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    <title>Sports Columnists &gt; Paul Woody for Richmond Times-Dispatch</title>
    <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/</link>
    <description></description>
    <dc:language>en</dc:language>
    <dc:creator>Richmond Times-Dispatch</dc:creator>
    <dc:rights>Copyright 2010</dc:rights>
    <dc:date>2010-03-20T00:01:47-05:00</dc:date>

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          <title>Woody&#8217;s point: Anderson, Spiders will prevail</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/PAUL18_20100317&#45;220007/331130/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
PROVIDENCE, R.I. The Saint Mary&#8217;s Gaels did not come all the way from Moraga, Calif., to give a half-hearted effort or turn and run in fear from the NCAA history of the Richmond Spiders. The Gaels are taking their appearance in the NCAA tournament seriously. Saint Mary&#8217;s is here to win. Good for the Gaels. However, I must reluctantly be the bearer of this bit of bad news to the Saint Mary&#8217;s faithful.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:39 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Woody: NCAA expansion? More teams, less quality</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD17_20100316&#45;223206/330906/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The men&#8217;s NCAA basketball tournament selection process doesn&#8217;t make sense. Every year, teams that should get in are left out. And teams get in that should be left out. When we ask coaches for their solution, their answer invariably is, &#8220;Expand the field.&#8220; The idea is gaining momentum. The field soon could grow to 96 teams.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:01:10 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>With tourney run, UR left no room for doubt</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/college/college_basketball/article/WOOD15_20100314&#45;222603/330469/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. Coaches tend to remember losses far longer than they recall victories. Yesterday, University of Richmond coach Chris Mooney had the chance to capture the biggest victory in his five years with the Spiders. But Temple was better in the Atlantic 10 tournament championship game. Under normal circumstances, that loss might haunt Mooney for days or weeks.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:01:44 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/college/college_basketball/article/WOOD15_20100314&#45;222603/330469/#When:04:01:47Z</guid>
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          <title>Spiders made long climb from their 8&#45;22 season</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD14_20100313&#45;212605/330266/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Geriot and his University of Richmond teammates yesterday reached the Atlantic 10 championship game. The Spiders have not played in the final since the 2001-02 season, but that&#8217;s not the reason Geriot, David Gonzalvez and Ryan Butler attach such significance to this championship appearance. The first year that trio played together at Richmond, the Spiders finished 8-22. Things looked bleak. No one was talking about championships.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:01:04 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Cavs gave all, Tech gave out on ACC stage</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD13_20100312&#45;222807/330121/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
GREENSBORO, N.C. One team left town feeling it had given everything. The other left here wondering if the NCAA selection committee will give it good news tomorrow. The Virginia Cavaliers played hard, played tough but did not have enough talent on the court or gas in their tank to beat Duke in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:01:14 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>For one day, Bennett has best of both worlds</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/PAUL12_20100311&#45;221406/329877/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
GREENSBORO, N.C. Sylven who? The University of Virginia Cavaliers always can use the points Sylven Landesberg scores on the basketball court. But with Landesberg out for the rest of the season, the Cavaliers and coach Tony Bennett are out to prove two larger points. No. 1: Teamwork really can trump the performance of an individual, even in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:01:15 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Struggling Cavs can put Meyinsse in win column</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD11_20100310&#45;223005/329693/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett is asked about Sylven Landesberg&#8212;star player, suspended since March 3 for academic shortcomings&#8212;every day. Bennett is asked what has gone wrong with the season&#8212;5-11 in the ACC, 14-15 overall, nine straight losses&#8212;at every press conference. The short answer: What didn&#8217;t? The Cavaliers face the prospect of their final game today against Boston College in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:01:54 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD11_20100310&#45;223005/329693/#When:04:01:47Z</guid>
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          <title>Woody: CAA champion plays up to expectations</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD09_20100308&#45;234603/329249/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
When it was over, the Old Dominion Monarchs had run the table. They were picked to be the regular-season champions of the Colonial Ath letic Association. And they were. They were picked to win the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. And they did. &#8220;It&#8217;s not easy being picked to win your league,&#8220; said ODU coach Blaine Taylor. &#8220;You&#8217;ve got to be comfortable in your own skin. You&#8217;ve got to wear that badge, that bull&#8217;s-eye. These kids wanted that and the challenge of that.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:01:45 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD09_20100308&#45;234603/329249/#When:04:01:47Z</guid>
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          <title>World of Woody: RPI, CAA and March Madness</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_rpi_caa_and_march_madness/329129/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
RPI means different things to different people. And in this, the midst of March Madness, find out what those three letters mean to sports columnist Paul Woody.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:40:14 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Tribe believes in concept of all for one</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD08_20100307&#45;223007/329015/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Saturday night, Sean McCurdy, a senior guard for the William and Mary basketball team, missed all six of his shots. His struggles meant he had to go to the bench and give up significant playing time to freshman Matt Rum. Didn&#8217;t matter to McCurdy. Last night, David Schneider missed his first eight shots. One drew nothing but air.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:01:41 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Sanders reaches heights as Rams climb tournament mountain</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD07_20100306&#45;223007/328880/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The VCU Rams entered the Colonial Athletic Association men&#8217;s basketball tournament facing a mountain. To win the championship and advance to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year, VCU needed four victories in four days. That&#8217;s a steep climb for any team. The Rams are halfway to the top. But with each piton they drive into the rocks, the mountain gets steeper and the competition gets fiercer.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:01:33 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Woody: Rams needed to play and they did</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/PAUL06_20100305&#45;221806/328669/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
You can call it spin, but even spin can hold an element of truth. Yesterday&#8217;s game against Delaware might be just what the VCU Rams needed. &#8220;To me, to a lot of my teammates, it&#8217;s basketball,&#8220; said VCU center Larry Sanders. &#8220;And we love playing basketball. &#8220;Coach asked us if we&#8217;d rather practice or play, and everybody said we&#8217;d rather play. We looked at it in a positive way. It gets us ready, it gets us in the mindset for tomorrow and the rest of the games.&#8220;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:02:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/PAUL06_20100305&#45;221806/328669/#When:04:01:47Z</guid>
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          <title>W&amp;amp;M&#8217;s case for NCAA at&#45;large bid is compelling</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD04_20100303&#45;221807/328227/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The bracketologists have it all figured. Old Dominion is the only CAA team worthy of an NCAA tournament at-large bid. Case closed. Except, ODU isn&#8217;t the only team that deserves to continue play.
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:01:49 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD04_20100303&#45;221807/328227/#When:04:01:47Z</guid>
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          <title>World of Woody: Awards Edition</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_awards_edition/327808/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
With the Oscars around the corner, sports columnist Paul Woody hands out his own awards for best sports movies. Tune in for the guest stars and WOW winners.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:46:39 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_awards_edition/327808/#When:04:01:47Z</guid>
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          <title>Woody: When heat was on, winners kept their cool</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD02_20100301&#45;234602/327775/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Sometimes, when a basketball team gets this deep into the season and has no losses on its ledger, the players get tight. They try to hold on. They play not to lose instead of going all out to win. The Petersburg Crimson Wave entered the championship game of the Central Region boys basketball tournament undefeated. It played one of the few teams, Thomas Dale, with the talent, ability and depth to provide a challenge.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:21 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD02_20100301&#45;234602/327775/#When:04:01:47Z</guid>
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          <title>WOODY: Without leading man, no Hollywood ending for Virginia</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD01_20100228&#45;234201/327558/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
CHARLOTTESVILLE The low point of the Duke-Virginia men&#8217;s basketball game wasn&#8217;t that the Cavaliers made just 32 percent of their field goal attempts in the first half. It wasn&#8217;t that the Cavaliers had one field goal in the first 11 minutes of the second half. And it wasn&#8217;t even that Virginia lost 67-49. No surprise there. No, the low point last night came during one of the many fan participation contests during a timeout.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:01:50 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Rams let golden opportunity slip through fingers</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD28_20100227&#45;223005/327346/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
If any one game sums up the regular season in the Colonial Athletic Association for the VCU Rams, it was this one. VCU lost 73-70 to the Old Dominion University Monarchs. The Rams pointed to ODU&#8217;s 34-22 advantage on the backboards as the primary reason for the outcome. Fourteen of the Monarchs&#8217; rebounds were off the offensive glass, and they had 19 second-chance points.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:01:12 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Woody column: In time, Mooney refined UR hoops</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD26_20100225&#45;222807/326961/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Chris Mooney is on the verge of turning the Robins Center into the castle it once was for Spiders teams. It hasn&#8217;t been easy and it hasn&#8217;t always been pretty.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:01:42 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>World of Woody: Olympics Edition</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_olympics_edition/326099/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The U.S. is leading the medal count at the Winter Olympic in Vancouver, but does sports columnist Paul Woody care? Eh&#8230;

           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:14:49 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_olympics_edition/326099/#When:04:01:47Z</guid>
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          <title>Tiger Woods shanks his shot at righting the wrongs</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD20_20100219&#45;221809/325577/</link>
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It would be nice to think Tiger Woods has seen the error of his ways, feels true remorse and never again will act as an arrogant, entitled athlete. Certainly that was the impression Woods wanted to leave from his 13-minute mea culpa speech yesterday. But Woods has been surrounded by enablers his entire professional life. He was surrounded by a roomful of hand-picked enablers yesterday and, his words to the contrary, it is difficult to see that anything has changed.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:01:01 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: UR shows it&#8217;s worthy of ranking</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD18_20100217&#45;234804/325157/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
When you are the nation&#8217;s 25th-ranked team, sit in first place in the Atlantic 10 and stand 27th in the Ratings Percentage Index, you are supposed to handle an inferior opponent on your home court with little difficulty. And that&#8217;s what the Richmond Spiders did to the Fordham Rams. The Spiders are No. 25 in the country, lead the A-10 standings and hold the 27th spot in the RPI, the measurement used to select at-large teams and seed every team in the NCAA tournament. All of that could have become tainted had Fordham made a game of it last night or even pulled off an upset.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:01:18 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Paul Woody: Hokies create their own flow and respect</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/PAUL17_20100216&#45;234604/324850/</link>
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BLACKSBURG For a long while, Wake Forest was too quick on offense, too big on defense and just too good for Virginia Tech. The Demon Deacons had flow. The Hokies? No flow. So Dorenzo Hudson decided to create a flow for the Hokies. In the process, the 6-5 junior guard opened the floodgates. And after the Hokies flowed past Wake Forest, 87-83 last night, they are alone in second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:01:08 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>World of Woody: Prepping for the Monument Avenue 10k (Part 2)</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_prepping_for_the_monument_avenue_10k_part_2/324456/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Snow putting your marathon workouts in the deep freeze? Sports columnist Paul Woody offers tips on training in weather his mother wouldn&#8217;t let him out in without big, rubber boots.&nbsp;            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:10:41 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Style points don&#8217;t interest these rough and resilient Hokies</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD14_20100213&#45;234602/324246/</link>
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BLACKSBURG From 3-point range or point-blank range, the result often was the same: Clang, clang, clang went the shooting. The best and sharpest shooters Virginia Tech and Virginia had to offer put up shot after shot in what was a groundbreaking performance. No, check that. It was closer to a glass-breaking performance. The Hokies and Cavaliers threw up so many bricks it was amazing the backboards withstood the assault.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:01:18 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Paul Woody: VCU lost a lot more than a game</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/college/college_basketball/article/WOOD10_20100209&#45;231603/323309/</link>
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FAIRFAX Victory was in the hands of the VCU Rams in one of the most difficult places to play in the Colonial Athletic Association. The possibility of ending George Mason&#8217;s 17-game home-court winning streak against CAA teams was well within the Rams&#8217; grasp. Instead, VCU let a victory slip through its fingers. Instead of winning in regulation, VCU lost 82-77 in overtime.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Spiders make a compelling argument with victory over Owls</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD07_20100206&#45;210007/322766/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The smile on the face of David Gonzalvez was as wide as the snow is deep and as bright as the weather has been uncomfortable. &#8220;It&#8217;s an awesome day, an awesome day,&#8220; the senior guard for the University of Richmond Spiders said. The Spiders beat Temple yesterday, and it was not just another victory at home on a snow-covered weekend.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:01:46 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>World of Woody: Super Bowl Edition, Part 2: Who will win?</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_super_bowl_edition_part_2_who_will_win/322017/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Think you can handle Paul Woody&#8217;s truth about the outcome? Tune in and see what the sports columnist is cookin&#8217; for a point spread. 
 
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          <pubDate>Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:04:26 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_super_bowl_edition_part_2_who_will_win/322017/#When:04:01:47Z</guid>
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          <title>WOODY: Lower volume needed for signings noise</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD03_20100202&#45;212808/321841/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
When Jerry Rice signed with Mississippi Valley State, the news was not announced on ESPNU. When Charles Haley and Gary Clark committed to James Madison and Terry Bradshaw decided to go to Louisiana Tech, national headlines were not written. Of course, there was no ESPNU for Rice in the early 1980s. Recruiting was not all the rage when Haley, Clark and Bradshaw selected their colleges 20 and 40 years ago.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:59 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>World of Woody: Super Bowl Edition (Part 1)</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_super_bowl_edition_part_1/321696/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Yes, Indianapolis and New Orleans made the Super Bowl. But sports columnist Paul Woody said supporting the teams didn&#8217;t come cheap for the citizens of either state.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:29:28 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY: Will to win carried the day for U.Va.</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD02_20100201&#45;212603/321636/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. Many things can be said about the North Carolina Tar Heels this year. They&#8217;re down. They&#8217;re rebuilding after winning a national championship last season. They&#8217;re trying to find their chemistry. They were flat last night because they played in a building that was, by the Tar Heels&#8217; standards, barely half full. Yadda. Yadda. Yadda.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:01:57 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Warner&#8217; career was a rocket ride to greatness</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD30_20100129&#45;213003/321179/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Players come and go in the NFL. We overlook many departures because they involve marginal performers, the 10-15 players on every roster who exist year to year in the league. Yesterday, Kurt Warner announced his retirement. It was hard not to notice. It will be harder still to fill the void left by the quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, St. Louis Rams, Amsterdam Admirals and Iowa Barnstormers.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:01:33 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Note to Majerus: East is anything but least</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD27_20100126&#45;215403/320298/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Rick Majerus is one of the best college basketball coaches in the country. But on one topic he is wrong. Majerus coaches the men&#8217;s team at Saint Louis University. And he thinks the East Coast airports are &#8220;the worst in America.&#8220; Whoa. Just a minute there, coach. Little ol&#8217; Richmond has a fine airport. Easy in, easy out. The airports in the Washington area are much improved. Philadelphia&#8217;s terminals are fine.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:01:27 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>World of Woody: Economics 101 edition</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_economics_101_edition/320174/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Ever wonder how sports organizations come up with their economic impact figures? Sports columnist Paul Woody breaks it down thanks to a $20 tip.
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          <pubDate>Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:02:34 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Manning again shows he&#8217;s indispensable man</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD25_20100124&#45;223202/319960/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Between them, they caught 18 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns. Realistically speaking, the Colts&#8217; star of the game was quarterback Peyton Manning. Everyone knows that. People want to look past it. They search for a different angle because Manning practically is the star of every game for the Colts. But the eye-popping numbers registered by Garcon and Collie would not have happened without Manning at quarterback.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:01:30 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Colts wrong for giving up on undefeated season</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD24_20100123&#45;220007/319741/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The Indianapolis Colts, with their 15-2 record, have many reasons to be proud. But unless the Colts finish the year as the Super Bowl champions, their season will be a failure. That seems ridiculous. The Colts are in the AFC championship game today, and any team that reaches its conference championship game has made a significant accomplishment.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:01:09 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Team unity helping Rams in standings</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD21_20100120&#45;234805/319122/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The stat line for Joey Rodriguez was impressive - 18 points, 10 assists, one turnover. But from the perspective of VCU basketball coach Shaka Smart, it&#8217;s the things that don&#8217;t show up in the statistics that matter most. &#8220;We&#8217;ve challenged Joey all year to be more of a leader, to be more vocal,&#8220; Smart said. &#8220;I think he&#8217;s responded, and I really feel there&#8217;s a connection between the leadership he&#8217;s shown and his stellar play.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:01:52 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Ripkens&#8217; message: The game belongs to youngsters</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD20_20100119&#45;222204/318746/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Baseball careers should last until a player has had the opportunity to wring the last bit of ability from his mind and body. If a career ends because talent is lacking, that&#8217;s OK. Every athlete hits a plateau. But if the talent is there, and a young man decides to move on to other things because the fun has been removed from the game by the adults, that is not OK.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:01:46 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>World of Woody: Shoes, spandex and the Mounment Avenue 10K</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_shoes_spandex_and_running_in_mounment_avenue_10k/318588/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
When sports columnist Paul Woody asks if you&#8217;re ready to run, he doesn&#8217;t mean to the store. Welcome to the first in a series of prep videos for the Monument Avenue 10K. Note: There will be spandex. 
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:56:33 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_shoes_spandex_and_running_in_mounment_avenue_10k/318588/#When:04:01:47Z</guid>
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          <title>Game second to message of Freedom Classic Festival</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/college/college_basketball/article/WOOD18_20100117&#45;234601/318402/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The Freedom Classic Festival is more than just a basketball game, more than just a social event, more than just a way to get hip-hop artist Wale to Richmond for a halftime performance. The Freedom Classic Festival is a way to commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner. When King won the Nobel in 1964, he donated the prize money to the civil rights movement.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Surprising Cavaliers getting it all together</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/PAUL17_20100117&#45;001204/318244/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
CHARLOTTESVILLE When the Virginia Cavaliers play defense, there is no such thing as an uncontested shot. When one of the Cavaliers misses a shot, the rebound is not automatically ceded to an opponent. When a ball is loose and rolling on the floor, the scrum of Cavalier players diving to the court is so thick it&#8217;s not clear whether the game is basketball or rugby.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:01:14 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>For John Kuester, NBA coaching success is a slow process</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD15_20100114&#45;220404/317732/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
John Kuester has his dream job, but lately it has been a nightmare. When you ask him if he&#8217;s getting any sleep, he smiles and says, &#8220;Look at my eyes.&#8220; The eyes, all squinty and puffy, have it. No. &#8220;You get cat naps here and there,&#8220; Kuester said. &#8220;I&#8217;ve got a great support group, a great coaching staff, so we&#8217;ll get through this thing.&#8220;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Cavaliers have warmed to Bennett&#8217;s cool</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD14_20100113&#45;234604/317540/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
His voice wasn&#8217;t strained. His tie was perfectly knotted. Tony Bennett the singer looks more drained after a performance than Tony Bennett, the men&#8217;s basketball coach at the University of Virginia, did after last night&#8217;s game against Georgia Tech. Watching your team play well and win has that effect on a coach. Bennett the coach is cool, calm and collected.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Paul Woody: McGwire doesn&#8217;t deserve to enter Hall of Fame</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD13_20100112&#45;223006/317167/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Now that we know for certain Mark McGwire used steroids and human growth hormone when he played major-league baseball, we can address several pressing questions. Should McGwire be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame? Should the record books reflect what took place during the so-called &#8220;steroid era&#8221; of the mid 1990s until the early 2000s?           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:01:46 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>World of Woody: Who invited high&#45;priced athletes to Mt. Olympus?</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_who_invited_high&#45;priced_athletes_to_mt._olympus/316822/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Sports columnist Paul Woody said Washington Wizard Gilbert Arenas deserved to be suspended. But he isn&#8217;t the only athlete to think real-world-rules don&#8217;t apply to him.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:13:07 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_who_invited_high&#45;priced_athletes_to_mt._olympus/316822/#When:04:01:47Z</guid>
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          <title>Tech&#8217;s glass half&#45;empty or half&#45;full after loss?</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD11_20100110&#45;234402/316762/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. Seth Greenberg was unhappy that his Virginia Tech Hokies lost to the North Carolina Tar Heels last night. He should have been. The Hokies were capable of winning. Had they played the entire game as they did in the first half, the outcome might have been different. But Greenberg was wrong on two issues. This was a tough way to open the ACC season, but in a way, the Hokies are fortunate to have played at North Carolina this early in the season.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Randolph&#45;Macon wins by sharing everything</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD10_20100109&#45;222403/316551/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. At least that&#8217;s the way it is supposed to be. But the young men of the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets&#8217; basketball team are wearing their crown, or rather their No.1 ranking in the country, quite comfortably. If the Yellow Jackets are afraid of losing a game or afraid of losing their lofty spot in the D3hoops.com rankings&#8212;the unofficial rating service for Division III athletics&#8212;it does not show on the court.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 10 Jan 2010 00:01:47 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Will Mike Shanahan be the answer for the Redskins?</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD07_20100106&#45;221804/315882/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
ASHBURN One definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Washington Redskins. You don&#8217;t have to be crazy to coach the Red skins, but it helps. &#8220;We got our man,&#8220; said Redskins General Manager Bruce Allen. The new man at the helm for the Redskins is Mike Shanahan. He&#8217;s not crazy, but he might not know exactly what he has gotten into.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:01:38 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>For Zorn, a nice&#45;guy finish</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD05_20100104&#45;223207/315453/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Players&#8217; dressing stalls were piled high with clothes and shoes, waiting to be stuffed in large, green plastic bags. Boxes dotted the floor. And for the sixth time since Dan Snyder took ownership of the Redskins in 1999, the players were besieged with questions about playing for a new head coach. The Redskins fired Jim Zorn yesterday, to the surprise of no one. Zorn coached the team for two seasons, had a 12-20 record and was a disaster in waiting, almost from the moment when he incorrectly identified the team&#8217;s colors in his opening press conference.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:01:39 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Tech&#8217;s win proof playoff system is needed</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD02_20100101&#45;213405/314904/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
When the game ended, the confetti floated to the floor of the Georgia Dome, the Virginia Tech players celebrated and all was right with the world. The Hokies won the Chick-fil-A Bowl, pounding Tennessee 37-14. Virginia Tech finished with its sixth consecutive 10-victory season and, as coach Frank Beamer said, &#8220;Hopefully, we&#8217;ll be ranked in the top 10 in the country.&#8220;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 02 Jan 2010 00:01:19 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Tech&#8217;s Williams shows he has &#8216;it&#8217;</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD01_20100101&#45;003205/314830/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
No, it wasn&#8217;t the season-opening loss to Alabama here in the Georgia Dome that was so bad. Instead, it was the loss of running back Darren Evans, the essential element in the Hokies&#8217; offense, to a major knee injury dur ing preseason drills. Evans&#8217; season was over before it began. The 2009 season ended for Virginia Tech with very good news. Running back Ryan Williams led the Hokies to a resounding 37-14 victory over the Tennessee Volunteers in the Chick-fil-A Bowl here in the Georgia Dome.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:01:15 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Maynor shows Thunder poise and promise</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD30_20091229&#45;234802/314348/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
&#8220;He&#8217;s a guy who will help organize the team, bring some savvy and is confident in late-game situations,&#8220; Presti said. &#8220;He reads the game well, has a pretty steady demeanor and doesn&#8217;t compound mistakes. &#8220;We&#8217;re excited to learn more about him.&#8220; Presti and the Thunder should be. Maynor, late of VCU and the Utah Jazz, has played four games for the Thunder and already is making solid contributions.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Woody: Doubts still follow Dallas into playoffs</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD28_20091228&#45;002802/313959/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
LANDOVER, Md. The Dallas Cowboys are a playoff team, but the bigger question for the Wowboys is whether they will be a game-winning playoff team. The Cowboys clinched at least a wild card spot with their 17-0 victory over the Washington Redskins last night. And while the Cowboys never were in danger&#8212;they scored on their first drive&#8212;they hardly looked like a dominant team.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:01:13 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY COLUMN: Redskins a sight that creates sore eyes</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD23_20091222&#45;220008/313149/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
When Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell was asked if all the chaos within the team and speculation swirling around the team is a distraction, he threw diplomacy to the side, much the way he has to throw passes away when defensive linemen are breathing on his face mask. &#8220;We can all sit here and say, &#8216;No, it doesn&#8217;t&#8217;,&#8220; Campbell said.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:01:43 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Skins have two games left, but their season is over</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD22G_20091222&#45;022801/312999/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
LANDOVER, Md. You know it&#8217;s been a bad season, and is getting worse, when the starting quarterback shows up to his post-game press conference with a small black &#8220;shiner&#8221; under his right eye. When Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell was asked if all the chaos within the team and speculation swirling around the team is a distraction, he threw diplomacy to the side, much the way he has to throw passes away when defensive linemen are breathing on his face mask.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 22 Dec 2009 02:28:39 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD22G_20091222&#45;022801/312999/#When:04:01:47Z</guid>
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          <title>World of Woody: Best of&#8230;Edition</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_best_of...edition/312997/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
You&#8217;ve seen the bloopers, now sample the best of the World of Woody featuring sports columnist Paul Woody.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:24:43 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>VCU proves it can adapt in win over UR</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD13_20091212&#45;234603/311310/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Until proved otherwise, the theory on beating the VCU Rams men&#8217;s basketball team was to handle their full-court pressure, slow their fast break and make them run their halfcourt offense. &#8220;Otherwise&#8221; was proved last night against the University of Richmond. VCU had no fast-break points. Richmond had four. VCU had 10 points off turnovers, Richmond 11. VCU had four second-chance points, Richmond seven.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:01:23 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY: Tribe&#8217;s lament: So very close, and yet&#8230;</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/PAUL12_20091212&#45;003203/311169/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
VILLANOVA, Pa. When it was over, when a game that was well within the grasp of his players had slipped through their frigid fingers, William and Mary coach Jimmye Laycock walked across the field in search of Villanova Wildcats coach Andy Talley. Talley was caught somewhere in the crowd of celebrating Wildcat players, and Laycock could not find him.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:01:41 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Award winners&#8217; ability hard to measure</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD09_20091208&#45;234802/310431/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Nothing about Cody Grimm and Caleb Jennings says, &#8220;Football players.&#8220;Grimm is a little above average in height. His upper body is well-developed, but there are hundreds of guys in weight rooms who are bigger and bulkier.Jennings is short. He&#8217;s 5-7, is listed at 175 pounds and might be a few pounds lighter.And yet Grimm and Jennings are not just football players, they are outstanding players.Coaches love &#8220;measurables.&#8220; They like players who are a certain height and weight and run the 40-yard dash at a certain speed.Grimm and Jennings don&#8217;t have good &#8220;measurables.&#8220;Coaches often take potential over production.Grimm and Jennings show the fallacy of that thinking. They have something that can&#8217;t be coached. The game makes sense to them.That might not sound like a big deal. But the game within the game is a complex set of circumstances that require instant decisions.Successful players make the right decisions more often than not.Grimm and Jennings have made many correct decisions in their college football careers. Last night, they were rewarded.Grimm received the Dudley Award, which is given to the state&#8217;s top Division I player.Jennings got the Lanier Award, reserved for the state&#8217;s best player at the Division II, III or NAIA level.&#8220;He&#8217;s a one-timer,&#8220; said Jim Cavanaugh, Grimm&#8217;s linebacker coach at Virginia Tech. &#8220;You tell him something one time, and he gets it.&#8220;"You coach kids like Cody just like everybody else. But sometimes, the game doesn&#8217;t go the way you coach it. And when that point comes, he can react to it.&#8220;Jennings plays the position that requires among the best instincts in the game. He is a running back for Emory and Henry.He has a fraction of a second to decide when to cut or not to cut, when to lower his head and settle for a few yards or when to go wide and break open a game.&#8220;He has the innate ability to read blocks and evade people,&#8220; said Emory and Henry coach Don Montgomery. &#8220;I&#8217;ve only seen a couple of running backs like him, and I&#8217;ve coached 33 years. The game makes sense to him.&#8220;Grimm&#8217;s decision to go to Virginia Tech might not have made a lot of sense at the time. He was a walk-on, with no promise of even earning a uniform or making the travel squad.But the coaches could not overlook the skinny kid&#8217;s knack for making plays in practices and scrimmages.After his redshirt freshman year, Grimm played special teams for two years, earned time on defense last season, and blossomed as a starter and perhaps the Hokies&#8217; best defensive player this season.Grimm, 5-11 and 210 pounds, has an innate ability to be in the right spot at the right time. He also has a knack for avoiding blocks and getting past bigger players.&#8220;I just seem to see things faster,&#8220; Grimm said. &#8220; If you see it faster, you can get there before the block.&#8220;And yeah, my attitude is to try to stay away from the big guys.&#8220;And Grimm laughed. &#8220;A bunch of guys will try to get into them,&#8220; he said. &#8220;Personally, I like to get there before they get there.&#8220;Jennings came to the awards ceremony by car. But he knows what really got him there. He wanted to find a way to divide the trophy into enough pieces to share with each of his teammates.&#8220;I feel like God gave me good vision, but the best thing of all is that people give me enough room to run through holes,&#8220; Jennings said. &#8220;And as small as I am, I don&#8217;t need that much room.&#8220;Grimm and Jennings might look small for football players, but when the game begins, they do something that is hard to do.They play big.  Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or pwoody@timesdispatch.com. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/World_of_Woody           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:01:43 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>U.Va. makes the correct call to London</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD08_20091207&#45;222008/310183/</link>
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CHARLOTTESVILLE As omens go, this isn&#8217;t a bad one.The last coach to lose a playoff game in UR Stadium on a raw, cold, rainy day went on to bigger things.That was Jim Tressel of Youngstown State. His team lost to Richmond, 10-3, on a bitterly cold, rainy day in 2000 in a Division I-AA, now FCS, playoff game.Tressel then took the job as head football coach at Ohio State, a BCS school in the Football Bowl Subdivision. With the Buckeyes, he has won a national championship, been in two other championship games and taken his team to a bowl every year since he took the job in 2001.Mike London&#8217;s Richmond Spiders lost an FCS playoff game Saturday on a raw, cold, rainy night.Yesterday, London was introduced as the new coach of the University of Virginia football team, a BCS school that has not been very competitive against other BCS schools for several years.When a new coach is introduced, optimism flows freely. On this day, no choice is the wrong choice and hope springs eternal.Whether London is the right choice won&#8217;t be known for several years.But at this moment, London is an excellent choice.He knows the Cavaliers, having spent six years on the Virginia staff.He has experience. He coached at William and Mary, Boston College and was the defensive-line coach for the Houston Texans in the NFL.He was the chief recruiter at Virginia, and he knows the state. His reputation is well established in the &#8220;757&#8221; area code, also known as the talent-rich Tidewater section of the state.He won a national championship at Richmond in 2008 and lost that quarterfinal game Saturday. In two seasons at Richmond, he was 24-5.Not bad at all.London is young by AARP standards, 49, but not young by head coaching standards. However, he coaches &#8220;young.&#8220; He is energetic, enthusiastic and passionate and, as a result, his teams play that way.&#8220;One coach, just one, stood out among many excellent coaches as the search was in progress,&#8220; Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage said.As a coach, London sees the big picture. He delegates. He hires excellent assistants and lets them do their jobs. They have to understand how London wants things done, but once those things are established, he leaves them alone.He understands how academics and athletics must meld at Virginia, just as they do at Richmond, William and Mary and Boston College.&#8220;If you just want to play football and, &#8216;OK, I think I might get an education,&#8216; this is probably not the place for you,&#8220; London said. &#8220;If you just want to get a great education and think, &#8216;I&#8217;ll play a little football,&#8216; this is probably not the place for you.&#8220;But if you want the best-of-both-world opportunities, this is the place for you.&#8220;That is not a new sales pitch from London. He was the recruiting coordinator during his first stint on the Virginia staff, and he was regarded as excellent at the job.&#8220;A great guy,&#8220; said Cavaliers nose tackle Nick Jenkins, who was recruited by London. &#8220;He sat in my home and had dinner. He&#8217;s very family oriented.&#8220;I&#8217;m excited about the change. I just like the way he carries himself. He&#8217;s excited. He&#8217;s happy, and you can&#8217;t help but feel that way.&#8220;London also gives Virginia something few of the 66 BCS schools and 120 FBS schools have.He is just the second African-American head coach at a BCS school Randy Shannon at fellow ACC member Miami is the other&#8212;and the ninth minority coach among 120 FBS schools.&#8220;It&#8217;s a tremendous honor,&#8220; he said. &#8220;I understand the significance.&#8220;But I always want it to be known that [anyone] should hire me because I&#8217;m the best candidate. I want to be hired because of that.&#8220;He was.   Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or pwoody@timesdispatch.com. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/World_of_Woody.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: All their &#8216;good things,&#8216; do Skins little good</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD07_20091206&#45;223006/309995/</link>
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LANDOVER, Md. Meet Jim Zorn, cool, calm, collected and incredulous. &#8220;It&#8217;s hard to explain how to lose this game when we had so many good things going for us,&#8220; said Zorn, coach of the Washington Redskins. Maybe not. These are the Washington Redskins. On the football field, they have acquired a losing habit. And a losing habit in the NFL is hard to break.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:01:20 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Spiders run out magic in FCS semifinal thriller</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD06_20091206&#45;000004/309878/</link>
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Improbable comeback victories have been the trademark of the Richmond Spiders for the past two seasons. In game after game, quarterback Eric Ward and the Spiders&#8217; offense would make a miraculous, last-second drive to win. That carried them to the national championship in the Football Championship Subdivision last season. Or, the defense would make a play to save the day just when an opponent was on the verge of scoring a game-winning touchdown.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:01:03 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>World of Woody: Tiger, Al and Charlie, oh, my&#8230;</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_tiger_al_and_charlie_oh_my/309506/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Everybody is talking about the Tiger Woods scandal, including Paul Woody.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:19:36 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Laycock deserves a long look from U.Va.</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD02_20091201&#45;222007/308980/</link>
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WILLIAMSBURG The guy who coaches the football team at the College of William and Mary, Jimmye Laycock, has won a few games in his 30 years with the Tribe. A victory at Southern Illinois Saturday in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs would be Laycock&#8217;s 200th triumph as a head coach, all at William and Mary. The University of Virginia is in the market for a coach. Virginia plays in the Football Bowl Subdivision, considered a notch above the FCS.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:01:07 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: U.Va. needs to be on the mark with next hire</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD30_20091129&#45;223408/308650/</link>
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The University of Virginia wasted no time in doing what needed to be done yesterday, relieving Al Groh of his duties as the Cavaliers&#8217; football coach. The Cavaliers&#8217; program practically is in freefall. No one questions the players&#8217; desire, tenacity or determination. The coaching staff never gave up. But the talent level has fallen to an embarrassingly low level, even by the mediocre standards of the ACC. Fans stay away from home games by the thousands.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:01:35 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Time for Groh to go</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD29_20091128&#45;222407/308445/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
As Al Groh went through the excruciating detail and minutia of another loss, this one to archrival Virginia Tech, summing up another game in which his Virginia Cavaliers were lacking in talent, depth and the ability to compete in the ACC, one invisible elephant sat in the room. Does Groh expect to coach again for Virginia?           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:03:40 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>World of Woody: What&#8217;s the deal?</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/world_of_woody_whats_the_deal/307915/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Sports columnist Paul Woody is no stranger to confusion, but this week he&#8217;s perplexed about all things football.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:58:26 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Tech&#45;U.Va.: The best of times, the worst of times</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD25_20091124&#45;222901/307761/</link>
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What a lousy league&#8221; has been the mantra this season regarding ACC football. But if the ACC plays crummy football, what does that say about other major college football conferences? Nothing good. The ACC has five teams in the top 25 of the BCS standings, more than any other conference. So the Virginia Tech at Virginia game Saturday is a contest between two teams from one of the best football conferences in the country.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:01:25 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Richmond&#8217;s kicker and snapper win vindication</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD221_20091122&#45;004001/307225/</link>
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Things had gone so badly for Andrew Howard that when the game was on the line, even he was surprised to hear his name called. Howard is the kicker for the University of Richmond football team. Yesterday against William and Mary, he made his first field goal from 42 yards. Then, he missed badly from 28 yards and not so badly from 40 yards, all before halftime.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:01:13 EDT</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 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>WOODY COLUMN: Graduation is the rule for W&amp;amp;M, UR football players</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD19_20091118&#45;212602/306590/</link>
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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 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Woody: Some do side with Belichick</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD18_20091117&#45;222605/306406/</link>
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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 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Betts proves he&#8217;s worthy of starting role</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/PAUL16_20091115&#45;222803/305971/</link>
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Everyone was beginning to wonder. The Washington Redskins beat Denver 27-17 yesterday, the first time this season the Redskins have surpassed the 17-point barrier. It also was the first time this season the Redskins beat a team with a winning record. All it took was a solid running game, no turnovers, decent blocking by the offensive line and the Redskins&#8217; punter and holder, Hunter Smith, throwing a touchdown off a fake-field goal play.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Runners&#8217; moments turn into memories</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/running/marathon/article/WOOD15_20091114&#45;222008/305787/</link>
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Ten yards from the finish line, LaRee Etter checked her watch, looked up at the race clock and a smile came across her face. Ten yards later, when she crossed the finish line, Etter raised her arms in exultation and said to anyone within hearing distance, &#8220;I qualified. I qualified. I need a hug.&#8220; But when you are single and come here from Rochester, Minn., specifically to run in the SunTrust Richmond Marathon, no one is at the finish line to offer that hug.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:01:56 EDT</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&#45;223209/305465/</link>
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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 EDT</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 EDT</pubDate>
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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&#45;223010/304970/</link>
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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 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Redskins are losing their poise as well as games</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD09_20091108&#45;222808/304583/</link>
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ATLANTA Losing is one thing. Losing with a distinct lack of class is another. Yesterday in the Georgia Dome against the Atlanta Falcons, the Washington Redskins, 2-6 this season and losers of 12 of their past 16 games, entered the &#8220;another&#8221; zone. They played in the first half without discipline, organization, emotion and class.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:01:00 EDT</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&#45;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 EDT</pubDate>
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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 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Even to their fans, Redskins are a joke</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD04_20091103&#45;215004/303484/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
In the past 30 years, the Washington Redskins have seen the best of times&#8212;three Super Bowl victories&#8212;and the worst of times, one playoff appearance between 1994 and 2004, including a 0-7 start in 1998 and a 0-5 start in 2001. Never did the players or the fans lose hope. The fans were steadfast in their belief things would improve.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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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&#45;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 EDT</pubDate>
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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&#45;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 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>PAUL WOODY COLUMN: Invisible area unfair to hoops officials</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD26_20091025&#45;223203/301621/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
A new no&#8212;contact zone is left to officials to precisely outline. The invisible rectangle is 18 by 24 inches, from the front of the rim to the front of the backboard.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:01:55 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Georgia Tech deserves higher ranking</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/PAUL25_20091024&#45;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 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Skins&#8217; instability starts at the top</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/professional/professional_football/article/WOOD23_20091022&#45;222005/301108/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Almost everyone has an idea on how to fix the Washington Redskins, and many begin with firing Vinny Cerrato and hiring a &#8220;real&#8221; general manager. That idea misses the point. Cerrato, the executive vice president of football operations, is not the problem. Replacing him with a &#8220;real&#8221; general manager will not solve anything.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:01:06 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>World of Woody: Bingo anyone?</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/professional/professional_football/article/world_of_woody_bingo_anyone/301153/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
A former Bingo caller is now the Redskins&#8217; play-caller. Columnist Paul Woody wonders why, oh why, did coach Jim Zorn agree.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:56:18 EDT</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&#45;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 EDT</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&#45;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 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Cavs lucky and good against Terps</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD18_20091017&#45;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 EDT</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&#45;223008/299686/</link>
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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 EDT</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&#45;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 EDT</pubDate>
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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&#45;223403/298885/</link>
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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 EDT</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&#45;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 EDT</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&#45;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 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Wizards, Arenas offer fans hope at sold&#45;out Siegel Center</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD07_20091006&#45;234603/297923/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Gilbert Arenas shows he&#8217;s back as Wizards defeat Memphis 101-92 in exhibition game in which the Grizzlies miss the services of an injured Allen Iverson.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:01:17 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>In Skins&#8217; win, not very good was good enough</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD05_20091004&#45;222808/297517/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
LANDOVER, Md. That huge sigh of relief that was heard all the way to the Outer Banks yesterday at 3:47 p.m.? That was Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn, happy to have a victory, pleased to have an entire week&#8217;s worth of job security, content not to have lost to one of the worst teams in the NFL. &#8220;I can&#8217;t wait to watch it,&#8220; Zorn said. &#8220;It was a great effort.&#8220;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:01:02 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Tribe can match up&#8212;if it makes the playoffs</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/columnists/article/WOOD04_20091003&#45;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 EDT</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&#45;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 EDT</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&#45;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 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>To save season, job, Zorn must be bold</title>
          <link>http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/local_other/article/WOOD29_20090928&#45;222007/296144/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
After losing to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell kept his usual stiff upper lip. He said the Redskins will keep working hard because you never know when the game will come that turns around the season. Oh, yes we do. That game in Detroit turned around the Redskins&#8217; season - for the worse.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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