The Next Wave

by F.T. Rea

For lack of another name, I'm going to say the working title name for the political movement I'm now envisioning is the New Wave. Eventually, someone will probably think of a better name.

In the meantime, paying an oblique tribute to what was a genuinely cool era in French cinema history works for me. And, in America's trashy culture, with cruelty thick in the air we breathe, couldn't we use a new wave?

A fresh approach?

Moreover, doesn't it also seem rather unlikely that the solutions for this nation's most vexing political/societal problems are now incubating somewhere within the ranks of the USA's two major political parties?

So, to start with, I'm suggesting that most any new party, organization, or movement, would surely be better off traveling without having to lug around much of the old two-party system's heavy baggage.

After all, the MAGA Party's predecessor, the establishment Republican Party, hasn't had a fresh idea in at least a half-dozen decades. At the same time, the Democrats -- regardless of their good intentions -- too often seem to have a hard time getting out of their own way. 

So, assuming that eventually a new wave has to come, because it always has, what will the next wave be like? Well, to me, in a single word, it will have to be about "truth." 

However, please note: Democratic Party candidates should absolutely still get our votes, since they are nowhere near as dangerous as the wretched MAGA Party. Which means there should be ample room under the New Wave's big tent for anybody who is anti-Trump. 

Anybody!

Furthermore, in today's cloudy political milieu telling the plain truth stands out. Which also means New Wavers should take care to have faith in the truth -- reality! -- they perceive before them, with their own senses. 

Moreover, one of the worst things the MAGA version of the Republican Party has done in recent years is to cook up lots of bullshit propaganda they hope will make ordinary citizens stop believing in what their own eyes and ears tell them.

Thus, when everyone knows the prices in grocery stores, coast-to-coast, have been steadily going up, Trump scowls into camera lens and coughs up another greasy batch of lies: The wannabe king declares that prices are actually going down. 

OK, if Trump has actually done nothing else for us that might be seen as "good," he surely has thrown a spotlight on the importance truth plays in how a society's center holds.

In this case, I mean W.B. Yeats' "center," as he used the word in his famous poem, "The Second Coming." So, I'm thinking that truth is the glue that makes the center hold.

-- 30 --

Last Call at The Border

Note: This piece was originally published by Richmond.com in 1999.

* 

In 1982 three adventurous friends trusted their instincts and put together the Texas-Wisconsin Border Café, a quirky Fan District watering hole known affectionately as “The Border.” 

Owners Jim Bradford (depicted above), Donna Van Winkle and Joe Seipel were rewarded with an immediate following. It evolved into an institution known widely for its wacky interior and its diverse crowd; a place where blue collars, white collars and no collars got along famously.

When word got out in early March the Border was being sold, old customers and ex-staffers began making pilgrimages to the place for one last drink, one last connection to a piece of their youth. Although it had been rumored the Border was for sale for some time, what isn’t these days?

When Bradford -- a tireless photo-realistic painter with a curmudgeon’s sense of humor -- died in the summer of 1997, well, the future of the restaurant became much more complicated. Of the three owners, Jim had surely been the one who spent the most time bellied up to the bar, overseeing operations.

After managing the restaurant in its salad days, Van Winkle had gone to law school, become an attorney, and moved to Fredericksburg. Fifty miles is a tough commute for a late-afternoon beer.

That left Seipel, chairman of VCU’s sculpture department, to hold down the happy hour fort in the section of the restaurant known as the Power Corner. Although Seipel’s talent for convivial conversation is considerable, he had taken on time-consuming responsibilities over the years; fatherhood not the least of them.

So, it was time to turn the page. On March 14, the last night of the original ownership’s watch, a bagpiper played “Amazing Grace” to close the Border down. After playing a while for the crowd on hand he marched out the door, bagpipes caterwauling passionately, and it was done.

The scene brought to mind filmmaker Luis Bunuel’s apt comment in his autobiography, My Last Sigh, about a good bar being like a chapel. No doubt, most who were there for the piper’s last mournful note took with them a strong sense of that sentiment.

Then new owners decided to honor a date the old owners had made with Burnt Taters for a March 26 CD release party. That meant keeping the business open under the old banner for a few more days and putting off the renovations. As it turned out, the delay set the stage for quite a finale.

What followed was an auction event on the actual last night of operation as the Texas-Wisconsin Border Café. At six o’clock Page Wilson and Reckless Abandon gave the makeshift stage in the front of the room over to the selling off of the bar’s wild and eclectic collection of wall decorations and art-like objects. They pulled down the framed pictures, the stuffed animal heads, the signs, and you name it. What went on was part wake, part fund-raiser, part souvenir-grab and all party.

The bidding at times resembled a feeding frenzy, as people climbed over one another to throw three figures at stuff, some of which wouldn't go for five bucks at a yard sale. The crowd cheered as each bid drove the price higher.

One rather attractive young woman gladly paid hundreds of dollars for a stuffed squirrel’s butt. A roar went up as she outbid her rivals and everyone ordered another round. The more absurd the prices got the more fun was being had. Since the money raised from the auction all went to the Bradford Scholarship Fund at VCU, more than $10,000, the harm couldn’t be found.

The Border, a happening unique in an age of conformity, will be missed. Don’t expect it to happen again.

*

Art and words by F.T. Rea.

-- 30 --

53 Years Ago: Discover the Fan

Fifty-three years ago an ad hoc group of 21 merchants, located along the commercial strip of West Grace Street adjacent to VCU's Fan District campus, cooperated briefly to plan and execute a one-time-only promotion called Discover the Fan. By the way, it should be noted that none of the participating merchants are still in operation today.  

On April 14, 1973 a lingering cold spell left town and warm breezes brought in a bright spring day. For that Saturday afternoon the 800 and 900 blocks of West Grace Street, and environs, were packed with an unprecedented amount of foot traffic. Hundreds of helium-filled balloons and free prizes donated by the merchants were given away. Live music was presented on-stage in the university's parking lots on the 800 block. 

For this event, none of the streets were closed, which meant the vehicular traffic was slowed to a crawl all afternoon. Many of the motorists traveling toward the West End came upon an unusual scene. In those days Grace Street was a busy one-way street heading west. On that sunny Saturday there were thousands of people shopping and milling about. Kids with balloons were everywhere.

The illustration below is a scan of a handbill promoting Discover the Fan that was created by yours truly. With its list of participating businesses it provides a glimpse of the area in what was probably the zenith of the hippie age in Richmond. Take it from me, some of the characters who ran those colorful shops and restaurants were fun-loving, rather interesting people. 

At this time I had been the manager of the Biograph Theatre for a little over a year and the Discover the Fan promotion, itself, was my project. I convinced my fellow merchants to chip in $75.00 each and band together to promote our oddball collection of businesses as sort of a hip shopping center, conveniently situated in the middle of town. 

This was the first time the area's businesses had joined together to present such a production.  Many people worked on aspects of it, but the happening couldn't have come about without significant help from Dave DeWitt (his ad agency helped helped with publicity.) and Chuck Wrenn (the Biograph's assistant manager). One-on-One Foozball Parlor operator, Fred Awad, came up with the name for the event. His brother, Howard, who owned Hababa's, a popular beer joint/restaurant, was in charge of handing out the helium balloons. And some of Howard's employees also helped out with security (mostly that meant convincing winos to be somewhere else for that day).   

Below is a piece about this event. It was penned by the local columnist, Shelley Rolfe.

Shelley Rolfe’s
By the Way
Richmond Times-Dispatch (April, 16, 1973)

It was breakfast time and the high command for Discover the Fan Day had, with proper regard for the inner man, moved its final planning meeting from the Biograph Theater to Lum’s Restaurant. Breakfast tastes ran a gamut. Eggs with beer. Eggs with orange juice. H-hour -- the operations plan had set it for noon -- was less than three hours away. Neither beer nor orange juice was being gulped nervously.

Terry Rea, manager of the Biograph and the extravaganza’s impresario, was reciting a last-minute, mental things-to-do list. There was the vigilante committee, which would gather up the beer and soft drink cans and bottles that invariably infest the fronts of the shops in the 800 and 900 blocks of W. Grace St., focus area of the discovery.

The city police had promised a dragnet to sweep away the winos who also invariably litter the neighborhood. The day had bloomed crisp and sunny, the first dry Saturday since Groundhog Day. “I knew it wouldn’t rain,” Rea said with the brash confidence of the young. “Lots of young businessmen around here,” a beer drinker at another table said. The free enterprise system lives.

REA WAS assigning duties for the committee that would rope off two Virginia Commonwealth University parking lots that would serve as the setting for a fashion show and band concert. The committee to blow up balloons, with the aid of a cylinder of helium [sic]. One thousand balloons in a shrieking variety of colors. “If we only get 500 kids... two to a customer,” Rea said cheerfully.

“I need more people,” said the balloon task force leader.

Twenty-one businesses were involved in the project. Each of them had contributed prizes, and gift certificates had been put into plastic Easter eggs. An egg hunt would be part of the day, and Rea had a message for the committee that would be tucking the eggs away: “Don’t put them in obvious places, but don’t put them were people can get hurt looking for them.”

“We talked about doing this last summer but we never got it together,” Rea said. There had been fresh talk in late February, early March, and it had become airborne. The 21 businesses had anted up $1,500 for advertising, which was handled by Dave DeWitt, proprietor of a new just-out-of-the-Fan, small, idea-oriented agency.

“Demographically, we were aiming for people between 25 and 34,” Rea said. There had been newspaper advertising and spots on youth-oriented radio stations. “We had a surplus late in the week...” Rea said. The decision was made to have a Saturday morning splurge on radio station WRVA. “Hey,” said a late arrival, “I heard Alden Aaroe talking about it.”

“We wanted people to see what we have here,” Rea said. “People who probably close their windows and lock their doors when they drive on Grace Street and want to get through here a quickly as possible.”

Well, yes, there must be those who look upon the 800 and 900 blocks as symbolic of the counterculture, as territory alien to their visions of West End and suburban existence. Last November the precinct serving the 800 and 900 blocks went for George McGovern, by two votes. Not a landslide, but, perhaps, a trend.

NOON WAS approaching. Rea and DeWitt set out on an inspection tour. Parking lot ropes were being put into place. Rock music blared from exotically named shops. The balloon committee was still short on manpower. An agent trotted out of a shop to report, “They’ve got 200 customers ...” And how many would they normally have at this hour of a Saturday” “They wouldn’t be open,” Rea said.

Grace Street was becoming clogged with cars It would become more clogged. Don’t know how many drivers got out of their cars, but, for a while they were a captive audience making at least vicarious discovery.

Also much pedestrian and bicycle on the sidewalks. Merchants talked of espying strangers, of all ages. A white-haired woman held a prize egg in one hand, a balloon in the other. A middle-aged man had rakishly attached a balloon to the bill of his cap.

The fashion show went on to the accompaniment of semijazz music and popping balloons, most of them held by children. Fashions were subdued. A dress evocative of the 1840s. Long skirts. Loudest applause went to a man who paraded across the stage wearing a loud red backpack. Everybody’s urge to escape?

ON GRACE STREET a sword swallower and human pin cushion was on exhibition. No names please. “My mother ...” he said. He wished to be identified only as a member of “Bunkie Brothers Medicine Show.”

Discounted merchandise on sale included 20-yesr-old British Army greatcoats and a book fetchingly titled “Sensuous Massage.” Sales resistance remained firm.

On Harrison Street a sidewalk artist was creating. A wino, who had somehow escaped the dragnet, lurched across the sidewalk art muttering. “Free balloons ...” In a shop a man said, “I want the skimpiest halter you have ... for my wife.”

On an alley paralleling Grace Street, a man holding a hand camera and early on a VCU class assignment was directing actors. One stationed in a huge trash bin. “Waiting for Godot” revisited? The second, carrying a an umbrella in one hand, popcorn in another, approached the bin. A hand darted out for popcorn. “I ran out of film!” screamed the director.

Everything was being done again. The actor in the bin emerged, seized the umbrella and ran. “Chase him,” from the direct. Actor No. 2 did a Keystone Kop-style double take, jumped and ran. A small crowd that had gathered applauded.

LATE IN the day. Traffic still was at a saturation level. Early settlers said the territory hadn’t seen such congestion since the movie, “Deep Throat.” Rea spoke of objectives smashingly achieved. Euphoric talk from him on another day of discovery in September. City Hall would be petitioned to block off Grace Street.

Note: The writer, Rolfe, lived only a few blocks away from the Biograph, so he was familiar with the Fan District repertory cinema that I ran, as well as its surroundings he described. 

This was certainly a day and a situation in which many things could have gone wrong ... but didn't. No doubt, we were lucky. None of us who made it happen took any fee whatsoever for what success was achieved that day. Some of the 21 merchants told me they set new records for the amount of business they took in that day. 

In the years to come, a few other cooperative merchants' promotions were staged in that same neighborhood. However, none of them ever matched the overall good times success of 1973's Discover the Fan. 

-- 30 --

Slant's VCU Basketball Citations

With the regular season and the Atlantic 10 tournament in the rear view mirror, it's about time for VCU fans to count some blessings. After all, the Rams just won that A-10 basketball tournament, a noteworthy feat that punched their ticket to the NCAA's national championship springtime ritual -- the Big Dance. 

That also means it's time to announce Slant's 2026 edition of its VCU men's basketball citations. However, let's pause here momentarily to congratulate VCU's first-year head coach, Phil Martelli, Jr., for his team's glittering success. At this writing, record-wise, it stands at 27-7 and counting,.

Moreover, as the season progressed, it was delightful watching Martelli's players improving as individuals and gaining confidence as a team. And that confidence sparkled brightest during the pressure packed last few minutes of close games over the last eight weeks. 

Next stop for the 11-seeded Rams is the South Regional in Greenville, South Carolina, to face the 6-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels. Tipoff is set for 6:50 p.m. on Thursday, March 19. TNT Network will televise the game. 

By the way, over the years the Heels have appeared in 21 Final Fours and have won the NCAA's national championship tournament six times. The betting line currently lists VCU as a 2.5-point underdog. Still, VCU has become a popular upset pick for sports pundits.  

Now for those citations:

Mister Clutch: Terrence Hill, Jr. sophomore, 6-3, combo guard. When the game is on the line, with five seconds on the clock, this is who you most want to have possession of the ball. He leads the team in both points-scored (14.4 points per game) and in assists (2.8 per game). His shooting from long range can be mindboggling.    

Fast Eddie: Michael Belle junior, 6-8, small forward. No one on this Rams team out-hustles Belle. "Fast Eddie" Felson (played by Paul Newman) was the hustling pool shark in the great film, "The Hustler" (1961).  

Windex: Lazar Djokovic, junior, 6-11, power forward. As he leads the team in rebounds (5.4 per game), it can be said that he cleans the glass. He is also the team's second leading scorer (13.5 points per game). . 

 

Swiss Army Knife: Brandon Jennings, sophomore, 6-4 shooting guard. If you need a steal, a blocked shot, an offensive rebound, a basket with the shot clock winding down, this your man for the job. He does it all, frequently when it's most needed.  

The Future: Nyk Lewis, freshman, 6-1, point guard. His improvement during the season was quite noteworthy. His athleticism, strength and toughness are valuable assets. His upside potential is nearly unlimited. 

The Tar Heels coaches will likely have a big job on their hands trying to convince their players that they should not take the Rams lightly. If VCU can begin the game with their defensive intensity at full throttle and hot shooting hands, a big upset might be brewing.  . 

If all five of the VCU players cited above return for next season, and Martelli has any sort of success with recruiting a shot-blocking/rebounding phenom power forward, the Rams are looking at a season in which they will frequently be ranked in the top 25 polls. 

*

 -- Photo and words by F.T. Rea

 -- 30 --

Atlantic 10 Tournament Quarterfinals: VCU tops Duquesne

Final Score: (No 2) VCU 71,(No 7) Duquesne 66.
Location: Pittsburgh (PPG Paints Arena)
Updated Records: VCU 25-7, Duquesne 18-15. 

In a nutshell: First team A-10 All Star Terrence Hill scored a game-high 20 points. Michael Belle chipped in 14 points. Both Hill and Belle came off the bench, as VCU held off Duquesne. Hill also dished out a game-high six assists. Meanwhile, Belle grabbed seven rebounds and made two steals. 

VCU's other first team conference All Star, Lazar Djokovic, scored 13 points. And, VCU's Swiss Army Knife, Brandon Jennings, scored seven points, got five rebounds, made four steals and blocked three shots.

Duquesne was tough. The Rams survive and advance. 

NOTES  (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.)

·      VCU trailed 26-23 with 4:36 left in the first half, but ratcheted up its defense to spark a 16-3 blitz, punctuated by a long Hill 3-pointer with three seconds remaining, to take a 39-29 lead into halftime.

·      The Rams never trailed again, but the Dukes did manage to keep things interesting down the stretch. Duquesne pulled within 55-53 on a Jimmie Williams 3-pointer with 6:52 left. But Hill promptly responded with a triple from the right wing. Later, the Dukes trimmed VCU’s advantage to 66-64 on a Jimmie Williams layup with 37 seconds left. But Hill drew a foul and hit a free throw, and Belle grabbed a steal on Duquesne’s ensuing possession. Freshman guard Nyk Lewis knocked down a pair of free throws to help seal the win.

·      VCU shot 47 percent (23-of-49) from the field in the game, including 44 percent (7-of-16) from beyond the arc.

·      VCU received 34 points from its bench.

·      Hill has reached 20-plus points six times this season.

·      VCU improved to 11-4 all-time against Duquesne, including 2-0 this season.

BOXSCORE

  

NEXT UP: VCU will face Saint Joseph’s in Saturday’s semifinals. Tipoff  at 3:30 p.m. TV: CBS Sports Network.

-- 30 --

Rams defeat Flyers to finish regular season

Final Score: VCU 68, Dayton 62.
Location: UD Arena in Dayton.
Updated Records: VCU 24-7, 15-3 in A-10. Dayton 21-10, 12-6 in A-10.

In a nutshell: In his first year as head coach Phil Martelli guided the VCU Rams men's basketball team to an impressive 24-7 record. At this point VCU is being seen as somewhat likely to receive an at-large invitation to the Big Dance, should the Rams not win the upcoming Atlantic 10 tournament. Yes, somewhat. 

That's life "on the bubble." To get in this position VCU needed to beat the always tough Dayton Flyers twice. Which it did.

Some noteworthy Rams stats: Lazar Djokovic scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. Coming off the bench Terrence Hill scored 13 points and dished for three assists. Barry Evans chipped in 11 points and six boards. Brandon Jennings scored eight points, got seven rebounds, handed out four assists and made three steals. 

In winning 13 of its last 14 games the surging Rams consistently exhibited a knack for playing well during last minute pressure. That's a trait that should serve them well in postseason play. 

NOTES  (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.)

·      VCU shot 49 percent (25-of-51) from the floor on the night, including 52 percent (11-of-21) in the second half alone. The Rams held the Flyers to 34 percent (11-of-32) shooting in the second half. Dayton shot just 4-of-22 from 3-point range in the game.

·      Timely shot making down the stretch helped carry the Rams across the finish line. Back-to-back buckets by Bennett and De’Shayne Montgomery pulled Dayton within 62-60 with 3:57 remaining. But on the ensuing possession, Djokovic buried a turnaround hook shot in the lane to give VCU breathing room. The Flyers’ Amael L’Etang answered with a putback a short time later to make it 64-62 with 1:47 left. On VCU’s next trip down the floor, Hill knocked down a fadeaway jumper in the late to keep Dayton at bay. The Flyers missed their final three shots of the game as VCU held on for the win.

·      Javon Bennett led all players in scoring with 17 points for the Flyers.

·      The game featured seven ties and 12 lead changes. The largest lead by either team Friday was six points.

·      The Rams finished 15-3 in A-10 play for the second straight year. VCU has secured the No. 2 seed in next week’s conference tournament.

 

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: At PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, VCU will take on a team yet to be determined in the quarterfinal round of the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament. Tipoff at 5 p.m.  

-- 30 --

More improved lies

It appears to me that Trump is falling apart, physically. The stress of the chaos that swirls  around him must be adding up. Moreover, he seems pretty much caught up in a death spiral, writing the last couple of chapters of his wicked history. And, in the doing, he's acting sort of like a coke fiend who always wants more. 

Only instead of a drug, Trump's craving is for the thrill he feels from wielding power. He gets off on bending people to his will. Oh yes, and he especially loves to dish out humiliation. When he cheats at golf rather than moving his ball, to improve his lie -- when nobody is looking -- he does it exactly when his opponent can plainly see him doing it. 

More than just cheating to win, Trump wants to humiliate the witness to his shameless rule-breaking episode. Trump's craving that must be satisfied is to bully a poor soul on the golf course into being too afraid to call him on his crime against fair play. 

Now no longer satisfied with merely intimidating golfers, sycophants and senators, spiraling Trump must humiliate whole nations. Venezuela, Canada, Greenland, Iran, Cuba, etc. Always more. 

More... 

  

Rams defeat Patriots, 70-to-65

Final Score: VCU 70, George Mason 65. 
Location: Siegel Center
Updated Records: VCU 23-7, 14-3 in A-10, George Mason 22-8, 10-7 in A-10.

In a nutshell: VCU trailed in the Senior Night game's opening minutes, then took their first lead about 12 minutes into the game. From then on the Rams led most of the time, but not by all that much. However, in the game's deciding seconds, clutch shots by Lazar Djokovic and Terrence Hill clinched the victory for the Rams. 

VCU fans got quite a scare in the first half when Djokovic stepped on an opponent's foot, rolled his ankle and had to be helped off the floor. It looked bad. Nonetheless, in the second half he shook off the scary injury and returned to action with a slight limp.

Terrence Hill led VCU's scoring with 16 points. He also dished for two assists and made one steal. Jadrian Tracey scored 14 points, grabbed six rebounds and made one assist. Djokovic finished with 12 points and got five boards.

Before the game started, seniors Jadrian Tracey and Barry Evans were cited in the customary ceremony for their contributions to the program. 

  

NOTES (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.).

●      The Patriots had a strong start to the contest as they jumped to a 15-7 lead thanks to a Kory Mincy jumper with 15:23 remaining in the first half. Mincy led the Patriots with 18 points and shot 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. 

●      The Rams took their first lead with 8:08 remaining in the first half as a Tyrell Ward 3-pointer gave them a 21-20 advantage.

●      Mason pulled to within 57-54 with seven minutes remaining, but a layup by Belle and a 3-pointer from the right wing by Djokovic supplied the Black and Gold with an eight-point cushion at 62-54 with 5:11 left. The Patriots briefly cut the lead back to five, only to watch Hill bury a 3-pointer with 3:58 remaining. George Mason made one final push, and used a three-point play by Jahari Long to draw to within 68-65 with 58 seconds on the clock. But a short time later, Hill maneuvered into the lane and finished a layup with just nine seconds left.

●      Neither team led by more than eight points as there were three ties and seven lead changes in the matchup.

●      VCU clinches a 15-2 home record for the 2025-26 season, marking their second consecutive season with 15 home wins.

●      The Rams improved to 22-2 when leading at halftime this season and 13-0 in games where they allow fewer than 70 points.

●      VCU is 50-23 all-time against George Mason.

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: On Friday, March 6, VCU's last game of the regular season will be played in Dayton against the Flyers. Tipoff at 7 p.m. TV: ESPN2. 

-- 30 --

VCU defeats Fordham, 82-to-63

Final Score: VCU 82, Fordham 63
Location: Siegel Center
Updated Records: VCU 22-7, 13-3 in A-10. Fordham 16-13, 7-9 in A-10.

In a nutshell: Following its rather disappointing loss on the road at Saint Louis, VCU returned to West Broad Street for Homecoming. The team played well on defense in the first half and then well enough on offense in the second half. Jadrian Tracey and three of his teammates all scored in double figures. 

Tracey scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists. Barry Evans scored 13 points, got six rebounds made three assists. Lazar Djokovic and Nyk Lewis both scored 11 points and pulled down four rebounds. Brandon Jennings scored eight points, got seven boards, dished out three assists and made three steals. All nine of VCU's players who got in the game scored points.

VCU's restored confidence should have the Rams ready for their two remaining regular season games (George Mason at home and at Dayton).  

NOTES: (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.).

·      VCU built a 37-22 halftime lead with a stout defensive effort. The Black and Gold held. Fordham to 20 percent (6-of-30) shooting in the first half, including 2-of-11 from beyond the arc.

·      Fordham used a 13-0 burst early in the second period, capped by a 3-pointer by Akira. Jacobs, to cut VCU’s lead to just 43-41 at the 15:28 mark. But VCU steadied itself. Evans. responded with a traditional three-point play on the ensuing possession to kick off a 16-5 VCU run over the next four minutes.

·      VCU’s lead would balloon to as many as 23 points, at 80-57, on a Tracey corner 3-pointer with 3:14 remaining.

·      The Black and Gold shot 48 percent (28-of-58) from the field in the contest, including 38 percent (11-of-29) from 3-point range. Fordham shot just 33 percent (20-of-61) in the game.

·      DeJour Reeves, the Atlantic 10 Conference’s leading scorer, led all players with 22 points and eight assists Saturday.

·      VCU owned a 43-36 rebounding advantage and outscored Fordham 32-20 in the paint.

·      VCU’s win cliched one of the top four seeds, and a double bye, at the upcoming Atlantic 10 Conference Championship.

·      VCU has won 11 straight games over Fordham and is 17-1 all-time in the series.

·      Eight VCU players scored at least seven points Saturday.

 

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: VCU will host George Mason on Tuesday, March 3. Following the Senior Day ceremony tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. TV: CBS Sports Network. 

-- 30 --

D E T A C H E D: A Walking Song

The name Detached first came to me as what to call a one-off magazine project I thought up during a trip to San Francisco in February of-1981. Spending an hour looking at a bunch of artsy, publications of all sorts on the magazine rack in the famous City Lights Bookstore did the trick.

By In the spring of '81 Detached, the 'zine" was on its way to  becoming a stylish collection of comix-style art created by several friends of mine. It was also to include a flexi-disc, so I was writing music and comedy material for aspect of the scope of Detached. A small group of us rehearsed some of the comedy stuff once or twice.  

Although some good black and white comics were submitted, this was one of those ambitious, far-flung projects that got away from me. It was never produced. 

Yes, I still feel guilty about it. 

Somewhere in a box I may still have a few of the submissions. Fortunately, some of the material and notions for Detached did make their way into a few of the early issues of SLANT .. but that's another story. A meandering story about a quirky periodical that I did publish for some nine years. 

In the spring of 1985, Detached, as a title, was repurposed. It became the name for a song. It was one of many songs I invented during a walk. Sometimes I used to make up songs during the course of solitary walks. The cadence of my steps would serve as the beat. It was a routine practice that started when I was a kid, then went on for decades. 

When I finished the walk I'd almost always forget the new song. Sometimes that was a little frustrating, because I had liked it. Other thoughts hatched during a walk, like solutions to problems, goofy inventions, fun-loving schemes and so forth, would occasionally stick in my head long enough to be written down when I got home. But not the songs.

Anyway, I think I stopped making up walking songs it sometime during my 40s. Hey, it just occurred to me that I also quit torturing my chromatic harmonicas -- mostly with records -- in my 40s, too. Probably not a coincidence.

Most of my walking songs were sort of like dreams that evaporate moments after waking up. However, here are the words to Detached, a song I didn't forget. The tune had kind of a jazzy, South of the Border feel to it.  

D E T A C H E D

I want to thank you pal
for helping out
while I went crazy.

It wasn’t just fun.
Still, it had to be done.

Beauty mark and a ponytail.
Hey!
The check’s in the mail.

De-tached.

When focus wheeled 

the float and sway. 

Life seemed so easy.

It wasn’t just fun.
Still, it had to be done.

Smokey edges of a photograph.

Hey!

We just had to laugh.

De-tached.

*

Now I use Detached as a title for a group of short stories.

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Billikens strong second half overwhelms Rams

Final Score: Saint Louis 88, VCU 75
Location: St. Louis (Chaifetz Arena)
Updated Records: Saint Louis 25-2, 13-1 in A-10. VCU 21-7, 12-3 in A-10), 

 

In a nutshell: VCU started the game with an 11-0 run, fueled by three treys -- one each by Brandon Jennings, Barry Evans and Lazar Djokovic. At halftime the Rams had a nine-point lead, 42-to-33. Then the Billikens opened the second half with a 24-to-4 surge. 

The confidence the Rams exhibited in the first half disappeared in the second stanza. The game ended with a near brawl. 

Lazar Djokovic scored a game-high 19 points. In addition he added seven rebounds and two blocks. Brandon Jennings scored 18 points, grabbed seven boards, made four steals and dished out three assists. Nyk Lewis chipped in nine points, eight rebounds and three steals. 

Djokovic has now connected on 133 shots taken from the charity stripe this season. In the doing he has moved into ninth place on VCU’s single-season record list for free throws made. 

NOTES: (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.)

 

·      The game was a tale of two halves. VCU led 42-33 at the break, but missed its first 13 three-point attempts of the second half, and shot 23 percent (7-of-31) overall from the floor in the period, as Saint Louis mounted its comeback. The Billikens shot 58 percent (21-of-36) in the second half, including 7-of-12 from beyond the arc.

·      VCU took its last lead at 59-57 on a layup by Jennings with 10:06 remaining. From there, the Billikens used a 13-0 run over the next three minutes that included 3-pointers by Robbie Avila and Ishan Sharma to take a 70-59 lead with 7:23 left. The Rams wouldn’t seriously threaten again.

·      The Rams shot 8-of-15 from three overall in the first half on the way to a nine-point halftime advantage.

·      Kellen Thames led five Billikens in double figures with 16 points. 

·      The Rams were hurt by 16 turnovers, and the Black and Gold shot 33 percent (21-of-64) from the field in the game. 

·      VCU leads the all-time series against Saint Louis 17-8.

·      The Rams saw their 10-game win streak snapped Friday.

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: On  Saturday, February 28, VCU will host Fordham. Tipoff at 12:30 p.m. TV: USA Network. 

-- 30 --

VCU finishes off George Washington, 89-to-75

Final score: VCU 89, George Washington 75. 

Location: Siegel Center. 

Updated records: VCU 21-6, 12-2 in A-10. GW 15-12, 6-8 in A-10. 

In a nutshell: It seemed the George Washington Revolutionaries came to Richmond having convinced themselves that they could run with the talented VCU Rams. For three-fourths of the game it looked like the team from DC might have been right. 

At the 12:27 mark of the second half GW held a nine-point advantage. Then VCU shifted gears and seized the momentum. The sellout (7,637) Siegel Center crowd urged the running Rams on, as they methodically took control of the game, outscoring the visitors -- 33-to-10 -- over the rest of the way. 

Such was the stuff that went into putting together the Rams’ tenth straight victory. 

Some noteworthy VCU game stats: Coming off the bench Tyrell Ward's 15 points led the Rams scoring, plus he made two steals. Lazar Djokovic, Brandon Jennings, and Nyk Lewis all scored 14 points. Jennings also blocked three shots. Terrence Hill scored 13 points and dished for seven assists. Barry Evans scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds and made five assists.  

Conference standings-wise VCU is now in second place in the Atlantic 10. With a 12-2 record VCU is one-half game behind Saint Louis, 12-1.  

 .

NOTES (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.)

●      The Revolutionaries trailed by two at the half, but stormed to a 65-56 advantage following a steal and layup by Tre Dinkins with 12:27 remaining. From there, the Rams took command, assembling a 25-4 blitz over the next 9:30. Djokovic buried a 3-pointer during VCU’s first salvo to tie the score at 65-65. A short time later, junior forward Michael Belle canned a triple from the left wing to put VCU in front 68-67 with 9:16 left. The Rams would not trail again

●      The Black and Gold held GW to 32-percent (9-of-28) shooting in the second half, including 4-of-15 from beyond the arc.

●      For George Washington, Luke Hunger, the reigning Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Week, posted 24 points and 10 rebounds.

●      VCU forced 11 George Washington turnovers in the game and outscored the Revs 15-7 in turnover opportunities

●      The Rams shot 52 percent (26-of-61) from the field on the night and connected on 26-of-35 free throws. 

●      VCU’s 10-game win streak is its longest since the Rams won 12 straight to close out the 2018-19 regular season. 

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: On Friday, February 20, VCU will face (AP No. 18) Saint Louis. Tipoff at 7 p.m. (EST). TV: EPN2. 

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