Monumental Steps!!! 
Butch Jones said in an interview yesterday that his program has made 'monumental steps'. He's right on the money. I know you're mad at him but Jones is telling the truth. Tennessee has taken MONUMENTAL STEPS in the past 376 days. The Vols were on the cusp of breaking out then. Tennessee was 5-0 with with epic wins over Florida and Georgia. The Vols were on their way to Atlanta at the very least. It was a foregone conclusion. Then A&M happened. Tennessee dropped a game they should have easily won and you know the rest.
In regular season games the Vols are 3 under .500 since then. Or at least they will be after Saturday. Since A&M, Tennessee has won 2 SEC Games in 9 tries. This includes losses to South Carolina (twice) and Vanderbilt. Butch Jones is absolutely correct. Tennessee's program has taken monumental steps under his tutelage. If you want further proof of how far Tennessee has come under Jones look to Vegas. His first team at Tennessee was a 25 point underdog at Oregon. His FINAL Tennessee team is a 35 point underdog to Bama. That's called monumental steps. Butch is right on the money. Tennessee has made MONUMENTAL STEPS!! Backwards!!!
'Monumental Steps.' Link
Miracle Butch???: Seeing Tony Robinson and Jeff Smith break down Tennessee's doomed final play of the game versus South Carolina had me wondering how fortunate Butch Jones has been in his tenure. His teams don't do little things on offense yet he's had moderate success here. Last night's breakdown was indicting.
Link
Now that we're getting ready to pop another coach in Rocky Top, let's listen to a classic Basilio Show Call from RMI who brought the goods on Do Little Dooley.
Listener Watch Party Saturday: Bearden Hill Fieldhouse: 3:30pm Saturday!!! Here's Your Syllabus Of Activities
Ball Board Prizes: 1st Quarter: One Free Appetizer
2nd Quarter: Two Free Appetizers
3rd Quarter: #25 Gift Card
Final Score: $50 Gift Card
Come early…….100 spots on board….. PLUS TONS OF DOOR PRIZES GIVEN OUT DURING THE GAME AND AT HALFTIME:
Plus Vols Drinking Game: Guarantano’s Helmet Pops off….1 drink
Butch Jones' Red Face….1 drink
Vols TD…one Drink
Bama Sack…one Drink
Jalen Hurts Run Over 10 yards...One Drink
Tyler Byrd Catch....Two Drinks
Vols Score Inside Red Zone...Two Drinks
Rugby Kick From Daniel....One Drink
UT Runs Inside 20....One Drink
Snaps Under Center... Three Drinks
Outside of Jalen Hurts, you should be pretty sober.
Drink Specials: $3.75 Vol Bombs (Orange Vodka and Redbull)
$2.25 Coors Original Drafts
$2.75 Coors Lite Draft…Miller Lite Draft…..Yuengling Draft
$4.00 Sam Adams Octoberfest Draft….
Why The Gruden Obsession: Those of you obsessed with Gruden to Tennessee need to think this through. Outside of winning the press conference what do you gain with him? He's NEVER recruited a college football player...NEVER.....And he's NEVER won a game in college football. The narrative from the Grudenites is that he's going to be like Saban in Knoxville. You do realize that Saban was National Championship Coach BEFORE he went to Bama. Saban is a chronic recruiter. He's not a guy that's there to get his ring kissed like Gruden. Gruden to UT is not a good idea outside of the initial pop that it would bring. Nick Saban is addicted to recruiting and he works very hard at it. Gruden was a divider in Tampa and with the Raiders. That's called truth.
In Tampa he won a Super Bowl and was gone a short time later. Oh, don't get me wrong the Gruden QB camp thing is wonderful but wouldn't you rather have an actual proven head coach? Tennessee has to get this thing right. John Gruden might get you all excited initially but stop and think about this thing before you dedicate your life to this guy. Although I will say about Gruden that he would run UT like it was a pro deal. Kind of like Fulmer/Cutcliffe did. He's too much of a reach for me to go jumping him to the top of some wish list. He's far from at the top of my wish list. I would take at least 10 guys over him from Matt Dixon's list yesterday.
Guys I would take over Gruden at Tennessee: Chris Peterson: Washington (Lil birdie tells me he could be gettable)
James Franklin: Penn State
Dan Mullen: Miss State
David Shaw: Stanford
Chip Kelly: Broadcasting (He's won big in college football)
Bob Stoops: OU (Retired)
Gary Patterson: TCU
Scott Frost: Central Florida (sharp dude)
ALL of these guys would be better hires at Tennessee. And you know it.
Don't Think It's Going To Be Fulmer: For UT Interim Coach if/when Butch is fired. I know it's been talked about by some but I don't see it happening. I think Phillip Fulmer would like to be asked but I just don't see him doing this.
Who's The Interim Coach Going To Be? Orange Throat is going to break this down tomorrow and he'll even have the reasons why. Some really interesting stuff from the mind of that font of information.
Butch Could Do This ..... Head coach to scout team QB.(In The Band) Scott Frost is a man's man.
Link
Butch played tuba....Or was it trombone???
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Superstar Alex changes the pace today in his weekly visit to us here. After watching my Sixers last night and the Grizz tonight, I'm looking forward to some hoops this winter.
Alex Myers
'Tuesday night brought about a fresh start for many whose football teams have had a less than impressive year so far. What am I referring to? The NBA began the season with a couple of marquee matchups that were very enticing for basketball fans.
Today’s blog will be a slight change of pace for TonyBasilio.com readers. The Vol Colonel and others have written about the current Tennessee Football situation, so I decided I’d take a moment to talk about the NBA, and what the 2017-2018 season holds.
Just like the NFL, there are many hoops fans who prefer the college game over the pro game. However, also like the NFL, there’s no denying that the NBA is where the game is played at its highest level. Regardless of how you feel about the professional game, I think this is one thing that can be agreed upon pretty much universally.
I’ve heard folks of all ages complain about the “super teams” of the modern game. Those who argue against the league with this logic are forgetting teams from the past. I’ve heard folks say that having multiple elite players join together on one team will make the NBA less interesting. I disagree with that also.
For those who say that this will be bad for the league this year, here’s what I’d say. What made the Chicago Bulls of the mid-90’s so fun to watch? Did they have the greatest player in the world? Absolutely, but they also had a supporting cast that was nearly unrivaled. Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, and Michael Jordan…if that’s not a super team, then I don’t know what is.
Take the Celtics or Lakers of the mid 80’s into consideration as well. Larry Bird was great, but when you add players like Robert Parish, Danny Ainge, along with the great Kevin McHale, that too becomes a super team. The Lakers? Magic Johnson is obviously one of the best players of all time. He was joined by other greats like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and Kurt Rambis. Again, if a team with a lineup like that isn’t a super team, quite frankly I don’t know what is. The truth is, those teams can be the most fun to watch. I’ll also add a quick salute to my favorite team, the Pistons. The Bad Boy Pistons of the late 80’s had some great players as well. Their rivalry with the Boston Celtics is one of my all-time favorites, and the argument could be made that without Detroit ruffing up 23 and forcing him to mature physically, Jordan doesn’t become quite what he became.
On a side note, which Olympics basketball team was your favorite? For many, the answer is the famous “Dream Team”. I know that this was an Olympic team, but the reason why so many people love talking about this team is that this may have been the greatest roster ever assembled. See the connection?
When people reminisce about the old NBA that they grew up watching, often times their greatest memories involve one of these teams. For a new generation, the Warriors and Cavs are setting up to be their childhood rivalry. When you look at it, both of those teams have multiple future Hall of Famers. Adding to my point, if the Warriors were what they are now, but Houston didn’t stack up adding Chris Paul, Carmelo hadn’t gone to Oklahoma City, and the Spurs hadn’t added to their arsenal with the acquisition of PF LaMarcus Aldridge a year ago, would it even be worth watching until the Finals? With Gordon Hayward’s unfortunate injury, the Celtics are obviously not the same team. However, with the Celtics’ addition of he and Kyrie Irving, the East suddenly got way more interesting.
In the end, I truly believe that the Cavs and Warriors will both reach the Finals yet again. However, with several other teams stacking up With the best available talent, every round of the playoffs will likely have some very intriguing matchups. In a sport that is often criticized for “off nights” or less than playoff efforts in the regular season, matchups between these super teams breaks up the monotony of an 82 game regular season.
Basketball is my favorite sport, and this season I’m as excited for the NBA as I have been in several years.
Until Next Time,
Go Vols,
Alex Myers (@AlexMyersTV)'
Alex...My Sixers looked very good last night in a loss at Washington. Going to be a fun year seeing hoops come back to life in Philly. If Embid can stay healthy they'll be fine. Meanwhile there are tons of great players in the league. Those guys are freaks!!!
Speaking of hoops...
I saw where the SEC media picked the Vols of Rick Barnes in his 3rd sleepy season to finish 13th in the league. Why have I constantly harped on Barnes' lack of effort in recruiting? Well...Cuonzo Martin has recruited Mizzou to a 5th place pre-season status in the league. It's called getting ball players. Cuonzo is straight gangsta. Nobody is taking players from him. He's bringing it. Bama is bringing it in year 3 under Avery Johnson. It's called hustling on the recruiting trail.
Garza Law Hoops Overtime Is Coming: When the basketballs start bouncing, we'll be there for you on the Garza Law Tennessee Hoops Overtime. Back for season #5. Can you believe that? I will be loving on this Tennessee team and cheering them every step of the way to shock me to an NCAA Tournament berth. Could it happen? Sure it could.
Hatfield's Nine
Tony,
Given the fact that a steel toed boot could fall on a number of programs at any moment, this Top 25 is probably a fool's errand. Ineligibilties and coaching exits are still very real possibilities. It is near impossible to guess what direction the FBI investigation is likely go head. All of that said, I'm going to act as if the season is going to go on without any more bombshells and all players and coaches stay in place for now.
1. Duke.
2. Arizona.
3. Michigan State.
4. Kansas.
5. Kentucky.
6. North Carolina.
7. Wichita State.
8. Villanova.
9. St. Mary's.
10. USC.
11. Florida.
12. Miami.
13. Louisville.
14. Cincinnati.
15. Xavier.
16. Gonzaga.
17. Purdue.
18. Seton Hall.
19. Texas A&M.
20. Texas.
21. Arkansas.
22. Rhode Island.
23. TCU.
24. Illinois State.
25. West Virginia.
Clancy's is your headquarters for watching UT v. Alabama. Enjoy the game in Knoxville's authentic Irish Pub.
Sapphire has a tremendous selection of seasonal cocktails. Stop in and see why they are Knoxville's premier nightspot.
The Blankenship Field renovation project is moving steadily in the direction of its goals.
Go to
blankenshiplegacy.org to donate.
Keith
'Tony, I love ya... but listening to you talk about Vols basketball is depressing as hell cause I know you are right. I have watched some video of practice and some film of them on youtube from last year, Barnes is pretty good X's and O's but has no intensity. He doesn't promote his program and we both know you have to create some interest, need to have players to win.... If we do go from the C list for a coach, make it Brohm
Alex'
Superstar Charlie told me before practice began that the Vols were going to the NCAA Tournament then attended a couple of practices and told me that he wanted a do over on that pick. He said the Vols are seriously challenged in several areas. Rick Barnes has shown the ability to develop guys. He's going to have his work cut out for him here. Big time.
'Hey Tony, Just a quick response to Matt's list and Gary Patterson. I met the Coach in Ft Worth(less) many years ago. That man has a 'presence'. He is beloved by the Horny Frogs and is honored as 1 of 3 statues on campus along with former QB Davey O'Brien and former coach Dutch Meyer.
He's a competitor and does not mince his words. So, totally understand your thoughts that he will not 'bounce' out of the Big 12.
My question is, have you watched any of the TCU home games this year? If so, you saw the stands 70-75% full inside Amon G. Carter stadium. Winning Big 12 games yet empty seats....Perhaps he could be encouraged by Currie and accept the apology for that asshat Hamilton throwing mid major junk his way back in the day. If you agree Stoops & Gruden aint coming, then please send Peyton down to chat him up about our need for his talent developing ability. Great add to your list IMO...now go remove Mike "I'm a MAN" Gundy please. Keep it rollin Matt, you guys are helping me remain sane in the Bluegrass amigo.
EW Kentucky'
EW...Awesome hearing from you! Patterson would be fine with me! I would love it!!! I love how Mike Hamilton told him he was a Mid Major Coach after UT chose Lane Kiffin back in the day. That's song #2 on Hammy's Greatest Hits. Probably would be nearly impossible to pry him away but I'd kick the tires for sure.
Final Thought: My lovely wife had a great line last night...The SEC should start a Football Coaching Carousel. Here's how it would work. Every two years each coach switches schools. Therefore, Tennessee would have a real coach every once in a while. Plus Saban gets to coach other rosters.
Final Thought II: What would happen if you gave Butch Jones and his ENTIRE staff Bama's roster 365 days while giving Nick Saban Tennessee's roster for 365 days. Saban would bring his ENTIRE staff to Knoxville. What would UT's record be? How would Bama do? What would happen in Saturday's game? I would submit to you that Tennessee against their current schedule under Saban would go 11-0 and that the Bama game would be an old fashioned 50/50 Tennessee-Alabama football game. Meanwhile Butch Jones would be 9-3 at Bama while some of the top players from Bama would leave prior to this game.
Tony
A New Direction At TonyBasilio.com: Here at Tonybasilio.com we’re creating a series of programming with little to mostly zero commercial sponsorship. In other words, you will be digesting the following programs in coming days with almost no interruption. This is unprecedented in the history of my business. Nobody has ever done this. Here are the offerings coming your way.
Our Family Of Offerings:
‘X-Cast: A Recruiting Podcast’: Featuring Tony Basilio & ‘X’ where we discuss the latest moves, behind the scenes machinations and all the intrigue from the world of recruiting. This will hopefully be offered twice monthly with lengths varying. If this takes off perhaps we can even do some live offerings of this show. THIS IS BEING OFFERED COMMERCIAL FREE!!!
Fifth Quarter Fan Reaction: Back for season 4. Sponsored by Marcos Garza. This year with NO OTHER SPONSORS. This will be pure content for you. I’m taking a chance here but I know you will reward me for not bombarding you with messages Vol Network style. This program will run for at least 3 hours following Tennessee Football Games. We will have new visual presentation of this feature as well that we’re investing in. Thanks to Jayson Swain for helping me with the technical side of our visual presentation.
Southeastern Sunday Night: 7p to 9p on Sunday Nights airing on Periscope/Facebook Live and other platforms including your Tony Basilio Show App. This will be a regional program that aims to keep it real. We will tell the truth on us, them and all with you. This could be a lot of fun if you help me spread the word across the region. This hopefully will turn into a free for all that is free for all. ZERO SPONSORS. COMMERCIAL FREE OFFERING.
Vol-Scars: A podcast featuring Vol Historian Tom Mattingly and Eric S where we go back in time and commemorate the painful losses in UT football history that left a mark. These shows are extremely time intensive to put together. I’ve worked all summer on these offerings and am really proud of what we’ve compiled thus far. I think you’ll really enjoy this. COMMERCIAL FREE.
Gate Twenty Won: A podcast Featuring Vol Historian Tom Mattingly where we celebrate the greatest wins in UT history in time capsule form. These are a breath of fresh air and the type of programming I’m aiming to bring to you . COMMERCIAL FREE
Chill Cast: Tell Me A Story: A podcast where I grab folks from the sports world and our community and allow them to share their stories with us. This will be done in the spirit of the
recent re-launch programs that I did. We’ll aim to go deeper here. Stay tuned. COMMERCIAL FREE.
Tennessee Basketball Overtime: Back for year 5! Immediately following Tennessee Basketball Games. A Tennessee Basketball Call-In show featuring ONLY ONE SPONSOR…GARZA LAW FIRM. Therefore we keep the conversation going without bombarding you Vol Network style. What a concept!!!!
Garza On The Law: A Podcast dealing with the legal issues that invade the sports world featuring the great Marcos Garza. We will go deeper here. I promise that you will find this interesting. Presented by Garza Law Firm.
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FAQ's Asked Of Tony Per Our Relaunch Announcement:
Q: Tony, you didn't say anything about your daily show yesterday. Will you continue to do this?
A: Absolutely. I'm looking forward to year #24 with you.
Q: Tony, you used the word 'subscribe'. What Am I subscribing too?
A: Great question. 'Subscribe' is a misnomer. What you actually are doing if you choose to help us monthly (and we need this for budgeting reasons) is actually acting as a patron. The goal is to keep the content (ALL CONTENT, from postgame offerings to various podcasts) free for all.
Q: So, if I'm not subscribing and I'm already reading this, why give?
A: Because you value the content and our contribution to the market and you want to help us keep this stuff free for everybody.
Q: Are you going to beat us up for money all the time here?
A: Absolutely not. I will bring this up a few times heading into the football season as we attempt to meet our financial goals and create new programming. I'll also mention it in the post-game format as well as the regional programming. I will not however wear you out with this. Either you feel the need to help us or you don't. This is why I'm taking today to field some question I received after day one.
Q: What happens if this doesn't generate the revenue you're seeking?
A: We will scale back our online offerings accordingly. The blog itself could even disappear. I really don't want this to happen but will be forced to spend my time in the most profitable way necessary. That's why we're having the conversation. All my cards are on the table here.
Q: When will we be able to hear these new podcasts, like that X-Cast?
A: It's all coming soon. We premiered a new Gate Twenty Won yesterday after the Basilio Show live on the app and will debut one today from the 1980 Georgia game. As for the 'X'-Cast....I'm going to upload these in real time with minimal production. Therefore I'm hoping to get one of these up in the next 10 days. It all depends on 'X's schedule.
Q: When will Southeastern Sunday debut?
A: We're shooting for the Sunday after the first full weekend of the football season.
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