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Yes, Gate 21 is “Moving on Up“…

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Gate 21 Version 2.0

It was a chore, it took far longer than it should have, and—in terms of substance—it amounts little more than putting lipstick on the pig, but here it is.  After weeks of gnashing my teeth at CSS and html which refused to do what I wanted it to do, I am pleased to announce the debut of the new and improved Gate 21.  For those of you have been around these parts before, you can see that things look a bit different.

After nearly two years of the same basic layout, I decided it was time to do a little remodeling here at the Gate.  One thing led to another and “a little remodeling” turned into me completely redesigning the Gate from the top to the bottom.  Yes, though it was a faithful servant, I have sacked the old iLeather theme that was the mainstay here are the Gate for so long.  In its place is the new completely custom look which took me far longer to pull together and design than I ever dreamed was possible.

Everything is new again (that doesn’t mean, however, that it is actually any better though … sigh.).

There are still some kinks to be worked out here and there and there are a few new content areas I hope to roll out in the coming days, but—for the most part—the project that has eaten up nearly every second of my time over the past few weeks is finally done.  Hopefully, both of you out there that regularly visit will like it.  If not, well, that’s what the comments box is for—I welcome any and all criticism.

At any rate, just to give everyone the 50-cent tour.  The main changes are … well … everything.  The highlights, however, include:

• New page and category bars at the top which feature fancy-schmancy drop-down menus.  Hopefully, that will make it easier for everyone to find what they are looking for.
• Gus, our trusty mascot here at the Gate, underwent some major plastic surgery and—all things considered—looks a bit better as a result.
• No, the rather massive blogroll that has been a staple here at the Gate did not disappear, it simply moved down to the footer to help make things a little cleaner and less cluttered.  Everything is organized by subject and the whole list (at least in theory) will now expand and collapse at a click.
• The typography is new as well, hopefully improving readability.
• I added a little more “visual direction” to the header so that people who have never been to Neyland Stadium might actually be able to figure out that the name “Gate 21” actually refers to the Real Gate 21 and have some idea of what it looks like
• Oh yeah, and following the lead of the Blackjack General (a/k/a “Lane Kiffin”), I decided to adopt a darker overall look with more black—especially in the background.

At any rate, I hope that these changes improve the experience here at the Gate.  I hope these changes make it look a little nicer.  I hope the whole site doesn’t crash and burn as I finish up converting all of the old content around here over to make it play nice with the new design.  Either way, please feel free to let me know if you like it, hate it, or could care less.  If there is something that isn’t working properly, is hard to read, or simply annoying, feel free to let me know that too.  Though Gate 21 version 2.0 is now here for the entire world to see, it is still a work in progress, so any feedback is appreciated.

At any rate, here it is in all of its radiant glory—the new Gate 21.

I do sincerely hope you like it…

– So it goes…

Just in case you were wondering, I have not abandoned the Gate this week.  In fact, I have been working harder on this joint this week than I have in months.  Unfortunately, all of that work has been behind the scenes…

…for the moment.

Let’s just say that I am taking advantage of the current off-season lull to make a few changes around here and to do a bit of remodeling.  Let’s just call it “Gate 21 — 2.0.”  Hopefully, all of this work will not be for naught.  Hopefully, I’ll be done with this marathon soon.  Hopefully, there will still be more than three people around to read once I bring the changes live.  Who knew this whole “blogging thing” would be so much work?

In the meantime, I’ll just leave you with this little visual representation of where this ship is headed.  Trust me, this is but one very small part of what I have in store for everyone in the near future:

The Changing Face of the Gate…

November 2007	February 2008	?? July 2009 ?? (I sure hope so)

Hopefully, I will actually get a little chance to write a few things here this weekend which I have had to put off a bit.  Yeah, yeah … excuses, excuses.  At any rate, please bear with us—there are exciting things to come in the near future.

In the meantime, just try to remember that Gate 21 does exist, and check back with us soon…

– So it goes…

Gate 21 is Currently Experiencing Server Problems

(a/k/a Lawvol must have screwed things up)

For anyone out there who reads, views, rips-off, hacks, or otherwise visits the Gate, please be advise that we are experiencing rather massive technical difficulties at present which intermittently result in the site simply not appearing.  Thus, if you attempt to visit the Gate and instead are greeted by an offer of hosting services from Host-I-Can, then you know that the problem is not yet fixed.

I am in the process of trying to figure out what the issue is and to fix it.  Until then, however, please bear with us as we try to sort out the mess that is my creation.  We appreciate your patience and (hopefully) I will have them resolved soon.

Until then, if for any reason Gate 21 does not appear when you attempt to navigate to the site, please try again a few minutes later. Sorry for the inconvenience.

With any luck, we’ll be back up to our usual low standards as soon as possible (we really, really, hope)…

» Updated:  9 June 2009 — 2:30pm

The problems appear to have been fixed.  Thus, you can return to your regularly scheduled aimless wandering throughout the Gate.  Thanks for your patience.

– So it goes

Well, after taking the better part of two weeks off here at the Gate, and enjoying a little vacation in my “real” life, I am back once more.  If anyone noticed that I was gone, that is.

At any rate, now that I am back I am hoping to get a few features back up and running while we wait for football season to finally get here.  Apparently the mainstream media is feeling the same pressure to find something … anything … to write about at present.  Hence the News Sentinel’s in-depth focus on some old Tennessee football photographs (which are pretty cool, I must say) and observations on Lane Kiffin’s meteoric rise to prominence in the world of college football.

Slim pickings…

Since my other team, the Carolina Hurricanes, lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL Eastern Conference Playoffs (ouch) I can’t even talk about hockey anymore.  I guess we’re just going to have to depend on HSH for any real substance until the season rolls around (no pressure or anything).

The good news is that, as the little tell-tale countdown in the right sidebar ticker confirms, we now officially have less than 100 days until kickoff.  Furthermore, things are heating up in the race to win the Fulmer Cup.  Still, football season has a ways to go before it arrives.

Needless, to say I am counting the days…

So, you might ask, is there a point to this post?  Well, in short, no.  Then again, I have never been one to sweat the small stuff such as accurately and succinctly conveying a message.

Minor details, minor details...

Sometimes we all fail, no matter how hard we try.  I think this is one of those times, not that I tried all that hard.

Anyway, go check out the old Tennessee football photos I mentioned above.  Oh, and make sure you go to see the new Star Trek movie, it rocks!  Other than that, I’ve got nothing for you today.

Yeah, this off season thing is a killer…

– So it goes…

Image(s) Courtesy of: The Fail Blog

Just in case you thought I was dead or moved to Georgia, I figured I’d go ahead and let everyone know that I won’t be posting this week—I’m on vacation and won’t be back around until the first of next week.  Thus, though I know it breaks your heart, you’ll have to wait a few days before there is anymore nonsensical drivel riveting and hard-hitting analysis here at the Gate.

All I can say is that this brief reprieve is long overdue.  Time to slow down a bit, sit and watch the sunset, maybe even grab a few rays.

Read the rest of this entry »

Well, Home Sweet Home did such a good job getting all of us into the “New Year” frame of mind, that—as you can see above—Gus went ahead and brought out the Champagne early (may have to hit refresh for header to update).  Given the fact that I have been so lazy this last week, it is probably high time for me to get back up and running here at the Gate.  Once we ring in 2009, I will be back in full swing.

In the meantime, I offer up a few announcements, observations, and rude remarks to close out 2008.

• First, in case you haven’t noticed, I added a page about our “Ushers” (calling me a writer is simply going a bit too far) which finally recognizes and gives HSH his due as a major contributor here at the Gate.  Along with that came his new badges, signatures, and other goodies which will hopefully make it more obvious (as if the quality of his writing wasn’t enough to make it clear that it wasn’t yours truly) who is saying what around this joint.
• Second, it is nice to hear that Wayne Chism has survived his battle with the Rajin’ Cajuns.  The last thing the BasketVols need is the loss of one the most productive players on the squad before facing Kansas.  Let’s not do that again…

Ouch!

• Meanwhile, the Full Monte is in Knoxville and raring to go.  Apparently he has already come to appreciates the fact that Tennessee fans are essentially crazed maniacs, and is cool with that.  I’m liking it!
• Speaking of the new football staff, in case you haven’t heard, the Vols also have an Offensive Coordinator in the form of (soon-to-be) former St. Louis Rams assistant coach Jim Chaney.  It’s looking more and more like the Blackjack General is assembling a staff with a decidedly NFL-esque feel.

Oh my!  Things is a gettin’ excitin’!

• But don’t get too excited because, even though it is the new year, it seems like the KPD is out to spoil some of the fun at games next fall.  (Nossir, Ossifuhr!  I waddn’t drinkin’ … hic.)
• Finally, just by happenstance, I learned of a new Facebook group which is dedicated to the memory of one of my favorite places from the past:  Sam & Andy’s.  If you’re a Facebook member, be sure and check out “The Friends of the Roman Room”—I’m a member!

With all of this going on, it looks like 2009 could really be something special.  So everyone have a Happy New Year, and be safe.

See you in 2009!

– Go Figure …

Images Courtesy of: Knoxville Radio History

Well, as you can see from the header up above (click here to see Christmas header) we here at the Gate are all in the holiday spirit.  Yes, Gus even got his red hat out.

Bearing this in mind, we’d all like to extend our warmest holiday wishes to everyone out there in Internet-land.  Since we won’t really be around posting much of anything the next few days, here are a few videos to get you in the spirit.

First we have Gerald Ford spending a nice Christmas Eve at the White House:

And for those of you celebrating Chanukah, here’s Adam Sandler with his classic song of the season:

Happy Holidays from all of us here at Gate 21!

– Go Figure …

To both of you out there in internet-land who read the Gate, I just wanted to send out a quick FYI:

Those wild and crazy folks over at WordPress have rolled out the newest offering in blog publishing software culminating with the release of WordPress 2.7 earlier this week.  In case you didn’t realize it, WordPress is what makes Gate 21 possible, and it is an absolutely unbelievable testament to the power of open-source software development.

This, however, is a sports blog, not a tech blog…

Thus, I only mention all of this to let you know that, after playing around with 2.7 on my test blog for a day or two, I will be upgrading the software here at the Gate sometime this weekend.  More likely than not, it will come off without a hitch.  That said, since I am the one minding the wheel it could lead to some sort of meltdown.  Do not be alarmed if things seem out of place (but feel free to send me an email saying that the blog has crashed or looks funny).

You may now return to your web-surfing activities…

– Go Figure …

Aww, you shouldn’t have…

Yes, it’s true.  Despite the limits of good taste, the conventions of grammar, the call of life’s obligations, and a complete lack of quality and talent, Gate 21 is one year old.  As the birthday header makes clear, our mascot Gus is really excited.  (To see the Birthday header, click here.)

It’s hard to believe that it has been one whole year since the very first post here at Gate 21 was published—a post that was monumental in its complete lack of substance.  Well, at least it’s good to see that some things haven’t changed around here.

When I first typed those opening words: “Good Afternoon and Welcome to Neyland Stadium…” I really had no idea what I was getting myself into or what Gate 21 would become.  I didn’t even know what I was starting—but, as I am wont to do, I decided to jump on in with no concept of what I was about.

• The Words That Started it All:

Those first few weeks of posts reflect that lack of direction…

Still, despite my cluelessness, here we are 12 months, over 300 posts, more than 86,000 visitors, countless wasted hours of my life, and endless examples of poor writing later and the Gate is still here—serving as the entry into my bizarre, inane, and orange tinted world.

Since starting out, I have learned a few things along the way:

Timing is Everything: The informational cycle in the blogosphere spanning from “cutting edge” to “washed-up and out-to-pasture” is just slightly shorter than the attention span of a 4 year old with ADHD who just consumed four bags of Skittles and washed them down with a Red Bull;

Know Your Audience: You can’t be everything to everybody, choose your niche and dedicate yourself to never failing to fail in that one area;

Never Take Yourself too Seriously: Always keep your tongue planted firmly in your cheek and show your willingness to fall on the sword (even if it is because you tripped over it); and

When All Else Fails, Cheap Sight Gags Work: Yes, the Tennessee Home for the Visually Offensive has served the Gate well.

Over the course of the last year, the Gate has also changed in more ways than I care to recount.

Our Mascot: Gus

In total, there have been more than twenty different headers from the boring original, to the current standard, to the patriotic, to the ridiculous, to the world of livestock, and a few others in between.  We also added my tribute to Sam & Andy’s, our mascot, and Defender of the Faith, Gus, and so many other distractions and eyesores.

Blogging—at least blogging with some purpose—is a lot of work, much more than I ever realized.  It entails endless hours of writing, editing, site maintenance, research, graphic design, code crunching, and observational brainstorming.  Oh, and contrary to what you probably think, there is no money in it—the Gate currently makes Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac look like a good investment.

It is, however, a hell of a lot of fun…

You don’t do this because you want to get rich, you do it because it intrigues you, then you enjoy it, then you love it.  It’s kind of like being addicted to crack (I  think) or Tennessee Football (I know) sometimes you want to quit, but you can’t.

Fortunately, I’ve had a little help from Home Sweet Home and the Blazer Chronicles—which, on the whole has increased the quality of this joint immeasurably.  In all seriousness, I have written a lot of complete crap over the course of a year.  There is a lot of stuff which is hardly worth reading.  There are a few things, however, that I am proud of.  Hopefully, the few of you out there that regularly step inside Gate 21 enjoyed the good with the bad.

Hmm… I guess Mike Hamilton doesn’t care much for Gate 21…

Most importantly, however, I have made a lot of good friends over the course of the year, and got reacquainted with a few that I had forgotten about.  From fellow bloggers, to commenters, to flamers, I have genuinely appreciated the support and the criticism.

This first year of editing and publishing Gate 21 has been as much a learning experience as it has anything.  That is obvious, considering that I started a blog which was originally focused exclusively on college football with only 2 weeks remaining in the 2007 season.  Hopefully, everyone out there in internet-land has enjoyed it a little.  If not, well, sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Anyway, thanks to all of you that have taken the time visit the Gate, thanks to all of you who have commented on a story or post, thanks to all of you who have either directly or behind the scenes given me a little help along the way.

This first year has been fun, hopefully the second will be even better.

In the meantime, in the words of Joel over at RTT, his sidekick Jackson the Mule, and our mascot Gus, all I can say is this:

“Woo!”

Thanks for a great first year.  Hopefully there’s even more to come in the next 12 months.

– Go Figure …

Audio Clips Courtesy of: The University of Tennessee / the Vol Network / IMG

**Disclaimer and Notice: All Audio Clips remain the property of the licensing authority and their respective universities and/or institutions.  Gate 21 makes no claim of ownership to these clips, and they are displayed on this website for the sole purpose of entertainment and social value.  Any questions or concerns regarding the display of such audio should be directed to the administrator of this site.

… I simply cannot decide what it is that I really want to say.

I suppose I have really fallen short of being “on top” of things as a so-called sports blogger by not posting anything of substance (other than a message via the header here at the Gate) regarding the departure of Tennessee Volunteers’ head football coach Phillip Fulmer (whom I affectionately—and without any insult intended—refer to as “the Great Punkin”).  the problem for me over the last few days has been that I simply am not quite sure what I want to say, or even what I think about Fulmer’s departure.

I suppose, on one hand, I have been simply sitting back watching all of the hullabaloo play out—perhaps to see where the chips land.  On the other hand, I think I have also been too transfixed by the drama—both official and unofficial—that has attended Fulmer’s resignation.  I suppose I have also been a little too willing to stand on the words of others, including VolzRChamps and the upcoming post from HSH.  Finally, having seen players, members of the media, and common fans lash out both in support and opposition to Mike Hamilton’s decision to ask Fulmer to resign, I suppose I have been a bit overly cautious in publicly expressing my thoughts on the situation—mainly for fear of regretting what I might say due to emotion or a knee-jerk reaction.

Still, at some point I guess—if I take Gate 21 seriously—I have to comment in some form or fashion…

I guess I am just tired of all of the negativity, tired of all of the complaining, tired of all of the unrest in the Orange Nation.  I love the Vols, have been a season ticket holder for nearly a decade, and  spend more time on issues pertaining to Tennessee athletics than I care to admit.  Still, I’m just very, very, tired after all that has transpired this football season.  Of course, I am sure that Coach Fulmer is far more tired than I am.

I have a morass of perspectives bottled up in my head that I want to express, but—just as Coach Fulmer was not probably not ready for it to end—I’m just not there yet.

This change, is a big deal for the Tennessee Volunteers and their fans, and I simply do not want to just fire off some random thoughts (with no slight intended to those who have done so).

I suppose I am now making excuses for my excuses…

At any rate, my goal is to finally get my mind around my perspectives on the resignation of Coach Fulmer, the future of the program, and who it is that should take the helm.  I have started an article on 4 different occasions, but each time I’ve deleted it.

Sometimes, you just don’t have it in you to re-visit the firestorm from which you just emerged.  Sometimes, you just want a little good news…

I’m hoping that Bruce Pearl and Pat Summitt can provide us with some of that—and soon.

– Go Figure …