I managed to confirm today that William Alvarez actually exists. He showed up at practice, despite the fact that his academic status still up in the air with the NCAA Clearinghouse. He can practice for 14 days as he awaits word from The Association.

The Hokies could use him to add depth on the offensive line, especially since Ed Wang is out with a broken ankle. And word is, Vegas has begun taking odds on whether Alvarez will actually get into school. You can parlay it with the money line for tomorrow’s Mets game and the over/under for the number of burritos The Tech Media Corps will eat this season at Cabo Fish Taco.

QUESTION: How do you guys see the line shaping up this season? Are you more or less concerned about it than you are about the growth of North Korea’s nuclear program?

Oh, and not to be a self-smitten Sultan Of Shill Jobs, but if you’re interested in the offensive line, I’ll have a story in tomorrow’s print edition on true freshman Blake DeChristopher, a right tackle from Clover Hill High who will see more playing time with Wang out.

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Caught up after practice with senior defensive tackle Barry Booker to grill him about the big toe on his left foot. Actually, there wasn’t much grilling going on, though it should be noted that the plastic boot on Booker’s foot looked like it belonged to Peter Weller.

Booker sprained ligaments in his toe during a drill Tuesday. He had a turf toe problem last season, and those kind of injuries tend to be as nagging as they are inaccurately named (apparently, you can get turf toe on natural grass, too).

“You can’t really get rid of it,“ Booker said. “You’ve just got to kind of deal with it. It’s like a jammed toe pretty much. Real painful.“

Booker won’t play in Saturday’s scrimmage, but he’ll return next week.

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Got word earlier today from The Powers That Be that we’ll be moving the link to this blog so it’s easier to find on the Web site. I’ve heard from some quarters recently that it’s easier to find a man in business slacks at Bonnaroo. So hang in there, gang. In the meantime, feel free to send along any questions, comments or general missives.

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Bonus tidbit: I knew I thought linebacker Purnell Sturdivant had a great name for some reason. And I just realized it as I watch the Best of Will Ferrell DVD with Washington Post Lord of Lethargy Adam Kilgore (and fondly remember the days when “Saturday Night Live” was actually funny). One of Ferrell’s best characters is Dale Sturtevant, the sarcastic dog trainer in the sketch called Dissing Your Dog. Check it out on YouTube.