"If you want blood, you got it." — AC/DC

"Fire him!"

Those might be the most popular two words in all of sports. Fans, ticket holders, the talk show/internet masses and more than a few in the media love to pretend that they’re the guy in the owner’s box (or athletic director’s office) deciding the fate of the poor schlub who dropped one too many games last year. Or just couldn’t beat the hated rival.

"Fire him!" It’s fun to think about.

Come on, who hasn’t wanted at one time or another to bring somebody in to the office, sit ’em down, take a slow draw off of a cigarette (for visual effect only? they cause cancer, kids) and then quickly flick the butt at your subordinate shouting, "You’re through, see? Through!"

But that’s Hollywood. That’s seldom reality.

I know what I’m talking about. I’ve had to fire people. Twice actually. The first time I almost got physically ill after the event.

The guy couldn’t do his job and he had to go, but there sure wasn’t any joy in telling him that I appreciated his efforts, he just wasn’t "good enough." Ouch.

Unlike in the movies, most times, the guy getting fired hasn’t stolen company funds or pulled a George Costanza with the cleaning staff. It’s just somebody who doesn’t have the necessary skills to do the work that the company needs done.

Or to get things to the "next level," if you will.

I’ve seen a lot of folks get fired in 15 years in the television business. Most of the time it stinks. And don’t get me wrong, I understand all about accountability.

If you’re hired to do X, then by golly, you’ve got to do X. Unfortunately, most of the folks I’ve seen fired TRIED to do X. They just couldn’t get X done.

That’s why the "you’ll never work in this business again" stuff that I hear on radio (and my own TV show) doesn’t sit well with me. It’s not like the folks whose heads are on the block are intentionally botching things. So why the joy in making them walk the plank?

You think coaches don’t try to succeed? You think they don’t spend a heckuva lot more hours working on rosters and depth charts and game plans than fans, and writers, and talking heads? You think these guys want to fail?

Even so, there’s a loud group of "unsatisfieds" that are already calling for Phillip Fulmer’s noggin. (And all the little noggins of his assistants, too, I suppose.)

Some even have admitted that they want the 2006 season to go belly-up just so they can see a nice, Old West style hanging at the end of the season.

When I got this year’s Tennessee media guide, I thought about all those callers and posters (and media folks) that apparently don’t believe in chances for redemption. They’d prefer a second 5-6 to a surprising 10-2. "Firin’ people’s fun."

As I thumbed though that guide, I couldn’t help but pay closer attention than usual to the photos of the coaches’ families. They’re the innocent by-standers in these things.

Yep, their daddies (or mommies as the case may be) are well compensated for their jobs. But those sons and daughters still have to put up with a lot of guff every year, whether Papa’s in hot water or not.

It even trickles down to the schools, where idiot children, raised by idiot parents, pop off to the coach’s kids about their father’s questionable lineage.

I don’t see the fun in that. Or in calling for somebody’s head in the middle of August. If a change is necessary, that’s one thing. But why all the glee? Why hope for the worst?

How many of you would like to work for the guy who’s always wanting people fired? I’ve worked for a few of those types. Their staffs hated them. And they usually ran pretty lousy businesses, too.

Oh, I know. Putting myself in somebody else’s shoes (even if they’re two-million-dollar-a-year shoes) makes me a bleeding heart. So be it. You’ll have to read a lot of my columns before you ever see me apologize for that.

Now, do I think the media should take a rooting interest in UT sports? Nope. Imagine how brutal the media coverage of last year’s 5-6 season would have been if the media had had their hearts ripped out just as the fans’ had.

The word scathing comes to mind.

So I’ll cover what I see on the field. If it’s good, it’s good. If it’s bad, it’s bad. But you won’t find me calling for heads. Especially not in August before any results are in.

If things do go south for the Vols (and the head coach, and his assistants, and their families), I’ll cover it. But it won’t bring me any joy to write or talk about it.

In fact, I’ll probably be left wondering about those of you who do take joy in such things.

John Pennington hosts The Hall’s Salvage Sports Source on Sunday at 11 a.m. on WATE. He also writes a blog at govolsxtra.com.