It’s been a while. None of us has posted in over two weeks. I have not posted in over six months. Some of you have noticed, and for that, we are thankful. It means you like what we do, you care, you want us to continue. You are, maybe, a little worried.

We are here, we are continuing, and we have plans. The team here at Hoos Place has faced some challenges, taken some hits, accepted additional responsibilities, struggled with emotional quandaries. The end result is that none of us has the time and – for some of us – the will to produce as much as we formerly did. We have gathered, though, and each of us affirmed that we want to keep producing this content.

Society may have declared the pandemic over and the bosses dictated that vacation is over and everybody has to get their asses back to work – excuse me, “return to office” – but Covid laughs at our collective denial. Each of us has been impacted by Covid recently, either directly or within our circle. On top of Covid, we’ve had deaths in the family, job losses, new jobs, promotions, new babies and new recognition of our human limitations. No, it is not sustainable to stay up until 0300 every night writing.

While Covid and life lay claim to our hours, the recent evolution of college sports makes it harder for at least some of us – speaking for myself here – to maintain the same passion that made those 3 AM writing sessions the best use of time we could think of. I don’t care about professional sports. I don’t like professional sports. The more college sports come to resemble professional, where the players come not to prepare for their professional life but to grow their brand and get the biggest deal, the less I care. When the recruiting pitch is less “this is how we can help you develop yourself as a player and a person” and more “this is how much our boosters can guarantee you in NIL” I simply have fewer fucks to give. Just another facet of American life that has become all about the money. The more that money matters, the less people matter and the less interest I have.

But Tony Bennett is still our basketball coach and it’s still the University of Virginia and we still love the bouncing balls.

StLouHoo has that final installment of his season review in his editor accepting the drips of free time and soon will launch it into the world.

Karl Hess is all over the baseball postseason.

Val is amped about women’s basketball and the new coach and women’s soccer and the new season.

Hooamp has plans.

And me? I love this site and working with these guys. I’m intrigued by the new football coach and have UVA basketball woven into my DNA. I have other plans for my life and other ventures into which I am pouring myself, but I will still be here. Soon you will all see what I have been investing my hours in, the hours of writing code.

Come July, we will kick off the new sports year with our football preview. Our fourth. Then basketball. Our sixth.

Those of you who have written asking, we thank you. Those of you who have wondered, we thank you. Those who have provided your support and continue to do so, we thank you.

Wahoowa.