My intel in Blacksburg managed to find these two letters sitting on Bryan Stinespring's desk in the Merryman Center today. I won't reveal his true identity due to violation of trespassing laws...

I'm a few days late on this, but it was officially announced on Sunday that the Hokies will face off against the Tennessee Volunteers on New Years Eve in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. This matchup has been widely anticipated among the Hokie faithful due to the close proximity of the two schools (regional rivalry) and frustration with the arrogance of Rocky Top's fan base. Here are the top ten reasons why I'm excited for December 31st and this game.

As a current voter for Dan Steinberg's Atlantic 11 Poll, I have to contribute a weekly ballot of the top ten men's basketball teams in the region. Each voter picks ten teams and Steinberg tallies the votes into an eleven team power poll. Only teams from D.C., Virginia, and Maryland qualify. You can check out the final results over at the DC Sports Bog. Update: Your humble writer made the board with UVA's pithy comment...go me!

Fight For Old D.C.'s 2009-2010 Men's Basketball Coverage comes courtesy of the Hokie Guru. Guru is an editor for VT Fan Focus's Men's Basketball section, and was one of the founding members of Fire Bryan Stinespring:

Yesterday afternoon, it was announced that our very own Ryan M.F. Williams had been voted as the ACC's Rookie of the Year for the 2009 season. It's hard to think that this was any sort of surprise, considering that Williams was the ACC's Rookie of the Week seven times through the course of the season, broke the conference records for touchdowns and yards by a freshman, and was an all-around monster for the entirety of the year. We obviously would like to start by congratulating our freshman stud, and wish him three more years of record-breaking performances in Blacksburg. Any ill we've spoken of RMFW will never be spoken of again. Never leave us, Ru.

We're going to try something new here at Fight For Old D.C. for the month of December. As a new member of the Bloguin community, FFODC saw viewership increase significantly in November, and I wanted to think of a way to incorporate our community with some of the website's content. With Virginia Tech finishing its regular season by pummeling UVa last Saturday, they enter a full month of bowl preparations, which leaves me with a little more time on my hands. With that lapse in coverage, I'm launching the First Annual Hokie Photoshop Expo.

I'm now a voter for Dan Steinberg's Atlantic 11 Ballot, so I figured that sharing my votes each week would be kind of cool. Each voter picks ten teams and Steinberg tallies the votes into an eleven team power poll. Only teams from D.C., Virginia, and Maryland qualify. You can check out the final results over at the DC Sports Bog.

Dear Mr. Groh,

Yesterday afternoon, Craig Littlepage formally announced that he had dismissed you as the head football coach for the University of Virginia. I understand that Mr. Littlepage's decision came in the wake of a 3-9 season, as well as a sixth consecutive loss to your chief rival, but I feel that you deserve better than a simple dismissal. These past few seasons have brought a lot of criticism to your doorstep, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all of your hard work. Your contributions to the Virginia Tech football program have been numerous and significant. For that, Hokie Nation owes you a great deal of thanks.

Virginia Tech sent Al Groh out with style on Saturday afternoon, beating the Cavaliers in Charlottesville 42-13. The outcome was certainly in question for the first 40 minutes or so, but ultimately talent and coaching will out. For the final quarter of the game, UVA just didn't have the athletes, the coaching, or the character to play on the same field as the Hokies.

Charlottesville, VA...the site of Groh's last stand. On Saturday, November 28th, Virginia Tech will try to send the head fanny pack to the unemployment line with an eighth win in nine tries over their in-state rivals. UVA hasn't put up a huge fight over the last five years, but there are still plenty of reasons to hate them. Although their record stands at 3-8, I've prepared some battle plans as I head behind enemy lines tomorrow afternoon: