I won’t be able to watch the game this weekend. I have tickets to the Northwest Arkansas LPGA Championship

Critter has taken a liking to golf so she gets priority, even over my rampant fandom

This year is no different. A big help in the work game from the fans at RockyTopTalk who gave suggestions for audio track!

Totally apropos of nothing, and with little to no technical background, knowledge, formal data or engineering ability I decided to rattle off what I consider to be the Five players whom I think will be our Zephyr‘s, or players who will work deep in hostile territory, create plays, and otherwise be the sleeper agents of our 2011 Tennessee Volunteers line up.

So come on! Drink the Dool-Aid! Kick back!  Grab a cold frosty  and join me as we embark upon the yellow brick road of fandom, as we take our third  of five trips towards my 2011 breakout player predictions.

At the end of the year we can compare my totally inane, and completely without any rhyme or reason for picking these guys against the experts and we can all point and laugh at me together.

Ben is a big ol’ boy. 

There just ain’t no denying that at 6ft 2inches and 251 lbs he’s a fella you don’t want to meet in a dark alley.

But his accomplishments list like a resume of good ol fashion grid iron proportions.

Lets take a look at’em shall we?

• Third Generation Vol
• He throws shot put (Why’s this important? Have you SEEN a shot put? Substitute “shot put” for “Skull in a Helmet” and go from there.)
• Won the 2007 Shut Put Championship (Please see above)
• 2007 Wrestling Champion

So the question is Can he catch and carry a football?

Well if his high school days are any indicator, yes, he can.

• Rushed for career high 162 yards in 2007 season opener against Antioch
• Lead blocker for pair of 1,000-yard rushers and carried ball 57 times for 406 yards as senior
• Also caught 13 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns
• As senior, had more than 100 tackles
• Tallied 19 tackles for loss, six sacks and three forced fumbles as junior in 2006

With Luke Stocker gone from the backfield this is going to be Ben’s chance to step up and make something beautiful happen.

I think he has the tools, I think he has the talent. The only thing in his way? Mychal Rivera.

Look for Batholomew to compete for this role, and I won’t be surprised to see him on several plays. When he does I expect big things out of him, start or not.

With a Internet handle like mine you get to have a little creative licensing on how you title articles. Especially when the article pertains to ones predictions on players for the up coming season.

Totally apropos of nothing, and with little to no technical background, knowledge, formal data or engineering ability I decided to rattle off what I consider to be the Five players whom I think will be our Zephyr‘s, or players who will work deep in hostile territory, create plays, and otherwise be the sleeper agents of our 2011 Tennessee Volunteers line up.

So come on! Drink the Dool-Aid! Kick back! If you missed my first prediction you can check it out here. Grab a cold frosty  and join me as we embark upon the yellow brick road of fandom, as we take our second of five trips towards my 2011 breakout player predictions.

At the end of the year we can compare my totally inane, and completely without any rhyme or reason for picking these guys against the experts and we can all point and laugh at me together.

Now I didn’t pick Mr. Brewer because he is from the state of Georgia.

No sir.

I would not stoop low on bended knee to otherwise reduce myself by selecting somebody just because the hail from what I more or less consider my home state.

The fact the guy allegedly screwed up royally at the beginning of this year has nothing to do with his selection this year. He did his time, Dooley cleared him, lets move on shall we?

Scouts honor.

At 6 ft 5 and 215 pounds, I chose this Defense Back for a different reason all together.

For once I’m breaking out the calculator.

This big ol fella started 6 games last season.

In those 6 games he walked away with 20 tackles, 10 Assists, a tackle for a loss and a 3 yard Punt Defense.

He also scored a fumble recovery and a pass break up.

Did you know he was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2006 Major League Baseball draft as a 2nd round pick?

I detest baseball. Don’t get me started. But I found it interesting.

So why would I pick this guy for a prediction?

Because a big chunk of his stats up there took place in the last 3 games of the year, including the game against North Carolina in the Bowl. Which tells me that he was getting better at his position.

The next thing is speed.

The average speed of a Major League Baseball Player is around 4 seconds and under.

By comparison, our beloved Eric Berry clocked in at 4.4during scouting.

Brewer? 4.12

Dude is smoke on Adidas and if he’s getting his hands to where they need to be this is going to be one bad hombre in our back field.

Combined with a 32inch leap he may not be the highest reaching player, but at 215 he won’t be the smallest or the slowest. Once you get something that big rolling down, it’s going to be a heckuva crunch at impact. Just ask North Carolina’s Tight End.

His personal life aside, he has all the makings of a solid defender who could be a cornerstone in our defense in my opinion.

He just needs to stay on this side of that straight and narrow.

But it’s July. Next month is August. It’s almost time. My heart beats faster just thinking about it.

As Volunteers, we have struggled this past year. Our last seasons have been anything but story book. Dooley however, has indeed made a difference, and I think anyone who bleeds orange and white can agree with that.

It’s been a tough time being a Vol lately.

Basketball program on the rebound. Our Athletic Director gone. It’s not been easy and it seems like the hits just kept coming.

But here’s a thought

When’s the last time you heard about a major altercation from a Tennessee player?

There hasn’t been. No club fight this year. No arrests. No victims.
Frankly compared to Georgia, Tennessee has been bordering on Saint hood this off season.

Janzen Jackson is back, and in full affect apparently.

Soon it will be colder. My beloved Vols will be local to me this year, and you can damn well bet I will be present and accounted for at the game.

My newly followed Bears won’t be far behind.

We can overcome these hurdles, these obstacles.

As Virgil once wrote:

Endure, and conquer! Jove will soon dispose
To future good our past and present woes.
…
What greater ills hereafter can you bear?
Resume your courage and dismiss your care,
An hour will come, with pleasure to relate
Your sorrows past, as benefits of Fate.
Thro’ various hazards and events, we move
…
Endure the hardships of your present state;
Live, and reserve yourselves for better fate.
Book I, The Aeneid – Virgil

With the fate of the NFL uncertain college football is sure to have a even bigger draw than in previous years.
I can almost hear the whistles blow, and the sound of crowds cheering in the breeze.
It’s almost football time, in Missouri, as in Tennessee.

Before I start let me say this: What Jackson did was inexcusable.

The Late hit by Tomlinson? Also poor.

However.

WHAT KIND OF MONKEY MOLESTING GOAT HUMPING REFEREE DECLARES THE GAME OVER THEN STARTS IT AGAIN!?!?

WHAT IS THIS?? !)@#$%^ LITTLE #$%^&*( LEAGUE!?

Big 10/Big12 what ever the fuck they call themselves, their referee’s are neither Legends or Leaders.

!@#$%^&

For that bone headed, inane, candy ass, pathetic, lousy excuse for play calling both in the UT vs UNC and the KState vs Syracuse games, the Big10/12 (which in either figure probably represents their combined IQ) Officiating crews earn the last What a Weasel Award from 2010.

* – Bowl eligible.

And the more expanded version:

-v00d3W

If you are a fan of Tennessee or Alabama football there are two rules to live by: Don”t get married on the
third Saturday in October, and try not to die — because in either case, the
preacher might not show. For the href="http://govolsxtra.com/news/2007/oct/15/no-national-spotlight-vols-vs-crimson-tide-be-regi">first
time since 1988 the Third Saturday in October will not be
televised.

But What exactly is the 3rd Saturday in October? For those who don’t know, it’s the day that University
of Tennessee Volunteers plays against University of Alabama Crimson
Tide. And it’s game that dates back to1928.

On November 18, 1901, the University of Alabama and the University of Tennessee first locked horns on a football field. At the contest’s end, the score was tied, nothing had been resolved, and about two thousand fans were on the field at Tuscaloosa, fighting.

Since that day the Tennessee-Alabama game has developed into one of the premier football rivalries in the nation. To many of the faithful, it is much more than a game — it is a crusade. The intensity with which these games have been waged makes victory as satisfying as the warm crimson and orange leaves that dance in Knoxville”s cool Smoky Mountain breezes. Defeat, however, is more bitter than the choking smoke of
Birmingham’s steel mills.

Beginning in 1928, the annual game has been played on the Third Saturday in October, and the contest has
produced enough heroes to fill several books.From Wallace Wade,Frank Thomas, Red Drew, Paul “Bear”
Bryant, Ray Perkins, Bill Curry, Gene Stallings, and Mike Dubose of Alabama, to Robert Neyland, Bowden Wyatt, Doug Dickey, Bill Battle, Johnny Majors, and Phil Fulmer of Tennessee, the game has been directed by legendary coaches and played by heroic young men who have risen to greatness on the third Saturday in
October.

This is one of the greatest rivalries in college football, mostly because of the great coaches and players who have taken part in it. Of course, the two coaches that come to mind are Bear Bryant and General Robert Neyland.

Like most notable rivalries, it has a history characterized by wildly improbable upsets, high-stakes games, and intense passion. The rivalry dates back to the 1920s. The state schools of the border states have faced off many times with the winner often going on to win the SEC.

In the 1950”s, Bear Bryant started the tradition of passing out victory cigars after a victory over Tennessee. There are two stories that exemplify the effect Neyland and Bryant had as the coach of their respective
programs. Lindsey Nelson, the famous announcer and Tennessee graduate, was waiting for Neyland with two former Tennessee players after the 1952 Sugar Bowl, which the Vols had lost, 28-13, to Maryland.
One of the former players was smoking, and the minute Neyland came out of the dressing room, the player dropped the cigarette and stomped on it so Neyland wouldn’t see him smoking. Nelson turned to the player and said,”You don’t have to do that — you don”t play for him anymore.”The player replied, “You know that, and I know that, but I don”t think the General knows that”

After Joe Namath won the Super Bowl and was the toast of Broadway, Namath talked to Paul Zimmerman of
the New York Post. In the interview he told Zimmerman, “The Bear always said defense won games.” The next time Namath saw Zimmerman, he claimed to he was mis-quoted. Zimmerman said, “That’s what you said
about the defense.” Namath answered, “Yes, I said that about
the defense, but I never said ”Bear.” I either called him Coach Bryant or Mr.
Bryant, but I never called him ”Bear”.

Yessir.
It’s safe to say that some folks in Tennessee href="http://www.sectalk.com/boards/sec-football-talk/12506-third-saturday-october.html">Hate
‘BamaBut nobody hates the game.

And if someone don’t televise it, yours truly may be in the news for standing on top of his home with numerous antenna’s and dish’s trying to steal it from someone.

My only hope is that my perverse brand of sarcasm managed to salvage a moral victory from my destruction.
Which given my bizarre inclinations…… it probably didn’t.

A lesson dear friends, in gambling with people you consider close: It just ain’t worth it.

Here is the proof of my transgressions, as I am a man of Honor. Unfortunately, that is all I have left after this little charade.

General Neyland, be merciful when I get there sir.

In other news, I’m betting V00d3w didn’t think I’d have the balls to do it

Now if you will excuse me, I consider this good grounds to finish my last bottle of Green Spot.

Want to sing along?
Here are my “modified” lyrics…

Glory, glory to old Georgia!
Glory, glory to old Georgia!
Glory, glory to old Georgia!
G E O R G I A

Glory, glory to old Georgia!
Glory, glory be to Georgia!
Glory, glory be to Georgia!
G E O R G I A

It just works, dammit

If you have ever seen the ESPN movie The Junction Boys, or read the history of the event, or even the book, then you probably already have an idea of where I am heading with this.

If not, then let me try to lay it out, fellow fans, because this has been on my mind all morning.

Bear Bryant held a 10 day football camp in what could only be lovingly referred to as hell.

The part that I want to focus on is the struggles the team went through. Not quite 100 people went to the camp. By the time it was over between 27 and 35 remained, the rest all quit.

The team still lost that year. The team went 1-9.
The next year, with the survivors still playing, the team went 7-2. The next year 9-0-1.

This isn’t 1954. You can’t physically demolish players like Bryant did that 1954 year. But Tennessee has had more than its share of nasty practices this year, and recruiting losses.

Tennessee has “> lost players.
Members have left due to the coaching change.
They have left due to the practice schedule.
They left because of the program.
Dooley has stuck out his neck, taking risks in practice, that same may argue are pushing the envelope.

“It was hot today,” Dooley said. “We had a lot of new faces out there who got more reps than they’re used to so they had to push through it and learn to push through it.

The team has struggled mightily in games, and has come up short repeatedly.

The key is to look past this season.

Yes it is painful to watch. Yes it hurts to watch our team, who once was one of the mightest in the SEC, now struggles against non conference teams like UAB.

22 Freshmen is how many Tennessee is playing. On both sides of the ball we have no depth to speak of what so ever.

These men have no SEC experience. Little to no previous college football experience. Yet we have thrust them, trial by fire, in to what is arguably the toughest NCAA College Football conference and experience that there is.

The only easy day for our Vols, was yesterday.

It is not now that matters. Its tomorrow.

The next three to four years are going to benefit from this struggle, this proverbial beating that we are taking. No other team will field the depth, the experience, or the hard knocks education these men are receiving.

No other program will be able to field a team that will have the playing time, or a team that has played a stronger list of opponents, than we can.

These are our Junction Boys.

We must stand behind them, through the losses. We must stand behind them through the struggles. They are doing the very best they can until that time, and such is the tipping point between a fair weather fan, and a real fan in my eyes. Watching every last gut wrenching minute.

I’m not being sacked 18 times by defensive line men. I’m sitting on my sofa in my living room safe. I have no excuse to change the channel. No excuse to not watch, and no excuse to not suffer the agony with them.

This is my team.

And I know that brighter days are coming, because that’s how it works in great struggles against adversity.

Great success’s come to those who strive.