DATE: Tuesday, September 9, 1997            TAG: 9709090410

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Column 
SOURCE: Tom Robinson

                                            LENGTH:   59 lines

HEY, LEFTY, THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES IN REAL LIFE

From the notebook . . .

Sad to see Lefty Driesell hatch this asinine plan at Georgia State, whereby season-ticket holders will get full refunds for home games his team loses. College athletes endure enough pressure without having their school's bean-counters breathing down their necks while they're at the foul line with one second left. Get a grip, Lefty. Ticket buyers expect honest effort, not perfect records, especially from amateurs.

Glad to see another myth dispelled about the traffic horrors that would come from putting a 20,000-seat arena in downtown Norfolk. Nearly 47,000 people flooded downtown for games at Harbor Park and Dick Price Stadium on Aug. 30 and couldn't produce one respectable, horn-blaring bottleneck. (That doesn't mean light rail still isn't a good idea, though.)

Sad to see the safe, and sorry, nonleague football schedule Virginia Tech has foisted upon its fans. Syracuse hits Blacksburg on Saturday having already played Wisconsin, North Carolina State and Oklahoma. The Hokies will entertain home crowds with the likes of Miami of Ohio, Arkansas State and Alabama-Birmingham, rated No. 74, 110 and 100, respectively, in the preseason by Sports Illustrated. It's a joke for a program that begs to be taken seriously as a national power.

Glad to see Hampton's Ronald Curry declare early for Virginia. Curry gets to enjoy a pressure-free senior year, not that UNC will necessarily stop recruiting him, while U.Va. and the state reap positive national attention.

Sad to see some U.Va. supporters already going off the deep end, though maybe you can't blame them, with predictions for Curry's greatness. It puts the kid in a no-win situation.

Glad to see Indian River's Chris Snyder, a defensive end, and Granby's Anthony King, a cornerback, starting for Penn State, ranked No. 1 in by the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Indian River's James Boyd, a true freshman, played on the kickoff team in Penn State's first game. Who'll be next to fill the pipeline from here to Happy Valley?

Sad to see the city of Norfolk strong-arming the Admirals, a private business, by making the club move up to the American Hockey League if it wants to play at Scope. A franchise that has meant so much to the area deserves better.

Glad to see, however, that the Admirals seem to be leaning toward leaving the East Coast Hockey League on their own, anyway. There's no reason the AHL won't work here, giving fans a faster, better product for a slightly higher investment.

Sad to see Sweetpea Whitaker apparently denied another shot at Oscar De La Hoya next spring. Anybody who saw their fight last April knows why De La Hoya probably will wait until Whitaker's 40, if then, to give him a rematch.

Glad to see Norfolk State rebound from its ugly opening-day loss with a victory, however modest, over Virginia Union. The Spartans showed little to recommend them in the opener but at least have some good energy flowing for Saturday's tough one at Florida A&M. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

Hampton's Ronald Curry may avoid the messiest part of recruiting.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu