Archive for May, 2008

The Third Saturday in October, 1995

(14 October 1995)

vs.

Tennessee 41 • Alabama 14

Legion Field

There are a fair number of people in Orange Nation who — ignoring the whole “national championship thing” in 1998 — are of the opinion that the 1995 Tennessee Volunteers may have been the best football team fielded by the Big Orange in the modern era. Regardless of whether they were better than any other team — the 1995 Vols were pretty darn good, and were a hell of a lot of fun to watch. Thus, a few of the games from that season make my all-time list.

It’s probably not all that hard to figure out the first one (No, I’m not referring to the stinkin’ East Carolina Game)

I don’t know that I necessarily agree or disagree with the folks who think the 1995 team is better than the 1998 team. I think there are strong points that can be made for both squads, but hardly settle the issue. After all, who is “best” is really a matter of opinion. This is the sort of debate which leads Basilio to offer his catch phrase of deepest profundity:

“Hmmm …. Interesting.“

Translation: “I really don’t feel like arguing with you about this because I can’t prove you’re wrong, and you can’t prove you’re right.” Of course, some folks love trying to prove their opinions are fact or — at a minimum — are superior to your opinions (“Oh, but I can prove it! Really, I can — with a crayon, a note from my Mother, and this bit of string…” ). The type of people who seem to gravitate toward that sort of behavior are usually a little short on knowledge and a little long on ego which, while annoying at times, is forgivable. The rest are just egomaniacal degenerates, politicians, and lawyers (ugh)…

… but I digress (sigh).

By the time 1995 rolled around Tennessee had managed to keep from beating the Alabama Crimson Tide for nine (that’s right, I said “NINE”) utterly abominable years. To that point, Tennessee had only beaten Alabama four times in my entire lifetime, which — from my perspective — sucked. The Vols came within a hair of beating Alabama in 1993, only to tie (that game was later forfeited to Tennessee due to Bama having offered big piles of cash to their players from 1958 until … well … minutes before the sanctions were imposed. Still, a forfeit on paper is hardly a win.). In 1994, my freshman year on the Hill, another freshman — some Manning kid — didn’t see an open passing lane to James “Little Man” Stewart who was standing in the endzone, all by himself, and practically sending smoke signals begging for the ball on the final play of the game. Victory to the Tide. Needless to say, I — along with every other Tennessee fan — was ready for that streak to end.

The game, like every other Tennessee-Alabama contest played in the state of Alabama from 1932-1999, was played at Legion Field in Birmingham.

If you’ve never been to Legion Field … skip it.

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All is Not Lost … errr … Nevermind

I’m running a bit behind this week, so I’ll keep it short. Still, here’s a few links from around the blogosphere worth giving a look:

• The All-knowing MoonDog Makes a Case for the NCAA’s Innocence when it comes to College Athletes’ Bad Behavior and shows off some of Olivia Wilde’s Assets — World According to MoonDog
• Scandal is a brewin’! Crimson Daddy shows us the seedier side of football coaches and webcams (Oh, the Humanity!) — 3rd Saturday in Blogtober
• Wow, Lindsay Lohan wants to get married at Dollywood, who knew? – TWN & Snarktastic
• The Right-Honorable Senator calls it like he sees it: the SEC is Supposed to be Tough – Get the Picture
• A great piece on sports blogs, accountability, and not taking yourself too seriously (I am constantly accountable … to the voices in my head) – The Big Lead
• An Auburn fan loves playing with the video software (and does a damn fine job of it as well)

– A96 Productions (HT to Pigskin Pathos)

• What a line: “So in a way USC is just like Florida minus the fact that Florida actually wins games” he just keeps preaching the truth – YMSWWC
• A little behind the curve, but still funny: Deep Thoughts for May (so sue me, I’m slow…) – Gump for Heisman
• “Damn, Brother! Don’t believe I’da told that!” the Reverend Hulk Hogan Preaches about love, compassion, and how God will put you in a coma. – Hugging Harold Reynolds
• Michael Vick apologizes to his 2nd Grade Teacher from prison … well, sort of. (Strong language, but absolutely hilarious) – Kissing Suzy Kolber
• Finally, an inspirational bit about baseball, about playing through the pain, and about managers who don’t realize how stupid they sound when they talk about their players needing their hemorrhoids lanced. (that’s an image I could have lived without…) – SportsByBrooks

So … only 90-some days left till kickoff, right? Hello?

– Go Figure …

Lead Image Courtesy of: Photo of the Day Blog

This past Sunday I once again was present for the running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. This represents the 19th consecutive time that I have attended the race with my Father and some close friends.

If you’ve never been to a NASCAR race, you really should go sometime — it simply isn’t the same on television as it is in person. I won’t say that it is necessarily better (some people hate sitting in the stands to watch a race, just because of the crowds) but it is definitely different. I have attended races at a number of tracks, and I can honestly say that — in my opinion — the facilities at Lowe’s Motor Speedway are about as nice as you will find. Furthermore, the entire atmosphere at LMS is geared toward being fan-friendly, and improving the experience of the common fan.

All of that aside, I have followed racing — with wildly varying degrees of intensity — for quite a while now. Things, however, have changed so much since I first became a race fan, that it almost seems like a different sport. Names, cars, colors — pretty much from top to bottom NASCAR is nothing like it was back in the late 1980’s when I first started watching the sport. In some ways it is surprising that a sport which proudly proclaims its dedication to “traditional” values — and which often targets a politically conservative fan base — would so embrace radical and unending change.

There is no question that, since the advent of the current television broadcast model used by NASCAR — a 50% split of races between Fox Sports and ESPN / Speed (previously with NBC Sports) — racing has been propelled from the second tier of sports to one of the mainstays. Whether that is tied to the increased coverage, or vice versa is open to debate. Either way, the drivers and teams are no longer just “average joes” who like to speed on Sundays, but maintain an otherwise fairly normal existence during the week. The drivers of today are superstars and command a following which rivals that attributed to many professional sports teams.

So too, gone are the sleepy little racetracks sitting idly by in a cow pasture in the middle of nowhere. The tracks of today are gigantic motorsports super-plexes which seat ridiculous numbers of people and define the surrounding landscape in a way which surpasses even the great “temples” of college and professional sports. Lowe’s Motor Speedway, for instance, seats a whopping 167,000 people (almost twice the size of Neyland Stadium) in an arc surrounding its 1.5 mile quad-oval track. The entire track is lit by 1,200 light fixtures, allowing night racing. The main garage is over 20,000 square feet. In addition to the main track, the facility includes a dirt track, a 2.5 mile road course, and will soon include an drag strip intended to host NHRA events. On top of all of this, it includes two towers of condominiums above the first turn, which serve as year-round residences as well as race day event locations, and a bevy of luxury suites.

Lowe’s Motor Speedway and First-Turn Condo Towers Illuminated by 1,200 Light Fixtures

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I regularly write about a lot of funny things. I write about sports, about bad behavior, about silly observations. There will be none of that today. Here, over this Memorial Day weekend, I am as serious as I can be.

Memorial Day is not just another long weekend…

While we all get an extra day off this weekend, the purpose of this holiday is not just for the sake of giving all of us a chance to have a day away from the office, from school, or from whatever it is we do in our daily lives. It’s not just another day for a cookout, to go to the mall, or for me to go to the race.

Memorial Day is a day to honor those who gave so much to each and every one of us who exercise our freedom, of speech, of association, of religion, of thought — to everyone who lives free from oppression and has the right to choose the course of our lives.

Memorial Day is a day to honor heroes…

I want to personally salute the men and women who have given that freedom to each and everyone of us. Though, I know, it isn’t very much, I want to do my small part to perpetuate the memory of those heroes who gave their lives — their all — that we might be free.

The header above**, and this video — simple though they may be — are my thank you to each and every fallen hero, and to all the veterans who have so courageously served to protect this great nation.

Remembrance…

The video is a little long, but I encourage you to take the time to watch the whole thing, if for no other reason than to briefly honor our fallen heroes in your own heart and mind.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you …

– With Deepest Gratitude,

** The Special Blog Header that appeared on Gate 21 over the Memorial Day Weekend can be seen by clicking here.

Keepin’ this summertime “love train” going on down the tracks, here’s another shout out to one of the best blogs around — the inimitable Rocky Top Talk…

Rocky Top Talk (or “RTT” as it is often referred to) is pretty much the best of the best in the world of Vol-blogs when it comes to substance and community. RTT really has no match when it comes to serious coverage of everything related to the Tennessee Volunteers.

RTT is constantly updated with news and notes, and has more “breakdown” information than pretty much anybody out there. It has some great regular features, including Blogmaster General Joel’s daily Talking Points, the Animated BlogPolls during football season, and some great stat-ist-ification. In addition to its content, RTT has the best community interaction anywhere in Vol-blog-land — allowing readers and fans to post their own Fanposts and Fanshots, as well as participate in polls, live-blogs, and more. Pretty much, Rocky Top talk has it all, and makes Gate 21 look like the BasketVols under Wade Houston (sigh).

To top it all off, as of this morning, RTT has a new look as it just completed a total facelift from top to bottom — with added features and a really sharp new theme.

So slide on over to Rocky Top Talk and give it a look…

– Go Figure …

The next in my series of flashbacks — this time to 1992…

19 September 1992

vs.

(4) Florida 14 • (14) Tennessee 31

Neyland Stadium

When I rolled into town for the contest between the Florida Gators and the Tennessee Volunteers in September of 1992, things were abuzz. Johnny Majors was in the hospital recovering from heart surgery. “Temporarily” at the helm was a longtime assistant coach who was — at the time — untested as a head coach. His name was Phillip Fulmer. As if that were not enough, tensions were still high after the 1991 “fax-gate” incident where disgruntled former Tennessee assistant coach Jack Sells was caught faxing the Tennessee playbook to Steve Spurrier and then Florida defensive coordinator, Ron Zook.

Needless to say there were a lot of questions swirling around as to exactly what could be expected when the Vols and Gators faced off in Neyland Stadium that Saturday afternoon. As uncertain as the situation was, Mother Nature had a few ideas of her own which would push the game farther into the realm of the unknown (and borderline absurd).

This gameday began rather inauspiciously for me — I didn’t have any tickets. After declining several offers for tickets at $150 a piece (which was an even more absurd price in 1992 than it is today), my Father and I found one “kind” soul who was willing to sell us two seats on the second row of the East side upperdeck on about the 35 yard line for $75 each.

My Dad and I thought we had really made out like bandits … until we realized about 15 minutes later while getting ready to enter the stadium that the tickets we bought were student tickets and required a student ID — which neither of us possessed. Undeterred, our plan was to wait until there was a big crowd at the gate, split up, and then try to just slide on in without the ticket-taker noticing we had student tickets.

It worked for my Dad, who handed over his ticket, and walked right on in … my situation was somewhat different.

I handed my ticket over, and then heard the dreaded words, “Student ID, please?“

I could see my Dad — 10 feet away, but already in the stadium — drop his head, knowing that I was caught. Instinctively, however, I reached for my wallet and pulled it out.

“Sure, one sec…” I took my time waiting for the line to get a little longer behind me. “Hmmm, it’s in here somewhere … hold on. Damn! I must have left it back at the dorm. Do you want me to go run back and get it?“

He looked at me, then to the growing crowd, then to me, then to the crowd.

“Just remember to bring it next time, okay.“

“Yessir! I promise I won’t forget it next time…“

And a young boy began the path down the road to a shameful and reprehensible career as an attorney … (sigh)

In the stadium, we made our way to our seats which were great, except for the fact that “Mister Two-Bits” from Florida was about 15 feet away where the upper level visitor’s section met the student section. While his constant cheerleading did quickly grow old, the … pointed comments of some of the students — (along with their friends Jack, Jim, and George) were highly entertaining.

Read the rest of this entry »

Just the other day I realized I was getting older…

The reason for this shocking moment of enlightenment was the fact that this past weekend was the 10th anniversary of my graduation from the University of Tennessee (Hmmm, I suppose it’s time for me to start considering my options for Medicare insurance supplements…).

Anyway, bearing this in mind, I thought I’d start a wandering trip down memory lane re-visiting some of my all-time favorite games played by the Big Orange over the next few days. I welcome any comments from the peanut gallery on my choices, and ones I forgot…

16 November 1991

vs.

Ole Miss 25 • Tennessee 36

Neyland Stadium

You might wonder why this game made my all-time favorites list, however, in my life as a Tennessee fan, this is where it all began.

I have been a Tennessee fan, to some degree, my entire life. My Mom grew up in East Tennessee, and went to school at UT. Thus, I had been aware of that “orange school” over the mountains from my childhood home in Western North Carolina since I was old enough to be aware of much of anything. That said, in those pre-Heath Shuler days, Western North Carolina was still largely dominated by fans of the Tarheads and other members of the ACC. Thus, my exposure to all that is Tennessee was somewhat limited.

Then, in 1991, my Father had been given three tickets to the game between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Tennessee Volunteers by a friend who worked the sideline chain-gang and who — in normal life — worked for a vendor supplying the hospital where my Father worked. It just so happened that we were already planning to visit my Grandmother in Norris, Tennessee that same weekend. Thus, my Dad convinced my Mother that the three of us should go catch the game. Whether this arose because he wanted to see the game, because he wanted to broaden my viewpoint on sports, or just because he didn’t feel like listening to my Mother and Grandmother argue all weekend is open to discussion. Either way, this was to be an auspicious day in the history of my life.

I had been on campus before, but surprisingly, I really had little recollection of the stadium, and amazingly forgot where it was even located. That changed…

Neyland Stadium circa. 1991

We arrived early, and my Dad’s chain-gang friend managed to get us on the field for pre-game warm-ups. This was the first time I’d ever been on the field at any major college sporting event. Standing down on the field the only thing that went through my mind was “This stadium is friggin’ huge!” Now, mind you, this was almost a generation ago, and the stadium looked different than it does now. There was only one pressbox, the field was Tartan Turf as opposed to grass, the North endzone didn’t have an upperdeck, The Vols bench was on the west sidelines, and the scoreboards were … well … less than impressive. Still, the sheer scope and size of the space, wrapped around “the greensward of Shields Watkins Field” (as John Ward would always say) was formidable.

The Kickin’ Scoreboards of 1991

Thus, despite being well into my teenage angst years, I was pretty impressed. I was even more impressed when two Tennessee defenders (whose names I never actually caught) began doing a little hitting practice right in front of me. The “crack” from the impact was much louder at a distance of six feet than it was on television.

From there we exited the Northeast portal of Neyland Stadium and made our way back around to the front. Ticket in hand, I entered the real Gate 21 for the very first time in my life. We took our seats and the rest is history. The only thing I actually remember about the game itself was that Tennessee recorded a safety in the first half and that they beat Ole Miss far more soundly than the score reflected.

My memories about that first game in Neyland Stadium are not so much about the game as they are about the “experience” of the game. That game still resonates with me to this day. I remember being taken aback by all of the orange, I remember watching pre-game and the opening of the “T“, I remember just being overwhelmed with the size of this event called “gameday.“

I was hooked…

If she were honest, however, my Mother would probably have to say that was her least favorite game, because she wanted me to go to Emory University, and on that Fall afternoon in 1991 I pretty much made up my mind about where I would be going to college. The die was cast, and I was bound to be a Volunteer.

In the 17 years since that Ole Miss vs. Tennessee game in 1991, I have attended 107 more Tennessee football games in person and I am sure there are many more to come…

…be that as it may, that first one is still special in my book.

– Go Figure …

Scoreboard Image Courtesy of: The VIB