Tag Archives: Virginia Tech

Week # 5 in the "ORB IN ACTION" contest pitted three entries all submitted by men.  Well it seems the ladies took exception to being left out, and stepped up this past week as all three entries came from the gals.  Once again it was tough for the judges to pick a winner, but in the end, the FREE Original Retro Brand shirt will go to Samantha By, of Evanston, Illinois.  Here is a recap of the week # 5 entries:

Our first entry came from Jennifer Poole, of Tyler, Texas:

“I’m a huge Virginia Tech fan who currently lives in East Texas, working at The University of Texas at Tyler. I may be the ONLY Virginia Tech fan in all of East Texas! I was thrilled to receive this ORB Virginia Tech shirt as a gift, and it has helped me to share some Virginia Tech love around here. I do yoga in my shirt because it is soft, comfortable, and stretches with me. Right away, it became my favorite t-shirt. I’m hoping that Virginia Tech will beat Tennessee in the upcoming bowl game! Go Hokies! The two beagles in the picture are Tyler, on the left, and Katie, on the right. He was named Tyler before I moved to Tyler, Texas. How strange is that?  Anyways, thank you for the great t-shirt!”

This was an excellent entry, as this proves that the Original Retro Brand can put you in a "Zen-like state," plus we are soft-tees for animals.

Our second entry came from Alina Stevens, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Having a few kids in the shot always pulls at the judges heartstrings!

“This is me and the cutest kids in the world, rockin’ my Original Retro Brand Alabama t-shirt at the Alabama-Georgia Tech women’s softball game.  Alabama killed them…as we do in every sport!!  Roll Tide!!  Original Retro Brand is my favorite t-shirt because it is SO comfortable, and everyone always asks me where I got it!!  Thanks Retro….keep rockin’!!!

Our third and WINNING entry came from Samantha By, of Evanston, Illinois.

“Hi, I’m a student at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.  Here I am with my sister (I’m on the left) and we’re getting ready for the holidays by finishing up a gingerbread house.  Special thanks to Northwestern Alumni Association’s website for being super easy to use so I could make this greeting card.  We both love our Northwestern ORB shirts.  I’m always getting compliments on how cute the shirt is.  I just love this logo and have not seen any other shirt that features Willie, the way this shirt does."

The use of the school mascot and Christmas spirit shone through for Samantha and her sister.  Of course two Original Retro Brand shirts are better than one, and that clinched the victory with the judges. We will alert Samantha of her victory, and post the ORB shirt she chooses as her prize on the Original Retro Brand Facebook Fanpage.

Remember folks, we’re only accepting entries up until next Sunday, December 27th, for the final week of regular competition.  Just e-mail yours truly (andyphyman@gmail.com) a picture of yourself (or you and your friends) wearing an Original Retro Brand shirt at work or play, with a brief description of what you do for a living and/or what you love to do for fun while sporting your Original Retro Brand gear.  We’ll post your picture and description on this blog when we receive, and on the Original Retro Brand Facebook Fan page. The Original Retro Brand Staff will choose the photo/description each week that they believe best represents the spirit of the Original Retro Brand Fan, and the person who sent in the photo will win a FREE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND t-shirt!  One more winner will be announced next Monday, December 28th.  We will then take all the winners, and pick the overall best picture for our grand prize winner and announce on New Year’s Day.  The Grand Prize will be a choice of 4 Original Retro Brand t-shirts.  Also remember to stay updated on all that is Original Retro Brand by following us on Twitter and Facebook.  We need more entries NOW for the final week, so please send them in TODAY!!!

We've just received our 3rd entry for week # 5 in the "ORB IN ACTION" photo contest from Bobby By in Atlanta, Georgia.  Check out his photo's and what he had to say below:

"Here I am wearing my Original Retro Brand Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets shirt. I’m attempting to juggle some oranges to symbolize Tech being ORANGE BOWL BOUND!!!!!! I took a couple of pics and was trying to decide on one, but I thought it was pretty cool that if you place these three side by side you can sort of see my progression. I love GaTech football and love ORB for many of the same reasons.

-Best at what they do: The Yellow Jackets were the best in the ACC this year (great call picking them over Clemson). Like the Jackets, ORB is the best at what they do. I probably have five GaTech t-shirts, but my ORB shirt is by far my favorite. Its softness is very noticeable, making it much more comfortable than the others. The way it fits is exactly how I want all my shirts to. Its length is just right, reaching my belt buckle and the sleeves fit perfectly, not too loose or too long. Finally, it’s just better looking. The distressed/vintage look makes it so much cooler.

-Dependable: Every game this year, I could always depend on the Jackets to put up a fight and make the game exciting and entertaining. ORB provides me with that dependability as well. Whether I’m working out, hanging out with friends, or rushing the field after an upset against Virginia Tech (which was AWESOME), I know I can always rely on my ORB shirt to give me the comfort and style I want.

I could probably go on and on about why I love this shirt, but I don’t want to make this too long. Keep making great shirts!"

I was at that Virginia Tech game, Bobby!  And yes, it was a perfect night in Atlanta, and it has been a great season to see the Yellow Jackets close-up.  Iowa will be a tough test for sure, but my money is on Paul Johnson, Josh Nesbitt and crew.  Of course your description of the Original Retro Brand is on point and we appreciate the comments.  Thanks again for the unique and creative entry, and good luck in the contest!

Keep those entries coming!!  Just e-mail yours truly (andyphyman@gmail.com) a picture of yourself (or you and your friends) wearing an Original Retro Brand shirt at work or play, with a brief description of what you do for a living and/or what you love to do for fun while sporting your Original Retro Brand gear.  We’ll post your picture and description on this blog when we receive, and on the Original Retro Brand Facebook Fan page. The Original Retro Brand Staff will choose the photo/description each week that they believe best represents the spirit of the Original Retro Brand Fan, and the person who sent in the photo will win a FREE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND t-shirt!  A new winner will be announced every Monday through Christmas Eve.  We will then take all the winners, and pick the overall best picture for our grand prize winner and announce on New Year’s Day.  The Grand Prize will be your choice of 4 Original Retro Brand t-shirts.  Also remember to stay updated on all that is Original Retro Brand by following us on Twitter and Facebook.   Time is running out for week # 5, and you'll have one more week to compete, so get your entry in ASAP!!

That's right, 20% OFF all Original Retro Brand merchandise for the teams we review in our Picks of the Week!  Just enter code FATE8 at checkout for your discount.

Last week started out quite well. I picked the Cincinnati Bearcats to defeat the USF Bulls 28 to 20.  The real final score?  Cincy 28, USF 21.  GENIUS!  Not so fast...I picked the Sooners to defeat Texas (buzzer sound),.....Notre Dame to defeat USC (buzzer),  and Virginia Tech to dump Georgia Tech (final buzzer - EEEEHHH!).   Iowa proved they are not a fluke as they erased a 10-0 deficit, and came back to beat Wisconsin for an impressive road win.   The Red River Rivalry could have gone either way, and The Fighting Irish just missed...The Hokies game was the only one I really missed by a long shot.  Thus my record stands at  5 wins and 7 losses.   Perhaps it's time to remove the word "expert" from the Original Retro Brand newsletter, when referring to my "Games of the Week" picking prowess.  Regardless, I must soldier on, and we have four more doozies for this weekend:

GAME 1: The # 13 Penn State Nittany Lions head into Ann Arbor to face Michigan freshman quarterback phenom, Tate Forcier. Forcier has pulled off some miracle plays in leading the Wolverines to the highest scoring offensive attack in the Big 10.  The Penn State defense has been dominating all year, giving up just 3 points in their last two games, but Michigan has suffered two excruciating close defeats this year (Michigan State in overtime, and a 2 point heartbreaker vs Iowa), and will not lose in their house this weekend.   Michigan 35, Penn State 20.

GAME 2:  Since the LeGarrette Blount sucker punch debacle, and opening loss to Boise State, the # 11 Oregon Ducks have reeled off 5 staight wins (2 against ranked teams) outscoring their last 3 PAC 10 rivals 118 to 19!!  It would behoove them not to overlook Washington with USC on the horizon.  The Huskies have that big win over the Trojans, and played LSU and Notre Dame tough.  Even so, the Ducks will continue to roll on the road.   Oregon 38, Washington 28.

GAME 3: The Clemson Tigers rank second in total defense, and eighth in total offense in the ACC, just one behind the # 10 ranked Miami Hurricanes, who they face on the road at Landshark Stadium.   As tough as the Clemson defense has been, I think Jacory Harris at QB is really hitting his stride. I feel Miami's one loss at Virginia Tech was an anomaly, and they bounced back strong against Oklahoma, and I believe they will beat Clemson handily and then win out.    Miami 27, Clemson 13.

GAME 4:  I'm going to get whacked for this one...Tennessee will knock off # 2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  The Vols nearly beat Florida in the swamp, almost knocked off a then unbeaten Auburn team, and then absolutely crushed my Georgia Bulldogs.   Heck, the Vols are ranked 5th in total offense in the SEC (just one behind the Tide), and 3rd in total defense (Bama ranked # 1).   Mark Ingram will be tough to stop no doubt (he only gained 1 yard on 4 carries against UT last year), but QB  Jonathan Crompton is quietly coming into his own.   Purdue stunned Ohio State last week.  This is my # 1 stunner.   Tennessee 33, Alabama 24.

AND THIS IS MY # 2 STUNNER:  Mississippi State will win their 5th straight over Florida in Starkeville!  I'm upset crazy!!  Michigan State will halt the Hawkeyes, and Mizzou will NOT beat Texas, but it will be close.....

DON'T FORGET!!:  Enter code FATE8 at checkout to receive your 20% OFF the Original Retro Brand shirts featured today!

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It's really crunch time now, folks.   Maybe I need to do more crunches?  Maybe I reached a plateau because I really kicked butt this past week, but only lost 2lbs!!   I actually beat my nemesis, Carter, 3 games to 2 last night in hoops.  I lived on bags of frozen fruit and almonds all week, lifted weights, ran, did sit-ups, and ONLY LOST 2LBS??!!!

I even faced the ultimate temptation on Saturday, as I was assigned to cover the Georgia Tech-Virginia Tech game:  TAILGATE.   Lucky for me, I got caught up in Atlanta traffic, and arrived at the tail-end of the tailgate.  I was only able to scarf down the last remaining brat, burger & brew.

My good fortune continued as I took my seat behind the Yellow Jacket end zone.   As luck would have it, a beautiful & bubbly coed name Megan was sitting right next to me (I've been happily married to my own beautiful Georgia Tech coed for 14 years - hi honey!).   What are the odds she would be wearing an Original Retro Brand shirt?   Very good.

The odds were also in favor of Georgia Tech. They defeated # 4 ranked Virginia Tech behind 3 rushing touchdowns from quarterback Josh Nesbitt.  For the moment, my prediction for Georgia Tech to take the ACC crown (see post from September 8,) looks like genius.  On the flip side, I picked VTech to lose to Miami, and Boston College (they won both) and for them to defeat Georgia Tech (they didn't).......genius not the word.

So now I have 12 days to lose 8.5 lbs.  Can you say colonic?  I can't, and won't stoop to such drastic measures to reach my goal.  I know it doesn't look good right now, but I am still determined to play this out, and continue to work my arse off.   Maybe the scale was off today, and I'll have a 4.5 lb swing going into the last week.  If I can drop at least 4lbs, I have an outside shot at this thing.

Now to announce the winner of the FREE Original Retro Brand t-shirt for week # 12:  Chris Glavine from Novia Scotia, Canada, guessed my weight right on the money @ 222.5 lbs.   Chris has chosen the Montreal Allouettes shirt from the Canadian Football League, and we will send it out asap.

Thanks as always to 24HR Fitness for their generosity in sending me a Bodybugg for this challenge.  Don't forget that in addition to the shot at a FREE Original Retro Brand shirt every week, a Bodybugg will be given away on the last weigh-in of the challenge (10/31 - Halloween!).   $5 a day has also been donated to The American Cancer Society's Relayforlife, since the start of the "Fight For The Fit",  and will be continued until the challenge is over.  Please give if you can!

FIGHT FOR FIT FLASH:  My XL Georgia Bulldog shirt is feeling pretty comfortable and almost LOOSE!  It's been through about 50 washes, and is STILL standing strong.  Durable, soft, and comfy as ever!

On any given College Football weekend, there are a plethora of exciting and meaningful games with BCS implications on the slate, and this weekend is no different.   What IS different, is that if you go to the "Pick of the Week" section of the Original Retro Brand website, you will receive 20%  OFF THE NORMAL RETAIL PRICE of the teams featured in this weekend's biggest games, by entering code RIVALS09 @ checkout.   And speaking of checkout, you'll want to see ORB's take on the top 5 games we're talking about featured below.  The action kicks in Thursday night.....

GAME 1:  Folks are taking a good Heisman look at # 8 Cincinnati (5-0) QB Tony Pike, as he leads the Bearcats against # 21 (5-0) U. of Southern Florida and  freshman sensation B.J. Daniels.  Pike is the 9th rated QB in the country and has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 15 straight games.  Daniels dismantled Florida State on the ground and in the air.   Pike too much for the Bulls as Cincy gets big road win.  Bearcats 28, USF 20.

GAME 2: The Texas Longhorns # 3 (5-0) should not be taking the Red River Rivalry for granted, facing a 2-loss # 20 Oklahoma Sooner (3-2) club at the Cotton Bowl.  Colt McCoy has done just enough to get it done so far against a somewhat light schedule (except for a tough win over Texas Tech).   The Sooners lost their 2 games to ranked teams (Miami and BYU) by just 1 point each, and now have QB Sam Bradford back.   Bradford quietly passed for over 400 yards in his return game against Baylor.  Sooners get back in the BCS picture (barely). Oklahoma  35, Texas 24.

GAME 3: Another defining moment arrives for # 25  Notre Dame (4-1) coach Charlie Weis, as he takes on # 6 USC (4-1).  He's got the nation's leading passer in Jimmy Clausen, but the Fighting Irish could easily be 2-3 instead of 4-1, barely squeaking out some nail biters.   Pete Carrol has USC back in step after losing to Washington , with crushing victories over Washington State and Cal respectively.   Despite that, I think Weis gets the hugest win of his career in an upset.  Notre Dame 32, USC 30.

GAME 4: I've learned my lesson (not really, but..).  Picked Miami AND Boston College to knock off the # 4 Hokies (5-1) and was not even close.  Virginia Tech has the # 1 scoring offense, and # 2 scoring defense in the ACC.   # 19 Georgia Tech (5-1) has the home field advantage and a potent running game, but the defense has been inconsistent.  VTech ruins Yellow Jackets Homecoming , and puts a virtual lock on ACC Coastal title.  Virginia Tech 42, Georgia Tech 28.

GAME 5: Previously unbeaten Wisconsin (5-1) got a wake up call at the "Shoe" last week at the hands of an inspired Ohio State team.  They will have their hands full again with the visiting unbeaten, and 11th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes (6-0).   Iowa comes off impressive wins against Penn State on the road and Michigan.   The Hawkeyes have not started a season 6-0 since 1985, and the streak won't end in Madison:  Iowa 34, Wisconsin 24.

So there you have it.  If you're keeping score, my expertise on behalf of the ORB team has yielded a record of  3 wins and 4 losses.   I feel confident the record will be 8 wins and 4 losses after this weekend.  I also feel confident you will love the 20% off you will receive by entering code RIVALS09 @ checkout on the greatest, most comfortable, most retro shirts on Earth - Original Retro Brand!

Not exactly Hamlet, but to those in the world of college football, it really is the big question as we head into week # 6 of the season.  Will Heisman candidate Tim Tebow get clearance to play this weekend, as the nations # 1 ranked Florida Gators take on the # 4 LSU Tigers?

Even if Tebow does get clearance, he will be back just in time to face an extremely tenacious, and confident LSU defense that comes off  back to back emotional road victories over Mississippi State, and between the hedges at Georgia.  Will the comforts of being back home at Tiger Stadium give LSU the edge?

The problem for LSU is their offense.   They are loaded with talent, but have only shown signs of lighting it up, and are ranked dead last in total offense in the SEC.   Meanwhile, visiting Florida is ranked first in both total offense AND total defense in the SEC.

Let's face it folks - Jimmy "the Greek", I ain't.  Since I began blogging on my "College Game of the Week," I have a stellar record of 0-2, picking Miami to defeat Virginia Tech, and CAL to beat USC.   Maybe it's time to start picking the winner based on the players on the field, and NOT a) picking Miami just to impress highly talented (and attractive) female sports reporter who happens to be Canes fan, and NOT  b) because I think a team has a cooler logo and fight song than their opponent (see CAL over USC).   No, this week I put on my true, rational and objectively thinking football cap and pick the..........

Florida Gators to defeat LSU in Baton Rouge, 28 -20.   I think coach Urban Meyer will have his team ready, with or without Tebow.  Florida backup John Brantley has completed 73% of his passes and thrown for 4 touchdowns in limited mop-up action, and I believe will be up to snuff if Tebow is not cleared to play.

For the record, I think the Tigers have the cooler uniforms, but Florida has the cooler mascot logo.   Now a few quick week # 6 picks for you...

ROAD RAGE:  # 21 Nebraska forgets VTech loss completely and wins on the road over # 24 Mizzou....Boston College upsets # 5 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.....Auburn stays unbeaten at Arkansas......# 22 Georgia Tech makes life unbearable for Bobby Bowden and Florida State in Tallahassee.

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