Posts Tagged ‘Golf’

Well, I am almost done with the migration of the Gate from its current location on the web to its new home with my new hosting provider: Media Temple.  So far, I have been nothing but impressed with what they have to offer and I hope that there are many great things to come in the future here as a result.   I anticipate the “flipping the switch” for the change over in the next day or so, thus, my prior warning about the possibility that the Gate might “go missing” stands for a little while longer.  Such is life.

At any rate, due to being tied up with all my hosting-reconfiguration activities, I haven’t really had a chance to finish up the post I had planned for today. Thus, at a minimum I wanted to pass on a few links and what-not that seemed worth giving a look.

• The Big Orange Roundtable Returneth: For those of you that remember the Vol-blogosphere’s little foray into collaboration from 2008, the roundtable is back.  Thus, the Big Orange Brethren (myself included) kickoff the 2009 Big Orange Roundtable this week with the first installment hosted by MoonDog.  For those of you who were not around for last year’s roundtable, it is a weekly roundtable discussion where a host poses a series of questions to the collective brain-trust of the Vol-blogosphere who, respond with their BS insightful and thought provoking answers.  At the end of the week, the host provides a round-up of the responses and the comments posted by each of the member Roundtable sites, along with a few parting thoughts.  It is a great series that was a lot of fun last season. Go ahead and check out this week’s questions.   I plan on posting my responses in the next day or so.
• Ray Nettles and the Long Road to Redemption: Ray Nettles was a linebacker for the Big Orange from 1969-1971, winning All-America and All-SEC honors in 1971.  Over the past 38 years since leaving Tennessee he has struggled with his demons and his own brand of inner-conflict.  Now, however, he talks of redemption and finding his way back home from battles with addiction, marital strife, and now cancer.  Throughout his journey he has been supported by his former teammates in ways that even he has a difficult time understanding.

  Video: Ray Nettles Seeks Redemption

  This is a really powerful story of success, collapse, failure, and recovery which I highly recommend. Via: Florida Times-Union • HT: The Vol Historian

• The 2008 Football Season in Seconds: Joel, “the Flashmaster General” offers up a re-cap of the entire 2008 football season in only seconds.   How, you ask? Through the miracles of the Adobe flash player, that’s how.  Check it out, just in case you forgot… Via: Rocky Top Talk

• At least I drive better than this: I am really not sure why this lady was having such a difficult time driving a golf cart. They are fairly simple inventions.  Two pedals.  One steering wheel.  Four tires.  Needless to say, I won’t be riding with her anytime soon.

  Video: How Not to Drive a Golf Cart

  Now I know where personal-injury lawyers get their clients… Via: Fandome

At any rate, I hope to have the Gate migrated to its new home and to finally be set for the upcoming football season soon.

Until then, this will have to do…

– So it goes …

This post is part of a continuing series — “The Cost of Sports” — examining the impact of current economic changes on the world of major sports.    To see the other posts in this series, click here.

As I discussed in Part 1 of this series on the cost of sports, at Tennessee, the price can be high when it comes to paying your way into Neyland Stadium — a truth of which Nashville’s Thomas Luck is all too aware.  I discussed the issue purely in terms of the experience at Tennessee mainly because it is what I am familiar with.  Tennessee was but a lens — the reality is largely the same at all schools with a major athletics presence.

The world of professional sports, however, makes the college ranks look like small potatoes in the way it is wed to the almighty dollar.  Given the current uncertain economic times, however, I question whether professional sports in particular can continue in the way it has for so long.

I suppose that sports fans should not be surprised at the notion that professional teams would necessarily focus on money, after all that is what professional athletics are all about: getting paid to play.  I suppose Rod Tidwell (from the movie “Jerry Maguire”) summed it up best with the oft quoted line “Show me the money!“  What I think is a bit surprising is how willingly and uncomplainingly professional sports fans have accepted the “money first” approach of all the teams in all the major leagues.  The increases in costs passed along to professional sports fans over the last generation is really quite staggering.

Video: Show me the Money!!

But don’t take my word for it…

Read the rest of this entry »

Even Tiger Couldn’t Get it In…

A few random story lines worth exploring:

Apparently, NBC’s Mike Milbury doesn’t think much of the Washington Crapi … oops … Capitals.

Damn Brother! Don’t believe I’da told that one…

Note to self, don’t ever do anything to piss off Penn State … er … former Penn State Wide Receiver Chris Bell, unless you want to get stabbed – The Daily Collegian

I know my friends over at Bears Necessity are going to be loving these new photos of pole vaulter Allison Stokke. Now I see why everyone likes Berkeley so much – My Chill Pill

Sadly, the Horseshoe in Little Havana is no more … what’s sad about it? The place was a dump. – Busted Coverage

In the wake of her 8th Championship, the guys over at SEC Sports Fan conclude that Pat Summitt is the greatest basketball coach ever, and use statisti-fi-cation to prove it — SEC Sports Fan

The wise and all-knowing MoonDog speaks on Derrick Rose’s Departure (sports news), Why our Economy is Going Down the Crapper (real news), and Discusses the Merits of Adriana Lima (ummm … eye candy) – World According to MoonDog

The eponymous “Sports Fan” has declared intifada it open season for a contest to determine the best blog focusing on the Tennessee Volunteers, and was even kind enough to nominate Gate 21 (I just hope I do better this time than I did during the NCAA Tournament) – UT Vols Football Blog

ESPN and Harold Reynolds settle their differences and decide they can in fact “just get along” – Hugging Harold Reynolds

A rundown on all the great things happening within the University of Tennessee Athletic Department & an invitation to all for a little blogger get-together at the Orange & White Game (sadly, I won’t be able to attend … much to Joel’s delight) – Rocky Top Talk

LSU Freak goes nuts on Tim Tebow — Doogie Howser style – Sunday Morning Quarterback

Finally, from Hollywood comes Ocean’s Fourteen … and this one is guaranteed to be quite different than the first three. Check it out, not what you’d expect:

– Go Figure …

Lead-off Image Courtesy of: Sports Frog