Bret Saberhagen.

#1
hatvol96

hatvol96

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#1
Got the chance to talk with him for about 10 minutes after the game. While it's always a little dangerous to make a judgment off a short encounter, he was as courteous and friendly as anyone I've ever met in sports. He had some really nice things to say about Knoxville and UT. That'll probably be the highlight of this UT baseball season for me.
 
#2
#2
Nate Headley introduced me to him and I had the same impression. I had a chance when I was a tot to meet many of Herzog's Royals. Boone, UL Washington, Amos Otis etc...and we talked a while about those years. He seem genuinely interested or just being nice. Either way he seemed like was really excited to be there tonight.
 
#4
#4
Thanks for posting. He sure was decked out in orange! That was cool to see. It was such an embarassment watching the game last night and to get dominated like that at home on ESPN was even tougher.
 
#5
#5
Another failure by Hamilton. After BB season we will be hiring another coach.That will be 2 in football,2 in basketball and 2 in baseball for Hamilton. Seems like the powers that be on the Hill would realize that the problem is Hamilton and fire him before he completely destroys men's athletics at UT
 
#7
#7
orange_peel said:
Another failure by Hamilton. After BB season we will be hiring another coach.That will be 2 in football,2 in basketball and 2 in baseball for Hamilton. Seems like the powers that be on the Hill would realize that the problem is Hamilton and fire him before he completely destroys men's athletics at UT
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FB kiffen gone is a good thing and Dooley is doing good things. BB pearl dug a hole, lied and didn't need to, stupid move. Baseball, liked the old coach, not this one though. Burke or Garner would be nice. Hammy can't be alone in this, baseball was his real screw up, tr is not good
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#8
#8
I had a similar encounter with Saberhagen when he was still playing. He was at the field early on an off day for him and got to talk with him for 10 or 15 mins. Very nice guy.
 
#9
#9
Pardon my ignorance. I was watching the game off and on last night and saw Bret but didn't catch the interview. What is his connection to UT?
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#10
#10
90VOL said:
Thanks for posting. He sure was decked out in orange! That was cool to see. It was such an embarassment watching the game last night and to get dominated like that at home on ESPN was even tougher.
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By the #3 team in the country. UT just couldn't get the right hit and the right time. The end of the game out was a rocket that just happened to be hit right at the first baseman. Didn't think that it was all that embarrassing, imo.
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#11
#11
I think he is one of those guys who can look back on his career, and say I did the best I could with the talent I had. For a smaller pitcher, he made the most of it.
 
#14
#14
Bret Saberhagen...interesting to ponder. Nate Headley? I'd even go with Headley Lamarr from "Blazing Saddles" for UT's baseball coach.
 
#15
#15
I have been thinking about Mike Hamilton lately. I don't think he has made as many major mistakes as we think. He has made some gaffes as well as coaching hires/fires pluses/minuses

(1) Football
* Getting rid of Fulmer was not a mistake. Tennessee fans were voting with their feet as attendance was plummeting as the quality of play was dropping.
* Hiring Lane Kiffin was a big/avoidable mistake. I hated it from the beginning.
* Allowing Kiffin to hire Orgeron with all the NCAA warnings? Inexcusable.
* Even though Kiffin & Co. broke rules, it appears that MH did everything he could to CYA the university at department.
* I'm not upset with the Dooley hire, being that late in the recruiting season and well after all other positions have been filed, I think Dooley was about as good as could be expected. Kiffin's late departure made the Dooley hire a necessity.

(2) Basketball
*MH did the right thing in getting rid of Buzz
*MH did the right thing in hiring Bruce
*MH did the wrong thing in not CYA the university and department last August.
*MH was forced to get rid of Bruce by the NCAA and Jimmy Cheek
*MH's Hyamms interview prior to NCAA was completely insane. There was no sense doing what he did!

(3) Baseball
*MH did the right/necessary thing in getting rid of Rod. Performance, APR, dropping attendance, drama, etc.
*MH did the wrong thing in getting rid of Rod before the stadium plans were finalyzed. Sometimes you have to "build it before they come". A higher profile coaches would express more interest in UT with stadium and training stuff being constructed.
*MH did the worst thing ever by hiring Todd Raleigh. There was no excuse. If he wanted a mid or low major coach, there were far better qualified people than this joker.
*MH did the wrong thing in giving Todd this 4th season. It was obvious that this team was going to be no better than last season.
*Finally, the slow pace of stadium construction WAS retarded! Better planning was necessary to get the new grandstands and batting cages constructed in a more timely manner.

(4)Other sports
*Simply put, why does John Trembley (Swimming) still have a job at UT. This team stinks to the point that Trembley is not getting SEC COY of the Year honors for moral victory 3rd place finishes. With Trembley's obvious extracurricular distractions including out-of-state programs as well as a questionable known substance abuse history why does MH keep this second tier coach as we now have a new facility?
*Track & Field- MH took a chance on making the women's coach the head of both programs. Thus far it has been unsuccessful as the Vols program is in a slump whose duration has not been seen in decades. It may still work out but right now it does not look good.
*Golf- our golf team still sucks. The planning and mistakes in construction of the golf facility (entering its 3rd big year) is an ugly soar everyone who drives on Alcoa Hwy sees everyday.
*Tennis- likely MH's biggest success, he hired the right guy for the job (not the most popular) and it's worked in spades. Proof that hiring the inexperienced alumnus (like Woodruff) is not the best thing to do.

Yes, I think Mike has made more than enough mistakes to justify a change in course. I would kill for an AD like Jeremy Foley who expects and strives for excellence in all programs and will make needed changes immediately rather than wait for a program to slowly die.

However, I don't hold all the problems at MH's feet, just most.
 
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#16
#16
fryeguy93 said:
*MH did the wrong thing in getting rid of Rod before the stadium plans were finalyzed. Sometimes you have to "build it before they come". A higher profile coaches would express more interest in UT with stadium and training stuff being constructed.
*MH did the worst thing ever by hiring Todd Raleigh. There was no excuse. If he wanted a mid or low major coach, there were far better qualified people than this joker.
*MH did the wrong thing in giving Todd this 4th season. It was obvious that this team was going to be no better than last season.
*Finally, the slow pace of stadium construction WAS retarded! Better planning was necessary to get the new grandstands and batting cages constructed in a more timely manner.
Click to expand...


Please understand first that I am no Hamilton fan. Far from it.

"Final" stadium plans had been on the table since 2002. No one stepped forward to donate money to make them happen while Rod was here. Rod refused to assist in the fundraising effort, telling many in the AD that "isn't my job." The money wasn't there. It's no coincidence that a TON was donated shortly after Rod's dismissal, particularly a great deal from some notable alums.

The pace of renovations was hampered by weather and other structural issues that blew the timeline. It was unavoidable, even with the crews starting the day after the final home game.

fryeguy93 said:
(4)Other sports
*Track & Field- MH took a chance on making the women's coach the head of both programs. Thus far it has been unsuccessful as the Vols program is in a slump whose duration has not been seen in decades. It may still work out but right now it does not look good.
Click to expand...

I would say that, on the contrary, men's track has improved greatly this year from last. JJ was dealing with non-existant recruiting the last 2 years Bill Webb was here and defections when he was fired. They have brought in some contributors and have even more lined up for next year.

This is only his second year, I don't know how you can say it "doesn't look good" when they have improved from the first year.
 
#17
#17
"Final" stadium plans had been on the table since 2002. No one stepped forward to donate money to make them happen while Rod was here. Rod refused to assist in the fundraising effort, telling many in the AD that "isn't my job." The money wasn't there. It's no coincidence that a TON was donated shortly after Rod's dismissal, particularly a great deal from some notable alums.

The pace of renovations was hampered by weather and other structural issues that blew the timeline. It was unavoidable, even with the crews starting the day after the final home game.



I would say that, on the contrary, men's track has improved greatly this year from last. JJ was dealing with non-existant recruiting the last 2 years Bill Webb was here and defections when he was fired. They have brought in some contributors and have even more lined up for next year.

This is only his second year, I don't know how you can say it "doesn't look good" when they have improved from the first year.[/QUOTE]


stadium plans also includes start dates and finish dates. The construction on LNS represented a small portion of the athletic department budget. Hamilton chose to build only after having donations to pay in full. Through bonds and future donations/seat sales this stadium could have been built earlier.

as per weather, I am on campus frequently and checked on construction regularly because it interested me. The simple fact was that little work went on in the summer on either year. When it did there were few workers present. There were weather delays in winter and early spring but the work should (with better oversight/planning) have been further along than it was.


As for the track program. I do hope the program improves and hope Clark can get it done. However, obvious improvement in 2 years is limited so far.

The faulty construction of the golf complex and the huge mistakes/problems at the Jones Aquatic Center was inexcusable. The only thing that most fans can say Hamilton did well is fundraising and facility improvements.

I think it is clear that he was not spending a lot of this money wisely and efficiently.
 
#18
#18
Vol_til_I_die said:
Thank you. Figured that's what it was but wasn't sure. Is he a freshman? Any good?
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The really odd thing, is that I believe that makes two Saberhagen kids that have played for Raleigh.

Drew was recruited by CTR at WCU and I think played 1 season for him.

So the Saberhagen kid is likely there cause Drew had a positivie experience with him, which is honestly not typically par for the course.
 
#19
#19
buffaloblue said:
The really odd thing, is that I believe that makes two Saberhagen kids that have played for Raleigh.

Drew was recruited by CTR at WCU and I think played 1 season for him.

So the Saberhagen kid is likely there cause Drew had a positivie experience with him, which is honestly not typically par for the course.
Click to expand...

Drew is a UT Baseball team manager
Dalton is a Freshman pitcher.
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#21
#21
fryeguy93 said:
I have been thinking about Mike Hamilton lately. I don't think he has made as many major mistakes as we think. He has made some gaffes as well as coaching hires/fires pluses/minuses

(1) Football
* Getting rid of Fulmer was not a mistake. Tennessee fans were voting with their feet as attendance was plummeting as the quality of play was dropping.
* Hiring Lane Kiffin was a big/avoidable mistake. I hated it from the beginning.
* Allowing Kiffin to hire Orgeron with all the NCAA warnings? Inexcusable.
* Even though Kiffin & Co. broke rules, it appears that MH did everything he could to CYA the university at department.
* I'm not upset with the Dooley hire, being that late in the recruiting season and well after all other positions have been filed, I think Dooley was about as good as could be expected. Kiffin's late departure made the Dooley hire a necessity.

(2) Basketball
*MH did the right thing in getting rid of Buzz
*MH did the right thing in hiring Bruce
*MH did the wrong thing in not CYA the university and department last August.
*MH was forced to get rid of Bruce by the NCAA and Jimmy Cheek
*MH's Hyamms interview prior to NCAA was completely insane. There was no sense doing what he did!

(3) Baseball
*MH did the right/necessary thing in getting rid of Rod. Performance, APR, dropping attendance, drama, etc.
*MH did the wrong thing in getting rid of Rod before the stadium plans were finalyzed. Sometimes you have to "build it before they come". A higher profile coaches would express more interest in UT with stadium and training stuff being constructed.
*MH did the worst thing ever by hiring Todd Raleigh. There was no excuse. If he wanted a mid or low major coach, there were far better qualified people than this joker.
*MH did the wrong thing in giving Todd this 4th season. It was obvious that this team was going to be no better than last season.
*Finally, the slow pace of stadium construction WAS retarded! Better planning was necessary to get the new grandstands and batting cages constructed in a more timely manner.

(4)Other sports
*Simply put, why does John Trembley (Swimming) still have a job at UT. This team stinks to the point that Trembley is not getting SEC COY of the Year honors for moral victory 3rd place finishes. With Trembley's obvious extracurricular distractions including out-of-state programs as well as a questionable known substance abuse history why does MH keep this second tier coach as we now have a new facility?
*Track & Field- MH took a chance on making the women's coach the head of both programs. Thus far it has been unsuccessful as the Vols program is in a slump whose duration has not been seen in decades. It may still work out but right now it does not look good.
*Golf- our golf team still sucks. The planning and mistakes in construction of the golf facility (entering its 3rd big year) is an ugly soar everyone who drives on Alcoa Hwy sees everyday.
*Tennis- likely MH's biggest success, he hired the right guy for the job (not the most popular) and it's worked in spades. Proof that hiring the inexperienced alumnus (like Woodruff) is not the best thing to do.

Yes, I think Mike has made more than enough mistakes to justify a change in course. I would kill for an AD like Jeremy Foley who expects and strives for excellence in all programs and will make needed changes immediately rather than wait for a program to slowly die.

However, I don't hold all the problems at MH's feet, just most.
Click to expand...

Hell of a post.
Yeah Mike Hamilton doesn't get any recognition for the few good moves he has made; i.e. firing Buzz/hiring Bruce and firing Fulmer.

However he's made too many questionable hires. I think he still should be replaced, he's a business guy, not the guy I want hiring the next coach a UT.
 
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