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Perhaps all the bloviating about Memphis and U of L being the real rivalry from Pastner has finally met reality. After all that is what Pastner said was his reason to stop the instate games with UT.

Louisville doesn't give a hoot about Memphis. They care more about beating UK and winning their conference.

It smelled like feces then and the smell hasn't dissipated. It is about losing recruits to Knoxville. That is what Pastner is worried about. UT has made some inroads into west Tennessee and that rivalry threatens Memphis' dominance over there in the flat lands near the Big Muddy.

The difference was when he got drafted to Pittsburg he never got to play a down in the training camp warming the bench behind three other QB coming out of Louisville who was a doormat to everyone including UT.

Yep, Johnny U. played against UT. The legend is that he was so exhausted at the end of the game that they had to cut his uniform off him because he couldn't raise his arms from exhaustion. He had 86% of U of L tackles, returned 6 kick offs, punted, rushed, passed and scored the only score for Louisville on a 28 yard QB keeper. It was said that even Neyland applauded him when he left the game in the 4th quarter after an injury.

I certainly hope the Unitas movie that is in production does him justice. From the time he was a boy until his death it was an incredible story.

Bray couldn't carry Unitas' jockstrap.

That would be the "Leaping Lizards" gymnastics team?

All I am saying is that stats lie and talent can be developed.

Every player Martin recruits will be picked apart by the Pearl lovers on this board but there might be something to this kid that Martin sees and we haven't yet. Just like Boerwinkle.

One of the treats I remember as a kid was freshly made tomato soup from out of the garden on our little corner of the Cumberland Plateau.

Spring was announced with fresh sweet peas and dumplings and fall was when dad broadcasted turnip and mustard green seeds over the remants of a long summer's toil. In the moments in between there was mush and honeydew melons with bacon for breakfast, stuffed patty pans for lunch, wilted leaf salads made with lettuce and green onions still warm from the summer sun with supper. There was also the dreaded long sleeve shirt we donned for cutting stinging okra that we endured for the pickles that were proudly shared in the cold winters. When we had too many tomatoes, we juiced them, made all purpose sauces, and of course great fresh tomato soup.

If you wanted to know what time of year it was, all you had to do was see what mom and dad were feeding us.

Tomato soup and a grilled cheese. It just brings up a lot of long lost moments that were special to me.

You need texas toast grilled cheeses to dunk in it.

LONG overdue.

I don't think it is the same thing.

The difference is that the police in the Duke Lacrosse and the DA both knew that the only "witness" was the "victim" and that she had a checkered past and was completely unreliable.

The DA decided to arrest the players anyway to make a name for himself during an election cycle.

Right now this is less about the alleged armed robbery and assault and more about the actions of the Auburn administration. There isn't a "crime" at all and there is no publically elected official trying to make points with the voters.

Also I don't think all the alleged sources are drug addicts with a history of arrest for solicitation.

"...things you tell me, I've heard that. But I don't have any facts behind any of that."

Facts don't matter! Accusations do!

Yep there was a lot of smoke sightings at Auburn concerning that year but no one found a fire. However when an Alumni is reporting this, it should trigger a NCAA investigation.

The Ducks may end up with a BCS Championship with an asterisk thrown in.

It was a badly called game. The refs should have gotten it under control early in the contest and put a stop to it. U of L decided their only hope was to turn it into a fight club style of game and the refs let them do it. Their coach even indicated that was what they wanted to do.

I've seen pick up games on city park courts that were less physical. I was wondering if they shouldn't have issued MMA grappling gloves for the game.

UT was Pearl's 2nd chance. He was darn lucky to land the job.

Maybe you need to read up on what he did at Iowa.

What theory?

They posted the story here on this very site when Hubbs signed!

Martin iced the deal by sending a handwritten cards to Hubbs' mom and his dad's mom wishing them a happy Mother's Day!

Pretty darn shrewd for a guy who can't recruit according to the "faithful".

Reported here September 18 2012. Look it up!

I suspect that since there is a mid-major AD on the selection committee this year, that had a lot to do with more mid-majors making the dance. How else can you explain so many mid-major conferences sending multiple teams? Isn't there one sending like 5 teams? That's indefenseable.

I also think it makes the pathways for the power teams a lot easier to advance past the sweet 16.

John,

Watching the replay, there was some really sloppy things going on, I admit. But I have to think a lot of it was the fact they had such an easy time getting a big lead and sitting on it.

And I have to say one thing. Late in the game when MS acted like it was going to make a game of it, UT put the brakes on them and stopped any last minute heroics.

Not every team can stop momentum like that late in a game. The Lucky Lizards for example couldn't do that against Arizona or UK this year!

I am going to watch it after the fact but given that they owned them all the way through says something.

I think we need to look at the bright spots.

Golden didn't have a great game but UT still won.

Stokes has 3 steals and 2 assists? COME ON! That's a big guy in the paint.

We had 21 points off the bench. Sure it was MS but still if you can get 1/2 that on average you will do well.

Now it's time to watch it on replay but if I agree with you John, I'll come back and say it. I would rather have a sloppy win against MS to put a few heads on straight for Alabama than have a perfect game against MS and look like UT is having it's "special day" playing against them.

It's been quite a streak. Teams are up and then they're down. Better to be down for one game you can win than be down on one you have to play up for to prevent a loss.

It could be easy for a slick talking agent to get a kid to commit to the draft if they are gullible or desperate to support their family.

We've seen it before on both ends. But I've always said that I have a gut feeling that Stokes wants a diploma as much as a NBA career. He was a 4.0 graduate out of H.S. when he graduated early and that speaks volumes. McRae has only a 1/2 a season of NBA head turning performances, I think he knows that isn't enough.

Still, a walking double-double in the paint and a potential #2 guard scoring threat from anywhere on the court with 7' wings are both hot commodities and the agents know it.

Few seem to understand that if ETSU lands Fulmer that in itself is a jumpstart to the program.

If has absolutely nothing to do with what happened in his last years here but more to do with what he can bring as a division I coach to small school just putting their program together.

He has a lot of contacts, a name that is well known, a decent reputation regardless of the trolls and Alabama supporters and he can bring in press coverage just by being there.

Every win or loss for example would be broadcast over this site and the rest of the state/region. The good God above knows that if ETSU was fairing better than UT that Adams, Climer and the rest of the pot stirrers would make a mint on articles if they are paid by the letter.

Most trolls don't understand the concept of bait and hook.

Masterbaitery is what has made Climer's career for example.

Martin also LOST recruits when Pearl was fired. Two of the play right down the road from me in Louisville.

But we don't count that much do we?

It doesn't matter that most of this team, including Maymon, did absolutely squat under Pearl to the trolls on this board.

But what chaffs me the most is why lie about a barbeque? Why then go to recruits parents and try to get them to lie too? It was at worst a minor infraction. Pearl, all on his own, turned it into a 3 year just cause penalty.

Oh I get it now!

It was that stupid move to send Hubb's mom a personally written note on Mother's Day to push the commitment over the top that makes him a box of rocks!

I don't think too many active coaches could do what Martin has done. He took a team over under the clouds of NCAA sanctions, picked to be next to the bottom in the league and took them to within one game of a NCAA at large bid.

Then this year he loses a SEC pre-season 1st team power forward and team leader and has to rebuild around what he has to end up in a position to go back to the NCAA after a 9-1 run.

There will always be Pearl wanters just like there will always be Fulmer wanters in football. But I personally think Martin has earned his spot as the coach of the Vols twice over.

I think we're going to see an era of BB in Knoxville that will be held in high reverence in the future.

I'd like to see McRae and Stokes come back myself.

Call me crazy but I think Stokes wants to graduate. McRae has only a half a season of great ball and he would be man-handled without more meat on his bones in the NBA.

They both could use another year. But agents have more than once wooed away college players with promises unfullfilled to pad their own bank accounts.

Got to give the big guy some credit.

There's only one way to fix a problem and that is put in the work. To get off a bus at 2:30 am and go practice foul shots sounds like something a determined and motivated player would do. Most of that is on Stokes but Martin I am sure motivated him by benching him.

And kudos to Yemi! Supporting a team member at that time of night after a long bus trip says volumes to the kind of team player he is.

Tin foil hat and face into the wind with your mouth open?

Losing to GA twice was horrible. But UT has never done well against a zone style defense for years. Pearl lost more than one game against a zone. Yet we want to hang Martin for the same problem. Oh Well!

A loss to Auburn would be inexcusable. They have to be beaten so badly that their ancestors roll over in their graves. That is the only way to come back home to face Missouri which is a game that we need to win badly before the tourneyment.

That last game is against a team thqat is barely out of the top 25 and will likely get a bid all on their own. That's the game we have to win and before we get there we need to plow under Auburn like they were Athletes in Action from a couple decades ago.