Cavalaris: About the Buzz will UT pay three coaches?

RANDY MOSELEY

Paris, Tenn.

It seems as if someone is asking the question of the hour virtually around the clock.

What is UT going to do about Buzz Peterson?

It even popped up during my testimony for a child custody case earlier this month.

After it appeared that my testimony was over, Knox County Juvenile Court referee Irene Joseph asked if the lawyers had any more questions.

"I have one," said Ralph Maylott, who was there on the court's behalf. "Will Buzz Peterson be back?"

There were only a handful of people in the courtroom, but everyone seemed to exchange incredulous looks. Then I realized something: I was still under oath, so I had to be 100 percent truthful. No fudging allowed.

I finally said I thought Buzz would be back next season.

"I do not think I will write that down," said Joseph, who had taken meticulous notes. "You may step down."

Things sure would be a lot easier if UT's basketball team would step up during this stretch run.

Because you asked, I think you have to look at the contract situation: Peterson has four years remaining on his contract.

Former UT coach Jerry Green is due to receive the final check of his severance package for up to $250,000 next January. If you fire Buzz, you're going to pay three coaches at the same time, counting the new one.

While you could make a strong case for making a change, I would vote for giving Peterson one more season. Let's see how recruiting goes. Everything might hinge on whether Jamont Gordon ends up playing for Tennessee because he could help land a couple of other key instate players.

As for next season - if coach Peterson returns - I think he has to make a couple of staff changes. It's also reasonable to expect the Vols would have to make the NCAA tournament - no ifs, ands or buts about it.

Miracle on Ice Chuck,

Read your column about "The Miracle On Ice" and it brought back memories of what happened to me.

I was living in Alfred, Maine, and working in North Berwick. We had finished work at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft that Friday night.

Everyone was waiting for the hockey game and we wanted to get a large group of friends to watch together. It started to snow heavy, so we decided to go to the Fireside Inn to watch the game. It was closer to home and located in Sanford.

On the way over, I found the game on a Boston AM radio station but because of the snow and distance from Beantown, it was fading in and out. I pulled over, told my friends I'd meet them there and listened to the rest of the game. When I made it to the Fireside Inn, it was the beginning of the second period. The place was packed and the snow already was 4-6 inches.

I kept my mouth shut and sat with folks I knew. I didn't want to spoil it for them but had already screamed and hollered all the way there. There was this guy at the bar, shooting his mouth off. "No one can beat the Russians, they're better than our pros" ... that sort of thing. He kept getting more and more irritating.

I finally said, "Hey, big shot, what odds will you give me to back up your mouth on $20?" Russia was up by a goal, so I got 8-to-1. (This idiot didn't have a clue that ABC was showing the game on tape delay, but they weren't giving the final score.)

So the game gets tied and I said to Mr. Loud Mouth, "I bet I can predict the final score: 4-3 What odds will you give me on another $20?" I got 10-to-1 on that. You do the math.

We gave the owner of the Inn our money to hold, so this idiot forked over $360 on a game already been played. He probably still doesn't know that I already knew the score. The look on his face was worth it. I'll remember that day forever.

KEVIN PURDY

Knoxville

Perhaps this explains the meaning of gambling "for amusement purposes only."

Cinderella story

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