this side of Tennessee's Pat Summit.

Speculation has begun as to whether or not this Friday's game will sell out, and I think that if it doesn't, it will get close.  The fact the game is against Xavier will work to the Hokies' advantage, because for those who follow the Tech team, the desire for revenge on the Musketeers is fresh, and the chance to satisfy that desire so soon will probably bring a lot of fans out.

Despite Tech's recent success, Xavier has somehow maintained possession of the Hokies' number, winning their last six against Tech.  In the last season and a half, in which Tech has exploded upon the national scene, Xavier has been unimpressed, going 3-0 against the Hokies.

I promised the team in Friday's News and Notes that once they came home, we the fans would help carry them the rest of the way.  Now's the time - buy an advanced ticket from the Tech ticket office at 1-800-VATECH4, bail out of work or class a little early on Friday, and come down to Cassell to support the Hokies.

You could be a part of the first-ever sellout at a Tech women's basketball game, but more importantly, you could be on hand to scream the pesky Xavier Musketeers into submission.  This game is most likely for the A-10 West championship, and it's time to show up and help the ladies out.  See you there Friday night!

If you've been keeping an eye on the HokieCentral hit counter on the home page, then you know that HokieCentral is about to register its one-millionth site visit in just under three years of existence.  In preparation, I have boosted the counter from a six-digit display to seven digits.

(In reality, that counter's not accurate, and the one-millionth visit probably occurred quite a while back, but let's pretend here.)

To celebrate the milestone, and to show my appreciation for the many visitors HC has had over its brief life, I'm offering a free Platinum membership to the one-millionth visitor.  Here's how to claim your prize (this requires a little technical know-how, but not a lot):

1. When you visit, check out the "Ego-Pumping Web Counter" near the bottom of the HokieCentral home page.
2. If the counter says 1000000, then right-click on it, and select "Save Image As..." (or whatever option your browser gives you to save the image).  Save the counter under the file name "counter.gif."
3. Email the image to me as an attachment.  I'll contact you with directions on how to claim your prize.

No cheating!  If I receive more than one image that shows as the one-millionth hit, then no one will win, and I'll tattle!

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