Posts Tagged ‘Lawvol’

In case you haven’t heard, there’s a pretty great new Tennessee Football preview annual coming out in only a few short days.  It’s from Maple Street Press and is entitled: “Rocky Top Tennessee 2009.”

I know, I know, you’re probably thinking to yourself “those previews are all the same, a bunch of the same basic statistics and information re-styled to make them appear shiny and new.”  In most circumstances you would be correct, but this preview is a little different than most.  You see, Maple Street Press does not approach these sorts of publications the way that some of the other publishers do.  They turn independent writers and bloggers who are passionate about their team and ask them to write on subjects that are near and dear to their hearts.

The result is a 128 pages of thoughtful insight, analysis, and perspective that the mainstream press simply does not offer.  Furthermore, if your a regular reader here at Gate 21 and other sites across the web, you’ll recognize some of the writers and be pleasantly surprised at the ways Rocky Top Tennessee 2009 differs from the run-of-the-mill preview magazine.

Read the rest of this entry »

Note:  This post is essentially a comment responding to a post by Hooper over at RTT regarding the Brian Butler Saga.  I considered posting some of this as a comment on that venerable site, but opted instead to post my thoughts in an actual article.  Thus, I would encourage anyone reading this post to give the original post by Hooper a look.

For a detailed account of Brian Butler’s exploits in the world of college football recruiting you should check out an excellent article written by The New York Times’ Thayer Evans and Pete Thamel entitled “College Recruiting’s Thin Gray Line,” upon which the author of this post also relied.

Brian Butler has been called many things by many people, not all of them are nice.

Butler is a former rapper and call-center manager, and a seemingly respectable football trainer based out of Wichita, Kansas.  At present, Butler is the principal and operator of the Potential Players recruiting service through which he serves as a self-styled, come-lately, “recruiting adviser” to high school football standouts across the country.  A “gifted” self-promoter, he is also the subject of a recently announced investigation by the NCAA.

Brian Butler working a recruit (NY Times / Simmons)

There are many questions being asked about Butler by many people, especially those recruiting high school standout Bryce Brown (which includes Tennessee).  The fundamental question, however, centers on whether he is essentially seeking to act as a sports agent for players being recruited by college football programs.

For now, at least, there is no definitive answer to this query.

The reason that this is an issue is that Butler has widely taken the position that the only way that college recruiters can speak with high-schoolers that he is “advising” is by going through him.  To many, this appears—at least outwardly—that Butler is serving as an “agent” rather than simply as an “adviser.”

Again, why does anyone care?  Under NCAA bylaws, current and potential student athletes are prohibited from retaining agents, and requires that all prospective athletes undergo an amateurism certification process, which includes, among other things, certifying that the athlete has not agreed to be represented by an agent.  On the issue of agents, NCAA Bylaw 12.3 states that:

An individual shall be ineligible for participation in an intercollegiate sport if he or she ever has agreed (orally or in writing) to be represented by an agent for the purpose of marketing his or her athletics ability or reputation in that sport. Further, an agency contract not specifically limited in writing to a sport or particular sports shall be deemed applicable to all sports, and the individual shall be ineligible to participate in any sport.

• See NCAA Operational Bylaw 12.3.1 (PDF )

The NCAA’s website offers additional guidance stating that:

…a student-athlete (any individual who currently participates in or who may be eligible in the future to participate in intercollegiate sport) may not agree verbally or in writing to be represented by an athlete agent in the present or in the future for the purpose of marketing the student-athlete’s ability or reputation. If the student-athlete enters into such an agreement, the student-athlete is ineligible for intercollegiate competition.

Also, a student-athlete may not accept transportation or other benefits from an athlete agent. This prohibition applies to the student-athlete and his or her relatives or friends.

The term “agent” includes actual agents, runners (individuals who befriend student-athletes and frequently distribute impermissible benefits) and financial advisors.

It is not a violation of NCAA rules if a student-athlete merely talks to an agent (as long as an agreement for agent representation is not established) or socializes with an agent.

• via: Overview of NCAA Bylaws Governing Athlete Agents | NCAA.org

Thus, Butler acting as the only means of communication with a recruit could be troubling and potentially a violation of NCAA rules, hence the NCAA investigation.

This raises a particularly thorny set of issues for high school athletes and their families, college athletic departments, high school coaches, college boosters, the NCAA, and State Legislators.  That’s right, I said State Legislators.

For these reasons, I am personally of the opinion that someone—whether it be Butler, athletes, college institutions, or otherwise—will end up paying for what amounts to an infraction that lies in the proverbial “gray area” of the NCAA’s rules.  A violation in spirit, if not in the letter.  The problem is, however, that whether Butler’s conduct violates many rules or none all depends on the perspective applied to the facts, and for the record, I make no assertion that I know or understand all of the facts.

Still, let’s use a hypothetical to illustrate the complexity of the situation.

Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, just like the real Gate 21, we here at the Gate have our faithful band of ticket-takers to grant admission, to help guide you on your way, and to call the cops if you throw up and pass out on some little old Grandma from Sequatchie County due to all those airplane bottles you snuck into the stadium.

Thus, here are our ushers, ready and willing to serve…

“Lawvol” — Publisher and Editor-in-Chief :

A less than reputable sort, who earns his money as a shyster and evidence manipulation specialist (a/k/a lawyer).  A graduate of the University of Tenne-”stand up and smile when you say it“-see, who also attended Tarhead U for his “trade school.”  Lawvol claims to be a former member of the Pride of the Southland Marching Band, but the group has long since disclaimed any such affiliation and is currently seeking a court order to that effect.

A dedicated Tennessee and SEC sports fan, collector of farked (photoshopped) photos, confirmed blowhard, and general pain-in-the-ass who believes if you didn’t want to be made fun of, then you probably should have just stayed in bed.  He is best known for his lack of intelligence, inability to use the English language properly, fixation on the use of dashes — “–” — in his posts, and his habit of employing poorly doctored graphics to cover the lack of meaningful content in his writing.

In addition to his efforts as the Illustrious Potentate here at Gate 21, Lawvol has served as a guest writer for various other blogs including the venerable Rocky Top Talk and is currently a voting member of the SEC Power Poll and the CBS College Football BlogPoll (no, he is not above name dropping).  He has also been known to design logos and blog themes for bloggers across the blogosphere.  You can learn more on this by visiting Gate 21 Graphics.

During football season, Lawvol can be regularly found in the north endzone of Neyland Stadium, quietly cursing under his breath as the Vols do battle on the gridiron.  As you might have guessed, he enters the stadium via the real Gate 21.  Believe it or not, it has actually been confirmed that he has all of his teeth and, contrary to the claims of some people, those morals charges about that sheep were dismissed.

Lawvol freely invites comments and complaints as well as emails from the complimentary to hysterical…

“Home Sweet Home” — Author and Contributor:

Unlike Lawvol, Home Sweet Home — or “HSH” as he is sometimes called — is an actual writer.  A Journalism / Electronic Media major at the University of Tennessee, this Memphis native hopes to go into sports broadcasting, writing, or something along those lines in the near future.

In case you didn’t “get it” his name derives from a line in every Tennessee fan’s favorite song, and is a clear reference to Good Ole’ Rocky Top.

HSH previously edited his own blog, “The View From The Hill” before signing on here at the Gate in the Fall of 2008 in hopes of bringing some actual intelligent content — a nice change from the drivel produced by Lawvol.  He’s a  huge Vol fan who has been attending games in Knoxville for many years.  In addition to his passion for Tennessee football and basketball, he enjoys following the NFL and the NBA.

Among other things, HSH is the primary author for both the “On Remote” and “View From the Hill” features here at Gate 21.  Basically, sports are a big part of his life.

You can email him, harass him, or offer him money to commit unspeakable acts by clicking the button below.

Just in case you were considering it…

Don’t Become a Lawyer!!!

Not really a post, just a small bit of advice (sigh).

But I do feel a bit better now…

– 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.

Well, as I mentioned in my SEC Power Poll post earlier today, for the next several weeks I will be at a “secure and undisclosed location.”  The reason for this is that I am preparing to start a 2-3 week trial which … well … let’s just say that the parties stridently disagree.  Thus, until I return, “Home Sweet Home” will be manning the wheel here at the Gate, and will captain the the ship (probably far better than I usually do).  I will still be trying to post a few odds and ends here and there, but for all intents and purposes I’ll be incognito here for a while.

Once I return in late October—and my occupation quits infringing on my blogging—I hope to roll out a few new things (what is it with me debuting new ideas just before the end of the season?).  If things go according to plan, I will be able to debut a few new things, along with finally finishing some of the updates I started back in the summer but was forced to delay due to the very same case that I am getting ready spend weeks trying.

Ke garne… (That’s Nepalese for “Go Figure”)

Anyway, until I do manage to free myself from the bonds of Court and my occupation as a Shyster and Evidence Manipulation Specialist, I do want to go ahead and introduce—a few days late—a new partnership which Gate 21 is starting with the Blazer Chronicles which have previously lived only over on YouTube.  The hope is that, once I am back full speed, the Blazer Chronicles will become a regular part of the Gate’s veritable cornucopia of choices.  For now, however, we are simply going to be embedding the Blazer Chronicles in their current format for all to see.

The Blazer Chronicles: Episode 5B

The Blazer Chronicles: Episode 6

So, until I am back 100%, make sure you let Home Sweet Home know how much more you like his stuff than mine…

– Go Figure …

Videos Courtesy of: VolzRChamps / Blazer Chronicles

In case you haven’t noticed by the temporary header…

As I mentioned a few weeks back, I am in the midst of remodeling here at Gate 21 in preparation for football season.  Bearing that in mind, I am currently adjusting the color scheme here at the Gate, changing from the brownish “off-dirt” family of hues to more of a “light-black” (as if there were such an oxymoronicly named color — oh yeah, there is: “gray”) direction.  I’ve also added a few minor touches: such as the “shinier” checkerboard pattern, and the little “21” logos down the page a bit.  On the whole, my goal is to make things a bit darker near the top to improve visibility and make it more likely that some one might read my drivel.  If things look exactly the same, just hit refresh in your browser to see my coloring project.

Once again I have my coloring book out…

A Coloring Book for Lawyers ( PDF)

Anyway, let me know any thoughts either of you two folks out there who read this rag might have about this — including any complaints about how brown is your favorite color, how you hate my mascot “Gus,” how you can’t understand why I insist on having that infernal checkerboard across the middle of the screen, and how  you liked it better before I started screwing with it.

Seriously, if you hate it, just tell me…

– Go Figure …

Coloring Book Courtesy of: Office Spam

Actually, I suppose this is more like screaming madly as you run around in circles…

Well, in case you haven’t noticed (and you probably haven’t) it’s been pretty quiet here at Gate 21 lately — brisk as the tomb. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I am in the midst of a breakneck stretch here in which other obligations have forced me to step back briefly from this my temple of wasted time.

Anyway, given the fact that I will be moving tomorrow, I anticipate that there will be nothing new here on Gate 21 until next week (unless I get really lucky and find that I have inadvertently packed my clone in a box which the movers thoughtlessly carted off). Not that any of you actually care, but I am hoping to be back open for business full time at some point during the first week of June July.

Be that as it may — if you would be interested in contributing here at Gate 21, please feel free to email me at any time. Much as I am loathe to finally admit it, I suppose that I am now actively seeking more writers for the site, regardless of your stripes (yes, I might even let Florida fans contribute … sigh).

In the meantime, if you are looking for a little sports-blog action, you might try checking out a few of my personal favorites (a/k/a blogs that I regularly read):

(in no particular order)

• The World According to MoonDog
• 3rd Saturday in Blogtober
• Rocky Top Talk
• Fulmer’s Belly
• Your Mother Slept With Wilt Chamberlain
• Pigskin Pathos
• The BruceBall Blog

And just to show that I’m not completely fixated on Tennessee (which everyone knows is a damn lie) here are a few non-Tennessee affiliated blogs I read

• Get the Picture (Georgia)
• Hugging Harold Reynolds (Sports in General)

All of these blogs actually have some idea of what they are about, and occasionally get around to actually posting an article or two.

Anyway, hope to return to my typical level of low-quality and poor taste in the near future…

– Go Figure …

Not that anyone out there is actually reading…

Lawvol’s Planner

As you can see from my schedule, my life has been a bit busy of late. Between work, life, buying and selling my house, coaching Little League, beating up old ladies on the side of the road, and thinking up new and interesting ways to contemplate my navel I’ve been a bit crunched for time. Thus, I want to formally make excuses in advance for my hit-or-miss posting which will occur over the next few weeks.

With any luck, I’ll be back up and running as usual in July. Until then, my posts may be a bit sporadic, and of more dubious (a/k/a “crappy”) quality than my usual level of mindless and meaningless drivel.

I promise that, once things are a bit more settled, I’ll return to my current schedule of daily posting with the same poor writing and lack of intelligent thought that you have come to expect from the temple of wasted time that is Gate 21.

In the meantime, feel free to send me nasty comments and emails about how lazy I am and how I lack character…

Should any brave soul feel compelled, I welcome guest writers who would like to submit posts for publication. If you are interested (and I seriously doubt any of you are) simply email me by clicking my signature at the bottom of the post and we’ll get you set up (I’ll even do you up a fancy-schmancy avatar if you like).

– Go Figure …

Images Courtesy of: Photo of the Day Blog

Just an FYI…

Gate 21 is undergoing updates and upgrades today, as Lawvol tries to shift to the newest and fanciest version of Wordpress — Wordpress 2.5.

Thus, it is possible that things might look a bit out of place or generally messed-up during the process. Please bear with us while the “brain trust” tries to work out the issues. If you notice anything that looks odd, or is not functioning properly, please leave a comment on that page and let us know what’s broken.

– Go Figure …