What the heck is a "wattle"?

A wattle is the flap of skin under a turkey's chin. It turns bright red when the turkey is upset or during courtship.  I don't plan on getting upset or courting anyone during the course of this blog, but I do intend on addressing topics of interest to the fans of the Virginia Tech Fighting Gobblers, aka, Hokie Nation.

My emphasis will be on Hokie athletics, mostly football and basketball; but anything related to Virginia Tech is fair game for discussion in this this blog.


The football season is in full swing, so it will be a logical place to start.  A big emphasis of this blog will be to focus on the young men, both on and off the field, that wear the VT uniform.  As such, I hope to research and present them in the context of what they are: multi-dimensional young athletes and students created by God with unique personalities, interests, skills, hopes and dreams.  I also plan to write about the coaches as well.  Frank Beamer, and the staff that he has compiled, comprise a group of teachers and mentors that any parent or alumnus should feel fortunate to have molding these players into successful professionals and responsible individuals.


I intend to be frank in this blog.  Everything that wears Chicago Maroon and Burnt Orange is not gold; so if something is not right, I plan to be candid about that as well.  However, what you will not find here is criticism of any individual who is doing his best to support the team and the University.  Nothing bothers me more than to hear and see so-called "fans" criticizing players for not making a play, or being bested by a better opponent in certain situations or games.  If that's what you are looking for, please look elsewhere -- my feelings won't be hurt.  ;-)


I hope that you will enjoy reading about and discussing these young men as much as I will enjoy getting to know them and writing about them over their college careers and beyond.  


My faith is a big part of who I am and provides perspective for my worldview.  While my main goal is not to proselytize, my spirituality will no doubt occasionally surface from time-to-time.  This is not meant as apology, but just a heads-up.


Finally, I should point out that I will be drawing much of the information presented in this blog from content that is readily available to anyone looking for it.  When I do this, I will make every effort to credit the source and provide an associated hyperlink.


Any suggestions regarding players or topics that you would like to see covered here are greatly appreciated.  The purpose of any blog is to provide information and stimulate discussion, and that is my goal here as well.


I will always close my posts in the same fashion, and it is a mantra that every member of Hokies Nation is well familiar with:


Go Hokies!