govolsxtra.com Stories: GoVolsXtra blogs

"Attention Riveted on the Field"

Mon, 28 May 2012 14:41:22 -0000

It was quite an afternoon yesterday watching the softball doubleheader with Georgia on ESPN.

The fans seemed to really be into the action on the field on a hot May afternoon. It was a four or five hour advertorial for the University of Tennessee. The colors orange and white were everywhere across Lee Stadium. There were enough Georgia followers to make things interesting.

Attention was riveted on the field, and it was hard to believe there was internal warfare, legal and otherwise, in and out of the media, between those who wear the Tennessee colors going on outside the confines of the stadium.

Wonder what things might be like if everyone, in every sport, were suddenly pulling in the same direction. No one is holding their breath, but it is an interesting idea.

As Ray Mears once said, it's all in the state of mind.

Give that one some thought.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial Day Vol Stuff

Mon, 28 May 2012 03:24:41 -0000

Lady Vols close out UGA in super regional series and head to College World Serieshttp://tennessee.scout.com/2/1189895.html http://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-softbl/recaps/052712aae.html Lady Vols fall in NCAA tennis championship semi-final matchhttp://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/052712aac.html Lady Vols post-game super-regional interviewshttp://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/052712aai.html Dooley's recruiting could decide futurehttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20120526/COLUMNIST0202/305260081/Climer-Dooley-s-recruiting-could-decide-UT-future?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Sports Vols jersey countdown - #96http://www.utsports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/052712aab.html ...

"Back with More in the Morning"

Sun, 27 May 2012 19:41:47 -0000

Need a vacation from the warfare between that seems to be never-ending between various factions of the Tennessee athletic department.

Maybe there will be peace in the family in the near future, but doesn't seem to be in the offing now.

Not pretty by any means.

Will think about it and be back with more in the morning.

The rational mind can only handle so much of this at one time.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Vol Stuff (5/27/12)

Sun, 27 May 2012 04:06:20 -0000

Lady Vols-UGA today in super regional game 2, first pitch 1pmET - ESPN TVhttp://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/052512aac.html Lady Vols get it done in game 1 of super regionalhttp://tennessee.scout.com/2/1189751.html http://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-softbl/recaps/052612aac.html Lady Vols Pluskota & Szekely reach NCAA doubles championship semi-finalhttp://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/052612aac.html Lady Vols finish 19th...

"Even Talking That Way"

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:27:29 -0000

The headline says, "Tradition will still matter in SEC scheduling."

That's good news that the powers-that-be are even talking that way.

Maybe conference leaders aren't as enamored with the lure of the almighty dollar as many of us think. There may even be certain instances where tradition might even outweigh financial considerations.

The proof, however, will start coming out this week after the SEC meetings in beautiful Destin.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Vol Stuff (5/26/12)

Sat, 26 May 2012 17:07:26 -0000

Lady Vols-UGA in NCAA super regional today, first pitch noon ET - ESPNU TVhttp://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/052512aac.html Lady Vols advance in NCAA tennis championshiphttp://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/052512aag.html What in the world is happening on the hill?http://tennessee.scout.com/2/1189533.html Vol jersey countdown - #97http://www.utsports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/052612aaa.html Vol jersey countdown - #98http://www.utsports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/052512aaa.html ...

"Lots of Emotion"

Fri, 25 May 2012 22:50:18 -0000

Have tried to read all the accounts, the news stories and the comments, concerning the "drama" surrounding two former Sports Information Director types (who had served the university for 80 years or so between them) and other UT(M)AD and UT(W)AD employees. Have watched the "relationship" between the two entities play out since 1987, inside and outside the walls.

As was said March 9 on the Vol Historian's blog, "nobody ever said this UTAD 'merger' deal was going to be easy from the point of view of either 'side.'

"Too many vested interests, too many egos.

"Too much 'turf.'

"Lots of emotion."

CONCLUSION FROM ALL THIS: That's exactly what has happened. You really ain't seen nothing yet.

The "best" is yet to come.

Stay tuned.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Vol Stuff (5/25/12)

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:38:33 -0000

Pat Summitt to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom Tuesdayhttp://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/052412aaa.html Lady Vols advance in NCAA tennis singles & doubles championshiphttp://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/052412aak.html Lady Vols in 22nd heading into last day of NCAA golf championshiphttp://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-golf/recaps/052412aab.html Chavanne & Ellen Renfroe make academic all-Americanhttp://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/052412aac.html A visit...

"By the Numbers"

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:55:58 -0000

Noticed that Jason Yellin of the U.T. Sports Information staff was calling for entries in the best player to wear each number sweepstakes, going from No. 99 to No. 1,

Will be interesting to see what they come up with.

Here are a few no-brainers.

No. 92 has to be Reggie White.

No. 72 has to be George Cafego.

No. 65 has to be Steve DeLong

No. 64 has to be Hacksaw Reynolds.

No. 57 has to be Steve Kiner.

No. 50 has to be (pick one) Chip Kell, Frank Emanuel, or Paul Naumoff.

No. 45 has to be John Majors.

No. 42 has to be Bob Suffridge.

No. 31 has to be Curt Watson.

No. 27 has to be Al Wilson or Hank Lauricella.

No. 16 has to be Peyton Manning.

No. 7 has to be Condredge Holloway, with Casey Clausen and Chris White within hailing distance.

That's a brief list of the players who stand out from the rest.

We'll be watching to see how the selection process goes.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Vol Stuff (5/24/12)

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:17:45 -0000

3 Lady Vols advance in NCAA tennis singles championshiphttp://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/052212aaf.html Lady Vols stuggle on the greens on day 2 of NCAA golf championshiphttp://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-golf/recaps/052312aaa.html Should division games decide the SEC division titles?http://tennessee.scout.com/2/1188321.html Will the Vols have the best wide receiver tandem in...

Not Tennessee's best year in SEC competition

Fri, 18 May 2012 01:15:28 -0000

The SEC year is all but in the books. Only baseball has yet to decide its champion. The tournament will be next week and the regular-season race is still too close to call on the final weekend.

One thing we know is that Tennessee won't be claiming that final championship of the 2011-12 school year. It's not been the best year for the Vols, and, of course, that's an understatement. Even though this may not have been the strongest effort in Lady Vols history, they outperformed the men by a fair margin.

All told, 10 of the 12 league members won some kind of title. Ole Miss or Mississippi State will have to pull off a huge upset in the SEC baseball tournament to make it 11.

We'll get back to Tennessee in a minute. First here's a breakdown of the titles by sport and how UT finished in each:

Men's sports

Football: LSU won overall. Georgia won the East; Tennessee was 11th best at 1-7.
Men's basketball: Kentucky won the regular season, Vanderbilt the tournament. UT was a suprising second in the regular season.
Cross country: Arkansas; Tennessee 5th.
Swimming: Auburn; Tennessee 4th
Indoor track: Arkansas; Tennessee 7th
Outdoor track: Arkansas; Tennessee 10th (of 11).
Golf: Alabama; Tennessee 8th.
Tennis: Georgia won the regular season and tournament: Tennessee was tied for 6th.
Baseball: ?

Women's sports

Basketball: Kentucky won the regular season, Tennessee was 2nd; Tennessee won the tournament.
Soccer: South Carolina regular season, Auburn tournament; Tennessee tied for 3rd.
Cross country: Vanderbilt.
Volleyball: Tennessee won regular season; there is no tournament.
Swimming: Georgia; Tennessee was 2nd.
Gymanstics: Florida; Tennessee doesn't compete.
Softball: Alabama won regular season and tournament; Tennessee was 2nd.
Indoor track: Florida; Tennessee was 4th.
Outdoor track: LSU; Tennessee was 5th.
Golf: Auburn; Tennessee was 11th.
Tennis: Florida won regular season and tournament; Tennessee tied for 7th.
Rowing: Tennessee won Conference USA.

Titles by school

Alabama
Softball (RS and tournament); men's golf
Arkansas
Men's cross country; men's indoor track; men's outdoor track
Auburn
Men's swimming; soccer tournament; women's golf
Florida
Gymnastics; women's indoor track; women's tennis (RS and tournament)
Georgia
Eastern Division football; men's tennis tournament; women's swimming
Kentucky
Men's basketball RS; women's basketball RS; men's tennis RS
LSU
Football; women's outdoor track
South Carolina
Soccer RS
Tennessee
Volleyball; women's basketball tournament; rowing (C-USA)
Vanderbilt
Men's basketball tournament; women's cross country

Tennessee's three trophies all came from the women. The UT men were middle-of-the-pack or worse in every category except men's basketball, which tied for the second best regular-season record at 10-6 and won the tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed in the tournament. This is the same men's basketball team that was picked preseason to finish 11th.

Football's struggle have been well documented. Track continued to decline for the fourth consecutive year and presumably bottomed out in outdoor season when the Vols finished ahead of only one team. Tennis, a bastion of strength for several years, was caught in a drastic rebuilding situation. Swimming had turmoil to overcome when John Trembley was fired early in the season.

On the women's side, volleyball was stellar. Softball finished second in a brutally good conference. Swimming rose to the occasion with a second-place finish. Pat Summitt's final basketball season was somewhat undermined by uncertainty but the Lady Vols rallied to win the tournament (again). A promising tennis season was sabotaged by a plague of injuries. Soccer and track were decent. Cross country is in a down cycle. A solid golf team picked a bad time to have a bad weekend. Rowing, the most under-the-radar sport on campus, delivered a title in the Conference USA meet. Did you even know the Lady Vols were in Conference USA?

SPRING FORWARD: A look at the quarterbacks heading into the summer

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:10:27 -0000

Rolling through the Tennessee roster as it heads into the offseason after 15 spring workouts, continuing today with a clear leader for the offense under center.QUARTERBACKSPre-spring organizational chart: Tyler Bray starting over Justin WorleyPost-spring depth chart: Bray starting over WorleyWho is missing?: The Vols...

Leftovers from talking with Cuonzo

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:53:43 -0000

The chance to talk with Tennessee basketball coach Cuonzo Martin on a late April morning drew a crowd of about a dozen media types. That either indicates a keen interest in UT offseason hoops or it could be judged as a commentary on the proliferation of media outlets in the second decade of the 21st Century. Maybe both.

There was no major news to be dispensed, but a few nuggets of interest.

Word came from the athletic director's office to reduce the walk-on component of the men's basketball team. Last year Martin had five eligible walk-ons and a sixth, Cory Stanton, who was ineligible due to transfer rules. In short, keep the roster at 15, which accounts for 13 scholarship players and only two walk-ons. Guard Brandon Lopez and forward Rob Murphy are the official walk-ons.

Jimmy Stanton, the UTAD's publicity czar, told me the restriction had nothing to do with the department's recent streamlining dictate that cut 17 jobs. It was just that the AD's office felt a roster of 19 was out of line with the rest of the SEC. Thus, the limit will be 15 going forward. Cory Stanton, who was projected at one point to be in line for back-up minutes at point guard next year, has left for another program. Martin hopes to keep the other ex-walk-ons involved in the program in some capacity such as administrative or video work.

Jarnell Stokes and Josh Richardson have international opportunties this summer. Stokes is invited to tryouts for the USA Under-18 team that will play in Brazil. The Brazil tournament is a qualifier for the 2013 Under-19 World Championships.

"We like to think he'll make that team if he continues to work hard,'' Martin said. "At a venue like this, everybody's talented. It comes down to who is in shape and who is ready to play.''

Stokes is in shape. Martin said he trimmed 4 seconds of his suicide sprint time during the recently concluded offseason workouts.

Richardson will go to Europe with an Athletes in Action team, hopefullly to continue developing his offensive game and ball-handling.

"He's got to want to do it,'' Martin said. "We dont' force guys to do those type of things. In the summer, some guys like to get in the gym by themselves. I was that type of guy. I didn't want to play in a lot of summer events.''

The entire team will be going to Europe in August. And prior to that they partake in newly legislated supervised workouts during summer school. How does all this activity impact the coaching staff's ability to get off campus and recruit? No problem, Martin said:

"The most important thing for our program are our current players, We've got to make sure they're taking care of business. If they have success, you're able to recruit other players.''

SPRING FORWARD: Running backs kick off post-camp, positional breakdown

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:12:15 -0000

Rolling through the Tennessee roster as it heads into the offseason after 15 spring workouts, starting today with the battle in the backfield for a rebuilt rushing attack.RUNNING BACKSPre-spring organizational chart: Marlin Lane starting over Rajion NealPost-spring depth chart: Lane...

GAME BALLS: Standout performances from the O&W Game

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 23:42:26 -0000

Recognizing three big-time outings for Tennessee from its annual Orange and White Game on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.MARLIN LANERunning backTeam: OrangeBox score: Nine carries for 106 yards, two touchdowns; three catches for 32 yards; three kickoff returns for 93 yardsWhat...

Leftovers from Athletics Board meeting

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 18:48:44 -0000

Hours before the focus shifted to the Orange & White Game at Neyland Stadium, a gathering of University of Tennessee movers and shakers listened to Dave Hart explain how UT would relentlessly pursue excellence in tough financial times.
The spring meeting of the UT Athletics Board is an opportunity for Hart -- with the assistance of various committee members -- to assess to the state of the Vol union.

There are always nuggets of good news. For example, men's basketball generated the third-highest ticket revenue in the history of the program in what was a major rebuilding year under new coach Cuonzo Martin.

There are always nuggets of bad news. This had been reported before -- and it wasn't mentioned in the board meeting -- but the notebook handed out to attendees (including Brent Hubbs and myself from the media realm) pointed out that football had the lowest GPA for the Fall 2011 semester of any team on campus: 2.08. Thus, a rough semester on the field and off. Men's basketball checked in at 2.37, baseball at 2.74 and women's hoops 3,17. Men's golf nipped women's tennis for top GPA honors at 3.45. Every women's team had at GPA of 3.05 or better. Among men's teams, only golf and tennis were above 3.0.

Hart fielded questions about the recent downsizing of the department, a layoff that cut 17 jobs. He said UT's Human Resources and Office of Counsel folks were involved throughout the process. After years of fielding separate men's and women's departments, UTAD simply had too many people. Even retiring women's AD Joan Cronan conceced, "We might have grown too big.''

Hart said the job cuts were difficult but were about "positions" and not "people.''

Speaking of people, UT would like to see more of them attending and donating. There are currently 2,300 non-renewals for football season tickets. UT's four-year swoon might be the biggest factor, but declining attendance is a national trend due to recession and enhanced TV options.

"The one piece of good news,'' Hart said, "is that we're in the best conference in America.''

That conference, the SEC, has lucrative TV contracts but Hart said those levels are set for the next few years unless the conference can renegotiate on the strength of adding TV sets in Texas and Missouri.''

The issue of fans drifting away from stadiums to watch games on TV has been in Hart's mind for 20 years, he said, dating to his days at East Carolina. UT, he said, is exploring technology to give fans added interaction at events through their mobile devices.

PICKS TO CLICK: Three defensive players primed for big O&W outings

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:45:44 -0000

The rosters are officially out now, and there aren't many surprises.The first-team defense will be in Orange, and it's got the top three candidates on that side of the ball to close out spring with a flourish.Yesterday we picked a...

TRANSLATION FRIDAY: Orange and White edition

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:55:35 -0000

The starting units are staying intact.The trash talk started three days before the game.The Orange and White Game should be more competitive and offer more to evaluate this year.So, that means the pre-game chat figures to also be even more...

Former Vol C.J. Watson burns Heat, Wade

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:11:50 -0000

Former Tennessee standout C.J. Watson threw a move on Miami Heat all-star Dwyane Wade in the closing seconds of regulation in Chicago last night, sliding over and draining a game-tying 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left.

The Bulls went on to score a 96-86 overtime victory, maintaining the NBA's best record (44-14) thanks to Watson's contributions.

While Chicago star Derrick Rose struggled through a 1-of-13 shooting night, Watson was 6-of-10 shooting for 16 points and a game-high nine assists. Click HERE to see his post-game interview.

Watson, who turns 28 on Tuesday, is in his second season with the Bulls and his fourth in the NBA. Watson has started 21 of the 42 games he has played this season, averaging 10.3 points per game.

Rose, hampered by injuries, has played in just 36 games this season.

Watson, who finished his career with the Vols in 2006, continues to make the most of his opportunities as Rose's backup.

That should bode well in the future when Knoxville's Allegiant Athletic Agency (a3) negotiates his future contracts.

Watson is in his second year with Knoxville attorney and sports agent Jared Karnes, a former Bearden High School basketball standout.

Dave Hart says .....

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 02:00:31 -0000

I had a chance to chat with Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart on Thursday. He was on hand to announce hiring Matt Kredich as head coach of the merged men's and women's swim and dive programs.

I couldn't pass on the chance to ask Hart if any decisions were close on the fate of women's basketball and what Pat Summitt's role would be. No news, folks.

Said Hart: "Pat Summitt has been given the respect and the time and the space she needs to talk this through with her family and her extended family. That's the ongoing process. And I think certainly progress is being made in that regard and it's the right way to handle it and that's where we are.''

Swimming/diving is the second sport to merge men and women at UT, following the lead of track and field two years ago. The track merger was on Mike Hamilton's watch and it hasn't exactly been a seamless transition. The men and women had different "cultures" as one administrator put it, and promoting women's coach J.J. Clark to head the combined program didn't sit well with a number of men's alumni.

Hart declined to compare the two sports in terms of merger experience.

"I don't know what the blueprint was for the track and field (merger) because I wasn't here,'' he said, "but I do know what this (swimming) blueprint is and what this vision is. My plate has been pretty full. I haven't really done what you would call an in-depth assessment -- I will -- of how it is going with track and field, but I feel very confident in this (swimming's) direction.''

Hart reiterated his commitment to the non-revenue sports.

"We'll put out in public domain at the appropriate time that we've rewritten our mission statement, after a whole lot of discussion and input from everybody. And that mission statement simplistically is that we will be in the pursuit of comprehensive excellence.

"And that's not lip service. We will keep the student/athlete at the core of all the decisions we make. And we'll live it. We won't just stick it in the media guide and walk away from it.''