Today's Sports

I apologize for my alma mater.  Only one of them.

While I received my MBA from the University of Minnesota, I got my bachelor's degree from Cornell University.

I often cite Minnesota in this column because I often write about football and basketball issues, sports in which the Gophers are (arguably) competitive.

I rarely mention Cornell because it excels in sports such as fencing, crew and squash, sports that have a less robust following in these parts.  (And, no, I never fenced, crewed nor squashed.)

Similar to almost every sports columnist across the fruited plain, I'll give you my sense of the World Series.

And, similar to almost every other one of those jamokes, I'll analyze it in terms of offense, pitching, defense, coaching and intangibles.

Here goes.

Offense.  Blah, blah, blah.  Edge:  Royals.

Pitching.  Yada, yada, yada.  Edge:  Giants.

Defense.  Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  Edge:  Royals.

Derision was snorted.  Mockery was in full bloom.  Folks asked, "Did he really say that?"

Such was the state of things in Roanoke when Bobby Martin declared that his William Fleming team had the talent to make a run for a State title.

What?  The William Fleming team which had won  three games last year?  The team which had managed a total of three wins (and all against the same opponent) during the three previous years?

Yeah.  That one.

Staunton River carries a certain distinction:  It is the only team in the state to play three teams named for cats who carry the first name of William.  First, the Eagles took on William Campbell.  And hot on the heels of their game with William Byrd, they get William Fleming.

What, was will.i.am not available?

This week's batch of Billies, however, should prove to be the toughest of them all.  The Eagles head to Roanoke to take on big, bad William Fleming.