saret
S
19,023
Posts
0
Threads
40,357
Likes
Member since:
January 01, 2005
Last post:
05/09/2022 06:28 AM ET
Posting History (2,071)
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
The real indictment is that they're are better ideas on here than come from
the brain trust we call an AthDept. And, the execution of the AthDept ideas are even more poorly done than their ideas.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
A broken clock is correct twice a day. The Franklin hire was/is
excellent. It was also very fortuitous.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
imo, they do not. They're hermetically sealed in Jamerson.
So far, I've seen no indications they care what members of this board think or opine.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
No mental health problem here (although my friends might
disagree). Venting on a board is, imho, cathartic and good for my mental health. Plus, we don't know if one cannot affect change unless one tries. By your thought process, we should just allow ourselves to be indoctrinated into the Borg, because resistance if futile.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
I don't really disagree with what you're saying, and I agree that the
concerts/MBB nexus is pretty tenuous. As far as what you describe as ongoing efforts, that's right up there with the phrase I heard when I worked for the federal govt, "I'm with the government, I'm here to help, trust me." And, based upon the historical record of AthDept efforts, the axiom I quoted is just as accurate and disingenuous.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
You may be right about all that, but (And there's going to be more to come.
so far, is a pipe dream with no indication of any effort by the AthDept to have Metellica redux. So again, MBB fans should just accept our fate, and ask for more like Animal House?
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
So, so non-football fans should just accept it, admit defeat,
and be fine with an historically poorly run business? I gotcha! No hard feelings. We should just be grateful for getting "knocked up" because the BMOC football captain impregnated us? Now I understand.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Just FYI, concessions are outsourced to Aramark via contract.
It would seem the contractor performance is lacking.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
I remember attending concerts in Cassell
when I was a student (Chicago, Peter Paul and Mary, Mitch Ryder, etc.). I understand mega entertainers want larger venues, but why not try to get non-mega (is that a word?) entertainers in there. I've seen no evidence of the AthDept/Burruss making any effort at all, other than Metallica to generate revenue using Lane or Cassell.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Does past incompetence mean the program is doomed forever?
No. But 4-5 years of underfunding brings doom a lot nearer. You're essentially betting the come, which is more favorable to the bettor, but the odds still favor the house. And, if you're wrong, doom arrives with no alternative avenue of redemption. And, don't forget, football demands are going to increase every year, just like Franklin's salary. Some of ya'll are being very cavalier about under funding MBB. It's that attitude that some of us find so galling.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Oh, I agree with you re: the current policy. And, I agree with it to a
point. But I don't agree with the decision to go so totally football-centric funding wise that other sports should suffer to the point of being non-competitive. We all saw what happened to MBB year before last when the described philosophy was implemented. And, as an aside, if Whit, his Minions and the Hokie Club had done a better job fund raising the AthDept would not be in this predicament. Piss poor fundraising and fiduciary acumen has put us here, with other sports having to compete for minimum funding because of leadership deficiencies.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Once again, lack of vision, lack of action, lack of leadership bites us
in the a$$. The gift that keeps on giving.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
I HAVE read your posts. And, in general, I don't disagree with your
position, just the degree to which you are willing to go for, potentially, a winning football team. To me, your overly strident use of the word "survival" implies (to me at least) that under funding the non-football sports is requisite to your survival paradigm, and would be a price worth paying. I cannot go that far. I've often found that the explanation that it's just "business" is a euphemism used by zealots.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Let's see, your lede says, "...you would see VT athletics burn just to get
better basketball." If you didn't say it, it strongly implies in your response to @Rev.Zeke Vodka that he would want to "burn" VT athletics just to get better basketball. RZV didn't say that. In fact, he just said don't overly fund football and neglect MBB, which is what Whit did year before last and apparently intends to do again this year. From my reading of RZV's post, he just wanted a little more equity/awareness. Of course football is gong to get the preponderance of the money, but I read your position as give it all to football, and everybody else should just suck it up and hope for the best.
We've seen what happens when Whit is left to his own devices, when he funded the Olympic sports to the detriment of football, which brought us to where we are now. Now, it looks like the AthDept is over compensating to fix their self-created shortcomings.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Oh, I know that. Schools/AthDepts/Coaches want to be involved so they can
control the purchase of players. I was just being wistful.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
All that you say about your support of MBB may be true, yet you
espouse abandoning all the other sports except football. And, that espousal is NOT, "...doing the responsible thing because we care about all the sports." You are obviously "football biased" not football centric. And, I did pause and consider what I posted, and I'll stand by it. You can point out how big a supporter you are all you want, espousing neglecting all the non-football sports for the supposed survival of football is equivalent to what Whit did to the AthDept for the last ten years.
Softball Board
2 mo ago
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Well, one thing that could be done re: NIL is for
the schools to quit funding/subsidizing/arranging NIL deals for the athletes. Pro athletes, with their agents, arrange their own NIL deals. Most of these college athletes do not. Let these agents work for their 10% and find the sponsors. Then, the agent/athlete just reports the substance of the NIL deal to the school, who can forward it to the clearinghouse for review. The schools should quit helping/buying these athletes. If it's true NIL, sponsors will pay for who they want.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
I'll accept your figures, because they sound about right.
But, I would expect such numbers since Lane sits ~67,000 and Cassell sits <9,000. That being said, I can't fault @GCHokie34 for arguing for DECENT support for the sport he loves. And, just how much did each football will cost as opposed to each basketball win? Your bias really shows here.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Not pretending to speak for @GCHokie34 , but the corollary
to your proposition is that it is OK to sacrifice MBB and a bunch of other sports for the sake of football. When reading your post so starkly, it would seem you're just as biased to football as you accuse GC of being for MBB. Your postulation shows no concern for any other VT sports other than your beloved football. imo, GC seems to argue that repeating the same mistakes over and over (as Whit and his Minions have shown) is repeating the same mistake over and over and expecting a different outcome. Whit has now repeatedly shortchanged MBB, and I would argue that MBB has been relatively more successful than football given the investments (or lack thereof) by Whit and the AthDept.
** Edited by saret at 5/15/2026, 6:13:17 PM
The Lounge
2 mo ago
The Lounge
2 mo ago
First, both the HC and Advancement can provide the info. I would get both.
Why both? Because the Advancement printout would provide you (and your wife) a list of all gifts going back years. Terry Bolt is still there. She is/was my HC rep. The HSF was created when seat premiums were initiated. The HSF was established to provide the AthDept a reliable funding source to fund athletic scholarships.
As far as the Benefactor's Gala goes, I'm a piker. I barely meet the threshold compared to most of those in attendance. And, that threshold is for cumulative giving, not large donations. I was a govt employee. That doesn't qualify me to be able to give large gifts. They're large gifts for me. And, anything you give should be acknowledged.
The Lounge
2 mo ago
I can't answer your question specifically, but the HC's calculation of
has been tweaked from time to time over the years. But, without more definitive info re: your giving over the years. Have you only been designating your giving to the HSF for ten years? Was there a year you did not donate (resulting in a break in consecutive giving)? Have you ever pledged money? It can also mean that the HC records are just bad.
One way to find out, without contacting the HC, is to contact University Advancement. Any money given to the HC would be a subset of all the money you've donated to VT over the years. Or, you can just contact the HC directly, and ask them. Also, it would not be unusual for the info from Advancement and the HC to differ (I just Advancement's records over the HC< personally.
I would gently urge you to find out from either Advancement and/or the HC what your records are. While it may not be important now, it could down the road. It never hurts to get your info.
Softball Board
2 mo ago
Softball Board
2 mo ago
RJ, you and I have spoken of this before. Blacksburg is, imo,
elitist/snobbish. They always think they should be first, whether they deserve it or not. In anticipation of incoming responses later: Yes, VT is the economic engine of SW Virginia. Yes, VT is the largest employer in the area. But, that being said, a disproportionate share of the cost of the VT growth is borne by Blacksburg property owners.
Also, Yes, the Town says that my property value has increased in value because of the VT growth. But that increased value is only worth something when I sell or die. I don't plan on doing the former, and assiduously avoid the latter as best I can.
Softball Board
2 mo ago
Actually, a majority of the current Blacksburg Town Council members
are: employed by VT, previously employed by VT, spouses are/were employed by VT. There is an inherent conflict of interest there. I know this will bring a strong reaction on here, but I've said it before. Some of VT's growth results in the Town "subsidizing" that growth. In my opinion, that is an unfair burden on the property owners. Last year, my Town property taxes rose 32%. Why? Infrastructure costs of the VT growth. The state won't pay for on campus housing, thus developers fill the need with off campus housing. This puts pressure on roads, police, fire, schools, etc.. And the Town's biggest source of income is property taxes. And, with the aforementioned inherent conflict of interest, the new construction is rezoned, and built.
And, just as an aside, a member of the BoV is one of the largest developers in the area.
** Edited by saret at 5/11/2026, 11:54:53 AM
Softball Board
2 mo ago
Softball Board
2 mo ago
Softball Board
2 mo ago
That's all I wear now, VPI hats.
Used to have to get custom hats to get them embroidered. Now Alumni Hall has a few. I still order them online and design my own. Get to pick the color/style of hat, color/font of stitching, etc.
Softball Board
2 mo ago
Softball Board
2 mo ago
Agreed. A lot of people on here think I'm anti-outsourcing, but I'm not.
It's a very appropriate method to control costs, and increase the workload without needing the overhead of increasing the size of staff. Government does it all the time. That being said, it's only effective if there is appropriate oversight and consequences for performance shortcomings. VT and the ACC in general does provide the oversight, and then there are no consequences of for performance failure.
Softball Board
2 mo ago
NSIR, but using your link, it would seem that the webpage is
outsourced to StatBroadcast/Radiak. In short, apparently, the ACC has outsourced this (perfectly good idea) function. But, apparently, much like VT, the ACC doesn't provide proper oversight and compel the contractor to perform. Just sayin'.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Thanks for the response. This is an honest question. I believe you
when you write, "NIL funds can be handled by the university independent of Triumph Since July of 2025." Where can I find the rules that say that? I'm not disputing, just asking.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Another good post. The AthDept follows the United Way
methodology when it comes to funds that are recipient specific. Your post specifically talks about NIL funds, which are supposed to be funds handled by Triumph with no input from the AthDept, but we've all known that was a charade from the beginning. Also, Triumph has an advantage of not be subject to FOIA, which really allows the skulduggery to deepen. Again, good post.
Men's Basketball Board
2 mo ago
Softball Board
3 mo ago
I'm very familiar with the Greenbriar area, having lived there from
1986 to 2003. Both my kids graduated from Indian River. I'm also familiar with GBHS. I went to
Cradock HS (been closed for a while) and we used to play ya'll in sports. I now live off the 460 bypass, not far from Price's Fork Road.
Let me know when you're in town.
Softball Board
3 mo ago
@Chesapeake_Hokie , perhaps I can help here. During Whit's
tenure, a lot of things have been outsourced, such as ticketing, fund raising, multi media rights, venue naming rights, etc. Now, I am not against outsourcing, and sometimes it's a good thing (i.e., helps to control costs, gets dedicated people on a task or system, etc.). However, outsourcing is only as good as its oversight. Many of the contracts for the outsourcing are poorly constructed/written, and the oversight by AthDept leaders is practically non-existent.
Contracts conditions are not met by the contractor with apparently no repercussions. The oversight is the responsibility of Whit and his Minions, and they simply are not providing it. If you would like copies of the contracts, let me know. imo, some of the contracts would be better handled internally, but Whit has repeatedly deigned to outsource. Hope this helps.
BTW, I retired to Blacksburg from Chesapeake. What part of Chesapeake do you hail from?