Orange Throat leads off on this Friday.
Orange Throat
'Tonytown:
Random musings as we look forward to future NFL drafts with lots of UT players involved:
THROAT CURSE: Your humble contributor apologizes to HC Dave Serrano and Vol baseball fans (including Beano) for applying the kiss of death on Wednesday by opining that UT is not out of NCAA Baseball Tournament contention, especially with the way Serrano's team has managed to win mid-week non-conference games.
Hours later, Alabama State out of the Southwestern Athletic Conference applied a 3-0 chokehold on the Vols and sent them into this weekend's matchup at Missouri in an offensive slump. Given the fact the top-rated Florida Gators come to Knoxville in a week, a series win is a must for the Vols at Columbia, Mo., and you could argue a sweep is a must. One game does not a season make but the loss to the Hornets could be a bad turning point and reduce expectations to nothing more than qualifying for the SEC Tournament by avoiding being one of the two worst teams in the league.
LADY VOL SOFTBALL HOSTS AUBURN: Another tall task this weekend as the #13th-ranked Lady Vols host #2 Auburn. Weather may come into play in this series but an NCAA berth is assured for Tennessee. It's just a matter of seeding at this point.
THANKS FOR VOL COLONEL: Vol Colonel is going to take a break for the next few weeks and big thanks should go to him for his candid and on-target commentary each week. He's a real insider and brings all of his talk from a standpoint of love and affection for the Big Orange.
Orange Throat'
Great stuff Throaty. Vol Colonel is wonderful. I love seeing how my contributors love on each other behind the scenes. Now if we can only get 'X' with the program.......It sure would be nice to see 3+ Vols drafted this weekend.
Rough night for the $EC. No top 5 pick in NFL Draft. Tunsil showed his a**. Or was he hacked? At any rate, he's one of my favorite college athletes ever after last night. And I sincerely mean that in a dark comedy kind of way.
Today we talk sports regrets with Beano the Great. Check out his list of regrets today while I share mine here. This is certainly not an exhaustive list. This simply represents a snapshot.
I regret letting Bruce Pearl go and calling for his firing. A three year show cause would've worked better compared to what we've been through here.
I regret not appreciating the old Neyland Stadium more than I should have.
I regret not going to more road games when I was a student at UT.
I regret washing my original Riddell Randall Cunningham Jersey with my colors in hot water when I was a young and dumb student at UT. To this day it has a tinge of pink on it.
I regret not going to the World Cup in 1994. I was newly married and penniless at the time but I should've made it happen. Sucks being me.
I regret being so hard on Phillip Fulmer back the mid to late 90's. Looking back, he was the absolute best.
I regret booing Mike Schmidt as a kid in Philly. Guy is the all time best at his position.
I regret deciding to become a part-time Mets fan last year. It makes me feel like a two-timing lover.
I regret not discovering Keeneland until now. The bus trip we took last week was all time fun. We lost money on the trip overall by the time expenses were paid, but it was still a great time.
I regret being so hard on Buzz Peterson when I was calling for his firing. I don't regret that he got fired. Nor do I regret calling for his firing, but I could've handled it better on the air and as a fan.
I regret not taking the time through the years to savor and appreciate the all time greats that I saw live. Jordan, Kareem, Magic, Bird, Doctor J, Gervin, and Hakeem. I saw them all live but was too busy hating to soak it all in.
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Hatfield's Nine
Tony,
Things get are getting serious in the NBA and NHL playoffs. Hard to beat seeing the best I'm the world at their craft playing meaningful games.
1. While Lew Evans may not be the exact player, he is in the mold of what UT desperately needs. An experienced big man who can rebound and defend would make the forecast for '16-'17 much more optimistic.
2. Jim Harbaugh has to have a huge smile on his face today. The reversal of course by the NCAA on satellite camps goes in his win column.
3. It was great to see the Predators finally get over the playoff hump. They have been knocking on the door for what seems like forever.
4. The Houston Rockets disgraced the sport in their final two performances. General managers should think long and hard about signing any of those malingerers and malcontents.
5. The Lakers are at a true franchise crossroads. This coaching hire and draft will set their course for the next decade.
6. The wizardry of Brad Stevens was not enough to push Boston forward. That is a testament to how bad that roster is now.
7. We will see if this Miami team has the fight of the normal Pat Riley constructed group. They normally win Game 6 on the road.
8. Indiana will have to be incredibly resilient to win. Blowing Game 5 as they did sets them up for failure.
9. It is totally illogical, but I think the Clippers put up a fight. Portland will have to take them out.
Keith
Love seeing them addressing the turf issues of recent years in Neyland Stadium. The video of Neyland without any turf is haunting. Folks behind the scenes tell me that Dave Hart thought that the duress over the dilapidated playing surface was a media creation, but Butch Jones is learning to throw his weight around behind the scenes. It needed to be addressed. I don’t know if this is a guarantee that in November the turf isn’t all chewed up. I guess we will see.
Great seeing all the listeners last night down at Clancy’s!!! Amazing night there. Great place!!! It was great meeting Al and Joe! Two amazing Philly Eagle fans. Al is from Knoxville and caught the spirit of the Eagle Nation from Reggie White.
Speaking of the Eagles, I sure hope they know what they’re doing with that Wentz deal. I NEVER trade up unless I’m taking John Elway or Peyton Manning. The Titans and Browns were wise to get out.
Call me crazy, but I think Goff is going to be Anthony Bennett. Somebody had to go first last night. Goff is the first pick in the draft? Shouldn’t you have to have done something to distinguish yourself in major college football before being the #1 pick in the draft? Just sayin’. And the stupid Rams traded up for him like he was Jim Kelly. I don’t get it.
Wentz is another story all together. There’s a guy that didn’t start his first game in high school until his junior season. He walked into college football at D II as a complete nobody and grew while his game grew too.
MY FAN REGRETS APRIL DESERVES HONORABLE MENTION
FREE THOUGHT FRIDAY:
UNDERRATED APRIL: I would guess most sports fans -especially in the college football crazed south- are like me; they rarely mention April among their favorite periods on the sports calendar. My immediate response would be October when college football’s pecking order is coming into focus and Major League Baseball’s postseason has begun....
FAN REGRETS:
COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND MLB REPLAY ADVOCACY:
NO FULMERITES:
DON’T SAY THAT TO ME TONY:
FAINT PULSE: The Baseball Vols’ reached for the defibrillator in the nick of time....
MLB MENTIONS:
-If I were picking an everyday player to start a franchise I would take Mike Trout
...[more]
'Tony,
Good afternoon. I saw your tweet today about the majorettes. I work with the band on fundraising projects like the one I mentioned yesterday.
I just wanted to clarify something. The girls have traditionally paid for their own uniforms, way before Dave got here, maybe dating back several administrations ago. I'm not sure when it started but I do know it's been happening for many many years. It may even have always been that way.
The relationship between the band and the UTAD is actually the best it's been in years. Dr. Rider, the Director of The Pride of the Southland would tell you that without hesitation. Travel for the band is getting back to where it was in the past and they provide tens of thousands of scholarship dollars for the band.
I just didn't want you to think the fund raising campaign UT launched yesterday was a reaction to pulled funding because it most certainly isn't.
Thanks!
Brian'
Brian: In the spirit of fairness I'm running your correspondence. Thanks for keeping me straight. My point remains the same though. No way Tennessee or any other major university should have these kids begging for money. It's silly. Consider all the money thrown away on the official party every year for the bowl game. Tennessee brought something like 15k back from the bowl game. You mean to tell me they couldn't have cut a few perks out for the official party and let those kids have some value and dignity?
Ohio State. Picks 3&4. Cowboys drafting a RB at #4 is a reach in anybody's world. He better have an Emmitt Smith type of career or it stinks.
BTW, Elliot's outfit that he wore on the red carpet made Jimmy Clausen and Deon Sanders blush!!
Jalen Ramsey dogged Tennessee the whole time and he got the last laugh. He walks out of FSU as a National Champion, a top 5 pick and a millionaire. Not bad for a kid that hasn't turned 23.
If Dooley wasn't a Tooley, Ramsey and Von Bell would've been UT's starting safety's for the last 3 years.
Tee Mail II
'Tony...I got it! Playing off of Coach Butch Jones'2014
slogan "Brick by Brick," this year's slogan should be
"FROM FOUNDATION TO DOMINATION!"...what do you think?
Andy'
Andy: As I told Bob Shoop. If I need a slogan, I'm going to Butch Jones. I'm thinking that we're just not going to get there on the slogan. I'm hoping we do, but I'm thinking it's not going to happen. I do like your take though.
No SEC player in the top five in NFL draft for first time since?
Video of Tunsil in that mask with that bong is all time stupid. I wouldn't touch that moron with all the picks in Dallas. Of course Miami grabbed him at 13 because they're Miami.
Link
Akeem Freeze had a long day. The Tunsil stuff had to be so embarrassing. As Tunsil slipped down the board, Freeze (minus the African prayer beads and rug) went on ESPN and vouched for the character of the young man only be stabbed in the back on the way out the door by his OT.
Link
Tunsil is so high up on my board of all time knuckleheads. What a zero that poor kid must be.
Link
Chip Kelly can't stay away from Oregon players. He's such an ass.
Great pick by the Titans! Conklin will be solid pro for years to come!!!
Leonard Floyd was the first SEC player to go at #9. Sure. Everybody saw that coming back in March.
Special thanks for former Vol great Mark Griffin for showing up last night at our listener watch NFL Draft party! If you ever get the chance ask Griff to tell you his Prince story. It's classic.
Enjoy the draft tonight. My Eagles don't pick until late tomorrow. Fun. Fun.
Tony B
865-525-2372 
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