The last four months have been full of quite a bit of drama, both on the football field for the Hokies, and off the football field for TechSideline.com. Not only did the Hokies string together another ten-win season, flirting with the upper reaches of the BCS Rankings along the way, but they also almost lost their coach (to UNC) and their starting quarterback (to the NFL). Thankfully, both are staying at Tech.

Meanwhile, it has been a season of drastic change for TSL. A name change, the launch of the TSL Extra, and the introduction of a recruiting database have all kept me hopping far and above what the normal football season does.

Without question, football season is TSL's busiest time of the year. It's four months of pedal-to-the-medal non-stop work. So what kind of idiot would decide to change the name of his web site, introduce a new supplement, and put in extra time creating a database? Why not do that stuff in the offseason?

I don't know. As a friend of mind used to say, "Call me crazy, call me nuts �"

The good news is, that's all behind me now. HokieCentral.com is now TechSideline.com, the recruiting database is going great, and the TSL Extra has been well-received.

Speaking of the TSLX, I thought issue #1 was decent, but I think you'll agree that this issue is outstanding. It's got some great material, including a profile of VT recruit Justin Hamilton from Clintwood High, plus an in-depth look at Tech's TV ratings for the 2000 football season. And that's just the beginning.

I've also made some structural changes. Each article now runs concurrently from one page to the next, instead of starting on one page and continuing in the back of the magazine. And all articles are now in a one-column format. The two-column format used in issue #1 looked nice, but I like to use a lot of tables in my work, and they don't fit very well in the two-column format.

All in all, I'm very proud of this issue, and I think you'll enjoy it. I only have one request: write me some letters! Starting next issue, we want to add a "Letters to the Editor" section, so send me some commentary on what you read here, and hopefully, we'll include your feedback in what could become an interesting new feature in the Extra.

Now, I've wasted enough of your time. Enjoy issue #2.