Sunday, November 30, 2008

The Measure of a Fan

Over the last two or three Augusts, I’ve noticed how many more people are showing up for Wake’s scrimmages. That tells me the fan base is engaged.

By the end of Saturday night’s 23-10 victory over Vanderbilt, the crowd at BB&T Field was about the size of an August scrimmage. And my guess is that many of the same diehards who were there in August were there Saturday night to see Alphonso Smith intercept the pass that secured the Deacons’ third winning season in a row and pretty much locked up a third-straight invite to a bowl. The fan I’m talking about is as loyal and true as any you’ll find anywhere and more so than most. Anybody who can hang for 3 1/2 hours in the most brutal of conditions to be there when their team needs them has my profound respect. You’re the rock programs are built on.

Could, or should, there be more of you? That’s the question that will probably always be out there. I mentioned the size of the crowd in my game story because, in my mind, that was part of the narrative, that the game was played in front of fewer people than usual because of the weather. I didn’t intend to editorialize.

Wake’s ability to stand toe-to-toe with all the other ACC schools suggests there should have been more fans at BB&T Field to see Rich Belton power into the end zone for the final touchdown. For three years in a row, the Deacons have been in the conversation when the Atlantic Division was being decided in November. We’re talking about the ACC, big-time college football.

Wake’s size and comparatively small fan base is the obvious explanation why so few remained. The percentages work against you. A tenth of 100,000 is still a gathering. A tenth of 30,000 is chicken feed—which by today’s prices on poultry isn’t all meager.

To those who weren’t there at the end, I understand. My walk down from my warm and dry seat in Deacon Tower on high to Bridger Field House for post-game interviews told me all I needed to know.

To those who were there to see Alphonso Smith and Aaron Curry and Sam Swank and Matt Robinson and Chip Vaughn and D.J. Boldin and Stanley Arnoux and Kevin Patterson and Rich Belton and Chantz McClinic and Chip Brinkman and Anthony Davis walk off BB&T Field one last time, helmet’s aloft, I’ll see you at the Bowl Game.

And I’ll see you next August

Saturday, November 29, 2008

What if They Had a Game and Nobody Came?

Before being assigned the Wake Forest beat in 1992, I was a pool reporter for the Journal for 14 years. In that capacity I covered everything from ACC to Southern Conference to CIAA to high school. I always got off on covering Winston-Salem State because the coaches and players were always happy to have me come around, and the games were fun. But it could be a challenge because the information you got was not always reliable.

The most memorable case in point was one year when I traveled to Norfolk for the Rams’ game against Norfolk State. The WSSU media guide had the gametime listed as 7:30, so I drove up that morning. I had to drive past Foreman Field, the site of the game, on the way to my accomodations at about 4 p.m., and was surprised to see so many people filing out of the stadium. I was even more surprised when I showed up a couple of hours later to find the parking lot empty. That was when I found out the game had been played at 1.

Anyway the feeling I got of pulling into an empty parking lot wasn’t that much different from the one I experienced about an hour ago when I showed up at the Blue Lot for the Wake-Vandy game at BB&T Field. I walked through a mostly empty Gold Lot up the hill to Deacon Tower. There was no buzz. It takes people to create a buzz, and apparently people are going to be in short supply. As I look out I see rain drops streaking the windows of the press box, and beyond that there may be 100 people in the stand. I know nobody is going to come early on a night like this, but for the sake of Aaron Curry and Alphonson Smith and Matt Robinson and Sam Swank and the rest of the seniors playing possibly their last game at Wake Forest, I hope at least sombody shows.

The game took on added importance with Clemson and N.C. State both winning this afternoon to make 10 ACC teams bowl eligible for the conference’s nine bowl arrangements. Commissioner John Swofford has been good in the past at finding bowls for conference teams, but the Deacons can make it a lot easier on Swofford, and themselves, by winning to finish 7-5 as opposed to losing to finish 6-6 with three straight losses and five setbacks in seven games.

Deacons 5-0 and Wondering

It’s easy to say that Wake Forest’s basketball team, despite its 5-0 record, has serious problems. The Deacons beat Cal State Fullerton and Texas-El Paso to reach the championship game of the 76 Classic. But they missed 14 of 29 free throws and gave up 14 offensive rebounds in the first game, then were brutalized 50-33 on the boards in the second. UTEP outbattled the Deacons for 26 offensive rebounds and scored close to a third (24) of its 79 points on second-chance baskets. The Deacons fouled so often that UTEP was in the bonus by the first media timeout of the second half, and ended up sending Stefon Jackson to the line enough for him to score 13 of his 31 points unguarded.

The Deacons made nine of 25 3-point attempts in the two games. But subtract Jeff Teague’s six for 10, and that means the rest of the game managed to hit just three of 15. Both Cal State Fullerton and UTEP have reason to think that if it hadn’t been for Teague, and his cool hand under fire, they would have beaten Wake. And they would probably be right.

So Coach Dino Gaudio does have problems. Show me one college coach who doesn’t. OK, Roy Williams may be the exception. So show me a second.
It’s still November and almost all college basketball teams have issues. That’s what November and December are for, to determine what you can and cannot do and when you can and cannot do it. How serious Gaudio’s problems are remain to be seen.

The freshmen in the rotation, Al-Farouq Aminu and Tony Woods, can be forgiven for some inconsistent play. They’d have five college games under their belts if they wore them. But it should be noted that Aminu had 29 points and 15 rebounds in the two games.

And the sophomores, Teague and Johnson, are at this point the best players on the team.

My guess is that the fate of the season will rest with the juniors, Chas McFarland, L.D. Williams, Ish Smith and David Weaver. Are they solid enough, and good enough, to play critical roles on a really, really good team? If the Deacons are going to contend for an ACC championship and have any shot at a run deep into the NCAA Tournament, they’ll have to be.

They may even have to beat for the Deacons to beat a dangerous Baylor team coached by Scott Drew—whose father and brother coach at Valpariso—in Sunday’s championship game and return to North Carolina 6-0.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Last Call at BB&T Field

The last memories of anything are lasting.

That’s why Chip Vaughn wants to leaves the fans of BB&T Field a little more to remember in Wake Forest’s final game of the 2008 regular-season Saturday against Vanderbilt.

“The one thing is that time waits for nobody,’’ Vaughn, a senior safety, said. “I’m trying to tell the young guys here that these four or five years are going to go by like that. And when your time is up and you look back, you ask yourself, `How did I spend my time here at Wake Forest? What did I accomplish? How do I want to be remembered when my time is up?’

“It’s my last home game and I’m trying to go out on a high note.’‘

Speaking of time, it’s time for me to start my quick little Thanksgiving vacation of a day or two. I’ll be back maybe as soon as Friday, but we’ll see. Until then, I’ll leave you with my favorite scene from my favorite episode of my favorite TV program of all time. I won’t insult your intelligence by asking you to name the show, but I’m curious how many can name the episode.

(Barney has locked himself in jail for spite; Otis comes in drunk; Andy takes him over to the cells).

OTIS: Oh, another prisoner. Hi, mate. Hey, it’s Barney. Oh, for a minute I thought you were locked in a cell. But you’re out. I’m the one that’s in, right? (to Andy). What are you in for, pal?

ANDY: Otis.

OTIS: Wait a minute. . . you’re Andy. Huh. You ain’t in and you ain’t out. Me. . . I ain’t in and I ain’t out. (confused) I’m in the Twilight Zone.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Big Game Soon to Take on Different Meaning for Robinson

When Matt Robinson’s sixth and final season of football is finally over, he knows where he will be. You can find him near his hometown of Cedartown, Ga., but only if you go hunting. But wear a red cap, because you’ll both be doing the same thing.

“As soon as we’re finished I’m going to go home and do some hunting,’’ Robinson, a senior defensive tackle, said. “I’ll do a little bit of hunting with my Dad and my brothers and just relax a little bit and wind down. I used to sleep pretty good but now that I’m older and it’s coming to an end I’m kind of stressed out and I don’t sleep too good. Coach Grobe always says that he doesn’t sleep during the season. I figure I’m a little too young not to be sleeping good yet. So I need to go home and rest up.’‘

After spending the fall hunting quarterbacks, Robinson will turn his sights on both bigger, and smaller game.

“We deer hunt,’’ Robinson said. “We have a hunting club. We lease property about a mile from my house. My Dad has really good beagles and we rabbit hunt. That’s really fun. It’s good to get home. I haven’t been able to hunt in a long time, especially the last two years because we’ve been in bowl games. This year I’ll be able to stay throughout the month of January and be able to hunt a little longer.’‘

But to get the most out of the experience, Robinson said, the Deacons really need to beat Vanderbilt Saturday and all but assure themselves a third-straight trip to a bowl.

“That’s the thing,’’ Robinson said. “It would be miserable sitting in a deer stand for five hours thinking `Man I missed that sack on that guy. I wish I had made that play.’ We’ve got to go win, and that’s all that matters right now. And losing, really, really is not fun.’‘

Coach Jim Grobe may be from Huntington, West Virginia. But he said he had no plans to go hunting with Matt Robinson.

“I’m afraid he would shoot me,’’ Grobe said. “After six years of me I don’t know if even the red cap would save me.’‘

Monday, November 24, 2008

Perfection Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry

The quarterback walks slowly to the line of scrimmage, calls his signals, checks with the sidelines, calls an audible and, hearing a whistle, slams himself on the helmet. Delay of game. Five-yard penalty. The play clock is straight in front of him. Everybody in the stadium can see it, but he didn’t bother to look. A bonehead mistake like that should never happen, but it did. No need for him to try to make excuses. He screwed up.

And I know the feeling.

I screwed up in his morning’s Journal. I had the game time wrong for tonight’s basketball game between Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State. I was either one hour early or two hours late, take your pick. The game I was writing about actually starts at 8. The game I should have mentioned, the women’s game between the two cross-town schools, will start at 5.

If I had a defense it would be that Wake plays its non-conference weeknight games at 7. It’s been that way for years now. But truth is, that’s no excuse. The game time on the schedule was 8 p.m. It was there for everybody to see, and I didn’t bother to look.

The information you read in the Journal should be solid. I know you hate it when it’s not. So do I.

I regret any inconvenience my mistake might have caused. Sorry.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Wake 2008: When So Many of the Breaks Are Bad

It goes by many names. Luck. Magic. Big Mo. The Zone. Destiny. The Edge. Mojo is a particular favorite of mind because it conjures the essential Muddy Waters. Not to mention Austin Powers.

Regardless of what you call it, you know it when you’ve got it.

And you know it when it’s gone.

Aaron Curry, in the closing games of what will be remembered as a legendary career, stuck out his hand and deflected a pass. He meant to. He was doing exactly what he was supposed to do. But because he did it, teammate Kevin Patterson didn’t have a chance to intercept or, in the least, bat down the pass he said he absolutely had a bead on. Redirected, the pass from BC’s Dominique Davis flew past Patterson’s hands and into those of Brandon Robinson at the one-yard line in the closing minutes. The play set up the touchdown that beat the Deacons 24-21 and eliminated them from ACC contention. Robinson made a remarkable catch, but may not have had the opportunity if AC hadn’t deflected the pass. Teams with Mojo, the kind of Mojo BC has had working for it the last three weeks, get breaks like that. Wake Forest should know. The Deacons came close to cornering the market on the stuff in 2006, and had a good supply left over for 2007. They just happen to be, at the current time, bone dry. And as a consequence a backup quarterback who plays like Hogan’s Goat (the description is borrowed from Jim Grobe, but the opinion is mine) for the worst part of three quarters turns into Matt Ryan in the final five minutes and leads an inspired game-winning touchdown drive against one of the best defensive teams to ever suit up for Wake Forest.

The argument is often made that teams make their own luck. That’s indisputable. It’s also simplistic. No team can control every break that goes for it or against it, the break that so often decides games between relatively even teams. Mojo can and will not be denied. Two weeks in a row the pass is in the air for Wake Forest to catch and win the game. Two weeks in a row the ball lands incomplete.

Just because Mojo is not to be found doesn’t mean it’s gone forever. Wake Forest may get the Mojo back before the season’s over. It comes and goes. But I, for one, would rather not go all the way to Boise to see if it’s there.

But I wouldn’t mind organizing a search party for Nashville.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

The Golden Age of Wake Forest

Gold shoes.

Best I can tell, that’s the surprise Alphonso Smith had for everyone on Senior Day. It takes a slave to fashion like yours truly to appreciate such sartorial splendor. You can tell he is fired up, as are all the seniors. It’s always fun to guess which parents go with which players.  The players come out, give Coach Jim Grobe a big hug, shake the hand of AD Ron Wellman and go and find their folks for more hugs. It’s one of the great traditions of college football.

Too bad more of the fans hadn’t made it inside the stadium by the time the seniors were honored, but I guess you can’t have everything in life. And those who were already here got to say their own farewell to what may well be the greatest recruiting class in school history.

The big warmup news was that Sam Swank warmed up with field goals of 45 and 48 yards. Looks like Sam will be back for the first time since he pulled his quad on Oct. 6. I’m always looking for a compelling angle. That would make for one.

Only 4:25 to kickoff and the bell is ringing. Let’s kick this thing and get going.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Longing for a Day Sam is No Longer Day-to-Day

Since pulling his quadriceps on Oct. 6, Sam Swank has been day-to-day for 47 days. I was going to write out the days in sequence (like Swank has been day-to-day-to-day-to-day-to-day) but people with more experience writing blogs than I encourage me to keep my observations short. Something to do with attention spans, but I forgot what it was.

So I dropped by Thursday’s practice with one intention, to ask Assistant Coach Billy Mitchell if Sam will definitely do the kicking tomorrow against BC on Senior Day. My suspicions were that Coach Mitch would say yes and give me something of a minor scoop. I was suspicious to learn that my suspicions were wrong. Coach Mitch said Sam was still day-to-day and that the decision wouldn’t be made until pregame warmups. Then Coach Mitch explained, saying that the injury was still bothering Sam on the back-swing, so to speak, of his leg motion. Sam was solid from 35 yards, but far shakier when moved back to 42 yards. Coach Grobe came out a while later and talked more about it. Sam apparently had the distance from 42, but the inability to get a good pain-free back-swing caused him to push the kick wide.

I know, I know. You’ve heard it and so have I. How hard can it be to kick with a little pain? Sam should just man up and go kick. I’ve got two answers to that contention. One is, if you know Sam Swank, you know he’s going to be kicking if he can. He is not a malingerer, and never has been. (I would call him one to his face if he were, just to be able to use such a great word). My second answer can be found on page 69 of Wake Forest’s 2008 football media guide. There’s a remarkable photograph (by Brian Westerholt) taken a split second before Sam kicked a field goal. His left foot has just planted and his right leg is extended so far back it has flown beyond parallel to the ground. His right toe is pointed in the opposite direction. The torque on his right thigh (which happens to be where the quadriceps can be found) has to be overwhelming. If you have the media guide, check it out. If you don’t, borrow one. And if you don’t know where to borrow one, I guess you’ll have to take my word for it. Coach Grobe admitted Tuesday that he has never kicked. Neither have most of us. But Jim said a kicker can’t kick when injured. Even if he can get the required distance, he doesn’t have the control over the leg needed to drive it straight.

The other thing Coach Grobe said was in response to those “insiders’’ who have speculated that Sam is saving himself for the NFL. “Last I checked,’’ Grobe said, “the pros aren’t interested in any player who’s not playing.’‘

Maybe Saturday will be the day Sam Swank is no longer day-to-day. To have Sam come back and kick three field goals and lead Wake Forest to victory on Senior Day would be a wonderful, gauzy story fit for Hollywood. But life doesn’t always conform to Hollywood.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Running Seahawks Run Out of the Joel

UNC Wilmington’s Johnny Wolf, a transfer from Xavier, is a player. Coach Dino Gaudio of Wake, who coached at Xavier, said he knew of him when Wolf was a young kid coming along in the pickup games around Cincinnati. Wolf hung 24 on the Deacons Wednesday night, hitting three of seven 3-pointers. Dominique Lacy is a 6-7 post who can shoot. He had a nice 29 minutes, scoring 20 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. And though sophomore Chad Tomko of Charlotte Independence struggled to get his shots against the Deacons, hitting only one of seven from beyond the arc, he’s going to be a force this season in Colonial Athletic Conference. Montez Downey, Taron’s brother, should help the Seahawks when he recovers from a stress fracture, and Daryl Felder, a 6-3 guard, was good enough Wednesday to hit all three of his 3-point attempts and score 11 points in 17 minutes.

Coach Benny Moss, a native of Winston-Salem who attended East Surry High School, has an interesting team with some obvious weapons. That’s not to say they’re destined to be an NCAA Tournament bracket buster, but my sense is they’ll have something to say about the CAA race.

And I saw them trailing by 34 against Wake Forest Wednesday night.

That Wake Forest beat UNC Wilmington was no real story. The Deacons have five players in their rotation 6-9 or taller. Nobody taller than 6-7 played more than seven minutes for the Seahawks, who did themselves no favors by turning the ball over 24 times. But it was how the Deacons stomped what appears to be a pretty decent team that left the 10,061 at Joel Coliseum mulling the exciting possibilities of this season. The final score was 120-88, as Wake piled up the most points ever scored at Joel Coliseum, which opened for the 1989-90 season. The Deacons crushed the Seahawks inside, dominating the boards 52-30 and scoring 76 of their points around the basket.

Al Featherston is a buddy from his many years with the Durham Herald-Sun and he’s known as one of the most astute observers of ACC basketball ever. He got his first look at the Deacons Wednesday and remarked more than once just how long and tall they are. Dino has the option, given the versatility of 6-9 James Johnson, to play a lineup with a point guard and four players 6-9 or taller. It probably wouldn’t work for 40 minutes, but it’s something other teams have to deal with. Johnson can also swing as far inside as center, which gives Dino the other option of playing 6-9 Al-Farouq Aminu at power forward and going really small. Again it’s probably not something he could get by with for long, but Aminu and Johnson have the athleticism and quickness to pose serious problems for opposing players in the post.

Another explanation for Wednesday’s lopsided margin was the difference in quality depth. The Deacons have a rotation of nine players that will expand to 10 when Ish Smith returns from a broken foot—possibly as soon as Monday’s game against Winston-Salem State. Chas McFarland played only 22 minutes, but he got off 14 shots and finished with 19 points. Even when Jeff Teague, who scored a career high of 31, missed the final nine minutes of the first half with two fouls, the Deacons maintained their cushion. Harvey Hale still doesn’t look all that comfortable at the point, but probably won’t have to play there much when Smith returns. And maybe the most impressive thing I saw was how Aminu kept playing his game even while missing one easy shot after another over the first 30 minutes. He rebounded, he played defense, he looked for the open man. And in time his shots starting falling and he ended up scoring 11 points to go with his 12 rebounds and five assists. He appears to know basketball well enough to know that the best player is not always the one who scores the most points.

Good luck to Benny and his Jets at UNC Wilmington. It’ll be fun to see how they come out. I predict they won’t see many teams with the size and skill of the Deacons the rest of the way.