McCat
Rent free in your head
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Marquees Collapsing
UT football, Kentucky basketball share hard times
by Tony Basilio
In a year when the UT basketball team has defied all conventional wisdom, one formula remains. That age-old theorem is tied around the eerie symbioses of UT football and Kentucky basketball. Both are the cash cows and all consuming fires for Big Blue/Big Orange fan bases. While other revenue generating sports have had periods of success, its UT football and UK b-ball that truly matter. Tennessee and Kentucky are each obsessed with succeeding in its sport of choice and pay close to $5 million a year in head coaching salaries just to prove it! Despite the expenditures, both tried and true programs, storied as they are, appear to be waning.
It goes without saying that UT football plummeted to parts unknown in 05. Our most recent memory of our beloved football Vols is a dismal 5-6 season that was equally lethargic and unwatchable. It was UTs worst year in football since 88-89. While theories and excuses for last season abound, Tennessee logged its worst year because the coaches failed to recruit enough quality playmakers.
Kentucky basketball is enjoying (OK, Im enjoying) its worst year since the scandal ridden days of Eddie Suttons regime back in 88. Kentucky is failing to get it done with a team that is devoid of guys who can make plays. Like UT football, recruiting in Big Blue land has slipped. That slide comes under the watch of head coach Tubby Smith who, like Fulmer, jacks down a phat $2 million plus per season. But Tubby and Phil have a lot more in common than a few digits on the bi-weekly check; both continue to point back to 98.
Kentuckys last national championship occurred only months before Tennessee would claim the National Title. If that isnt strange enough, both were led by home-state guys who hit key threes. For UK it was Cameron Mills drilling a couple of threes in the NCAA tourney. UTs triple was provided by kicker Jeff Hall, whose game winning field goal versus Florida touched off a roar that is still heard reverberating in the bowels of Neyland.
Fan dissatisfaction with each party in question makes it possible to play a twisted game of mad libs by inserting either Fulmer or Smith. Try this.
Coach______ just doesnt get the kids to play hard like they once did. Remember when they won the National Title back in 98? Back then coach ______ used to make the right calls. Now he just stands there while the other team out-hustles us. Coach _____s offense is unwatchable. How much longer do we have to endure this? And by the way, how many times is coach _____ going to tell us that he needs more discipline in his program? While Im on the subject, coach ____ needs to take all the heat. After all, we are paying ______ over $2 million a year. Its bad enough that were not competing for a championship this year but now coach _____ has us in the bottom half of our division. We really stink, and coach ___s recruiting isnt getting it done these days.
Link to Rest of Article
UT football, Kentucky basketball share hard times
by Tony Basilio
In a year when the UT basketball team has defied all conventional wisdom, one formula remains. That age-old theorem is tied around the eerie symbioses of UT football and Kentucky basketball. Both are the cash cows and all consuming fires for Big Blue/Big Orange fan bases. While other revenue generating sports have had periods of success, its UT football and UK b-ball that truly matter. Tennessee and Kentucky are each obsessed with succeeding in its sport of choice and pay close to $5 million a year in head coaching salaries just to prove it! Despite the expenditures, both tried and true programs, storied as they are, appear to be waning.
It goes without saying that UT football plummeted to parts unknown in 05. Our most recent memory of our beloved football Vols is a dismal 5-6 season that was equally lethargic and unwatchable. It was UTs worst year in football since 88-89. While theories and excuses for last season abound, Tennessee logged its worst year because the coaches failed to recruit enough quality playmakers.
Kentucky basketball is enjoying (OK, Im enjoying) its worst year since the scandal ridden days of Eddie Suttons regime back in 88. Kentucky is failing to get it done with a team that is devoid of guys who can make plays. Like UT football, recruiting in Big Blue land has slipped. That slide comes under the watch of head coach Tubby Smith who, like Fulmer, jacks down a phat $2 million plus per season. But Tubby and Phil have a lot more in common than a few digits on the bi-weekly check; both continue to point back to 98.
Kentuckys last national championship occurred only months before Tennessee would claim the National Title. If that isnt strange enough, both were led by home-state guys who hit key threes. For UK it was Cameron Mills drilling a couple of threes in the NCAA tourney. UTs triple was provided by kicker Jeff Hall, whose game winning field goal versus Florida touched off a roar that is still heard reverberating in the bowels of Neyland.
Fan dissatisfaction with each party in question makes it possible to play a twisted game of mad libs by inserting either Fulmer or Smith. Try this.
Coach______ just doesnt get the kids to play hard like they once did. Remember when they won the National Title back in 98? Back then coach ______ used to make the right calls. Now he just stands there while the other team out-hustles us. Coach _____s offense is unwatchable. How much longer do we have to endure this? And by the way, how many times is coach _____ going to tell us that he needs more discipline in his program? While Im on the subject, coach ____ needs to take all the heat. After all, we are paying ______ over $2 million a year. Its bad enough that were not competing for a championship this year but now coach _____ has us in the bottom half of our division. We really stink, and coach ___s recruiting isnt getting it done these days.
Link to Rest of Article
