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Really exciting weekend on tap in Rocky Top. The weather may not be the best but the vibe around here right now is all roses and sunshine indeed. Happy days are here again. You can feel it! I do want to remind you before we do anything else to remember to dial us up on your Tony Basilio Show App as we will be live as soon as the Orange & White Game concludes. Thanks to Smartway and Dalton Bearing and Hydraulics for making all this great post game coverage possible. Hope you'll tune in and participate as well. Get the app! Droid | iPhone
Orange Throat gets the party started on this Spring Game Eve Friday.
'Random musings as we enter a weekend where Tennessee football takes center stage and Dave Serrano puts the paddles to the chest of his baseball team and tries to revive it:
PEYTON'S PLACE: The former Vol wide receivers are going to hold a fun event this weekend but future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning will be in town and some are speculating he's going to announce something meaningful about his continuing support of his alma mater. Peyton is the best example we've ever seen that you don't need to grow up in our state to be an incredible example of a Vol For Life.
TENNESSEE FOOTBALL SHOWCASE: Butch Jones is sure to have the dogs and ponies going Saturday, and will do a masterful job marketing his football program. We've had a good spring practice so far, from a player development and injury standpoint, so let's keep the clock running on Saturday. The thousands of Vol faithful just want to bathe in the glow of this comeback program tomorrow, so let's keep it cool and play lots of walk-ons.
BIGGEST PLUS OF THE SPRING? Hard to argue that Mike DeBord hasn't established himself in a very positive way. He was rock solid on your program this week, Tony. Insiders think he's had a great impact across the board on this offense, and has provided leadership to an offensive staff that is challenged. His biggest contribution may be to the development of the offensive line. Things look much more stable there.
BIGGEST QUESTION MARK OF THE SPRING? Same side of the ball: Wide Receivers. Zach Azzanni got a promotion and a raise in the offseason, but more and more insiders are looking at that position group and asking who's getting better? True, there have been injury issues, but there shouldn't be any excuses next fall with a much better offensive line and running game.
"ONE TENNESSEE" PLUS LADY VOL BASKETBALL: Plenty of time to talk about the continuing controversy over the brain-dead rebranding of all Lady Vol sports except basketball in the coming weeks, and trust us, this ain't going away anytime soon.
Orange Throat'
Throaty: Great stuff. In fact, I had some thoughts to your entries today and I will address them as you did.
Peyton Manning:
The guy is a terrific ambassador for the University of Tennessee. His involvement and love of this community is commendable. One thought.....
It would be great if somebody would introduce Peyton Manning to Tony Robinson. I would love to see Peyton reach out to him, befriend him and help him get on his feet. Two Vol QB legends. One helping another one up in life. Good stuff. Can somebody make this happen?
Tennessee Football Showcase:
I love that Butch Jones has turned this into a 90 minute marketing piece for the Vols. Don't get anybody hurt, put a smile on everybody's face and get to the summer feeling good. Yassss.
Biggest Plus of The Spring:
DeBord is DeBest...'Nuff said. As I told him the other day on the air, I'm going to love on that guy until the season starts. After that....I'll get back with you....Just kidding.... DeBord has ALREADY had a great impact. I was wrong about him. VERY WRONG.
Biggest Question Mark of the Spring:
Isn't the power of social media really something. Zach Azzani is an engaging guy in cyberspace who's carved out quite the niche with our fan base. His unit hasn't been up to snuff just yet so I agree with him. It's almost seen as heresy to question his coaching acumen. So, call us heretics here. I've been called worse.
One Tennessee Plus Lady Vol Basketball:
Funny you should mention this. I'm hearing that the Jenny Moshak trial is fixin' to roll on this summer and it's going to get very interesting in Dave Hartville on this one. These folks are laying in wait. They WILL get him before this is over. Why he's chosen to poke his finger in the collective face of these folks is beyond me. Hart did a nice job with combining the athletic departments several months back. He's a wonderful example of the power of treating people poorly in the workplace. There was no need for him to make enemies. We should be celebrating right now with where things seem to be heading but Hart is looking over his shoulders. He needs to walk it back with the Lady Vol branding deal or he may just eventually walk the plank. Lady Vol Nation is out for blood. I don't care what you read or hear. Those folks are waiting for Hart to skip and they will attack him. Watch and see.
You have done a wonderful job helping us compile this ballot for the Franchise Four. Since I'm getting such overwhelming response to this, I've decided to leave the nomination process open over the weekend. Names in bold were nominated Thursday by readers/listeners. So, check this list twice, tell me who I'm missing and let's roll. We will have the ballot up hopefully by Tuesday.
Tony Robinson
Bobby Majors
Peyton Manning
Reviez, Colquitt Family
George Cafego
Shawn Bryson
Tee Martin
Reggie White
Hacksaw Reynolds
General Neyland
Jim Haslam
Phillip Fulmer
Inky Johnson
Scott Galyon
Johnny Majors
Al Wilson
Steve Kiner
Condredge Holloway
Darwin Walker
Craig Faulkner
Kevin Mays
Doug Atkins
Jason Witten
Heath Shuler
Dale Jones
Harry Galbreath
Stanley Morgan
Bud Ford
Heywood Harris
Gus Manning
Tom Mattingly
David Grim
Bob Kessling
Bubba Miller
Tim McGhee
Travis Stephens
Will Overstreet
John Henderson
Erik Ainge
Jayson Swain
Eric Berry
Reggie Cobb
Chuck Webb John Ward (nominated by Former Vol Bill Justus)
Roland James
Bill Anderson
John Chavis
Trey Teague
Reggie Harper
David Cutcliffe
Mallon Faircloth
Johnnie Jones
Bob Johnson
Hank Lauricella
John Michels
Herman Hickman
Beattie Feathers
Nathan Dougherty
James 'Little Man' Stewart
Curt Watson
Richard Pickens
Karl Kremser
Ricky Townsend
Mike Lucci
Bubby Cruze
Dr Andy Kozar
Alan Cockrell
Tom "the Bomb" Tracy
Hatfield IX Time:
Hatfield's Nine
'Tony,
Before I begin today's edition of The Nine, a few words about the passing of Ellen Turner. I've always believed the adage about the measure of a person being not how high they reach but how far back down they do to help others is 100% accurate. By that standard, Ellen Turner was a true giant. The number of people in need she fed is staggering. So is the number of smiles she put on the faces of those who heard her unfailingly positive message about the power of faith and community, whether in person or through her numerous television appearances with her twin sister, Helen. That an operation like Love Kitchen has become such a part of the fabric of the Knoxville community speaks volumes about this area. We help each other around here and derive joy from doing so. It's a big part of what makes this such a special place to live. Ellen Turner always appealed to the better angels of this community's nature and those most in need were the beneficiaries. If you are blessed enough to be in a position to do so, make a donation to Love Kitchen. It's a fitting way to honor this extraordinary lady. You'll also feel a little extra bounce in your own step.
1. It is literally a big weekend on campus for UT basketball recruiting. There's a chance a good portion of Tennessee's future post rotation could be procured.
2. Drawing any grand conclusions from a glorified practice is a near textbook fool's errand. I will, however, be at least passingly interested in how the offensive line performs in tomorrow's Orange and White game.
3. It is nearing do or die time for Tennessee baseball. They desperately need to win this weekend's home series to begin the work of salvaging this season.
4. Louisville has taken full advantage of the graduate transfer rule this offseason. The addition of Damion Lee gives the Cardinals a chance to fight for an ACC title.
5. The writers who pointed to Barry Bonds' federal conviction as justification for refusing to vote for his induction into the Hall of Fame are now painted into a corner. It never makes sense to stake a position until all precincts have reported.
6. Oklahoma City seems dead set on hiring a college coach. I'm puzzled as to why that doesn't make hometown guy Bill Self the leading choice.
7. The energy around the Grizzlies is fantastic. The Cupid Shuffle scene outside FedEx Forum after Game 2 is one of the best things I've ever seen in sports.
8. Though they are obviously not going to beat Chicago, I like Milwaukee's future. I may have dismissed Jason Kidd's potential to be a viable NBA coach too quickly.
9. Arsenal can take a huge step in the direction of securing second place in the EPL by protecting home field on Sunday. A win over Chelsea would validate their recent success.
Keith'
Thanks for mentioning Ellen Turner Keith! What a hero in the faith she is! An absolute angel in every way. Ellen and Helen are heroes!!!
Keith can be heard immediately following my show today on your Tony Basilio App. Be T-H-E-R-E....
FAVORITE TEAMS FRANCHISE FOUR BASEBALL THIS-N-THAT SINCE WE LAST SPOKE: 4-23-15
VOL FOOTBALL FRANCHISE FOUR: Tony had a wonderful segment on Monday’s Tony Basilio Show taking nomination for Tennessee Football’s Franchise Four. He did it in conjunction with MLB currently taking votes for each team’s Top-4 or Mount Rushmore of stars. Though extremely difficult to narrow down to four regardless of your favorite team or school it is an enjoyable and thought-provoking exercise. I have broken mine down into separate categories based on criteria that I determined and describe below:
ALL-TIME; ALL-TIME: These in my opinion are the four that had the greatest long-standing positive impact on the program....
FAVORITE FOUR: This foursome most represents what I treasure in a Tennessee Football player; effort, overcoming adversity, love for the Volunteers and genuine pleasures to watch play. TRUE Vols for Life....
OTHER-WORDLY ABILITY: These are the ones so talented and physically gifted that when watching them play the thought of ‘what planet did this cat come from?” kept entering your mind.....
HOW ABOUT THE YANKEES? If you’re talking the history of the greatest professional franchise of all-time the Top-4 would be Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle. I however am limiting my choices to those during my time as a Yankee fan (since 1963) and I’m going five instead of four....
EARLY THOUGHTS ON MLB:
-Nelson Cruz can flat-out rake. Doesn’t matter what pitcher he faces or what park he’s in he’s hitting bombs and driving in crucial runs.
-Injuries seem to be the only thing that ever keeps Kendrys Morales in check at the plate as well...[more]
Vol Colonel's Spring Game Preview is so damn great that he gets billing here two days in a row. He's really excited about what he's seen and hearing about your 2015 UT football team. Lots of great stuff in here from VC!
Vol Colonel
Our Tennessee Volunteers will close out spring practice this Saturday with the Orange and White game. Today we'll take a broad spectrum look at what's been going on this spring and get you set up for Saturday's spring finale.
One of the biggest challenges for the coaches this spring has been trying to identify and find the right personnel to fill out the offensive line. I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. I don't think they have any more answers now, than they had before spring practice even started, Now, don't take that the wrong way, it's not like they were going to announce the starting O-Line this spring to begin with. I think we’re going to be fine across the offensive line, it's just a matter of getting the right guy's at the right positions.
I know there have been some reports that Dontavius Blair is making strides and doing much better, but I really have my doubts about this guy. His footwork is below average, he doesn't use his legs well, his skill set doesn't say SEC offensive lineman to me. He drove LaTroy Lewis into the ground last week in the circle of life drill and ever since then, I've noticed he's getting mentioned as a guy who is improving. I really hope he makes me eat my words, but I'll have to see it on the field in a real game before I'm buying in.
One guy who is making some noise on the O-Line is Brett Kendrick. Some people want to make it like Kendrick has come out of nowhere. Heck, I thought Kendrick was very solid last year, especially in the latter half of the season. Brett has got bigger, stronger and certainly from what I've heard, he seems to be a lot more confident in his game and abilities. Kendrick is getting the reps at RT, but I tell ya what, if I'm Mahoney and DeBord, I'd take a long hard look at him at LT this summer, especially if Blair can't cut the muster. He started a game last year at LT. I just don't see Kyler Kerbyson as my starting left tackle. I think Kerbyson can handle the LT spot, he's just better suited inside playing guard.
Here's the bottom line for me. I think we have the horses to get the job done this season on the offensive line. I can sit here and we can go over position battles until we're blue in the face. Y'all can read that anywhere. Let's just cut to the mustard and I'll tell ya what I really think.
On Josh Dobbs. Get ready to see something special. Mark this down and you revisit me come December. Joshua Dobbs is going to have one of the best seasons at Quarterback in the history of Tennessee Football! This offense was made for this kid. He's bigger, stronger and above all else, he's a winner.
The Dormady kid has had a good spring. He's picking up the offense well and he really has a nice arm. In talking to people in and around the program, the early word on this kid is really good. Everyone tells me he looks really mature for a kid going through his first spring of big time college football.
Jauan Jennings looks like a really good football player. My guys tell me he's going to be really good player here at Tennessee, but expect him to find another position, possibly as early as this summer.
Dr. Sean Sinclair brought up a point on the show Wednesday about Zach Azzanni, where he wondered when Azzanni was going to have our receivers living up to their billing.
I thought about this yesterday afternoon and I've got a few thoughts on this. Part of me agrees with Sean that our receivers haven't lived up to their hype and maybe haven't developed into the playmakers we thought they would be. There's also a part of me that says, these guys haven't exactly had the most stable situation at QB in getting them the ball. Before Dobbs got into the line-up, you had Worley throwing the ball around. The coaches never had enough faith in him to open up the offense. Even had they, it's not like he was going to toss the ball around the park like Peyton. I think it's a little of both.
This year will be the tell on Azzanni and these receivers. I think they're going to benefit from having a full season with Dobbs at the helm. Not only that, with our running game being what it's going to be, I think this will set up a lot of opportunities to throw the football a little bit and keep opposing defenses off balance. Great point by Sean. I think we'll know the answer after this season.
Speaking of that running game and all it's going to be. Alvin Kamara has been killing it this spring. Hurd and Kamara have a chance to be one of the best duo's in not only in the SEC, but in the entire country. The only problem I see with our running backs is depth. John Kelly will be here this summer and certainly that's going to help. It's just a must the RB's stay healthy, we can't afford injuries in this department.
Over on defense, the biggest problem I see is filling out the LB spots. Jalen Reeves-Maybin is a lock and after that, things are really wide open. I know everyone seems to count out Kenny Bynum when it comes to getting A.J Johnson's old spot, but I wouldn't count him out just yet. He started in the Taxslayer Bowl and he's kept that spot over the spring. These spots will come together this August. These young linebackers we have are very talented. Bates, Kirkland, Gavin Bryant, they'll all see playing time.
Shy Tuttle has been impressive this spring. You can go ahead and pencil him into the two-deep on the D-Line. He's taken off a lot of bad weight since arriving on campus and all I hear is how fast and how great he is with the feet for being such a big guy. Pretty powerful big fella too.
Rashaan Gaulden is another guy who has had an impressive spring. Look for him to see significant time in the secondary this fall.
Let's sum up practice this spring. There have been a lot of guys banged up and there have been a lot of guys the staff has been very cautious with. All in all, I think we've got in a lot of good work and we've had a fairly productive spring. All of these position battles are going to carry over to the summer when we really get down to business. There's more help on the way this summer and come fall camp I think you'll see the coaches really get down to business and we'll sort out who's who when the green jerseys come off and these guys really start hitting each other.
Real Quick on the Orange and White Game, in the 1st half they're going to have two 15 minute quarters with the clock running continuous and in the 2nd half you'll have two 12 minute quarters where the clock will keep ticking. It really is going to be more of an event than any type of scrimmage or real game.
We'll see a big dose of the circle of life drill and other tricks and treats. They'll give us some one on one drills. There will be some goal line stuff. They're going to have another VFL Flag Football game at halftime. It should be a fun time, heck, it always is. Let's cross our fingers and hope mother nature cuts us some slack. The forecast is calling for rain, but so what. That's what Orange Ponchos are for!
Have a Great Day and Go Big Orange
Your Vol Colonel
It was an absolute pleasure being a part of the on air eulogy for the dearly departed Ron Wright yesterday on the show. Ron Fuller was bow your head great. The stories he told were pure gold. Tennessee Stud said that the wrasslin' in these parts was rougher than other areas because we are tough people here. The story about Ron Wright taking his 'Tennessee Stick' to Florida with him where he scared EVERYBODY in the locker room with it was sweet. Ron Wright never quit working. He worked everyone. Even the boys in the locker room. Ron Wright is a legend. Thanks to Ron Fuller and the rest of the callers for that heartfelt tribute. Great stuff. You can listen to that interview here.
Friday night’s Iowa-UConn Final Four game had 14.2 million viewers. That’s more than any women’s college basketball game, ever. More than every 2023 NBA Finals game and more than every 2023 World Series game. ESPN has had the rights to NBA games since 2002. But the Final Four game between Iowa and UConn was the networks most-watched basketball game, men’s or women’s, pro or collegiate EVER.... [more]
Friday night’s Iowa-UConn Final Four game had 14.2 million viewers. That’s more than any women’s college basketball game, ever. More than every 2023 NBA Finals game and more than every 2023 World Series game. ESPN has had the rights to NBA games since 2002. But the Final Four game between Iowa and UConn was the networks most-watched basketball game, men’s or women’s, pro or collegiate EVER.... [more]
The Vols did what they were expected to do against UConn. There's not really much to say about that game. The game this Saturday in Columbia, Missouri will decide whether or not this season is a failure in my opinion. If they Vols lose, they are staring at 8-4 and probably the Gator Bowl. Maybe Reliaquest..... [more]
The Vols are coming back to Neyland Stadium and I am returning after a discretionary bye week. I'll be honest with you. This year it seems like I've been writing the same preview over and over because the formula to win has been the same pretty much every SEC game. I didn't want to sound like a broken record so I needed a bit of a break from that.
I'll start with some general observations..... [more]
FISH Hospitality Pantries (a.k.a. Hospitality Pantries, Inc.) operates four pantries
in East, South, Northwest and West Knoxville. They currently provide food to approximately 8,000 families every month.
FISH focuses on what more can be done to help ensure that everyone gets enough to eat.
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