Talk of the town

Being a Division I college football player, it’s good to talk a

little smack.

CSU’s quarterback definitely does. Sure, Bradlee Van Pelt’s

mouth gets him into some trouble every so often, but his play backs

it up.

This week he was named the Mountain West Conference Offensive

Player of the Year for the second straight season. Every week,

though, he’s one of those guys people love to talk to because of

what may come out of his mouth.

For example, a couple weeks ago I asked him a random question

that surprisingly tells you a lot about BVP: What was the best

Christmas present you’ve ever received?

“When I was in fifth grade, I got this bike called the Piston

Bully. That’s when I was riding BMXs all the time. So I got this

Piston Bully, and this is a good story,” BVP said. “So we get it

for Christmas, and literally five days later, right around New

Years, my brother’s friend borrows my bike, because (my brother)

had a new bike, too. They went to downtown Santa Barbara (Calif.)

and got my bike stolen.

“At that time, that’s when you’re just getting to where, ‘Wow, I

got a new

bike.’ I thought I was rockin’. My dad got it for me. I was so

stoked. And then it gets ripped off, stolen!”

And you were expecting him to say a new skateboard or an

autographed football, huh? Not this guy.

“This is the bike I asked for, so what I did was walk by the

store and, as a kid, I wanted to see if my parents bought it yet.

So every day I’d walk by that store and that bike was still there.

On Christmas Eve, I walked by that store. That bike was still

there. I was like, ‘I’m not getting the bike,'” Van Pelt said. “But

my dad knew we did this, so what he did, was he went and picked

that bike up late Christmas Eve and made a deal with the owner. So

I totally didn’t think I was getting that bike. But when I woke up

early and walked out there, there were three brand new bikes (for

me and two of my other brothers). It was just like boom, I jumped

on it. Screw every other gift…

“It was the one bike I had wanted for so long. It was a

thick-framed Piston Bully; no one had it. I thought I was pimp, and

I was,” he said. “You know, Christmas Day – I rode that thing all

over with my friends. That’s when I was in the BMX age. My friends

and I would take them apart, and we actually built our own with

spare parts. I got (the Piston Bully) and it was devastating (to

lose). It hurt.”

I’ve got to say, it’s fun to hear a big-time college quarterback

talk about a bike he lost when he was 10. Somehow, though, I think

if BVP gets his wish this year, it’ll make up for fifth grade.

“I need a Mastercraft boat because this Memorial Day, right when

school gets out, we’re going to Lake Havasu (Ariz.). If you’re man

without a boat in Havasu, you don’t get the goods,” he said. “So I

need a ’98 Mastercraft with a 350-Corvette engine in it so when I

go to Havasu I can get the goods, if you know what I mean.”

Yeah, we know what you mean. Only you, BVP. Only you.