Moutaineers fans get a chance to vent anger

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A lot of West Virginia football fans would pay a lot of money to whack former head coach Rich Rodriguez with a stick.

It will only cost five bucks.

On Saturday night, the Charleston Civic Center was filled with Mountaineer fans rooting on their basketball team against Oklahoma, but come Wednesday, a few thousand of them will return to the arena for a Fiesta Bowl watch party when West Virginia takes on the Sooners at 7 p.m.

And Rodriguez will be on hand — in the form of a piñata that fans can take a swing at for $5, with all proceeds benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

That's just one of a variety of things West Virginia fans are doing to show their displeasure for Rodriguez's recent departure to take the head football coaching job at Michigan.

If smacking a paper-mache Rodriguez isn't good enough, Ed Schoettker is providing another option for angry Mountaineer fans.

The Charleston resident arrived at Saturday's basketball game with a life-size cardboard cutout of Rodriguez — with a few of his own modifications, of course.

Covering the West Virginia logo on his shirt was a yellow "M.” In his hand was a bottle of "Devil's Juice.” And adorning his head were a pair of horns.

Schoettker was letting Mountaineer fans write personal messages — no vulgarity allowed — to Rodriguez. He was most proud of a message that simply read "$ Slave,” which he said was written by a 6-year-old girl.

After the Fiesta Bowl, Schoettker plans to ship the Rodriguez cutout to the Michigan athletic department.

"He told us last year that he was staying,” said Winfield, W.Va., resident Bill Ayers, referring to Rodriguez's decision to turn down the Alabama job after the 2006 season. "He has the right to leave and to seek better employment, but we're upset with the way he left the state and the way he left his players.”

"What he did to us shows a lack of character,” said Ed McNeil of Charleston. "We thought we had a coach with very high character. That's what he preached to his players.

"He's made a lot of us into Ohio State fans.”