Rodriguez’s No. 12 VCU jersey to be retired

Joey Rodriguez and Shaka Smart. 
Photo ESPN. 

Note: From Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.:

The VCU great, who helped lead the Rams to the 2011 Final Four, will have his jersey retired on Nov. 29 when the Black and Gold host Elizabeth City State, VCU Vice President and Director of Athletics Ed McLaughlin announced Tuesday.   

 

“I am so honored to go in the rafters with some of the all-time greats here at VCU,” Rodriguez said. “I have so many people that helped me through this journey, and I am excited for them to join me on this day. I want to thank my teammates and coaches. Without them this wouldn’t be possible. I also want to thank Dr. Michael Rao and Ed McLaughlin for the recognition and their leadership at a place I love and will always call home. I can’t wait to see everyone at The Stu. Go Rams!”

 

"Joey Rodriguez played a critical role in a seminal moment in VCU's history, the 2011 Final Four run. Beyond his performance during that wonderful March, he established himself as one of the best point guards ever to wear a VCU uniform. Joey's all-around numbers certainly earned him an elite place in VCU Basketball history and distinguished him to a place to have his jersey retired among the VCU greats. I'm thrilled to welcome him back home so we can raise his jersey into the Siegel Center rafters forever," said McLaughlin.

 

A four-year starter for the Rams from 2007-11, Rodriguez ranks third in program history in career assists (580), third in steals (237), fifth in 3-point field goals (211), sixth in free throw percentage (.802) and 22^nd in points (1,362). In 142 career games, including 124 starts, Rodriguez averaged 9.6 points, 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals. He also owns the program record for assists in a single game with 17 on Nov. 12, 2010 against UNC Greensboro. He also scored 22 points and committed just two turnovers in that contest. 

 

But Rodriguez will be best remembered for helping spearhead VCU’s charge to the 2011 Final Four when he averaged 9.0 points, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals in six NCAA Tournament contests. Rodriguez propelled the Rams into the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history behind a splendid 12-point, 11-assist, zero-turnover performance in a win over third-seeded Purdue. He followed up with 10 assists and three steals in an Elite Eight triumph over Florida State. Rodriguez posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.8-to-1 in the NCAA Tournament that March.

 

A two-time All-Colonial Athletic Association selection, Rodriguez spurred the Rams to a pair of CAA Tournament Championships and four postseason appearances during his career. Rodriguez led the CAA in assists per game in both 2009-10 and 2010-11.

 

A native of Oviedo, Fla., Rodriguez later served as VCU’s Director of Player Development during the 2017-18 season. He is currently entering his seventh season as an assistant coach at Florida International.

 

Rodriguez’s jersey will be the eighth retired by the Rams in program history, joining Eric Maynor (No. 3), Calvin Duncan (No. 5), Bradford Burgess (No. 20), Treveon Graham (No. 21), Gerald Henderson (No. 22), Kendrick Warren (No. 23) and Charles Wilkins (No. 40).

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Eulogy for the Cinema that Was

The setting was the Biograph Theatre's 30th anniversary party at Poe's Pub, an event I produced and promoted in 2002. Leading up to it, as I mapped out what would go where, I was a little surprised when Page Wilson volunteered to lead off the show. Thus, the three bands performed in the order seen on the poster (as displayed on the right). 

Selected short films were presented between the bands' live performances. Naturally, "Matinee Madcap," a nine-minute romp filmed in 16mm at the Biograph in 1974, was screened. 

Page knew exactly how he wanted to start the entertainment, but he kept it to himself until he went on. First, he eulogized the long-dead repertory movie theater (1972-87), generously, for the ears of a friendly crowd that had gathered to remember it fondly. 

Then Page looked my way and said, "This one's for you, my friend." 

Page sang a slow version of "This Land is Your Land." Truth be told, when boisterous Page Wilson (who died at 56 in 2011) wanted to, yes, he could wring a lot of feeling out of a song. That night, Feb. 17, 2002, he made Woody Guthrie's great song sound like a heartfelt hymn. The packed bar was quiet as he sang, unaccompanied: 

"This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie (written in 1940)

This land is your land This land is my land
From California to the New York island;
From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and Me.

As I was walking that ribbon of highway,
I saw above me that endless skyway:
I saw below me that golden valley:
This land was made for you and me.

I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts;
And all around me a voice was sounding:
This land was made for you and me.

When the sun came shining, and I was strolling,
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling,
As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting:
This land was made for you and me.

As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me...

Then the rowdy aspect of the night's program ensued. From there on we all did our best to live out the Biograph's sturdy old motto: "Have a Good Time." 

Making sure no one had to go thirsty for long, Chuck Wrenn, the Biograph's original assistant manager, was the bartender of record for this special occasion. No doubt, his presence helped set the right tone.

Over the years, of all the parties featuring staged entertainment that I've put together, to include those at the Biograph and various other locations, this one stands out as a gem ... it surely remains as one of the most satisfying. 

-- 30 --

Fresh Air and a Private Laugh

Note: This piece was written in 2002. It's about a memorable but rather inconsequential story. I was reminded of it today, when I paused to think about the special value of unexpected private laughs. 

*

Unfortunately, my work has me sitting down indoors for too much of my time. So, it’s a pleasure to take a break and walk for some of my ordinary short errands. 

Fresh air frequently improves my disposition. On such an autumnal, neighborhood walking excursion an incident provided a sudden private laugh. After picking up a sandwich to take home for lunch, I stopped off at the Fan Video. (After 31 years of doing business at 403 North Strawberry Street that video rental store closed in 2017.) 

As it unfolded, what ensued felt like a scene in a movie. Perhaps that feeling was suggested to me by the fact I was in a video store looking over the rack of current releases. Then again, truth be told, it's not all that unusual for me to lapse into thinking I'm living in a movie. Reading the film notes on the box for Scorsese’s latest blood bath, I sensed movement behind me. 

As I had been the only customer in the room, curiosity turned me toward the counter. On the other side of a wall-of-videos display rack, I caught sight of a man I recognized right away, even from the back. Having just come into the store, he purposely handed a plastic bag to one of the two female sales clerks behind the counter. 

Being obscured by the maze of video boxes was a blessing, as this was a guy I always preferred to ignore ... when he would allow for that option. So, I returned my attention to the wall of movie selections displayed in front of me. 

When I heard the little bells that meant the front door had opened, I glanced up just in time to see the aforementioned bad news character leaving the store.

As I breathed more deeply of the improved air, a woman behind the counter laughed as she dumped out the contents of that last customer’s bag. With comic exaggeration she acted as if she was troubled by the mystery of what might tumble out.

“What’s tha-at?” said the other woman, backing away and sounding playful.

My curiosity was aroused.

“Is that one ... is it wet?” asked the one holding the bag.

Naturally, I stepped closer. All I could see was regular black VHS video tape cassettes. 

Yet the two young women, who I knew only in that video rental context, were going to some trouble to avoid touching what appeared to be ordinary stock from that store. A spray bottle of Windex was produced and I wondered if their Halloween spirit was getting the best of them. Then they brought me into their conspiracy with the sparkle of eye contact. 

Both of them busied themselves spraying and wiping off the tapes. It was reminiscent of conspiratorial children removing cooties from objects touched by kids they want to mock.

Assuming there had to be something peculiar about the movies being sprayed -- like maybe they were kinky flicks, or who knows what? -- I stepped closer to see what the titles were. Both were mainstream films; one a crisp black comedy I had recently seen. 

Playing along with what seemed to be a tongue-in-cheek tone I asked, “Do you have to wipe down all the tapes like that?” They laughed, apparently happy for my joining in.

No, they assured me their procedure was especially for the customer who had just left the building. They shuddered and laughed. 

I laughed, too. Suddenly, it was clear to me the two of them were simply doing what bored service workers everywhere in the world do, to pass the time on the job. To amuse themselves, they were mocking a weird-vibes customer, a guy who they saw as deserving of ridicule.

Being in on their silly joke reminded me that the spontaneous sharing of unanticipated moments of levity are truly some of life’s treasures.

My stride for the walk home had a jaunty bounce. The pre-Halloween Fan District air seemed especially refreshing.

-- 30 --

About Dignity

In her Wisconsin speech, today (Oct. 17th), VP Kamala Harris mentioned the word, "dignity," several times. Bull's-eye! That's been the missing word in this season's election year speeches. 

With just a couple of weeks left until the last day of voting, dignity is what Democrats on the stump need to talk about now. Dignity matters. It always has. 

And, it's evil that Trump delights in crushing the dignity of selected individuals and vulnerable groups. He relishes the crushing process. 

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Mathews at the Bamboo

Eddie Mathews at bat in 1954.

As much as I like Chipper Jones, and I do, my all-time favorite third baseman for the Braves is still Eddie Mathews. In some small part that's because I met Mathews in the Bamboo Café, in the late-'80s. As this week the Bamboo is celebrating its 50th anniversary, it brought this little story to mind.  

It goes back to when I was publishing a periodical called Slant. The episode took place when I was at the Bamboo to drop off its regular stack of copies of the newest issue. So it was on a Thursday, probably about 3 p.m. Maybe I was running a little ahead of schedule on a hot day, because I took the liberty to stay and have a quick, thirst-quenching beer. 

At that pre-happy hour time there weren't many customers on hand. By habit, I stood at my usual spot close to the corner of the old marble bar, facing the back of the room. Maybe I should call that particular area the "Lee Huband Elbow." 

Anyway, as I remember it, there were three or four chatting regulars there in a booth and one guy, alone, seated at the bar. He looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place him. He wore glasses and had the hands of a bricklayer. There was a big-ass ring on one finger. He looked sort of like a quiet character in an Edward Hopper painting. 

Then it hit me, that's Eddie Mathews! He was one of my heroes when I was a Little Leaguer, so I had to speak to him. 

Like, this was the batter who was on the cover of the first issue of Sports Illustrated! As we talked baseball lore, no one else in the bar seemed to have have any idea who he was, which seemed almost sad to me. 

The Hall-of-Famer told me he was a roving batting instructor for the Braves, so he was in town for a couple of days. I complemented him on being able to find a cool bar in an unfamiliar town. He laughed and said he had always been pretty good at that. 

Mathews was friendly and soft-spoken. He smiled naturally and seemed happy enough to talk with a guy who remembered him as a player. No swagger or bragging stories. 

After my beer, I shook hands with Eddie and went on to my next delivery location. Never saw him again.

Happy 50th birthday, Bamboo Café. At the party a glass should be raised to Eddie Mathews and to longtime baseball fan and Bamboo regular, the late Lee Huband. 

-- 30 --