Summer of the Dream Weaver

Without a doubt, the biggest news that came out last week is that Tech and UVa have struck a deal that will return the men's basketball games to campus sites beginning in the fall of 2000:

Roanoke loses Tech/UVa game - The Roanoke Times
UVa, Tech reach a deal to move games on campus - Richmond Times-Dispatch

For the record, Tech and UVa will play their second straight game in Richmond in the 1999-2000 season, and in the fall of 2000, will begin a four-year, home-and-home series that will see the two teams play in Blacksburg in 2000 and 2002, and in Charlottesville in 2001 and 2003.

Jim Weaver continues to accomplish things his predecessors only dreamed about. Tech appears to be on the verge of all-sports membership in the Big East, the Hokies are getting ready to announce Lane Stadium expansion plans through 2003, and now, the Virginia Cavaliers will return to Cassell Coliseum.

If things pan out, this is truly shaping up to be Tech's finest summer ever, and the culmination of a series of efforts by Jim "Dream" Weaver.

Not only is the basketball deal a sweet one, encompassing four years and two home dates for each team, but Weaver added a cherry on top: the 2000 game in Cassell will be the night before the Tech/UVa football game.

I'm guessing that'll sell out. What do you think?

Someone (I believe it was HokieBrad) correctly pointed out that a home game with the UVa men has a trickle-down effect that may even make it more lucrative than the off-site games. The offsite games offer 10,000 tickets at $20 a pop, which means a possible gate revenue of $200,000. I'm not sure how the two teams split that, but it certainly beats filling about 6,000-7,000 seats in your own coliseum at $10 a pop (the other 3,000-4,000 seats are student seats and don’t generate any gate revenue).

The money is probably the biggest reason that the game went to neutral sites about 20 years ago, except maybe for the fact that it just doesn't make sense for an ACC team like UVa to set foot inside the Cassell. That's pretty much all risk and no reward for UVa.

But think about it (back to HokieBrad's comment): the UVa game will be a hard one to get tickets for, and it may actually lead people who were on the fence to go ahead and purchase basketball season tickets, so they'll have the UVa ticket guaranteed. I know I'm thinking seriously about it, and I've never had the slightest inkling to purchase season tix yet, preferring instead to take it on a game-by-game basis.

So on the one hand, a side effect of having UVa at home is that you sell more season tickets. That's more money that otherwise might not be committed to the program.

Another side effect is that other fence-sitters will make it to the Tech/UVa game and get to experience 10,000 screaming Hokie maniacs in the Cassell, and they just might be convinced by the experience to go see more games at other times. And if the Hokies make it into the Big East for all-sports membership, there will be plenty of other attractive home games for the casual fan to enjoy.

So it becomes obvious with a little thought that to make the decision to leave the game at neutral sites may be a little short-sighted, financially speaking. You win with that one particular game, but you may very well lose out overall, if you're Virginia Tech.

None of this explains how Jim Weaver and company were able to get UVa to say yes to playing in Cassell Coliseum. That's quite a coup.

There has been a popular belief for years and years that the issue of on-campus basketball games and the Tech/UVa football game being played at the end of the season were somehow tied together. Supposedly, every time Tech said, "Let's play men's basketball on campus," UVa would say, "Sure, if we can move the football game to another time in the year."

And likewise, every time UVa said, "Let's move the football game," Tech would say, "Okay, let's play the men's basketball game on campus."

Both schools, of course, would refuse. And on it went, deadlocked for years, according to this popular belief.

That all went out the window when UVa set the game date for the football game on October 2^nd this year. UVa has reportedly said that all future UVa home games in the series will be scheduled for earlier in the year.

At the time it was announced, I said that Jim Weaver ought to look at UVa AD Terry Holland and say, "Fine. We'll be playing the Tech/UVa men's basketball game in Cassell the next time we're due to host it." And if UVa refused, we should simply drop the series, instead of letting them dictate terms.

Is that what happened? Did Jim Weaver, spurred by his unpleasant experience in Roanoke in 1998, and the moving of the UVa/Tech football game in 1999, simply give Terry Holland an ultimatum? I doubt it. Jim would probably never talk to Holland that way, regardless of whether or not it was what Mr. Weaver was really thinking.

We'll never know. The end result, however, is what Jim Weaver and Tech fans wanted: on-campus basketball games. And Mr. Weaver has shown Terry Holland part of the folly of moving the football game by turning it into an attractive package, combining it with the basketball game. That's going to be one hell of a Tech/UVa sports weekend in November of 2000, drawing Hokies and Hoos from all over the state for a full weekend in Blacksburg. It's nothing short of brilliant. The money will fly into Southwest Virginia from all over the state.

For a Hokie fan contingent that is awaiting Big East membership news and Lane Stadium expansion news, this basketball game news is further proof that Jim Weaver gets things done, and that he is good for the business of Tech athletics. The only thing Mr. Weaver has yet to accomplish is to sign a near-term football series with a big name like Michigan or Nebraska, and I'm starting to think it's because (a) it simply can't be done, or (b) Mr. Weaver doesn't want to do it, for whatever reason.

I'd have to believe (b), because the guy certainly has been able to accomplish everything else he has set his mind to.

Thinking About HC Membership?  Jump On In!

This brief sales pitch isn't for those of you who are already HokieCentral members, and it isn't for those of you who either don't want to be a HokieCentral member or can't afford it.

It's for those of you that I talk to almost every day, who want to become a member, but you aren't sure about it, and you haven't taken the time to check it out fully.  Summer time is a perfect time for you to finally make your move, because it's my slowest time of year.  Here are the types of questions I get from prospective members:

Q:  What do I get if I sign up?

A:  First of all, you get quality HokieCentral merchandise.  Everybody gets two HokieCentral window static stickers, and depending upon what level you sign up at, you can get a car magnet, a T-shirt, a baseball cap, a golf/polo shirt, a denim shirt, or a great HokieCentral jacket.  It's all quality stuff, it's all orange and maroon, and it all features the HokieCentral logo printed or embroidered on the merchandise, identifying you not just as a Tech fan, but a serious Tech fan.

But the fun doesn't end there.  You also get a year's worth of access to the Members Only area, which includes great articles, columns, and information on web site happenings not found in the free areas of the site.  The free areas are great, and they're all you really need, but the Members Only area is the icing on the cake.  And this time of year, it's a god-send, because it contains hours and hours worth of archived material to get you through the slow summer.

For example, today's Members Only update is an eight-page spoof of Tech's upcoming 1999 football season, titled, "Hokie Football '99:   That Championship Season."  Guaranteed to at least bring a smile to your face.

And lastly, you get a password to the HokieCentral message board.  Don't think of it as paying for entry into some sort of restricted club - think of it as joining a highly entertaining and informative group of Tech fans in an enjoyable and productive message board environment.

Q:  Hey, I was thinking about being a HokieCentral member, but I don't know how to do it.  How do I sign up?

A:  You go to HokieCentral's Membership Page, figure out what piece of merchandise you want, or what you can afford, click on it, and fill out the form that loads in your browser.  It takes maybe five minutes, tops, and you get a year's worth of enjoyment out of it.

Q:  How much do I have to give?  Like, a hundred dollars or something?

A:  That depends.  You can sign up for as little as $25 and join at the "Member" level, or you can give $85 or more and sign up at the high-end "Platinum" level.  Whatever you want to give, and whatever you can afford.  If you can't afford anything, then just keep checking out the free areas of the site, and become a HokieCentral member some other time, if you want to.

Q:  I want to sign up, but I don't want to do it with my credit card.  Can I send you a check?

A:  Yes, you can - there are instructions on each order form on where to mail your check or money order, if you'd rather pay that way.

So there, that's the sales pitch.  I only do that twice a year - once at the beginning of the year, when I roll out the new membership merchandise, and once in the beginning of the summer, when things slow down to an amazing crawl.

So do this:  if you're thinking about becoming an HC member, jump on board now, give it a one-year trial, and if you don't think it's worth it, then forget about it when renewal time comes up next year, and keep enjoying the free areas of the site.  I promise not to bother you with lots of emails begging you to re-sign, and I promise never to call you up at your house and hassle you, like those psychic hotlines do.  Sound like a deal?

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