Hokies have a home here... and the entree isn't football or basketball...

In a beacon from Blacksburg... the New Triple X ESPN Radio will now be the DC area's home for Virginia Tech football and basketball this upcoming season. Both programs are coming off strong seasons: the Hokie football team finished 10-3 and played in the Chik-fil-A Bowl, while men's hoop made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 years.

In addition to the football and basketball broadcasts, we'll also carry the "Hokie Hotline" and the ACC mens basketball tournament.

Three reasons why I'm excited about this partnership:

1--BEAMERBALL--despite attending a Big East rival of the Hokies I always enjoyed seeing Tech play. Virginia Tech's special teams over the past 15 years has taken mythical proportions: it seems as though Coach Beamer is able to generate points directly weekly from his kicking game; and I think teams go into facing Virginia Tech so focused on special teams the rest of their gameplan suffers (only so much attention, man-hours and practice time). I also feel the IDEA that the kicking game can create something actually leads to some breakdowns by their opponents.


2--HOKIE HOOPS--Seth Greenberg has turned things around on the the Blacksburg campus with their first NCAA trip since 1996; although seniors Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon depart, there is talent surrounding swingman Deron Washington-- with plenty coming in this fall. Virginia Tech's class excelled at the Capital Classic All Star game this past April; and even minus big man Augustus Gilchrist (who de-committed) expect contributions this upcoming season.


3--THE TURKEY LEG--one aspect you can't capture by listening to the Hokies here in DC: Lane Stadium's food. They have without a doubt an adventure unto itself in hands down the most-delicious thing I've eaten at a football game: this 5 pound leg of smoked Turkey (it's takes a "turkey-ham"-like quality) that:

A)operates as a homing tracker between you and your group. Just hold the thing up like the Statue of Liberty and your friends will find you.

B)serves as an interesting conversation piece with strangers--and acutally drips so you can keep creepy people at arm's length.

C)takes longer than the actual game lenghth to consume (trust me, I tried-- you hit the wall around the third quarter).


Anyways, we at the new Triple X ESPN Radio are looking forward to beginning an exciting partnership with Hokie Nation this summer, fall and winter. Be sure to tune into our stations for the latest exclusives regarding Virginia Tech football and basketball.

Nats: simply a-May-zing... and 24--86'd?

Don't look now, but the HOTTEST TEAM in the National League East happens to be the Washington Nationals (12-5 from May 11th through the 27th). How have they been getting things done?

REVITALIZED BATS. The Nats are averaging over 5 runs a game during their May run, quite a contrast for a club that ranks 15th in the NL in runs scored and last in batting average.

PATCHWORK PITCHING. Forget the team's miserable start that saw the starters get scorced and the bullpen get buried. Manny Acta's oft-injured group of hurlers boasts the 9th best ERA in the National League despite a leaky defense whose 38 errors are tied for third most in the senior circuit.

This week we'll see if May was meaningful or merely a mirage: NL West contenders Los Angeles and San Diego drop by RFK.


Did anyone enjoy the 24 season finale? I've had over a week to let the season settle and think about the final two hours again and again-- and I have to admit the only worthwhile part was an explosion in Ricky Schroeder's face. Great, the show's weakest season also gave us the weakest season finale--

I didn't like the whole "CTU-90210" where Milo liked Nadia but thought she liked Ricky Schroeder and threw a hissy-fit, only to be topped by the Morris-Chloe drama (guess what, she's pregnant! And why did that merit an exclamation point?) that involved the stereotypical after-school special meltdown by an alcoholic (nothing quite like chugging scotch by a dumpster).

The show lost too many secondary characters during the Season 5 Bloodletting (President David Palmer, Tony and Michelle, Edgar); there was no dramatic depth with the exception of an underused Bill Buchanan and Presidential Chief of Staff du jour Tom Lennox (and no Mike Novick!). Naturally I can't wait for season 7... if only to wash away the taste of a really disappointing season 6.

Beach Blitz, Clinton Comments and Bauer Power...

Special thanks to all who came to see us at Redskins Beach Blitz in Virginia Beach over the weekend-we look forward to having some of you up in our neck of the woods for the Skins minicamp. OTA's (Organized Team Activities) continue this week in Ashburn; plan on plenty of Skinstalk-- especially at 12:45 every day with Larry Michael on Redskins Lunch.


Clinton Portis sees the "whole field" when he gets the ball in the backfield; it's what makes the Redskins runningback one of the league's best when healthy. Unfortunately, the Skins RB chose not to "see the whole field" when answering questions regarding Michael Vick's involvement in a dog-fighting investigation. But another question comes up: did the team heading into a weekend with massive media access actively educate the players on an NFL story getting a lot of play in the Tidewater area? Perhaps heading into the Beach Blitz somebody should have mentioned the seriousness of a felony charge and the proper way to "pick up the media blitz".


24 wraps up it's 6th season this evening; I'm off to a friend's house to watch the finale. I compare this year to the Steelers of 2006: fresh off a championship (24 won an Emmy for Best Drama) the show stumbled defending its crown. After an exciting start 24's been uneven at best this year-- which is a shame; for when it's at its best the show is very, very good...for those who haven't gotten into it I recommend seasons 1, 2, 4 and 5 on DVD. Anyways, I'll be watching tonight looking for shooting, shouting and ridiculous plot points along with recycled plot twists-- all to the tune of a beeping clock.

Welcome in my friends to the show that never ends...

Thanks for checking out our new webpage; we hope it will be the next exciting step at Triple X ESPN Radio, ESPN Radio 950 and 102.1 FM the Game. One thing I love about sports radio is the immediacy and the hairpin turns a game or season can take-- with our new blogs we'll be even more in the moment. I've always entered sports coverage through the "serious door" but often try to exit through a "humourous window"...

My focus will naturally be on the local teams within our listening area as well as a taste of the national scene. Future Features will be adjusted to a wide array of topics...:

College Football Picks: An amusing look at the weekly goings on of the Terps, Cavaliers, Hokies, Spiders and Dukes...

A new NASCAR world-- expanding into a new audience or alienating an old one?

Nats and Birds battle in the beltway and beyond...

24: Is the best show on television turning into CTU 90210?

Breaking down the Bonds: Was George Lazenby really that bad?

Ice Cream Flavor Sweet 16: Heath Bar Crunch is built for the regular season, while Caramel has a better tournament taste...

Looking forward to having you aboard our site; thanks for sharing the best seat of the house with me.

coming soon!

Preston's Perspective, a marginally entertaining look at sports and more in the Mid-Atlantic Region, is the byproduct of Triple X ESPN Radio's morning anchor Dave Preston.