Archive for November, 2008
Vandy a great underdog, lousy favorite
Could Vanderbilt have Wake Forest right where they want them? The Demon Deacons are favored by four points heading into tonight’s game in Winston-Salem against the Commodores. Taking a look at Vandy’s season so far, that may be good news for the crew from West End.
Vanderbilt is 5-2 this season as an underdog, but only 1-3 as a favorite. Here’s how the Dores have fared against the spread in 2008:
Miami, Ohio: Underdog Vandy wins 34-13
South Carolina: Underdog Vandy wins 24-17
Rice: Favored Vandy wins 38-21
Ole Miss: Underdog Vandy wins 23-17
Auburn: Underdog Vandy wins 14-13
Miss State: Favored Vandy loses 17-14
Georgia: Underdog Vandy loses 24-14
Duke: Favored Vandy loses 10-7
Florida: Underdog Vandy loses 42-14
Kentucky: Underdog Vandy wins 31-24
Tennessee: Favored Vandy loses 20-10
The Jekyll-and-Hide Dores have looked both awful and amazing at times this season. Upon further inspection, though, there does seem to be a pattern: Vandy plays well as a road underdog and plays horribly as a home favorite. That may be good news for the team and its fans tonight. Go Dores!
Tags: college football, nashville, vanderbilt, vanderbilt commodores, wake forest, wake forest demon deacons
Early survey on UT hire: Are you Kiffin me?
An early and admittedly unscientific survey on WSMV.com (above) suggests Vols fans aren’t too pleased about their incoming head coach. Opinions continue to come in across the Web, and most (but not all) mirror the survey:
boxtop: [A]re you kiffin me? Pete Carroll’s (former) lap dog? Hamilton should get his resume together yesterday. Nevermind, no one will hire him after this fiasco. Urban must be saying an additional “thank you prayer” this year. And Bobby Johnson is probabaly thinking he can get used to having the best college football team in Tennessee now that Phil isn’t around to beat his teams anymore. Welcome to the real world of “competitive college football” Coach Kiffin. This ain’t the pac-10. Also…congrats Fla on your upcoming SEC and National Championships.
Jeepers: Vols will be a bust with Kiffin as they were with Fat Phil. Good.
jeffmacguy: The more I hear about this guy, the more I like him. However, he as unfinished business in the NFL and at some point in his life, he will want to close that loop. That’s ok. We need someone who is willing to work/adapt to win and Lane may just be the guy!
This is likely a sampling of the upcoming nine months of discussions about Kiffin’s outlook for success in Knoxville, but this much is already clear: He’s got plenty of pressure waiting for him next fall at Neyland.
Tags: college football, knoxville, lane-kiffin, phil-fulmer, tennessee, tennessee-volunteers, university-of-tennessee
Is Kiffin the cure for ailing Vols?
Phil Fulmer has one game left to coach, and Lane Kiffin hasn’t even been named officially as his successor, but that isn’t stopping Vols fans: The debate is well under way about Kiffin’s prospects in the SEC.
woodruffw: Tennessee cannot be sure what they are getting. It really could be a brilliant hire. On the other side, his resume is very similar to Mike Shula’s, and we all know how that worked out in Tuscaloosa.
Chip Shots: The Tennessee choice of Lane Kiffin is a curious one, but it seems that among those asked, he was the only one who wanted the job or he was the only one immediately available for the job. UT was already told no by David Cutcliffe and Butch Davis, and Brian Kelly won’t be available for a few weeks, so Kiffin became the most viable.
RockyTopVol: [P]eople are NOT happy about this in Knoxville. it was a hire made to save a single freaking recruiting class…how dumb is that??!! also, it was a hire made to keep the salary right at what we were paying Fulmer. Lane Kiffin equals Barack Obama. He’s young, decent-looking, and represents change (that’s why people like him) … Don’t get me wrong, I’m pulling for the guy…I was just really really hoping for [University of Cincinnati coach] Brian Kelly.
Jimmy Trodglen: If Kiffin fails, Hamilton will no longer have to worry about answering his phone about coaching hires. He won’t be around for the next one.Chase’s Sandbox: If you think life with Al Davis was tough, lose more than one or two games out of the chute and you’ll find out what tough really is. Just Ask Johnny Majors and Phillip Fulmer. Blue skies can turn dark real fast on you if you aren’t careful.
The prevailing view appears to be that Kiffin is too young and is facing a tall order, but there’s plenty of people willing to say that he’s also a daring pick that may pan out in the long run. I guess we’ll see. As someone who loathes the Vols and would have been very happy to see Fulmer eke out enough wins to hold on a few more seasons, I think Kiffin will bring fresh enthusiasm, new energy and innovation to the program. This kind of hire, and one that is outside the program “family,” looks like a wise one to me.
Tags: college football, knoxville, lane-kiffin, phil-fulmer, tennessee, tennessee-volunteers, university-of-tennessee
Inspired fan pens “Vandy 1982″ for Dores’ historic season
You are so Nashville if… you write a song about your hometown football team ending its 26-year bowl-game drought. Inspired by Vanderbilt’s historic college football season, diehard fan Bruce “Commodore” Keedy created “Vandy 1982,” an ode to fans who have suffered through all the losses to witness this year’s wins. Here’s a selection:
Vandy, please connect me
With 1982.
I need to cast those demons out
for fans who’ve been so true.I reminisce of Birmingham
the Hall of Fame Bowl blues.
It’s finally here, a Vandy year
like 1982.They said we’d go 0-for 20
to get six wins in line.
Instead we won, a bowl will come
A black-and-gold high five.
The song is set to Randy Travis’ hit 1982. If you’re a Commodore fan, it may sound more like the Hallelujah Chorus. Nice work, Bruce! Go Dores!
Tags: bruce keedy, college football, vanderbilt, vanderbilt commodores, vandy 1982
Volunteer more, bitch less
Here’s good advice for all of us, including me, from City Paper commenter sidneyames:
Every culture has down trodden people. Maybe if you all volunteer more and bitch less, there’d be a better solution. I’m all for people getting jobs and being self-sufficient, but some times it’s not possible.
If you aren’t part of the solution, well, you know the rest. (Right?) Sidney’s much needed comment came in response to some fiercely callous remarks about new efforts to help the homeless. Amen, Sidney.
Tags: community
Things I learned at today’s Nashville Geek Breakfast
An overflow crowd gathered for today’s Nashville Geek Breakfast. Here are a few things I didn’t know before I darkened the door at Noshville this morning:
- Lizzie Keiper is homeschooling her senior year of high school, working at the Apple Store in Green Hills and going to see the first screening of Twilight tonight. (I’m tired just reading that.) She’s a big fan of Entourage (me, too).
- Anne rallies well despite not being a morning person and loves hot tea. She may or may not be in Kate’s doghouse. Anne runs her own business and loves Californication (me, too).
- David now works with Dave Delaney at Griffin Technology and used to work at Best Buy with Lizzie.
- Paul and David are pretty sure every season of 24 involves a nuclear bomb. (Sounds about right.)
- Most of us watch way too much TV, thanks primarily to our DVRs.
- Mitch found out what happens when you arrive late at a Geek Breakfast, and it involves a shoe horn and close proximity to lots of attendees. (As the parent of a newborn, at least Mitch has a really good excuse.)
It was good to see everyone as usual. See you next time!
Tags: geek breakfast, nashville, nashville geeks, noshville delicatessen, technology
Eklund: de Vries, Radulov likely trade bait in 2009
Hockey blogger Eklund lists Preds defenseman Greg de Vries and AWOL-forward Alexander Radulov among his projected 25 NHL players who are most likely to be traded this season. DeVries has been traded on several occasions during his career, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him on the block as the trade deadline approaches in early 2009.
Trading Radulov might land the Preds something for nothing in return for the wayward sniper, but would his rights be worth more in a mid-season trade than any future compensation the team would receive if he never suits up for Nashville again? Probably not.
Tags: alexander radulov, eklund, greg de vries, hockey, nashville, nashville predators, nhl
