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U.Va. football fans are tired of seeing their team fall with the leaves. |
WHEN FALL rolls around, there are two things you can usually count on:
1) People will spend
2) Grads of at least one nearby college, and sometimes several, will begin repeating the phrase--"What's wrong with those guys?"
The leaf change is something that we nature lovers enjoy each fall, as cool nights get all sort of chemical changes going that cause trees to erupt in fiery reds, bright oranges and searing yellows.
Because this happens first at higher elevations, we love to dash up to Shenandoah National Park or other parts of the Valley to see hillsides that seem doused with colors from a painter's brush.
The thing I've noticed through the years is that we tend to ignore many
There are trees here and there that erupt early and remind us that the changes have come. And there are whole stretches of forest that become just as colorful here as they are in mountains that draw thousands of leaf-peepers.
Boaters who leave their vessels in the water into the fall will tell you that there are few places as striking as the shores of Lake Anna or the tree lines along the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers once the trees begin to change.
Why, then, do we flock to the mountains?
We can see farther there, taking in whole mountainsides alive in color.
Not to mention the fact that it gives us an excuse to buy apples and a bowl or two of Brunswick stew we might find along the way.
As for the second ritual of fall--the annual college grumps--there's usually at least one big-time university nearby that experiences a meltdown on the gridiron each fall.
With connections to the University of Virginia--my sister's a grad and works in the hospital's health system--I typically take in at least one game a season.
This year, that came last week when the Wahoos played Duke, a truly dismal game against a rival that managed much more offense than they could generate.
I have a cousin who's also an alum, and is the eternal optimist about how the Virginia team will be better--next year.
I reminded him just before this again-horrible performance last week that he's been giving me that "We'll be better next year" mantra for 10 years or so now, all as they've continued to get worse, to our shared chagrin.
Things are a little bleak this year over in Blacksburg, as well, but only because they've raised their play to a level where anything less than a conference title or big bowl game is a bust.
Those of us with long memories recall days when the morning newspaper in Richmond used to regularly have a sports headline on Sunday that would read "State's big teams lose again."
These days, they're playing above that level, though there are still those down years that drive fans crazy.
Those down times don't miss that pro team just a few miles up the road, either.
Which is causing even more folks to ask that nagging question: "What's wrong with those guys?'
Rob Hedelt: 540/374-5415
Email: rhedelt@freelancestar.com
