OUR Finest Moment Yesterday!!!
I've never been prouder to be a Vol fan!!! I've been here 30 years and yesterday confirmed what I've always believed. Tennessee is home to the most deserving and under-served fan base in the world. The powers that be fail you time after time yet you continue to get up off the mat and be counted!!! That's why I love this place...
The national media that thinks yesterday was about Greg SchiaNO's record as a coach don't understand a damn thing and they never will. Yesterday was about a fanbase saying, “We don't want your kind here.” We're better than taking a guy with the stain of Penn State's unspeakable scandal on him. Whether he's innocent or not is immaterial. Tennessee is not the place for ShiaNO to rehab his head coaching image. This program is bigger and better than that. How many guys are head coaches at the high school and college level? That's how far down I would've gone before deciding on SchiaNO. Period. End of sentence.
Congratulations to everybody that was a part of this. WE made history. WE (not I)...WE made Tennessee history yesterday. I know folks are blowing up my part in what happened yesterday, but the truth is that YOU made it happen. I'm just one guy. You're an army!!!! We gave a voice to the disenfranchised yesterday....Now let's get on to the business of taking back UT!!!
Orange Throat
'Fellow Miserable’s:
Random musings as we absorb the reality of the worst Tennessee football season in our lifetimes:
INCREDIBLE THINGS went on yesterday as Tony led a guerrilla movement to stop Tennessee's ill-advised hiring of Ohio State DC Greg Schiano. Ill-advised because there is sworn testimony that Schiano knew about Jerry Sandusky's behavior when Schiano was a young assistant at Penn State in the early 1990s. UT's athletics director John Currie brushed that information aside and was going through with the hire last night until the brakes were put on.
SEVERAL OUTLETS were reporting that this was signed yesterday but a massive miscalculation resulted in the deal being called off last night, apparently by both parties.
CURRIE'S EPIC MISMANAGEMENT of the Jon Gruden situation led up to this. Once again, Tennessee fans will get the black eye and unfairly.
FLORIDA, SPURNED BY SCOTT FROST AND CHIP KELLY, got Tennessee's supposed first pick, Dan Mullen and that fact will spur debates for years to come.
Tennessee fans who were unimpressed at the prospect of Mullen as their head coach may rue the day they were of that opinion.
WHERE DOES CURRIE GO FROM HERE in his seriously wounded search? Speculation centered late last night on Duke HC David Cutcliffe.
AROUND THE SEC: ARKANSAS lost to MISSOURI 48-45 and HC Bret Bielema got fired before he got to the locker room ... VANDERBILT dominated our lowly VOLUNTEERS and Commodore HC Derek Mason may get in the hunt at Arizona State.
AUBURN'S smack down of ALABAMA propels the Tigers into the SEC Championship and national playoff picture, but there is no indication that Tennessee has seriously considered Auburn DC Kevin Steele, a UT grad ... TEXAS A&M fired Kevin Sumlin after losing to LSU and now speculation centers around the Aggies going all in for Jimbo Fisher.
Orange Throat
IGYSD'
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Questions After The Currie/Haslam/SchiaNO Debacle:
Where does Tennessee go from here coaching search wise? This thing just got really interesting. Tennessee's back is to the wall. Expect the unexpected. If I'm UT's brass, I'm recalibrating after this fiasco. Take a few days and cool off. Take a look around and see what's out there. Don't rush into anything. Both Derek Dooley & Botch Jones were rush jobs. Tony Robinson was right. No need to rush into anything.
How wounded is John Currie after today? Mortally is the short answer. I know for a fact that Currie was telling fellow big money boosters that were apoplectic about the Schiano mess that the idea to hire OSU's DC was a “Haslam production.” Not good. That stuff will get back to those folks. Plus the HOH isn't going to take the blame for this.
He messed with the #Gruthers. He let people believe lies and deceptions and lost a lot of capital in the process. Why not put that stuff to bed?
How wounded is the HOH after today? They literally RAMMED Schiano down Currie's throat. That's right on the money.
Can the relationship between the HOH & Currie & Vol fans ever be repaired? The short answer again is no. I've been saying that it's time for the House of Haslam to get out of UT's business. Will this happen? Not really.
How Much Money Does UT Owe SchiaNO?
What happens to Tennessee's reputation among coaches now? It wasn't very good to begin with because the HOH are notorious meddlers. See the Cleveland Browns for more. The guy that takes this job has to really want it. I know for a fact that LES MILES is trying to get in this thing. Will he? I don't know.
Who I would watch.... In no particular order....
Where Does UT Go From Here? Jeff Brohm
Matt Campbell
David Cutcliffe
Chad Morris
Jeremy Pruitt
Brent Venables
Who I Would Hire: Lane Kiffin!!!
He would be amazing here. He would instantly win and unite the fanbase. Not to mention the excitement he would bring back to this place.
Tee Mail:
'Bro I love what you accomplished today!
You are the Rev. MLK of the Tennessee common fan! Please keep safe. I don’t trust the HOH!
On a much lighter note, how awesome was the kid that wrote on “the rock” wearing a Macho Man Randy Savage tank top!
You just created your legacy today! I’m sure your father is smiling down and telling the Good Lord, “That’s our Boy!”
Well Done!
Joey G, Nashville'
Joey:
Thanks for the kind words. I LOVED seeing those students bringing it on the rock yesterday. That was awesome. This is OUR UNIVERSITY of TENNESSEE.
'Tony,
I’m a diehard UK fan, and KSR turned me onto your show today. I understand that some of the UK fans may be laughing at the situation down there, but I’m not one of them. I despise everything Louisville but I can’t even take joy in the FBI investigation anymore. There comes a point where rivalry takes a backseat to more important issues and this like the FBI investigation are really sad and disheartening. I would rather talk trash and make fun of the fans for actions on the field/court not for stuff that happens outside the game. I truly do hope you’ll cause enough uprise to sway the decision, and I don’t anything you said about UK or us fans against you...I know it’s an emotional time and you are on the defensive. Take care man, love seeing the passion.
Michael in Kentucky'
Michael:
I told Matt Jones last night that it's all part of the game my man. At the end of the day Matt serves his fanbase and I serve mine. We all just try to do our part. If Kentucky was making a move like that I would be poking fun at them as well so I get it. The bottom line is that I was severely pissed and triggered and said some things I shouldn't have said. I really appreciate you reaching out to me. I hope we can kick y'all's ass in hoops this winter. Peace....
'Hi Tony,
I’ve been trying to call in to share this. Unless I’m misreading this, Currie’s failure money is $100K per month remaining on his contract. That equates to $1.2 million per year. His first-year salary is $900K plus incentives. It should be physically impossible for the annual buyout to exceed the annual salary. But, that stupid family did this.
Link
Thanks for your efforts today.
-Mark in Dallas'
Thanks Mark...You've illustrated the problem. We won the battle yesterday but we still have the war to fight. As long as the HOH keeps their paws in this deal it's going to be a mess. Currie should be fired for not standing up but he's going to get fired for not taking the blame.
Final Thought: Only at UT could they be staring at paying for 3 coaches and 3 AD's. This place needs a real Pilot to guide the ship.
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.
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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: Where can I find these new podcasts, like that X-Cast?
A: Click on "Podcast" wherever you see it on the site, and it will take you to our Podcast page.
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