Greetings from Morgantown!

[lotsofbull99]

WVU will destroy us!

[ChiTownBull]

That's really funny! TWO Wal-Marts in ONE town?! wow, that's just... unheard of.

Seen any other Bulls walking around?

Where I live there are no walmarts....unless you go to the burbs which i try to avoid at all costs!

We only have 1 Walmart, but getting our 5th Outback  8-)

Priorities  

outback is only in the burbs also

love not having to rely on chain restaurants

[ksdog]

Collin,

Josh here.  Please don't make fun of my hometown.  You know how sensitive I am.  My shrink doesn't need anymore overtime.  While you're there, try to grab a pepperoni roll or 2.  They are really quite a novelty.  

Dogg25

[The_Reaper]

Colin or anyone, Mattegunz and his bro are coming in (should be there by now). They have no place to stay. Anyone have room for some die harders coming in from Boone NC? Money is tight for them. He said they were sleeping in the 'ACCORD" Inn. They are willing to grab a piece of floor anywhere. So help out some Bull fans folks. Thanks!   Reaper

[EerManiac]

I'll be getting into town late tonight (well, Fairmont, actually, where our hotel is). Is there some other green and gold about?

Fairmont is really small town. Not much going on there at all.  Fairmont State is the only college there & it only has about 1,800 students.  I would guess that most USF fans are either in Morgantown or in Washington, PA which is about 40 minutes north of Morgantown.

[USFCollin]

Nov. 24, 10:28 pm

Please excuse all grammatical errors in this post, as I just got back from a bar called "Chic-N-Bones."  They have specialized glassware for mixed drinks where the alcoholic portion is placed in the middle, and the mixer surrounds the center of the smaller shot glass embedded into the larger tumbler.  Clearly the engineering school here at WVU has done extensive research in this area, and I applaud them.  Our waitress Erica and our friend Lydell have donated examples to our friends in Tampa, so we'll be returning with those.  I can't even begin to quantify what an amazing development this is in libation technology.  

Also, I found that Morgantown is home to legalized gambling!  Most bars and such have a secluded area (so those under 21 can't see what is really going on) with slot machines.  I won $25 randomly pressing a button in a game that needs no skill whatsoever.  Also there are plans on the books to extend the legalized gambling into things like tables with blackjack and poker to surpass Pennsylvania, which just passed similar slot machine legislation.  WVU with real casinos might be an actual destination.  

I must say everyone here has been very nice and hospitable, but when I asked about entering "The Pit" tomorrow, I was told by many locals that I should just stay away.  It's the home to many of the tailgating students here at WVU, and not a nice clan to people wearing opposing colors.  When I said I would just be going as a casual observer, and not really looking to start trouble, I was told "yeah, but those people are insane... don't go there."  I once wore an orange prison jumpsuit in Cincinnati in front of 13,000 Bearcat fans, so I think I can handle anything.  I'm still going, so if I don't put a post up here tomorrow you'll know why.  

They started tailgating across the street here around 5pm, so I'll be heading over there tomorrow as early as possible.  I heard from Mattegunz this evening, and he'll be joining us early tomorrow morning as we hoof it across the street.  

Until tomorrow...

[E.T.]

Enjoy the Upset !  8-)

Go BULLS !!

[USFCollin]

Nov. 25, 5:55 am

Some odd West Virginiaisms I felt compared to share at this unreasonably early hour:

When describing where you are from, you create an improvised map of the state with your left hand.  Raise the middle finger, while extending the thumb at about a 45 degree angle with the palm facing down.  You then use your right hand to point to your location on the improvised map.  So if you see someone flipping you off backwards around here, make sure they aren't just discussing their home state with someone behind them before thinking they're insulting you.  

There are two phrases associated with this area that everyone seems to agree upon.  One is that this is "West By God Virginia," which is used to differentiate it from the western part of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  The sense of pride in this area is just enormous, and more than half the people you bump into seem to be wearing something that says WVU on it.  I think that's the reason for the other moniker, "Almost Heaven, West Virginia."  While the gridskippers amongst us might not necessarily use the same language, some of the mountain views here are striking.  And this is clearly a growth area, as there is construction everywhere you turn.  They are also quick to tell you here that West Virginia was opposed to slavery, and was created by Lincoln shortly after secession by Presidential decree to help hold the important port of Charleston.  

This town is bascially two things, Mylan Pharmaceuticals and WVU.  Mylan is the #1 U.S. based manufacturer of generic drugs, and its founder and CEO was Milan (different spelling) Puskar.  He still lives here, and is spoken about in hushed tones by locals in almost mythic reverence.  I can't confirm any of this, but apparently he made the $20 million gift for the naming rights to the stadium just before having a liver transplant several years ago.  The transplant went well, but apparently he's back drinking again to the dismay of many in town.  He also apparently made a lot of locals rich by convincing them to invest in his company, so there is a lot more money running around this area than you might believe.  

I won't be sleeping now, as we're just over 6 hours from kickoff, and I can already hear the traffic from the highway.  I can't wait to see this place in all its football glory, I think it's going to be something special.  

And Josh, thanks for the tip on the pepperoni rolls, but quit lurking, we need more basketball people around here!  

[___ Eats It]

I think that's the reason for the other moniker, "Almost Heaven, West Virginia."  

Please tell me that you know that's a line from a John Denver song and that I'm not just getting laughably old...

[E.T.]

Please tell me you don't have a John Denver album