Doug Doughty

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The best days, I like to tell sports editor Jeff Gilbert, are the days when you arrive at work in the morning and the message light on the telephone is not blinking.

Still, there are times when even the most obnoxious voice mails provide comic relief.

“Way to go, moron,” was the message left by a mail caller at 8:53 a.m. Thursday.

OK, I thought, some Virginia Tech fan wasn’t happy with my Fearless Forecasters pick of Georgia Tech to beat the Hokies on Thursday night.

(It’s never about what we write at this time of year. It’s all about who we pick, even for those of us who have a relatively lousy track record).

But, no, this wasn’t about Virginia Tech or about any of my picks.

“Way to go, moron,” I’m repeating for emphasis. “Once again, you continue to show your ignorance toward West Virginia and how you slander them. You’re such an ---hole.

“No wonder, nobody likes you or reads you much. Bye.”

If I had picked against West Virginia, maybe it would have made sense. But, the Mountaineers don’t play this weekend.

“They played Rutgers last week,” my wife pointed out.

And, I picked West Virginia.

At no point was West Virginia mentioned in either of my two stories in Thursday’s paper.

My father attended West Virginia University during the depression, I was a West Virginia fan till I went to college, our closest friends in the neighborhood are West Virginia fans.

The caller did not leave a name, but the voice message had a phone number that I decided to call Friday morning. I had received an earlier message from the same number in October.

When the phone picked up, there was a recording at the other end: “You have reached the VA [Veterans’ Administration] Medical Center.”

If he calls again, I hope I’m in the office to speak with him.

I’m not arguing about the “moron” part but I really have nothing against West Virginia.

WHILE ATTEMPTING to tape my call from the VA, I inadvertently taped over – a common occurrence – a conversation I had Thursday with William Campbell High School football coach Brad Bradley.

Bradley coached University of Virginia running back Cedric Peerman in high school and I thought he might have some insight into the foot injury that now has sidelined Peerman for three full games and most of a fourth.

UVa coach Al Groh usually is not very forthcoming about injuries, but Groh actually shed some light on the subject Thursday, when he said Peerman’s injury involved a ligament.

“I’ve talked to [Peerman] about four or five times,” Bradley said. “He’s the kind of person who takes things as they are. Whatever happens in his life, he knows that things happen for a reason. He’s still upbeat. He actually called me [Thursday].

“It’s unfortunate. I feel bad for him He was having such a good year and now, all of a sudden, he’s missed three games. I don’t know if he’ll be back. I have a feeling that something will be said soon, either way.

“At the beginning, I don’t think anybody knew how bad it was. To be honest with you, I don’t think people know now. He could be out for the season, but there’s a chance he could be back. I know what’s going on, but I don’t feel comfortable talking about.

“He’s not my kid. I mean, he is my kid, but he’s not my football player anymore. Whether he comes back this year or next spring or this summer or whenever it is, this is something he’ll definitely be back from.

“You don’t ever want to jeopardize a kid and it may be one of those situations where they don’t want to bring him back before they know he’s healthy. Cedric, I think, is just starting to learn what’s going on. One thing I will say is, I know it’s not career-threatening.”

DON’T ASSUME THAT Virginia Tech is taking football commitments without regard for the 25-scholarship NCAA limit.

The coaches “meet about it every day,” I’ve been told.

Wide receiver Ben Barber from Edison High School in Alexandria was the 24th player to commit and the Hokies are involved with at least six more uncommitted in-state prospects.

They are quarterback Marcus Davis and wide receiver Randall Dunn from Ocean Lakes in Virginia Beach, running back Kevin Whaley from Virginia Beach, running back Ryan Williams from Woodbridge and offensive linemen Vinston Painter from Maury in Norfolk and Jimmy Bennett from West Potomac.

(It’s hard to see Williams and Whaley, the state’s top two running backs, going to the same school).

The 24 commitments include three from players who are planning to enroll in January. If possible, they could go against the Hokies’ 2007 quota. Another two or three might not qualify. It also has been reported that Barber could enroll either this January or next January, although it is rare for a Virginian to graduate in December.

So, the groundwork is in place for Tech to take as many as 30 commitments, but don’t think the Hokies aren’t watching the situation closely.

THE ABOVE-MENTIONED DUNN, perhaps the fastest-rising prospect in the state, will be at Virginia today for the Cavaliers’ game with Wake Forest. So will Phoebus High School two-way standout Reid Evans, described by one college assistant (not from Virginia) as “maybe the best football player in the state.”

Dunn has scholarship offers from UVa and Tech, which he concedes is his favorite. Evans could get an offer from the Cavaliers Saturday.