Scenic City Sportsblog

New Site - Please Visit

2008-01-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

I have moved my blog to improved web address - Scenic City Sportblog - please visit the new site.

Thanks for reading!

Vols Rally Past Xavier

2007-12-22T19:03:00.000-08:00

The questions marks are not gone, but the Vols put an exclamation point on its NCAA resume with today's 82-75 win over the Xavier Musketeers.

In a physical, foul-heavy game, the Vols relied on its depth, defense and hustle to get past a tough Xavier team. The game seemed to be Xavier's for the taking in the second half as the Vols struggled to score or gel offensively, but Pearl's masterful substitutions allowed Tennessee to keep its defensive intensity as the Musketeers seemed to run out of gas.

Pearl went to his bench early and often during the game, getting major minutes from J.P. Prince, Ryan Childress and Ramar Smith. Even if the Vols do not have a bunch of 5 star recruits on their squad, they can go 9 or 10 deep without losing too much momentum.

That depth and Pearl's willingness to play his bench allowed the Vols to get into the passing lanes and on the floor after loose balls in the final minutes while Xavier labored to match the intensity. The play of the game involved Ramar Smith coming off the Volunteer bench and laying out onto the floor to get to recover a loose ball. There were three Musketeers with a chance at the ball, but Smith beat them all to the floor and created the turnover for the Vols.

The defense bailed out the Vols throughout the afternoon as the offense struggled. A continuing concern for Pearl and the Vols is the lack of rhythm, chemistry and effectiveness out of the Vols half-court offense. With Xavier hugging Chris Lofton at all times, the other Vols needed to shoulder the scoring load. Only J.P. Prince answered the call, putting 23 points up off the bench. The Vols still have no back-to-the-basket game without Duke Crews and got next to nothing out of JuJuan Smith, Wayne Chism and Tyler Smith in the half-court. If Tennessee is going to advance to the Sweet Sixteen and beyond this season, the half-court offense must improve.

The question marks, however, do not overshadow the positives coming out of Cincinnati. The Vols overcame some tough officiating (including one of the all-time worst technical fouls ever whistled), a raucous crowd and a tough Xavier opponent. Without a doubt, this was the biggest win of the year for the Vols and will look impressive to the NCAA tournament committee in March.

Next Saturday - the Vols travel to Gonzaga for it next biggest road test of the season.

Taylor, Bolden & McCoy Out For Wisconsin

2007-12-21T13:30:00.000-08:00

Phillip Fulmer kept making cryptic comments about academic reports coming this Friday and, sure enough, the news was not good. Lucas Taylor, Demonte Boldin and Rico McCoy are all out of the bowl game against Wisconsin for academic reasons.

To me, Boldin is the biggest problem since Wisconsin likes to run the ball and our line has been iffy all year. We do seem to have some depth there, so hopefully someone like Mapu can step into the void.

I've never been overly impressed with McCoy, but he is only a sophomore. Our linebackers will have to play well against the Badger run game, so whoever gets the call to fill McCoy's shoes will need to play big.

From what I've read on message boards, people seem to be most concerned with Lucas Taylor. I'm not. I like him, but he doesn't strike me as much better than Rogers, Briscoe or Jones even if he did get over 1,000 yards for the season. We can throw it to those guys, Brown, the Cothams and Foster out of the backfield. One receiver doesn't bother me.

Is it just me or does everyone care as little about this game as I do? For whatever reason, I cannot get excited about being back in the Outback Bowl or about playing Wisconsin. Maybe it is the LSU hangover or maybe I've just moved on to basketball, but for some reason I have thought very little about this game.

Vols Thoughts From Virginia

2007-12-21T06:38:00.000-08:00

The Carpenters are on the road for the holidays (all of us - wife, baby, baby-in-womb and two dogs) and blogging with be spotty at best. In fact, if I'm writing on this, you can assume I'm either neglecting my fatherly duties or just hiding from my in-laws.

Or possibly both.

There is lots happening in Knoxville right now, so let's get to it:

Offensive Coordinator News

If you didn't catch the wonderful Duke/Pittsburgh basketball game last night from The Garden, you missed a quick interview with new Duke football coach David Cutcliffe. Man, I like that guy. Duke got itself a great coach and seemingly a great guy. I hope he can get the Blue Devils to respectability and even a bowl game at some point. Or I hope he fails miserably and has to come back to Knoxville to be the OC for a third time.

Besides Cutcliffe, the Vols lost Trooper Taylor this week. Taylor, who was a rumored candidate for the Vols offensive coordinator position, took a job with Mike Gundy ("I'm a man! I'm 40!") and Oklahoma State as a co-offensive coordinator.

Here is my question - how does that work? Co-offensive coordinator? Either I don't understand the position or that makes no sense to me. Will they alternate calling the plays? Why can't every offensive position coach be called a 'co-coordinator? Is that just an excuse to bump up salary? I bet it is.

As I mentioned on Monday, the lose of Taylor was expected. He was too unproven to be given the OC job in Knoxville, but too desired elsewhere to stay as a position coach. He was supposed to be a key to the Volunteer recruiting efforts, so here is hoping Fulmer finds an impressive replacement in that department.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that Clemson offensive coordinator Rob Spence is interviewing for Cutcliffe's job. I never watched a Clemson game this season, but was impressed to see how many people want this guy. He apparently turned down Minnesota last year and spoke with Alabama and the Oakland Raiders as well.

The same reports mentions that the Vols have contacted Detroit Lions wide receivers coach and former Vol assistant Kippy Brown about the job as well.

Basketball Vols vs. Xavier

The Vols play an odd Xavier team Saturday afternoon on ESPN. The Musketeers have an impressive win over Indiana on its resume, but also were blown out by Arizona State on Saturday.

Regardless of which Xavier team shows up this Saturday, Tennessee needs to worry more about itself than their opponent. The Vols have been mildly disappointing this year even with just one loss (to an excellent Texas team). Chris Lofton still hasn't found his stroke, Duke Crews is out indefinitely with heart issues, Wayne Chism and Ramar Smith are not playing up to their potential and the Vols are missing Dane Bradshaw more than anybody outside of the team expected.

The good news is that Bruce Pearl's cupboard is still loaded. Tyler Smith is starting to look more and more comfortable on the floor and J.P. Prince is now eligible as well. The frustration among Vols fans is that all this talent isn't clicking on the floor as expected.

The Vols have already built a decent NCAA resume (wins over Temple, West Virginia and Western Kentucky), but can really help themselves with a win Saturday in Cincinnati and another one next Saturday at Gonzaga. They could also enter their SEC schedule with a couple of deflating road losses and an all-of-the-sudden mediocre NCAA credentials. The problem probably will not be getting into the Dance, but seeding could be an issue.

I'm getting nudged to get off the computer - I've been aloof for long enough I suppose.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Cutcliffe Leaves - What is the Future in Knoxville?

2007-12-17T05:06:00.000-08:00

We all knew it was too good to last, but the David Cutcliffe era is, once again, over in Knoxville. The Tennessee Offensive Coordinator took the head coaching job at Duke over the weekend.

Personally, I was a little surprised he took the job. Duke is a wonderful school, but it is about as miserable a football college as there is in the BCS. In fact, I cannot imagine the Blue Devils competing for the Southern Conference championship with any consistency. Duke is a basketball school, a lacrosse school, a women's basketball school - not a football school. I know Cutcliffe wanted another shot at being a head coach, but I'm surprised this was the opportunity he seized.

Before looking ahead, the 2nd Cutcliffe Era in Knoxville deserves a quick retrospective. I have never felt stronger affection for an assistant coach than what I felt during the first quarter of the 2006 game against California. After years of watching the Randy Sanders learning experiment play out with mediocre results, the way Tennessee's offense purred that evening was exhilarating. The players looked sharp, the plays were run crisply and the results were yards and touchdowns.

Not everyone may love the Cutcliffe style of offense, but it is hard to argue with the results. The man knows how to exploit defensive weaknesses, he knows how to get the most out of talent (look at the job our receivers and offensive line did this year) and he knows how to put points on the board. He will never be a spread offense guy or a Fun & Gun guy, but he does keep the defense off the field and puts drives together.

From a personel standpoint, Cutcliffe is directly responsible for the dramatic improvements of people like Erik Ainge, Robert Meachum, Lucas Taylor, Austin Rogers and Chris Brown. The biggest complaint most Vols fans had with Randy Sanders was his inability to make players better while they were in Knoxville. With Cutcliffe, the improvement was obvious.

Finally, it is not out-of-line to say that Cutcliffe saved Phillip Fulmer's job. The vultures were swirling after the 2005 5-6 season that saw Sanders depart from Rocky Top. Another mediocre season and those vultures might have swallowed Fulmer as well. Cutcliffe brought new life into the program that is directly responsible for back-to-back successful seasons and Fulmer's job security.

Looking ahead, there are a few schools of thought on what should happen next. Trooper Taylor's name has been mentioned as a potential replacement. Nobody in Knoxville wants to lose Taylor's enthusiasm and recruiting ability, but he has never been a coordinator at any level. He is/has interviewed for the OC job at Baylor (his alma mater) and, frankly, that is probably a better fit than Knoxville. Fulmer tried the learning-on-the-job approach with Randy Sanders, and I doubt he will go that route again. In my mind, there is no chance Taylor remains on the Vols staff next year.

*As I type, Taylor has been offered the Baylor OC job. Kiss him goodbye...

The name swirling around among the Volunteer fanbase is Kippy Brown. In many ways, Brown sounds too good to be true. He is a former Volunteer assistant, a former NFL offensive coordinator and even did a year in the XFL as the Memphis head coach. He is a proven recruiter and knows how to elevate individual players to greatness. Brown is currently working with the Detroit Lions as their wide receivers coach.

The biggest question is: why would Brown take the Knoxville job? It seems to be a lateral move in many ways and might even be a backwards move if his ultimate goal is to be in professional football. He does seem to be aboard a sinking ship in Detroit that could get overhauled this off-season, so that plays in Tennessee's favor. He might also be intrigued by the $$$ UT can offer. Cutcliffe was supposed to make about $375,000 next season, so Brown's deal might approach half a million by the end of it. He might also notice that Fulmer is entering the twilight of his coaching career and think that he could be the heir to the Rocky Top throne.

Greg Adkins' name has been mentioned for the position as well. The current offensive line coach has never been a coordinator, but does lead the Volunteer recruiting efforts. There will be a collective groan if Adkins is picked, even though we don't have any idea what kind of offensive system he would implement. The groan would be frustration with the perceived 'same old, same old' mindset that fans have pegged on Fulmer over the last few years. We all know Fulmer is an old dog at this point and he seems uncomfortable learning new tricks. He is fiercely loyal to his players and assistants. Promoting Adkins to the post would seem to be an indication that the winning 8 games is good enough. It would not be a shocking move, but it would be an initially disappointing one.

What about outside of Knoxville? Fulmer is not likely to go down this route (old dog again), but there have been some names floated about. Tulsa's Gus Malzahn has been mentioned, but I hope Fulmer quickly scratches that name from consideration. You might remember Malzahn was part of the whole Mitch Mustain-Houston Nutt-Arkansas Razorback soap opera from two years ago. I cannot see Fulmer bringing that potential soap opera to Knoxville.

The other avenue I hope Fulmer avoids traveling is grabbing a coordinator to impress a particular recruit. Terrelle Pryor is the kid everyone wants and he publicly stated his disappointment that Cutcliffe would no longer be a Volunteer. There is surely an assistant out there who would entice Pryor, but that is a short-sighted solution to the problem. What if Pryor is not the real deal? What if another Malzahn/Mustain situation happens (after all, Malzahn was hired in part to whoo Mustain)? Fulmer is too smart to make this mistake.

What about Randy Sanders? The man has done wonders for Kentucky and Andre Woodson. He is a Fulmer guy, an SEC guy and kind of hot commodity all of the sudden. He also left Knoxville for a reason - he was not doing a very good job as coordinator. There is no way Sanders would be brought back into the fold. I don't think...

Looking from the outside, I'm pulling for Kippy Brown to be the new man running the offensive show. For everyone hoping Fulmer will become Urban Meyer overnight, expect to be disappointed. We are going to keep running the ball with pro-style quarterbacks who don't make big mistakes. That is who Phillip Fulmer has been, who he is and who he will always be. It has won him a bunch of games and a National Championship. Heck, it works for plenty of people involved in the BCS right now (Ohio State, LSU, USC, etc.) The best hope for all of Rocky Top is someone who can lure the best athletes to Knoxville and coach them up.

Or we can hope the Duke deal falls through somehow and Cutcliffe returns to Knoxville.

Referee Behavior - Policing the Police

2007-12-05T09:05:00.000-08:00

"You moron!"

"Do you need glasses?"

"How could you possibly make that call?"

Let's face it - a referee's job is a thankless one. How many of us go to work each day in front of thousands of people who hate and jeer us? How many of us work beside huge athletes who try to intimidate us into seeing things their way? How many of us get blasted in the papers and on TV for a single mistake and never recognized for being correct?

Public school teachers, you can put your hands down.

Being a referee isn't easy, but that does not excuse the behavior of officials in football, basketball and baseball over the last eight months. For whatever reason, there has been a rash of deplorable actions by umpires and referees toward athletes during the course of games.

*NBA referee Joey Crawford ejected Tim Duncan during a game against the Dallas Mavericks after Duncan laughed on the bench about one of Crawford's calls. As Duncan left the floor, Crawford allegedly shouted, "Do you want to fight?"

*MLB umpire Mike Winters provoked a reaction from San Diego outfielder Milton Bradley about a moment earlier in the game when Bradley disagreed with a strike call made by another umpire. After Winters called Bradley a name, the outfielder injured his knee during the ensuing argument and missed the Padres' playoff game against the Colorado Rockies.

*NFL linesmen Phil McKinnely allegedly called Baltimore Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle "boy" during an argument over penalties issued during Monday night's game against the New England Patriots.

In each of these situations, it seems that game officials took the low road with the athletes they are paid to control and protect. In the first two cases, the officials were suspended for their actions. The NFL is currently reviewing Rolle's allegations against McKinnely.

Umpires and referees today seem to be caught in a Catch-22. On one hand, fans do not want them to be the focus of the game. We do not want them to eject players unnecessarily or make calls that affect the outcome. We expect them to take the verbal abuse they get from managers, players and us the fans and turn the other cheek.

On the other hand, we expect them to have authority and control over the proceedings. How can a referee be considered in control when he takes a verbal undressing and cannot respond in kind? How many times can a person be berated before responding?

In many ways, referees are like cops. There are the obvious connections - they enforce the rules, they protect people from rule-breakers, they must make quick decisions about right and wrong, and they are rarely thanked for doing their job.

The are also similar in the type of person it takes to do that job. The best referees tend to be arrogant, combative and cocky. There is not an NBA referee more respected than Steve Javie, but the man walks around like his stuff doesn't smell. There is a reason he is good at his job and it has as much to do with his personality as it does his knowledge of the rules.

The problem with this personality trait, however, is that it can easily explode into something that should not be. While it is clearly an exaggeration to compare a police beating to a referee calling a player "boy," the two events originate from the same place. It is an abuse of power.

We give our police men and women the tools they need to protect us, but we expect them to only use those tools in the most extreme of circumstances. We know they face verbal and the threat of physical assault in their daily work, but we do not condone the use of excessive force because of it.

The same is true of professional sports officials. They have the ability to enforce the rules of the game in a variety of manners, but we expect them to avoid using these abilities if at all possible. We know that players say ridiculous and insulting things to referees during the course of a game, but we expect officials to be above responding back in the same manner.

It seems that more and more game officials are failing to live up to this lofty standard.

Bruce Pearl Steps Up - The Vols Visit Chattanooga Tonight

2007-12-04T06:51:00.000-08:00

Bruce Pearl is a little different from his coaching contemporaries. After all, the man painted his chest to support the Lady Vols last year in their game against #1 Duke.

Can you picture Bobby Knight doing the same?

He is also a little different with his scheduling philosophy. Tonight the Tennessee Vols travel to Chattanooga to play on the home floor of the UTC Mocs in a game that has my hometown buzzing. It is the first time the Vols have come to McKenzie Arena since the building opened in 1982. It is the single biggest game at the Round House since UNC brought Michael Jordan to the arena.

It is also, at least on the surface, a lose/lose situation for Pearl and the Vols. If Pearl takes his Final Four contenders into Chattanooga and whips the Mocs, nobody notices. If Pearl gets ambushed by a hot crowd and a team whose season would be made with this one victory, the Vols are a laughing-stock.

This is the reason so few big schools are willing to play road games within their home state. Jim Tressel and Ohio State might schedule every MAC team in Ohio, but they sure aren't going to play the game on their field. It happens all the time in basketball as well. There is just too much to lose and not enough to gain for the big boys.

That, however, is not Bruce Pearl's philosophy on scheduling. Since taking over the Tennessee program three years ago, the Vols have played neutral site games in Nashville and tonight will play UTC on its own floor.

Why?

According to Pearl, if his team cannot win a game in Chattanooga, it is not a legitimate Final Four contender. For a master motivator like Pearl, it is a great challenge to see if his team will play with as much energy and passion against UTC as it will Florida or Kentucky. After all, a team like UTC will likely be Tennessee's 1st round match-up in the NCAA tournament. What better way to prepare?

Beyond that, Tennessee's ability to recruit across the state is only enhanced with exposure across the state. Though most basketball fans fail to notice it, the state of Tennessee has some of the best basketball in the country. Last year there were three teams in the Sweet Sixteen from the Volunteer State (Memphis and Vanderbilt being the others). No other state can made the same claim (basketball hot beds Indiana and North Carolina had one each, Kentucky had none). There is great talent in the state, but it isn't easy to keep in Knoxville. By playing across the state, Pearl increases his chances of grabbing players from Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga.

It also helps build the basketball fanbase. Tennessee is a football state and UT is a football school. While Neyland Stadium has 107,000+ for home games, the basketball Vols have often failed to fill their building consistently. In fact, it is easier for Kentucky fans to get tickets at Thompson-Boling Arena than at Rupp Arena. As Pearl takes his pressing, dunking, dominant squad across the state, he generates excitement for his program. Suddenly the half-empty arena is sold out and the Vols have a serious basketball following.

Finally, Pearl knows what it means to coach at a mid-major school and to be ducked by the big boys. He paid his dues at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, building a program that scared Big 10 schools out of visiting his campus. He understands what it means to host a game like this and has actually put his money where his (considerable) mouth is.

Kudos to Pearl and the Vols for coming to Chattanooga tonight. Whatever happens on the floor, there are nothing but winners in this situation. It is a shame that more teams and coaches don't follow Coach Pearl's lead.

Legacy Defined - Erik Ainge Leads LSU To SEC Championship

2007-12-02T06:49:00.000-08:00

If Saturday was Erik Ainge's chance to cement his legacy as a Tennessee Vol, he took full advantage of the opportunity, only not in the way either he or the Vols hoped he would. The senior quarterback never found his rhythm on Saturday afternoon and made two inexcusable throws that helped LSU win its first SEC championship under Les Miles.

The game was the tale of two halves as LSU dominated the first part of the game, but still trailed 7-6 at intermission. The Vols dominated the second part of the game, but found themselves on the losing end of a 21-14 final score.

It was an odd afternoon of football in many ways as Tennessee's senior quarterback looked more flustered and confused than the back-up he was facing on the other side. The much-maligned Tennessee defense was physically taking it to an LSU team that had physically dominated teams all year with its giant offensive line and tough-as-nails tailback Jacob Hester. Both surefire kickers looked shaky & missed easy field goals. Down was up. Black was white.

Maybe it was the orange pants.

Last week I called yesterday's game a "defining moment" for Erik Ainge whose career as a Tennessee Vol has been full of highs and lows. Would he be remembered as a one of the greats or remembered as one of the also-rans.

After yesterday, there is no doubt about his Tennessee legacy. After the opening drive of the ballgame, Ainge could not get anything going offensively in the first half. While not taking sacks has been a bright spot of the season, Ainge's inability to stand in the pocket long enough for a receiver to get 10 yards downfield was being exposed by the blitzing, man-to-man coverage attack from the Tigers.

The second half started promising for Ainge and the offense. The Vols opened the half with two solid drives and seemed to have the Bayou Bengals on their heels. Tennessee entered the 4th quarter up a point and poised for its first SEC championship since 1998.

Then, with one throw, everything changed. Just as the television commentators mentioned that the Vols had committed no penalties and no turnovers, Ainge took the cue and threw a Pick-Six to Jonathan Zenon. The senior cornerback sat on the receiver's route and Ainge never should have thrown the ball. It was a deflating blow the Vol cause, but not a dagger in the heart.

Now - the dagger. A huge play to Arian Foster had the Vols inside the red zone, but Ainge failed to notice a giant linebacker standing in front of his intended receiver and threw his second pick of the 4th quarter, ending the Vols chances for the afternoon.

With two throws, Ainge became Casey Clausen instead of Peyton Manning. He had the ballgame and his legacy in the palm of his hand, but could not lead the Vols to a championship. Fair or not, Ainge will forever be known on Rocky Top for his short-comings and failures more than his accomplishments.

Why No Love For Wade Phillips?

2007-11-30T05:20:00.000-08:00

If coaches are going to be ripped and fired for failure, they sure ought to get some credit for success. The best team in the NFC gets tons of publicity (Romo, T.O.), but none of it is directed at its coach.

Let me be the first to say it - Wade Phillips is doing as good of a job as any coach in the NFL this year.

I recently heard a few national commentators debating who should be NFL Coach of the Year and Wade Phillips name was never mentioned. Mike McCarthy, Bill Belichick, Romeo Crennel...but not Wade Phillips?

After watching the immensely talented Cowboys play slow, confused and unmotivated football under the legendary Bill Parcells, Wade Phillips has found the right balance between freedom and order to allow these Pokes to excel. Dallas has been absolutely terrific this season - scoring points at will and actually stopping people on defense from time to time.

Forget for a second that Wade Phillips is the coach. If I told you that the Dallas Cowboys were 11-1, that Terrell Owens was having an all-world season without being a distraction or cancer, that Tony Romo had emerged in his second season as a starter into a Top 5 quarterback, that DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis each have 10 sacks, that the Pokes have 1,000 yards more offense than their opponents, twice as many quarterback sacks, 20 more touchdowns, and a +7 turnover margin for the season, wouldn't you expect the coach of the NFL's signature franchise to be getting a sniff of recognition?

So why isn't Wade Phillips? When the Cowboys are discussed this season, the order of priority is Owens, Romo, Jerry Jones, Barber, Ware, Crayton, Newman, Tank Johnson, Roy Williams, then maybe Phillips? Wait, I forgot right guard Leonard Davis. Seriously, Bill Parcells still gets more attention in Big D than Wade Phillips.

It is time for that to stop. He may not be flashy. His hiring did not exactly thrill the fanbase. But the proof, my friends, is in the pudding. 11-1. The only loss is to the undefeated Patriots. This season, the Cowboys shut down Adrian Peterson, knocked out Brett Favre and totally confused Eli Manning. Okay, that last one isn't especially impressive, but the overall product has been. The Cowboys are having a historic season - one not matched by Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson or Bill Parcells - and Wade Phillips ought to get much of the credit.

I know, I know - the Cowboys are loaded with talent and Phillips is basically just standing there watching it. Really? There isn't a difference between the way this team plays vs. last year's team? The offense is explosive - last year it was plodding. The defense gets after people - last year it waited, reacted and gave up points. The team this year seems to be enjoying football - last year it seemed like Sunday was an unenjoyable occupation.

What is the difference between this year and last year? Wade Phillips. Jason Garrett deserves some recognition as well, but it starts with the head coach. If the Cowboys were 6-6 right now with Romo struggling, T.O. whining, and the defense stinking, Phillips would be burned in effigy in Dallas.

Instead, the Cowboys are 11-1, already in the playoffs and the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Wade Phillips ought to be given the credit he deserves for the job he has done this year.

Defining Moment for Erik Ainge

2007-11-29T11:48:00.000-08:00

Saturday afternoon in The Georgia Dome, the LSU Tigers and Tennessee Vols will battle to represent the SEC in the Bowl Championship Series. Much of the misguided focus of the game has been upon Les Miles and his potential Baton Rogue exit for his alma mater in Ann Arbor.

The real story, however, is about the opposing quarterback Erik Ainge. It will be his final SEC game as a Tennessee Vol - his final chance to cement his legacy as one of the great Tennessee quarterbacks. Win? Ainge enters the conversation beside Peyton, Tee Martin, Andy Kelly, Heath Shuler and Condredge Holloway. Lose? Ainge is one of the great unfilled potential stories in UT history.

From the moment Ainge committed to the Vols, the promise of this 6'6 kid with a cannon arm had Tennessee fans thinking about the next Peyton Manning. Of course, there was also the chance of becoming the next Casey Clausen. Like Ainge, Clausen came to Knoxville as a highly-touted prospect and sure-fire NFL 1st-rounder. Clausen never progressed from the time he came to UT, though he did lead the Vols to some great victories (two wins in the Swamp, no less) and was within a game of playing for the National Championship in 2003.

Ainge's legacy in Knoxville is difficult to determine. On one hand, he seemed to be handed the reigns to the team in 2005 despite being out-played by Rick Clausen (Casey's brother), made some of the worst decisions ever seen by a Vol quarterback (the interception from his own endzone against LSU will forever haunt his legacy), never beat Florida as a starter and never won an SEC championship. He is, somewhat rightfully, held accountable for the 5-6 2005.

On the other hand, Ainge's career has blossomed over the last two seasons under David Cutcliffe. It is fairly reasonable to suggest that he floundered under former offensive coordinator Randy Sanders (who has blown my mind by being so imaginative and effective at Kentucky) the same way Tee Martin (post-Cutcliffe) and Clausen both floundered. Injuries have dogged him as well - he missed part of his freshman season after an injury versus Notre Dame and hurt his neck at LSU the next year.

It looked like his senior season would be more of the same after a meniscus injury in the off-season. Instead, he has had a sensational senior season without any fanfare whatsoever - 27 TDs, 8 INTs, just under 3,000 yards passing - with no experienced receivers, an inconsistent running game and a pinky finger on his throwing hand that is apparently bent in three different ways after a botched hand-off leading up the California game.

One of the biggest knocks on Ainge is his lack of big wins, specifically against Florida. His signature performances are beating California last season, crushing Georgia earlier this year and the Kentucky game last Saturday.

A win on Saturday could forever change the way Vols fans view Erik Ainge. In one afternoon, he could become an SEC champion and a BCS bowl quarterback. He could elevate his standing in Rocky Top lore or forever be saddled with the ugly "unrealized potential" label.

Forget the Les Miles storyline - the one to watch on Saturday is the defining moment of a senior's college football career.

The Best Football Strategy I Have Never Seen

2007-11-27T14:54:00.000-08:00

I must admit that I heard this idea on local sports radio today, so this is not an original idea. It is, however, one I have never seen attempted at the end of a football game.

Here is the scenario (which actually played out at the end of the Tennessee-Kentucky game last Saturday night) - an offensive team is down 3 points with the ball and enough time to run one offensive play before trying a field goal.

Here is the strategy - the defense puts 13 players on the field and tackles every receiver as soon as the ball is snapped.

Why? The penalties will move the ball closer to the goal (though only one can be enforced) and the game cannot end with a defensive penalty. What good does this do?

Here you go - you have now forced the opposing coach to kick the field goal and go to overtime. Even with the yardage, the coach is rarely going to risk losing the game when a field goal forces overtime. If he tries to run another offensive play, the clock might expire (since time ran off the clock during the penalized play). You have forced his hand - he will have to kick the field goal for the tie.

Let's go back to the UT/UK game. Kentucky had 8 seconds (which, by the way, is an excellent Luke Perry movie) to run one quick play from the two-yard line before having to attempt a field goal. What if the Vols had put 13 guys out there to defend it and tackled everyone? The penalty would be half the distance to the goal, so now it is on the one-yard line. Is Rich Brooks going to try another play from the one or settle for the field goal?

With the exception of a few coaches, most are going to take overtime in that situation. Fulmer could have forced Brooks' hand by purposefully committing a penalty to prevent a score on that last offensive play. It is similar to fouling in basketball before a three-point attempt and forcing the team to make a free throw, miss the next, rebound it and score it to tie.

There is not much honor in bending/cheating the rules this way, but wins are wins.

Is there a problem with this strategy I'm missing?

Vols Are Going to Atlanta

2007-11-24T19:57:00.001-08:00

It has been about 45 minutes since the Vols sacked Andre Woodson on Kentucky's two-point conversion attempt and my heart has finally slowed to the point that I can think and write coherently.

Cruising along at 31-14, it looked like Tennessee was going to celebrate its way through the 2nd half as it clinched the SEC East title. At that point, the Vols took their foot off the gas and the Wildcats put theirs on it as the Kentucky nearly won the game in regulation. Let's recap the wildness that was this afternoon in Lexington:

* The Vols came out with beautiful play to open the game, hitting running back Arian Foster for a 65-yard touchdown. It was all Vols from there as they dominated the first half and went into the locker room up 24-7.

* Tennessee has multiple chances to finish off Kentucky, but simply cannot catch the football. Lucas Taylor on 4th down. Arian Foster on 3rd down. Austin Rogers on 3rd down. Eric Berry and Brent Vinson for interceptions. The Vols catch it, they win easily.

* Kentucky continued to try to run the ball despite the Vols inability to stop the pass. Tennessee's defense has suffered from two problems all year long - no pass rush and a young secondary that gives up big plays. Kentucky's strategy with one of the best quarterbacks in the country? Run. Once the Wildcats let Woodson loose in the 2nd half, the ball game swung to the boys in blue.

* Gotta love playing at home - after watching two seconds run off the clock to end the Ole Miss/Mississippi State game in Starkville, the Kentucky clock operator was quick on the trigger after Woodson nearly allowed the clock to run out on his last chance to win the game in regulation. With one second left, Kentucky tied the game with a field goal.

* It was clear that Tennessee's defense was exhausted as it let Kentucky score on two plays to start the overtime. I thought Fulmer might thumb his nose at strategy and put his offense on the field first just to give his defense a rest. He didn't and the defense had nothing in the tank. It looked like UK's kicker might have missed the extra point - was I the only one who thought so?

* Freshman Gerald Jones, with a perfectly clean jersey from so little game action, made a terrific catch (then another great play in a later OT period) for the saving touchdown, sending this baby into OT #2.

* Erik Ainge made an awful decision, forcing a pass into good coverage and getting picked off to set up Kentucky with a golden chance to win the game. Fortunately for the Vols, the Wildcats returned to their ground game to set up a 35-yarder that was BLOCKED!

* Weird moment here - The Vols Eric Berry was returning the blocked kick for a score that would have won the game when he was tackled by his face mask. The call? Nothing. Apparently there are no penalties when this happens. The flags were thrown, but the call was disregarded because of the change of possession in overtime. Weird.

* Overtime # 3 - Kentucky scores, but fails to convert its mandatory two-point conversion. Tennessee answers, but also fails to convert (with the least imaginative call possible - a lame run to the near-side that never had a chance).

* Overtime #4 - Are you kidding me? The Vols start from the 40 after a lame unsportsmanlike conduct call after Foster tossed the ball in frustration after failing to convert the previous two-point conversion (the referees were shaky throughout this one...), but hit a big play to Quinton Hancock (who has, up until today, earned a scholarship this year by dropping passes) for a touchdown. The Vols converted their two-point try to take an eight point lead.

* Kentucky, of course, answers - this time with a freshman sprinter at tailback who looked like Bo Jackson's Tecmo Bowl runner compared to the exhausted Vols D. Where was this guy all game? The two-point conversion, however, FAILED after Woodson was indecisive with the ball and got sacked from behind to end the game.

What does it all mean now? The Vols are heading to Atlanta to meet the suddenly deflated LSU Tigers. Tennessee will have revenge on its mind from last year's tough loss at home to the Bayou Bengals and from the 2001 SEC Championship Game when LSU spoiled Tennessee's chance to play for the National Championship in the Rose Bowl.

It also means the vultures can leave Knoxville as Phil Fulmer's job is safe and sound. Next week could also solidify the career of Erik Ainge who has frustrated Vols fans for four years with unrealized promise. For a team that started 1-2, it could even mean a BCS bowl. Crazy.

With the way things have gone this year, it wouldn't shock me if the Vols somehow ended up playing for the National Championship before it is all said and done. For now, however, it is enough just to enjoy another victory over Kentucky and another SEC East championship.

Karma & Coaching - Nebraska and Mississippi Get What They Deserve

2007-11-24T10:42:00.001-08:00

The grass isn't always greener, is it?

"Fire the coach" is EveryFan's instant solution for whatever ails his favorite team. There is always a team out there getting more out of its talent, running a more exciting, innovative offense or being more aggressive defensively. Why can't our coach be more like that?

In the rush for greener pastures and instant gratification, fans and A.D.s have developed a trigger finger with coaches. It doesn't matter if you are a living legend like Joe Paterno or Bobby Bowden, a national champion like Lloyd Carr or Philip Fulmer or even if you are still building a program like Charlie Weis or Greg Robinson.

But sometimes, those greener pastures are not quite as lush and bountiful as once thought. Just ask Nebraska and Ole Miss.

Nebraska dumped Frank Solich after the 2003 season (one in which he won nine games) because Solich had been unable to recapture the Tom Osbourne magic of the early 1990s. All Solich had done was go 58-19, play in six consecutive bowl games, finished in the Top 10 three times, won Big XII Coach of the Year twice and even played for a national championship in 2001 (remember that one, Oregon)? It might sound like an impressive resume, but it was not impressive enough for Cornhusker fans and A.D. Steve Pederson, who canned Solich and replaced him with former Super Bowl coach Bill Callahan.

Callahan's time in Nebraska has been, to say the least, shaky. He dumped the patented Nebraska ground game for the West Coast offense and got rid of the stingy Cornhusker defense for one that gives up 50+ points every Saturday. There have been no national championships, no Top 10 finishes and no Big XII titles. The vultures are gathering in Lincoln for Callahan's head after an embarrassing 2007 season.

Whatever vultures are not in Nebraska are south, flying over Ed Orgeron's head in Oxford, MS. Orgeron's fate might have been sealed with yesterday's Egg Bowl loss to Mississippi State (a game they led and dominated until the final two minutes), though the lack of SEC wins this season, the 10-25 record over three years, the accusations of trying to recruit Tulane football players after Hurricane Katrina, the juggling of quarterbacks and the lack of bowl appearances all added to his increasingly hot seat.

Orgeron was brought in from Southern Cal to take Ole Miss to the next level after the absurd firing of David Cutcliffe. All Ole Miss had done under Cutcliffe was produce a #1 overall draft pick in Eli Manning, a SEC West title, a Cotton Bowl berth and five straight winning seasons. One bad year and a refusal to fire his assistant coaches led to Cutcliffe's canning and Orgeron's hiring in Oxford.

Oh, those greener pastures...

The Hindus and Buddhists believe in the concept of karma, a pretty simple idea that what goes around, comes around. For Nebraska and Ole Miss, karma is a bitch.

Firing a successful coach in the hopes of finding something better is a risky proposition. It can work (ask Gator & Buckeye fans), but more often than not the head coach turns out not to be the real problem. In the cases of Nebraska and Ole Miss, the reality was that each school had really good football coaches, exaggerated expectations and wandering eyes. Each school fired coaches for no good reason and each school is getting what it deserves. What goes around, comes around.

With the likely firing of both coaches, each school will now have to start from scratch to try to get back to where they were under their previous coaches. Hopefully the lessons of looking for greener pastures have been learned in Lincoln and Oxford, but fans in Knoxville, Little Rock, Ann Arbor, Happy Valley and Clemson do not seem to be taking note.

These lessons do not just apply to college football either - just ask the San Diego Chargers.

Things I'm Thankful For (#1 is Sarcastic Sports Lists)

2007-11-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

Somebody is going to write one this week, so it might as well be me.

1 - Sarcastic sports lists (told ya)

2 - Getting to watch the Detroit Lions every Thanksgiving

3 - The sweet sounds of Billy Packer

4 - Strong female role models for my daughter like Marion Jones, Pokie Chatman and Amanda Beard

5 - The fundamental basketball being played in AAU tournaments across the country

6 - The B.C.S. - tournaments decide nothing

7 - ESPN's restraint in covering the Joe Torre saga

8 - The continued crackdown on touchdown dances - Footloose, people

9 - Skip Bayless

10 - The Atlanta Hawks' new colors

11 - The insights of Emmitt Smith

12 - The rising popularity of professional boxing

13 - Colin Cowherd

14 - Nick Saban's loyalty

15 - Nick Saban's integrity

16 - Nick Saban's ability to dominate teams like Louisiana-Monroe

17 - Nick Saban's ability to beat Tennessee...damn, went too far with this one

18 - Reminders that instant replay evidence must be conclusive - I always forget that

19 - Running a patient, efficient offense (pick your sport - it works for all of them)

20 - WNBA Action

21 - Click Clack

22 - Male halftime dancers

23 - Leadership examples like Bill Belichick and Kelvin Sampson

24 - The new Nike basketball uniforms - big shorts + tight jerseys = awesome look

25 - David Beckham's tremendously successful American soccer experience - lived up to the hype!

26 - Bowling on ESPN Classics

27 - The career path of Michelle Wie

28 - Buying my father-in-law tickets for World Series Game 5...

29 - The steady state of my golf game

30 - Phil Fulmer's refusal to hire a special teams coach - it hasn't hurt the Vols yet

31 - Reminders that the clock stops on a first down in college football - forget that one, too

32 - Fewer highlights and more analysis on Sportscenter - FINALLY!

33 - Tim McCarver

34 - That "Waiting All Week For Sunday Night" song - so true

35 - Buying a Jason Kendall Oakland A's t-shirt ONE DAY before he was traded to the Cubs - can you say collector's item?

36 - Who's Now tournament

37 - Reminders that you need two feet in-bounds in the NFL, but only one in college - so confusing!

38 - One word - NASCAR

39 - Using the Mastercard commerical as the basis for a sports sign

40 - Beating other writers to an over-used article concept - priceless!

Dores/Vols

2007-11-19T06:09:00.000-08:00

I didn't see it or hear it as I was visiting friends in Houston, but I am not remotely surprised. First, Vanderbilt always gives UT fits. It is their Super Bowl and means next to nothing to the Vols. Second, this Tennessee team can beat LSU and can lose to Louisiana-Monroe (hehe - Saban...). There is no telling whether the Vols will be great or awful. I still haven't decided if we are over-achieving or under-achieving. Seriously - which one?

Here is what I know - we are one win away from Atlanta. Kentucky suddenly looks very vulnerable and really has little to play for next week other than pride. I will be surprised if Tennessee doesn't play well in Lexington and pound UK. Everybody is worried about Woodson and so am I, but I imagine Cutcliffe will get back to running the ball (weird play-calling on Saturday) and the Vols will eat up the clock and own the line of scrimmage against the Kats.

Random thought - how little do the Vols miss LaMarcus Coker? I liked Coker, but between Foster, Hardesty and Greer and now Rogan returning kicks, it is pretty much addition by subtraction. I thought we would take a big hit without him - what do I know?

Upon Further Review - What I Don't Understand About Instant Replay

2007-11-19T05:19:00.001-08:00

Instant replay was supposed to eliminate human error from deciding NFL games. The problem, from Mike Renfro's non-catch for the Oilers in the 1979 AFC Championship game to Vinny Testaverde's TD sneak against the Seahawks in 1998, was that referee error was costing coaches, players, and franchises games & championships.

The answer - instant replay.

It does slow down the game and it has taken a while to tweak the system to one that seems to work, but overall coaches, players and fans seem to favor using superior technology to get the calls correct.

There is, however, one glaring problem left with the instant replay system: what can and cannot be reviewed. You can review whether a receiver's feet were in-bounds, but not whether he was interfered with while making the catch. You can review if the ball crossed the goalline, but not if the offense used illegal motion to get it there. You can review whether a ball was fumbled, but not if the player's face mask was pulled to cause it.

I do not understand why. As football fans, we can all tell from replays whether or not there was actually pass interference or holding. Why can't those calls be challenged just like possession, fumbles and yardage spots? Why can't judgment calls be reviewed just like everything else?

I think the problem is that word - judgment. You can't review a 'judgment' call. Well, there are not really any 'judgment' calls, are there? The judgment is whether to throw the flag, but the play itself either broke or did not break a rule. There is a definition of pass interference - it is the judgment of the official about whether to call it, but there is not judgment about whether the rule was broken.

Here is hoping that yesterday's Browns/Ravens game will be the tipping point for instant replay change. Phil Dawson's kick to send the Browns into overtime yesterday was nearly not allowed because the play was not eligible for review. Why? Why can't everything be reviewed?

The main concern, I believe, is the timing of the game. We don't want every single play reviewed, right? Right. Here is the solution: keep the current system of challenges and timeouts. Keep the red flags. All the NFL, and even college football, needs to do is extend what can be challenged to EVERYTHING. Coaches - you can challenge anything you want. You only get two (three if you get both of those correct), so use them wisely.

Why wouldn't that work? The call that kills me in NFL football is pass interference. It can be a 50-yard penalty, but it cannot be challenged? Why can't a coach ask to have that play looked at one more time? We can all tell from our television replay whether or not there was actually interference. Review it! It cannot be easy for an official who is sprinting to keep up with a receiver and cornerback as they race toward the endzone and determine whether or not there has been any pass interference. Solution: use replay.

Holding is another call that ought to be replayed. How many touchdowns are called back by phantom holding calls? Solution: use replay.

Seven men on the line of scrimmage? Solution: use replay.

Coaches are not stupid - they are not going to risk timeouts on stupid things like a 1st & 10 holding call. But they will risk them to put a touchdown back on the board or prevent a 50-yard phony pass interference call or go to overtime with a field goal that was incorrectly ruled to be no good.

Upon further review, it is time to expand instant replay's ability to look at every single thing that happens on the football field.

Coach Talk - The Memphis Tigers

2007-11-15T05:21:00.000-08:00

The Memphis Tigers bring their explosive offense to Madison Square Garden tonight against Jeff Capel's Oklahoma Sooners. I know, I know - you want to watch Derrick Rose and Joey Dorsey. If you want to get a little deeper into the game, here is what to watch for from Coach Calipari's offense.

According to Cal, he has basically combined the Drive & Kick schemes popularized by Vance Wahlberg (now at Pepperdine) with basic Princeton offense principles. Don't be fooled - this isn't a bunch of eggheads cutting backdoor. Memphis has one of the most athletic teams in the country & uses floor spacing and backdoor cuts to put maximum pressure on the defense.

Wahlberg, who met with Calipari a few years ago and sold him on this offense, once described his offensive philosophy as "attack, attack, skip, attack." The key word - attack.

Memphis will try to constantly attack Oklahoma's defense, especially off the dribble. The basic offensive alignment is one post, two wings in the corners (to space the floor - they will work up from the corner to the wing to get the ball), a point guard and a trailing post who will take the opposite side of the ball. The floor spacing is designed to put each defender on an island, creating a bunch of 1 on 1 situations.

The first option is for the point guard to get a lay-up. Simple, huh? If Rose can get into the paint, he will look to finish, dish to Dorsey on the block, kick it outside for the three (thus the Drive & Kick aspect) or you might even see him throw the ball off the glass to the other side of the basket to Dorsey. It might look like a bad lay-up, but it is really a "glass pass".

If Rose cannot get a lay-up, there are several options for what will happen next. He might run a dribble hand-off with a wing. He might drive at someone closely guarded to set up the Princeton backdoor. He might pass it to the wing and then run right in front of that man - called a blur screen (which isn't actually a screen - it is simply running in front of the defender). Whatever happens, the next option is basically the same as the first one - attack off the dribble to put pressure on the defense.

Here is what you won't see tonight from Memphis - screens. Crazy, huh? There are no screens in Coach Cal's system. But how do you get open? This is where Calipari utilizes the Princeton backdoor principles. If the defense overplays to deny the ball - backdoor. If the defense sags - pass and attack him off the dribble.

Another thing you won't see much - post-ups. Dorsey will not spend much, if any, time battling on the block to get a post-feed. Instead, he will usually play just off the block, forcing his defender to be out of the paint and offering more spacing to get to the basket.

What Memphis really wants to do when it is running its basic offense is drive, kick, drive, kick, drive, lay-up or 3-pointer. Coach Cal does not want mid-range shots - he is looking for lay-ups, threes or, better yet, fouls. Memphis will get into the bonus early in the halves, shooting lots of easy free throws and racking up points.

Why? Because it is hard to guard the ball. Referees call action on the ball much tighter than away from it. At some point, Oklahoma will have to put a hand on Rose or Douglas-Roberts and it will be a foul. Remember this - possessions that end with free throws are the highest scoring possessions in basketball. Coach Cal knows this.

The problem with this offense - if you can guard the ball, you can give this offensive style fits. UCLA shut down Memphis' potent offense in the Elite Eight two years ago. Memphis struggled to get to the paint and then struggled to get open looks.

The offense thrives on freedom, but freedom has its problems. You will see some bad shots, some careless possessions and a fair share of turnovers from the Tigers. Calipari has resigned himself to some of these, but it would drive the Bobby Knights and Gary Williams of the world crazy.

What about a zone? Good luck - Memphis will drive into the paint, then kick it out to its numerous shooters. The best idea might be to play a sagging man in the hopes of keeping the Memphis guards out of the paint and take your chances with the Tigers' shooters. You can also try to get gimmicky with a 1-3-1 or trapping zone to throw off the Tigers' rhythm.

This is a high-scoring, fast-paced offensive system. It isn't fun to guard and isn't easy to stop. Frankly, it is one of the most innovative concepts in basketball today.

From time to time this year, I'll put on my coaching cap and go a little deeper into the game's X's and O's. I hope this helps you enjoy the game tonight.

Coach C

Ball of Love - The Results

2007-11-13T05:43:00.000-08:00

Last week, I chronicled my need for a new NBA team to follow now that I'm living in the NBA abyss of Chattanooga, TN. Inspired by Bret Michaels, I looked for love. I put my heart out there, made myself vulnerable and learned a little bit about life and love.

Okay, not really.

I did, however, go through the motions of breaking down the teams, fans, uniforms, coaches and my own internal tugs in order to pick my new favorite NBA team. The results are, to say the least, underwhelming.

But don't stop reading! Indulge me.

Last time, I narrowed things down to the following eight teams:

Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Chicago Bulls
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Memphis Grizzlies
Phoenix Suns

If I'm going to jump onto a bandwagon, it isn't going to be one that is falling off a cliff. Golden State & Chicago - slow starts and the lack of geographic loyalty have doomed thee. You are eliminated.

Down to six - the anticipation is killing you, isn't it? You could scroll down and find the results...tempting, huh? I'm busting out the big guns to keep you from doing that - bad jokes.

What do Tracy McGrady and Michael Spinks have in common?

Can't make it out of the first round.

Another elimination - Boston Celtics. If I'm going to jump onto a bandwagon, it has to have some room for me. This one doesn't. Too much, too soon. Plus, I have never forgiven the Celtics for leaving the Boston Garden. I know the economics and such of it, but the Fleet Center or whatever corporation controls the name today is a lame building. Finally, my imaginary feud with Bill Simmons prevents me from sharing the same team with him. Boston - out.

Bad joke #2: What is black and white and bores the hell out of me?

The San Antonio Spurs.

Detriot - gone. I usually pull for Detriot because I like a bunch of their players, but they are not going to be my favorite team. They are like a chicken sandwich - I'll usually happily eat it, but I never crave it. The Pistons ain't firing for me.

Down to four. The Final Four. The Fantastic Four. The Four Horsemen. 4.

Houston, we have a problem and it is that you are not my favorite team. Like the Pistons, I'll pull for them in most cases, but with no passion. T-Mac is fun to watch at times, but his back isn't going to hold up much longer and Yao is the most frustrating player to watch in the league. GET A REBOUND! I already miss Jeff Van Gundy (though he is a damn fine color man on TV) and am morally against rooting for Bonzi Wells. Houston, goodbye.

Atlanta, Memphis & Phoenix - one of these teams is not like the other...

Here is my Phoenix dilemma - do I actually like them or do I just like Steve Nash? What happens if he leaves? I cannot get excited about Amare and really can't get excited about Shawn "Me" Marion. Marrying the Suns is like marrying a woman because of her breasts - they look great now, but someday they will sag and wrinkle. Will I still love her when the boobs aren't so luscious? I don't think so - Phoenix will be my team for the moment, but not the long haul.

Atlanta and Memphis - what have I done? Can we start over? How did I end up with these two skanks? Atlanta is perpetually awful and Memphis might be moving soon. You know, this really is like one of those finding-love-elimination-shows because you know the whole time that nobody is actually finding love. I don't think that I have found love either. I'm stuck with one team that has no personality and one team that has no stability.

To hell with it - I'm throwing the biggest curveball since Flavor Flav brought New York back in Season Two. Nash! Get your white Canadian butt back here - you and the Phoenix Suns are my team! The fast-paced, innovative style! The complete lack of defense! The angry coach! The Brazilian Blur! The French...Diaw! Tom Chambers! I'm in love! I am over-using exclamation points! And I don't care!

The sun has set on this self-indulgent series and I am a Sun. My new colors are purple and orange...wait, those are bad colors. And didn't they trade Kurt Thomas for nothing this off-season? Shawn Marion! I'm now pulling for Shawn Marion!

What have I done?

Frying Bacon on Rocky Top

2007-11-11T13:17:00.000-08:00

I don't mean to state the obvious, but I'm going to write what every Vol fan is thinking right now:

What is the deal with this team?

Are they the group that was dominated by Florida, Alabama and in the 2nd half against South Carolina or are they the group that dominated Georgia, Arkansas and the 1st half against South Carolina?

I really don't know.

Yesterday I couldn't have felt more confident from the opening moments that the Vols were going to spank the Razorbacks. The game had that feel...I can't explain it other than saying there is no doubt we are going to play well. The offense moved the ball, the defense was zoned in and the opposing coach was lost about what to do about it (going on 4th down in your own territory, Houston? That was Nutty...).

With this team, it takes about five minutes to decide if they are going to win or lose. It is like the opening minutes of a sitcom that either hook you in or convince you to click to something else. The Vols either look spectacular or totally uninspired.

How does that happen?

I know it isn't easy to get up for every single game, but coming out flat against Florida and Alabama is darn near unforgivable. What was it about Georgia and Arkansas that had the boys so ready to play?

Here is what I'm hoping - Neyland Stadium is becoming a real home-field advantage again. There were a few years there when the Vols seemed to play worse at home, but the Big Orange have been fantastic at home this year. Have you watched Georgia the past few weeks absolutely steamroll both Florida and Auburn? The Vols dominated the Dawgs at home this year. How do you explain it?

The bad news is that the Vols are going to have to go to Kentucky to seal the SEC deal this year. The Cats, thanks to Navy's win over Notre Dame, now own the distinction of having lost to the Vols more times in a row than any other team has currently lost to another. They are going to want to end that this year with what it easily the best UK squad in recent memory.

The question is which Vol team will show up in Lexington for that contest? Heck, which team will show up next week to face the Commodores?

This season, who knows?

Response to Bill Simmons

2007-11-10T08:45:00.000-08:00

You make your bed - now you have to lie in it.

Apparently Bill Simmons did not enjoy the Patriots dramatic win in Indianapolis last Sunday. The referees seemed to have an agenda to stop the New England juggernaut - making up calls, missing others and sometimes just plain screwing the poor Patriots with ridiculous ones. Patriot Nation was in a collective uproar over this travesty of justice.

On behalf of the rest of the world: Boo-flipping-hoo.

I enjoy the Sports Guy as much as anyone outside of Boston possibly can. He is endlessly entertaining and always funny. For most of us non-athlete/non-journalist sports writers, he is an inspiration.

But does he really think anyone is going to feel sympathy for Bill Belichick's Patriots?

New England's fan base has now collectively cleansed itself from Spygate by deciding that everyone is out to get them. Their Super Bowl victories have been questioned, their honesty has been doubted and their sportsmanship has been debated. Now, even the NFL referees are out to get them.

Come on. This is the NFL, not the NBA. Bad referees are not biased ones. Simmons' article read like a vitriolic message board posting from BigBlue4Life_99 after a Michigan loss.

The implication of the article is that the Patriots are getting cheated. Do you know whose fault that is? Yes, the Patriots.

You make your bed...

As a school teacher, I do occasionally catch a cheater who either has shifty test-taking eyes or plagiarizes a paper. I do accuse them of cheating. I do seek some type of punishment from the school. I do watch them more closely with future tests and projects.

You make your bed...

Do I actively seek to fail that student over the rest of the year? Do I ignore correct answers and find fault with the smallest error? Or do I do my job? The one that puts food on my table? The one that I trained for and hope to continue to do for many more years?

If that student feels like I am now out to get them, it is only because he/she created the circumstances that would cause such paranoia. For Patriot fans who are entering into JFK conspiracy waters after a few bad calls, you only have your own head coach to blame for this misguided paranoia.

It might be a bitter pill for Pats fans to swallow, but there is no getting around the Spygate thing. It tarnishes the past under Belichick and it tarnishes this team. This was not an accusation - it was cheating caught in the act. There is no basis to the "everyone is out to get us" motivational tool. Nobody is buying the "Mangini is a snitch" deflection. Running up the score on people like Joe Gibbs certainly does not make anyone re-evaluate criticism of the franchise. Nobody likes a cheater - ask Barry Bonds or Mark McGwire or Floyd Landis or Tim Donaghy. Bill Belichick is a cheater. Nobody likes it.

Now Patriot fans like Bill Simmons want to cry foul about a few questionable flags? You want us to believe that the NFL or some rogue referees have it out for Belichick's boys? You want us to believe that a billion dollar industry would risk its reputation to teach the Pats a lesson?

I know it isn't easy to be a Boston sports fan right now - how much joy can one person take? The Red Sox, the Celtics, even Boston College is good this year. For a city so used to being frustrated with its sports teams, these are uncharted waters. Heck, these are uncharted waters for any city. That doesn't mean, however, that people are out to get you.

If you think they are, you really just have yourselves to blame.

Ball of Love - Looking for an NBA Team

2007-10-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

I am a man without an NBA team.

Growing up, I had nobody. Chattanooga is not an NBA town whatsoever, so there was never a reason to get one. I used to like the Showtime Lakers because I thought Magic was a neat first name. I liked the Hawks for a time because Atlanta is only 90 minutes away, Spud Webb was a midget with a funny name who could dunk and I was young enough to think those Nique Era uniforms looked good. For the most part, however, the NBA & me never jived.

I moved to Memphis six years ago during the inaugural season for the former-Vancouver Grizzlies. I even splurged a chunk of my teacher's salary to buy a pack of single-game tickets for The Pyramid so I could be a part of the action. I mean, they had Big Country Reeves for goodness sake! It was not easy to tell from where the upper, upper deck where I was sitting, but it looked like they were pretty bad.

Before I left Memphis, the Grizzlies made it into the post-season behind Hubie Brown, Pau Gasol and Jason Williams. I went to Games 3 & 4 of the opening round series against the Spurs, only to see back-to-back losses to Duncan, Parker and the Spurs. The Grizzlies were the NBA team that got me excited about the league & professional basketball, but my loyalty to them was short-lived.

Houston, TX became home in 2004 and I became a Houston Rocket. Yao Ming & Tracy McGrady were fun to watch and I even got to be friends with the team's assistant trainer. I ended up at another playoff game (a Game 5 victory over the Utah Jazz), but this time it was from the team's suite. After the game, I toured the Rocket's training facilities and came face-to-face with Yao Ming, Shane Battier and Juwan Howard. The Rockets were now my team, but...

My wife and I returned to Chattanooga, TN this past summer to make a permanent home in the Scenic City. I'm back in an NBA-less city - one where NASCAR, professional wrestling and Krystal hamburger eating contests are all more popular than pro basketball.

Thus, I am a free agent.

I need an NBA team. After watching Bret Michaels find love this summer, it seems that the best way to find my true love is through a series of challenges and eliminations. Okay, maybe no challenges, but there will be eliminations.

First round of goners - the following teams have no chance of being my new NBA team:

Milwaukee Bucks
Los Angeles Clippers
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Hornets
Charlotte Bobcats
Toronto Raptors
Indiana Pacers
Sacramento Kings
Portland Trail Blazers
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers

Pretty easy cuts there. Bad uniforms, bad teams, lack of superstars, uninspiring coaches - nothing to get excited about.

That leaves me with 19 teams. This isn't going to be easy. There are some good candidates left here.

What would Bret Michaels do?

You are right - he would have nothing but a good time cutting a few more teams. Let's go ahead and dump the ones that might have something going for them, but are not going to win this thing. They make the first cut because there is no reason to lump them with the Bucks and the Bobcats, but they are losing at some point.

Washington Wizards - sorry, Agent Zero
Miami Heat - I like Shaq off the court, but not so much on it
New Jersey Nets - Jason Kidd once took a swing at my wife
Denver Nuggets - awful uniforms. Fashion matters.
Utah Jazz - I like Mormons as much as the next Protestant, but this ain't happening.

Now we are getting somewhere. Here is my Sweeps Week special - the shocking event of the season. It is time to dump two big names:

New York Knicks
Los Angeles Lakers

There is no way to get behind either of these teams right now. The Isiah Era has been an embarrassment on and off the court in New York. The Kobe Drama in L.A. typifies everything that is wrong in the league, so it is eliminated on principle. Two big markets are out - my readership just dropped in half.

The next elimination will be the Superstar cut. These teams have one or two people that are intriguing, but the entire package fails to merit My New Team consideration:

Cleveland Cavaliers - LeBron & nothing else. No thanks.
Seattle Supersonics

There is a part of me that wants to jump on the Kevin Durant bandwagon with the Sonics, but can I get attached to a team that is probably moving in a couple of years? I need some stability.

Before we continue, let us look at the candidates still in contention for my new NBA team:

Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Detroit Pistons
Chicago Bulls
Memphis Grizzlies
Golden State Warriors
Phoenix Suns
Dallas Mavericks
San Antonio Spurs
Houston Rockets

Whoa, what is San Antonio still doing on my list? Bruce Bowen, Robert Horry, Floppin' Ginobli? Get them out of here.

Let's break down the nine remaining teams:

Atlanta Hawks: pros - up & coming team, local to me (90 minutes down I-75) and will be on TV here all the time; cons - they are the awful Atlanta Hawks, no fan base, no championship anytime soon or really anytime ever.

Boston Celtics: pros - tradition, new nucleus is exciting, real chance to win; cons - too trendy, Doc Rivers.

Detroit Pistons: pros - I really like the Billips, Hamilton, Wallace & I LOVE Tayshaun Prince; cons - Flip Saunders, boring style

Chicago Bulls: pros - fun to watch, great fans, young core; cons - potential home for Kobe? no geographic loyalty

Memphis Grizzlies: pros - fairly local, some history to me personally, I like the unis, new coach with up-tempo style; cons - stuck in Western conference without a shot to win, Darko.

Golden State: pros - fell in love with them during playoffs last year, have some family in San Fran (weak, I know); cons - never on TV, small chance of repeating that magic

Phoenix: pros - Steve Nash. Steve Nash. Steve Nash. Fun to watch, exciting, chance to win it all, great coach; cons - form on Marion's jumper, break my heart in post-season

Dallas: pros - um, none. I don't like this team at all. Cut them.

Houston: pros - Yao & T-Mac, personal history, love Shane Battier; cons - boring fans, Rick Adelman?, fired my friend for no good reason.

There we are...8 teams in the running for my new NBA team. I'm going to take my time with this pick - watch a few games, visit some websites, pray to various gods and goddesses, even read your comments for help.

Next week - I make my decision. The world will never be the same.

Counting Our Chickens Before They Hatch

2007-10-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

My high school basketball used to tell us, "Early leads are false leads." We did not always believe him - when someone is whipping you 20-4 at the end of the 1st quarter, it feels more like a butt-kicking than a false lead. The idea, however, does usually hold true - just because a team plays well in the opening minutes does not mean it will sustain that pace for the entire game.

As sports fans, we have a difficult time with this concept. To most of us, an early lead is an indication that that team is going to win the contest. We have all watched enough sports to know that the team winning at the half is usually going to win the game.

If not, the team surely blew it.

The Tennessee Vols nearly "blew it" on Saturday against South Carolina. Up 21-0 in the first half, the Vols looked like they would coast to an easy SEC win. UT fans across the South were exchanging high fives and congratulations about a rare win over Steve Spurrier. Fulmer is the man - I never wanted to see him fired.

Then a funny thing happened in the 2nd half...though not very funny by Big Orange standards. The Gamecocks defense stepped up, the Vols offense struggled and South Carolina took a 24-21 lead. UT fans across the South exchanged off-color exclamations and frustrations about another loss to Steve Spurrier. Fulmer is awful - I told you we ought to fire him.

Then, an even funnier thing happened. The Vols came back and won the game. A last second field goal (over-coming two fumbles and a missed field goal attempt prior to a procedure penalty) took the game into overtime where Tennessee prevailed 27-24.

A game like this is the perfect opportunity to reconsider what we often quickly deride as "choking." There is an incorrect assumption among the sports-watching world that blowing an early lead amounts to some type of character flaw. Allow a comeback? It must be a choke job.

It does not make sense to look at the games this way. There is a reason the games are timed - the game is not over until the time expires, no matter how big the initial lead.

There are a million factors that determine who takes an early lead and who eventually wins the game. One team might pull out a million tricks in the first minutes to establish a lead it cannot maintain past the initial trickery. One team might slowly wear down the other team and use better conditioning to win at the end. One team might be red hot for a few moments and then come back down to earth.

There are obvious examples of choking or blowing a lead. Football fans universally loath the prevent defense that allows an opponent to suddenly find rhythm and easy yards at the end of the game. Offensive aggression is often squashed in the name of using the clock when it would be better to simply keep playing.

But not every blown lead equals some type of choke job.

For example, let's revisit the Tennessee-Ohio State basketball from last season's NCAA tournament. The Vols played a fantastic first half - they shot the lights out, defended well and even managed to get Greg Oden in foul trouble. It all meant a big Vols lead, as much as 20 points at one point.

The second half belonged to the Buckeyes. The Vols cooled off, Ohio State's guards began to penetrate into the lane and Oden played a superior half of basketball. In the end, Tennessee failed in its last opportunity with the ball and lost the game.

Did the Vols choke? Did they blow it? Or did they simply outplay the Buckeyes for a time and then were outplayed by the Buckeyes for a time?

Just like there are a million reasons why early leads occur, there are a million reasons those leads are lost. Clock-killing strategies work most, but not all of the time. It is easier to play loose and aggressively from behind than with the lead. Remember the Houston Oilers and their run-and-shoot attack? It worked great to get a lead, but struggled to hold one. What about the Braves teams of the 1990s with great starting staffs, but miserable bullpens?

Perhaps the reason we deride the team that blows the lead so much is because of the way we celebrate the winners. Those guys never game up, showed heart and character and fought until the end. That means that the losers must have given up, had no heart and questionable character and stopped fighting too early. It is no wonder we blame them for the loss.

Perhaps it is easier to say, "We had them and let them off the hook" than it is to concede, "That lead was a joke - they were way better than us."

Perhaps we over-estimate the margin of a lead. A 21-point lead feels like a comfortable lead, but it is merely three scores. Three possessions is all a team needs to make that up. It only took three possessions to build that lead - why is to perplexing when three possessions later it is lost?

Or perhaps we are just wrong in the way we view such contests. There is no reason to think a game has been blown when a lead is lost. Leads are not victories. The game continues until the final buzzer.

History has also shown us that leads are lost all the time. Why are we always surprised when it happens? I have seen 21-point halftime leads lost before, so why did Tennessee's inability to hold it on Saturday come as such a surprise?

The real surprise ought to be how often we are fooled by an early lead. Fool me once...we get fooled all the time! We allow initial jubilation interfere with time-tested reason. We ought to blame ourselves for the disappointment that comes along with a blown-lead loss rather than the team that blew it.

World Series Thoughts

2007-10-29T05:15:00.000-07:00

The Fall Classic came and went before we ever learned how to spell Tulowitski (I guessed - it might be wrong, thus illustrating my point). The Rockies could not capitalize on offensive opportunities, got nothing from two of their top three starters and seemed to have lost the magic of their 21 out of 22 run.

Clearly, the Red Sox were the better team up and down. Better line-up. Better bench. Better starters. Better bullpen. You name it. The Rockies needed to play great to compete and they never played very well at all.

I'm disappointed in the series because the baseball season was so good. A seven-game classic with David challenging Goliath would have been the icing on top, but it was not to be. I'm also especially disappointed because my family bought my father-in-law tickets to Game 5 at Coors Field for his birthday.

As for the Red Sox, good grief. They were locked in. That was one of the most impressive performances over seven games (three vs. Cleveland, four vs. Colorado) I can ever remember. They pound the ball, they pitch the ball, they field it - they make the game seem easy and even a bit unfair. Welcome to the new Evil Empire. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

As I watched the game on a Frontier flight home last night (thank you, DirecTV!), I thought about how many times the Red Sox dangled Manny Rameriz in trade talks. Manny makes everyone crazy, but he can flat out hit the baseball. What a mistake it would have been to unload him, regardless of whether it brought A-Rod to Boston (and let me join the crowd of people who are disgusted with the timing of his announcement - that was pathetic).

And how about the Beckett & Lowell for Hanley Rameriz trade? Has a deal ever worked out better for both teams? Rameriz is fantastic, but Beckett and Lowell put the Sox over-the-top for a championship. John Schuerholz wrote that he hopes his trades work out best for both teams; he isn't hoping to "screw" someone. This trade is the perfect example of that.

Looking ahead to next year, who will challenge this team? Cleveland? New York? Anaheim? Detroit? Boston does look so much better on paper, especially as Ellsbery and Pedroia mature. With two championships out of the last four, we could have a baseball dynasty on our hands.

World Series Game 1

2007-10-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

That was impressive, wasn't it?

Let's recap the opening moments of the 2007 World Series: Josh Beckett strikes out the side, including Colorado's MVP Matt Holliday, Dustin Pedrioa opens the game with a homerun, Youklis follows with a double, Hurdle brings the infield in (IN THE 1st INNING?) which helps Manny get an RBI knock, Lowell walks but doesn't get credit for it thanks to a terrible strike call, and J.D. Drew finishes things off with an RBI double.

Welcome to the World Series, Colorado.

Todd Helton played well, but the Rockies looked overwhelmed and out-classed last night. Beckett can certainly do that to you, but what about the Rockies bullpen? Three straight walks?

It will be interesting to see what happens back in Denver when Francona has to remove either Ortiz, Youklis or Lowell from his line-up. That is a big subtraction regardless of who he picks, but now that Drew is swinging the bat, it does not seem quite as devastating.

I hope it isn't true, but I'm thinking sweep after last night. After a 13-1 thrashing, I'm probably not the only one with that idea this morning.

90% of the Game is Physical - the other half is mental

2007-10-23T18:55:00.001-07:00

My latest article at ArmChairGM about Joel Skinner's decision to hold Lofton at third base and its place in baseball's mental mistake history.

The Easiest Part of a Coach's Job

2007-10-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

The cuts.

I wish I had Coach Homer Simpson's philosophy of cutting - you, you, you and you are cut. The rest of you made the team. Except you, you and you - you are cut.

Cutting isn't any fun at all. Yesterday, we made cuts for our 7th grade basketball team. Most of the cuts were easy in that there was little doubt the player was not one of the twelve best trying out. None of them were easy in that a kid's heart is getting broken.

7th grade cuts are the worst ones of all because they are the first cuts for most kids. What did Cat Stevens sing about the first cut being the deepest? I think he was writing about his 7th grade basketball experience.

This is the first time some of them realize they are not very good. Of course, some don't realize it even when they are let go. There is shock, tears, anger and bitterness. I still have ill feelings for Marvin Smith, the man who cut me from my 7th grade team and kept Josh Keiser instead. It is troubling to think I will be the focus of several people's anger in the coming years when they think about being cut.

You might imagine that the kids look around and see that they are not very good. Well, they don't. If one lay-up managed to go in, that is the one they remember. If one jumper banked in for three, that is enough to make the squad. It takes a special kid to look around and realize he is not one of the better ones out there.

The ones who do realize they aren't any good often don't stick around for the actual cuts. Many will cut themselves, usually with an excuse about concentrating on homework or not having parental permission. After we did sprints at the end of Thursday's tryout, a kid came up to us and said, "My mom doesn't want me to play this year." His mom had not had time to see him between the 90 minutes he tried out and the time of his explanation, but we didn't bother to call him out on it. We told him that was a tough break and he could hopefully try again next year.

There will likely be parent complaints about some part of the process as well. Last season, a high school player's father emailed our coaching staff about his son who had been cut. Of course, we got the usuals about his up-side, how he was better than some who had made the team and about how it was not fair for some contrived reason. He also mentioned that family reunions would now be sad affairs whenever basketball was brought up. That was a new one.

Competitive scholastic sports might be the first real dose of reality for many people. Up until now, these kids have been told they were special. I remember how my granddad used to brag about my golf skills when we made our way around Eastgate's par 3 course. I was the next Nicklaus. Then I tried out for the golf team and realized he had been full of crap.

Frankly, that is a good word to describe making cuts. It is crap. It keeps you up at night and makes you hurt. It makes you angry at a kid who is stupid enough to think that if he hustles from drill to drill, you won't notice that his shots never hit the rim. It is crap. Thankfully, it is now over.

Until next year.

GAME 7

2007-10-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

Ugh - It is a Monday at school with a broken copier, I have meetings at lunch and I would rather be talking about Game 7. Francona rolling the dice with, well, Dice. Lugo's error. The stop sign with Lofton. Pedroia!

Maximum Jack - take the lead here. Discuss.

The Best or Worst Year in College Football History?

2007-10-21T10:23:00.000-07:00

Howdy, friends. I have written a couple of articles for another website called ArmChairGM.com. In the future, I'm going to cross-publish from time to time, but mostly I'm going to keep doing what I've been doing here and write about more national stuff there.

Anyway, check out my point/counter-point debate about the state of college football in these two articles:

The Worst Year in College Football History

The Best Year in College Football History

Hope you like them.

CC

Bama Thoughts

2007-10-20T12:50:00.001-07:00

If I were to make a list of the worst defensive efforts in Tennessee history, this game would top the list. As of right now (4:00 left in the game), Tennessee has not forced a punt the entire game. This is the same defense that dominated Georgia? I don't know how to comprehend the performance, other than to conclude that the defense just isn't any good and Georgia's offense is worse.

The numbers in this game are horrible. John Parker Wilson has over 300 yards passing.

Let me type that again in bold letters for greater impact:

John Parker Wilson has over 300 yards passing.

D.J. Hall has just under 200 yards receiving. He is setting Alabama receiving records today. Alabama has kept the ball for nearly 2/3 of the game. They have over 500 yards of offense. Their running back just went over 100 yards. Alabama has 41 points without a defensive or special teams score.

Wait...we have an Alabama punt. 2:14 left in the game.

I have no problem with the offense because it is predicated on running the football. UT couldn't run it in the 2nd half because the defense kept letting Alabama score. Yes, there were no points in the 2nd half. Yes, Ainge's interception hurt. However, Foster was running the ball beautifully, but the Vols had to abandon it. Ainge was playing well other than the one pick (which was inches from being a touchdown). I can live with the offense, but the D...

Here is what I really don't understand - what did they do that surprised us? Throwing it to D.J. Hall? Play-action? I don't know what Chavis was trying to do at the outset, but it wasn't working. I don't know what adjustments he tried to make at the half, but those didn't work either. Maybe he just doesn't have anything to work with, but it sure felt like Applewhite's play-calling was 2 or 3 steps ahead of Chavis all game long.

Let's give Chavis the benefit of the doubt - let's say the plan was to force John Parker Wilson to beat us and take away the run. Let's say the plan was to use the defensive line to get pressure rather than blitzing because our corners are both freshmen and not good enough to cover Hall and Co.. Let's say Tennessee was willing to give up the dinks and dumps because it figured Wilson would make a mistake sooner or later and we wouldn't get beat deep.

Okay, fine. It isn't the worst plan in the world, is it? So why didn't it work?

Let's turn our attention from the oft-blamed coaches and look at the guys on the field. Alabama was starting two back-up o-linemen and, yet, our defensive line could not get to Wilson. Ever. I cannot remember the last time a defensive end got a sack for the Vols. It might have been Reggie White. No, Shaun Ellis. It wasn't anybody on the field today. I thought Xavier Mitchell and Demonte Boldin had turned the corner inside, but today was a giant step backwards for those guys.

What about the linebackers? We can't blitz if the linebackers don't get there. And they never do! Chavis calls a blitz, the linebackers are either too slow to get there or get blocked, our green secondary cannot cover man-to-man and we have another Alabama completion. This must be one of the worst front seven the Vols have ever had.

The secondary is not good right now, but we knew that coming into the season. With Morley getting booted off the team and Gaines getting hurt, it makes sense that the secondary is this bad. Berry and Vinson are both true freshmen - we are going to struggle with true freshmen starting at any position, but especially in the secondary when there is no pass rush up front.

Finally, where was the passion on defense today? This was the Vol team we have all come to hate that looks like it is sleep-walking through rivalry games. This was NOT the same team that came out to whip Georgia. There was no fire in anyone's belly today. There was frustration after a while, but where was the excitement and energy from the start?

So what do you do when there is no pass rush, no ability to blitz, no chance of covering superior wide receivers and no passion or energy from anybody playing defense?

You lose 41-17 to Alabama.

Ten Worst Losses of the Fulmer Era

2007-10-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

Last week we looked at the greatest wins of Phil Fulmer's coaching career. This week, we give equal coverage to the sadder side of Fulmer's tenure - the worst losses. Really, there is no ulterior motive for this list - this is not part of "Fire Fulmer" campaign or anything. If anything, I think it demonstrates how great Fulmer's run in Knoxville has been. These losses hurt because expectations were so high and losses so unexpected.

10) 2002 Maryland 30 Tennessee 3 (Peach Bowl)

National power Tennessee vs. no-name Maryland. It was bad enough the Vols were stuck in Atlanta instead of a major bowl game, but against a pitiful program like Maryland? The only thing that could make the game worse was if Tennessee got beat. Well, they didn't just get beat, they got dominated. E.J. Henderson was better than any player on the Vols and the Terps defense exposed Randy Sanders' offense for the predictable, unimaginative scheme that it was. This was the first real indication that Tennessee was no longer a national power after years of reveling in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl win.

9) 1996 Memphis 21 Tennessee 17

The worst loss of the Fulmer era in the sense that he was beaten by a terrible team with a terrible coach. Memphis had no business being on the same field with Peyton and Co., but the Tigers came to play in the Liberty Bowl and shocked the Vols. I still maintain that Kevin Cobb was down on the kickoff return, but it doesn't matter now. Fulmer called this, "the most disappointing game I have ever coached." I have it ranked 9th.

8) 1999 Florida 23 Tennessee 21

Tennessee was looking to repeat as National Champions in 1999, but the dream died quickly in the Swamp. This is often referred to as the Alex Brown game because he dominated the UT line and terrorized Tee Martin. The bigger problem was that the Vols seemed to have lost their swagger and hunger in 1999. Jamal Lewis was not the same runner in 1999 that he had been as a freshman, which made the decision to pitch him the ball on 4th down especially strange (plus the fact that Tennessee could not get wide on the fast Florida defense the entire game, plus the fact that you don't run the ball on 4th and long with the game on the line, plus some other facts that I have repressed in order to get on with my life). The big play I remember that really seemed to show the lack of heart in this team was Deon Grant's late game interception. For some reason, Grant ran out-of-bounds with the pick instead of turning it up-field for better field position. Look at the score - the Vols just needed a field goal. I am still baffled by his decision to step out instead of trying to advance the ball. I wish I could repress that too.

7) 2001 Georgia 26 Tennessee 24

I was tempted to push this loss even higher on the list because I blame it on Fulmer. This was a classic as the Vols were carried into the lead by Travis Stephens. His run down the sideline to put the Vols up in the final minute should have gone down as one of the great plays in Tennessee history because it should have beaten the Dawgs. Instead, Tennessee squib kicked the ball and gave Georgia great field position. The Vols then settled back into a prevent defense while QB David Greene and coach Mark Richt picked the Vols apart for chunks at a time. Finally, Georgia got to the goal line and ran a beautiful play where the fullback slipped past the line for an easy touchdown grab. This loss was on Fulmer - 100%. The kickoff should have gone deep. There was too much time, especially in college football with the stopped clock on 1st downs, to be in the prevent. Richt looked like a genius and Fulmer a fool.

6) 1997 Nebraska 42 Tennessee 17 (Orange Bowl)

Peyton's senior season was supposed to be the final chapter of a storybook college career in Knoxville. Instead, it was like Godfather III - okay, but not really the way you wanted the thing to end or be remembered. Manning had turned his back on being the #1 pick in the draft to return for one last year. There were dreams of championships and Heismans, but the only trophy this year would be the SEC one. Manning lost the Heisman to Charles Woodson in a decision that Vol fans still cannot stomach, so this was his chance to stick it to the voters and end things with an exclamation.

It ended, however, with a thud. Nebraska dominated the Vols, pushed them around and pounded them into submission. Tennessee looked over-matched and out-coached. The sad image of Manning on the sideline as Tee Martin took the final snaps of the game was a perfect picture of a disappointing season. The loss was terrible, but it did spur the Vols forward to their 1998 championship.

5) 2005 Vanderbilt 28 Tennessee 24

It had to happen at some point and 2005 was the year. Vanderbilt was about as good as it had ever been behind Jay Cutler (still no bowl game though after a loss to MTSU) and the Vols were down. Way down. 5-6 down. But losing to Vanderbilt? At home? Tennessee actually led late, but could not stop a late Commodore drive. The fact that Fulmer survived this embarrassment is a testament to how the school and players feel about him. This was the low point of the lowest season in recent memory.

4) 1996 Florida 35 Tennessee 29

#1 vs. #2. Spurrier vs. Fulmer. Wuerrful vs. Manning. It was set up to be a classic and the score might mislead you to think it was, but this was a rout. 35-0 at one point. I was there and it was the biggest punch in the gut I have ever felt (I've had a pretty pampered life...). Florida jumped all over the Vols early, but it was Fulmer's panicked coaching that made this especially embarrassing. Spurrier was in Phil's head at this point, evidenced by an inexplicable 4th down and long attempt early in the game that gave the Gators great field position and a 2-point conversion late for no reason. The Vols did have an on-side kick chance late, but it failed. The Gators had come to Knoxville and whipped the Vols. They went on to a National title win over Florida State, so there was no shame in losing to them. The shame was the way the Vols got blown out and Fulmer losing his mind as it happened.

3) 1995 Florida 62 Tennessee 37

More high hopes were crushed in the Swamp as Spurrier, Wuerrful and Co. ran up the score on the shocked Tennessee Vols. Tennessee jumped out in the 1st half and led by 16 points, but it was all Florida from there. Peyton's second try at the Gators came to the same fate as his first (a 31-0 loss at home - just missing this list). This is the Sports Illustrated Game - Manning was supposed to be on the cover the week after the game, but was taken off & replaced by, you guessed it, Danny Wuerrful. Ouch. Bad, shocking loss.

2) 1997 Florida 33 Tennessee 20

My number two pick returns to the theme of Peyton's disappointing senior season. It is not entirely fair to think about it that way because there were many great moments - UGA, Bama, winning the SEC - but like the Nebraska loss, this one left a stain on his legacy. 1997 was Manning's last chance to beat Florida, but he would have to do it in the Swamp. The Gators were great under Spurrier, but the Vols were loaded too. The game got off to a terrible start for Tennessee when Tony George picked Manning off and returned it 89 yards for an early score. The Gators continued to blitz and confuse Manning all game long, though he did throw for three touchdowns and over 300 yards in the game. Those stats, however, were not the reason he came back for his senior season. He came back to beat Florida, win a National Championship and win the Heisman trophy. He did none of them. This loss had as much as anything to do with that.

1) 2001 LSU 31 Tennessee 20 (SEC Championship game)

Fulmer has called this game the worst loss of his career and he is correct. Tennessee was all set to play in the Rose Bowl against Miami for the National Championship. The Vols were rolling late in the season after thumping Florida in the Swamp (the game delayed until December by 9/11) and only had to get through LSU. Nick Saban's squad was a heavy underdog going into the game and had less to play for than the BCS-bound Vols. The game itself looked to be swinging the Vols way as LSU's starting quarterback Rohan Davey and starting running back LaBrandon Toefield both went down with early injuries.

Back-up QB Matt Mauck killed the Vols with his arm and legs (especially his legs) and the Bayou Bengals whipped the Vols in the 2nd half to kill Tennessee's chance at a second National Championship. The Vols instead went to Orlando where they destroyed Michigan 45-17.

Oh, what might have been. If Fulmer wins this game, there is no hot seat. He would potentially have two national titles as well as another SEC championship on his resume. Instead, the program went into a decline that includes several of these devastating losses.

I feel like I need to take a shower and cleanse myself after writing about these moments. Here's hoping there are no more games to add to this list in the coming year.

Friday Sports Update

2007-10-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

Man, I'll be glad when this week is over. You don't care, so I won't bore you with details. Just know that blogging has been forced to the back-burner against my wishes by grades, comments, out-of-control students and basketball tryouts. Okay, basketball tryouts are pretty fun, but the rest has been miserable.

UPDATE!!!

Tennessee Vols

Weird article on ESPN about Phil Fulmer's hot-seat status in Knoxville. Isn't this odd timing? Fulmer has won three straight and the team is in the driver's seat for the SEC East. Has the author been working on this since the Florida loss? I thought this was very strange, but then again I am writing a list of Fulmer's worst losses right now, so maybe I'm weird too.

Wikipedia saves me some time by chronicling the Alabama/Tennessee rivalry. It isn't that good, but it did help get me into the mood (though not as much as those sweet Fred Thompson-narrated clips I have on your left). I feel VERY confident going into tomorrow's game, so we are surely going to lose. I thought we could beat Florida, but expected to lose to both Georgia and Mississippi State. At least this game isn't on pay-per-view. I'm going 28-20 Vols with UT leading throughout, but Bama always a score away.

Baseball

Great game last night, even though the score didn't reflect it. Beckett was lights out, but Sabathia was working through some real jams thanks to the bottom of the Sox order. There is a HUGE difference in that line-up when Varitek is out there instead of Doug Mirabeli. That is reason enough to put Wakefield in the pen. I had the feeling that Boston was wasting too many opportunities, but Beckett refused to let the Indians get anything going.

I don't understand what set Beckett off about the bat drop. Was that disrespectful? Wasn't Lofton just trying to influence the umpire? That was a weird moment, but it really showed just how high strung these guys are in the playoffs. They play 162 lazy, take-it-or-leave-it games and then the post-season is so intense. This is something football does not have - a rise in play for the playoffs. All football games are intense, so there usually is no difference between a good Monday night game and a playoff game. In baseball, there is no comparison between a July game and an October one.

Manny's single - here is the question: Is Manny as good as he is because he plays this way or could he be even better if he played baseball the right way? He is a future Hall-of-Famer, an RBI machine and may have the best eye at the plate since Ted Williams. He is also not A-Rod, not Bonds, not Pujols. If you put Craig Biggio's brain in Manny's body, does he become the best player in the game or does Manny's mis-wired mind actually help him be so productive so often.

Discuss...

Tennessee Titans

Vince is still day-to-day, but I guarantee he will play Sunday at Houston. Put it down. It is a lock. That guy is not missing a chance to play at home against the team that passed on him. No way.

Fulmer article up later today. Have a great weekend. I'll have Bama thoughts up sometime after the game.

No Thursday Update

2007-10-18T04:46:00.000-07:00

Today is one of those days when a million things are going on and a million things are due, so I'm pulling a Scottie Pippen and sitting this one out. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh update going into the weekend's game, plus the much-anticipated Worst of Fulmer article.

CC

Wednesday Scenic City Sports Update

2007-10-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

It has taken me a few days to fully digest the pounding my Cowboys took on Sunday from the New England Patriots. Man, that was bad. You know the thing though - I thought about the cameras and cheating allegations all game long. It really is going to be Belichick's legacy. Every time the Patriots called the right play, converted a 3rd down or blanketed the Cowboy receivers, I wondered if something fishy was going on. I know the Pats are good - really good - but there is going to be that doubt all year long. Belichick can run up the score all he wants and the Patriots can rally around this cheating allegation all they want, but it doesn't make the suspicion go away. The more you see the Patriots this year, the more the Nixon/Watergate connection works. Why did Belichick need to cheat with this team on the field?

FAIR & SQUARE UPDATE!!!

Baseball

Indians 7 Red Sox 3 - Boy, the wheels just came off during the 5th inning, didn't they? People keep talking about the Rockies' defense and last night was a reason why it has been so important. The Red Sox failed to field a pop foul and then Wakefield ruined a double-play by mishandling a comebacker. That is three extra outs in the inning and the Tribe made Boston pay with seven runs.

The Red Sox made a nice run with the back-to-back-to-back jacks, but Manny's ridiculous display as the ball left the park left a bad taste in my mouth. I know that Manny is getting booed in Cleveland, his old stomping grounds. I know it was exciting to hit a third straight dinger. I know it was "Manny being Manny." None of that matters. Down four runs in the middle of the game, Manny's 'look at me' routine was pathetic. If ever a fastball ought to buzz by someone's chin, this is a proper occasion. Manny showed up the pitcher and might have ticked off the Indians enough to stop the Sox rally.

Or maybe it had something to do with J.D. Drew and Coco Crisp hitting behind him.

I like Manny - he might be the most under-rated player of his generation as he continues to pound hits, homers and RBIs each and every year - but it is hard to defend his selfishness last night. It was the wrong move at the wrong time. All the momentum had swung towards a Red Sox rally, but Manny turned that momentum into Cleveland ire by admiring his homerun so long. That isn't Manny being Manny - that is Manny being a jerk.

Patriots and Red Sox - this is starting to feel like a Bill Simmons article. Let's get out of New England.

Atlanta Falcons

Falcons turning to Leftwich? Does it matter? With that offensive line, the Birds cannot put a pocket passer back there with any hopes of winning. Leftwich is going to get killed quicker than a mutt at the Vick estate.

Next game - at New Orleans

That is about it - not much happening on the Vols, Titans, Braves, Mocs front. Maybe I should look at the Celtics...nevermind. Enjoy your Wednesday.

Here's the Wind...

2007-10-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

As a kid, I used to do some mean baseball impressions. Glenn Hubbard's butt-out batting stance. Darryl Strawberry's upright, bat-wiggling approach. George Brett's weight-back await.

But it wasn't all offense. I loved to imitate my favorite pitchers as well. The Braves were my team, so I had Rick Mahler's neck-slap at the top of his wind-up, Zane Smith's inexplicable pause over his head and Gene Garber's look-back-at-centerfield submarine motion. For whatever reason, the variety of pitcher wind-ups fails to get the artistic attention it deserves. There are so many variations on the basic wind-up to make each one unique.

While watching Daisuke Matsuzaka's odd wind-up last night - pause...spin...kick - I was inspired to chronicle my favorite wind-ups in baseball history. Some of these I mastered as a child, some of these I'm no longer flexible enough to even attempt. So let's toe the rubber, get the sign and get to #10:

#10 Nolan Ryan - The perfect pitching wind-up. Every little league coach taught the Nolan Ryan wind-up. There were no unnecessary movements. It was powerful and compact. Ryan's leg drive produced much of his power, but his balance was also key to his dominance. This is the standard-bearer of wind-ups.

#9 Luis Tiant - I was not around for Tiant's career, but his wind-up is legendary. The former Indian and Red Sox looked like he was testing the strength of his ACL with each delivery as he twirled around toward centerfield with a whipping lower body action. Seriously, I think his career was ended when he knee snapped off like an old G.I. Joe toy, except without the mini-rubber band.

#8 Dontrelle Willis - The D-Train is the only current pitcher to make my list. His wind-up has personality unlike so many of today's pitchers. I think all the technology, pitching gurus, etc. have taken some of the fun out of pitching wind-ups. Most of today's aces use traditional, picture perfect form that is, frankly, boring. It is the same thing in basketball - everyone shoots the exact same way now. Will we ever see another Larry Bird-type shot? Bill Cartwright? Reggie Miller? I'm afraid golf is going the same route - no more Jim Furyks or Lee Trevinos.

Of the modern pitchers, the other guy I considered was Jake Peavy because I love how his off arm straightens out like he is opening a screen door before he throws the pitch.

# 7 Rick Sutcliffe - Okay, so this link is not to a Sutcliffe pitch, but it is endlessly entertaining. How on earth did the other broadcasters not realize that Sutty was tanked before they let him on the air? I might need to compile a list of drunken sports moments - Joe Namath, Rick Sutcliffe, Tony LaRussa, etc.

Back to a sober Sutcliffe, my favorite part of his delivery was his patented hiding of the ball behind his back. I have no idea how or why he did it, but Sutcliffe would tease the hitter to try to see the ball before finishing his overhand motion. My daughter would mistake it for a game of peek-a-boo. In fact, I bet Sutcliffe would yell "peek-a-boo" during meaningless September games at Wrigley. The kids probably loved it. I used to imitate it all the time - nobody else did anything like it at the time.

I also have a great Rick Sutcliffe story I heard years ago from Mark Grace on Dan Patrick's radio program. Sutcliffe was pitching in Cincinnati and getting lit up by the Reds. With each homerun, the folks at Riverfront Stadium set off fireworks to celebrate the shot. So Sutcliffe gives up a dinger & BOOM - fireworks fill the Cincinnati sky. The next batter - BOOM - more fireworks as another homerun leaves the park. Billy Connors made his way to the mound & Sutcliffe cut him off - "Get your fat ass out of here. I know I gave up two homeruns. I don't need your 'bleeping' help - I know what I'm doing." etc.

Connors calmly looked at Sutcliffe and replied, "I know you have things under control, Rick. I just wanted to give the fireworks guy time to reload."

#6 Dan Quisenberry - This is the closer section of the list. Closers are notoriously odd birds, so I could probably build a list exclusively around them. Remember Rob Nen's weird double foot tap delivery? Anyway, my first is Dan Quisenberry of the Kansas City Royals. I am a sucker for submariners for some reason - maybe because I always thought it might be my ticket to the majors if I could ever figure out how to do it. Same with the knuckleball. Back to Quisenberry - he was so violent and full-bodied in his delivery that he got most batters before he let the ball go. It is amazing he didn't rip his arm from his elbow over time, much like...

#5 Rob Dibble - Dibble came across his body with amazing power, but it always looked like he was one pitch away from ending his career. He added a tremendous leg motion that always helps make a good wind-up. Dibble's wind-up also seemed to mirror his volatile personality, much like...

#4 Mitch Williams - Wild Thing. We all used to imitate his falling over finish. Williams is best known for his terrible 1993 World Series, including giving up Joe Carter's homerun. I think that in coming years when people look back at Carter's historic shot, the first impression won't be about Joe's blow, but about why did that reliever fall over like that? Didn't he get hit in the head once after letting it go? Williams was like an outfielder trying to gun down a runner at home with every pitch he threw.

#3 Juan Marichal - The thing I really like about Marichal's super-high leg kick was that it propelled him to a Hall of Fame career. It even made the cover of Time magazine. His wind-up was not quirky for quirk's sake, but it helped generate his dominance. He even kept his left leg that high later in his career. How did Marichal avoid tipping backwards every once in a while?

There is a funny story about Marichal when he once hit an opposing catcher in the head with a baseball bat. Actually, that isn't so funny. Let's stick with the Sutcliffe one.

#2 Hideo Nomo - I love the wild wind-ups we get from the Far East & it all started with Nomo. His wind-up was so start-stop-start-stop that it seemed to take a good 10 seconds before he finally pitched the ball. I have always wondered what would have happened if Nomo just held the ball over his head and stopped his wind-up at that exaggerated pause. The batter could not call time because he was in his motion. I guess the umpire could call time if he held too long, but against someone like Gary Sheffield who depends so much on timing, this could have been an interesting strategy. Of course, Nomo also added the Sutcliffe peek-a-boo aspect to his wind-up. It was so wild and exciting as a kid that I mastered it within days. I still go to the Nomo wind-up whenever I want to add some spice to tossing Martha my keys or Abby her blanket. It also seems to annoy both of them.

And, drum roll please,

#1 Fernando Valenzuela - The wind-up that he learned from the Galapagos lizards or whatever Susan Sarandon told Nuke in Bull Durham. Fernando would have been lovable with an ordinary wind-up - he was a little overweight, kind of short compared to other pitchers, had a big friendly Mexican smile and could even pitch a little. Add his wind-up and you had a superstar. Fernando (nobody refers to him as Valenzuela) would look up at the sky (breathing through his eyelids) for a brief moment at the top of his wind-up before coming home with the pitch. It was so graceful and artistic. It was almost spiritual, as if he was looking to the gods before each fastball. It remains my favorite wind-up of all-time.

I am anxious to hear about other great ones I neglected. Step back, lift your arms, pivot to your side, raise your knee, dip your hands and fire away.

Tuesday Scenic City Sports Update

2007-10-16T05:41:00.000-07:00

21 out of 22 for the Rockies - are they now the favorite to win the Series? A National League team?

UPDATE!!!

Baseball

I watched the Indians beat the Sox last night behind Jake Westbrook and a stellar bullpen. Dice-K did not look confident at all on the mound, though the goofy strike zone might have played a part in that. The Fox announcers were absolutely correct when they pointed out the impact of the AWFUL strike call against Manny Ramirez that should have loaded the bases. There were several pitches that were not even close on that side of the plate that were called strikes.

I never got a good answer on my Kenny Lofton question. Why does no team want this guy? He comes up clutch every October.

I did not watch any of the Rockies clincher last night, but I am excited about it. Todd Helton, Matt Holliday, Clint Hurdle - these guys are awfully likable. Are the Rockies still doing the whole Christian franchise thing? That weirded me out at the time, but they really have built a team of character and class.

Tennessee Vols

Basketball first - Jay Bilas has Tennessee ranked #7 in his pre-season poll. I don't even know how to comprehend this. Isn't this the same program that Buzz Peterson was running into the ground just a few years ago? Other news in this article - Chris Lofton is becoming a leader (um, two arrests in the last month - sounds like we could use a little more leadership) and Duke Crews is "making progress" in trying to getting reinstated.

Also, Bruce Pearl is featured in Sports Illustrated this week with a full article about his rise in basketball and clownish antics. I have not seen it yet.

Yesterday I bragged on the Vols offensive line and now Josh McNeil wins Offensive Lineman of the Week. Did anyone else know this award existed?

Tennessee Titans

Injuries, injuries, injuries. Vince Young is day-to-day with a thigh sprain. Chris Brown tweaked an ankle (who didn't see this injury coming - this guy is the Mike Hampton of the Titans), Albert Haynesworth has a groin injury and Brandon Jones is out for a while after undergoing surgery on his knee. That is an impressive list of talent that is hurting as the Titans head to Houston for a big divisional game. There is also talk that Chris Henry will be active for this week's game.

Next game - at Houston 1:00 pm

Atlanta Braves

Braves Mailbag! This week's mailbag lists the Braves free agents (Andruw Jones, Octavio Dotel & Julio Franco are the notable ones) & suggests none will return. There is also little chance we'll see a return of Leo Mazzone after he was fired by the Orioles.

Speaking of getting fired, I am going to be if I don't get back to work. There will be an article up later today inspired by Dice-K. Stay tuned.

Monday Scenic City Sports Update

2007-10-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

Lots of sporting news, but I'm out-of-the-loop after a wedding weekend in Hilton Head. I did not take my golf clubs, but was having serious withdrawal all weekend. Imagine a recovering addict hanging out in a crackhouse - that is what going to Hilton Head is like for someone trying to give up his golf game.

Enough about me - UPDATE!!!

Tennessee Vols

Classic Fulmer victory - Tennessee lets an inferior team hang around for a while, but eventually the running game starts to wear down the opposing defense and the Vol defense is able to tee-off on obvious passing downs. Mississippi State hit a few big plays early, but it was all Vols in the 2nd half.

Kudos to the Vol offensive line that has played much, much better since the bye week. It has always started up front for the Vols. If the line can open up holes, Foster, Coker and Hardesty can wear down every defense the Vols will see for the rest of the year.

Next game - Saturday at Alabama 12:30 pm (yeesh - we're the early game vs. Alabama)

UTC Mocs

QB Antonio Miller led the Mocs to a big 39-21 win over Western Carolina. Miller ran, threw and even caught a touchdown against the Catamounts. The game was never close. This won't silence Allison's critics as it was a game the Mocs should have won. Next week against Furman will be a different story.

Next game - Saturday vs. Furman 12:00 pm (smart planning by UTC to try to beat the Bama game has backfired now that the UT start time is early. There will be plenty of seats available at Finley this Saturday).

Baseball

3-0 Rockies - Is there a comparison to what the Rockies have done over the last month - 20 wins out of 21 games, including six straight in the post-season? This is unbelievable.

1-1 Indians & Red Sox - Good news for the Sox is that they split Sabathia nd Carmona. The bad news for the Sox is that both were lousy in their starts and probably won't be so hittable the next time around. I did not get to see the extra innings marathon, but heard it was a brilliant baseball game. This post-season needs a seven-game series, so I'm hoping the teams split in Cleveland and keep the suspense building. Red Sox - bring your bug spray.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans lost a tough one at Tampa Bay as Matt Bryant's 43 yard field goal at the end won it for the Bucs. The big story was Vince Young's quad injury - I have not yet seen an update on it for next week. The Titans travel to Houston, Young's hometown and the team that passed on him for Mario Williams, so I imagine his leg will have to be severed in two to keep him out.

Next game - Sunday at Houston 12:00 pm.

Sorry for the brief update. Lots of good stuff in store for the week as we head towards the big Alabama game in Tuscaloosa. I'm feeling confident, especially after I did get to watch Alabama survive a miserable Ole Miss team. Saban will have them ready, but there is nothing on the Tide outside of D.J. Hall that remotely worries me.

Famous last words.

Not as important as Joe Torre's future, but...

2007-10-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

John Schuerholz is stepping down as the Braves GM.

Wow. I need time to digest this.

Thursday Scenic City Sports Update

2007-10-11T05:09:00.000-07:00

No update tomorrow as I'll be on the road to beautiful Hilton Head for a wedding. When you think of Hilton Head, you think golf, but my game is so bad right now that I might not even bring my clubs. At this point, I'm almost ready to stop the fight between golf and me. The sport has been pounding me on the ropes for the last ten years and it is almost time to mercy stop it.

Of course, the last round I played included a birdie that was inches from being a hole-in-one. That is like the one punch I landed from the ropes amid the pounding I was taking the rest of the round that told my brain, "Okay, he still has some fight left in him - I'll let this continue." I almost wish I had three-putted & thrown in the towel.

UPDATE!!!

Tennessee Vols

Here is the reply to John Pennington's column last week about former player's complaints, the one Phil Fulmer called a "cheap shot." I gave my thoughts on Pennington's article earlier in the week. It seems like this article could go a little deeper, but it is nice to see some specifics and actual facts that counter the accusations and guesses that Pennington built his column upon. Of course, I will continue my policy of building this blog on accusations, guesses and unabashed plagiarism.

Next game - Saturday at Mississippi State 2:30 pm

Nashville Kats

No longer exist.

Next game - never.

Atlanta Falcons

At least Vick can run...uh oh. The Falcons are down two offensive linemen as they approach Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora with a pair of immobile, awful quarterbacks. I SMELL AN UPSET!!! Seriously, we might see a fatality in the pocket on Monday night if the Falcons throw it more than fifteen times.

Next game - Monday night vs. NY Giants

Besides the wedding, my weekend will be built around Sunday's Cowboys/Patriots game. I cannot fathom a scenario in which Wade Phillips outcoaches Bill Belichick, Tony Romo outplays Tom Brady and the Cowboys beat the Patriots, but like I wrote on Tuesday, this team seems special. We'll see on Sunday.

Ten Greatest Wins of the Fulmer Era

2007-10-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

Saturday's victory over Georgia was one of the finest of the Phil Fulmer coaching tenure - a 14 year era that includes a National Championship, multiple conference championships and wins over Michigan, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, UCLA, Texas A&M, California, Florida State and every other member of the SEC.

There have been many wonderful Saturdays like this past one since Fulmer took over the reigns of the Volunteer program. In a time when criticism of Fulmer has reached its highest pitches, let's take a moment to celebrate and debate the top 10 wins of Phil Fulmer's Tennessee coaching career.

10) 1999 Fiesta Bowl (BCS Championship) - Tennessee 23 Florida State 16

This is Fulmer's lone National Championship & deserves to be in the Top 10, but just barely. Florida State was stuck with a back-up quarterback for the biggest game of the year. There was little doubt that Tennessee was the better team, but the game stayed close throughout (which was fairly normal for the 1998 team that always won, just not always by a lot). Peerless Price could not be covered, catching 199 yards worth of balls as well as a touchdown. The play of the game was Dwayne Goodrich's Pick 6 that earned him the Defensive MVP of the game. This was patented-Fulmer football - defense, run the ball, avoid mistakes, hit a few big plays. It won him a National Championship.

9) 2003 - Tennessee 51 Alabama 43 in five overtimes

It took five overtimes to decide this game, a classic in the Tennessee/Alabama rivalry. Casey Clausen led the Vols to the win, though James Banks was the star with three touchdowns and over 100 yards receiving. James Allen ended the nearly five hour game when he knocked away Brodie Croyle's 4th down pass in the fifth overtime. The reason this game does not rank higher on the list is because both teams were down. Tennessee was 4-2 coming into the contest after back-to-back losses to Auburn and Georgia. Alabama was 3-6 after the loss, struggling under NCAA sanctions and the uninspired leadership of Mike Shula. It also ranks above the previous year's six overtime victory over Arkansas because 1) it was in Tuscaloosa 2) beating Alabama is more important than beating Arkansas.

8) 2003 - Tennessee 10 Miami 6

Staying in 2003, the Vols pulled out a miracle in the Orange Bowl with this win over the Hurricanes. The previous season, Ken Dorsey led Miami to an embarrassingly easy win in Knoxville over the injury-riddled and downward-sliding Vols program. Most expected the same in Miami, but thanks to a stingy defense, lots of Miami penalties and a perfectly-timed blitz of Brock Berlin that forced a game-saving interception, the Vols pulled out a memorable win. The offensive numbers were pathetic - Casey Clausen did not throw for 100 yards and no Vol back rushed for more than 45 yards. Classic Randy Sanders offense. The game is probably best remembered for Kellen Winslow's post-game nonsense that included charges that the Vols were gunning for his legs, how he does not care about an injured Vol and comparisons to soldiers at war. For Fulmer, this win took some heat off as Vols fans were becoming restless with the state of the program.

7) 1996 Citrus Bowl - Tennessee 20 Ohio State 14

I tend to think bowl games are over-rated - I'd rather beat Alabama or Florida than Penn State or Nebraska - but this was a big one for Fulmer and the Vols. It was yet another Citrus Bowl for the Vols, which on the surface seems like a good thing, but the Citrus Bowl became a yearly reminder that Spurrier was playing in the Sugar Bowl and Fulmer was not. As the Florida coach once said, "You can't spell Citrus without a U and T." Even if the Vols did not want to be in Orlando yet again, this game was special. Ohio State brought a loaded team that included the Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George. Peyton Manning and Jay Graham led the Volunteer offense and Leonard Little anchored a tough D. The game took on legendary status when Bill Duff and the defensive line stuffed George and the Buckeyes for a memorable goal line stand to preserve the win. Tennessee finished the season ranked #3 thanks to the tremendous win.

6) 1998 Tennessee 28 Arkansas 24

Beating Arkansas is not a big deal, unless you are undefeated at home on your way to a National Championship and down two points late in the game as the Razorbacks are trying to run out the clock. Houston Nutt had his team ready to play this day. They led the Vols by two points late, but QB Clint Stoerner stumbled his way back from center, placed the ball on the ground to brace himself and never got it again as Vol DT Billy Ratliff grabbed the fumble. Did Ratliff push back the lineman to cause the fumble or was it simply a terrible Arkansas mistake? It does not matter now - the Vols scored on the possession, continued unbeaten into the Fiesta Bowl and captured the very first BCS Championship.

5) 2004 Tennessee 30 Florida 28

The last Tennessee victory over Florida was a controversial one. The game went back and forth as Tennessee alternated freshmen quarterbacks Brent Schaeffer and Erik Ainge against Chris Leak and the Gators. It looked like Florida would leave Knoxville with a win as the Gators attempted to run out the clock, but WR Dallas Baker returned a received head-slap from Vol CB Jonathan Wade with one of his own and he got caught. 15 yards backwards and an incorrect stopping of the clock gave Tennessee a chance with the ball. Vol kicker James Wilhoit sought redemption after missing an extra point to tie the game and got it with a 50-yard game-winner. The Vols went on to the SEC championship game and a thorough thrashing of Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl.

4) 2005 Tennessee 30 LSU 27

There were few highlights during the 5-6 2005 season, but this was a great one. Tennessee traveled to Baton Rogue for a Monday game because of Hurricane Rita. The Vols were in the midst of a team-wide quarterback crisis after the coaching staff picked Erik Ainge over the more popular Rick Clausen. This game showed that the team was right - Ainge was awful, throwing a high school JV team interception in his own endzone as the Vols spotted LSU a 21-0 lead. Enter Rick Clausen - the former LSU Tiger. Clausen led the Vols to an improbable comeback that sent the game into overtime at 24-24. LSU opened with a field goal, but couldn't keep Gerald Riggs, Jr. out of the endzone as Tennessee won a thriller in Death Valley.

3) 1992 Tennessee 34 Georgia 31

The game that started it all. Johnny Majors was the Tennessee coach, but an off-season heart attack put Fulmer in charge of the team on an interim basis. Tennessee went to Athens to face an awesome Georgia offense built around QB Eric Zeier, RB Garrison Hearst and WR Andre Hastings. Fortunately, the Dawgs also had an awful coach in Ray Goff, the best thing that ever happened to the Vols short of Ron Zook. Fulmer entered the game with two quarterbacks - Jerry Colquitt and Heath Shuler, both looking to replace the departed Andy Kelly. Shuler took over the game and the job in the 2nd half, matching Georgia score for score. The Dawgs had one last chance, but Andre Hastings was hit from behind on a long gain and fumbled the ball away. Fulmer beat Florida the next week in the pouring rain before Majors returned to lose three straight to Alabama, Arkansas and South Carolina. The writing was on the wall as Majors was replaced by Fulmer at the end of the year.

2) 1996 Tennessee 41 Alabama 14

Before Spurrier became Enemy #1, it was the Crimson Tide that served as a yearly thorn in the Volunteer's side. From David Palmer's 2-point conversion run to the entire Jay Barker era, the third Saturday in October was a painful day for Vol Nation. It all changed on a magical evening in Tuscaloosa, Alabama when Peyton Manning hit Joey Kent for an 80 yard touchdown on the opening play of the game. When the Tide showed some life later in the game, Jay Graham shut the door with a brilliant touchdown run down the sideline. Finally, the Tide's streak of 9 games without a loss to the Vols was broken.

1) 1998 Tennessee 20 Florida 17 in overtime

No doubter in my book. Looking back, there is no way Tennessee deserved to win this one. The Vols gave up tons of yardage on defense, but kept coming up with timely turnovers to keep the Gators off the board. The offense could not move the ball, but made a couple of big plays with Shawn Bryson and a wild Tee Martin to Peerless Price touchdown bomb. The Vols went three and out in overtime, but made their field goal and then benefited when Florida could not do the same. It was ugly, but it was a win. The Vols had been explosive for four years behind Peyton Manning, but it was the grinding ugliness of Tee Martin that actually beat Spurrier.

Beyond being an amazing football game, this did several things for the Vols. First, it was a much-needed win for Fulmer over Spurrier. Many Vols fans thought Spurrier had gotten into Fulmer's head, especially in previous years when Fulmer seemed to coach a completely different style of game against Florida (going on 4th down, abandoning the run). It also put Tennessee into the SEC driver's seat, a position it had not enjoyed since Fulmer's interim coaching year. Finally, it gave the Vols an opportunity for a perfect season - an opportunity Fulmer & Co. turned into a National Championship. All these factors make it the greatest and signature win of the Phil Fulmer era.

There may be debate about these picks or the order, but there is no debate about the legacy Phil Fulmer has left in Knoxville. It is awfully fun to remember the high points of his Volunteer career.

Next week - the worst losses of the Fulmer era. Hope I didn't jinx us in Starkville...

Wednesday Scenic City Sports Update

2007-10-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

No baseball or football last night, so not too much to update. I'll have the Best of Fulmer article up later today.

UPDATE!!!

Atlanta Falcons

In a surprising move, an arbitrator ruled that the Falcons can get $19.9 million back from Michael Vick. Good grief. There is a part of me that is starting to feel sorry for Vick at this point, though I agree with the ruling since the Falcons paid Vick to, you know, actually play football. There will be further appeals, but this has to be a ray of sunshine for an otherwise gloomy year in Atlanta.

Coach Petrino addressed the situation with an unhappy Alge Crumpler, saying the two had "decent" talks. I don't know what that means, but I hope it means more balls for Crumpler. Crumpler has been a stalwart for the Falcons for years, a solid receiving option...okay, Crumpler is my fantasy tight end and his lack of production is killing me. KILLING ME! THROW HIM THE BALL!!!

Tennessee Titans

Pacman Jones thinks he has done enough to be reinstated. Well, he did win the TNA Tag Team titles. I don't know what Goodell told Pacman about getting himself back into the league, but I hope this isn't, as Chris Rock would say, someone wanting credit for what they are supposed to do. Does Pacman think that staying out of jail is enough to get back into the NFL? Does he think that avoiding strip clubs is good behavior?

He would help the Titans...

Tennessee Vols

Bulletin board material from Sylvester Croom? The Vols are taking it as such after Croom said the Vols need nine in the box to stop the Bulldogs run. Weird move from Croom. Why do you want to fire up an already fired-up team? Is Mississippi State talking trash - the same MSU that hasn't been to a bowl game in years? Croom...come on, man. What are you thinking?

Look for the Best of Fulmer article later today. Have a great Wednesday.

Baseball Blogging

2007-10-09T06:38:00.000-07:00

We're down to four as the Indians eliminated the Yankees last night. For the record, that means I went 0-4 in my predictions. You might want to start looking for another sportsblog that knows something about sports.

Joe Torre's future - sounds like he is gone. I don't know how Torre can get the blame for the Yankees' troubles in the playoffs, but there will likely be a fall guy and it ain't going to be Steinbrenner. Didn't we know all year that the Yankees' starting rotation was going to be its downfall? They were terrible in this series. That is hardly Torre's fault, but it might be time to shake up the organization a bit. Word on the street is that Don Mattingly is the favorite, though Tony LaRussa is another possibility.

There is a story this morning that both Arizona playoff games aren't sold out or even close to being sold out. How is that possible? There was a time when Atlanta struggled to sellout its opening round, but that was also when Atlanta was going to the playoffs every year and the first round was a formality. This is for the World Series in a town that hasn't had good baseball in a few years. What is going on in Phoenix?

Tuesday Scenic City Sports Update

2007-10-09T06:08:00.000-07:00

How 'bout them Cowboys? This team feels special - Super Bowl special.

UPDATE!!!

Tennessee Vols

Lots of interesting news here, including CBS's possible decision to televise Florida/Kentucky instead of Tennessee/Alabama. If that happens, the Bama game will be the Lincoln Financial game, but not nationally televised. As much as I would love to see the game on CBS, I have a feeling they are going to pick Florida/Kentucky. Two Heisman candidates, upstart Kentucky...I think that is what I would pick.

Other news in the article - Brent Vinson looks to be okay after getting hurt defending the touchdown on Saturday. Fulmer also discussed the spread punt formation they used against Georgia.

Last news bit - Tennessee is back in the rankings at #25, one behind Georgia. Explain that to me.

Next game - Saturday at Mississippi State 2:30 p.m.

Tennessee Titans

Coach Jeff Fisher talks injuries, penalties and laying off Vince Young for one bad game in his Monday press conference. The best part of the conference was Fisher's explanation of the Haynesworth play - they studied enough film to know Atlanta would try to cut low on the goal line, so Haynesworth went high to avoid it. Awesome play.

Next game - Sunday at Tampa Bay Bucs 1:00 p.m.

Atlanta Falcons

From bad to worse this season as left tackle Wayne Gandy is out for the year.

Next game - Monday, October 15th at NY Giants 8:30 p.m.

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks opened the pre-season with a win over the Orlando Magic. Blue uniforms, too. Weird.

Next game - Wednesday at Miami Heat 7:30 p.m.

Atlanta Braves

Lots of speculation on the Braves' future, including ideas about Glavine, Hampton and the centerfield position. I had no idea that Willie Harris hit that poorly down the stretch. I like the idea of using Harris instead of signing someone like Mike Cameron, but I suspect the Braves will sign a bridge veteran before Jordan Schafer arrives. As for Glavine, I hope the Braves don't overpay for him, but I'm coming around to the idea.

Monday Scenic City Sports Update

2007-10-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

A great sports weekend just keeps rolling along tonight as my Cowboys play Buffalo tonight. If Dallas can somehow stop the Trent Edwards-led Bills, we will have a battle of unbeatens next week between the Patriots and Cowboys. I like this Cowboys team, but their only win over a decent team so far was against Chicago. Next week will be the first real test of the Wade Phillips era.

UPDATE!!!

Tennessee Vols

One of the leading stories coming out of the Georgia victory was Phil Fulmer's post-game criticism of this article by Knoxville writer John Pennington. Fulmer called it a, "cheap shot." I do not know exactly what he meant by that, but I also found the article to be out of line. The fact of the matter is that any reporter could write this article about any coach in America if he/she talked to the right former players. You don't think there is a group of players who would love to rip Pete Carroll, Urban Meyer, Bob Stoopes, etc.. If you coach long enough, you are going to make some enemies.

Furthermore, if the players chose not allow their names to be used, the article should not have been written. If we knew these former players were Jamal Lewis, Al Wilson, JJ McClesky and Joey Kent, it would have credibility. For all we know, these guys were all under-achievers who hold Fulmer accountable for their disappointing careers. The bottom line is that no matter how many times Pennington winks and assures the reader that his sources are legit, the fact that they are anonymous kills the credibility. John Pennington - I don't know or trust you. I understand why Fulmer took this personally, whether the criticisms are true or not.

Next game - at Mississippi State 2:30 p.m.

UTC Mocs

The Mocs put up a fight, but lost to Arkansas 34-15. UTC actually took an early lead after an Arkansas safety and only trailed 24-15 in the 4th quarter. Quarterback Antonio Miller was not much help, going 4 for 22 for a whopping 11 yards. Yeesh.

Next game - Saturday vs. Western Carolina 6:00 p.m.

Tennessee Titans

In one of the ugliest football games ever played, the Titans held off the Atlanta Falcons for a 20-13 victory. Vince Young was awful, the Titans gave up a blocked punt late (technically not blocked because Chris Hendrich just fell on it) along with five other turnovers and only the ineptitude of Joey Harrington and Byron Leftwich saved the Titans from a terrible loss. This was not a playoff team or even a .500 team, though Tennessee still figured out a way to win thanks mostly to Albert Haynesworth and the D-line. Haynesworth had the play of the game when he leaped over the line to grab Leftwich before he could hand the ball off to Warrick Dunn. The play pushed the Falcons back from the goal line to outside the five and they never scored from there. A win is a win.

Next game - at Tampa Bay 1:00 p.m.

Atlanta Falcons

Coach Bobby Petrino talked about the decision to go with Leftwich as well as the injury to Wayne Gandy after yesterday's loss. Harrington did get knocked around, but why throw Leftwich out there late in the game? He looked rusty and ineffective. He was also the 3rd string QB, which meant Petrino could not go back to Harrington and would have been stuck if Leftwich was hurt (which has been prone to happen). The Falcons looked terrible on offense yesterday - wasn't Petrino supposed to be an offensive guru?

Next game - October 15th (Monday) vs. New York Giants 8 p.m. (is anyone going to watch this stinker?)

No hockey update because nobody cares. Several good articles are in the works, including the Best of Fulmer and my all-time favorite wind-ups.

See you tomorrow.

Weekend Blogging #3 - Baseball Blogging

2007-10-08T06:21:00.000-07:00

No Braves, but still plenty of smile-worthy playoff baseball. Such as:

Colorado Rockies - my father-in-law lives in Denver and is going nuts over this Rockies team. Who can blame him? They are fun to watch, play the right way and look unbeatable right now. And how can you not feel great for Todd Helton? He is the face of the franchise and now, finally, is having some post-season success. I picked the Phillies to go to the World Series, but they were absolutely smoked and swept by the Rockies.

Arizona Diamondbacks - as my friend Dave told me, this is the strangest team in baseball. Somehow, someway, they win. Four double-plays in one game helps for sure. Livan Hernandez looked wild and hittable on Saturday, but the Cubbies could not capitalize. Luckily, Lou Pinella can now turn to Carlos Zambrano to save their...oops.

Boston Red Sox - so much for my other pick for the World Series, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim California which is in the United States. The Angels, like the Padres, had injuries at the worst time of the year. Not to take anything away from the BoSox sweep, but they really did catch the Angels at the right time. The Red Sox look like the April/May Sox instead of the August/September Sox. Big Papi & Manny look healthy again, Schilling is still a big-game pitcher and Papelbon keeps getting big outs. Now they can sit back and await...

Indians/Yankees - last night I thought I was going to be writing Joe Torre's epitaph this morning, but the Yanks' bats came alive like Peter Frampton and saved the series. The real heroes, though, were the Yankees' bullpen after The Rocket had absolutely nothing. Hamstring, my ass. His problem was a lack of velocity on his fastball and bite on his breaking stuff. The Indians were teeing off on Clemens last night. Quite the investment, George. Speaking of which, I imagine Steinbrenner is taking some credit for firing up the troops with his silly Torre comments. They sure did not do much for Clemens last night.

As for the Tribe, last night was a huge missed opportunity. The Indians have no one to blame but themselves. Between Trot Nixon's misplay and Eric Wedge's decision to stick with Westbrook, Cleveland must now rebound from the loss & rally around Paul Byrd...must now get ready to host Game 5 behind C.C. Sabathia.

Red Sox/Yankees, anyone?

Weekend Blogging #2 - Tennessee/Georgia

2007-10-07T17:18:00.001-07:00

Tennessee Vols 35 Georgia Bulldogs 14

I don't even know what to write about this game. It was like the Pet Sounds of Tennessee Football. It was perfect. I have no complaints about anything about it. If I really tried, I might whine about the earliness of Fulmer's Gatorade bath. We had two stupid penalties after the blocked punt, but they were because we were a little too juiced up about the play. Jonathan Hefney fair-caught a ball without a Bulldog on the same side of the field as him. Um...is there anything else?

Let's have some real fun and list the good things:

1) The opening kickoff went into the end zone - we didn't give up 35-40 yards on a kickoff. Great start - set the tone for the afternoon.

2) Staying with special teams - we haven't covered kicks that well all year. By the third quarter, I wasn't even nervous about them anymore.

3) New punting formation - that was like catching your grandpa listening to an iPod. Fulmer never does anything like that - we still run 90% of our plays from the I-formation, for goodness sake. I don't even know if I like the new punting formation, but it was just another indication that things were different from the first four games of the season.

4) Things were different from the first four games of the season!!!

5) Blocked punt - holy, Virginia Tech! When was the last time we blocked a punt? Did we hire a special teams coach during the bye week?

6) Erik Ainge - if Tennessee was not 3-2, Ainge might be a sleeper Heisman candidate. He still might be if we run the table from here forward (did I just type that???). I have always liked Ainge, but never loved him. I'm starting to love him - Top 10 Vol QB's ever love (1. Peyton 2. Shuler 3. Kelly 4. Martin 5. Holloway (I was too young, but I've heard stories) 6. Tony Robinson 7. Erik Ainge 8. Joe Bob Cooter 9. Jeff Francis 10. Rick Clausen). Back to Ainge, he is making great reads, throwing catchable, accurate balls and looks cooler than a cucumber in the pocket.

7) Arian Foster - I think I might be able to beat Foster in the 40, but he is one nifty runner. And only a junior. He made a few fantastic runs and caught the ball too. Here is another small complaint - Fulmer should have gotten him two more yards for 100.

8) LaMarcus Coker - welcome back, LaMarcus.

9) Montario Hardesty - welcome back, Montario.

10) The offensive line - THAT is a Fulmer offensive line. We DOMINATED Georgia's defensive line on Saturday. There were holes for the backs and time for Ainge in the pocket all game long. Kudos, boys.

11) The defensive line - I wrote last week that if we stuffed the run, we could win. We stuffed the run and we won. The line got pressure on Stafford too. They seemed to play with a motor that never got out of 2nd gear against Cal or Florida. I know Georgia's offensive isn't in the same class as those two, but they aren't as bad as we made them look either.

12) The defensive secondary - Georgia's first touchdown was caught against blanket coverage from a first-time starter. The second one came after an interception nullified by a mercy-inspired interference call. One reason our line was able to get to Stafford was because our secondary did not let anyone get open.

13) Lucas Taylor to LaMarcus Coker - classic touchdown. Perfect call. Great execution. We stepped on their face...

14) David Cutcliffe - outstanding play-calling throughout, though I guess play-calling it pretty easy when you can run the ball for five yards at a time. The trick play to start the second quarter, the tricky over-the-top-fake-dive while Foster runs for a score play, running inside and outside the tackles - it all worked on Saturday.

15) Phil Fulmer - I have dogged Fulmer in this blog, but I really do like him and do appreciate what he has done for Tennessee. I hope this is an indication of the program's new, improved direction, not a blip on the radar. Fulmer has pulled these types of wins out before (Miami, Cal) when the pressure got turned up on him. I hope this is different. I hope this is a return to 1990s Tennessee football. For one afternoon, it felt that way.

Now, thanks to LSU, the Vols have their destiny in their own hands. Win out - they win the SEC East. After Saturday, I actually think it might happen.

Weekend Blogging #1 - McCallie/Baylor

2007-10-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

There are good weekends and then are weekends like this past one. It isn't just good. It isn't even great. It goes beyond great into some netherworld between perfect and pinch-myself. The kind of weekend that leaves a smile on your face for an entire week.

Let's start from the beginning:

Friday night - McCallie 20 Baylor 17 in overtime.

Absolutely unbelievable game. There was new bitterness added to this rivalry with Baylor's decision to host the game, but if it takes playing on campus to deliver games this good, they can play at Baylor every year. The game went back and forth for three quarters with McCallie up 17-14. The Blue Tornado scored to make the game 24-14, but the touchdown was called back because of a holding penalty. Momentum shift towards Baylor, but McCallie was still in scoring position. Coach Rick Whitt made an odd decision to go for it on 4th and 8 from the 16 instead of adding the more points. Baylor shut down the play - momentum now belongs to Baylor.

Baylor took that momentum and drove for what looked to be a winning score, but McCallie's secondary came up big with an interception of Tyler Massey at the goal line. Unfortunately, the play resulted with McCallie having the ball on its own 1 instead of being a touchback with the ball at the 20. The McCallie offense was forced to run the ball up the gut three times to avoid a possible safety.

I thought McCallie might elect to take a safety here and kickoff from the 20, but instead they punted from their own end zone, giving Baylor the ball inside the McCallie 40 with under 2:00 to go. Baylor was clicking on all cylinders as it drove towards the McCallie end zone. A rushing play put Baylor inside the 1 with about 40 seconds left, but McCallie somehow stuffed a quarterback sneak, forcing Baylor to use its final timeout.

Out of the timeout, Baylor decided to try the quarterback sneak a second time and, incredibly, McCallie stuffed it again. Now Baylor had no timeouts as the clock ran under 10 seconds to play. The Red Raiders rushed their field goal unit onto the field and managed to get the kick off before the end of regulation, tying the game. The referees chose to ignore that fact that Baylor's offense had not gotten off the field when the ball was snapped. Oh, well - 17-17 at the end of regulation.

Baylor got the ball first and still could not find its way into the end zone. This time, however, its field goal was no good. All McCallie needed to do now was score to win the game. On 3rd down, Whitt decided to kick the ball. The kick was no good, but wait - Baylor called a timeout right before the kick, taking a play out of Mike Shanahan, Lane Kiffin and Urban Meyer's playbook. Sadly for Baylor, however, is that McCallie's kicker missed the kick.

The second time was the charm as Matt Higgins nailed the kick to give McCallie its 10th straight victory over Baylor. It was as exciting a finish as I can ever remember seeing in high school football. McCallie's goal line stand will go down into Blue Tornado lore as one of the greatest moments in the history of the program. Two straight sneaks from inside the 1 - nothing. Wow.

The Greatest McCallie/Baylor Game used to be considered the 1995 game at Baylor when the Blue Tornado drove the field to score on the final possession of the game and capture a 14-10 victory. The game was my senior year at McCallie - a source of pride for my entire graduating class.

Class of 2008 - the distinction of Greatest McCallie/Baylor Game has been passed. Friday night's contest was a classic game with no losers on either side.

Except for the Baylor side.

Oh, my...

2007-10-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

28-0 - who is this team I am watching right now?!? Minus two stupid penalties, have we done anything wrong?

What a Night

2007-10-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

I'm going to bed & playing golf in the morning, so no blogging until later tomorrow. Too bad too - the Indians beat the Yanks in extras, McCallie beat Baylor in OT and Manny just crushed a homerun to beat K-Rod & the Angels.

More tomorrow.

Baseball Blogging

2007-10-05T04:57:00.000-07:00

I'd love some help in the comments section here because I missed most of the baseball yesterday. Disney on Ice picked a lousy weekend to come to Chattanooga.

Rockies 10 Phillies 5

I did see most of this one. The Rockies look fantastic right now. Matsui's grand slam was a back-breaker - I'm surprised there isn't some national talk about Manuel's decision to go to the bullpen so early and bring in Lohse with the bases loaded. That seems like a tough spot to me, and it wasn't like Kendrick was getting hammered.

On a side note, I am loving TBS's coverage of the playoffs so far. Joe Simpson is a solid color man - he doesn't say stupid things, doesn't fake excitement and has a dry wit that usually makes me laugh once or twice a game. The best moment of the game was when he warned Lohse not to miss down and in to Matsui because, "he can hit it out." Next pitch - gone. Where was the pitch? Down and in.

Even better, Cal Ripken explained how Lohse missed his spot by a good foot on the pitch as it was supposed to be a waste pitch up in the zone. Ernie Johnson, Frank Thomas and Cal Ripken are actually interesting to listen to in-between innings because they break down the game. Ripken broke down Tim McClellan's strike zone during Game 1 of the Rox/Phils game - it was excellent. There is a big part of me that wants to hate this coverage because TBS has turned its back on the Braves, but so far it has been great.

Cleveland 12 NY Yankees 3

Didn't see any of it, but it sounds bad. Sabathia was hittable, but Wang was worse. If you watched the game, please comment on it.

D-Backs 8 Cubs 4

Latimer - you go to this one? I didn't see a single pitch, but I'm shocked that the Cubs are already on the brink of elimination.

Friday Scenic City Sports Update

2007-10-05T04:26:00.000-07:00

Friday is here & we have an amazing sports weekend in front of us. I mentioned some of the fun games yesterday, but do you realize there are 7(!) college football games between ranked teams this weekend? I guess only 6 now after USC took care of Kentucky last night. I saw just enough of the game to convince me I was right about it pre-game - the Gamecocks are really good and Kentucky is improved, but not great. Seriously, how sad will it be when Kentucky finishes in 5th once again in the SEC East? This is the best Kentucky team I can remember, but they are still the 5th best team in the division, probably the 8th best team in the SEC. That must be frustrating.

FRIDAY UPDATE!!!

Tennessee Vols

Before we get to Saturday's game, bad news from the NFL as former Vol Travis Henry failed another drug test and will be suspended for a year. There is some discussion about a 'B' test and court appeal, but it does not look good for Henry. You have to shake your head at this - the guy seems to have found the perfect home in Denver, but still cannot avoid the weed? My wife asked me why the Titans let Henry go and I didn't have a good answer. Maybe this is it.

UGA game - again, very little news going into the game. I guess that is what a bye week will do for you. Fulmer has bragged about some excellent practices this week with the focus on tackling. Sounds like a good idea to me. I have no idea what to think about Saturday. I thought we could compete with Florida, but we couldn't. After watching them against Auburn, I am not sure they are even that good (though, in UF's defense, they are really banged up). I hate to think what the Vol Nation is going do if we get whipped at home tomorrow - this really might be a make-or-break game for Fulmer. Here's hoping he gets the job done - I'm going 27-20 Vols.

Next game - vs. Georgia 3:30 pm

Tennessee Titans & Atlanta Falcons

Interesting article from USAToday comparing the way the Titans have moved forward without Pacman Jones versus how the Falcons have moved forward without Michael Vick. Sure, it is a corner vs. a quarterback, but it is a fascinating angle on the game. I think Jeff Fisher deserves a ton of credit for how the Titans have moved beyond the Pacman mess. Don't forget how the Titans moved past the Albert Haynesworth mess last year (and Haynesworth is having a dominant year right now). Next to Belichick, is there a better coach in football? I don't think so.

High School Football

I covered the McCallie/Baylor game in yesterday's article. The big public school battle tonight is Red Bank at Brainerd. The Panthers are having a great season, but Red Bank is Red Bank. I imagine they will dominate the line of scrimmage and take care of Brainerd. Bradley Central at Ooltewah ought to be a good game as well. Ooltewah has been somewhat of a disappointment this year, but may have righted things last Friday against Maplewood.

Nashville Predators

The Preds get off to a great start to the 2007-08 season with a 4-0 win over Colorado. Does it matter?

Next game - Saturday vs. Dallas 7:00 pm

Disney Princesses on Ice

Speaking of ice sports, last night I witnessed a Yamaguchi-esque performance from Cinderella at the UTC Arena. She had power. She had grace. She had my heart by the end of it. There was an odd moment during the show, however, when Ariel clubbed Snow White in the knee before her long program. Seemed to be in bad taste to me. The highlight was seeing Abby's face when it all started - eyeballs as big as baseballs - and her dancing to the 7 dwarfs songs. Abby does an arm move that can best be described as a cross between a symphony conductor's instructions and someone trying to "raise the roof." It is mildy violent, but totally adorable.

Have a great weekend. Play some golf, watch some baseball and football, and GO BLUE TORNADO!

Baylor's Blunder

2007-10-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

There are three elite private high schools in Chattanooga, TN - The McCallie School, Girls Preparatory School and The Baylor School. McCallie and GPS are both single-sex schools with a brother/sister school relationship. Baylor used to be an all-boys school, but today is co-educational.

For the purposes of full disclosure, I am a McCallie graduate and currently teach at GPS.

McCallie and Baylor have a heated rivalry in all areas, from academics to athletics. There is no one event that epitomizes this rivalry more than the annual football game between the two. Unfortunately for fans of the Baylor Red Raiders, the rivalry has been a one-sided one for the past nine years as McCallie has owned its rival.

Who can say why this has happened? Maybe it was the brilliant coaching of the now-departed Ralph Potter? Maybe it was the arm of B.J. Coleman? Maybe it has been a fluke of good fortune for the Blue Tornado?

Baylor has decided it is the location of the game. For the past few years, the annual football game has not been played at either McCallie or Baylor, but at Finley Stadium, the home of the Chattanooga Mocs. The reason for moving the game was to accommodate the many fans who wished to watch it but could not fit in the high school bleachers of either campus.

This year, Baylor decided to move the game back onto its campus. Baylor is the home team and has this right, but it is an impossible decision to defend. Baylor Athletic Director Thad Lepcio attempted to explain it this way:

"We've decided to change the location of the Baylor vs. McCallie rivalry from Finley to Baylor because we feel the emphasis should be on the fact that it is a high school game and we feel very strongly that the best atmosphere for high school games take place on campuses."

In a word - garbage.

First, Mr. Lepcio fails to mention that "the best atmosphere" will exclude about 8,000 people who want to see the game. Last year, 13,000 people went to Finley Stadium to see the ballgame, but Baylor can only hold 5,500. For the kids on the field, that means "the best atmosphere" is playing in front of half the crowd they did last year. How many chances does a high school kid have to play in front of 13,000 fans? Why take that away?

Who are those 8,000 people? They are Baylor students, McCallie students and GPS students. McCallie was given 2,500 tickets for students and parents of players. GPS was given zero tickets by Baylor. "The best atmosphere" excludes an entire school. It also excludes alumni from the two schools that want to support their alma mater. "The best atmosphere" excludes the entire Chattanooga community who might want to see one of the most exciting prep sporting events of the year. What, exactly, does the word "best" mean over at Baylor?

Second, the explanation is not honest. As McCallie AD Bill Cherry alluded in this article, the Baylor folk are convinced that Finley Stadium is a home-field advantage for the Blue Tornado.

Um, what?

Finley Stadium is not on McCallie's campus. It is not even that close to McCallie's campus. McCallie does not practice there. It has no locker room there. In short, it has no advantage there.

The only reason Baylor feels this way is because McCallie has won nine games in a row. There is no logic whatsoever to the idea that Finley Stadium gives McCallie the slightest advantage, which is why Baylor won't publicly say it as a reason for the move.

Finally, Baylor has become obsessed with this one game. McCallie knows it. GPS knows it. Baylor knows it. There is no better evidence for this than the 2006 Austin Clark debacle when Baylor was willing to lose its athletic director and head basketball coach because he was not willing to fire the football coach for losing to McCallie. Clark had recently been lauded by Sports Illustrated for running one of the best athletic departments in the country, yet the higher-ups at Baylor were willing to lose him in order to find an answer to Ralph Potter. This obsession is why so many students and fans won't be attending tomorrow night's game.

Even before the opening kickoff, there have been problems with Baylor's plan. Students from both Baylor and McCallie are scalping their tickets to students not lucky enough to get them. There are also rumors of over 2,000 counterfeit tickets swirling around the city. Without excusing the people who did these wrong actions, some of the blame goes back to Baylor. This is the "atmosphere" you created. Just as they are responsible for making bad and illegal decisions, you are responsible for creating the environment that inspired them.

Like many McCallie and Baylor fans, I will be watching the game on a giant screen at AT&T park, the home of the Chattanooga Lookouts. It will be fun, but not as much fun as it would have been to see the game live. I'm sure the game itself will be fun for the players and coaches, but they are being cheated out of a once-in-a-lifetime experience of competing in front of over 10,000 people. I'm sure the game will be a blast for those who do attend, even if their friends and parents are left out of the experience.

There is no way Baylor could ruin the game, but it sure did its best.

Thursday Scenic City Sports Update

2007-10-04T04:42:00.000-07:00

Very little going on to update, so this will be brief. The McCallie/Baylor article will be up later today.

Nashville Predators

Leading off with southern hockey? I told you - it is a slow morning. The Predators open their season against the Colorado Avalance, but the real story is that the Predators future in Nashville does not look good. Tonight's season opener is not sold out. I cannot imagine hockey in Nashville is going to last much longer, especially if the team doesn't improve. It is hard to support a niche sport when the team is not especially good.

Next game - tonight vs. Colorado Avalance 7:00 p.m.

Tennessee Vols

Not much news going into the UT/Georgia game. Mark Richt has seemingly had Fulmer's number for the last few years, becoming the new Spurrier in many Vols' minds. I like Richt as a coach, but I am not sold on Matthew Stafford yet. If the Vols can get some heat on Stafford, I think he will make some big mistakes on Saturday. The problem I see for the Vols defense (beside the inability to tackle and occasional blown coverage...) is going to be the Bulldog running game. It will be tough to get heat on Stafford if the Dawgs are getting 4-5 yards a carry on the ground. If the Vols can stuff the run, I think they win on Saturday.

Disney Princesses on Ice

This is where I will be tonight with Martha, Abby and my three nieces and nephews. As a man, I ought to be dreading every moment of this, but I'm actually really excited to see Abby's face through the whole thing. Plus, I'm a sucker for triple axles.

The weekend is near - McCallie/Baylor, Vols/Dawgs, Falcons/Titans, MLB playoffs, Superdrag reunion in Nashville - can't wait.

Baseball Blogging

2007-10-04T04:15:00.000-07:00

The playoffs are here, so we're starting a new feature on the Scenic City Sportblog for the next month+ to discuss baseball's post-season. Here are my thoughts - please share your own in the comments section:

Rockies 4 Phillies 2

The Phillies hit their way to the playoffs, but got nothing from Rollins, Utley and Howard yesterday afternoon. I have not seen Jeff Francis throw a ball since he led the Vols to a Peach Bowl victory over Indiana. The guy has aged well.

Seriously, Francis looked great yesterday and really only gave up the one homerun to Roward. Pat Burrell's homerun was a fly ball in most parks. The Rockies are going to be tough to beat because they don't beat themselves. I don't know if they have the pitching to win it all, but their bullpen is solid and their defense helps the pitching. Matt Holliday is a stud, Todd Helton is a leader and Clint Hurdle looks like a great skipper. I voted for the Phillies as my National League representative, but I am not feeling so good about the pick right now.

Boston Red Sox 4 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 0

My other pick for the World Series was the Angels. Yikes. Josh Beckett looked like the 2003 stud that carried the Marlins over the Yankees. I have carried a grudge against Beckett for three years since he killed my fantasy team with his inconsistent starts. Last night, I forgave him. He looked fantastic against the Angels. I watched the beginning and end of this game, but there isn't much more to write about it other than Beckett's dominance.

Arizona Diamondbacks 3 Chicago Cubs 1

The talk of the morning is whether or not Lou Pinella should have pulled Carlos Zambrano after the 6th inning and only 85 pitches. The answer, of course, is no. It is not because the bullpen blew the game - that bullpen has been good this year. The answer is because Pinella should not have been looking ahead in the short 5 game series. Pinella had a chance to ride his stud to a road win (though, the game was tied when Zambrano was pulled) against the unhittable Brandon Webb. He should not have even considered saving Zambrano for a game on Sunday THAT MIGHT NOT EVEN HAPPEN! If the Cubs cannot win one of the next two games, Pinella saved Zambrano for nothing. The thought should not have crossed his mind.

Quick aside - the prospect of a Cubs/Phillies championship series looks great, but are we heading for a Rockies/Diamondbacks series?

Wednesday Scenic City Sports Update

2007-10-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

Slow sports day yesterday, but things heat up with the baseball playoffs starting this afternoon. Be sure to vote (look left) on who you think will be in the World Series.

UPDATE!!!

Atlanta Braves

John Schuerholz reads my blog. Okay, maybe not, but he has decided to end the Andruw Jones drama and wish him well in his free agency. I guess his .220 season long hitting and inability to swing without immediately opening his left shoulder toward the on-deck circle behind him did not endure the Braves to pay his Boras-inspired demands. Speaking on behalf of Braves fans, oh well. I don't hate the guy, but I don't expect to miss him either.

Tennessee Vols

More off-season basketball fun - Ramar Smith stole/borrowed Wayne Chism's car and wrecked it. According to Coach Pearl, the guys borrow each other's cars all the time, but Chism didn't know it at the time. Hopefully he wasn't driving to score some pot for Duke Crews. Here is what I know about the basketball Vols right now - this crap wouldn't be happening if Dane Bradshaw was still around.

Enjoy your Wednesday. Tomorrow I will have some thoughts on the McCallie/Baylor game this Friday. See you then.

Tuesday Scenic City Sports Update

2007-10-02T07:05:00.000-07:00

A little late this morning - I spent my evening watching the Padres/Rockies game instead of preparing for class, so my morning was spent scrambling to come up with something about European exploration in the 15th & 16th centuries. Cause & effect, baby - the bread & butter of any good history teacher.

TUESDAY UPDATE!!!

UT Vols

Nothing like a stupid team distraction the week of the Georgia game. Reserve linebacker Dorian Davis was arrested after a fight in his hometown of Iowa City, Iowa. Davis already missed this year's Orange & White game for violating team rules, so either he gets his act together or he will soon be back in the cornfields of Iowa.

Next game - vs. Georgia 3:30 p.m.

Atlanta Braves

Bobby Cox hints that next year may not be his last. He also touts Jo-Jo Reyes as a potential #2 starter, though I don't see it happening for a few more years. Speaking of lefties, Cox addresses Tom Glavine's future as well, saying he has something left and never misses a turn. He did not mention Mike Hampton, presumably so that Hampton might not attempt to read the quotation and strain a pupil muscle.

Tennessee Titans

Vince Young appeared on 60 Minutes Sunday night to talk about football and his father. I caught a little bit of the interview & came away liking V.Y. more than before (and I have been a fan since his days in Austin). He spoke about losing the Heisman to Reggie Bush as well as his relationship with his estranged father. When told that his father was proud of him, Young questioned whether he was proud of Young the player or Young the person. Solid guy - charismatic, funny and confident. Young reminds me of Muhammad Ali. In fact, if Ali were around today, I imagine he would be a quarterback instead of a heavyweight boxer. Quick, strong, a great leader - all the things that make V.Y. so successful. I'm cynical enough to be wary of jumping on the Vince Young bandwagon, but I have one foot on-board and the other is itching to make the leap.

Next game - vs. Atlanta 1:00 p.m.

Enjoy your Tuesday - another beautiful Chattanooga autumn day.

The Braves Have Questions - I Have Answers

2007-10-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

The 2007 season was a disappointing one for the Atlanta Braves. For a short time in August, they were considered the team to beat in the National League. Now, in October, they are at home watching the post-season. There are lots of questions for the Bravos to answer this off-season, and, luckily for Cox, Schuerholz and Co., I have answers.

Should the Braves re-sign Andruw Jones?

No. Like most Braves fans, I have a love/hate relationship with Andruw Jones. At times, he looks like a legitimate clean-up hitter, and his defensive ability in centerfield is Mays-like. At other times, he looks J.D. Drew-esque - unmotivated, lackadaisical and uncaring. With Scott Boras as his agent, Jones is going to demand top money even after he failed to hit his weight during a contract year. The Braves can no longer spend freely like they did a few years ago, and Jones just isn't worth the money. Unfortunately, the best options on the market (Mike Cameron and Torii Hunter) are probably too expensive as well.

I think the answer in centerfield is going to be Willie Harris. Even though he struggled down the stretch of the season, his speed as a lead-off hitter and ability to cover ground in center makes him the best option. There have been suggestions of Jeff Francoeur or Kelly Johnson playing there. I hate the idea of moving Franceour's arm out of right-field and just don't see Kelly Johnson as a major league center-fielder.

What should the Braves do at shortstop?

As much as I hate to type it, the Braves ought to see what they can get for Edgar Renteria and go with Yunel Escobar. Escobar needs to play everyday, not platoon at 2nd base. Renteria showed this year he can still hit and field, so the Braves might be able to get a starting pitcher, some bullpen help or even a center-fielder in exchange for the veteran. There are already rumors of the Detroit Tigers' interest in Renteria, so I imagine it will not be too difficult to move him and his hefty salary. I can guarantee, however, that Boston won't be a suitor.

What should the Braves do about their starting pitching?

#1 - Forget about Mike Hampton. All year long, Bobby Cox and John Schuerholz have complained about not having Mike Hampton. Did they really build their season plans around the broken-down lefty? The Braves owe Hampton a ton of money and have gotten zip for it over the last two years. They ought to expect more of the same next year. If Hampton is able to be a 5th starter next season, great. It will be an upgrade from Jo-Jo Reyes or Mark Redman. Otherwise, the Braves must find a #3 starter behind Tim Hudson and John Smoltz.

#2 - Forget about Tom Glavine. Glavine runs out of gas in September (as evidenced by Sunday's 1/3 inning effort) and has never been a big game pitcher (as evidenced by Sunday's 1/3 inning effort). I would rather see Atlanta go after a younger free agent or discounted veteran than bring Glavine back. Remember - the Braves declined to bring Glavine back this season when he wanted to return for his 300th win and there has been a riff between John Schuerholz and Glavine since Schuerholz's book came out last year. I don't see Glavine as being the best fit for Atlanta next year.

#3 - Forget about Buddy Carlyle, Jo-Jo Reyes and Lance Cormier. If the Braves are serious about making a post-season run next year, it won't be with these guys in the rotation. They must find something via free agency or trade to upgrade the staff.

So that is what not to do. I would love to see the Braves sign someone like Jason Jennings who, after a terrible season in Houston, might come at a bargain. There are some other durable veteran free agents like Livan Hernandez or Kip Wells who would be upgrades. If the Braves are willing to spend money this off-season (there have been disputed rumors that orders from upstairs are to spend less, not more next year), it has to be for a strong #3 starter.

What about the bullpen?

This has been an annual concern for the Braves since the beginning of the early 90s run. The list of closer busts is long - Mark Wohlers, Chris Reitsma, Danny Kolb, Bob Wickman - and painful. Rafael Soriano might be the best answer since John Smoltz. He looked awful during the middle of the year, but did a fine job as a closer after the Braves dumped Wickman. Hopefully the Braves can re-sign Octavio Dotel for less money to be the set-up man for him. Pete Moylan had a great year out of the 'pen. And don't forget Mike Gonzalez, who might emerge as a future closer if he can rebound from Tommy John surgery. Finally, it looks like the Braves have a solid bullpen - hopefully they can upgrade their starting pitching so they won't have to use it so much.

Are the Braves contenders in 2008?

Absolutely. There is no way the Braves won't hit next year, even without Andruw Jones. The big question for Schuerholz and Cox will be the same one they never answered this season - what to do about an inconsistent starting rotation. If Atlanta is willing to splurge on some arms, there is no reason the Braves cannot return to the top of the National League next year.

One For The Ages - The 2007 Baseball Season

2007-10-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

162 games in the books (with one more tonight between the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies (!) for a birth in the playoffs) and the 2007 baseball regular season is over. It could easily be argued that this past season was the best one in baseball history.

The evidence:

Few seasons have had the kind of down-to-the-wire drama of the 2007 campaign. Coming into the last 5 games of the year, the National League still had no playoff births locked up. Even today, the wildcard is still not decided. In the American League, the various races were decided a few weeks ago, but not without some late season drama in the A.L. East where the hard-charging Yankees put a scare into Red Sox Nation.

Beyond the tight races, individual teams made this a season for the ages. The New York Yankees were left for dead at 14.5 games back, a pitching rotation that looked old and decrepit and a line-up that was not producing what its giant payroll suggested it ought. Calls for Joe Torre's firing were loud and pronounced, but just a few months later the Yankees look like the team to beat in the American League. The Chicago Cubs looked even deader than the Yankees, but a few Lou Pinella explosions later and suddenly they are back in the post-season as well. The Philadelphia Phillies overcame a million injuries to pitchers and key everyday players to win the N.L. East on the final day of the season. The Arizona Diamondbacks feature a line-up that no one outside of Phoenix can name (seriously - can you name three guys on that playoff roster?), gave up more runs than they scored and still won the N.L. West. The Colorado Rockies came from out of nowhere, winning 13 of 14 to get into the wildcard playoff game tonight. One team having this kind of season is special, but five?

Even the failures have been historic. The New York Mets blew a 7 game lead with 17 games to play. The Detriot Tigers were more loaded than last year's World Series squad, but failed to make the post-season. The Chicago White Sox, two years removed from a championship, finished with the season with 90 losses and had the worst record in the major leagues for a short time.

It was also a special season for individual milestones. In one season, we saw:

*A new homerun king - Barry Bonds breaks Hank Aaron's homerun record
*500 career HRs for Alex Rodriguez, Frank Thomas & Jim Thome
*600 career HRs for Sammy Sosa
*3000 career hits for Craig Biggio
*300 career wins for Tom Glavine
*500 career saves for Trevor Hoffman

We even have an all-time ejection champion in Atlanta's Bobby Cox, who was thrown out of his 132nd game in August.

Has there ever been a better regular season in baseball history? The playoffs have the potential for great storylines as well. Sox/Yankees, anyone? How about the Chicago Cubs getting back to the World Series? The Cleveland Indians finally getting a championship? If a National League team can win the championship, we are probably looking at one of the greatest post-season upsets in sports history.

There is also star power all over the playoffs, from veterans like Derek Jeter, Curt Schilling, Vlad Guerrero, Derrek Lee and A-Rod to the up-coming stars of tomorrow like C.C. Sabathia, Brandon Webb, Ryan Howard and Jake Peavy (maybe). What about a guy like Todd Helton finally getting a chance for post-season success after years of meaningless games in Denver? Or how about Roger Clemens getting a chance for more playoff dominance?

If this year's baseball season did not excite you, you simply cannot call yourself a baseball fan. It was a season for the ages, and October baseball hasn't even started yet. Can it get even better?

Monday Scenic City Sports Update

2007-09-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

Atlanta Braves

The Bravos roller-coaster season ended with a meaningless thud as the Astros swept the weekend games. Worse, Chipper Jones failed to win the batting title with a 0-3 finale. I will take a look at the Braves past season and future later in the week.

UTC Mocs

Another weekend thud. The Mocs actually had a little bit of a buzz in Chattanooga after winning at Georgia Southern last weekend (though you would not have known it from the attendance on Saturday evening), but the same old sorry Mocs showed up to get spanked by The Citadel. Coach Rodney Allison took the blame for the loss, and Times-Free Press columnist Mark Wiedmer did not disagree, basically calling for Allison's firing. It is hard to argue that Allison deserves another season after a 15-34 tenure thus far, a home loss this season to D-II Carson-Newman and last Saturday's debacle.

Next game - at Arkansas (Appy State, anyone...oh, nevermind) 7:00 p.m.

Atlanta Falcons

Head Coach Bobby Petrino got his first NFL victory Sunday with a 26-16 win over the Houston Texans. The Texans were missing both starting wide receivers and starting RB Ahman Green, but you are not going to get any sympathy from the Falcons this year about missing players.

Next game - at Tennessee 1 p.m.

Tennessee Vols

Basketball Vol Duke Crews got caught with marijuana in his apartment, thus explaining his suspension from the basketball team. Apparently Crews was hanging out with Ricky Williams, Michael Vick, Major Wingate and Snoop Dogg, made so much noise that the campus police were called and then had his apartment searched with a warrant because of the odor of marijuana. Nice. Hey, Duke - the Vols have a chance to be a Final Four team this year!!! What are you doing?

Baseball breakdown later in the day.

Weekend Scenic City Sports Update

2007-09-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

High School Scores from last night (thanks to The Chattanoogan):

Final Scores:
Thursday
Meigs Co. 29 Tellico Plains 0

Friday
Austin-East 21 Brainerd 14
Bradley Central 17 Walker Valley 14
Cleveland 25 Cookeville 20
David Brainerd 41 St. Andrew's-Sewanee 6
East Ridge 28 Sequoyah 7
Ensworth 35 McCallie 14
Howard 32 Grundy 6
Knox Catholic 34 Baylor 16
Lookout Valley 42 Taft 0
Marion Co. 28 Whitwell 14
McMinn Co. 28 Rhea Co. 21 OT
McMinn Central 28 Notre Dame 21
Midway 38 Sequatchie Co. 3
Ooltewah 20 Maplewood 14
Red Bank 23 Boyd-Buchanan 0
S. Pittsburg 25 Tyner 21
Silverdale 35 Tn Temple 6
Soddy-Daisy 37 Hixson 7
Sweetwater 32 Polk Co. 29
White Co. 14 Cumberland Co. 0

College Football

It is 8:45 pm as I type and it has been a wild weekend so far. Down goes West Virginia. Down goes Oklahoma. Down goes Clemson. Down goes Texas. Down goes Rutgers.

Down goes Florida? Auburn leads 7-0 early (and they are driving again). I looked at this week's football schedule and could not get excited about the games. Who would have thought it would be such a dramatic weekend?

In less dramatic news, UTC is getting blown out by The Citadel. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

No update tomorrow - I'm Racing For the Cure. I haven't decided about how to do these weekend updates yet. In fact, I would love any feedback on the daily updates for local sports news. So far, all the ideas I have gotten from readers have been great ones, including the suggestion that I get a life. He's got a point.

The High School Football Devolution

2007-09-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

Let me take you back to the good ol' days of 1996. I was a senior in high school who spent his Friday nights like most seniors in high school - watching high school football. Chattanooga had a great football scene with bitter rivalries and bragging rights on the line each and every Friday.

My high school was The McCallie School. We played Red Bank, East Ridge, Ooltewah, Brainerd and, of course, Baylor. Nobody cared who was public or private in our world - we just didn't want to hear about losing from their students for the next twelve months.

Fast forward to Chattanooga high school football today. It isn't the same. The local rivalries have been replaced by cross-state trips to play schools in Knoxville, Nashville or Memphis. Some schools are traveling beyond the Tennessee borders for games.

Look at McCallie's schedule so far - a game in Kentucky, hosting a school from South Carolina, two trips to Nashville and another game in Chattanooga against a Nashville opponent. It is the same thing for many of the cities teams. Ooltewah played in Maryville last weekend. Baylor and Brainerd are in Knoxville this weekend.

It all seems sad to me. Who really cares if McCallie wins or loses tonight at Ensworth? Do the McCallie kids know any Ensworth students? Are there bragging rights in this game? Is there a single Ooltewah Owl that has ever been to William Blount? Did the Red Bank guys get fired up about playing a team from Canada?

There are plenty of teams and players in Chattanooga to have the kind of thriving local scene that existed here 10 years ago. Sadly, it is gone. Because of allegations of recruiting, bad feelings between public and private schools and complaints about the size of the schools competing, we now have weekly schedules with few games people are excited about seeing.

I don't have plans tonight, so I thought I might check out a local game. There are only two games with teams I know - Red Bank vs. Boyd Buchanan and Soddy-Daisy vs. Hixson. Half the other schools are out of town or hosting schools from somewhere outside of the Scenic City. The student body must make a road trip of their weekend just to support their classmates. What a shame.

Looking back when I was at Ooltewah and then McCallie, we never cared about public vs. private or school size. We wanted to play the kids we knew from little league or church. I wanted to beat East Ridge to have bragging rights in my youth group. I still remember beating the Pioneers on their field my senior year - I was in the stands cheering and yelling the whole game. It took me 20 minutes to get there, and we had a blast. How many McCallie students are making the 2.5 hour trip to Nashville to cheer against Ensworth?

Coaches, parents and administrators ruined local high school football by carving it up by size and public/private classification. It seems the adults forgot that the game is really supposed to be about the kids.

Friday Scenic City Sports Update

2007-09-28T04:48:00.000-07:00

High School Football

I'm going to rant about Chattanooga high school football later in the afternoon. The game on tonight's schedule that is most intriguing is Red Bank at Boyd Buchanan. It would be shocking to see the Bucs win here, but many seem to think they will give the Lions trouble. It will also be interesting to see if Ooltewah can recover from the beating it took at William Blount last Friday. The fight at Ridgeland may haunt this team for the rest of the year. I might venture over to Hixson to see the Soddy-Daisy game just because it is so close to my home. Many of the other areas teams (McCallie, Baylor, Brainerd) are playing out of town tonight.

Tennessee Vols

The JV Vols played a game in Neyland Stadium last night, defeating Hargrave Military Academy 37-20 in front of 500 rabid fans. How empty must Neyland Stadium feel with only 500 people in it? Honestly, I did not know Tennessee had a JV team. Honestly, I don't know why Tennessee has a JV team.

In more relevant news, Montario Hardesty looks like he will be ready for the Georgia game next Saturday, calling himself "90%" at this point. Sounds good to me - beating UGA will really lift the spirits of what has been a disappointing season to date.

Pat Summitt fired back at UConn coach Geno Auriemma after his comments about why she cancelled the UT/UConn series, saying she told him privately the reasons as soon as the decision was made. Both coaches are hurting themselves and their girls with this feud. Summitt looks wimpy for avoiding UConn and Auriemma looks like a grand stander for calling her out. These games are the highlights of the women's college basketball season, so not playing them over a coaching feud is disappointing.

Atlanta Braves

What might have been. The Braves lost two of the three in Philadelphia and have been eliminated from the playoffs. The NY Mets have done everything in their power to let the Braves take the N.L. East, but Atlanta couldn't get a win with Tim Hudson and John Smoltz pitching back-to-back days.

Next game - doesn't matter.

Thursday Scenic City Sports Update

2007-09-27T04:32:00.000-07:00

Your daily look around Chattanooga's sports scene:

Atlanta Braves

The Braves suffered a devastating loss last night to the Phillies. Tim Hudson was sharp, but Chipper Jones' throwing error opened the door for a big Philadelphia inning that cost the Braves. Atlanta's playoff chances took a huge hit with the loss.

Next game - vs. Phillies tonight at 7:05; John Smoltz (14-7) vs. Kyle Kendrick (9-4)

Atlanta Falcons

DeAngelo Hall will not start on Sunday against the Texans after his childish actions cost the Falcons last week against the Carolina Panthers. Hall was penalized over 60 yards when he went Derrick Thomas on Steve Smith and the Panthers. Hall remains one of the most over-rated players in the league who does as much harm as good for the Falcons.

In other happy Falcon news, Michael Vick tested positive for marijuana. It isn't like I can't understand why he might have wanted to get high & forget all his problems, but didn't he know he would be tested? Didn't he realize that now was the time to be squeaky clean? Is he a complete moron?

Next game - Sunday vs. Houston Texans (1:00 pm at Georgia Dome)

Tennessee Vols

Football gets bumped aside as Duke Crews has been suspended by Bruce Pearl. If this is Crews' last warning, I really hope he gets the message. I think the Vols have a legitimate Final Four chance this year with Crews anchoring the post. If I am Chris Lofton, Mr. Crews and I are having a long talk about what he is doing to the team.

Tennessee Titans

Not much news as the Titans approach their bye week. What team needs a bye three weeks into the season?

Next game - Sunday, October 7 vs. Falcons

UTC Mocs

The Mocs hope to use the momuntum from their 45-38 overtime win over Georgia Southern as The Citadel comes to Finley Stadium. Don't look now, but the Mocs are in 1st place in the Southern Conference (1-0), a full .5 game ahead of Michigan-conquering Appalachian State. Quarterback Antonio Miller is getting healthy and is the key to the Mocs attack. I actually got to watch some of the Georgia Southern game and was impressed with the Mocs' resolve after losing a big lead down the stretch. I might even head out to Finley Stadium this Saturday.

Next game - Saturday vs. The Citadel (6:00 at Finley Stadium)

High School

Tennessee Temple's head coach Chip Kell is stepping down in the middle of the Crusaders' season. Temple has been in the headlines all year for recruiting and other violations. Several players have been ruled ineligible, forcing the Crusaders to play under-manned all year. Kell wanted to cancel the entire season (!), but learned it would cost the school $1,500/game to do so. Athletics Director and head basketball coach Caleb Marcum is taking over the team and has already recruited 10 basketball players to suit up for football. Where were those guys a few days ago? What is going on over at Temple?

Time For Touchbacks

2007-09-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

Every once in a long while, it is time to think about a major rule change in football for the safety and good of the game. You don't see clothesline tackles anymore. You don't see shots to the head. You don't see horse-collar tackles. Call me crazy or radical or an alarmist, but here is my suggested rule change:

Eliminate the kickoff.

I had this idea as I watched the Texans/Colts game on Sunday. The Texans kicked off and raced down field at top speed to cover the kick. The "wedge-buster" on the team was Cedric Killings. He did his job and then lay motionless on the field in a scene eerily similar to the one in Buffalo involving Kevin Everett, who now looks like he will walk again after initial reports suggested he might not.

There is no part of the game as violent as the kickoff. Defensive players build up 50+ yards of full-sprinting speed in order to crash into either a runner or blocker coming the other way. The collisions are fierce and forceful. There is a reason teams do not put their best defensive players on the kickoff coverage teams - it is dangerous work.

And it is time to get rid of it. The risk/reward for kickoffs does not justify its part in the game. As fans, we take kickoffs for granted and expect the ball to end up somewhere between the 20-30 yard line. For the players, there are furious collisions on both sides to get the ball to this point. There are a few teams who are able to change the game by gaining field position or even touchdowns on these plays, but for the most part teams do not put their best ball-carriers in the position of taking these violent hits. As far as the game itself, the kickoff usually offers little excitement and its implications can outweigh the main component (offense vs. defense) of the game. Let's face it - nobody goes to the games to watch special teams. No kid grows up hoping to be a wedge-buster. It is a tiny part of the game with too big of an impact.

The impact isn't just on the outcome of the game. Each year we learn about more concussions and injuries that come from the game's tremendous speed and violence. Just like the NFL has taken measures to protect quarterbacks, it ought to take measures to protect all its players by eliminating this play. Kevin Everett's paralysis is an isolated case, but there is a reason it happened on a kickoff. It is the most violent play in the game.

Would the game suffer if teams took the ball on the 20 yard line after scores? I do not see how. We want the game to be decided by the offenses and defenses, not by quirky situations with players we don't know like on most kickoffs.

What about punts, you ask? Punting is much safer with fair catches and no player charging the opposite direction other than the man with the ball. There are far fewer violent collisions in the punting game. Overall, punting is also a necessary part of the game as it is a down. Kickoffs are isolated as not really being anyone's ball - there are no fake kickoffs or chance of using the kickoff to try to get a first down.

What about on-side kicks, you ask? The kicking team ought to have the option of choosing to do so. Nothing would change - teams aren't going to risk field position in the middle of the game. It would only be at the end of the game when one team is behind. Yes, those are violent plays too, but they are rare and the build-up of momentum and speed is only 10 yards, not 50.

It is a radical idea, but one that makes sense. There are going to be more Cedric Killings and Kevin Everetts being carted away on stretchers so long as the most violent moment of the game continues to be played out.

Don't Look Now, But...

2007-09-26T05:08:00.000-07:00

Here come the Atlanta Braves!

Last night, the Braves went into a playoff atmosphere in Philadelphia and spanked the Fightin' Phils 10-6. The Braves are now 2.5 out of the Wild Card, but probably have a better chance of winning the East if they can sweep the Phillies and the Mets continue their freefall.

Where did this late charge come from? The Braves team playing right now is the one we thought we were getting with the Mark Teixeira trade. For whatever reason, it didn't happen. The Braves pitching has been abysmal, the hitting untimely and the wins hard to come by. Now, in September, the Braves look the cream of the National League.

If the Braves can pull off a miracle and make the playoffs, they will be the team to beat in National League playoffs. With Tim Hudson and John Smoltz, the Braves have a duo that rivals the Schilling/Johnson pairing that got the Diamondbacks their World Series championship. Hudson is quietly having a Cy Young caliber year and John Smoltz continues to beef up his Hall of Fame credentials with each dominant start.

The line-up is clicking as well. Chipper Jones is going to win the batting title, Edgar Renteria is back and hitting just under Chipper's .340 average and Teixeira continues to be a beast at the plate.

Is the hole too big at this point? Probably, but not surely. The Braves must win the Phillies series and probably need a sweep. They then go to Houston, the worst team in the National League this year. The Mets can't hang with the Nationals and can't seem to right their ship. As far as the wildcard race, the Padres are without Milton Bradley and Mike Cameron was also banged up over the weekend. San Diego got a great comeback win last night, but they might be vulnerable. The Colorado Rockies are the scariest team in the wildcard race, winning nine straight. I can't name 4 Colorado Rockies, but they have hung around all year and are now in position to get into the playoffs.

(Speaking of Colorado, the Phillies' new park is the New Mile High. The ball FLIES out of there.)

Playoff baseball has begun in the National League. The Braves send Hudson and Smoltz to the mound over the next two nights with their season in the balance. Somehow, someway, they are right in the thick of things once again.

An Explanation

2007-09-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

So what on earth could keep the greatest blogger in Hixson, TN from updating for this long? Well, in case you haven't heard, I've been recovering from the tongue-lashing Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy gave me over my Chris Benoit article.

Speaking of college football coaching fashion, am I the only one who absolutely hates the Nike shirts being worn by every single college football coach this year? Is this Nazi Germany? Why do they all have to look exactly alike? And what is up with that shoulder design? It looks especially bad from the high camera angle that catches the coach a good 10 times a game. Are there shoulder pads under there? Is it some type of Opus Dei symbol I don't understand? Seriously, between the Vols and these shirts, the college football season has basically been ruined for me.

The real story of my non-blogging is that things have gone a little nutty in the Carpenter world over the past few days. It all started Wednesday night when I came home from the driving range to find an inch of water in our downstairs bathroom. My wife was showering upstairs and, for some reason, it was causing a flood down below. We called a plumber to check things out, figuring there might be a problem with our sewer connection.

It turns out there was not a problem with our sewer connection because we do not have a sewer connection. Our lease says we have one. The seller told us we have one. The plumber, however, could not find one. He only found connection to a septic tank, the very septic tank that we drained and filled with gravel one month ago. That's right - we filled the septic tank we were using with gravel.

So it is Thursday afternoon and we cannot use our water at all. Problem #1. Problem #2 is all mine - Martha is leaving for the weekend to coach swimming at a meet in Tallahassee. I'm on solo Abby duty with no water. Sounds tough, right? I was ready to step up my parental game and come through in the clutch, but then Problem #3 arose - my Friday baby-sitter cancelled. Abby is now coming to school with me, so not only am I SuperDad, but also SuperTeacher. Unfortunately, I also needed to be SuperDoctor because Abby came down with a fever of 103 (Problem #4).

To make a short story even longer, I stayed home with Abby on Friday, then moved our stuff into my dad's apartment for the weekend so we could, you know, actually flush a toilet. Nothing makes a sick baby feel better than not having her mom and being in a strange new place. Problem #5 was that my dad's apartment isn't wireless, so there was no way to get my blog on as I watched football and occasionally checked on my ailing child. We'll skip Problems #6 & #7 (too personal), but Problems #8-10 all have to do with how far behind I have gotten at school with tests coming this week and Parents' Day on Friday.

Rest assured, my priorities are back in order (1. God 2. Family 3. Blogging) and I will not leave you this long ever again. Our house should be hooked up to sewer by the end of the day (paid for by the previous owner), Abby's fever is down, Martha is back in town and I've decided to turn history class into a study hall for the foreseeable future.

Thanks for everyone's concern. In the words of George Costanza, I'm back, baby!

Much Ado About Nothing

2007-09-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

That ought to be the headlines in Boston right now about the Red Sox potential collapse in the A.L. East. The New York Yankees are hot and are loaded. The Red Sox are loaded, but their arms look tired and they haven't gotten the clutch hitting in the past few weeks we're accumstomed to seeing. And don't forget that Manny Rameriz has missed action with a nagging oblique injury through this stretch.

Here is what makes the Red Sox collapse particularly insignificant - they are still going to the playoffs. The Tigers and Mariners have faded from the wildcard race, so the loser of the Yankee/Red Sox race isn't much of a loser.

But what about home field advantage, you ask? In baseball, it doesn't seem to matter. Around 54% of home teams win in the baseball playoffs, which is especially surprising because baseball gives the home team a strategic advantage - the last at-bat. For whatever reason, it doesn't matter in baseball. If the Red Sox end up traveling to Anaheim or Cleveland, it doesn't hurt their chances much at all.

What about momentum? Look at the 2006 Cardinals and then tell me whether late season momentum matters.

The collapse that ought to be getting more attention involves another New York team - the Mets. The Phillies have overcome injuries and a miserable pitching staff to come within 1.5 games of the Mets. What makes the Mets' fall so much for fascinating than the Red Sox is that the Mets will likely be out of the playoffs if they cannot right their ship. The Padres and Diamondbacks are battling in the N.L. West and each team has a better record than the Mets. If the Mets end up blowing a lead that was 7 games just a couple of weeks ago, they will be sitting beside the Pirates, Royals and Devil Rays - outside the playoffs.

I realize the Yankee/Red Sox rivalry trumps all others in baseball and that the American League is far superior right now to the National League, but there is really little reason to care about whether the Yankees catch the Sox. The Mets/Phillies storyline is the best one in these dog days of September as it is truly win or go home. For these two teams, the playoffs have already begun.

This Kiss, This Kiss

2007-09-20T05:20:00.000-07:00

The lasting image of Saturday's debacle in Gainesville is not Arian Foster scrambling to recover the fumble that turned the tide of the game or the Brandon James punt return. No, the lasting image is something totally different and totally strange.

Tim Tebow & Tony Joiner.

It was the "Kiss Heard Round the College Football World." It was so strange that entire newspaper stories revolved around it rather than the actual game. It made Verne Lundquist so uncomfortable he seemed to be teetering toward Don Imus territory before finally deciding to just shut up. To be honest, it was about the only redeeming thing about the afternoon for Vols fans. We got our butts kicked, but at least we weren't making out on the sidelines. That moment is going to follow Tebow whereever he goes. It could cost him the Heisman.

The football Gators aren't the first athletes to add kissing to their respective sport. Of course, we have seen trophies kissed after winning championships and we have seen wives kissed by victorious golfers after sinking the final putt. Kissing is part of the sports vernacular - Bill Rafferty's "The Kiss" after a bank shot being my favorite example among others (kiss that one goodbye, a "kiss shot" in billiards are others). Even the band KISS played at the Salt Lake City Olympics closing ceremony.

Some other interesting/notable/disturbing/memorable moments in sports kissing:

Magic Johnson & Isiah Thomas engaged in several pre-game kisses during the 1988 NBA finals. Isiah was the best player on the Pistons' "Bad Boys" teams, but you can bet Bill Laimbeer or Rick Mahorn never kissed anybody before a game. Isiah later tried to get a kiss from a female Knicks executive and is currently being sued for sexual harassment.

The "Baddest Man on the Planet" wasn't above some man-love. Here Mike Tyson seems to be planting a kiss on Al Franken after another knockout victory. Tyson used to get wet ones from trainer Kevin Rooney after wins. Many boxer experts point to the dismissal of Rooney and his expertise as the beginning of the decline in Tyson's career, but could it have been the lack of Rooney sugar?

Staying in the ring, this pre-fight smooch got one of the these mixed martial arts fighters knocked out and the other disqualified. I like MMA as much as the next 18-35 white male, but the homoerotic undertones are hard to miss, and it was just a matter of time before someone acted upon them. I think he could have waited for a prettier opponent, but maybe the guy has a nice personality.

Another poorly received kiss, this time from soccer as the referee gave a yellow card to the player whose protest included a peck on the cheek. It looks as if the kisser is genuinely saddened that his advances earned him a yellow. To me, the ref is just playing hard to get - he could have given him a red card if he really meant it.

To the world of tennis as the Russians celebrate their victory over Andy Roddick and the Americans with a little Davis Cup kissing. This is why they lost the Cold War.

Here is a kiss that doesn't end in violence or awkwardness: Dwight Howard's "Kiss the Rim" dunk might have won him last year's Slam Dunk Contest, though he got hosed when his sticker dunk wasn't appreciated by the judges. If Magic & Isiah were judging, I am sure D-12 would have pulled this one out.

And finally...Joe Namath trying to get a kiss from Suzy Kolber during the Jets game. This is the gold standard for sports and kissing in my book, made all the better by Kolber's smooth handling of the awkwardness. I'm guessing Tony Joiner might try the "I was drunk" defense at some point for kissing Tebow. Tony's just a "happy guy."

And with that, you can kiss this article goodbye.

The Recruiting Class of 2005

2007-09-17T10:12:00.001-07:00

Remember it? Tennessee - ranked #1. The class that would make us all forget about the 5-6 season. The class that showed Fulmer could still recruit with the best of them. The class that would return the Vols to the top of the SEC and NCAA.

Where are they now?

After seeing Tennessee look slow and skilless in its first two losses, I decided to do some checking on the recruiting classes of the past to see if what I felt was true: that the Vols weren't getting the big time athletes anymore. According to Scout.com, here is where Tennessee ranking in recruiting over the past 5 years:

2003 - 7th
2004 - 9th
2005 - 1st
2006 - 24th
2007 - 4th

The class that jumped out at me for dubious reasons was the 2005 one. These guys ought to be helping now; they are red-shirt sophomores and true juniors. Where were they against Cal? Florida?

Let's take a look at the #1 ranked class in the country, the Class of 2005. For the purposes of the article, we will concentrate on the players Scout.com rated as 4 and 5 star recruits. There are three 3 star recruits currently making up the Volunteer receiving core (Lucas Taylor, Austin Rogers and Josh Briscoe), but the reason Tennessee was touted as recruiting the best crop of players in 2005 was because of the depth of its top players.

(An aside - my own personal experience with high school athletes and these recruiting services has not been positive. I found the reporting and research on these sites to be lazy at best and purposefully negligent at worst.)

There were three 5 star recruits in the class. Only one, LaMarcus Coker, played a role in Saturday's loss in Gainesville. Coker has had a miserable sophomore season thus far, beginning with a suspension for the California game and his inability to produce anything from the Vol backfield. Of the entire class, Coker remains the brightest prospect if he can get his act together off the field.

Demetrice Morley could not. Another 5 star recruit, Morley was dismissed from the team after last year's bowl loss for not making grades. If you wonder why a true freshman is trying to cover Florida's receivers, here is the answer.

The final 5 star recruit in 2005 was Jonathan Crompton. Crompton's career in Knoxville has been relegated mostly to clipboard duties behind Erik Ainge thus far. His chances last season when Ainge went down with an injury showed promise, but he does not look anything like a quarterback that will return Tennessee to past glories. In fact, many Tennessee fans wonder aloud if B.J. Coleman is not the heir apparent to Ainge as the Vol QB.

Three 5 star recruits - one is returning kicks after a suspension, one is waiting in the wings for a shot at being a starter and the other is no longer a Vol. Sound bad? Let's get to the 4 star recruits for the real trouble with the 2005 class.

Tennessee signed thirteen 4 star recruits in 2005. The experts predicted depth and play-making ability out of the group. Tennessee got neither.

The highlight of the group has been Demonte Bolden, who was recruited in 2004 but had to spend a year in prep school to become eligible. Bolden starts on the defensive line and appears to be one of the leaders of the team.

More good news - Rico McCoy is currently starting at linebacker for the Vols and led the team in tackles against Florida. Along with McCoy, center Josh McNeil was named to the SEC all-freshman team last year. McNeil and fellow 2005 recruit Chris Scott are both starting on a suspect Volunteer offensive line.

Montario Hardesty is another 4 star recruit from this class who is contributing to the Vols. Jeff Cotham has seen some time at tight end, though he is not a receiving threat. Wes Brown, Vladimir Richard and Andre Mathis are on the Tennessee bench, offering nothing but depth and practice squad bodies to the team at this time.

Now, the bad. Of the thirteen 4 star recruits, four of them never became or are no longer Vols. Gerald Williams and Aaron Cox never got to Knoxville, though the last information I have read indicates Williams still hopes to be a Vols at some point. Defensive lineman Raymond Henderson was dismissed from the team by Fulmer for making inappropriate remarks to a female minor. Slick Shelley, the best wide receiver recruited in the Class, transferred to Tulsa.

Add 5 star recruit Demetrice Morley to the list of the departed and you are down to eleven of the original sixteen top recruits. Of those eleven, four are currently starting on an unranked team. Coker can still resurrect his season (remember, he was picked 2nd team All-SEC to start the season!) after the off-the-field troubles, but it is hard to excited about a player who seems destined to be dismissed before his time in Knoxville is through. Crompton might emerge as the next great Vol quarterback, though Fulmer has always been reluctant to play running QBs and B.J. Coleman fits the more traditional QB mold. The rest of the class are either servicable (Hardesty, Cottam) or question marks (the bench dwellers).

Which leads us back to the current state of Tennessee football and lots of questions. Is it Fulmer's fault that the best recruiting class of 2005 isn't producing? Are the Volunteer coaches doing a poor job of using/developing talent? Were these guys simply over-rated in the first place? Can Fulmer be held accountable for the actions of teenagers inside and outside the classroom that get them dismissed from the team?

There is plenty of blame to go around for Tennessee's current state of mediocrity. The quick answer is to find better players, but how do you find better players than the best available? How has this class gone so wrong?

More Sad UT News

2007-09-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

First, Pat, now Bruce

The People vs. Phil Fulmer

2007-09-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

If I was a lawyer (I'm not) who was bringing forth a case to fire Phil Fulmer (which I'm not ready to do yet), here is what it would look like:

*Tennessee is unranked at 1-2, giving up an average of 41 points/game.

*Tennessee is 14-12 in its last 26 games.

*Tennessee has not been to a BCS bowl game since 1999.

*Fulmer is making $2 million/year to deliver wins and championships, not finish 3rd in the SEC East.

*Despite mounting evidence (44.5 yards/return on punts, two punts returned for touchdowns, kickoff coverage that continually gives up a short field) that one is needed, Fulmer continues to resist hiring/assigning a special teams coach.

*Precedent - Winning coaches do get fired. Ask Ron Zook or David Cutcliffe. Ask Jim Donnan or Mike Shula. Ask Johnny Majors...

Do I think Fulmer is on the hot seat? Not really. Barring another 5-6 debacle, I cannot fathom a scenario in which Fulmer is canned. I do, however, think the Vols fan base is getting restless.

Fulmer may have gotten a little too comfortable in the driver's seat since the 1998 National Championship. It was easy to take for granted victories over South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. Split the Florida and Georgia games, keep beating Alabama and get the team into a New Year's bowl game was a simple recipe for complacency.

No longer. Steve Spurrier is at USC. Rich Brooks has Kentucky moving in the right direction. Same thing with Bobby Johnson at Vandy. Nick Saban is leading Alabama. Suddenly, Fulmer seems like a good coach in a league of great ones (Spurrier, Saban, Tuberville and Richt) who can't compete at the highest level.

The question today is this: can Phil Fulmer bring Tennessee back to national prominence? Scratch that. Can Phil Fulmer bring Tennessee back to SEC prominence?

Right now, I really don't know.

Complete Embarrassment

2007-09-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

There is a large amount of anger and alcohol running through this post, so please excuse spelling and grammatical errors. I have been a Tennessee fan since I could walk, been through some wonderful highs and depressing lows, but I don't remember feeling this upset about the state of Tennessee football.

Have we ever looked so over-matched and out-coached in a single afternoon?

I wrote an infamous email a few years back in which I wished for a disastrous season to rid the Tennessee program of Randy Sanders and his clueless offensive scheme. To my amazement, it actually happened. The Vols went 5-6, Sanders resigned and it seemed like Tennessee might return to past glories.

Two years later, we look worse than I can ever remember.

Here is a question that best describes the current state of Tennessee football - how many players on either side of the ball are going to be professional football players?

Hefney? Berry someday? Coker?

There are NO surefire professionals playing for the Vols right now. Today, it showed. The Vols defense gave up chunks of yards on every snap and the offense hoped to pick up three or four at a time.

I'm sure there are bloggers and callers venting about our offensive and defensive coordinators right now. Not me. I'm venting about our personnel. Where are these 5 star recruits right now? Where are the athletes?

What is Cutcliffe supposed to do with an offensive line that gets whipped on every running play, wide receivers that are all possession receivers and running backs that can't shake anyone?

What is Chavis supposed to do with a line that can't provide any rush, linebackers who are as athletic as I am, and corners who get into perfect position and then choke when the ball comes their way?

Seriously. What part of the Tennessee program is solid right now? And how did we get to this point? How are we this far behind the college football world? Cal and Florida are in another athletic stratosphere from the Vols.

Not only that, but where was the fight from the Vols? Tebow's last score, the Gators' second string...that was absolutely embarrassing. I don't want the Vols to become a dirty team, but it would have been nice to see somebody get nasty down the stretch about Meyer running up the score on us. I can't remember seeing any fire out of anyone today.

I've always been a Fulmer supporter. The guy took us to a National Championship. He wins more than he loses in the toughest conference in college football. He runs a clean program. All that leads me to this - either he has to improve this program or he has to go. I cannot envision Fulmer ever beating Urban Meyer after today. I can't envision us beating South Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas or Alabama this year. We need to become more athletic and get some true depth on the roster in the next couple of years or there will no longer be any excuse for keeping Fulmer around.

I wish I could joke about the whole Tebow/black guy love affair or rail about Meyer's blatant running up of the score at the end (1st down with 1:30 left and you don't take a knee?), but I can't. I feel nothing but anger about this afternoon. I cannot fathom how Tennessee has fallen to the point that it gets dominated by a sophomore quarterback and a defense with no pass rush.

When does basketball season start?

Oden Out For the Year

2007-09-14T05:23:00.000-07:00

Greg Oden had micro fracture surgery yesterday and will miss the entire 2007-2008 NBA season. The rest of the sports-writing world beat me to the "Sam Bowie" punch, but this truly is a sad and shocking development. Like most basketball fans, I was excited to watch the Oden/Durant rookie pairing this year, but now we are left with only Durant.

I really hope this is not a sign of things to come with Oden. He is the most likable young basketball player to emerge in a long time. Despite being saddled with LeBron-like hype during his high school years, he comes across as down-to-earth and vastly different from the typical AAU basketball prospect of today. Oden seemed to really enjoy his one year in college at Ohio State, not using it as a farm system but actually getting something out of his classes and the entire experience. There have been reports of Oden shunning his new "friends" who are looking for a piece of Oden's pie. He continued to drive his mom's Ford Taurus after getting his big rookie deal. In interviews, he is charming and funny. He openly admits to wanting to be a dentist someday - what athlete admits to wanting anything outside of the sports world?

Last year, Oden had wrist troubles and now the knee surgery. Who knows how he will recover from this operation? Amare Stoudemire seems to be right back to being his dominant self after micro fracture surgery, but guys like Jamal Mashburn and Antonio McDyess never fully recovered from it.

Here is hoping Oden comes out as his former dominant self. There has been much sadness expressed toward the Portland Trail Blazers over this injury, but the young man is the one with whom we should be most concerned.

Tennessee vs. Florida - A Retrospective

2007-09-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

When Tennessee won the 1998 National Championship, it came after years of frustration against Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators. Every year, the Vols thought they were contenders, only to find out in September they were still the second best team in their own division.

1998 was the year Tennessee finally solved the Gators, propelling the Vols to a Fiesta Bowl victory over Florida State and a National Championship. This past year, Urban Meyer's Gators used a come-from-behind victory at Tennessee to jump start their National Championship season.

As this year's clash approaches (this Saturday at 3:30 pm on CBS), a quick retrospective of the battles between the teams from Tennessee's championship to Florida's championship shows why this is one of the most highly anticipated games on the college football calendar each year.

2006 Florida 21 Tennessee 20 - This game is perhaps best remembered for a premature celebration and one of the gutsiest performances in Tennessee football history. Urban Meyer made his first trip to Knoxville and got his second win in a row over Phil Fulmer. The win was especially sweet for Chris Leak, who spurned Tennessee after the perceived mistreatment of his brother C.J. and remained bitter towards Fulmer about it during his tenure at UF. Justin Harrell played his final game as a Vol after suffering a season-ending injury the previous week against Air Force. He put off surgery to play the game, but wasn't especially effective with one arm. The most memorable moment of the game occurred when Vols QB Erik Ainge did the Gator chomp toward the Tennessee fans after a score put the Vols up in the 3rd quarter. It was way too early for taunts and celebration as the Tennessee defense could not figure out how to cover Dallas Baker or stop Tim Tebow's QB sneaks. Florida went on to win a National Championship.

2005 Florida 16 Tennessee 7 - This game featured several special teams breakdowns that cost the Vols, including a botched fake punt by a confused freshman (Britton Colquitt) and a blocked field goal. This was the first meeting between Urban Meyer and Phil Fulmer after Ron Zook's firing in the off-season. Meyer's tricky offense was on display when the Gators took a 7-0 lead on a reverse off the option to Andre Caldwell. The 2005 season was a terrible one for the Vols as the team fell to 5-6 behind Randy Sanders's clueless offensive scheme and the internal team war over whether Erik Ainge or Rick Clausen should be leading the team.

2004 Tennessee 30 Florida 28 - A classic game in the rivalry as Tennessee's James Wilhoit nailed a 50 yard field goal with 6 seconds left to give the Vols the lead. Wilhoit had missed an extra point earlier in the game, so hitting the game-winner was extra sweet. Many Florida fans remember a controversial call late in the game as Dallas Baker slapped Jonathan Wade (who had just slapped him) and got a 15 yard penalty that (incorrectly) stopped the clock. This was not the first time there was controversy in Knoxville between these teams. Vols fans thought they might have found the next Peyton Manning in Erik Ainge, but were also excited about starter Brent Schaeffer. It turned out they were wrong on both accounts.

2003 Tennessee 24 Florida 10 - Casey Clausen's senior season was mostly a disappointment, but this impressive win in the Swamp was a highlight. The most memorable play of the game was just before the half when Clausen found James Banks on a Hail Mary play that gave the Vols the lead. Florida tried to run the ball all game, basically out-Fulmering Fulmer, and it didn't work.

2002 Florida 30 Tennessee 13 - The score was embarrassingly lop-sided and so was the game. In fact, Phil Fulmer apologized afterwards for the performance. The Vols had 8 fumbles throughout the rain-soaked game, losing 3 of them, and could not contain Rex Grossman throughout. To me, this game was a sign of the sinking Vol ship. Casey Clausen was a junior, but looked no better than when he was a freshman. The special teams were terrible. The discipline was non-existent. It was becoming frustrating to watch the under-achieving Vols.

2001 Tennessee 34 Florida 32 - This game is remembered for several reasons: 1) it was moved back into December because of the 9/11 tragedy 2)#2 Florida was playing #5 Tennessee for the right to go to the SEC Championship game 3) Travis Stephens carried the Vols on his back with 226 yards and 2 touchdowns 4) it was an instant college football classic. It was a game of back and forth football, finally put into the hands Heisman-hopeful Rex Grossman for a two-point conversion play that was no good. Tennessee went on to lay an egg against LSU in the SEC Championship game, losing a chance to play for the National Championship in the Rose Bowl.

2000 Florida 27 Tennessee 23 - Controversy in Knoxville. The Volunteers ran the ball down the throats of the Gators, but were desperately holding on to a 23-20 lead when Rex Grossman threw a quick pass to Jabar Gaffney that he caught for .00001 seconds before it hit the ground. Touchdown? According to the referees, yes. According to 108,000 Vols fans, no.

1999 Florida 23 Tennessee 21 - The Alex Brown game. Tennessee's hopes of defending their National Championship fell apart in the Swamp as the Vols looked lackadaisical and slow compared to the Gators. Alex Brown had 5 sacks of Tee Martin. Tennessee fans remember a couple of mistakes down the stretch, most notably Deon Grant's decision to run out-of-bounds with a late game interception instead of turning it upfield and for the odd 4th & 3 sweep call with Jamal Lewis who turned it inside when the outside looked open. Would the Vols ever win in the Swamp? It would take a California kid to pull off the feat in 2001 in an instant classic.

1998 Tennessee 20 Florida 17 - FINALLY! After Peyton Manning failed to beat Spurrier's Gators for four years, Tee Martin got the job done in overtime. To be fair, the outcome had much more to do with Al Wilson and the Tennessee defense than it did Tee Martin, but he made one big pass to Peerless Price (while his arm was hit) and did not make the multiple mistakes the Gators made. Spurrier was revolving QBs throughout the game, but could not find an answer to the swarming John Chavis defense. I stormed the field with my friends and walked away with a Gatorade bottle from the Tennessee bench.

There aren't too many good memories for Vols fans prior to this game, including a 35-0 first-half onslaught in Knoxville, the "Emory & Henry" formation, the Joey Kent decapitation in the Swamp, the "you can't spell Citrus without UT" joke, and the 31-0 Todd Helton whipping in Neyland Stadium. Will this year be more heartache for the Vols? Can Fulmer finally beat Urban Meyer? Will Florida's National Championship defense meet the same fate as Tennessee's in '99?

Just three days to find out.

Bringing Sexy Back

2007-09-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

I did lots of research before my fantasy football draft and all the experts agreed on one thing - running backs are the key.

Oh, really?

After Week 1 of the NFL season, the talk is not about the league's running backs, but about the wide receivers. With the exception of L.T., the marquee backs failed to live up to the hype (Steven Jackson, Larry Johnson, Reggie Bush) while the marquee wideouts had big weeks. Look at the numbers:

Randy Moss - 9 receptions, 183 yards, 1 TD
Terrell Owens - 3 receptions, 87 yards, 2 TDs
Chad Johnson - 5 receptions, 95 yards, 1 TD
Marvin Harrison - 4 receptions, 83 yards, 1 TD
Steve Smith - 7 receptions, 118 yards, 1 TD
Torry Holt - 8 receptions, 83 yards, 1 TD

Throw in the next tier guys like Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson, Plaxico Burress and Javon Walker and you have the biggest and brightest from Week 1.

Who led the league in rushing last week? Recently cut and re-signed Titan Chris Brown.

Chad Johnson promised to bring sexy back this year, whatever that means exactly, but it doesn't look like he is going to do it alone. Moss and T.O. looked rejuvenated last weekend. Those three guys are sitting beside Manning and Brady when it comes to charismatic superstars of the league.

Meanwhile, the running back position is becoming more and more bland. Many teams are opting for a two-tiered backfield, so a potential superstar like Reggie Bush is sharing carries with the steady Deuce McAllister. Not counting the always exciting LaDanian Tomlinson, the rest of the league's big-name backs lack the imagination and moves of guys like Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Terrell Davis.

The quarterback position, outside of the previously mentioned Manning and Brady, lacks charisma as well. Carson Palmer? Marc Bulger, anyone? Michael Vick is going to jail. Brett Favre & Donovan McNabb are on the downsides of their careers and Vince Young and Matt Leinart are too green in the pocket to be anything more than "someday" stars.

The league's true stars are lining out wide. The question is, do we care? The NFL is not usually thought of as a superstar league. The NBA always has been, but NFL players are hidden under helmets, only on the field for half the game and it is rare when one player can single-handedly steal the show. Wide receivers are bad candidates also because they need a quarterback who can get them the ball in order to be a star. That also requires a good offensive line that can protect that quarterback so he can get them the ball. Look at Randy Moss in Oakland - hardly a superstar with Aaron Brooks trying to get him some catches while dodging blitzing defenders.

The league does, however, need some star power. Parity is well and good, but I'm not going to watch the 49ers/Cardinals game just because it will be close in the 4th quarter. It just makes me want to flip the game on at the end, the same complaint of NBA critics. But to watch Randy Moss...or Chad Johnson...or Terrell Owens - that is worth my time, even in the second quarter of an otherwise dull game.

Sure, they are prima-donnas. Yes, they are attention hogs. Okay, they might take plays off now and then.

But they are sexy.

Under the Radar

2007-09-10T04:32:00.000-07:00

Stuff you might have missed amongst the NFL and Michigan debacles this weekend:

Tiger Woods looks poised to add the first FedEx Cup to his trophy mantle. It is a shame we couldn't see Phil vs. Tiger down the stretch of this somewhat forced championship, but the longer the golf season goes into the fall, the better by me.

South Florida football shocked Auburn in overtime at Auburn, but still isn't in the Top 25. Great article here about their 11-year old program. Are they the second best team in Florida right now?

Roger Federer dominated another tennis major not held in Paris, finishing off Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Not as impressive as his domination of a game Andy Roddick, but still other-worldly. He is the Tiger Woods of Tennis, but I really wish he would quit forcing the fall after he wins.

Curtis Granderson became the third player in the history of baseball to put up 20 home runs, triples, doubles and stolen bases in a single season. Shouldn't this guy get some MVP consideration? I know A-Rod has it locked up in the American League, but Granderson's season is one for the ages.

Boise State's winning streak, the longest in the country, is over thanks to the best looking freshmen quarterback in the country (it ain't Jimmy Clausen), Washington's Jake Locker. Okay, he is a redshirt and Clausen is a true freshmen, but Locker has looked like a 5th-year senior in his first two games. Clausen looked like a boy among men against Penn State. Ian Johnson's Heisman hopes took a big hit in Seattle.

Pacman Jones is half of the TNA Tag Team Champions of the World, pinning the legendary Sting last night. We knew he could cover people.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. failed to make the NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup. The most popular driver in the world is starting to remind me of Danica Patrick - good looking, over-exposed and never wins.

And finally, Britney Spears's career may be as dead as the Braves playoff hopes after last night's comeback performance at the MTV VMAs.

LIVE posting today throughout the first week of the NFL Season

2007-09-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

8:53 pm - I am going to shut down the live blogging for the day. Not my most productive venture, I know. I'm not sure there were any big surprises today - Randy Moss looks like a steal for the Pats, the Steelers look to be back...the Titans might have been the biggest surprise, though I'm not sold on the Jaguars. Biggest disappointment? It is either my fantasy team (27 points so far with only one player left on Monday) or that the John Cougar Mellancamp Chevy commercials are back. It is easily the latter.

Good night - see you in the morning.

8:40 pm - Three hours between posts - pretty weak, huh? The yard is now mowed, my dog went for a jog and dinner has been consumed. What did I miss? Still not much scoring throughout the day. After a day of watching college football, where the various offenses and athletes seem nearly impossible to stop, the pound-the-ball NFL mentality is, frankly, a little dull.

My Cowboys gave up a long TD to start the game, but the offense looked good coming back down for a FG. Is there a more over-rated player in the NFL than Roy Williams? He hits hard, but he kills the Cowboys in the secondary.

5:33 pm - Quick look at scores - boy, do the Patriots and Colts look like they are on a collision course for the AFC championship after Week 1? Lots of last-second wins today - Packers, Broncos, Redskins. Not much scoring, but exciting finishes.

5:28 pm - A much-needed haircut later (at Sports Clips - the football doesn't stop) and I'm back. Not much offense in the Chargers/Bears game so far. I was driving home, listening on the radio as the announcers relayed a story about Grossman thanking Lovie Smith and Ron Turner for believing in him. Next play? Grossman interception.

4:20 pm - Yes - we have the Chargers/Bears game here. The paper today listed this or the Bucs/Seahawks games as possibilities. I might have been on the phone with Directv the very second I was exposed to that yawner instead of the best match-up of the season.

4:18 pm - Bonehead play for the Eagles & the Packers win at Lambeau. I know fielding the punt saves field position, but the punt was short & the Eagles were going to have good field position. On a Fantasy side note, ESPN is not giving me credit for a Packers defensive touchdown despite the Green Bay special teams scoring on an Eagles fumble. I don't understand why that isn't a touchdown. Regardless, I'm getting killed in my league by my dad.

4:08 pm - Did I just hear a cover of The Jam's "Pretty Green" over highlights of the Eagles/Packers? That is...awesome.

3:51 pm - Titans are kneeling & this one is over. Big road win for the Titans behind Chris Brown and the maligned defense. What was I saying about the Gerrard era?

3:40 pm - Fantasy Update You Don't Care About: My team is getting killed. My two RBs, which were my first two picks, are both 2nd stringers (Bush & Jones-Drew). Laverneus Coles is killing me and, for some reason, ESPN hasn't given me credit for Green Bay's defensive touchdown yet. Houshmanzadeh (did I spell that right?) is my ace-in-the-hole Monday night, but I may already be drawing dead at that point.

3:35 pm - Steve Beuerlein is a moron. At least Don Crique called him out on it. Why would the Titans be trying to run clock on 2nd and long, up 3 with 5:00 to go in the game? Beuerlein - you were a great back-up quarterback for my Pokes, but you ought to be a back-up color man as well. I guess that is the reason you are doing the Titans/Jags game instead of the Pats/Jets.

3:24 pm - I remember hearing from several "experts" about how bad the Titans defense was going to be this year. They sure look good so far, especially up front. On the offensive side of the ball, the line is moving Stroud & Henderson around for big gains on the ground. Chris Brown looks like the back the Titans thought they were getting a few years back. I'm awfully impressed with Tennessee today.

2:48 pm - Checking to see what I missed...are the Texans up 17 points on the Chiefs? As soon I leave Houston, the Texans become competitive? Or are the Chiefs just that bad?

2:41 pm - Whoa...I flipped it over to the Falcons/Vikings game and fell asleep. If any town in the world is designed for NFL Sunday Ticket, it is Chattanooga. You are stuck with the Titans on one channel and the Falcons on the other, no matter how awful either team might be. I know Martha and I decided this was money well spent on other things, but cancelling Sunday Ticket may be the greatest mistake in the history of my life.

1:48 pm - Jeff Fisher didn't read my Take the Points entry. I just told Martha I hated this call and look what happened. Steve Beurlein is now questioning the call - WHY DIDN'T YOU QUESTION IT WHEN THEY WERE LINING UP? That is what you are paid to do, not second-guess after it fails. Idiot.

1:44 pm - 17-0 Steelers. I can hear the boos in Ohio from here.

1:39 pm - 10-0 Steelers over Browns. O Romeo, Romeo wherefore wilt thou be working next year? Hopefully he'll have a good view of Bill Cowher coaching his Browns.

1:35 pm - Haynesworth got flagged for tackling Jones-Drew too hard. That is ridiculous - a reputation call. And now...touchdown. So far, so good for the Gerrard era in Jax.

1:26 pm - Lunch & football - wonderful combo. Titans drive looked good, but only 3 points. Nice start to the Joey Harrington era - pick 6 for the Vikings.

1:05 pm - Titans/Jags is my early game. Nice kickoff return...fumble...Titans still have it. Is that a good or bad omen to start the season?

1:00 pm - The first Sunday of NFL games. I'm excited, but not obnoxiously excited like some of the people I've watched on TV this morning. I'm sorry, but you look like a dork with a giddy smile on your face about some football games. I don't mean to be a downer, but I find some of the excitement to be nauseating.

Quick side note - we cancelled NFL Sunday Ticket this year after having it the last two seasons. It is expensive and makes you feel trapped in the house on Sunday, but I'm already missing it.

Trap Game Avoided - Now the Gators

2007-09-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

I didn't want to acknowledge my fears about yesterday's Southern Miss game, but after the Air Force game last year (a two-point conversion away from disaster at home) I was terrified of the Golden Eagles. After the disappointing loss at Cal and Floriday a week away, yesterday had all the makings of trouble.

Trouble averted.

The Vols were dominant in the second half and look poised to challenge the defending National Champs in the Swamp next weekend.

My concerns after the Cal loss and how I feel about them today after the Southern Miss victory:

1) Defense - it didn't look great in the first half, but the second half was promising. They don't have dominant athletes on the defensive side of the ball like in the past (Al Wilson, Deon Grant, John Henderson, etc.) and that concerns me. The secondary will have to play big next week and there has to be some pass rush from the front four. If Chavis has to call blitzes all game to get to Tebow, we are going to give up some big plays.

2) Special Teams - specifically, kickoffs. The defense has had a short field too often this year after kickoffs - that shouldn't happen. After Fulmer switched kickers in the first half, things settled down and the field got longer for Southern Miss. I'm not sold this is fixed, but it looked better.

3) 3rd & short - still trouble. The offensive line has to win the battle here. It may be time to think big on these plays as defenses seem to be aggressively attacking the inside run/quick pass tendancies. I'm no football coach, but it feels like we're getting out-smarted and just plain whipped on these plays. I would love to see us look to Chris Brown over the middle here sometimes.

4) LaMarcus Coker - wow, he wasn't ready to play yesterday. First he went the wrong way on a 2nd & short, then dropped a 3rd down pass. If this guy isn't in Fulmer's doghouse right now, he is surely in mine. Awfully selfish behavior this off-season that is affecting a bunch of teammates on the field. Thank goodness for Arian Foster's dedication and heart right now.

5) Wide receivers - with just a few exceptions, I am feeling good about them. Austin Rogers is becoming my favorite Vol this year and, despite lacking the big play potential of last year's group, this year's wideouts seem to be getting open and catching the ball more often. It is more methodical, but with this year's defense, that might be a good thing.

The Vols have certainly been more tested these first two weeks than the Gators, though that trend has held true for the last fifteen years and rarely mattered. If Southern Miss is as good as I think they are going to be (Bowl team for sure, possibly C-USA champs), the second half of yesterday's game might be the springboard of confidence and swagger the Vols need to beat Tebow and Co. on Saturday.

For now, I'm going to enjoy yesterday's win and wait to worry about Florida until...who am I kidding? Six days away...

Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud - The 2007 St. Louis Cardinals

2007-09-07T04:32:00.000-07:00

Phil Jackson used to tell his Bulls and Lakers teams that "The crown is heaviest on the head that wears it." That statement has never been more true than with the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.

Here is a brief summary of the Cardinals season:

1) Spring Training - skipper Tony LaRussa is arrested for drunk-driving.
2) Starting ace Cris Carpenter gets injured in his first outing of the year and has not pitched again this season.
3) Fellow ace Mark Mulder has missed the majority of the season with injuries as well.
4) The Cardinals begin their title defense with a depleted roster and untimely slumps from their key hitters, especially Albert Pujols and the ailing Scott Rolen.
5) Outfielder Preston Wilson goes to the D.L. in May - he is still there.
6) Outfielder Juan Encarnacion is beaned in the face by a foul ball while standnig in the on-deck circle and is likely finished as a major leager. He will be lucky to regain full vision in his eye.
7) Third baseman Scott Rolen is finally placed on the D.L. as well, done for the year.
8) Pitcher-turned-outfielder Rick Ankiel sparks a playoff push for the Redbirds, but is now being linked to HGH.

Have we ever seen a team, let alone a defending champion, go through this much turmoil in a single season? And here is the kicker:

They might still make the post-season!

If the Cardinals can win the N.L. Central this year, it will be one of the most remarkable accomplishments in baseball history. Despite playing in the nobody-wants-to-win-it Central Division, to even be in the picture at this point is flabbergasting.

Can they do it?

The Cardinals schedule over the next three weeks is brutal. They have no days off until the end of the year. Even though they have series against the Cubs and Brewers coming up, they also play the Diamondbacks, Mets and Phillies. They do, however, have a long homestand coming up and finish the year against the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates. This is the most fascinating, least noticed story of a wonderful baseball season, but based on the season so far, I can't help but think it isn't going to end well.

Uneducated, Unresearched Picks for the Football Season

2007-09-06T07:49:00.000-07:00

Let's start with college football (which is slightly researched after watching one week of games, but still mostly uneducated):

BCS Bowls:
National Championship Game - USC vs. West Virginia
Rose Bowl - Cal vs. Wisconsin
Sugar Bowl - LSU vs. Louisville
Orange Bowl - Clemson vs. Florida
Fiesta Bowl - Texas vs. TCU

National Champion - USC (daring pick, huh?)
Heisman Trophy - Steve Slaton (West Virginia)

Season in Nutshell: The USC Trojans will coast to another National Championship with only California putting up any real competition (the UCLA game will be a blowout). West Virginia knocks off Louisville to reach the title game behind the Heisman Trophy-winning season of Steve Slaton. Florida defeats LSU in the regular season only to lose to the Bayou Bengals in the SEC title game, so neither team goes undefeated.

Who does? Wisconsin. They get left out of the BCS title game due to a lackluster out-of-conference schedule and because they dominate a weak Big 10. Hawaii, everyone's pre-season darling, is a bust, but TCU loses just once (to Texas) and gets a rematch at the end of the year in the Fiesta Bowl.

Biggest surprises - Vanderbilt & North Carolina go bowling, Georgia does not, Bobby Bowden finally steps down after another disappointing season and Bob Stoopes resigns from Oklahoma after more off-the-field problems cloud the season.

NFL Predictions:

AFC
North - Pittsburgh
South - Indianapolis
East - New England
West - San Diego
Wildcards - Denver & Baltimore

NFC
North - Green Bay
South - New Orleans
East - Dallas
West - San Francisco
Wildcards - Chicago & Arizona

AFC Championship - San Diego vs. Indianapolis
NFC Championship - New Orleans vs. Dallas
Super Bowl - San Diego vs. New Orleans
Champion - San Diego Chargers
MVP - L.T. (again)

Season in a Nutshell: The San Diego Chargers lose in Week 1 to Chicago, but rally together to win the AFC despite the suspect coaching of Norv Turner. Rivers explodes in his second year as a starter, but Tomlinson is still the force that makes them go and Shawn Merriman dominates on the defensive side of the ball. The Indianapolis Colts surprise many by earning home field advantage with the best regular season record. The AFC busts - Cincinnati, Jacksonville and the NY Jets. Marvin Lewis is fired at the end of the year. Houston is a pleasant surprise, nearly making the playoffs. The Titans struggle - Vince Young is booed at home.

In the NFC, the surprise team is the Arizona Cardinals, who finally find a way into the playoffs under Ken Whisenhunt. The Dallas Cowboys also thrive out from under Bill Parcells' icy glare & Terrell Owens re-emerges as the best wide receiver in the game. New Orleans follows up last year's success with more of the same as Reggie Bush becomes an MVP candidate. The NFC busts - Philadelphia and Seattle. Jon Gruden, Andy Reid and Tom Coughlin are all fired at the end of the year. Atlanta wins 8 games without Vick.

My fantasy team fails to make the playoffs. It happens when you have the 12th pick of the draft.

The Crippled Crippler

2007-09-06T04:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we learned that Chris Benoit's brain had been damaged by concussions suffered in the ring as a professional wrestler. We don't know if this is what led to him killing his wife and child, but it helps explain how this tragic event could have happened.

I grew up watching professional wrestling as a kid, even spending most Saturday nights of my high school years in North Georgia watching local guys like The Black Terminator, "Natural Boy" Paul Lee, The Fly Guy and Chattanooga's own, the late Terry Gordy wrestle in front of 30-40 people as part of the American Wrestling Federation. Suffice it to say, I did not have many girlfriends in high school.

Today, it is impossible to watch professional wrestling without some guilt and sadness. It is supposed to entertain me, but it just bothers me now. These guys take a variety of pills and injections to become super-human, then perform moves and manuevers that could leave them crippled in an instant or slowly over time, and then do the whole thing again the very next night in a different town.

The results are staggering. So many of the wrestlers I watched as a kid are now dead - Mr. Perfect, Rick Rude, The British Bulldog, Miss Elizabeth, Eddie Guerrero, The Big Bossman, Chris Beniot and more. Over 60 former WWF/WWE wrestlers have died in the last few years, all under 50 years old.

The immediate blame has been steriods, and new stories of current WWE stars like Edge and Randy Orton getting caught with illegal prescriptions is only fanning the flames of those who want to pin the problems of pro wrestling on drugs. But the newest revelations about Benoit place the blame less on actions outside the ring than inside it.

The wrestling boom of the 1990s was due in part to the changing culture of the sport. The cartoon-ish characters of the 1980s who often looked like they were doing their best not to mess up each other's make-up when they were supposed to be pounding each other were replaced by guys who actually looked and felt dangerous. Just as the subject matter and language of the shows began to push the limits of appropriate, the in-ring work became more intense as well. Chair shots were no longer taken on the back, but now to the head. Repeatedly. High-flying moves were no longer special, but expected. Each week, the bar was raised and each week someone, somewhere, was devising a new way to spin off the top rope or fall off a cage.

As fans, we all looked the other way as these wrestlers took chair shots to the skull or dove head-first onto the concrete. Wrestling is fake, remember? It doesn't really hurt when they get hit.

Now, we are finally seeing the results of this "fake" sport. Chris Benoit's brain was damaged by repeated concussions suffered as he jumped off ladders and cages, usually to deliver his patented "flying headbutt"; a move that no doubt led to some of the trauma that may have driven him to depression, murder and suicide. The moves that made Benoit my very favorite wrestler of his era eventually killed him.

Maybe that is why I feel some guilt about Benoit's death. Like most wrestling fans, I got caught up by the smashed tables, the dives onto the concrete floor, the drops onto the back of necks, the chair shots and the bloody faces. It was why I watched. Now, it is why wrestlers are dying at such an alarming rate. I'm not saying it is all my fault, but...

Take the Points!

2007-09-04T07:16:00.001-07:00

Two football coaches, with National Championship rings on their fingers, have been under increased pressure after recent years of unrealized expectations and losses to key opponents. Those two coaches both lost on Saturday & both made coaching errors that were short-sighted & cost their respective teams.

Lloyd Carr & Philip Fulmer - TAKE THE POINTS!!!

Michigan and Tennessee both lost Saturday, though the Wolverines' loss at home to Appalachian State (btw - why no more I-AA? No one knows how to describe them anymore.) was clearly more upsetting to its fan base than the Vols' two TD defeat at soon-to-be-without-scenic-trees-outside-its-stadium Cal. The connection, besides the warming chairs under each head coach, between the games revolves around decisions made in the course of each team's comeback attempts.

First Fulmer - Tennessee was down 17 and drove deep into Golden Bear territory, thanks to a brilliant Arian Foster run. Three tries inside the 10 - no touchdown. What to do?

Down three scores - you kick the field goal, right? You keep chipping away. You have to score three times no matter if you get three or six here, so take the three. Right? RIGHT?

Nope. Fulmer goes for the touchdown, the play gets stuffed and the momentum of the drive is gone. The move did not cost Tennessee the victory, but it was a poor decision nonetheless that looked far worse once Tennessee got within seven points.

Fulmer - TAKE THE POINTS!

Lloyd Carr made even bigger errors during the course of the Appy State game. Down 31-20 late in the 3rd quarter, Michigan scored a touchdown & decided to go for two. They failed to convert, which meant they were down five instead of four (assuming the extra point). Michigan scores again - now has to go for two (when it should have already been up three...), fails again. Now Michigan is only up one point when it should have been up three. Appy's field goal for the win gave them 34 points - the same amount Michigan would have scored had it kicked twice instead of going for two.

Carr - TAKE THE POINTS!

One of my biggest beefs is the continual under-estimation of points by football coaches. In football, when you can score, you need to score. Take the field goal. Take the extra point. Just score.

Take the 2006 Vols - they averaged 28 points over the 13 games they played last season. That is FOUR scores. If they failed to convert two of those touchdowns and only got field goals, that is 20 points - enough to win most of the time. The key is to SCORE. Even if it is 1 point - SCORE.

Fulmer and Carr made a classic coaching mistake - thinking short-term. Fulmer wanted to be down 10 instead of 14. Carr wanted to be down 3 instead of 4. Both instances were in the 3rd quarter with plenty of time left for a million things to happen, especially in a game as wild as the ones they were playing. Thinking short-term cost both teams in the long run.

Both decisions were costly, but even if the result of the decisions had been different, the decision itself was still wrong. For example, Les Miles decided to go for a touchdown on 4th & goal late in the 2nd quarter against Mississippi State on Thursday night. LSU got the score, but the decision was still wrong. If you are Les Miles, why risk getting nothing there? MSU wasn't going to score much against LSU's defense (they were shutout, 45-0), so why risk getting nothing out of the drive?

Chan Gailey understood this on Saturday as his Georgia Tech team crushed Notre Dame. Early in the game, the Yellow Jackets continually drove into Irish territory and continually settled for field goals. Why? Why didn't Gailey panic and go for it on 4th down? Because Gailey understood that a) the game is 4 quarters long b) if I'm down here now, I should be able to get back again c) Notre Dame isn't going to score much against my defense, so every point I can get is great.

No panic. Conservative. Take the points. Blow them out.

(As a Cowboy fan, it pains me to praise Chan Gailey who was a mediocre and devisive coach for the Pokes back in the 1990s, but he deserves praise and credit for his coaching Saturday).

I think both Fulmer and Carr made their decisions thinking short-term and because of the pressure they are feeling from their respective fan bases. Both are often chided for being too conservative. Well, these were examples of when being conservative was also being correct. Both coaches won National Championships being conservative - why change? Because some idiot bloggers will question your decision?

Wait, am I an idiot blogger questioning...nevermind.

Here are my three football coaching rules that will lead to more wins & cooler seats for coaches:

1) Always get points when you can, even if it is a field goal.
2) Never go for two unless it is the 4th quarter. NEVER. Don't consult the "chart." 3) Don't ever put up your index finger after a touchdown because you are always kicking the extra point. This isn't as important as the first two rules, but it irritates me so let's stop this.

Seem simple, don't they? The key to remember: TAKE THE POINTS!

Live posting tonight during UT/Cal game

2007-09-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

11:57 pm - Oh well. I had visions of Oregon/Oklahoma for a minute (TD/on-side/TD), but no luck. On to Southern Miss.

11:54 pm - Something awful, then something good. The Mitchell injury sure looked scary. It was great to see him move his hand. Sure reminded me of Icky (Inky) Johnson. There are few things that make me happier than seeing cutesy football backfire. Great call on the quick sneak, Tedford.

11:40 pm - We're getting physically whipped now. Unless something good happens soon, I'm done here. I'm pleased with the effort & hopeful for the SEC. My hope coming into the season was to split the Berkeley/Gainesville games. Let's hope we show up in the Swamp.

11:35 pm - 3 & out.

11:29 pm - So much for the momentum...that was an impressive Cal drive. I had a feeling we weren't going to keep them from scoring again for the rest of the game, so I'm still hopeful. Down 14 - not much time left. This is a make-or-break drive coming up.

11:08 pm - Nice kick, freshman. What does it take to get interference over the middle?

11:02 pm - 4th quarter, down 10, but we have the momentum. I still don't feel good, but I'm still pretty happy with the game so far. Ainge looks great. I think we are giving him enough time to send the receivers deeper down field, but why mess with what's working?

10:57 pm - 3 & out - we're getting the ball back with lots of time and only down 10. I really wish Fulmer had decided to take the 3 points earlier. If Cal wants to keep letting us have 5-8 yards every play like Herbstreit said, we'll win this game.

10:35 pm - Not Cutcliffe's finest call there...

10:33 pm - Foster needed to finish that run. I think Fulmer may decide to kick the field goal after this timeout. No replay on that TD catch in the endzone? I don't know if we get it, but it was worth a look.

10:26 pm - So that wasn't actually a play, just Longshore noticing our DBs having a discussion instead of covering the slot. You still haven't impressed me Tedford. You do have some fun weapons to play with on that offensive though.

10:22 pm - I'm eating my words on Tedford after that TD play. I've never seen that before. And Herbstreit just compared our defense to a JV squad. This isn't looking good...

10:18 pm - Are we really going back into the trees? No, these are just cheapskates watching the game, smoking something that Musberger is all giggly about. Pac-10 football - gotta love it.

10:14 pm - Now we have to kickoff to Best? We ought to on-side it the rest of the game. It was fun watching Clay Buchholz get a no-no during halftime. That guy has a nasty curveball.

9:48 pm - Looks like we're going to the half down 10. It feels like we deserve better, but I think we're the second best team on the field right now. I'm not too upset. Be back for the 3rd quarter.

9:42 pm - Punt it through the up-rights, Colquitt. Or out-of-bounds.

9:39 pm - My man Maximum Jack just made a great point - those are some nice looking trees outside the stadium.

9:36 pm - I thought we just had to worry about Jackson, but this Best kid is awesome. This is a heavyweight slugfest right now. I'm really excited about how good our receivers look right now. We need to hog the ball right now. I'm going to quit typing "right now" right now. Damn, a WR just dropped it. I'm still not sold on the no-huddle against this team, but I trust Cutcliffe.

9:24 pm - Cutcliffe, Cutcliffe, Cutcliffe!!! Brilliant call on second down. Tedford, the offensive guru, hasn't done anything that has caught Chavis off-guard yet, but Cutcliffe is on top of his game right now. I am feeling so much better about the season right now.

9:14 pm - Ainge has looked sharp until that last pass. We had better not kick it anywhere near Jackson again tonight. I should have written this earlier, but what was going on with Musberger's anti-hippie rant earlier? It went on forever. Oh no, we are back to the tree-people. WHO CARES???

9:04 pm - I'm still not convinced that Cal can stop our offense, even without Coker, even with Ainge's broken pinky, even with our new wide receivers...and now they just stopped us. Foster needed to go to the sideline. Let's see about punting it to Jackson...oh no.

8:50 pm - The difference between David Cutcliffe and Randy Sanders - when UT used to do the whole-offense-looks-over-to-get-an-adjustment thing under Sanders, it never worked. Cutcliffe can actually see what will work and calls it. I tell you what - I love the personality of this team already.

8:49 pm - Foster came to play tonight!

8:47 pm - I thought we had the sneak stuffed...we are going to be playing with a short field all night if we avoid kicking it to Jackson. Quick complaint - why do coaches hold up the index finger for an extra point in the first quarter when there is clearly no way anyone would consider going for two?

8:40 pm - We are not kicking it to DeSean tonight. Right as I type that, he grabs a first down catch. My only problem with the no huddle is that we aren't keeping him on the sideline. We'll see how that plays out.

8:29 pm - There we go - that is how you recover. That was one impressive drive. Can they stop us?

8:26 pm - Let's see how we recover from that. Herbstreit finally pointed out that it was a backwards lateral regardless of whether his arm was going forward.

8:19 pm - Uh oh.

8:17 pm - No huddle?

8:14 pm - Here we go...man, those Cal jerseys are ugly. Fulmer wants the ball first on the road...he has more faith in the offense than me. That is a good sign.

8:05 pm - Was that just 50 Cent and Perry Ferrell singing, "I Just Want To Celebrate?" To what weird demographic is that supposed to be appeal?

7:56 pm - Getting close to game time. For the record, I have a terrible feeling about this game. I'm expecting the worst, so hopefully I'll get a nice surprise. I also thought Georgia was going to struggle against Oklahoma State, but so far I've been wrong there. Hopefully I'll be wrong about the Vols as well.

UMMMMM!!!!!

2007-09-01T12:37:00.001-07:00

Is Appy State about to beat Michigan in the Big House?

BLOCKED! - Appy Wins. Unbelievable.

Um...

2007-08-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

Did UTC lose to Division II Carson-Newman last night?

So Long, Sylvester

2007-08-31T04:36:00.000-07:00

Candidates for the soon-to-be available head coaching position at Mississippi State:

1) David Cutcliffe - UT Offensive Genius; would love to stick it to the Rebels up-state.
2) Tommy West - turned University of Memphis around, ought to leave now that cupboard (i.e. DeAngelo Williams) is empty.
3) Houston Nutt - he is always a candidate anytime there is a job opening.
4) Nick Saban - does anyone actually think he is going to stay at Alabama long?
5) Jackie Sherrill - sounds pretty good right about now, doesn't he?

Seriously, did Mississippi State look pathetic last night or what? You knew after their first offensive play from scrimmage that LSU was going to kill them. How sad is that - their very first play? It was a pass play into the flat that was so slow in developing that the LSU corner who read it had to throw on the brakes so as not to interfere with the receiver. It never got better from there - at least that pass was incomplete and not intercepted...

Sylvester Croom's tenure in Starkville has produced few wins and about as many points. In his fourth year, there is still no pop in the offense despite a defense that is pretty good (don't let the 45 points LSU hung on them fool you - the offense put the D in awful positions). They did not look ready to compete last night at home. Yes, LSU is good, but Mississippi State is really bad.

Let's all hope Croom can hang onto his job through 2008...because Tennessee plays the Bulldogs in each of the next two years.

Scrap-Iron Deserved Better Than the Scrapheap

2007-08-29T05:03:00.000-07:00

"Lack of loyalty is one of the major causes of failure in every walk of life."
- Napoleon Hill

Phil "Scrap-Iron" Garner was fired Monday, two years after leading the Houston Astros to their first World Series in franchise history. The former Vol took over the 'Stros at the All-Star break three years ago from the greatest 3rd base coach/worst manager ever Jimy Williams and managed them all the way to the NLCS before losing in 7 to the St. Louis Cardinals. The next year, the Astros conquered the Cards (and my Braves beforehand) before getting spanked by the White Sox in the Series. Last year, the Astros made a dramatic run down the stretch to come within one game of making the playoffs, falling short of the Cardinals (who went on to win the World Series).

To me, the hallmark of Garner's tenure as Astros skipper was his loyalty to his players. When Houston sports radio was overwhelmed with 'the sky is falling' rants from frustrated fans, Garner would come onto the air to say that a hit here or a good start there would turn things around. He was calm and steady, remembering that the baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. And the Astros responded each year.

Until this season.

The Astros have struggled this year, thanks largely to injuries (Jennings, Everett, Pence, Backe), exits (Clemens & Pettitte) and slumps (Berkman, Ensberg, Lidge). If anyone is to blame for the struggles in Houston, it is now-former GM Tim Purpura who made a series of moves in the off-season that all fell flat. Signing Woody Williams and trading for Jason Jennings have both been disasters, though I'll admit I liked both moves coming into the year.

Carlos Lee has been a nice addition, but the offense hasn't improved with Biggio's diminishing skills, Morgan Ensberg's free-fall since his All-Star appearance and the continued non-production from the leadoff hitter as well as catcher and shortstop positions. Pupura's inability to add offensive punch (post-World Series big move? Preston Wilson...) over the past couple of years helped doom Garner.

So did Roger Clemens. For the past three years, the Astros have been hamstrung by Clemens "maybe I will, maybe I won't" routine, unable to sign free agents, losing games while Clemens does his Spring Training during June, and then this year ending up with nothing as Clemens bolted for the Big Apple for a chance to win (how's that going for you, Rocket?).

Or you can blame Carlos Beltran, who broke the heart of the entire city when he turned down Houston's money after his magical post-season in 2005 to play for the Mets. The Astros put all their eggs in the Beltran basket, letting other free agents be signed away in the hopes of keeping their star center-fielder, and came up empty.

Or you can blame Jeffrey Skilling. He really screwed things up for a bunch of Houstonians.

But blaming Garner? Where is the loyalty? Garner salvaged years of work in 2004 that was ready to be blown up as the 'Stros were under .500 and out of contention with the likes of Bagwell, Biggio, Kent, Berkman, Oswalt, Clemens, Pettitte, etc.. It was Garner who got them turned around and into the post-season, one win away from the World Series.

It was Garner who dealt with Clemens' self-serving schedule and demands for three years, keeping both him and his teammates happy throughout.

It was Garner who managed the team to its only World Series appearance. Ever.

Garner was rewarded for his loyalty to guys who failed to get the job done with a pink slip. Brad Ausmus. Brad Lidge. Morgan Ensberg. Jason Lane. Craig Biggio. It might have been Garner's loyalty to Biggio that hurt him more than anything. He batted Biggio leadoff despite his inability to get on base. He played against right-handed pitching despite hitting below .200 against it. He failed to set the table for Berkman and Lee on a nightly basis. Yet Garner remained loyal, batting him 1st and believing the future Hall of Famer would get it going soon. He never did. If Garner had used his baseball brain, he would have sat Biggio or at least moved him to 7th in the line-up. But then, Garner would have been attacked for treating the greatest Astro of all-time so shabbily. Now Garner's loyalty to Biggio has cost him his job.

Drayton McLane's logic of the Astros needing a "fresh start" in late August is laughable.

The current Astros line-up can't compete in the weakest division in baseball. How is it Garner's fault? Perhaps a fresh start at GM, but not in the dugout. Garner, who at times is certainly a perplexing game manager, is not the problem with this team. He was once the solution to McLane's problems. Now he is the scapegoat.

The irony is that Garner was the voice of loyalty to his team and then was shown none when his team struggled. There is a reason the Astros have only won 2 playoff series in their existance and it was on display Monday.

The Forgotten Hall of Famer

2007-08-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I had a baseball book that became my Bible for the summer. I don't remember the name of it, but it had a dark blue cover and more individual information about each MLB player than I had ever seen before. It told me where they were from, their career stats, where they got their hits, how to get them out, even where they did their dry-cleaning. I devoured the thing from April to October.

I remember one page in particular that was highlighted in the top corner by the exclamation, "Hall of Famer." Not "Maybe" or "Potential" - just "Hall of Famer."

Today, that player trails the likes of Steve Garvey and Don Mattingly in Hall of Fame voting and seems destined to be left out of Cooperstown. The man?

Dale Murphy.

What was happened to Murph? When I was a kid, Murphy was the man. The Braves may have stunk - and man, did they stink - but Murphy was a superstar in the middle of the line-up, hitting home runs, winning Gold Gloves & MVPs and being the type of athlete that parents wanted their kids to admire.

My friends and I used to play Home Run Derby, and Murphy was always a popular pick. If you were #3, you got to do the pre-swing bat waggle down at your feet (just inviting that low-inside fastball that you would turn on into the Fulton County Stadium seats), then lift it high over your head with a slight cocking motion toward the over-matched pitcher. We all practiced his stance because we all wanted to be him - a Hall of Fame ballplayer.

So why isn't Murphy in the Hall? He isn't even close to being in the Hall. He isn't even in the conversation of being in the Hall. The list of Who's Out But Ought To Be In includes Goose Gossage, Andre Dawson, Jim Rice...but where is Murphy's name? Where is the outcry for #3?

First, let's make the case for Murphy:

*From 1981-1990 - led the majors in HRs and RBI
*1982 & 1983 MVP (the only 2-time MVP other than Roger Maris who isn't in the Hall)
*7 time All-Star
*5 Gold Gloves
*4 Silver Slugger awards
*398 career HRs
*Led league in HRs twice
*30/30 season in 1983

That resume doesn't get a sniff of the Hall?

Let's compare Murphy to Andre Dawson, who has the best chance of an offensive player of getting into Cooperstown in 2008. Dawson hit 438 HRs to Murphy's 398, but Murphy hit more than Dawson from 81-90 during both player's primes & Dawson played about 3 seasons longer than Murphy. Dawson also outhit Murphy (2774 to 2111), but Murphy's OBP of .346 is higher than Dawson's .323. Murphy won 2 MVPs; Dawson won only 1 (though he did win Rookie of the Year). Both hit in hitter-friendly parks (Wrigley for Dawson; the "Launching Pad" for Murphy). Both went to All-Star games on a consistent basis. Both won multiple Gold Gloves (Dawson had 8 to Murphy's 5). Both players also hit in the middle of lousy line-ups, so their numbers are hurt by years of seeing nothing to hit with no protection behind them.

Both are Hall of Famers.

What is shocking to me, even more so than Murphy not being in the Hall already, is how far away he is from ever getting there! Steve "He's not my Padre" Garvey? Alan Trammell? Dave Parker? Don Mattingly?

Murphy was always in a different class from these guys. They were nice players - Murphy was a superstar. He was the face of the Braves franchise. He was a pure slugger who could field his position. He was a Hall of Famer.

But he isn't.

Why not? The knocks on Murphy deserve consideration & debunking.

1) 398 HR - Murphy failed to reach the 400 milestone. Many voters and fans remember how he tried to hang on with the Colorado Rockies at the end to get it, despite having dramatically lost his bat speed. 400 does not sound like much today, when players are eclipsing 500, 600, 700..., but Murphy is 45th all-time and hit more dingers than Joe DiMaggio, Bobby Bonds, Johnny Bench, Orlando Cepeda, Gil Hodges and Ozzie Smith - all Hall of Famers (joking about the Wizard).

2) Post-season - Murphy never won a championship, never won a pennant and only went to the playoffs with the Braves once (1982). He wasn't around for the magical 1991 season or any of the thirteen subsequent ones when the Braves were a playoff staple. Murphy's Braves were awful - post-season hopes were usually dashed by the All-Star Break if not Spring Training. No starting pitching, no bullpen, and no offense around Murphy on those teams. Not only did this hurt his numbers, but it also kept him from gaining recognition the way an Ozzie Smith, Kirby Puckett or even Steve Garvey got it. Murphy's numbers were compiled in lots and lots of meaningless Braves losses.

3) .265 batting average - Murphy was not a .300 hitter. He struck out often and could be icy cold at the plate - sometimes for entire seasons. His average, like all his numbers, is hurt by having no help in the line-up throughout much of his career. Murphy had Bob Horner & Gerald Perry hitting in his line-up; Jim Rice had Boggs & Yaz, Dawson had Raines & Sandberg, etc. Murphy's .265 is also higher than many Cooperstown residents, including Reggie Jackson (.262), Ozzie Smith (.262), Gary Carter (.260), Bill Mazoroski (.260) and Harmon Killebrew (.256).

4) Career decline - Murphy's was dramatic. He was a dominating player from 1982-1987, but after those six seasons, his production fell substantially. His batting average dipped toward Mendoza line levels, his RBI production slipped and his Hall of Fame luster started to wear off. There is no denying this decline. It was hard for me as a kid to watch Murphy struggle to catch up to inside fastballs he once crushed. In his defense, those were the worst of the worst Braves teams. After years of being pitched around, Murphy started swinging at bad balls and, combined with his deteriorating bat speed, his production suffered. He was terrible for the Phillies and worse for the Rockies.

Knowing what we now know about steriods and baseball, Murphy's decline deserves some reconsideration. There is no doubt Murphy was a clean player - he is one of the squeaky-cleanest players who have ever played the sport. A devout Mormon, Murphy was strict in his on and off the field behaviors. The same cannot be said for many of his contemporaries. 1988 saw the beginning of Murphy's decline - Jose Canseco was the AL MVP that season. Though the steriod boom would not explode until the 1990s (it becomes difficult to find an MVP from the decade who doesn't raise at least a little suspicion), there is no doubt it had leaked into the game during Murphy's final years. What if Murphy took some of the juice that was prevalent among his offensive contemporaries as well as the pitchers who were suddenly blowing it by him? What if he put up 400+ HRs, raised his career average and played another 3-5 years? Is he in the Hall then?

2008 is the year for Dale Murphy's Hall of Fame credentials to be re-examined. There are no Ripkens or Gwynns on the ballot in 2008 (though Tim Raines ought to get more consideration than he will...), so this is the best opportunity for Murphy's career to get new consideration. In an era clouded by scandal and steriods, Murphy's numbers are without question or controversy. Let's save our breaths debating the merits of Rose, McGwire and Palmerio and finally put a true Hall of Famer into Cooperstown where he belongs.