If you’re out driving early Saturday morning beware that many streets in Salem will closed. If you out running early Saturday morning, you’re probably entered in the LewisGale Salem Half Marathon.
This is the 10th anniversary of the Salem Half Marathon, winding through the streets of Salem. The event includes the Virginia’s Blue Ridge 8K, the G&H Contracting Kids 1 mile Fun Run and the G&H Contracting Kids 2 mile fun run in addition to the half marathon. All four races start and finish at the Salem Farmers Market downtown and take the runners on a scenic tour of Salem through neighborhoods, Roanoke College and the downtown business district.
The races are scheduled to begin at 8 am, starting at the Farmers Market and heading east up Main Street. If you live in Salem you should have received some information in your last utility bill about street closures and the like. If not, you can find everything you need by visiting salemhalfmarathon.com on the internet.
Good showing by the Maroons
I can away extremely impressed by the qualify of football the first year Roanoke College team showed last Saturday afternoon. No one was giving RC a chance against visiting Randolph Macon, and under the circumstances that was understandable.
Roanoke is a first year program with mostly freshmen and sophomores on the team. The Maroons won their first three games but didn’t play anyone with the reputation of Randolph Macon. The Yellow Jackets came here with 27 consecutive ODAC wins, and in the past few years they’ve been in the national Division III rankings and have qualified for the D-III post-season tournament, which culminates with the Stagg Bowl. Most of you reading this have probably been to a Stagg Bowl or two, so you know how good those teams are.
Well, if Roanoke wasn’t supposed to be competitive no one told the Maroons. They took the first lead and trailed just 14-10 at the half. Randolph Macon ended up winning 35-17 but the game was closer than the score indicates. The Maroons had 281 passing yards against what is widely considered to be the best defense in the ODAC.
It was a hard-hitting game and, obviously, the Maroons didn’t come just to put in an appearance, they came to win. Coach Bryan Stinespring has done an excellent job in less than two years building the first RC football team since World War II.
“We have worked hard to develop our team, not just in schemes but also developing an identity on who we are,” said Stinespring. “Our team believes in what we are doing and how we can achieve success. Every day we strive to move the needle to be better versions of ourselves. So, yes, we believed and still believe we can have success on the field.”
The Maroons are at Bridgewater this Saturday for the Eagles Homecoming game. Most likely Bridgewater folks saw RC as an easy opponent to play on Homecoming weekend. Most teams like to have a “sure win” before the big Homecoming crowd, but the Bridgewater folks may have underestimated Roanoke. The Maroons are going up there to win.
Roanoke is back home on Saturday, October 18, to host Shenandoah University. So far the crowds at Salem Stadium have been excellent and should only get better as the word gets out that RC is way ahead of schedule in building a competitive football team. Roanoke played opposite a Virginia Tech home game last week but still drew an announced crowd of close to 6,000.
“The one aspect of the game that enabled us to continue to play with passion and purpose was the fans in the stadium,” said Stinespring. “They are our rock.”
42 is special at RC
Here’s something you may not have known. Uniform number 42 is special on the Roanoke College football team.
You know how the Hokies give the number 25 to a player each week who has excelled in the previous game and week leading up to the next one? That was Frank Beamer’s number when he played for Tech and it’s a tribute to the long time and highly successful Hokies’ coach. Usually it goes to a special team’s player.
Well, Roanoke College is doing the same thing with the number 42. Why 42 you ask? No, it has nothing to do with Jackie Robinson or Mariano Rivera. The number 42 is symbolic of the year Roanoke College was founded, in 1842. Since you can’t put 1842 on a football jersey the coaching staff decided to just go with 42.
Last week’s 42, for the Randolph Macon game at home, went to Glenvar grad Jackson Swanson, who usually wears number 1. Ironically enough Jackson is related to Frank Beamer. His grandfather, Barney Beamer, is Frank’s brother.
One sellout too many
I’ll tell you what I dislike about the Major League Baseball playoffs and World Series. I don’t think they should have advertising on the batting helmets.
Starting last year MLB signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with Strauss, a German workwear brand. The deal began with the 2024 postseason and continues through 2027, featuring its logo on the batting helmets of all MLB Postseason games, World Series, and all MLB and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) games played in Europe.
I hate it. I understand the league has to make money, but to me this is a step too far. Whether you’re a Yankees fan or not, to be me it’s blasphemies to put advertising on that navy blue helmet, or any other big league helmet for that matter. It’s a sellout not worth the money.
Another pet peeve of mine is the fake advertising on the back of the pitchers’ mound. I don’t mind ads on the walls and fences around the playing field or anywhere else in the stadium era, or even on the grass outside the lines, but don’t put it on the beautiful baseball diamond. It takes away from the aesthetic value of the game.
I feel like the NBA started this stuff, with advertising on the court that you can see on TV but not at the game. Next thing you know the NFL will have the fake advertising all over the field. I would hate that.
I don’t know how the Strauss folks are making out with this, but I can tell you one thing. I’m not buying any of their stuff as long as they’re putting their name on Aaron Judge’s batting helmet.
Am I being too picky? I guess I’m just an old fashioned baseball traditionalist.
