I thought about including portions of southeast Ohio in my conceptual Appalachian state (how different is Marietta from Parkersburg, really?), but I didn’t really know where the cutoff would be. Also, Buckeyes.

West Virginian here. This is partially right. Coal has always held an outsized role in the psyche of the state compared to its economic impact. Timber and manufacturing have always been as much or more a part of the state’s economy, but there is a reason there’s a coal miner on the state flag and not a lumberjack.…

This is the best comment.

Please don’t be a WVU fan, please don’t be a WVU fan, please don’t be a WVU fan, please don’t be a WVU fan, ad infinitum.

I’m a big WVU fan and Beilein left around the same time as Rich Rodriguez to go to Michigan. The contrast between the two - and the way they are still perceived here in the state - is instructive. Beilein was very clear that while he appreciated the opportunities he had been given at WVU, he was going to explore his…

Liking this several months later for the oblique reference to the Corn Palace.

Let’s not forget that Shaq has trained in MMA and jiu jitsu and has received reserve law enforcement officer training in LA County and Miami-Dade, so while he might not be able to take down a professional fighter, he almost certainly could kick the crap out of Sir Charles, whose only fighting experience as far as I…