Sportaholic Weekend Rundown 03/12/2012

Weekend Rundown

The field of 68 has been set:

The madness that is March is officially here as the NCAA tournament field has been set. No really big surprises here with the top seeds as Kentucky was named overall number one even with its loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC tourney finals. North Carolina was in the same boat after narrowly losing the ACC tournament to Florida State and still receiving a one seed. Syracuse didn’t even make the Big East final (Which is really a shame with this being their last year in the Big East) and again with this reoccurring theme they received a one seed. As a matter of fact Michigan State was the only one seed that won its conference tournament in the Big Ten. You can really see that the conference tourney doesn’t mean much to the big boys who had already clinched a high seed.



And what’s a good tournament conversation without talking about the snubs. Marshall probably has the biggest gripe after beating Big East conference tourney runner up Cincinnati in OT, taking Syracuse to the wire with a 62-56 loss and beating Iona who slipped into a tournament. Drexel also should be angry after winning 25-2 down the stretch with the CAA conference title, the committee didn’t see the Dragons strength of schedule in the 220s as a team deserving of a bid. As long as there is a NCAA tournament there will always be a team that gets snubbed and those two teams have a legit beef.



Now that the field is set get ready to get inundated with multiple bracket requests from all your friends from every website. Its March madness baby, the best three weeks on the sports calendar so get ready to fill out those brackets and miss a few days of work if your school is playing.

Bud Adams throws the kitchen sink at Peyton Manning

Bud Adams has reportedly said he will do whatever it takes to sign four time NFL MVP Peyton Manning to the Tennessee Titans. Adams said that he has contacted Manning’s agent, Tom Condon, in hopes of setting up a visit to Tennessee. Manning has recently visited the Denver Broncos and the Arizona Cardinals in his quest to find the team that best fits him after being released by the Indianapolis Colts. Adams has gone as far as saying he would offer Manning a job in the front office. Now lets be realistic here Titan fans before you get your hopes up too high. Manning will go to a team that he feels can compete for a Super Bowl if he comes in as the last piece of the puzzle. I don’t believe the Titans fit that description. Also he has made it clear that he only has a list of three teams on his list in Miami, Denver, and Arizona. Don’t get his ties to the University of Tennessee twisted in this mess as I seriously doubt that Manning has any loyalty to anyone in this state besides those who reside in Knoxville. I don’t care what Adams throws at him it just not likely to land Peyton in powder blue.



Vanderbilt upsets Kentucky to win SEC Tournament

As I was eluding to in the beginning of the column, March madness is in full bloom and the first shocker so far for me was seeing the Vanderbilt Commodores finally showed that they have what it takes to beat a quality opponent the caliber of top ranked Kentucky. The Commodores had played the Wildcats tough in their previous two meeting losing by a combined margin of just 15 points. The Wildcats had been running over all its other SEC opponents as it defeated all comers until yesterday. Vandy played tough rugged defense not allowing the Wildcats to score over the final 8:04 of the game. Vandy’s wing duo of Jeff Taylor and Jeff Jenkins combined for 35 points as the Commodores sealed the win with a 16-2 run over the final 5 minutes of the game. John Callapari has never been a big fan of the conference tournaments and his team appeared not to care much either in this one but none of that mattered to Vandy as they clinched their first SEC tournament title since 1951. Congrats to them and good luck in the NCAA’s as they drew a tough match in their first round opponent in Harvard.

Tiger injures Achilles in WGC tournament

Tiger Woods suffered yet another setback in his latest tourney. Woods said he felt discomfort in his lest Achillies that caused him to withdraw from the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship. "I felt tightness in my left Achilles warming up this morning, and it continued to get progressively worse," said Woods, who made three bogeys and no birdies during the final round. "After hitting my tee shot at 12, I decided it was necessary to withdraw. In the past, I may have tried to continue to play, but this time, I decided to do what I thought was necessary." Tiger will likely shut it down until the Masters now after this latest injury. Woods actually had the same injury last year at the Masters as well so this turning into a chronic problem. My guess is that Tiger wants to go into the Masters as healthy as possible and lets hope he is as close as can be to 100% once Augusta gets going.

Bynum late hook shot helps Lakers take down Celtics in latest version of heated rivalry

You expect nothing less than a close game from these heated rivals and that’s exactly what you got in this one. Kobe scored 10 of his 26 in 4th quarter and even suggested that Andrew Bynum take the last shot with everyone in the building looking for Bryant to take it. “Andrew is too big. You can’t teach that,” Bryant said with a grin. “I knew it was going to be a high-percentage shot.” The teams had battled the entire game with one time making a run only to have to the other do the same. Rajon Rondo had 24 points and 10 assists. He would miss horribly on a desperate tie attempt for the Celtics. The Lakers have been nearly unbeatable at home winning for the 18th time in 19 tries at home. This game was important in the sense that it could be the last time we see this current version of both teams square off against each other. The Lakers have been in constant flux of trade rumors with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Boston has also been rumored to be ready to break up the Big 4 of Rondo, Garnett, Allen, and Pierce. If this was the last one then between the two at least they gave us one last classic to remember.

Sportaholic College Basketball: What's wrong with the Vanderbilt Commodores?

This was a season that started off with the dreaded high expectations moniker for the Vanderbilt Commodores men’s basketball team. This was a team that that was coming off a 23-11 season that ended in disappointment after a 2nd round tournament loss to underdog Richmond. Despite the tasting that bitter pill of defeat early in the tourney the Commodores returned its core players including likely NBA draftees John Jenkins, Jeffrey Taylor and Festus Ezeli who all opted to remain in college for another shot at the NCAA tournament. They seemed poised for a deep run and started the season ranked number 7 in the nation on the strength of their experience and the best players coming back for one more year with Kevin Stallings.

However, things have not worked out as planned so far this year and its not even close. The Commodores have stumbled out the blocks to a 7-4 record. Now it’s hard to fault them on their two losses to highly ranked teams like Xavier and Louisville but their other two losses against the likes of Cleveland State and Indiana are a different story. The team seems lacking in the finishing department as they have led in the last minutes of all their losses. It’s hard to fathom why this team isn’t better in crunch time with a player in Jeff Taylor that is as versatile as any in the country and a dead eye shooter in John Jenkins who led the SEC in scoring last year. They are sorely missing the inside presence of Ezeli who has been sidelined the entire year with a sprained knee. He gives the ‘Dores a much needed presence in the post that helps spread the floor for their shooters like Jenkins, Taylor, and Brad Tinsley and also tremendous for them on the defensive side of the ball. I have been waiting since last year for Taylor to emerge as the guy with his skills and defensive prowess but he just doesn’t seem to want to take on that role even as a senior. Even Jenkins seems to shy away from taking the last shot and that’s really shocking when you see him light up teams for 20 and 30 points. He has such a beautiful stroke and shoots with ease so it really bothers me that he hasn't stepped up and become the guy.  No one the team wants to be the guy and when you have a team full of followers and not leaders you know what to expect as result.

Although the loss of Ezeli is a big one, the Commodores still be better than what we’ve witnessed so far from the. Ezeli can’t make them perform better in late game situations and neither can he in most cases be the guy who takes the last shot. A lot of Vanderbilt fans are beginning to point the finger of blame to Head Coach Kevin Stallings. Stallings is in his 13th year at the helm of the Vanderbilt program. His hard edge task master mentality toward his players rubs some the wrong way. But this is a coach that has won two SEC coach of the year awards (2007 and 2010) and has taken Vanderbilt to two Sweet Sixteen’s. Most critics of Stallings say he has a hard time of maximizing his team’s abilities as evident by recent rash of early tournament exits and some of his big time recruits not panning out. The Commodores under Stallings has seemingly always been a team with high expectations that disappoint every year and this season would be the greatest of them all with what most would call his best ever roster. Stallings is very blunt guy and tells it like it is. This is what he to say about John Jenkins after their loss to Indiana State: "They did a good job of getting up on John," Stallings said. "He was too quick to try and pinch off shots. There was no rhythm to our offense, but we had no rhythm the whole week of practice."

Whoever is to blame the Commodores need to crank it up as the season if they hope to meet those lofty goals that were made when the season started. Someone other than Coach Stallings has to become the voice of authority for this team. Rather it be Jeff Taylor, John Jenkins, Brad Tinsley or whoever. Vanderbilt teams since forever have been labeled as soft and nothing has changed from what we have seen so far. The team really misses Ezeli who is their muscle but can’t just rely on him to do everything in the post. They have to develop some intestinal fortitude when a guy like Xavier guard Tu Holloway goes off for 10 points in overtime. This team is just too talented to have the type of mental lapses it has during the most important times of the game. The beauty of this whole thing is that have plenty of more games to figure it out. They will get another crack at a top 25 opponent in Marquette. The Golden Eagles just suffered their first loss as LSU pulled the upset 67-59, so naturally they will be looking for blood after losing to one SEC team.

For the fans of the Commodores this was suppose to be the season of all seasons for them as they looked finally ready to get over the hump and make a possible Final Four run but if they don’t develop a late game go to guy and continue to play as soft as they have, they will limp into the tournament with a lower seed and set up another possible 1st round exit. Maybe it was the high expectations that have led to them faltering. Ezeli will come back soon so we will get a better gauge of what team is to become. Here is hoping that they get their act together once he does. The problem with Vanderbilt these days are the Commodores themselves. They have to look into the mirror and realize that they are just a better team than the one we’ve seen one quarter into the season.

Sportaholic College Football Weekend Setup 10/05/11

As we enter week 6 of the college football season, we can finally see some separation from the contending teams and the pretending teams. LSU, Bama, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma in the infamous words of Dennis Green’s Monday night football rant “Are who we thought they were” as all have been at the top of the polls since before the season started and they all have proved they belonged. On the other hand Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and Florida State have all tumbled out the top 10 and are just holding on for dear life to salvage their seasons. There have been a few upstarts as well as Clemson, Texas, and maybe the biggest surprise of them all in my book the Auburn Tigers have silently crept up the polls and put themselves in prime position to contend this year. The meat and potatoes of most programs schedules are now on deck and the battle for a spot in the BCS national championship really takes hold. This week’s feature games include the Red River Shootout between Texas and Oklahoma of course, which may be much more interesting this year than most of us anticipated. Florida vs. LSU would have been good match up this time last week until Bama made a pretzel out of Jeff Brantley’s ankle. Lord be with you Jeff Driskell, the freshman starting in place of Brantley against that mean LSU defense. Ohio State vs. Nebraska sounds like it should be to-notch game especially with the weight those two names usually carry, but that’s until you look at those two teams season so far. Ohio State has been dismal on offense and the Huskers just got husked by Wisconsin.

Our local products in Tennessee have fared well so far this year. The University of Tennessee is 3– 1 on the strength of Tyler Bray’s arm and the teams prolific aerial attack. Even the Vanderbilt Commodores are 3-1 although they are coming off a blowout loss to South Carolina. There is plenty to be excited about for both programs as both show potential to be in the mix of the SEC East this year and beyond. I know a lot of people reading this will say ok I will give you Tennessee but Vandy? Yes the Commodores traditionally stink but young James Franklin is bringing a certain level of swagger to that program and has picked up the recruiting as well. Don’t be surprised when Vanderbilt pulls out a few upset victories over the next couple of years.



Now let’s jump into a few breakdowns:

Red River Shootout: Texas (4-0) vs. Oklahoma (4-0) – Going into the season it was hard for me to imagine this game would be any good. Oklahoma was far and away the best team in the Big 12 and ranked # 1 in the pre-season polls. Texas was just trying to get their respect back after a disappointing 5-7 campaign last year that saw them miss a bowl game altogether. But with the emergence of the little bro duo as I like to call them, Case McCoy and Jaxon Shipley have brought the Longhorns back from the dead (And David Ash as well). Oklahoma has been rolling of course with that explosive offense and experienced defense. You can’t start off a conversation about Oklahoma’s offense without mentioning QB Landry Jones and his top WR Ryan Broyles. Those two guys are in sync more than Justin Timberlake and JC Chavez. They provide a tough match up for the young Longhorn secondary. Another bright spot for Texas is freshman RB Malcolm Brown who has provided the rushing attack the Longhorns missed so much over past few years. This one should be close just for the sheer hatred that both of these schools have for each other. But when push comes to shove and Jones begins to heat up for OU, I just don’t see how the young Texans will be able to stop the Boomer Sooners offense. The Pick: Oklahoma

Georgia (2-2) vs. Tennessee (3-1) - This is an elimination game of sorts. Both teams already have one lost in the SEC with Georgia going down to South Carolina and Florida drilling UT a couple of weeks ago. The winner of this game will at least be tied for first place in the SEC East after South Carolina lost to Auburn last week. The game itself should see excellent QB play as pre-season 1st team all SEC QB Andy Murray of Georgia will be going up against the Tennessee gunslinger himself Tyler Bray (Who surprisingly didn’t make the cut of All-SEC picks in the pre-season when guys like Stephen Garcia did, what a joke).Georgia’s young freshman RB Isaiah Crowell has picked it up of late rushing for 100 yards in both of the last two SEC games for the Bulldogs. The team that is able to stop the other’s offense should win this game. That easier said than done as both have potent attacks as I mentioned above. WR Da’Rick Rogers, who now is Bray’s new favorite target with the ACL tear to the dynamic Justin Hunter, will have to step up big time in this one. Tennessee will need to get him the ball early and also try to establish its run game. The Bulldogs have one of the better defenses in the SEC so that will be hard to do. If Andy Murray can control himself and RB Crowell gets going, I think it will be too much for the Vols even though the are playing in Knoxville. The Pick: Georgia

Auburn (4-1) vs. Arkansas (4-1): Another good SEC game on the docket and I just couldn’t help )myself from previewing this one. This one intrigues me because you have two teams with spread offenses capable of putting a lot of points of the board in a hurry. Arkansas proved that last week as they came back from 18 down to beat Texas A&M. Tyler Wilson was a MAN as he passed for 510 yards despite taking multiple hits from the Aggies. Auburn defeated South Carolina and now has the ol ball coach Steve Spurrier switching out his QBs after Stephen Garcia (9/23 with two picks) could only muster up 13 points for the Gamecocks. Auburn’s defense surprisingly held stud RB Marcus Lattimore to just 68 yards as well but they won’t have to worry about that much against the Razorbacks who’s running game has been absent every since RB Knile Davis went down. Michael Dyer will lead the Tigers on offense as they try to control the clock. Arkansas and Bobby Petrino likes to get up and down the field and especially with those receivers they have. Jarius Wright is just a beast and creates match up nightmares all over the field with his blend of size and speed. That not even mentioning Joe Adams, Greg Childs and Cobi Hamilton. Wilson just has too many targets and I think last weeks performance from the Auburn defense was more of the product of poor play from Stephen Garcia. Wilson will have no such let down so I will roll with the Razorbacks on this one. The Pick: Arkansas

Game of the Week: Texas vs. Oklahoma: Anytime the Red River Shootout is on the schedule its makes for an easy pick. This game will be closer than most expect as I stated earlier. Who knows maybe Texas can even spring the upset but even if they don’t it makes for an interesting game seeing Longhorn and Sooner fans interact. You can see the disdain for each other as they are entering the stadium and when the drinks get flowing the crowd will be rocking.

Most Intriguing Game: Nebraska vs. Ohio State: This sounds like it should a candidate for game of week or even of the year in most seasons. Unfortunately this isn’t your granddads Buckeye teams as they have just been horrific on offense this year. To add to there misery, they got word from the NCAA that RB Dan Herren and WR Devier Posey would has additional game added to there suspensions. Nebraska can’t be that happy either after getting it handed to them last week by Wisconsin. I think its intriguing because it’s the second game in the Big 10 for the Huskers after their baptism by fire last week. They should come out much more relaxed and run away in this one but Ohio State still has playmakers on defense so we will see what happens here.

Under the radar game: Arizona State (4-1) vs. Utah (2-2). Lets take a trip out west for a showdown in the Pac-12. If the Sun Devils can get by Utah then the schedule opens up nicely for them to make a run at the Pac-12 title. If they lose this will, it would make things much harder than it has to be.

Wake me when it over game: Lousiana Tech (1-4) vs. Idaho (1-4) – Both have lost three in a row and rank in the bottom tier of offense and defense. So no good offense to watch against bad defenses, sounds like a classic snoozer to me.

Coach better get it right game; Boston College (1-4) vs. Clemson (5-0) – Tom O’Brien is a good coach who has fallen on hard times with BC. He has a chance to show that his team is still somewhat relevant against the Tigers. He has to be on the hot seat after a miserable season last year and an even worse one this year. Good luck to him but I don’t see how he lasts past this year as their head coach but it he was to start a run to keep his job this would be the perfect game to start.

I also will be covering the Tennessee State vs. Southeast Missouri State game this weekend, so if your going to game make sure to holler at me.

Sportaholic College Football Weekend Finale

ESPN billed this weekend of games in college football as “Road Test Weekend” and the guys up there in Bristol hit it right on the head with that moniker. The top three out of four teams in the nation (Oklahoma, LSU, and Boise State) took a stiff road test and passed with flying colors. LSU with its vaunted defense held Mississippi State in check. Oklahoma weathered the storm and a more mature Seminole defense to pull out their victory and Boise trounced Toledo, who a lot of people thought were pretty good because of their play against Ohio State. That was until everyone saw the Buckeyes get demolished by Miami, who held them to almost no passing yards. Auburn finally ran out of comebacks as Clemson’s dynamic duo of Tajh Boyd and Sammuy Watkins got the best of the Tigers. Tennessee wasn’t quite ready for the big stage of the swamp and lost star receiver Justin Hunter in the process, which stinks for everyone in college football to lose one of the great receivers of the nation. Conference play begins soon and teams will look to be at their best as that part of the schedule starts.

# 1 Oklahoma 23 # 5 Florida State 13 – What a difference a year makes. This was a totally different game from last year’s massacre in Norman. The young Seminoles came to play ball but still came up short against the nation’s best team. Landry Jones didn’t put up his usual big numbers, finishing with just 199 yards 18/27 passing and had more Ints (2) then TDs (1) but it was enough for the victory. It wasn’t the most spectacular performance of offense for either side as the Sooners stifled FSU all game as Seminole QB BJ Manuel couldn’t get anything going against the relentless pressure from Oklahoma. Manuel tried his best as he scrambled for a few big gainers, but he was eventually hurt after taking a big shot from stud Sooners LB Travis Lewis. FSU freshman QB Cody Trickett came in relief and performed nicely under the pressure as he hooked up with Rashard Greene for a 56-yard TD pass but the 13-13 score would be as close as the Seminoles got as the Sooners pulled away in the late 4th. Jones hit an open Kenny Stills for a 37-yard TD and Oklahoma got a FG for even more insurance with 2:00 minutes left to play. Oklahoma proved that they are number 1 as Florida State should be proud with the performance they put on. Florida State will be around the top for awhile as they are young and will only get better.

#16 Florida 33 Tennessee 23 – Chirs Rainey put on a show against the out-manned Vols as he ran for over 100 yards and also had over 100 yards receiving as well as the Gators downed the Vols for the seventh straight time in the swamp. Rainey and other Florida speedster Jeff Demps ran circles around the UT defense but this one seemed to be over before it started as Vols star receiver Justin Hunter went down with a tore ACL on his very first catch of the game. As it turns out, that will be his last catch of this year and it took all the air out of the UT offense from that point. Tyler Bray was still slinging the ball and had a decent game going 26/48 for 288 yards and 3 TDs. Bray also had 2 interceptions and none worse than an ill-advised throw to begin the second half as the Vols were still in the game at 16-7. The UT defense held serve and only gave up a FG but on the next UT possession the Vols went three and out and Chris Rainey blocked Tennessee’s punt. This guy was everywhere and his speed gave UT problems all day. The play that broke the Vols back was the 80-yard reception that saw Rainey burst through the UT secondary off a screen past and once he got in the open field, no one was going to catch the 4.2 forty runner. UT had no way to match the speed of Florida and will continue to lose games against the Gators until they can. Another problem was the snaps form Center James Stone, who is a natural lefty but chose to switch this summer to his right hand for a more natural exchange. The Vols will get better as the season goes on but this one will stew in the minds for the next 364 days.

Miami 24 #17 Ohio State 6 – Talk about a pathetic offensive display, The Ohio State University has played a lot of football but may have never put as worse of passing numbers as they did this past weekend. Their two QBs combined to go 4/18 for 35 yards. It was just as awful a passing attack as I have ever seen. The “Canes on the other hand got a big game from Lamar Miller (184 yards 26 carries) as he repeatedly gashed and dashed the Buckeyes defense. Fresh off his suspension, Jacory Harris was decent as he went 15/23 for 123 yards with 2 TDs and of course his customary 2 interceptions. The Hurricanes also welcomed back LB Sean Spence who had a big game along with WR Travis Benjamin. The “Canes were just too tough for a lackluster Ohio State team that seems to be missing the key play makers that have made so fun to watch over the last few years. The Ineligible bowl rendered both team without some of their best players but you could tell it was Ohio State that missed theirs the most. They would probably take Terrelle Pryor back if that’s all they can do on offense.



Other Notable games and players:

Clemson: I got a chance to see the electric Tajh Boyd of Clemson for the first time this weekend and at first glance I wasn’t really impressed. Auburn stormed out to a 21-3 lead and it looked as if they would just overwhelm the Tigers. But in the words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend” as Clemson stormed back thanks to the uber-athletic Boyd and the speedy WR Sammy Watkins. He made plays with his feet and arm to help Clemson ended Auburn’s 17-game win streak. Boyd and the Tigers showed a lot of resolve in that one and the most fired up guy in the stadium had to be Clemson coach Dabo Swiney. Look up his post game interview if you don’t believe me.

Marcus Lattimore continues his Heisman campaign: This is a man playing football for the South Carolina Gameocks. He absolutely shredded the defensive line of Navy (I know its just Navy but you still have to give it to him.) The super soph ran for 246 yards on 37 carries as he just bulldozed his way over the midshipman defenders. He is just a load to bring down and when you have the threat of Alshon Jeffrey on the other side it makes him even more dangerous. As long as the Gamecocks continue to win, then the better the chances Lattimore has to take the Heisman. Its funny to think that Steve Spurrier is running the ball 37 times. Boy has time changed.

Vanderbilt 3-0 – Its hard to fathom that Vandy is off to a 3-0 start for many reasons. Head Coach James Franklin was brought to tears at his post game press conference as he described what he called as a team that has bought in to his high energy approach. The Commodores just obliterated the Ole Miss Rebels 30-7 and gave the “Dores their first 3-0 record since WWII. Vandy has used a number of offensive gadget plays and they seem to be working as their offense outgained Ole Miss 387-234 in total offense. I don’t like to see a grown man cry but I understand Franklin getting a little emotional after his team’s great effort. It was their largest margin of defeat over a SEC opponent since 1971 against Mississippi State.

Boston College: There a few teams that you just don’t lose to in college football. Duke has to be near the top of the list and the Golden Eagles were handed a dose of humility in their lost this weekend to the Blue Devils. The loss of the Blue Devils sent the Golden Eagles to 0-3 and their streak of 12 consecutive bowl appearances appear to be in jeopardy.

Sportaholic College Football Preview: Vanderbilt Commodores

College Football is just around the corner with the first games scheduled on September 1st. So with that in mind, we here at the Sportaholic.com figured it was about time to rev up the college football machine and review some local team in our area. With our expanded roster, we now can cover teams from all over the nation but we will start with our home teams. Each week leading up to the season we will have capsules on the University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University, and Tennessee State University. We will follow those teams with some of the national powers as well, just to make sure we cover all of our bases.




To start things off, we will ask just a few basic questions on each team as: Offense, Defense, what are their strengths, what are their weaknesses, who will be their impact players and what do you project as their season outlook just to name a few. We love college athletics here at the Sportaholic and this just one of many college football posts we have awaiting our viewers this season. So sit back and relax as we here at the Sportaholic preview some of your favorite teams from all over the nation.




Vanderbilt University Commodores:

By Taylor Cannon

After Head Coach Bobby Johnson resign before the start of the 2010 season, it started a rough ride for the Commodores which ended in a 2-10 record, but with a new offensive minded and driven head coach in James Franklin (For more on Coach Franklin read this one on one interview Carlos wrote on him at http://sportaholic2112.blogspot.com/2011/08/can-james-franklin-change-vanderbilt.html) who hopes to turn a program who is well below .500 in conference play (.248) and barely cracking .500 historically as a program (.498) in wins.

1. Offense – The run game looks to be rock solid (maybe Vandy has one of the most talented backfield in the nation) With Warren Norman and Zac Staley. Franklin is going to have fun trying to find ways of getting them on the field at the same time (maybe he might move Staley to a slot receiver position), but the key has to be the QB position. Larry Smith is the starter but do not be surprised to see true freshman. Lafonte Thourgood seeing some playing time (Virginia Tech wanted him, but VU stole him they even called it one of the signs of the 2012 Apocalypse ) and JUCO transfer Jordan Rodgers (little brother of the Super Bowl MVP Champ Aaron Rodgers) . with receivers John Cole Jonathan Krause, Mackey Award Finalist Brandon Bardon, and converted wideout Wesley Tate hopefully this offense can be quite effective, as injuries plagued the offense last year and in 2009 but if they can stay healthy don’t be surprised to hear the Naval horn sounding off frequently during the season

2. Defense – Vandy’s D is experienced but could be better as upswing Chris Marve returns at LB. It remains to be seen if he can stay healthy, if so he will be a major help and at secondary. Sean Richardson, Kenny Ladler and Casey Hayward should make SEC QBs think twice about passing in their zone and the line is talented as well with Colt Nichter, Josh Jelesky and TJ Greenstone. If the team remains healthy they should be able to do great things and improve on the horrible 31.2 points allowed a game average from last year.

Vandy Coach James Franklin.

3. What are the team’s strengths? 19 starters, a young energetic and positive coach who should play some of his freshman class, a good run game, and a decent secondary. This team played mostly freshman last year, but now they have a year of experience and ready to prove to the conference that they aren’t the same Commodore teams of years past.

Lafonte Thurgood

4. Who are the team’s impact players? Running Backs Zac Staley and Warren Norman on offense. On defense Casey Hayward at Cornerback and Chris Marve at Linebacker. Look for Rodgers and Thourgood to push Quarterback Larry Smith for playing time this season and either one might give Vandy some upside should Mr. Smith is inconsistent or injured.

5. What is the team weaknesses? Youth (Most of last years starters were freshman), defense and adjusting to a new coach. The team hasn’t been healthy enough to show their talent. Offensive line may be a problem with only 9 players from the unit that participated in the spring game, but 5 of them were starters last year so they are experienced but must improve on the 36 sacks (most in the SEC they gave up. Plus a brutal schedule with a stretch of games at South Carolina, at Alabama and home against Georgia will test this young Vanderbilt team for sure

6. Season projection and predicted record: After watching video on Mr. Franklin talk and hearing him on the radio, Vandy has found its coach to take them to the next level and might win SEC coach on the year this season. This team is a sleeper if they can be healthy and feed off their energetic coach I predict 7-5 (key wins over Ole Miss Georgia and Kentucky) should have them here in the Music City Bowl. Even if they do not become bowl eligible this team might be the most exciting football team to watch in Nashville.

Can James Franklin change Vanderbilt from lovable losers to contenders?

Franklin's relentless energy has been contagious for the Commodores

When someone mentions the Vanderbilt football program, It’s difficult for me not to go into a chuckle. I honestly have to stop myself from bursting into full blown hardy laughter because the Vandy program has always been a joke here in Nashville. There are various reasons behind Vandy football being comical as this is a team that perennially in the cellar of the mighty SEC conference. They are synonymous with losing just as the Chicago Cubs, the L.A. Clippers and the Cincinnati Bengals (insert jokes here) all are in there respective sport leagues. Speaking of the Chicago Cubs, the Vanderbilt football program are the lovable losers of the SEC. Teams usually facing the Commodores routinely mark that game as a win when they look at their schedule because lets face it, the Commodores usually are a bad team. They are a premier academic school (Ranked # 17th by US News and World Report) smack dab in the middle of the behemoth football conference in all of college. So it’s understandable that they will have a hard time getting W’s with so many players not solely focused on athletics as they would be at powerhouses like Florida, Alabama and LSU just to name a few. The ineptitude of Vandy is remarkable when you take a look at the numbers. Check a few quick facts below for better illustration of my point:




• Vanderbilt football has not won a conference championship since 1923




• Vanderbilt has competed in only four bowl games total in its history dating back to 1894.



• By comparison, all of the other SEC's charter members (Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Mississippi State, Florida, Georgia, and Ole Miss) have no fewer than 14 bowl appearances.



• Vanderbilt has posted only four winning seasons—in 1974, 1975, 1982 and 2008.



• They have beaten rival (If you can even call this a rivalry), Tennessee only once (2005) in the past 28 years.

Brian Kimbrow

However, that lovable loser mentality may be changing when the Commodores added new coach James Franklin to their payroll. The former hotshot offensive coordinator of Maryland has brought a fresh approach and new spunk to a program that needed a nice kick in the rear. This was never more evident then when Franklin recruited and landed the top three prospects in the state of Tennessee this year, out-dueling Derek Dooley and hated rival University of Tennessee for their services. Tennessee has always dominated the in-state battles for talent around these parts, so this was monumental for the Commodores. In landing Caleb Azubike, Brian Kimbrow (Rated best player in the state of Tennessee by Rivals.com) and Corey Batey, Franklin served notice that HIS Vandy team will be no push-overs. Franklin has identified what is what most fans and pundits think as a weakness and turned it into a powerful recruiting tool. The weakness that I am speaking of is their prominent academics reputation. Just like Jim Harbaugh did at Stanford, Gary Barnett at Northwestern and Tyrone Willingham at Notre Dame were able to utilize scholastic value in recruitment, so has Franklin. This is important because as most recently proved by Harbaugh at Stanford, if you can turn that perceived chink in the armor into an actual positive, then you have set yourself up in an enviable position.

Also, Franklin’s persona and charisma has seemed to resonate with the younger generation of players. “I've had a chance to think about this for two years now," Kimbrow said. "I've been being recruited since 10th grade. ... This is where I feel comfortable. This is where I want to go." Franklin is young, hip, and understands players more than older coaches ever will. He has embraced technology in a way former Vandy coach Bobby Johnson never did. Franklin is on twitter, facebook and all the various social networks used today by young players. He also hasn’t brought into the notion that Vanderbilt can’t be a successful football school. And his confidence is a breath of fresh air for a school use to playing but not competing with the big boys of the SEC. He has been relentless and it seems to rubbing off on his players as they see a man they can put their trust in.

In closing, James Franklin has come to a down and out program and already put his stamp on it. This is a team that is coming off two consecutive 2-10 seasons and is not far removed from having its most successful coach retire (Bobby Johnson) right before the start of the season (2009). The program was in shambles even for Vandy, but it appears all this has changed since the slam dunk hiring of Franklin. A lot credit has to given to David Williams of Vandy for choosing to bring in the young and brash Franklin. The results on the field may not show this year as Vandy still has holes all over its roster. They still need to find a consistent QB who can lead the offense and they also need former 1,000 yard back Warren Norman to return to pre-injury form. It’s a lot to ask for but considering the miracles Franklin has already accomplished it shouldn’t be that hard for him. Vandy has a bright future which is something you almost never heard before he arrived. “This is an opportunity to be a part of something special ... turning a program around ... building something with your own hands so that when you look back, three, four, five years from now, you can be very, very proud of what you've accomplished," said Franklin regarding the future of the program.



Only time will tell if Franklin pans out here in Nashville. One thing I gather from researching and writing column is that it won’t be for lack of trying and that is just what the doctor ordered for the lovable losers of the SEC, better known as the Vanderbilt Commodores.

The Sportaholic Weekly Roundup

This has been one the busiest weeks in recent memory for me. I’ve had to take care of my daughter while her mother is out of town, and it seems she just learned the secret that if she makes a certain face at me I will turn straight into a cream puff and she can get whatever she wants. On top of that I’ve had car trouble, new training at my job, and all kind of other stuff. Thus I haven’t been able to post as much as I would like. I’ve missed a few things that I have to talk about today and I mean absolutely have speak my mind on these subjects.




So let me jump right into the weekly roundup as I touch bases on all of the biggest stories of the week.

Fan dies after falling at Texas Rangers game: For starters I want to send out my condolences to the family of Shannon Stone. As many of you already know, Stone was tragically killed attempting to secure a baseball thrown in the stands by Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton. It was just one of those freak accidents that captures everyone’s attention. Stone was a local firefighter who just wanted to give his son a souvenir from one of the games best players. Stone was reportedly coherent enough to check on his son after his fall of over 20 feet. The players all thought that he would be ok but unfortunately he was not. It just puts a damper on the game itself and humbles me as a parent to see such a untimely death of such a honorable man.

Kerry Collins calls it a career: ''The past several months have brought on much introspection, and I have decided that while my desire to compete on Sundays is still and always will be there, my willingness to commit to the preparation necessary to play another season has waned to a level that I feel is no longer adequate to meet the demands of the position,'' Collins said in a statement





Kerry Collins retirement comes as somewhat of a surprise to me. There were earlier reports that Collins was looking to secure a deal with any team that was willing to give him a look at the starting QB spot but that was a pipe dream for him in the first place. The Titans drafting Jake Locker in the first lightning round and the rigors of coming back from the lockout had to play a role in



him hanging up his cleats. Collins was a steady QB in the latter part of his career after being an up and down one in his prime. Most people forget that he was the fifth overall pick in the 1995 draft for the Carolina Panthers and led them to an NFC championship game. He also led the New York Giants to the Super Bowl in 2000. He has overcome alcoholism problem and a lot of adversity to put up solid career numbers including: 40,441 passing yards, 206 passing TDs, and a career completion rate of 55.8. One thing I can say about Collins is that he was always ready when his number was called upon. As many Tennessee Titans fans will tell you, Vince Young could not be counted on as much as we would have liked. Collins always made us feel comfortable because we knew Kerry could come in and run the offense arguably better than Young could. Collins always had a cannon for an arm and as long as you protected him he could get the job done. Asking the 38 year old 16-year veteran to mentor yet another rookie QB who eventually was going to take his spot was probably just too much to ask for again out of Collins. Collins retirement puts the Titans in a precarious situation at QB with only Locker and 2nd year man Rusty Smith on the depth chart. Look for them to be active in free agency as soon as the lockout is lifted. Matt Hasselbeck and Donovan McNabb come to mind as the first choices to take overt in Tennessee and hold down the fort until Locker is ready to start. I wish you well Kerry in your next endeavor, you served admirably here in Tennessee putting up with Vince Young’s mess of an attitude, Jeff Fisher’s conservatism and uncreative play-calling and Bud Adams cheap reputation. Farewell Kerry.

Roy Williams mails it in on the field on and off: How about Roy Williams of my beloved Dallas Cowboys? Is this guy on drugs or does he really think that highly of himself? So let me get this straight, he sends his former Miss Texas girlfriend an engagement ring by way of mail? And to top it off he proposes to her by video? Can you imagine this beauty queen’s expression when she received the ring in the mail? Woman are taught from a very young age how prince charming will come in and whisk them away, but Williams’s proposal basically said “Screw all of that just put the ring on and lets get this over with.” Way to step your game up Roy that really rocked her world when she received your marriage proposal. I have to say he did give us men something to tell our women something about sports. I’m kind of glad she turned him down after such a lame excuse of a proposal, serves him right and here is the kicker he has the gall to tell her to keep it because she will come back. Then again when I think about it Roy Williams’ has been half stepping every since he was traded to Dallas so why should this surprise anyone in the first place? Thanks again Roy for making the guys who did it the right way and actually got on one knee look great in the process of your humiliation.

Watch out Tennessee Vols, Vandy has a new sheriff in town: As a Tennessee Vol football fan I have never worried about recruiting battles with Vanderbilt because quite frankly the Vols trump the Commodres every time. James Franklin has come in right away and changed that perception as he has charmed players with charismatic attitude. The former Maryland offensive coordinator has taken three of the top prospects right from under UT’s and Derek Dooley’s nose. Brian Kimbrow, a four-star recruit from Memphis was the gem of the class as he was the highest rated player in the state and had offers from the likes of Notre Dame, USC and of course Tennessee. He is only the second four star recruit in the history of the Vanderbilt program. Caleb Azubike and Corey Batey also joined Vanderbilt’s class which already is shaping up as one the best ever in school history. I’ve never met Franklin but I can tell that his approach is working with the kids. He is young and has a swagger that the young kids seem to reverberate with. This could be just the beginning for Franklin as well. He could possibly be building something at the most academic natured school in all of the SEC. Good hire by David Williams and the Vandy staff, you can’t help but to like the direction that the program is going under Franklin. The ball is in your court now Tennessee especially you Derek Dooley.

Derek Jeter can you please get your 3,000th hit: I admit I am a lifelong Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves fan so the whole DJ3K thing doesn’t really get me excited. But I respect greatness from any player that fits the bill and Jeter certainly does. He is slowly declining and the ‘Ol bat speed isn’t what it use to be but when you really sit back and think about it, Jeter may is the last great positional player the Yankees have from their dynasty days in the early 2000s. Jorge Posada still plays sparingly and Mariana Rivera is the closer so technically Jeter is the last everyday player the linked to those glory days in Yankee lore. He represents everything the Yankees are about and with him getting his 3,000th hit it should be rightfully celebrated. But all I’m saying is just get it over with already please. The media insatiable thirst for anything Yankees, Jeter, or New York has led to bat by bat coverage and all kinds of over-sensationalism in the media. The good thing is he is only two hits away from putting away this media frenzy that has been bestowed upon him. As a Red Sox fan I hope Jeter gets his 3,000 hit in the next game and everyone celebrates and all of that good stuff only to have the Yankess lose. Sorry that’s just the way it goes in Red Sox nation.

Deron Williams in talks to play overseas due to lockout: The first salvo has been fired in the NBA lockout as the first superstar of the league has reportedly come to terms to play for Besiktas, a Turkish team in the euroleague. This comes as a bit of a surprise that Williams would put himself in harms way just to play during the lockout. But upon further examination this is exactly what the players should do I when think about it. If the owners wants to lockout its players what other options are out there for guys who in the prime of their athletic lives? Williams’s decision is based on his assumption that the league will be locked out for an extended amount of time and his signing could open the gates for other players to join him. The same club that has a deal in the works for Williams is also reaching out to the black mamba himself Kobe Bryant. I doubt if many of the leagues premier players jump overseas just to play but it’s good to have all of your options open. The players know that this will anger their NBA teams and could lead to all kind of legal ramifications but if the owners wouldn’t have cried wolf and created this situation then it wouldn’t be necessary in the first place. FIBA has a long standing relationship with the NBA and knows that making David Stern and co angry isn’t the route to go. They have to take a long look at the current situation and hope that it doesn’t interfere with the relationship that they have cultivated with the premier basketball league in the world. Stay tuned as this could just be the first of many players including Pau Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Rudy Fernandez who have all publicly said they would consider playing elsewhere if the lockout continues.



Alright, that does it for me this week. I hope everyone reading has a great weekend. I look forward to posting my articles daily as I have always done next week now that my daughter’s mother is back in town (Thank you God). Also be on the lookout for my new radio show: The Sportaholic radio hour on Beatknockin.com. It’s an online radio station so tune in on Saturday’s from 10-12 pm if you happen to be by a computer or device that allows you listen.

The Weekend Run-down June 6, 2011

It was another wild weekend in sports. The French Open crowned a new champion and first ever Asian winner on the women’s side in Li Na. The men’s side was more of the same as Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer for his 6th French title. The NBA Finals continue to roll on as Miami pulled out a close win with a questionable call. Vancouver took a 2-0 lead against the Boston Bruins thanks to a guy who many think shouldn’t even be playing. And in local news, Vanderbilt defeats Belmont in a game of hometown favorites to advance to the college baseball super regional.

Let’s jump right into it:

Women’s French Final: Li Na and Rafael Nadal win the French Open: Li Na made history as she became the first major winner, man or woman, from Asia. The country of 1.3 billion hasn’t fully embraced the game of tennis yet but maybe this will generate some buzz as Na looks to be at the top of the game now. She defeated defending champion Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-6(0). Na admitted on Twitter how nervous she was but said she never showed her opponent. Its great to see history made and Na will rise to no.4 in the next WTA rankings as career looks to continue rising. The French may not yet be use to giving her the winner’s trophy as they mistakenly gave Na the winner’s up hardware instead. When you make history people have get accustomed to something new but more than likely it was just a simple mistake.

Men’s French Final: Rafa and Roger treated us to yet another great finals match-up. Both seemed to struggle just to make it here but they both showed us why they are considered two of the best to ever play the game. Federer came out and set the tone for the match as he hit a number of his signature forehands. Federer would lose steam though as he had a drop shot that went just wide. Rafa would take over from there displaying his defensive style of tennis and would go on to take the match 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1. The win gives Nadal his 10th major championship and his numbers at Roland Garros are just astonishing. He is 45-1 all-time on clay and his latest major performance against Federer makes him 6-2 against him in major finals. He now is creeping into the talk of greatest ever and at age 25 he should have a lot left in the tank to take a run at Federer’s all-time major wins mark of 16.

NBA Finals:

Miami 88 Dallas 86: The Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks 88-86 to take a 2-1 game lead in the final series of the NBA season. Dwayne Wade was the difference make in this one as he torched the Mavs for 29 points and 11 rebounds. He dominated early as he scored 19 points in the first half as Dallas could do nothing to prevent the ultra quick Wade from getting to the basket. Miami would take a big lead down the stretch just as they did in game 2 and Dirk would take over for the Mavs again. He would score 12 straight Dallas points to get them tied at 86. The much maligned and Dallas native Chris Bosh broke the tie as he swished a 16 footer with seconds left to play. Nowitzki would have a couple chances for the tie and the win but couldn’t break the steady defense of Miami’s Udonis Haslem.

If the Mavericks are going to win this series, they will have to get Dirk more help. He scored 34 but his next three closet teammates combined for the same amount. Dirk also had his faults in this game as couldn’t get off the screen that allowed Haslem to put a hand in his face and he had a chance to pass to an open Jason Terry but he didn’t and I can’t say that I blame him. Mario Chalmers was also credited on a shot that clearly should not have counted but none of that is here nor there at this time. Fact of the matter is that the winner of game 3 in a Finals series that was tied 1-1 has gone on to win every series in history. Dallas again has their backs against the wall, what will they do Tuesday night?

Stanley Cup Finals:

Vancouver 3 Boston 2 Vancouver leads 2-0: This was just a crazy game from start to finish. Alex Burrows aka biter x thoroughly dominated as he had a hand in all of the Canucks scoring finishing with 2 goals and 1 assist. Burrows, as you know was accused of biting the Bruins Patrice Bergeron who had to be restrained afterwards. Maybe the Bruins should have made sure he was suspended because he just ran through Boston’s defense all night long. Burrows scored on a power play in the first period and helped tie the game midway through the third with an assist to Daniel Sedin. Burrows would cap his busy night by scoring 11 seconds into overtime to give Vancouver the win. Boston now goes home in a two game hole but this not an unfamiliar position for the Bruins as they came back to beat Montreal after dropping the first two homes games of the series. The Bruins played physically again against the Canucks but Burrows was the difference as his speed and precision has been too much for them. Even top defensemen Zdeno Charo has had a problem with the speedster Burrows. Ironically Vancouver hasn’t lost since they were defeated by Nashville on May 7th. I think we lost the game ourselves,” Boston forward David Krejci(notes) said. “Obviously they played well, but we had the game in our hands and we just gave it away.”

The two teams next face each other tonight at 8:00 pm eastern time. Make sure to tune in.

Vandy defeats Belmont to advance to Super Regionals: Vandy got a career high 13 strikeout performance from Taylor Hill as they defeated Belmont 6-1. After beating Troy 10-2 and Belmont 10-0 earlier all the Commodores had to do was beat the Bruins one more time to advance. They had the warm embrace of Hawkins field and Coach Tim Corbin made sure he stayed on top of things. Jason Esposito was named regional MVP as he had three hits with one home run. The win puts Vandy within two victories of their first College World Series, which frankly is hard to believe with all of the success the program has enjoyed over the last few years. A lot of credit has to be given also to the scrappy Belmont Bruins. They faced the tall task of having to win two of three games against regular-season champion and 17th-ranked Stetson to grab the sixth and final spot in the tournament of the Atlantic Sun. As for Vandy, they will face Oregon State as the host but the date and time has yet to be determined. Make sure to go out and support the Commodores.



Hopefully everyone enjoyed there weekend and now unfortunately back to work. At least we sports fans have a week of NBA Finals, Stanley cup finals, and baseball to look forward to. Also Plaxico Burress was released today it will be interesting to see where he lands whenever the lockout ends. Hope everyone has a great week.