Pink in Thompson-Boling

The Lady Vols and Rutgers are currently playing a game on ESPN 2, the Duece, for Breast Cancer Awareness. The Rutgers' womens team is wearing pink as is virtually everyone in the arena. FREE TEE SHIRTS! Only about 5% of the people in the stands IN KNOXVILLE do not have orange on. Unbelievable, this has to be the least amount of orange at any UT event since 1908 -but I digress.

There are many things that need awareness these days. People need awareness of the actual views of the Presidential candidates, cell phone etiquette and the of evils of UPS. People are plenty aware of breast cancer. I know that breast cancer is horrible. I know that many women get breast cancer. I know that women should do exams on themselves every month. I know that it runs in your family. And I am a MAN that knows I still have a slight chance of getting the disease.

But this is a sporting event. Can we please just play the game without changing uniforms and having a theme? How about we play a game for the sake of winning the game? Now that is an idea.

Note: I am not making light of cancer. I realize it is serious and kills numerous people. Just do not make a sporting event a cancer event.

Archie Can Ball Too

For those of you who have seen Peyton and now Eli win back to back Super Bowl Championships and MVP's but assume Archie was a has been who was only bad quarterback think again. Eli's escape from the defensive front of the Patriots before he threw down field to David Tyree was impressive tonight but pails in comparison to the below play which Archie made against the Eagles all be it on a much smaller stage.

1995 UT vs. Bama

"Manning put it on his hip, bootleg, and he'll walk it in."

Manning to Nash - Give Him Six

Why do Tennessee fans have no respect for Georgia?

Exhibit B:

James 'Little Man' Stewart vs. UGA in 1994

Why do Tennessee fans have no respect for Georgia?

Exhibit A:

SEC Game of the Week

As much as I wanted to pick Western Carolina at Alabama as the game of the week that would not have been fair to anyone outside of Tuscaloosa. So here it is...

Tennessee Volunteers at California Golden Bears
8 p.m. EST ABC National Coverage


The California Golden Bears say they will be seeking revenge in Berkley Saturday night with the Tennessee Vols coming to town. The Vols jumped out to a 35-0 lead last year before taking out their starters. By midway through the third quarter the Golden Bears were playing for a lost cause, hardly knowing what had hit them. Back up quarterback Joe Ayoob replacing starter Nate Longshore who was yanked while his team still had an egg on the scoreboard. Ayoob and strategy helped Cal team put up 18 points after the game was over, saving face in the box scores printed in the newspapers. That strategy did not go over well with Vol Coach Phillip Fulmer, as he watched Cal continue to attempt onside kicks with less than five minutes to go.

All off season coach Jeff Tedford and quarterback Nate Longshore have been talking the talk now they will have to walk the walk. The hostile SEC environment was something the Bears had never experienced before. In addition Starbucks is not served in the stands at Neyland Stadium and neither is sushi; that has to be tough to get used to for the fans from Berkley. Tedford was reportedly sickened by the loss in Knoxville that he threw up after he got off of the return plane to Berkley. That same Cal team did go on to pick up the pieces and collect a share of the PAC 10 conference championship. But do they honestly believe they can beat the same team that slaughtered them last year?

I think it is a stretch to think that either team will blow out the other this year. The Vols at last check are a 6 point underdog and have historically pulled off some big upsets when they are large underdogs on the road. Erik Ainge has a broken finger on his throwing hand, running back LaMarcus Coker is suspended, punter Britton Colquitt has a pulled quad, the Vols have to fly three time zones away and have to fight off a reported 50,000 noise makers that Cal plans to give out to their fans.

The Golden Bears have 165 pound stud receiver DeSean Jackson, a proven running back in Justin Forsett and have even almost sold out their stadium. Imagine that, selling out a stadium against a ranked team. The Golden Bears lost their top three defensive players from last year and will have to replace much of their front seven.

Everyone seems to be stacking their chips against the Vols in this one and that is why they will pull it out in the land of the tree huggers. Ainge will have a great game, though not necessarily put up huge numbers, making people question whether Fulmer was just putting up a smoke screen with the injury talk. Arian Foster will return to his home state and tear through the relatively inexperienced Cal defense hitting the century mark in yards with his bruising style. Longshore will not get in a rhythm as the Vols defense will throw him off his game again early. Defensive tackles J.T. Mapu and Demonte Bolden will play surprisingly well holding down Forsett. Tough, close game but the Vols hold on for the win .

Prediction:

Vols 28 Golden Bears 20

Coker Reinstated to Team

Tennessee running back LaMarcus Coker has been reinstated to the Vols after 'fulfilling obligations' according to Coach Phillip Fulmer. Coker was originally suspended from the team just after returning to school for fall practice for a reported violation of the school's drug policy. Coker attended counseling and reportedly talked to the team apologizing for his actions warning players not to make the same mistakes that he made in the future.

Despite being reinstated to the team Coker will be not be allowed to play the California game. He will likely be on the scout squad mimicking California running back Justin Forsett in practice. Coker will be eligible to return for the Southern Miss game September 8.

Coker Suspended From Team

Vols' running back LaMarcus Coker has been suspended indefinitely by the University of Tennessee due to substance abuse issues. Thankfully that substance according to sources has nothing to do with his last name. Coker will have to meet a number of conditions to be reinstated to the football team.

Coker the leading rusher last season for Tennessee was expected to vie for a majority of the carries this season. He was described often as 'the big play back' in the offense who had broken multiple long runs in the 2006 season. Instead it looks as though those carries will now be split between 2005 leading rusher bruiser Arian Foster and Montario Hardesty who is fully recovered from knee surgery after struggling through his last season.

Bradshaw Takes On Sunspehere

Dane Bradshaw was the underdog once again in Knoxville on the Fourth of July when he went toe to toe with the Sunsphere on America's Birthday. Dane went down a zip wire from the top of the 1982 World's Fair structure to the ground 266 feet below and survived. The Sunsphere reopened July 5 for the first time in years to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the World's Fair coming to Knoxville. Proceeds from the entrance fees to the Sunsphere will go to restoration of the amphitheater and upkeep of the park. Dane's high wire act kicked off the celebration while also promoting his book, "Vertical Leap."

For the purposes of full disclosure I am told that I hit the Sunsphere with a potato on Good Friday in 2003 from the Clinch Street bridge. That's a potato cannon of an arm...

Vintage Manning

Great Manning video from Peyton's sophomore year at UT. Check out David Cutcliffe's shirt, he's stylin'.

Gators and AK's

What will happen if you fire an AK-47 into the air in the middle of Gainesville, Florida? Well not too much if you are a member of the Gators football team as Ronnie Wilson was only suspended for one season after he ran out of a club and threateningly fired his semi-automatic gun in the air. The lineman was in an altercation in a club and then ran outside to get his gun, probably because he wasn't two times as big as the man he was attacking.

We are surprised that he isn't allowed to play against Tennessee and Florida State and suspended the rest of the year, guess Urban wanted to take a strong stance on this one. When Brandon Johnson and Chris Heath decided it was a great idea to fire guns in UT's student ghetto Fort Sanders in 2004 the Vols kicked both of them off the team within a week. They weren't threatening anyone either like in the Gator case. Its amazing that ESPN would rather report a story on crack and the Vols than Urban Legend letting hard asses from Miami fire guns all over the place in Gainesville or buying drugs from UNDERCOVER COPS. Spurrier might have been an S.O.B but he ran a clean ship. Things have slipped a lot since he left.

Shuler Disappoints at RFK Again

North Carolina 11th District Congressional Representative Heath Shuler was a disappointment at RFK Stadium over the weekend as the Democrats lost the first two games of the 46th Annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball best of five game series. Despite putting on a show in batting practice, including hitting four home runs out of RFK Stadium, Shuler went hitless on the day. RFK has has always been tough on Heath.

The Washington Posts' Amy Argetsinger replied to my inquiry on whether they planned to publish another article on how Heath did as follows:

"We'll have it in tomorrow's column... GOP won, 5-2. Sadly, Heath Shuler grounded out on his first at bat, struck out the second two times.... Thanks for writing! -- Amy"

Here is the article Amy was referring to above (link).

The Democrats had lost five straight years coming into the weekend but with five freshman Congressman on their team there was a new hope for the party in 2007. The team now will have to dig itself out of a deep hole if they are to stop the losing streak this year. Maybe Nancy Pelosi can give the Donkeys a rah rah speech to get'em fired up.

It is good to see Congress is out having a good time because is not like they don't have any unresolved issues going on at the moment, only a war in the Middle East and boarder security with Mexico, those are minor.

Picture is of Congressmen Zach Wamp of Tennessee and Jim Ryun of Kansas in 2006

Big John Gettin Hype

Jacksonville Jaguar John Henderson is a veteran that helps form the most intimidating defensive line in the NFL with Marcus Stroud. The Pro Bowl defensive tackle has never missed an NFL game in his six years in the league. Henderson also won the Outland Trophy as a junior at Tennessee for being the best offensive/defensive lineman in college football.

After watching this video you won't ever think of any of that again when seeing Big John play on Sunday.

Happy Trails Slick Shelley

Slick Shelley who had a very unremarkable two years with Tennessee has decided to transfer to Tulsa. The native of Fort Smith, Arkansas will be remembered more at UT for his unique (gangsta) name than anything else. Injuries in his first two years took their toll on the highly recruited Shelley. With a loaded incoming recruiting class of wideouts Shelley decided it was time to transfer as he had the blessing of the Vols coaching staff.

In 2005 after Nashville's Patrick Turner turned down the Vols' scholarship offer and went to Southern Cal, Slick was a must get in the final weeks of recruiting but things never panned out once he arrived on campus. Have fun with the Golden Hurricane Slick.

Vols' Mears Passes Away

Ray Mears, the winningest coach in Tennessee basketball history, died Monday in Knoxville at 80 years old. Mears is the most beloved men's coach UT ever had. He won three SEC Championships and endeared himself to fans with his humorous personality coaching the Vols from 1963-1977. His teams included such legends Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King. Mears also coined the term 'Big Orange Country' and donned an orange sport coat at games. Bruce Pearl has paid tribute to Mears the past two seasons wearing the orange sport coat at big games with Mears' permission.

Many of you reading this might be astounded that Tennessee had decent men's basketball teams before Bruce Pearl arrived but this is true, the Vols had some ballas. UT has the biggest basketball arena in the south, can't fill it up but its the biggest, ballin'.

Past Vol Legends - Heath Shuler

Heath Shuler had one of the most productive careers in University of Tennessee football history playing for the Vols between 1991 and 1993. He left the Vols as a junior to become a top NFL draft pick placing third on the all-time list with 4,088 passing yards behind only Andy Kelly and Jeff Francis. Heath's 36 career touchdown passes ranked him second behind Kelly when he left and he still holds the UT mark for most consecutive games throwing a touchdown pass at 18.

Since leaving football to a debilitating injury after a pro career that spanned four seasons Heath has dedicated himself the people of the 11th Congressional District. He is currently a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group that's mission is to make the government fiscally responsible. A Democrat, Shuler has worked across the aisle on issues such as gun control and abortion which is a key issues to his faith as a Southern Baptist. Heath is also the chairman of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship.

We on 12th Street love Heath and wore the number 21 in high school because of him but there are some boneheads that for some reason have a problem with North Carolina's "People's Champion." All we know is that the man behind this negative campaign ad is probably a communist.



Heath lives in Waynesville, North Carolina with his wife and two children.