It's a small world but there's a BIG correction to the Patton-"WVU" story

I got this email from Elizabeth Patton, once editor of Sidebar, the Beacon Journal's magazine for employees and retirees:

John, happened to be in town Fri evening and met up with some very nice young men from W.VA’s baseball team who were in town to play Young Harris College, Fri, Sat and Sunday. All were very friendly and were enjoying our “good” weather with temps of 50-55.

The team was in Blairsville (GA, where Elizabeth lives) and Young Harris (GA) College is just a few miles away. We were at Papa’s Pizza where they were enjoying all you can eat pizza buffet. The owner was having a time trying to keep the buffet full. Those guys could eat!!!!

It seems they are snowed in back home and can’t play at all so they are on a Southern swing and will head to Carolina Monday. Nice to see them. Thought I would let you know.

Elizabeth

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As it turns out, this was NOT the WVU team but the Potomac State team, which previously was a junor college but now is Potomac State College of WVU, one of the two-year satellite campuses for the main WVU in Morgantown.

When I told Elizabeth about the correct name of the team she replied: "I guess I was confused because the bus they were traveling in said West Virginia Mountaineers." That would have confused me, too, because the Potomac State team's nickname is the Catamounts, named after the cougar. But Potomac State athletes have "WVU" on everything, including, obviously, the team bus.

Like many northern teams, including the University of Akron, WVU is playing in the south for several weeks before it's safe to return home to Morgantown weather. But the WVU team from Morgantown was playing in Conway, SC, this weekend. Sorry for the mixup.

Blairsville is 20 miles from North Carolina’s western border. Elizabeth's daughter, Cynthia, is in Marietta, GA and Elizabeth's son, Michael, in Dallas, GA, both not all that far from Atlanta. Elizabeth's friend, BJ Advertising retiree Sue Murphy, lives in Hilton Head, SC.

Keeping with the "small world" theme, the 16-year head coach of the West Virginia University baseball team, Greg Van Zant, is the son of Jim Van Zant, who was sports editor of the Williamson, West Virginia, Daily News before and after I held the job, my first after my graduation from WVU. Jim was away in the Army. When he returned to his old job, I moved over to City Editor because C.T. Mitchell, fortunately for me, created another opening when he left for the Huntington, WV Advertiser, the afternoon newspaper.

My apologies for not checking better. I looked at the WVU schedule and thought the Young Harris games were exhibitions that don't show up on the schedule. As Harry Liggett taught me long ago, if you assume then you make an "ass" out of "u" and "me." Harry is right again.

To see an earlier BJ Alums post on Elizabeth, click on the headline. If you click on the headline of the earlier story, you'll see photos of Elizabeth and family dog Cookie.