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    <title>Sports &gt; Columnists for Richmond Times-Dispatch</title>
    <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/</link>
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        <title>Sports &gt; Columnists for Richmond Times-Dispatch</title>
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    <dc:language>en</dc:language>
    <dc:creator>Richmond Times-Dispatch</dc:creator>
    <dc:rights>Copyright 2009</dc:rights>
    <dc:date>2009-11-21T00:01:52-05:00</dc:date>

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          <title>OUTDOORS: Fishing for trout washes your soul</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY20_20091119-212603/306820/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Ilike people who need no excuse to go fishing. You simply broach the subject, and the conversation quickly turns to matters of when and where&#8212;logistics&#8212;not why it can&#8217;t be done. That&#8217;s Mark Emory for you. The 44-year-old Richmonder recently shut down his audio-visual consulting business of 14 years because of the sour economy. He&#8217;s making ends meet with savings until he finds another job, for which he spends most of every day looking. But Emory is a fisherman, a fly angler usually, and he doesn&#8217;t have to be reminded of the value of a day spent on a mountain stream.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:05:47 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>World of Woody: Can the Spiders do it again?</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_can_the_spiders_do_it_again/306765/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
It&#8217;s deja vu for columnist Paul Woody as he goes back to the the University of Richmond to handicap the football team&#8217;s chances against William &amp; Mary Saturday.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:17:53 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_can_the_spiders_do_it_again/306765/#When:22:17:53Z</guid>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Graduation is the rule for W&amp;M, UR football players</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD19_20091118-212602/306590/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Cynicism comes easily when the topic is college athletics. So much money is in play. Coaches who earn seven-figure salaries talk about &#8220;student-athletes,&#8220; but their primary interest is the &#8220;athlete&#8221; and contract bonus clauses. Then, there are those &#8220;student-athletes&#8221; who show up at a gas station armed with a pellet gun or get involved with the community through late-night fights in bars.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:01:28 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Woody: Some do side with Belichick</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD18_20091117-222605/306406/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Poor Bill Belichick. His coaching career has come to this: He has two defenders, Al Groh and me. Groh and Belichick have been on several NFL staffs together, so that figures. As for me, that&#8217;s a hard one PAUL WOODY to believe, isn&#8217;t it? I&#8217;m no great fan of Belichick and the way he runs his team. He treats the smallest piece of information as if it were a state secret. He pushes the rules to the limit and beyond.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:01:15 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD18_20091117-222605/306406/#When:05:01:15Z</guid>
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          <title>The Remington Man: His job is decidedly high&#45;caliber</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY15_20091114-195601/305720/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The Marlboro Man rode a horse; Oscar Mayer wiener men (and women) drive Wienermobiles; Red Bull dudes drive Mini Coopers. Chuck Carlisle is the Remington Man, and he drives a custom truck that could swallow any of the above modes of transportation whole. Carlisle is also a Chesterfield County native, a Trinity Episcopal grad, a former forester and a lifelong outdoorsman. His job is to travel the Mid-Atlantic, park the Remington truck in front of outdoors stores, answer questions and show off Remington products.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:05:39 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY COLUMN: CAA at&#45;large bids at stake now</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/PWBB13_20091112-223209/305465/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Hope springs eternal at the start of the college basketball season, and nowhere is hope springing more eternal or with greater expectations than the Colonial Athletic Association. The CAA is loaded. Old Dominion returns all its starters, led by potential player of the year Gerald Lee. Northeastern, VCU and James Madison each return four starters.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:01:49 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>OUTDOORS COLUMN: Rogaines easier in 3D vision</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY13_20091112-201602/305353/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
On the side of a mountain, tired and underfed, strange things can creep into a man&#8217;s mind. In that very situation this past Sunday, I found myself thinking: &#8220;Man, I could really use a pair of those 3D movie glasses.&#8220; Bizarre, I know. I was standing in a pine thicket holding a topographic map when this thought shot up from my burning quads, through my empty stomach and into my head. &#8220;It sure would be nice to look at this two-dimensional map and have it come to life in 3D, to have the valleys, ridgelines, spurs and hollows rise off the page.&#8220;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:01:04 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>World of Woody: Bloopers edition</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_bloopers_edition/305352/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
If you think Paul Woody breezes through every taping of the World of Woody, think again.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:30:31 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_bloopers_edition/305352/#When:00:30:31Z</guid>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: NFL must act; it&#8217;s a no&#45;brainer</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD11_20091110-223010/304970/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
RICHMOND, VA&#8212;Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis suffered a concussion Sunday against Atlanta. He was knocked unconscious. A day later, he still had a headache and no memory of the play.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:01:47 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Performed properly, a deer hunt is a portal into another world</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY08_20091107-211603/304346/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
For the record, I considered taking this column off. I figured I&#8217;d get the editors to hang a sign in the spot where they normally put me: &#8220;Andy Thompson is out of the office. His column will resume when he comes down from a tree stand in Fluvanna or Prince Edward or Caroline counties or wherever he is. Don&#8217;t hold your breath.&#8220; Instead, I&#8217;ve emerged from the woods to bring you this dispatch. I do so reluctantly because, frankly, I&#8217;d much prefer to be out there still.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:01:44 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Villanova was winner in battle of big plays</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD08_20091107-223003/304444/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Fortune is supposed to favor the bold, and University of Richmond coach Mike London made a bold decision late in yesterday&#8217;s game against Villanova that should have won the game for the Spiders. Spiders quarterback Eric Ward is supposed to be the coolest of the cool when the game is on the line, and he was exactly that yesterday. So, how do you explain Richmond&#8217;s 21-20 loss at UR Stadium?           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:01:31 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD08_20091107-223003/304444/#When:05:01:31Z</guid>
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          <title>World of Woody: Daylight savings time edition</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_daylight_savings_time_edition/304068/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Paul Woody hates daylight savings time because the sun sets before he can finish his golf game. But then, nobody can see his hooks and slices.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:00:06 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>OUTDOORS: White nose syndrome affecting state bats</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY06_20091105-205404/303924/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
This past spring, the game department announced that it had found white nose syndrome in bats at two different caves in western and southwestern Virginia. The news was alarming on many fronts, not least of which is that so little is known for certain about the condition - how it is contracted, how it operates, how it kills. What is obvious are its outward signs: Infected bats exhibit a white fungal growth around their noses as well as on their wings, legs or tail membranes.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:01:51 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Hokies step back off plank, for now</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD06_20091106-002806/304050/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
GREENVILLE, N.C. Arrrgggh, matey, the Virginia Tech Hokies needed this one. They needed to avoid losing three games in a row. They needed to pay the East Carolina Pirates back for last year&#8217;s season-opening loss/embarrassment. They needed to do something to quiet the &#8220;Arrrgggh, matey&#8221; recording that came from the scoreboard whenever the Hokies faced a third-and-long.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:01:22 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD06_20091106-002806/304050/#When:05:01:22Z</guid>
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          <title>Woody: College presidents hold key to salary problem: Pay less</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD01_20091031-223204/302992/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Many talk about reforming college athletics, but for the past 20 years, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics is one of the few organizations that actually PAUL WOODY tries to do something. The Knight Commission conducted a survey of Football Bowl Subdivision school presidents. They preside over colleges formerly known as Division I-A&#8212;the power conferences.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:01:55 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD01_20091031-223204/302992/#When:04:01:55Z</guid>
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          <title>Frank Hollis: man, friend like no other</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY01_20091031-222808/302953/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Is it a curse or a blessing to know the sunlight is fading, that you can count your last moments on Earth on one hand? Your body is failing, wracked by a cancer that invaded your liver and spread quickly. You don&#8217;t know how long you have, but it doesn&#8217;t feel like much. It&#8217;s a double-edged sword to know: You can count the precious few moments on one hand, but you also hold them in that hand. They&#8217;re yours.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:01:23 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>OUTDOORS: To draw a buck, smell like a doe</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY30_20091029-221603/302490/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Like it or not, every deer hunter worth his fox urine cover scent must also be a scholar of chemical attraction. Of course, I aspire to be worth my fox urine cover scent, every last ounce of the bottle currently sitting in my garage next to the red oak acorn wafers and natural cedar incense sticks. To bag a big buck, you must think like one. And this time of year, with the rut almost upon us, that means thinking about sex.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:01:29 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY30_20091029-221603/302490/#When:05:01:29Z</guid>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Hokies&#8217; goals go from national title to 10 wins</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD30_20091030-003004/302561/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
BLACKSBURG AVirginia Tech football season that began with national championship dreams, then changed its focus to Atlantic Coast Conference title aspirations has come to this. Can the Hokies make it to the Champs Sports Bowl? The Music City Bowl? If things really go badly in the remaining weeks, will they have to take a bus ride to the Eagle Bank Bowl in Washington?           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:01:04 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD30_20091030-003004/302561/#When:05:01:04Z</guid>
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          <title>Elk may be on the way back</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY25_20091024-223006/301515/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
A little less than a year ago I wrote about the possible reintroduction of a substantial elk herd in Virginia. The eastern elk, of course, was native to Virginia and much of the eastern United States, but, due to hunting and habitat loss, the subspecies was extirpated from the region before the turn of the 20th century.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:01:46 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Georgia Tech deserves higher ranking</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/PAUL25_20091024-222009/301496/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Sometimes the other team is just better. Yesterday, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were better in every regard than the Cavaliers. And just as with the TCU game six weeks ago, the Virginia program was exposed for how wide the chasm is between it and the top 15 teams in the country. The question isn&#8217;t why Georgia Tech is so much better than Virginia. The question is why are the Yellow Jackets, with just one loss, only rated as the 12th-best team in the country, according to the first BCS standings.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:01:29 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>GMU&#8217;s Larranaga hit high point at lower level</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD21_20091020-222806/300625/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
&#8220;We have a new cafeteria that is the most incredible eating facility you&#8217;ve ever seen on a college campus,&#8220; Larranaga said. &#8220;You walk in, pay one price and there&#8217;s a salad bar, a fruit bar, a hamburger and hot dog grill, a pizza place, wraps. It&#8217;s got a cappuccino machine. &#8220;My wife and I went there for Sunday brunch, and they not only serve omelets, they make them right there.&#8220;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:01:36 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: How long can the Skins go with Zorn?</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD19_20091018-222406/300197/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
LANDOVER, Md. No NFL team is out of the playoff picture six games into the season. But with a 2-4 record and consecutive losses to clubs that had been winless, the Washington Redskins are in serious trouble. And while they are not yet eliminated from the playoff race, it is clear they have eliminated themselves from the points race.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:01:52 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Park offers wildness close to civilization</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY17_20091017-223204/300090/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
When I introduced the Urban Oasis series at the beginning of this year, the goal was to find patches of overlooked wilderness in the Richmond area. There are a surprising number of them - green spaces such as Williams Island, Powhite Park and Tuckahoe Creek that are often missed, even by outdoors lovers. But as I&#8217;ve searched the area for these places, what&#8217;s surprised me most are not the places that, through quirks of geography, are hidden away or off the beaten path. More surprising has been the number of places hidden in plain sight.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:05:42 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Cavs lucky and good against Terps</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD18_20091017-221004/300048/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Sometimes, a team is so good it can overcome bad luck. The best combination is to be lucky at the right times and good at the right times. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the resurgent Virginia Cavaliers. Yesterday at Maryland, on a raw, rainy day, the Cavaliers had luck on their side. For example, wide receiver Kris Burd caught a pass while on his back, barely in bounds. It appeared there would be an interception on the play. Instead, the Cavaliers gained 28 yards and the catch set up a field goal.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:01:29 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Flying Squirrels? It could have been worse</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD16_20091015-223008/299686/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The Flying Squirrels? Hmmm. It will take some getting used to, but it could have been worse. No, really, it could have. Richmond Rhinos? Nah. Richmond Rock Hoppers? What would the mascot have been, a frog? Who wants a frog for a mascot? A princess in search of her Prince Charming, perhaps, but no one else. Richmond Flatheads? That&#8217;s an ugly fish or a screwdriver or an indictment of the way people think. Doesn&#8217;t work.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:01:56 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>OUTDOORS COLUMN: Their works truly are forms of art</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY16_20091015-214402/299605/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts doesn&#8217;t reopen until May of next year. The November First Fridays isn&#8217;t for three weeks. What&#8217;s an art lover to do? Usually the answer to that question would not be, &#8220;Go to Orvis.&#8220; But tomorrow it is, especially if you&#8217;re into art with an outdoors theme. The fly-fishing store in the Short Pump Mall wraps up its Fall Orvis Days tomorrow with seminars on everything from duck and goose calling to targeting game fish around the Outer Banks. But for my money, the real draw is the art.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:01:43 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Groh and his team may be saving each other</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD14_20091013-221205/299208/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Just when it seemed U.Va. fans could let the soothing thoughts of the upcoming basketball season wash away another bad gridiron experience, here comes Al Groh, with his contract-renewal offense and hope-for-tomorrow game plans. The Virginia football team should be done. The Cavaliers were embarrassed at home by William and Mary, handled at home by TCU and ran out of gas at Southern Mississippi.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:01:28 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD14_20091013-221205/299208/#When:05:01:28Z</guid>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Troubles continue to mount for Zorn, Redskins</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/PAUL12_20091011-223403/298885/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
CHARLOTTE So it&#8217;s true that no good deed goes unpunished. Byron Westbrook, who spent two seasons on the Washington Redskins practice squad and worked so hard to make the 53-man roster this season, was just doing his job, trying to protect punt returner Antwaan Randle El. And then Westbrook&#8217;s world, as well as that of the Redskins, turned upside down. Or right side up. Or every which way but loose. This much is certain: it was not sunny-side up.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:01:17 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Patient 9&#45;year&#45;old bags career buck</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY11_20091010-223004/298754/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Throughout the summer and into the early fall, the biggest celebrities in northwestern Powhatan County were a bruin and a buck. In still-rural communities like Pine Tree and Trenholm, the pair was as well known as any Hollywood A-List couple. &#8220;A few people had set up cameras in the woods up there to see the bear, and they had,&#8220; said Amy Potter, a lifelong Powhatan resident.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:01:09 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Richmond&#8217;s experience paid enormous dividends</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD11_20091010-222606/298742/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Youth will be served, but more often than not, experience carries the day. With 1:07 left in the game and victory just six yards away for the James Madison Dukes, redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Thorpe took the snap, stepped back, then darted up the middle. He was almost around Richmond nose tackle Martin Parker and things were looking good for the Dukes, except for one thing.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:01:03 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Sharp choice for Richmond baseball: the Flatheads</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY09_20091008-214403/298279/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Imagine with me a day in the not so distant future. The ballpark debate has been settled. A gleaming stadium sits overlooking the floodwall and the river in Manchester. It&#8217;s April. Opening day. A day of pure promise. Your young son and daughter are ready, have been for hours. &#8220;Daddy, can we go now?&#8220; they plead in unison.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:03:51 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Who&#8217;ll fill our need for speed?</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD09_20091008-222205/298336/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Full Throttle, an &#8220;energy drink&#8221;, is the sponsor of the National Hot Rod Association, and a more perfect combination of product and sport could not be found. Everything about the NHRA is full throttle. There is no following another driver for a couple of laps, or a couple of hundred laps, before making a move. In the NHRA&#8212;Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock or Pro Stock Motorcycles&#8212;the idea is to blast off, reach full speed as quickly as possible, maintain it and hope the parachute opens at the end of the quarter-mile track.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:01:53 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Woody: Flatheads? Hambones? It&#8217;s time to get serious</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD08_20091007-222603/298114/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Now that we&#8217;ve gotten the bad nicknames out of the way for Richmond&#8217;s new baseball team, we can move on to the really good ones. You know, the ones that dazzle you. The ones that make you say, &#8220;Wow. Cool. Different. I like it.&#8220; What? Say again? Pardon me? Those were the good nicknames? The Richmond Flathead Screwdrivers? That&#8217;s what I think of when I hear flathead. Not catfish.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:01:37 EST</pubDate>
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         <item>
          <title>Tribe can match up&#8212;if it makes the playoffs</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD04_20091003-223208/297388/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The first rule of any game is &#8220;Don&#8217;t beat yourself.&#8220; The William and Mary Tribe football team no doubt was thinking about that rule on the long drive home to Wil liamsburg last night. The Tribe was caught looking on Villanova&#8217;s first play from scrimmage yesterday and trailed 7-0 when the game was just 19 seconds old. From there, things went downhill for the Tribe in a 28-17 loss.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:01:23 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Video contest helps with message: keep the James clean</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY04_20091003-222005/297333/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
As societal ills go, littering might not be up there with violent crime, political corruption or purse snatching, but there is something particularly galling about it. Really, how hard is it not to litter? Don&#8217;t flick your cigarette butt out the car window. Is that too much to ask? At least actuarial tables suggest smokers won&#8217;t be around as long to cover the streets with their refuse.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:01:11 EST</pubDate>
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         <item>
          <title>Burns&#8217; National Parks project casts an exquisite spell</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY02_20091001-204404/296819/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Funny the images that stay with you from childhood. Any time someone mentions the Civil War, there&#8217;s this snapshot that flits across my brain of being in my parents&#8217; TV room watching the Ken Burns documentary on the subject. It&#8217;s nothing more specific than that, but I remember my whole family being glued to the TV for days. I was 12 when &#8220;The Civil War&#8221; came out. Four years later, Burns had us fixated again with his nine-part series on the history of baseball. He&#8217;s done much since then, including an acclaimed history of jazz, but nothing that really pushed the Thompson family buttons. That is, until this past week when &#8220;The National Parks: America&#8217;s Best Idea&#8221; came to PBS.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:02:44 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Woody: In the NFL, real men wear pink</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD02_20091001-221206/296913/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Walk into any crowded room and you will find someone who has experienced the ravages of cancer, either first-hand or through PAUL WOODY a family member or friend. Cancer never is far from anyone&#8217;s mind. No one is surprised to receive the diagnosis. Shocked. Saddened. Frightened, perhaps, but not surprised. The disease is too prevalent, an equal-opportunity scourge.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:01:05 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY COLUMN: Olympic bid needs the president</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD30_20090929-223007/296401/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The Olympics are the greatest of the world&#8217;s sports events, and the site for the 2016 Summer Games will be Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro or Tokyo. The International Olympic Committee votes Friday. The vote here is for Chicago. Imagine athletes from every part of the globe riding the &#8216;L&#8217; in Chicago. Imagine mixing and mingling on Michigan Avenue with high jumpers from Australia and hammer throwers from the Ukraine.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:01:53 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Rainstorm and Hokies poured it on</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD27_20090926-222807/295818/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The Marching Virginians, 330 strong, weren&#8217;t allowed to march and play their music on the Lane Stadium field. Instead, they performed from their end zone seats out of deference to a field that was all but underwater. And speaking of submerged, how about those Miami Hurricanes? They came here as a team on the prowl. Young. Quick. Fast. Potent. Hungry. They came here 2-0 and as a prime topic in the national sports conversation.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:01:26 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Trees&#8217; turning leaves mean change on way</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY27_20090926-204604/295736/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
In the room where I sit to write, a second-story makeshift office at home, there are two windows. One looks out over a road and the neighbor&#8217;s house, bracketed by two large silver maples. As long as I&#8217;ve lived in this house, these two trees have offered the first intimations of autumn. They always turn before any others in the neighborhood. It&#8217;s no different this year. In just a handful of places&#8212;the tips of a few branches&#8212;the one on the corner is turning bright red. Behind the house, the other maple has just started transitioning to brilliant yellows and oranges.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:01:04 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Reason for optimism on sturgeon in James</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY25_20090924-210005/295279/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
When I asked Matt Balazik about the gill nets he uses to catch prehistoric fish in the James River, he explained in his typically enthusiastic way about water temperatures and dissolved oxygen and how the ancient beasts he&#8217;s spent years trying to net and study can&#8217;t stay entangled too long&#8212;two hours at most. Balazik, a fish biologist working on his Ph.D. at VCU, has the kind of passion for his subject that is infectious. But his voice trailed off contemplating the idea that one of his nets could be responsible for the death of even one example of this giant and rare species.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:01:43 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY: Cooperation key to future of baseball and Diamond</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD24_20090923-211204/295050/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The difference between major-league ownership of a minor-league team and semi-local ownership of a minor-league team was readily apparent yesterday. The Atlanta Braves, owners of the former Richmond Braves, weren&#8217;t willing to invest much in The Diamond. The semi-local ownership of the new Richmond minor-league team will sink $1.5 million into upgrading The Diamond.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:01:08 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY: Skins placing too much emphasis on potential</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD23_20090922-215403/294814/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Of all the things said in the Washington Redskins&#8217; locker room, none is more annoying than: We have the talent to excel. Wide receiver Santana Moss said it Monday. Running back Clinton Portis says it frequently. Head coach Jim Zorn, after a season-opening loss to the New York Giants, said the Redskins are going to be a good team.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:01:29 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Hollywood ending suits Blacksburg</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD20_20090919-223206/294248/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
BLACKSBURG The Virginia Tech Hokies were out of offense, out of timeouts and, seemingly, out of hope. &#8220;When you&#8217;ve got a Tyrod, you&#8217;ve always got a chance,&#8220; said Hokies coach Frank Beamer. Yes, but it looked like the Hokies had blown their last, best chance with 2:07 left in the game. Needing nine yards on fourth down, the pass of Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor hit wide receiver Dyrell Roberts in the hands, and the ball fell harmlessly to the ground.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:01:32 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Richmond gaining foothold as trail mecca</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY20_20090919-203005/294127/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I&#8217;ll talk until I&#8217;m hoarse about Richmond&#8217;s trails. For years, I&#8217;ve extolled their virtues to anyone who&#8217;d listen. The variety, the amount, the way they bring so many different kinds of users downtown while still maintaining a sense of wilderness. I&#8217;ve always argued that this re source is truly special. But then I&#8217;m a Richmonder. I&#8217;m biased. Now, however, you don&#8217;t just have to take my word for it.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:01:08 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>OUTDOORS COLUMN: This forest no lost cause</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY18_20090917-214205/293686/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
CYPRESS BRIDGE In a slough off the Nottoway River south of Courtland lies an orgy of the gothic and grotesque. Few find it by accident, and those who do rarely know what they&#8217;ve stumbled upon. Until 2005, the Lost For est wasn&#8217;t on any map. They say true places never are. Only briefly every year can anyone explore Virginia&#8217;s most bizarre and wonderful 37 acres on foot. Today, though, is one of those times, and I&#8217;m lucky enough to have a guide, Emporia resident Kevin Kessler. He, in turn, is lucky enough to have as his guide Byron Carmean, the man who first &#8220;discovered&#8221; and named the Lost Forest. That is to say Carmean was the first person to recognize the matchless value of this grove of ancient cypress and water tupelo and call attention to it.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:01:50 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY COLUMN: Grayson and Spiders cast egos aside</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD18_20090917-222007/293724/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
How do you stay No. 1 in the country when every opponent wants to beat the top-ranked team? How do you stay No.1 when it&#8217;s human nature to become full of yourself, to believe all the accolades and think you can turn on a winning effort the way you turn on a faucet? You hope you have a team full of players such as Kevin Grayson.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:01:19 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD18_20090917-222007/293724/#When:05:01:19Z</guid>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY COLUMN: Officials should douse heated words from athletes</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD16_20090915-214005/293130/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Boorish behavior is nothing new in tennis. What caught everyone by surprise was to see and hear a star become abusive during a match in a major championship. Usually, the players vent their spleen in early rounds, out of sight of the television cameras and microphones. So yes, what happened at the U.S. Open was shocking.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:01:16 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Redskins&#8217; performance is perhaps too familiar</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD14_20090913-220407/292739/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Where have we seen this before from the Washington Redskins? Oh yes, last year. Early last year. Late last year. During the middle of last year. And here are the Redskins again, leaving Giants Stadium after absorbing another solid beating. Yes, the Redskins moved within six points in the final minute of the game against the New York Giants. But that was too little, way too late.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:01:10 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>He beat the odds at Pony Pasture twice</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY13_20090912-215807/292549/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I&#8217;ve never understood how they compute the odds of winning the Mega Millions lottery game. On every billboard announcing the jackpot in small print it says, &#8220;Odds of winning 1 in 172 million.&#8220; Yet there&#8217;s no guarantee someone will have the winning numbers each time. Whatever. Math has never been my strong suit. It makes my brain ache a little every time I think about problems like that.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:01:36 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Hamlin&#8217;s RIR triumph: a taste of things to come?</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD13_20090913-010603/292592/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
All week long, Denny Hamlin said it was time. He said a driver can&#8217;t lead as many laps as he has at Richmond International Raceway and not win the race. All week long, Hamlin talked the talk. Last night, he walked the walk. Last night, he drove the car. Last night, Hamlin won the Chevy Rock &amp; Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:01:03 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD13_20090913-010603/292592/#When:05:01:03Z</guid>
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          <title>Widlife Center flies like an eagle</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY11_20090910-211403/291941/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Under gray and threatening skies, Ed Clark jumps up on the tailgate of his pickup truck and launches into a speech. Behind him in the covered flatbed is a small cage, a travel kennel for a medium-sized dog. But the 60 people listening in rapt attention didn&#8217;t go out of their way on this Labor Day to hear Clark introduce a dog.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:01:56 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Winning isn&#8217;t everything, especially in NASCAR</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD11_20090910-193801/291924/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Kyle Busch acknowledged the crowd at Richmond International Raceway in May after one of his four Sprint Cup victories this season. Busch sits in 14th place in Cup points. Kyle Busch and Mark Martin belong in the Sprint Cup championship chase. There, I&#8217;ve said it. Busch and Martin have won more races, four, than any drivers on the circuit this year, and winning is the point of racing.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:01:18 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Tech&#8217;s offense must do its fair share</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD06_20090906-010204/291071/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
ATLANTA Good defense and exceptional special teams will keep you in almost every game. That combination even will help a team win a number of games. But against a top-ranked opponent, defense and specialteams will take you only so far. The offense has to do its part, or at least do something. The Virginia Tech offense did not do enough last night against Alabama. When the Hokies&#8217; attack finally got untracked, it was too little, too late.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:01:50 EST</pubDate>
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         <item>
          <title>Huge test for Hokies right from the start</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD04_20090903-215803/290568/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
When the Virginia Tech football team walks into the Georgia Dome tomorrow night to play Alabama, the Hokies will be involved in a game that means everything. And they will be involved in a game that means far less. &#8220;We&#8217;re fortunate to be in the game, and fortunate so much attention is being paid to it,&#8220; Hokies coach FrankBeamer said.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:01:22 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD04_20090903-215803/290568/#When:05:01:22Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Georgia Tech in ACC, Eagles in NFL will be champions</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD03_20090902-185403/290018/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
This is not what anyone in Boston, Tallahassee, Fla., Chapel Hill, N.C., Miami and especially Blacksburg wants to hear. Georgia Tech will win the 2009 ACC championship. And with the right combination of victories, luck and computer rankings, the Yellow Jackets are a darkhorse team to play in the BCS title game against . . . well, we&#8217;ll get to that in a minute.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:01:02 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD03_20090902-185403/290018/#When:05:01:02Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Skins&#8217; Campbell reaches crunch time of career</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD30_20090829-215805/289342/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
After making plays for Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez in the offseason, it is clear Redskins owner Dan Snyder doubts Campbell&#8217;s ability to take the team to the playoffs and beyond. It is equally clear Campbell&#8217;s teammates stand behind him. &#8220;I think Jason took a lot of heat last year when we didn&#8217;t do a great job in pass protection,&#8220; offensive tackle Chris Samuels said. &#8220;He got hit a lot, and when you&#8217;ve got 330and 340-pound guys running into you, it takes a toll.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:01:28 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD30_20090829-215805/289342/#When:05:01:28Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Psychology a key part of the hunt, also</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY30_20090829-211004/289260/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Preparations for the upcoming hunting seasons can be broken down into two loose categories: the physical and the psychological. The first is necessary conditions to hunt. We must put our weapons in working order, buy ammunition and licenses, etc. These acts are perfunctory. The second is not, and they often are overlooked. But the psychological preparations every hunter makes as he readies himself to go afield are no less important, no less an obligation, than the physical. Ignoring them won&#8217;t stop a hunter from hunting, as a defective rifle will, but it will rob the experience of its fullest meaning. It will demean quarry and hunter alike.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:01:09 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY COLUMN: Energy drinks are dubious solutions</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD27_20090826-213604/288553/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The Snapple folks proudly and cleverly proclaim their beverages are made with the &#8220;best stuff on earth.&#8220; What, then, is a nice company like Snapple doing with a drink like this&#8212;Venom Death Adder? Venom Death Adder is made with stuff, but it is not necessarily the best stuff on earth. Venom Death Adder is an &#8220;energy&#8221; drink, and it sits on the shelves of grocery and convenience stores along with Red Bull, Rip It, Amp and Monster, to name just a few.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:01:27 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY COLUMN: Sports wagering could pay off for states</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD26_20090825-214808/288292/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
We live in strange and contradictory times. Two bumper stickers, seen on the same car, sum things up nicely. One said, &#8220;Save the Bay.&#8220; Another said, &#8220;Raise my taxes, lose my vote.&#8220; There is a correlation between those ideas. Cities, counties and states need money to operate, and the news keeps getting worse. After one round of budget cuts to make up for a $299 million shortfall, Virginia faces another round to account for an additional $1.2 billion in anticipated lost revenue.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:01:29 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Poaching on James still problem</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY23_20090822-215007/287786/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
This column was originally going to be about noodling, the mostly insane practice of angling for catfish with one&#8217;s hand popular in parts of the country where people often have more all-terrain vehi cles than teeth. I was all set to go noodling (what does that say about my sanity - or total teeth?). I&#8217;d even lined up someone, local catfishing guide Mike Ostrander, who could show me where a few cats might hide. We would dive, find the beasts and hope to wrestle them to the surface. Then we&#8217;d snap a few pictures before letting them swim away.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:01:30 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Burress gets no special treatment</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD23_20090822-220404/287846/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
In New York City in 2008, 75 people with no prior criminal records were charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. All agreed to plea bargains that reduced the charge to at tempted possession of a weapon in the second degree. According to statistics from the New York state Division of Criminal Justice Services, 56 received two-year jail sentences. The rest received longer terms.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:01:05 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY COLUMN: New helmet gives players a head start</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD21_20090820-215605/287380/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
S100 batting helmet The first major-league baseball game I saw in person was the Cleveland Indians vs. the Washington Senators in 1965. When Rocky Colavito came to bat for Cleveland, I noticed he was wearing the same cap to hit as he wore in the field. I pointed this out to my father, who said Colavito probably had a plastic liner in his hat.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:01:05 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>World of Woody: Can the Spiders repeat?</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_can_the_spiders_repeat/287494/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Do the University of Richmond Spiders have what it takes to hold on to their football title? Sports columnist Paul Woody gets a lift from a few players while he considers that.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:41:38 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Once again, Favre says &#8220;hello&#8221; when it&#8217;s time to say &#8220;goodbye&#8221;</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD19_20090818-215205/286863/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
All the games Brett Favre has played, all the touchdowns he has thrown, all the toughness he has shown will sound great at his Hall of Fame induction. That will take place five years after Favre&#8217;s NFL retirement. If he ever retires. At the moment, Favre is on the verge of becoming a laughingstock. He is the man who can&#8217;t let go of professional football, even when it is clear he should.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:01:44 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>OUTDOORS COLUMN: Catalina &#45; paradise island</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY14_20090813-210002/285868/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
SANTA CATALINA ISLAND, Calif. For most of his adult life, Eddie Harrison operated a glass bottom boat, giving tours to visitors of this mountainous island 26 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. In his spare time, he was a poet. My fellow hikers and I dis cover this in the middle of a grueling almost-three-hour hike. We&#8217;ve reached the unnamed summit, having done nothing but go up for two hours - from sea level to more than 1,500 feet. Two turned back, the pregnant lady and the guy in flip flops. Four remain.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:30:34 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>World of Woody: Covering the classics</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_covering_the_classics/285979/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
You wouldn&#8217;t know it to hear him talk, but sports columnist Paul Woody is a voracious reader of classic books&#8212;as long as they&#8217;re about hockey or basketball.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:20:17 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY COLUMN: Olympic golf a bogey</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/PAUL12_20090811-215207/285432/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Sorry, golf is not an Olympic sport. Any sport that has its own channel, has a country club aura and is on television almost every weekend does not fit the description of an Olympic sport. Badminton, now there&#8217;s an Olympic sport. Tomorrow, the International Olympic Committee will announce the two sports it will add for the 2016 Summer Games.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:01:12 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Coaches&#8217; salaries say it all</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD05_20090804-220004/284125/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
My first thought after hearing about Urban Meyer&#8217;s new contract was, &#8220;Whew. Now he can give up that part-time job at the convenience store.&#8220; My second thought was that $4 million per year must be the top salary in the country for a college football coach. My first thought was a weak attempt at humor. Been watching too many Seinfeld DVDs.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:01:44 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Lakoskys featured attraction</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY02_20090801-202803/283534/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
For 26 years now, Hugh Crittenden has been putting on the Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show. It&#8217;s the longest running and best-attended show of its kind in the state, despite focusing exclusively on hunting. Crittenden, a full-time taxidermist, could put forward the same show every year with the same exhibits, same guest speakers, same everything. He could rest on his laurels, but that&#8217;s just not his style.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:05:49 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Redskins failed to deal with needy offense</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD02_20090801-214203/283592/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The quote, &#8220;Millions for defense, not a cent for tribute,&#8220; often is attributed to Thomas Jefferson. In fact, it was said by someone else&#8212;Washington Red skins owner Dan Snyder. Actually, it was said by Robert Goodloe Harper, a South Carolina congressman, in 1798. It&#8217;s a better fit for Snyder. The Redskins were No. 4 among 32 teams in the NFL in defense last season.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:01:26 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Book key to the IDs for trees</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY31_20090730-214003/283199/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Ever wanted to learn a new language? Gain some culture? Impress your friends? Let me suggest one. All it will cost is $2 for a slender paperback book. It&#8217;ll take lots of work, but if you stick with it, you&#8217;ll soon be fluent. The best part is you barely have to leave your back yard. The language? Trees. Identi fying them, that is. Don&#8217;t speak tree? Don&#8217;t know a pawpaw from a poplar? Don&#8217;t feel bad. I&#8217;m not fluent, not yet, but I&#8217;m getting there thanks to my rediscovery of that slim, information-packed volume&#8212;&#8220;Common Native Trees of Virginia.&#8220; It&#8217;s a tree identification guide put out by the Department of Forestry since the 1920s. I received my copy as part of the Virginia Master Naturalist classes I took two winters ago, but it languished on my bookshelf ever since.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:03:25 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>It should be about swimmers</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD31_20090730-215202/283221/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
International swimming holds the attention of sports fans once every four years, during the Olympics. So, it was a bit of a shock to watch the Beijing Games and see men and women stand on the starting blocks wearing slick black wet suits. As a fashion statement, it was da bomb. As a competitive statement, it was troubling. In the 2008 Olympics, 25 world records were broken in men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s swimming. Since then, 21 more world records have been set.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:01:53 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>World of Woody: Hall of Fame edition</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_hall_of_fame_edition/283265/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Sports columnist Paul Woody handicaps the Hall of Fame chances of baseball great Pete Rose and the newly retired (again) Brett Favre. Also, expect a cameo by &#8220;The Mezmorizer.&#8220;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:01:44 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>History abounds at Lee Memorial Park</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY26_20090725-220606/282199/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
This being Virginia, history is deposited everywhere like sediment from the flooding of a mighty river. America&#8217;s first colonists washed ashore at Jamestown, and a stone&#8217;s throw away at Yorktown, the British surrendered to George Washington. Just more than an hour west of there is Richmond, the former Confederate capital. You can&#8217;t cross a county line in this state without seeing a gray sign telling you why you&#8217;re on hallowed ground.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2009 00:01:48 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Scoundrels no strangers to baseball shrine</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD26_20090725-223008/282257/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Late in the 1919 baseball season, Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker and several other players made an agreement on the outcome of the next day&#8217;s contest. All except Cobb placed bets on the game. It wasn&#8217;t that Cobb was a paragon of virtue. He just was not able to get his money down in time. When Ban Johnson, president of the American League, learned of this several years later, he suspended all players involved.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2009 00:01:12 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY: Goodell shouldn&#8217;t delay decision on Vick</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD21_20090720-222604/281174/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Michael Vick now is free to move around the country, provided he checks with his probation officer. Vick is far from free to join an NFL team. He remains suspended indefinitely by Commissioner Roger Goodell. A decision on Vick&#8217;s football future needs to be made as quickly as possible, not for Vick&#8217;s sake, but for the sake of closing the debate on Vick&#8217;s future.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:01:23 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>As a sports town, Richmond is just D&#45;ifferent</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD12A_20090711-222605/279540/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
If you are interested in tightening your abdominals or improving your sex life, Men&#8217;s Health magazine has plenty of advice for you. Every issue, or so it seems, has stories on those topics. That&#8217;s all well and good. But there is one thing about Men&#8217;s Health that is not so good. In the July/August issue, the magazine ranked America&#8217;s most sports obsessed towns.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:01:35 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Fish and I fall for lure hook, line and sinker</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY12_20090711-204602/279480/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Fish and I fall for lure hook, line and sinker I&#8217;m a sucker for infomercials. It&#8217;s embarrassing, but true. It started years ago with the AB Dolly, a plastic board on wheels that promised to turn my flabby abs into cold, hard steel. It continued early one morn ing this past fall. I turned on the TV and there was the ubiquitous SI special offer, this one commemorating the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies. As a native Philadelphian, how could I say no to the subscription? They were offering a DVD, a handsome hardback book (numbered individually, of course) and that&#8217;s not all, a ball signed by the entire team!           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:01:28 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Plenty of places to lean, loaf along &#8216;The Rivah&#8217;</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY10_20090709-212402/279076/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I take Whitman&#8217;s words down to the water. The Potomac is warm today, almost warmer than the air this July 4, another strange day in a string of them this young summer. But it&#8217;s a good day for leaning and loafing, and this is as fine a place as I&#8217;ve yet found for idle pursuits.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:07:15 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>BCS performance was a capitol offense</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD10_20090709-223206/279187/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The ideal place for government involvement in sports is on the sidelines. The ideal rarely is met. Politicians use public funds to build stadiums. Government officials woo professional franchise owners with tax breaks and other subsidies. Without government involvement, Major League Baseball probably would not have been inspired to improve its testing for the use of steroids.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:01:44 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Off the field, athletes&#8217; flaws are sometimes fatal</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD08_20090707-221604/278633/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Charles Barkley is right. Sadly. Barkley, a former NBA star and current TNT basketball analyst, long has insisted athletes should not be viewed as role models. Still, we cling to the idea, the hope, that these men who are capable of such amazing performances on the field are equally amazing off the field. Yet off the field, they are just like the rest of us, imperfect and prone to bad decisions.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:01:13 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Tight racing on fast tracks a recipe for disaster</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD07_20090706-223208/278472/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
At its best, NASCAR superspeedway racing is a captivating combination of speed, power and strategy. At its worst, superspeedway racing with restrictor plates on the engines is a dangerous en deavor, a catastrophe waiting to happen. The Coke Zero 400 at Daytona on Saturday night was the best and worst of NASCAR. The last four laps were spellbinding. Tony Stewart battled to hold his lead but lost it on a bold pass by Kyle Busch.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:01:27 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Let&#8217;s make sure Richmond&#8217;s gem doesn&#8217;t lose its luster</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY05_20090704-215804/278105/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
By my estimation, there are two things unique to Richmond&#8212;its history and the James River. I&#8217;m not alone in this thinking, I know, because each was identified as one of seven &#8220;foundations&#8221; for the downtown master plan. I live where I do&#8212;the Woodland Heights section of Richmond&#8212;because of the proximity to the river and the parks all around me. I love mountain biking the Buttermilk Trail in the James River Park System and walking by the lake in Forest Hill Park. My dogs love swimming in the river. I love canoeing it; fishing it and watching it slide by.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:05:22 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Parks naturally appealing when times are tough</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY28_20090627-202002/276796/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
There&#8217;s a lot in the news about the economy turning around. Here&#8217;s a headline about foreclosures leveling off. There&#8217;s one that says housing starts are up. Says here the stock market is rallying and consumer confidence is improving. I say blah, blah, blah: Let the bad times roll. Before brandishing the pitchfork, hear me out.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:05:46 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>Smoother race was less interesting than last year</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD28_20090628-005801/276890/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
As omens go, the start of the SunTrust Indy Challenge seemed to have a very bad one. Jacques Lazier ran into the wall before completing the first lap, bringing out a caution flag. During his interview soon after that&#8212;a guy who doesn&#8217;t finish a lap gets interviewed?&#8212;Lazier managed to say how sorry he was to let down the Novicomm LED Lighting Technology team.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:01:55 EST</pubDate>
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          <title>If NASCAR beckons, Patrick should respond. Immediately</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD77_20090626-235801/276761/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Two big-time racing circuits, IRL and NASCAR, would benefit greatly from Danica Patrick&#8217;s presence in 2010. Patrick seems intrigued by the challenge presented by NASCAR. Danica Patrick is not just a driver on the Indy Racing League circuit. She is &#8220;a brand.&#8220; And that brand is . . . &#8220;Determined. It&#8217;s feminine and, hopefully&#8212;I feel awkward talking about myself like this,&#8220; Patrick said recently, &#8220;it&#8217;s something beautiful, something fast and exciting and inspiring and something iconic that&#8217;s never been done before.&#8220;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:01:27 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD77_20090626-235801/276761/#When:05:01:27Z</guid>
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          <title>Occoneechee folks make you feel special</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY26_20090625-211802/276414/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I&#8217;d like to say anyone can make the trip to Occoneechee State Park and truly experience its almost 2,700 acres as I did. It&#8217;s true, anyone can rent a pontoon boat at the park near Clarksville and explore miles of undisturbed coastline on Buggs Island Lake. And, yes, anyone can reserve a campsite, cabin or lodge near the water and fish from the banks for bass, catfish and stripers. They also can bring their horse and trot the Panhandle multiuse trail for a 15-mile, out-and-back tour through hardwood and pine forest. Heck, they can hunt here, too, in season, go bird watching, or watch re-enactments of Native American tribal customs.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:05:35 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY26_20090625-211802/276414/#When:05:05:35Z</guid>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY: Both sides guilty in Cutler spat</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD23_20090622-214901/275511/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
WILLIAMSBURG Jay Cutler tossed soft passes to the young campers at the Colonial All Pro football camp at William and Mary yesterday. That was in sharp contrast to the hard words he threw at the Denver Broncos this spring. When the Broncos drafted Cutler out of Vanderbilt in 2006, he was their quarterback of the future. Last year, he gave the Broncos a glimpse of that future when he threw for 4,526 yards and 25 touchdowns.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:01:41 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD23_20090622-214901/275511/#When:05:01:41Z</guid>
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          <title>Dads should give a push, not hold on</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD19_20090618-222403/274734/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Late Sunday afternoon, on the field at Maybeury Elementary School in Henrico County, a man went through one of the rituals of fa therhood. He stood behind his son, who was seated on a bicycle. The father gave the bike a push, and his son began pedaling. The little boy rode for about 20 yards, then felt it imperative to stop. Instead of hitting the brakes, he took his feet off the pedals and used his shoes to bring the bike to a running halt.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:01:04 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD19_20090618-222403/274734/#When:05:01:04Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>An ordinary kid with extraordinary talent</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD14_20090613-234601/273848/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The sports landscape is littered with young stars who never met their potential as adults. Some could not handle too much success too early. Others let their talents go fallow, weary of the relentless cycle of practice and competition, coupled with the expectations of the adults around them. Then, there is the 13-year-old Chesterfield County golf phenom with the rhinestone belt buckle that says &#8220;Lyberty&#8221; and a golf game that is years ahead of her age.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:01:24 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD14_20090613-234601/273848/#When:05:01:24Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Triathletes gear up for Atlantic Cup</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY12_20090611-222003/273417/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
On top of Belle Isle, heaving and gasping for air, I finally caught a break. Dan Hugo wanted to re-ride a section of trail to see if he could find a better line, one that would shave a second or two off his time Sunday. I gladly stopped and waited while he took his mountain bike back and chose a route between two trees. It was straighter that way but dangerous. Catch a handlebar on a tree trunk and a nasty spill is very possible. High risk, low reward. He decided against it.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:01:42 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY12_20090611-222003/273417/#When:05:01:42Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Busch damaged image with guitar&#45;smashing celebration</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD12A_20090611-222401/273424/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Smashing is a good way to describe Kyle Busch&#8217;s celebration after winning the Nationwide race in Nashville. Appalling is a better way to describe Busch&#8217;s celebration. Childish is the best way to describe what Busch did. He received a beautiful trophy, a hand-painted Gibson guitar, for his victory. Busch should have held it high, admired it and said the work of art, lovingly painted by Sam Bass, always would occupy a special place in his home.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:01:27 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD12A_20090611-222401/273424/#When:05:01:27Z</guid>
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          <title>Treat them like adults rewarded</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD10_20090609-222805/272925/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
CHARLOTTESVILLE Building an athletic program requires a coach with a clear vision, an administration to support the coach and players who buy into the coach&#8217;s ideas. Brian O&#8217;Connor arrived at the University of Virginia six years ago as a man with a plan for the Cavaliers&#8217; baseball teams. He wanted to build a fan and donor base. Check.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:01:51 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD10_20090609-222805/272925/#When:05:01:51Z</guid>
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          <title>Central Region teams come up empty at state finals</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD08_20090607-222806/272546/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
CHANTILLY Louise Foley summed up the day perfectly. &#8220;Not everyone goes home happy,&#8220; the Mills Godwin activities director said. Last night, the traffic on I-95 South was filled with young athletes bearing sad faces and thinking about what might have been. What might have been was particularly disappointing for the Mills Godwin boys soccer team.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:01:24 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD08_20090607-222806/272546/#When:05:01:24Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>River trip was simply Finn&#45;tastic</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY07_20090606-195201/272306/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
River trip was simply Finn-tastic The best journeys always have a touch of Huck Finn in them. This first occurred to me as I watched Tim Buffkin standing in the back of a canoe reading the coming rapids in the Staunton River, his straw hat set at a jaunty angle. That was earlier in the day, but it seems a distant memory. Much has happened since then.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:05:56 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY07_20090606-195201/272306/#When:05:05:56Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>NBA&#8217;s age rule should be eliminated</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD07_20090606-221802/272370/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
In a perfect world, even the most talented basketball performers would spend four years in college. They would grow as players and people, read the classics, study economics and perhaps learn another language before pursing a professional career. But the world of college and professional basketball is imperfect, made more so by the rule that says players must be 19 years old&#8212;American players also must be out of high school for a year&#8212;before they are eligible to play in the NBA. The NBA instituted this rule in 2005.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:01:38 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD07_20090606-221802/272370/#When:05:01:38Z</guid>
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          <title>Down&#45;and&#45;dirty season debut at Colonial Downs</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD06_20090605-223004/272226/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
So, to make sure that thick turf lasts for the upcoming eight weeks of racing, the five races scheduled for grass last night at Colonial Downs were moved to the dirt track that surrounds the turf. Make that the mud track that surrounds the turf. Slop was the operative word. &#8220;A soup sandwich,&#8220; said Tyler Picklesimer, Colonial Downs&#8217; director of racing.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:01:53 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD06_20090605-223004/272226/#When:05:01:53Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>State&#8217;s black bear population is thriving</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY05_20090604-221004/271900/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Most central Virginians have never seen a black bear, but that may change in the coming years. According to Department of Game and Inland Fisheries statistics, the state&#8217;s pop ulation is healthy and growing at over 7 percent a year. Black bears now range from Tidewater to the Southern Piedmont to the West Virginia border and everywhere in between.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:05:20 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/ANDY05_20090604-221004/271900/#When:05:05:20Z</guid>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY COLUMN: Road assignments offer opportunities for Cavaliers</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD03_20090602-221804/271452/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Everyone knows you need to be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. Few realize you also need to be careful about your complaints. You might look a little silly when all is said and done. When the University of Virginia baseball team received its bracket pairing for the NCAA tournament, the Cavaliers&#8217; supporters listed complaints that outnumbered compliments.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:01:26 EST</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD03_20090602-221804/271452/#When:05:01:26Z</guid>
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