Football season is closing in fast. As I write this, it is July 17th, and Big East Media Day is just 9 days away. That will mark the end of the Dead Zone, as Jim Alderson calls it, and it is with a mixture of anticipation and dread that I look forward to the coming season. I love football season, and the excitement, and the web site traffic, but it also means that I'll be buried in the web site from late July until late April.

During the offseason, TSL is almost like a regular job. I can get by on 40 hours a week, if need be (unless I'm in the midst of releasing a TSL Extra). But during the season, the web site is a constant companion. I check email and the message boards all day long, seven days a week, and I have to make sure to catch the sports segment on the evening news every day. Plus, there's the weekly Hokie Hotline radio show and Virginia Tech Sports Today TV show.

So for me, it's bittersweet to put the wraps on another offseason, because I have actually been able to get some projects done around the house in the last two months. It has been the calm before the storm. But like you, I'm anxious to put the 2001 version of the Hokie football team on the field to see how they perform.

This month's TSLX contains one of my favorite TSLX articles ever, a great profile of verbal commitment Montavis Pitts. The story of Montavis Pitts is one of the things that makes college football recruiting such an interesting topic, and the Hokie coaches will have to fight hard to get Pitts to stick to his verbal. Let's just say that Montavis has become very popular recently.

In addition to that, we have a look back at the 1990 Tech-UVa football game, one of the great games in Virginia Tech history. Time hasn't reduced its luster one iota, and Jim Alderson, who recollects the game for us, places it in its historical context to really give you a great perspective on it.

We also present a point-counterpoint series of articles on a playoff for college football. This is a complex topic, and whether or not you think it's a good idea is a matter of your point of view. You'll see what I mean when you read the two articles.

And lastly, we have a look outside the lines at Virginia Tech Licensing, one of the most misunderstood topics in existence.

All in all, it's an issue that I'm very proud of, and it's all wrapped up in a snazzy new format. If you're looking at the on-line version, you really ought to take a look at the PDF version. As always, spread the word about the TSL Extra (there's a promo page in the back of the PDF version that you can print out, make copies of, and give to your friends), and enjoy issue #9.

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