It’s been a wild week at The Star corporate headquarters.
As you probably have now noticed, our second monthly print edition is on the newsstands to accommodate the Valentine month.
The last minute deadlines are customary irregardless if the paper came out monthly, weekly or daily. As The Chief says, “It’s part of the newspaper game.” He sounds more and more like Perry White, the Daily Planet publisher of Superman fame, every day.
That got me to wondering if that crowd at The Daily Planet really had all their marbles in place. And, it brought up a couple questions about their organization that has me puzzled.
For instance, why does Clark Kent (aka Superman) always take off his glasses BEFORE he ducks into the hallway closet across from his office? It seems more plausible to take them off after you joined the mops if you didn’t want anyone to know your true identity. Plus, everyone knows you can’t fly wearing glasses.
Also, isn’t it odd that the big window in the corridor is always open to allow Superman to take flight. You’d think at some point The Daily Planet Building would be full of pigeons, not to mention more than a few newspapers covered in bird poop.
Well, no problems like that here at The Star. Windows stay closed and no birds flying through our headquarters. I think The Chief just goes to the back porch when he’s ready to take flight.
So much for the newspaper game, let’s get to sports.
The high school basketball regular season hits the home stretch in the next 10 days, with conference, regional and state playoff action to follow. There’s little doubt that a number of local teams, both girls and boys, could easily be in position to make a strong run.
That being duly noted, let’s take a look at this week’s “Big-11” Top-3 in both.
GIRLS:
#1) Hidden Valley : The Lady Titans at 16-1 stay firmly in first place as they head into the regular season home stretch. Expect an impressive run for the talented Titans.
#2) William Fleming : The 14-4 Lady Colonels are as good as they get. Another team that has experience in late-season runs.
#3) Lord Botetourt : Botetourt’s girls team keeps getting stronger to cement their spot in third place. At 12-7, the Lady Cavs may disrupt the seedings down the road.
Cave Spring, at 13-5, looks ready to crack the poll.
BOYS :
#1) William Fleming : The Colonels stay in the top spot with their 17-2 mark. Key Blue Ridge showdowns will determine if they can hold the top spot.
#2) William Byrd : The 16-3 Terriers have height, speed and play great defense. A trifecta of problems for any opponent.
#3) Northside : At 16-3 the Vikings head into the home stretch of the Blue Ridge with the opportunity to make a huge move.
Sitting in the wings are both North Cross (15-2) and Glenvar (15-3)
The Roanoke Valley Sports Club is set to convene this month’s meeting on Monday, February 16th at the Salem Civic Center. Guest speaker will be Phil Elmassian, veteran college football defensive coordinator/outside linebacker coach. The 5:45 social will be followed by the 6:15 dinner meeting. Guests and prospective new members are welcome. Contact Maggie Drewry at 540-353-1103 for information and to make reservations.
Are you ready for a little baseball? Congratulations go out to Kelly Dampeer, Cecil Doss, Ben Minton, Gary Rice and Bob Scarborough for their inductions last week into the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame. Likewise, get your gloves out. Pitchers and catchers are set to report for Major League Baseball’s Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues, the prelude to the start of the 162-game Major League season.
That takes us to this week’s mailbag, where one reader chimes in on high school blow outs.
Dear Wild Bill: I can sympathize with the California girls team that got beat 161-2. Our girl’s team got defeated this year in two games against Floyd County, the first time by over 80 and the second time by 85. Any comments? (Leigh/Elliston)
Don’t despair, Leigh. The Buffaloes are very, very good.
Finally, we visit what has become a trend in naming hamburgers after yours truly. First it was the now-famous Wild Bill Burger at Macado’s which has become one of the most outstanding burgers on the planet. Last week another request came forth from Foster’s Grill at Towers when manager Dennis offered to get in the act by naming one of his burgers after me and my Loudmouth pants. Maybe a Loudmouth Burger? Well, exclusive rights and license demand the Wild Bill Burger has its home at Macado’s. But, I have modeled at Foster’s wearing Loudmouth’s “Island Girls” pants. I guess that would imply a burger that is scantily dressed ? Hmmm….I’m liking these burger gigs.
Until next time send word to Floyd County that I love buffalo meat. Any eatery there ready for a Wild Bill Buffalo Steak? Hey, never get off a winning horse.
And, send your juicy questions to [email protected]
