“Well, I Guess It All Started One Rainy Day At The Black Bear Bistro…”

Every great tale usually has a backstory. And as I was reading Jerry’s post about how this site came to be in such a small amount of time, I thought maybe some folks would like to hear some of that backstory.

Jerry and I are not only life-long friends, but we’re writers and story tellers. So much so that when he called and asked if I wanted to get together and have lunch, the next obvious question was where. He lives in Charlottesville and I live in Ashburn, so we looked for a town somewhere in the middle.

Warrenton was the choice.

Since neither of us have ever stepped foot in Warrenton, I did a little online searching for a place with good food, but not so good they’d be rushing us out of the place in 30 minutes. There were 3 or 4 options that seemed to meet that criteria, but only one had a memorable name.

I texted Jerry with my idea.

“You ever been there?” Jerry responded.

“No.”

“Then why there?”

“Because one day if this all works out, I want to be able to tell a story that starts with one rainy afternoon over an oyster po boy at a place called the Black Bear Bistro….”

“Good enough for me.”

What you are now seeing is only the beginning. As you can imagine, now is not a great time to be starting a site if you’re expecting to fill it with a lot of copy. Some components are placeholders (I can’t imagine you’d come to this site to see what the weather is like in Charlottesville) and some are aimed specifically at a fan’s experience.

For example, suppose you’re having a debate about exactly what happened in a UVA football game in 1982. Click on “sports databases” and it will take you to UVA’s entries in the sports-reference.com database. Page by page, you can scroll through each season going back to the early 70s. Complete with who the coaches were, rosters, statistics, etc. I’ve pointed sublinks at UVA and area teams, and I’ve also put up menu choices for area professional teams. So if you want to know how many walkoff home runs Ryan Zimmerman has hit with the Nationals in what season, it’s there.

When college football season begins, want to know who is playing on what channel other than the Wahoos? Click on “CollegeFB on TV.” Want to know who is ranked where, or who is in third place during the current professional season? Click on “Rankings/Standings.” “Calendar” is filled with the schedules of area teams and are also displayed for the next few days in a component called “On Deck.” When more UVA teams post their fall schedules, those will be added.

You will also find over time that while our focus is on great writing and content, there hopefully will also be a sense of community when you visit the site. We believe in it, so don’t be surprised if at some time we’re emailing or calling you. As Jerry has pointed out, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in the sales and marketing world, so it’s ingrained in me to take care of your customers, or someone else will.

There are no plans right now for forums, but the comments sections are open to guests or people who register (and please use your manners). All our emphasis has been on getting this site up in a matter of days, but things like special features, podcasts, videos, etc. are on the drawing board. And if we move as quickly on them as we have in getting this site up, it won’t be long before you see them.

So thanks for joining us! In recapping the story of lunch at the Black Bear Bistro last week, I do feel the need to flesh out one point Jerry may have conveniently left out. Having not seen Jerry in a long time, my first comment to him was “man you look great and I hate you.” He’d lost weight, looked relaxed, and life was agreeing with him. “How’d you do it?” I asked.

Jerry then told me of his daily regimen, and how he focused on a healthy lifestyle.

Then he ordered a bacon cheeseburger the size of Cleveland.