Wednesday....It's National Signing Day ALL DAY at Smoky Mountain Brewery Turkey Creek. Hope you'll get out and join us.



We start this week with a superlative communiqué from Orange Throat.




I hear that Warrior had a terrific visit here. I get the feeling that you might be onto something with Brown. Let's put it this way....Auburn is desperate and the old saying is that desperate times call for desperate measures. On Kongbo....Let's watch and see what happens there. In my world, if Tennessee gets Warrior and one other 4 star from the weekend, they've had a strong close. In a perfect world you'd like to win em all, but seriously, we have to keep it real here.


I'll tell you this...I'd make a spot for Byrd over a RB. Defense wins championships. Shutdown corners are at a premium. No way I spend a scholarship on a RB over a great DB prospect. No way.














Do you believe the NCAA dropping it like it's hot on Ole Mess could have something to do with the fact that the Rebels have beaten St. Nick Saban twice in a row? Put it this way....This league has ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS been politically controlled by Alabama. The coach worshippers and the Finebaum's of the world aren't going to admit to this, but it doesn't make it not so. Of course Ole Mess is out of control, but what harm has been done thus far? For all the NFL firepower they've shuffled through there in the past half decade, they still haven't gotten to Atlanta in school history. They're insignificant. Just not to St. Nick. You beat Bama twice in a row and there will come a time of reckoning. I'm sorry, but there are 52 weeks in a year and the NCAA has to drop that bombshell on them on the eve of the final visit weekend. That has Bama's fingerprints all over it. Maybe I'm in Alex Jones territory here, but it’s awfully coincidental.







Poor Basketball Vols. Go 0-2 in a week versus two of the worst teams in power leagues in the country in the ugliest way possible and you've got a hoops season on the brink. Tennessee could really use a win at home tomorrow night versus Kentucky.


Thinking about that 3-7 record over the weekend in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, it's really not that bleak. The way I see it, the SEC ought to petition for 5 forfeits for the other SEC teams that were left out of the head to head matchup. Isn't this what the Bammer of past persuasion would do? Twist the #s? Think about it and get back to me.


Poor Basketball Vols had huge (14pts/+) second half leads on two terrible teams and lost both games. Not many bright spots in that week with the exception of Kyle Alexander. What must poor Ray Kosongo be thinking about his early career prospects in Knoxville? When you're a big man and you can't get on the floor with that bunch..... Wow. I understand Kosongo isn't playing because he hasn't advanced in the mental game side of things to this point in the season. At least that's what Barnes and Co. are telling his interested sponsors back in Canada, according to a source close to the family. My deal is this....Put that kid in!! Could it possibly be worse than that lifeless effort we saw in the 2nd half of both losses last week?


Notable RPI's coming out of hoops weekend:

Tennessee #122
Cal #33
Texas #23
Texas A&M #12
Kentucky #18
Florida #21
Vandy #57
Auburn #108



It's Feb. Cuonzo has a LOADED team @ 14-7. Jerry Palm projects Cal as an 8 seed coming into the week. Going to be interesting to see how it goes this month in Berkley. Pearl looks like he's lost his mojo. We had Shiny Bruce. He gave us his best shot. He looks like a man out of answers at Auburn. Magic looks gone. How about Texas? The win over Vandy gave them a 14-7 overall record with an impressive 5-3 record in the toughest league in America. Did you see the diving save that Caruso made late in the second half of the Iowa State game? I love that kid and I LOVE that team in the post-season. Vandy is 12-9 and 4-4 in the league heading into the week. Kevin Stallings could be in trouble there if they don't get hot quickly. He's simply been there too long. Thrill seems gone.







Don't worry UT sports fans, UT Baseball season is almost here. I saw Coach Serrano on the local news last night selling the line that this team feels different because they've had a profitable off-season of team building. Coach Serrano pointed out that the team had spent time around the Navy Seals and that this was a point of positive emphasis. If the experts are correct, this Tennessee team will be under water in short order.


I loved what the NHL did with their All Star Game in Nashville. Wonderful showing by the Music City. The NHL players and media are raving about the time they had there. Stephen Stamkos said, "The city did a great job! It was one of my favorite events I've ever been to." The 3-on-3 tournament format was a terrific change of pace. Why not? It's an all star game. The ONLY all star game anywhere that matters is the Mid-Summer's Classic. Period.


John Scott is a terrific North American Union sports story. Jerry Colquitt alerted me to his story and it's really terrific. This is a wonderful story. Thanks Jerry for calling it to my attention. Link


John Scott...Good Stuff...Link



Final thought...I LOVE OLB Riley Cole telling Bama to peace out on their plans to grey shirt him. Bottom line. If you're a scholarship level player. Go somewhere that you're appreciated and on even footing from day one. That might be an unpopular sentiment, but it's what I would advise.


Final thought II...Set your DVR...Thursday night at 8pm Eastern for a documentary on the '85 Bears. That was an amazing one year force of nature.

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