Thursday, December 28, 2006
Basketball: UT v. Tenn. Tech
The Discombobulator and the Blender are loading up the crew(s) in the El Camino for tonight's game against Tennessee Tech; 7 pm on CSS (so you know it's good).
Preview, preview, preview.
Here's the trick: don't fall asleep. I'm not sure how many tickets have been sold but I'm guessing this one won't be a sell-out, and with a bunch of students out of town, added to the fact that (no offense to the Golden Eagles) Tenn. Tech isn't the sexiest opponent to play, and there might not be a lot of electricity in the Thomps tonight. Going out and getting the job done needs to be the focus for UT tonight.
I'm sure there will be an open thread at Rock Top Talk, but if not, feel free to leave your comments here. I'm AWOL for this game as I'll be on the road.
Go Vols!
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Outback Bowl Roundtable #3
Here's the third and final installment of roundtable questions. Thanks to everyone who has participated in this, I'll be doing a roundup of responses prior to the game. Also, good luck to the Penn State folks in the bowl game (but, you know, not really).
1) Up to now, we've all been pretty civil about our concerns around this game. Now that Christmas is behind us and it's actually game week, it's time to take the gloves off and talk some smack. Tell everybody why your offense is going to light up the scoreboard against those weak-ass defenders from (Knoxville/State College).
2) On the other side of the ball, let everybody know how your defense is going to beat all manner of hell out of the (Tennessee/Penn State) offense. Special teams smack is encouraged, too.
3) Ultimately, what we've been working towards here: a prediction. Score at least, but other specific visions of carnage are welcome, too. Loser buys the steak.
College Football Blogs Go to Hollywood, Part 3
Who's an idiot and has a blog? This guy.
In nominating SMQ and MGo for the Old Faithful (best recurring feature) Award, I forgot the one recurring feature that I actually participate in each week, the Hail Mary Haiku. Nominations + dumbass = me. Especially after Joel was kind enough to nominate "3 Thoughts and a Cloud of Dust" for that same award, as well as nominating this blog as best new blog of the year. Mia culpa, a thousand pardons, sir. I just hope somebody else nominated it so I can at least vote for it.
On to the final installment of my nominees for the 2006 College Football Blogger Awards. Today, the Blogger Championship Series, nominations for the best blogs by conference. Also, the I Wanna Talk About Me Free-for-All, in which "Each blogger, no matter who they are, must identify their three best posts of the year." Man, just three out of all the brilliance that has poured from my keyboard. Whatever shall I do?
Ahem, on to the Blogger Championship Series, regrettably light on the praise heaping due to time constraints:
ACC: Ramblin' Racket
Big 10: MGoBlog, but also The Nittany Line, Black Shoe Diaries, and Run Up the Score, for being swell and participating in my Outback bowl Roundtables.
Big XII: Burnt Orange Nation, also Double Extra Point, who nominated this site for "Best New Blog," and therefore must be a helluva guy.
Big East/ND: The Mountainlair
PAC 10: Bruins Nation
SEC: Rocky Top Talk. Yes, I am a homer in every possible way.
Non-BCS: Block U
National Coverage: Sunday Morining Quarterback
Mythical National Champion: SMQ
The I Wanna Talk About Me Free-For-All, personal best 3 posts of the year. People really liked "We Must Protect This Cheese," but my personal favorites were:
Justin Harrell Doesn't Eat Honey, He Chews Bees
The Death of Johnny Ball
Sympathy for the Visor
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Merry Christmas from a Jar
As if YouTube wasn't great enough already, here's some clips from Christmas Vacation.
Merry Christmas, sh***er was full.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Texas Discombobulated
It looked like there might be a flat tire, but as always, the Discombobulator changed all that. After the Vols used most of their gas to get to overtime, the El Camino coasted into Uncle Bruce's driveway for Christmas dinner on fumes. Now everybody will wake up to the surprise of a 10-2 record in their stocking. Couldn't ask for much more than that at this point.
Like everyone else, I'm busy with the Christmas stuff, so I'll just let this picture stand as a recap of the game:
Go Vols, Merry Christmas.
Mess With Texas: UT v. TU
Tennessee hosts Texas today for a little roundball action, Noon EST, ESPN.
Preview, preview.
A year ago, Tennessee got a huge blowout road win over a highly ranked Texas team, shocking most and setting the tone for what Bruce Pearl-style basketball would be like in Knoxville. Today, the Vols are 5-point favorites at home against a Longhorns club that has lost to Gonzaga and Michigan State, but also beaten a really good LSU team. All of those games were at neutral sites, today Texas has to step into an environment that should be pretty hostile despite the fact that students are on break.
Following this week's big win over Oklahoma State, Tennessee needs this game to show they can string together big victories over name teams. The Vols aren't completely healthy, however. Jordan Howell is out with a broken bone in his right hand, but thankfully Dane Bradshaw will be able to play through his pain.
Open thread @ Rocky Top Talk.
I'll leave you with this, a song I wrote a couple of years ago called "Mess With Texas." I can't sing and I don't play any instruments, and I don't know anybody who does that records music, so this song will never be heard, but I'll use Tennessee playing Texas as a chance to let the song live, anyway. Go Vols!
"Mess With Texas"
Texas and Tennessee
Have got a little bit of a rivalry.
One's the home of Music City,
The other's got Lone Star Beer.
But I know Texas wouldn't even be here
If wasn't for a bunch of Volunteers,
So I'm gonna mess with Texas if I want to.
Dallas, Austin, and El Paso
Would all be part of Old Mexico
If Crockett hadn't been at the Alamo
Lendin' y'all a hand.
But he stood tall on the Rio Grande
Fighting for a piece of Dixieland
So I'm gonna mess with Texas if I want to.
Chorus
If I want to mess with Texas,
I think I've got the right
'Cause a bunch of folks from Tennessee
Helped you win the fight.
Now I like Willie and Waylon, too,
And I voted twice for W,
But I'm gonna mess with Texas if I want to.
On a hallowed Hill in Tennessee
Sits the home of the real UT,
So all you Longhorns sippin' tea
Better take a note.
I don't mean to brag or gloat,
It's just part of a song I wrote,
But I'm gonna mess with Texas if I want to.
Chorus
Friday, December 22, 2006
College Football Blogs Go to Hollywood, Part 2
I might not get around to all of my nominees for the 2006 College Football Blogger Awards before the nominating process closes (nominations end Dec. 22, so get in while you fit in), but I do want to point out all the fine blogs that I did nominate, anyway. Earlier this week it was the nominees for blogs in general, today it's individual posts. And the nominees are...
The Tyrone Prothro And His Amazing Catch Award -- The finest individual post of the college football year, best post for whatever reason.
Eleven Swans, MGoBlog: Like most of us who didn't have a direct rooting interest, I was growing tired of the MSM overhype of OSU/Michigan as the Greatest Game Ever Played before either team had taken the field. Then Bo Schembechler died. Then I read this. The emotion in the post is palpable, but even if you didn't have a rooting interest in the game, even if you didn't have feelings for Schembechler, there was this paragraph:
It occurs that at some point the Michigan program acquired the traits you hold dear -- loyalty, honesty, tradition, victory. And you wonder: if you were a different person who valued other things would you care so much? It occurs that at some point the Michigan program acquired other traits you share but do not hold particularly dear -- cantankerousness, stubbornness, an inability to suffer fools gladly. And you wonder: do I like Michigan because of the way I am, or am I the way I am because I like Michigan?
The answer seems clear.
Now take out "Michigan" and put in the name of your school. And that's why this is the post of the year.
The Old Faithful Award -- The best recurring feature of the year.
Alright, I've heaped enough love on Brian for today, but I will mention Under Further Review, the weekly post(s) in which he charts and grades the game film ... just for a blog. Where he gets the time for this, I have no idea. I would love to be able to do that same thing on this blog, but, no. Also nominated in this category: SMQ's Friday Morning Quarterback and Sunday Morning Quarterback, the best previews/reviews in the biz.
The That's Not Really Real Award -- The best photoshop or other counterfeit gag of the year.
I don't even have any ill will towards Reggie Ball, but I loved this, from Hey Jenny Slater.
The I'm Just Like You But I Have a Podcast Award -- The best podcast or podcaster of the year.
House Rock Built: Friday Night Lites, good stuff, would have liked more of them.
Next time out: The Blogger Championship Series and some myself-on-the-back patting.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Outback Bowl Roundtable #2
Thanks to everyone who participated in last week's roundtable. Same thing this week: 3 questions about the upcoming game in Tampa, open to any and all Tennessee/Penn State bloggers and fans. Here's round two:
1) It’s hard to keep up with what every team is doing during the regular season, but by now we’ve had time to look up some stats and get at least a general feeling about the opponent. Based on that, what do you know about (Penn State/Tennessee) that might cause you to worry? Are there any specific players on offense, defense, or special teams that might cause match-up problems for your team?
2) Moving from the boys on the field to the men on the sidelines, these two teams have the longest-tenured coaches in their respective conferences. As a (Tennessee/Penn St.) fan, what is your impression of (Joe Paterno/Phillip Fulmer)?
3) Each team has played one of the BCS Championship Game participants, and we’ve each played some bottom-feeders, too. Based on what you know about the opponent, how does (Tennessee/Penn State) compare to the teams that you faced durning the regular season?
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Once More for the Road: Bradshaw's Tip-In
See the Blender blend, the Discombobulator discombobulate, and an MRI stand for "My Rebound Inside." All YouTubed for your viewing pleasure:
The brilliant thing about the Lofton play was that even though he missed the two free throws, he fouled out Curry. The brilliant thing about Bradshaw's play was its' brilliance.
Oh, and the announcer who came up with "the Blender" was Jimmy Dykes. Credit where credit is due.
College Football Blogs Go To Hollywood, Part 1
This keeps getting put on the back burner. Now it's almost boiled dry.
The 2006 College Football Blogger Awards -- a less than inspiring name, but an inspired idea to be sure. Joel and Brian have got the wheels up on this thing and it's flying to its destination, wherever that may be.
Fears that only the big boys will get nominated have been quelled by Brian and Joel, though in trying to pick nominees it becomes obvious that the big boys are the big boys for a reason. Still, love + spread = good. However, I'm going to be a total hypocrite and nominate a bunch of the big guys, anyway.
Nominations are open to anyone, not just bloggers. So if you know of a blog that needs nominatin', check out the categories at RTT and then head over to Brian's nomination thingamajig.
Lots of categories, so my nominations will be revealed over a few posts. Here's the first:
Awards for Blogs
The Dr. Z Award -- for using numbers and research to make a convincing argument, while not being boring about it.
Sunday Morning Quarterback: Leaving no number uncrunched, SMQ has analysis on lock. I used to feel that watching College Gameday on ESPN was prerequisite for a proper day of football, but now it's reading "Friday Morning Quarterback" instead. Then, coming back for "Sunday Morning Quarterback" is a must to help digest what all I think I saw, and what I really saw. Sprinkle in occasional well-reasoned rants against the BCS and breakdowns of statistical minutiae...it's just great stuff.
The Trev Alberts Quits To Do Construction Award -- for being OMG Y'ALL GOTTA READ THIS! funny.
Every Day Should Be Saturday: And every blog should be that funny. Orson weaves hilarity and actual college football analysis in a way than nobody can even try to imitate. And that's the nicest thing I'll ever say about a Florida fan.
The Sports Fans Don't Cry Award -- for not taking your ball and going home, even though your team might have.
Orange 44: Here's where I get around to nominating one of the Not Huge blogs. Matt Glaude wrote the post "Pythagorean Win Theorem: Big East" on October 26, with his Orange at 3-5 and languishing in the Big East. I actually came across this post looking for basketball blogs, and maybe it's because I'm not a "numbers guy" really, but for somebody to be running mathematical thingamajigs while his team is suffering through a dismal season like Syracuse's shows some real dedication.
The Keith Jackson Circa 1995 Award -- for kickin' prose.
MGoBlog: I don't really care about Michigan football. Or Michigan basketball. And I sure don't give a tinker's damn about Michigan hockey. But once you (I) start reading MGo, it's impossible to stop. It doesn't matter what the post is about, Brian's style makes for interesting, enjoyable reading.
The LOL, MSM Award -- for making sure the man don't keep you down.
The M Zone: This award is technically for being "consistently ahead of the curve on controversial issues in college football" but it's also for "keeping tabs on the man and calling out all of the injustices in the college football world." Keeping tabs on the man is where The M Zone comes in. I had honestly never heard of a blog until I heard about the Colin Cowherd/M Zone dust-up. For a blog to take on the Worldwide Leader -- and win -- is astounding.
The Best Community Interaction Award -- for, well, read the title.
College Football Resource: While CFR doesn't always have the most comments on every post, I feel Brian G. does the best job of answering his critics anywhere. You don't have to agree with everything he writes (and believe me, I don't) because he always welcomes a good argument and is typically ready with a counter-argument. CFR is also the only college football blog I know of with an entire page inviting readers to start their own blog, giving instruction and advice on how to do so. Finding that page is what got me started blogging in the first place.
In the next installment: Awards for individual posts.
El Camino Rides on the Rims to Victory
With the Blender driving and the Discombobulator riding shotgun, Tennessee's EL Camino got to victory lane once again with a 79-77 win over Oklahoma State.
If you haven't been keeping score, the Blender is Dane Bradshaw, the Discombobulator is Chris Lofton, and Tennessee's basketball team is like an El Camino: not always pretty, but versatile and able to get the job done.
The losses to Butler and UNC made me question this team's prospects for the season, but I'm feeling much better after wins over Memphis and OK St. These Vols look like they can, in fact, play with the big boys.
I'll have more on the game later, including some YouTubed highlights if I get time. Basically, I just wanted an excuse to post a picture of an orange El Camino.
Ah, that's the stuff.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Basketball Last-Minute Preview and Joel Lives
UT v. Oklahoma State in Nashville, 7 pm Eastern, ESPN2.
Preview, preview.
Breaking news, sort of, per the Tennessean: "Oklahoma State’s third leading scorer, freshman guard Obi Muonelo, is out for the season and will not play in tonight’s game against Tennessee at the Gaylord Entertainment Center." I say it's sort of breaking news because although the headline is in the "latest news" category, the kid apparently broke his leg Saturday (I guess it is breaking news, then) and had surgery yesterday. The headline also reads "Top Oklahoma State player out," but it's really just a freahman sixth man. Take it for what it's worth.
Joel, apparently alive, is hosting the open thread at Rocky Top Talk.
3 Thoughts and a Cloud of Dust: Only Seven Shopping Days Left Edition
--Coach Fulmer seemed to be thrilled by Saturday night's scrimmage: "I loved it; I though it was great for us. For us to not have anything like that between the Kentucky game and when we play Penn State would have been bad." Fulmer also added that while working the starters was important, he wanted to get the young guys some work, which explains why Roy Olasimbo was the scrimmage's leading rusher.
--Another reason Olasimbo was the leading rusher: LaMarcus Coker was held out for, according to Fulmer, "not doing something he told me he was going to do." How can a guy who has worked that hard to get to the top of the depth chart, to come back from injury, and make it to the top of the depth chart again, get himself into coach's doghouse? I think I just sprained my eyes from rolling them too hard.
--On a positive note, Tennessee picked up an OMG HUGE commitment from Fairburn, GA, 5-star cornerback Eric Berry on Sunday. Berry's a legacy at UT as his father, James Berry, was a starting running back for the Vols from 1979-81.
Go Vols!
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Basketball Open Thread
I'm not sure what's up with Joel, but hopefully it's not serious. If you're the praying type, throw one in for him for good measure.
Since RTT is on the physically unable to perform list, I'll host today's open thread for the basketball game, though I'm not sure I'll be around to comment, either. But for you guys and gals who want to chat during the game, use the comments link below.
Get well Joel, and Go Vols!
Like, Basketball and Stuff: UT v. Western Kentucky
The El Camino tries to climb the hill today. It's Vols and Hilltoppers Saturday afternoon, 4pm, FSN South.
Preview, preview.
New year's resolution: more basketball coverage. I've really been wanting to get more in-depth about b-ball on this site, but (kids+Christmas+ work)/time=none. So yeah, but hoops prognosticating, pontificating, and punditry in '07. Promise.
Here's what i do know about WKU, this is their mascot:
If you lose to that, it should haunt your dreams. Hopefully, that won't be a concern.
Go Vols!
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Outback Bowl Roundtable, Round 1
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." --Sun Tzu, The Art of War
With Sun Tzu's words in mind, I have asked fellow FanHouse blogger Todd Sponsler to engage in a little Outback Bowl Roundtable discussion with me. I've come up with three sets of questions which will be rolled out over the weeks leading up to the game. Todd and I will have our responses up at the FanHouse site.
But two people make for a pretty small table, no matter how round, so I'm also asking any and all Tennessee or Penn State bloggers and fans to join in, too. If you have a blog and the spirit moves you, copy and answer these questions on your site, then come back and leave a link to the post in the comments section below. For non-blogging readers who would like to participate, you can leave your answers in the comments, too.
On to the questions, first installment:
1) Rose, Sugar, Orange … Outback? While it is certainly the premier steakhouse-themed bowl, the game in Tampa is probably not most teams’ pre-season goal. That being said, as a (Penn St. /Tennessee) fan and blogger, on a scale from crushing disappointment to overwhelming glee, what is your reaction to playing in this game? Also, what is the fan base at large’s feeling about accepting a bowl bid that comes with a side of bloomin’ onion?
2) Tennessee and Penn State last played in the Citrus Bowl following the 1993 season. Since then, both teams have had an undefeated season and both teams have had at least one losing season. Where is your program now as opposed to where it was then? Are things better, worse, or about the same as when these two teams last played? Not looking for a summary of the last 13 years, but rather an overall feeling of the program now compared to then.
3) Now that we know how you feel about your own program, let’s look at the other side of the coin. As a (Tennessee/Penn St.) fan, what do you think of when you hear (“Nittany Lions”/ “Volunteers”)? Does this opponent strike fear in you heart, or barely cause a blip on the radar?
Monday, December 11, 2006
Pearl's at It Again, But What Exactly Is 'It'?
This past Friday night, Bruce Pearl was in Chattanooga at East Ridge High School checking out Phillip Jurick, a top-30 recruit for the class of '08. Pearl, depending on your source, either was kicked out of the game by the officials and later allowed to return, or was about to be kicked out when an administrator intervened. Either way, an official thought Pearl was getting a little too vocal and felt something needed to be done, although all reports I've seen say Pearl only said "let them play" after a foul.
My take on the situation is that Bruce was making himself visible. The recruit will never forget the night coach Pearl came to see him play and almost got kicked out. I have a feeling, though, that there are some vol fans who see this as a problem. It is the second time in a year that Pearl has had a run-in with the refs at a high school game, albeit last time it was one of his son's games and he was just being a boisterous parent.
Apparently Gary Parrish at CBS Sportsline is thinking along the same lines as I am, writing about Pearl:
"So if you're keeping score, Pearl has, in the past year, had run-ins with referees at two high schools games, told UT students at a pep rally that he was going to 'kick Florida's ass' and snapped at a reporter who, best he could tell, asked a 'horse%*$# question.'
While some might view these things as negatives, I contend it's exactly what Tennessee needs in a coach, somebody with so much fire and passion he forces people to care at a school where men's basketball has long ranked behind football, spring football and women's basketball in terms of importance. Like or hate Pearl, it's hard to ignore the guy, and that he's winning makes everything tolerable."
So what do you think, Vol fans? Is Pearl out of control, or deliberately making himself seen? Is this good or bad for Tennessee?
Let me know in the comments link below.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Breaking News: State of Alabama Imploding, History Being Revised, Bear Still Dead
As you know by now, Rich Rodriguez went from being Alabama's next head coach to being West Virginia's still head coach, just a little richer. So far, both Steve Spurrier and Rodriguez have used Bama to get more money from their current employer. Nelson?
That's right. Predictably, Tennessee fans are finding the whole situation more than a little funny. How can you not? Seeing the Bammers go ape-poop because nobody worth a darn wants to coach at the Capstone is priceless. And they're not helping anything out. Rich Rodriguez's bio on Wikipedia is closed to editing because, well, Alabama fans are crazy. It's been removed now, but earlier there was a paragraph of Rodriguez's bio chock full of Bama looniness. Luckily, I was able to do a screen capture while the Bama-revisionist-history version of CRR's bio was still up:
Ok, so you probably can't read that, but it says: "Coach Rodriguez later lied on national television by stating that he was baffled concerning the Alabama coaching job. He was very surprised and did not know what Alabama was talking about. By doing this, he shamed the game of football and shamed a program that has 12 National Championships. He will stay at West Virginia, where he belongs, and continue to lead a second rate club."
Speaking of liars, 12 national championships? Fittingly, the person who made this revision was logged in as Uabear315. Emphasis mine. Stay classy, Tuscaloosa.
Random Fulmer Bashing by Rick Bozich
Recently, Louisville Courier-Journal writer Rick Bozich wrote a cloumn bashing the BCS for pairing Louisville and Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl. In the process, he managed to slam Phil Fulmer, which I thought was beyond odd. So, I wrote about it, over at the FanHouse site. The post, if you're interested:
The thrust of Bozich's anti-BCS column is this: Louisville got "shuffled off to a game against Wake Forest" because the "pedigree snobs" who vote in the coaches' and Harris polls don't think the Big East is good enough for the main event. Think about it: the man is calling the voters snobs while simultaneously saying that playing against the ACC champion in the Orange Bowl is beneath a school whose stadium is named after a pizza joint. Who's the snob again?
Well, in Bozich's non sequitur world, the evil villain is ... Tennessee's Phil Fulmer. Yeah. I don't think Fulmer has a horse in Louisville's race, but the man from the Courier-Journal would make it seem so...
Click here to continue.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Blog Orange Country 12/8/06
I thought the Vol blogosophere needed a nickname, so I came up with "Blog Orange Country." Ugh. Maybe I should have just left it alone. But it's no worse than UGa fans calling their blogs the "Dawgosphere," which they do. Of you can come up with something better, and please do, let me know.
Anyway, a look at what's been going on in Blog Orange Country (hey, it's starting to grow on me) this week:
@ Rocky Top Talk:
--There's been a lot of psudoephedrine talk this week, so Joel has either been fighting a nasty cold or has a meth lab in his tool shed. While it's probably the former, he's put together something just as addictive as the latter: a regular-season recap, YouTube style. It's something to do while we wait and wait on the BlogPoll award announcement.
@ 8th Maxim:
--8th is tearing up the numbers in advance of the Outback Bowl. Stats, stats, and history of the UT-PSU series.
@ Voluminous:
--Volpimp offers an early prediction on the Outback Bowl.
@ Loser With Socks:
--Follow the Alabama Build-A-Bear saga.
Also, Tennessee Football FanHouse (by yours truly), Tennessee Basketball FanHouse (not by yours truly).
Let me know what I've missed. Go Vols.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Calipari Discombobulated: Vols 76 Tigers 58
A year ago, Tennessee basketball had much in common with a sports car: sleek, agile, fast, pretty. Overall, just a lot of fun.
So far this season, it's been more like an El Camino: some good ideas (A car and a truck combined? Brilliant! Get the ball to Crews/Chisim in the paint? Brilliant!), but the end result is kinda clunky, kinda ugly, and something you're not sure you want to be associated with. That is, until Wednesday night's 76-58 blowout win over Memphis [State].
On Wednesday night, that El Camino got two new bumper stickers that can proudly be displayed on the back windshield. The first says "Ain't Skeerd," and is stuck on the back glass by Chris Lofton, which is ironic because Lofton is much more accustomed to the net than the glass. Lofton (or "The Discombobulator" as he has been dubbed by Joel) showed against Memphis [State] that he'll shoot anywhere, anytime, and most always make it. If he doesn't? No matter, just give him the rock again and he'll make the next one.
And Lofton isn't chunking up shots in the Tony Harris "I'm gonna shoot because I don't want my teammates to have the ball" kind of way. Rather The Discombobulator gets open and does his catch-and-shoot thing from behind the arc, or else drives and creates. Either way, it's fun.
Lofton's amazing 34 points helped lead the erstwhile Gang Who Couldn't Shoot Straight to an impressive 40% from the field, while UT's stifling de-fense (clap clap) de-fense held Memphis [State] to just 28.6% shooting.
I'll join Joel in not wanting to raise the expectations too high too fast, but he's right when he says this win is similar to last years' win over Texas which propelled the Vols to bigger and better things. I don't want to get carried away, but this was a huge win for a young team
Oh, and the other bumper sticker on the El Camino? An image of Bruce Pearl peeing on John Calipari's ego.
Go Vols
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Hoops Post: UT v. Memphis [State]
Hopefully tonight's game is as good on the court as the game between the coaches has been in the papers. For example, Memphis [State] coach John Calipari said in the Commercial Appeal:
"I don't try to create any kind of animosity or hatred. I don't make accusations, because when the players figure out it's about ego for the coach, they won't play for him."
Hmmm, because he also said: (from the Tennessean): "My thing is to not even play Tennessee, but we had to play them, and they had one date on their schedule to play us. So that's the date we had to play; we had no choice. And you know what? We went back and forth a little bit with them, gave them some other dates, but that's the date they had to have. They had one date in 365 days to play us."
So blame UT for your crappy schedule, coach, but don't make accusations, right? Almost like Memphis [State] doesn't respect Tennessee. Coach Pearl?
"There is no program in the country that respects us less than Memphis, and that's because we haven't done enough to earn their respect. That should bother our fans enough that we should try to show Memphis we are indeed a national program. But we have to do it on the floor."
So is Pearl getting sideways of caoch Cal?
"My deal with John is that I'm never going to get sideways with John because I have such great respect for what he does. Now, we're going to bump heads in recruiting, bump heads in scheduling or whatever. But because of the respect I have for him, I'm not going to have an adversarial relationship with him."
"He can say all the off-color things he wants, but it's not going to affect me."
Eh, Calipari's just a gang-banger anyway. Right, Dane?
Vols v. Memphis [State], ESPN2, 9pm. Preview: UTSports.com
Tennessee Fanhouse Roundup 12/6/06
Here's what your local blog journeyman has been up to at the FanHouse site:
Sears leads way for All-SEC Vols: Did UT have a better season because there were more all-conference players on the team, or were there more all-conference players because UT had a better season?
Cutcliffe on the recruiting trail: Cutcliffe was seen at the state high school championships last weekend, working some recruits, hopefully for the Vols. Not included in this post, but an update on the will-Cutcliffe-look-for-a-head-coaching-job-somewhere-else situation: Alabama's still going after the "big names" and Paul Johnson appears to be the leading candidate for the NC State job, so hopefully Cut will be sticking around.
You can't spell Outback without UT: Yeah, I know. But I couldn't resist. By now you know Tennessee is playing Penn State in Tampa, this post was the initial reaction from the announcement Sunday.
Also, the basketball FanHouse is a little different. Any UT hoops posts you see over there are written by Ryan Furguson, our SEC East guy, who is also a Florida guy. Hmmm. Anyway, from the Tennessee Basketball FanHouse:
SEC Basketball Off to a Ho-Hum Start
Vols' Lofton is Money from the Arc
Well, he's got it right so far. Go Vols.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
BlogPoll Rough Draft All Up In the BCS' Bizznazz
I'm not supposed to say this. But I think Michigan is the second-best team in college football. I know, it's awful. Here I am, a Tennessee fan, supposedly carring the banner for the SEC. I'm supposed to be telling everyone who will listen that the SEC plays the best dadgum football anywhere and the the champion of the conference is without doubt one of the top teams playing today, if not ever, and you should fear the SEC's wrath for eternity if you think differently.
Here's what I know: the SEC is the best football conference, top to bottom. That doesn't mean I have to shill for the winner. Michigan is the more impressive team to me. They're the second-best team I've seen, and I think I watched a lot of football this year.
That doesn't mean that Florida isn't deserving. The margin between Michigan and UF is razor-thin. But I think Michigan's better.
BlogPoll ballot, with lingering traces of victory-chainness, and a whacked-out delta thingy because I forgot last week's ballot:
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State |  25 |
| 2 | Michigan | 24 |
| 3 | Florida | 23 |
| 4 | LSU | 22 |
| 5 | Southern Cal | 21 |
| 6 | Arkansas | 20 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 19 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 18 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 17 |
| 10 | Boise State | 16 |
| 11 | Louisville | 15 |
| 12 | West Virginia | 14 |
| 13 | Rutgers | 13 |
| 14 | Auburn | 12 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 11 |
| 16 | California | 10 |
| 17 | Texas | 9 |
| 18 | Wake Forest | 8 |
| 19 | Brigham Young | 7 |
| 20 | Georgia Tech | 6 |
| 21 | Navy | 5 |
| 22 | Boston College | 4 |
| 23 | Texas A&M | 3 |
| 24 | Virginia Tech | 2 |
| 25 | Houston | 1 |
I'm making my mission in the offseason to come up with an actually good system (or at least a defensible system) for ranking teams, rather than pure gussing. 'Til then...
Sunday, December 03, 2006
BlogPoll College Football Blogging Awards
If there's one thing bloggers are all about, it's patting ourselves on the back. Along those lines, Joel at Rocky Top Talk and Brian of MGoBlog are cooking up the inaugural award-type thingy for college football blogs.
First, my grand idea for the thing is to have awards for blogs that get x number of hits per day. For example, an award for best blog getting under 150 hits/day, best blog between 150-300 hits/day, and so on at whatever increments seem necessary. I don't know what hit ranges would be appropriate, and the awards need snappy titles, but I think it would help distribute the love for the little and medium guys out there, as well as for the big boys.
The reason I think it's important to spread the glory around is because reading the proposed awards at RTT, I can see any of the big boys (MGo, EDSBS, SMQ, Burnt Orange Nation and such) winning most or all of them. It's not just because this site would fit into the "blogs under 150 hits/day" category, either. But I am going to borrow from Nebraska blog Corn Nation and propose "Best Tennessee Blog with Corn in the Title." Alternatively, "Best Blog Ending in 'from a Jar.'"
Also, there's some discussion about whether or not to include the "BlogPoll" brand in the name of the awards; some feel it lends the awards credibility, while Mike at Black Shoe Diaries is worried that some bloggers who aren't BlogPoll voters will think the whole thing is elitist. I can see both sides. It really depends on who wins the awards, if all BlogPoll guys win, people will think the fix is in. Heck, I'm a BlogPoll guy, and I'd probably think the fix is in, too. But it's just as fixed to make sure non-BlogPollers win in the name of non-fixedness. Or something.
Anyway, if the awards serve their purpose, it won't matter what they're called, and it won't matter who wins. All that really needs to be accomplished is that we promote this thing of ours (as Tony Soprano would say), which is the College Football Blogosphere.
But since we were asked to come up with a name for this thing, I propose "The 1st Annual [BlogPoll] College Football Blogosphere Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence."
Comments and suggestions welcome here or at RTT.
You Tubery: Vols v. Kentucky
If you haven't see it yet, GrossE254 has his latest, always great UT highlights up at YouTube:
This guy does incredible work with his videos. Rocky Top Talk's had most of them up and I think VolJunkie's caught wind of him, too; you can also go to YouTube and search for him or look under "Channels I'm Watching" at the Corn from a Jar YouTube Channel.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Tennessee FanHouse Roundup
Stuff I've written in the past few days at the FanHouse site, but didn't get around to linking here:
Cutcliffe to NC State? Could be. I wrote about Cut going to Bama, too, but I think the Tide is too arrogant to offer him. They think they're going to get a "big" name. I'm really worried about the Wolfpack here, though. NC State would actually be a good fit for Cut, let's hope it doesn't happen.
Root for Florida? A little late for this one, but I was wondering if Vol fans would let their hatred of the Gators override their wish for the Capital One Bowl. It did for me, but I guess the UF win was probably best for UT.
Playoffs? PLAYOFFS!? In a fantasy world, the Vols would be on the bubble. Think you want a playoff, think about how you'd like UT to be left out while a team like Wake Forest gets in.
So there it is, FanHouse stuff from the last couple of days. Also, I've put a handy little aggregator on the left-hand side where the Tennessee FanHouse posts will show up if I don't get them linked here. Click away!
Friday, December 01, 2006
Pearlometer: UT v. Murray State
Almost forgot there's a game tonight. Previews: UTSports.com, Tennessean.
I grew up about 20 miles from Murray, KY, so here's what I know about the Racers: they're always good. Murray St. is the type of team that is good enough to scare just about anybody they play and will beat you if don't take care of business. Hopefully the Vols will take care of business tonight.
Joel's got an open thread going at RTT, so leave your thoughts in-game here.
Oh, and the Pearlometer hasn't been working too well so far this season, but let's give it another try:
Go Vols!
Hopefully, For Meachem, This Won't Be His Last All-American Award
Tennessee's offensive lineman Arron Sears and wide receiver Robert Meachem were named to the American Coaches Association's All-America team on Thursday. For Sears, it was an honor given for an impressive career all over the offensive line, where he has played every position but center while starting every game but one since his freshman year. The play of Sears was a bright spot for an underachieving line in Knoxville this season.
For Meachem, who was also named to the Rivals.com All-America team, it was a reward for finally having the breakthrough year we all were promised since he arrived on campus.
Click here to continue reading "Vols Sears, Meachem Named All-Americans" at the AOL Tennessee Fanhouse.