Had a decent first day response to this but we are far from where we need to be on this thing. Will you consider helping? I know I'm begging for money here but it's for as great cause. We won't let you down on this and that's a promise.
'Annually at this holiday season we like to stand in the gap here at the tonybasilio.com radio family. This year we are serving a combination of families that fallen through cracks and won't have Christmas or anything at this holiday (whatever you celebrate) if we don't step up and take this on as a radio family. This year we are serving families the Fish Hospitality Pantry (as we've identified them) plus women from the Oasis Shelter in Clinton, TN. We will be serving 15 occupants of this residential shelter. These women are in a program that is a refuge for them in order to help them get their lives together. These are folks in great distress. Some are outrunning abusive situations. Some are self-inflicted as well. Everyone needs somebody at this time of the year to say 'you matter.' Oasis is the first step up the ladder to enabling these women to stabilize their lives. The Families from Fish Pantry have young children. Five families in all. Eight children spread out over these families ranging in age from 1 to 14. Boys and girls. We're not going to be overwhelming these kids with gifts. Maybe a few nice things.
Also, we will be having a party Friday night at Knoxville Mennonite Church. If you would like to participate in this special night, please call Jeff Gencay at 865 455-9923.
If you feel led to contribute to this most worthy cause, please e-mail me and let me know the amount and I will be covering this in an initial contribution on all of our behalf.
If you would like to contribute, please shoot me an e-mail to commonfan@gmail.com and let me know how much you plan on contributing.
Please e-mail checks to Tony Basilio, PO Box 26011, Knoxville, TN 37912
Thanks again for being there!
You make it worthwhile for us to serve the folks we have through the years.
20 years and counting!
Merry Christmas
Tony B'
Different day on the show and yet the same theme prevailed. Mike Huguenin, who I have a ton of respect for because he gives it to us straight, said he like Tennessee big time in the Gator Bowl. Huguenin said 'I can't imagine that anybody associated with Iowa really wants to be in that game. Their players won't want to be there and their fans certainly don't.' Amazing stuff. The closer we get to that game the more I'm convinced that Tennessee has this team on a Tee. This game has huge UT win written all over it. In fact, Huguenin said 'In these lesser bowls I always look at which team wants to be there. Do you think Florida wants to be in Birmingham? Iowa was thinking big things before the season with that schedule. Now, if they come to play, they would be tough for Tennessee to beat but I don't think they will come to play.' And to Huguenin's point, Iowa really hasn't 'come to play' all year.
We've seen teams like this in Knoxville. Sometimes your senior class can put agendas ahead of team goals. This is another point that Hugenin made yesterday when he said, ‘sometimes in games like this you will see seniors follow their own agenda because it’s the last time to be seen.' Not a bad thought. EVERYTHING in this game is adding up for the Vols. I'll say this once more, I've had ZERO expectations on Butch Jones in his two years in Knoxville but I expect to win this game. Jones is now making big boy money. He can't lose this game. Randy Moore of insidetennessee.com put it really well earlier in the week on my show. 'Usually in bowl games I don't believe the way a program performs carries into the next season. In this case, I agree with you. Tennessee needs to play well and win this game to set a tone for 2015. Can you feel it? Are you going?
This bowl win will and should heighten expectations for 2015 for this program. It's time to start thinking about competing in the east. Notice I didn't say winning the east but competing. This is interesting and true.
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Food for thought from Patrick Brown of Chattanooga Times Free Press. 'Derek Barnett-Brandon Scherff matchup might be Taxslayer Bowl's most intriguing. Scherff won Outland Trophy last night.'
Butch Jones was feeling it on Sunday.
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Here's 10 Vols that will benefit from bowl practices.
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Orange Throat
'Tony B:
The college football coaching equivalent of the Hot Stove League keeps spinning. Nebraska shocks by hiring Oregon State's Mike Riley. Oregon State then shocks more by hiring Wisconsin's Gary Andersen.
Two traditional powerhouse Big 10 jobs became open for a few minutes: Wisconsin and Michigan.
Wisconsin athletics are run by Barry Alvarez. He's one of the last of the great dinosaurs: a great football coach who stepped down to the AD job. Alvarez has a massive ego and he's going to coach the Badgers in the Outback Bowl against Auburn (I'm taking the Tigers big), just like he did when Bret Bielema bolted for Arkansas two years ago. Andersen was only making $2.2 million and his buyout was $3 million. Alvarez is bringing back former Badger assistant Paul Chryst from Pitt. At least Chryst knows what he's getting himself into. Andersen obviously didn't.
My sources at Michigan say Harbaugh is stringing his alma mater out because he wants bargaining power for the Oakland Raiders job. An interim AD is handling this hire and this could well end up in a fiasco.
All of which should warm our hearts as Dave Hart heeded our advice (like he listens to us!) and went big with a $600,000 raise for Butch Jones. There was no way the "Hitman" could afford to lose Butch, with poor Donnie Tyndall on the edge of a cliff. The ageless wonder took a bow for landing us in the Sharpton Bowl, which might be a stretch. Truth is, the bowl formerly known as the Gator didn't have any good options besides the Vols. Whatever the reason, you are right, Tony B. We need to go down there and whip the beefy Iowans and put our karma train on a strong track for 2015.
There are going to be some comings and goings on the Vol football roster. Most Likely to Bail right now are Derrell Scott and Dewayne Hendrix, as has been talked about. I could be wrong, but I think Josh Malone will be just fine. Wouldn't it be great if he had a breakout game in Jacksonville?
Obviously, there will be further movement in the 2015 recruiting class. I think we stand a decent chance of adding a quality Offensive Tackle prospect, which you've correctly pointed out should be a huge priority.
Let's hope Donnie T can get another big win against a quality opponent on Sunday afternoon at The Tommy.
Orange Throat'
Throaty:
Great post today! That's some great stuff! In fact, Hugenin was laughing at that ego maniac Alvarez coaching in the bowl game again. He's now run TWO quality coaches off and gets rewarded for it. The last time he paid himself $100,000 for coaching the bowl game. Does he give himself another Christmas bonus this time around? Also, about Michigan, you can see that turning ugly. I never believed Butch Jones would ever be in play there but in this climate you just never know. I'm excited to see progress made on the offensive line. I don't understand why Tennessee doesn't poach from UAB or Nebraska or Wisconsin and or Florida. It's time to act. It's time to turn it up a notch or twenty on the recruiting trail.
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Was Cecil Cherry thrown back by the Vols or picked off by a disgruntled former Vol? Who knows. The picture will become clearer when LB Darrin Kirkland announces Monday at his school. Also last night, Ryan Callahan reported that CB Ugo Amadi is Tennessee bound in his crystal ball feature. Things are heating up.
The young coach guiding Butler into Thompson Boling on Sunday has quite a story.
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Butler hoops are a hot ticket.
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Butler will bring a strong club to Knoxville on Sunday.
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Hatfield's Nine
'After a few days battling a virus, it's back to the grind for me. There is a big hoops weekend ahead of us.
1. Iowa is an interesting opponent for UT in the bowl game. The one stunning blemish on the Hawkeye resume is the loss to Iowa State.
2. One thing I want to see is how much the extra practice helps the development of the younger players. You certainly hope Butch Jones and staff can get some of the guys who haven't been on the field much ready to go for depth purposes.
3. If rumors of David Cutcliffe turning down the Michigan job are accurate, you have to wonder what direction that search is headed. Cutcliffe is perfect for Duke and should finish his career there.
4. Donnie Tyndall's crew gets a chance to add another noteworthy victory on Sunday. The key will be finding a way to generate some consistent offense.
5. The reports earlier this week show that UT is covered financially if things go poorly with Coach Tyndall's NCAA issues. Here's hoping that it doesn't come to that.
6. North Carolina tries to get their season on track at Kentucky tomorrow. The Wildcat defense will make that a tall task.
7. Utah and Kansas square off in a contest involving top 15 teams. The Utes can add to an already impressive resume by winning in Kansas City.
8. Coming off two shocking losses, Michigan has to go to Arizona. That's not exactly a recipe for a turnaround.
9. CM Punk's decision to try his hand at mixed martial arts is really a win for both parties. Punk gets to keep his name out there and Dana White gets another box office draw.
Join me today from 1-3 for Show Cause.
Keith'
Jon Reed and Christian Lundy follow Hatfield today on my app stream live from 3-5p. Why don't you call him and blast him over comparing Peyton Manning to Jameis Winston. The only thing they have in common is position on the football field.
Jon Reed
'Who had Oregon State making the best hire through the first two weeks of the coaching carousel? Flags have to be raised when two coaches have bolted for Fayetteville, Arkansas and Corvallis, Oregon. Wisconsin has been an interesting study over the past couple of years due to their most successful coach ever, Barry Alvarez, being in charge of the athletic department. A lot of people have clamored for Phillip Fulmer to become athletic director at Tennessee, but could Wisconsin be a look at how that dynamic would work?
How flawed is the system when Gary Andersen can bolt for greener pastures but his own son, who was on the Wisconsin football team, is stuck in limbo? Also, it’s kind of sickening that reports say that the son found out with the rest of the team that his dad was leaving in the team meeting.
Baseball is the most exciting in the offseason at the winter meetings. That is problematic long-term, but for these couple of days in December, baseball captures some headlines. When the Cubs swindled Joe Maddon from the Rays, I said that I would be surprised if they weren’t in the World Series in the next three years. People laughed. Now, with the signing of Jon Lester, I feel better about it.
Last night’s Rams and Cardinals “contest” was a textbook Jeff Fisher game. Nationally televised home game, favored by as high as six before kickoff, team with all the momentum in the world, and the Rams played about as poorly on offense as you could imagine. In games with no pressure as a scrappy underdog, Fisher is the most aggressive coach in the NFL. He fakes punts, goes for fourth downs, and opens the playbook. Last night was how Fisher-coached teams play with pressure. The Cardinals got down to their fourth string quarterback, and at one point St. Louis had five straight three-and-outs. Yes, the Titans are the worst team in the league this year, but I’ll gladly accept this restructuring of the franchise instead of hanging around 7-9 and 9-7 almost every season mixed in with a guaranteed first playoff game exit.
On Tuesday I mentioned that Jameis Winston plays and compares more to college years’ Peyton Manning than most people want to admit. Needless to say, as always, Tuesday was another chance for Tony and other people to tell me how wrong I am. So, I just wanted to take this chance to apologize to you all. Jameis is undefeated against Florida, 27-0 overall, and has proven to be as clutch of a quarterback as we have ever seen at the college level.
So, again, I am sorry.
Follow @jon__reed on twitter and listen to Young Guns ever Friday from 3-5EST on the Tony Basilio Network.'
I'll say this for you Jon, you don't know when to quit. Perhaps that's youth or maybe you're just stubborn. At any rate, please quit with the Manning/Winston stuff. Manning is MENSA and Winston is a grade schooler. Manning is a pro's pro and Winston is a punk and clown. Please stop.
Tee Mail:
'I give Jones a B- for the year. Expectations were met. Progress was made. Poor performances against Florida, Ole Miss, and UTC stand out. Strong performances against Georgia, Carolina, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Alabama also stand out. Winning at Vandy with the roster available, the pressure to win, and so much on the line was pure determination and resolution. Neyland would be proud. The loss to Florida counts against him.
Realistically, Tennessee could have won only 1 or 2 more games at the most. It’s also worth mentioning how tough Tennessee’s schedule was. Who on UT’s schedule isn’t going bowling? Vandy, Kentucky, and UTC-who are in the FCS playoffs. At the beginning of the year, Tennessee’s schedule ranked 1 or 2 depending on who you asked. And it felt like 2010 all over again with the number of freshman taking the field.
I thought the raise was about right. We have confidence in you, you’re on the right track, and we want to keep you and your staff here. We like the job you’re doing. Keep it up. UT absolutely cannot afford to let anybody else come in here and snatched him up.
Here’s a hypothetical for you: What would Butch Jones record be if he had:
• Mark Richt’s team at Georgia?
• Will Muschamp’s Florida team?
• Derek Mason’s Vanderbilt?
• Nick Saban’s Alabama?
Now ask, what will he do when the level of talent, depth, and experience is solid from top to bottom similar to some of those above? In 2016, Tennessee should be in exactly this position where they have the roster to legitimately compete with anybody in the conference. What should the expectations be? Does UT get impatient in 5 years or so if Jones just seems to be hovering at the 9-10 win mark? I sure hope not. It seemed like UT turned into bowl snobs towards the end of the Fulmera as we just knew that things were trending in the wrong direction. That worked out real well, huh?
I’m encouraged for 2015, but not yet truly excited. So long as Joshua Dobbs is required to be the game MVP in order to get the win, we’re living on the edge. And that’s not going to change until there’s some help in the backfield and significant improvement on the offensive line.
Eric S'
Great points Eric. Don't agree with everything but you get a A for effort.
UTC versus New Hampshire tonight on ESPN. The run unopposed! Great for those kids and that school. We wish them well! David Blackburn for president!
LSU fans are buying up Music City tix. Nashville is great at that time of the year. They do a great job with that game.
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Kentucky is getting all excited because Mark (Barnhardt's Sugar High Honey Bunch) Stoops is being mentioned as a top 20 candidate at Michigan. Could you imagine if Michigan hired that guy? Please let this happen!!! Pretty Please!!!
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A hot college coach one day and CFL coach the next.
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Marcus Mariota picked up the Maxwell Award last night. He needs to keep some room available on his shelf.
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It looks like Wisconsin is hiring Pitt's coach. That job was literally open for 36 hours.
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Bruce Arians is a serious fire breather.
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Alex Poythress of Kentucky suffered an apparent torn ACL last night.
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Final thought. If I told you that a proud program got uncharacteristically blown out in a league title game and saw a coach leave a few days later, you would raise an eyebrow. If I then told you that the coach that left had an AD fighting on the inside fighting for the team that blew his school out, you might look twice. I guess we'll never know what went down at Wisconsin over the past couple of weeks. Could be nothing at all. Then again, the conspiracy theorists could be on to something.
Final thought II: Air Force Head Coach Troy Calhoun called the playoff un-American. I'm not sure he can say that after the political process that unfolded last weekend in Ohio State's favor. Dailey political machine would've been proud. Come to think about it, where's Frank Rizzo when you need him?
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Maybe it was Memphis. Maybe it southern Fall nights. Maybe it you, maybe it was Lebron James but it sure felt right to this clown.
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Tony
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