This is a very busy week for me so posting will be very light. The arrest of Jeremy Elder is old news at this point so I won’t try to add what is a sad situation. I will say though that I made a lot of stupid decisions when I was a young adult but it is hard to feel sorry for someone who seemed to have the world literally at his feet and chose to throw it away. I can remember my Grandmother saying, “I feel sorry for his Mother” in situations like this. I never really knew what she meant until I had kids.
It seems that the rumblings have started in Tennessee already. We’re only in February. This is gonna be fun.
Obviously there is a faction in any fan base that supports the coach regardless of whoever he is, but it does appear that Fulmer is losing touch with his players or that he recruits a type of young man that is more prone to erratic behavior. Don’t get me wrong, there is no excuse for it in whatever program you are in and it is becoming more common in college athletics in general. But there is just something going on within the Tennessee Program or as John Adams has dubbed it, “the college equivalent of the Cincinnati Bengals.”
All in all it seems to be a fairly written article. Truth be told, I’d like the fat one to stick around Knoxville for a few more year because there is nothing I enjoy more than watching him grimace when he loses like someone had just announced the closing of every single Krispy Kreme store. But I also believe he has dodged a bullet the last couple of years by winning a big game at the right time, but losing to rivals is not a way to keep yourself endeared to the fan base in this “what have you done for me lately” football world we live in.
One last thing; winter is almost over. That is kind of a sad thing for me because I loathe the nauseatingly hot summer months here in the deep south and long for what little cold weather we have. Spring is right around the corner; the Mockingbirds started singing late last week and the Maple tree in my front yard has started to bloom. Spring, like fall, is truly the best time of the year here in Alabama but while the cool snaps in October and November tease us about what is in store for the winter, the col snaps in March are brutally beaten down by warm air and the promise of low 90’s and 70% humidity.
I find the bare trees strangely beautiful and they will be covered with new leaves in four or five weeks. Time, she is moving forward. Take a minute to enjoy the chilly morning air we get this time of year. After all you have only got a finite number of those mornings.
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February 21, 2008 at 12:00 pm
MoonDog
Oh God – a bammer. Saw your post at LWS and wanted to check you out. We can at least agree on one thing – I hate the summers around here too (Memphis).
Everybody is missing the point about Fulmer and the Vol program. It’s really a national issue with every major program. I concur that most programs will forgo integrity for the sake of winning, and that’s a sad commentary. UT isn’t that much different than most schools – they want to win and the price they pay usually results in embarrassment.
Frankly, I’m surprised to see a Tide fan that has the ability to write so well. I’ve been led to believe most bammers haven’t evolved beyond scribbling on cave walls.
Look forward to more pleasant exchanges with you in the future.
February 21, 2008 at 1:41 pm
picturemerollin
I agree that it is a national issue, it’s just fun to turn the tables on Jai a little bit. On the whole it’s happening far to often and no conference or school seems to be totally immune. But it is awful fun to point and laugh when it happens to a rival.
I do believe that Adam’s article was fair. Lack of relative success coupled with behavior issues makes a certain segment unhappy. I don’t think he should be canned, but I understand the rumblings (having gone through a couple similar instances with Alabama). Plus when you make as much money as Fulmer (or Saban) and you’re in the public eye you have got to expect criticism whether it’s fare or not.
Thanks for the complement and for checking it out over here.
February 21, 2008 at 3:19 pm
MoonDog
It isn’t like Jai doesn’t throw stones at Alabama – I don’t think I’ve seen another Vol fan as perpetually mad at one of our rivals as he is. For what it’s worth, I don’t hate Alabama – Florida I hate – but the Tide has Nick Saban now, and that’s the guy I really dislike.
You’ll find I throw a lot of jabs but I never use profanity or attack anyone personally. Feel free to visit my site and fire away at me. I deserve it after the “cave walls” comment.
In the end, we are the SEC – and we have to stick together on that front because there are so many “haters” of our conference. It’s not our fault we’re the best. However, all of these latest incidents don’t reflect well on our respective schools, states or our conference.
I wrote an article on the latest off-the-field problems at UT and we’ve had a healthy discussion. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.
Take it easy and I’ll be checking in with you.