SINCE WE LAST SPOKE 6-19-14

STADIUM TOUR HIT LIST: Last week I ranked all the Major League parks at which I have been privileged to see a game. Below is my list of stadiums I have yet to visit categorized in accordance with my sense of urgency to do so:

MUST SEE

FENWAY PARK (Boston): Real baseball fans must see (or have seen) a game in Old Yankee Stadium, Wrigley and Fenway

BURNING DISIRE TO SEE

MILLER PARK (Milwaukee): Watched a spring training game with a Brewer fan years ago that didn’t involve the Brew Crew. Can’t wait to be in a stadium full of baseball freaks like that guy.

KUAFFMAN STADIUM (Kansas City): Great city and a beautiful park with unforgettable Yankee-Royal history.

BUSCH STADIUM (St Louis): Have to be a part of what may be the best baseball fans anywhere.

NEED TO SEE

SAFECO FIELD (Seattle): Never has there been a greater upgrade than from the King Dome to this beauty.

AT&T PARK (San Francisco): I need to see the city and the ballpark.

PROGRESSIVE FIELD (Cleveland) From the time I started listening to Pete Franklin on WWWE in the 70s I’ve wanted to attend an Indian’s game.

COMERICA PARK (Detroit): The ballpark would rank higher if in a different city.

RANGERS BALLPARK (Arlington): Guess I better see a night game here.

CITIZENS BANK PARK (Philadelphia): A nod to my buddy Basilio.

HOPE TO SEE

CHASE FIELD (Arizona): Wouldn’t mind seeing the last week of the Cactus League and shifting to Chase for the first series of the regular season.

DODGER STADIUM (Los Angeles): See Comerica Park comment

ANGELS STADIUM (Anaheim): See Dodger Stadium comment

TARGET FIELD (Minnesota): Beats the hound out of the Metro Dome but the city offers little other than the game. Freddy and I went to a flippin mall in our free time

MARLINS PARK (Miami): This one looks too much like an amusement park on TV for me

CITI FIELD (New York): Probably would be more attractive if the Mets weren’t there

HAVE A KING DOME WATCH PARTY WHEN THEY’RE IMPLODED

OVERSTOCK.COM (Oakland) Pro Player’s Stadium West.

ROGERS CENTER (Toronto) A dome that you have to leave the country to see? No thanks.

PHIL STEEEEEL ON THE SEC: I couldn’t wait until it hit the news stand so I ordered Phil Steel’s College Football Preview from his website. Here is how SEC members fared in his preseason rankings:

2-Alabama; 6-Auburn; 8-Georgia; 10-S. Carolina; 13- Ole Miss; 14-LSU; 19-Florida; 21-Miss State; 22-Texas A&M; 39-Arkansas; 42-Missouri; 45-Tennessee; 73-Kentucky; 76-Vandy

SYNOPSIS: Steel sees:

-4 SEC teams in the Top-10
-9 in the Top-25
-With the exception of Arkansas he predicts every SEC West Team will be in the Top-25
-Everyone except Kentucky and Vandy made his Top-50

GREAT SLATE OR SCHED OF DREAD: I printed off the SEC schedule grid this week so now is as good a time as any to categorize each team’s non-conference schedule strength (rankings from Phil Steel). We’ll take a look at everyone’s non-division opponents in a couple of weeks (more on that later).

DOWN-RIGHT HEROIC FOR THIS LEAGUE: The Dogs have chosen to play two excellent non-conference teams with the only saving grace being both come between the hedges.

GEORGIA: Clemson (23); Troy (112); Charleston Sou (NR); Ga Tech (46)

LOAD ON THE ROAD: Excluding traditional opponents (Fla @ FSU; S Car @ Clem) the Hogs, Tigers and Vols are the only league teams traveling to a power conference opponent’s home field. From the advent of the Champions Bowl to current non-conference scheduling it is becoming apparent that the SEC and Big-12 have become strong allies in the march toward futuristic CFB.

ARKANSAS: Nicholls St. (NR); @Texas Tech (49); N. Illinois (85); UAB (118)

AUBURN: San Jose St.(88); @Kansas St (29) ; La Tech (79); Samford (NR)

TENNESSEE: Utah St (69); Ark St (110); @Oklahoma (5); UTC (NR)

STUCK IN NEUTRAL: The trend to match up power conference teams in early season neutral site contests continues. Alabama and LSU are becoming annual participants.

ALABAMA: West Va. (Atl) (60); Fla-Atl (100); S Miss (114); W Carolina (NR)

LSU: Wisconsin (Houston) (24); Sam Houston (NR); La Monroe (106); New Mexico St(124)

OLE MISS: Boise St (Atl) (50); UL-Lafayette (66); Memphis (75); Presbyterian (NR)

WE’RE PLAYING WHO? WE’RE PLAYING THEM WHERE? Kevin Sumlin, Gus Malzahn and Dan Mullen have to be wondering what in the wide, wide, world of sports they’re doing playing the Mustangs, Rockets and Jaguars on the road?

TEXAS A&M: Lamar (NR); Rice (89); @SMU (82); La Monroe (106)

MISSOURI: S Dakota St (NR); @ Toledo (67); UCF (33); Indiana (51)

MISS STATE: S Miss (114); UAB (118); @ S Alabama (94); UT Martin (NR)

TRADITIONAL FOE AND 3 THAT BLOW: This is slightly unfair to South Carolina since the Pirates are a potentially-formidable foe but both the Wildcats and Gators have decided to go the one-and-done route.

FLORIDA: Idaho (117); E. Michigan (126); E Kentucky (NR); @ Fla St (1)

KENTUCKY: UT Martin (NR); Ohio U (92); La Monroe (106); Louisville (25)

S CAROLINA: E Carolina (64); Furman (NR); S Alabama (94); @Clemson (23)

WHERE’S THE BEEF? Excluding the one Commodore fans should have with this schedule? They probably should try to buy their way out of the Temple game since the Owls cracked Steel’s Top-100.


VANDY: Temple (98); U-Mass (127); Charleston Sou (NR); Old Dominion (111)

REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS FOR TENNESSEE FOOTBALL: For those of you who missed it –and shame on you- I hosted The Tony Basilio Show Tuesday. In The Dean’s absence the main topic of discussion was what are reasonable expectations for the Tennessee Football Program going forward? 2014 will mark my 50th season of avid fandom since the 1965 season was the first that I truly paid attention to and remember clearly. I believe that the numbers from the last 49 seasons provide as good an indicator as any of what Vol Football truly is. Here are those numbers:

THE VOL FOOTBALL PROGRAM I HAVE KNOWN

YEARS
1965-2013
49 Seasons

COACHES (6)
Doug Dickey 1964-1969 (6 seasons)
Bill Battle 1970-1976 (7 Seasons)
John Majors 1977-1992 (15+ Seasons)
Phil Fulmer 1992-2008 (16+ Seasons)
Lane Kiffin 2009 (1 Season)
Derrick Dooley 2010-2012 (3 Seasons)
Butch Jones 2013-Present (1 Season)
8 Season Average Tenure (Excluding Jones)

WINS
394 Wins in 49 Seasons = 8.0 Wins/Year

BOWLS
38 Bowl Appearances = 8 Bowl Games/Decade
Non-bowl seasons; 75-78; 80, 88, 05, 08 11-13
21 Bowl Wins = 4-5 Bowl Wins/Decade

SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
1967, 1969 (Doug Dickey)
1985, 1989 (John Majors)
1990 (Majors), 1997, 1998 (Phil Fulmer)
Two Long Championship Droughts
1970-84 (15 Seasons)
1999-13 (15 Seasons) =
7 League Championships in 49 seasons = 1 SEC Championship/7 SEASONS

NOT SURE WHAT TENNESSEE FOOTBALL WILL BE BUT IT IS NOT… In the recent history of the Tennessee Football followers of the Big Orange have been both treated to and suffered through two diametrically opposed periods neither of which accurately define the standard of the program; the 90s and the current decade. Oh what little time seemingly elapsed between terrific and horrific:

1990-99
90- 9-2-2; SEC Champs; Sugar Bowl (Win-Va)
91- 9-3; Fiesta Bowl (Loss- Penn St)
92- 9-3; Outback Bowl (Win-BC)
93- 10-2; Capital One Bowl (Loss-Penn St)
94- 8-4; Gator Bowl (Win-Va Tech)
95- 11-1; Capital One Bowl (Win-Ohio St)
96- 10-2; Capital One Bowl (Win-N’Western)
97- 11-2; SEC Champs; Orange Bowl (Loss-Nebraska)
98- 13-0; SEC Champs; National Champs; BCS Champ Game (Tempe-FSU)
99- 9-3; Fiesta Bowl (Loss-Nebraska)

SYNOPSIS:
-99-22-2 (.818 %)
-3 SEC Championships; 1 National Championship
-5 BCS Bowl Games; 9 New Year’s Day Bowls; 6-4 in Bowl Games
-5 seasons with 10 or more wins; Only 1 season with less than 9 wins

CURRENT DECADE:
10- 6-7; Music City Bowl (Loss-UNC)
11- 5-7
12- 5-7
13- 5-7

SYNOPSIS:
-21-28 (.429 %)
-1 Bowl Game
-0 Winning Seasons
-First time Vols have had 4 consecutive losing seasons since 1903-06
-Program has never had 5 straight losing seasons

ANOTHER BRIEF HIATUS: Sorry to take two blog breaks so close together but I will not be posting another edition for a couple of weeks. I will be preparing for a Jurassic Softball Tournament next week and taking Independence Day week off as well. I hope you and yours have a wonderful 4th of July and I’ll be back here on July 10th to sprint to CFB season with you. God bless you.

IN A PERFECT WORLD: There would be more Tony Gwynns and less Barry Bonds.


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