Talking Points: Bruce Pearl has already beaten coach Cal at one thing edition

by Joel Hollingsworth on Feb 20, 2008 7:42 AM EST in Rocky Top Talking Points

Image by JLplusAL

Coach Pearl's already beaten Coach Cal at one thing this week. Yes, this Saturday's match up between Tennessee and Memphis may be Tennessee's biggest game ever and the tickets may be selling like they're Super Bowl tickets, but the challenge of the moment for both coaches is keeping their guys focused on their respective games tonight. The importance of and excitement surrounding Saturday's game will be diminished if either Tennessee loses to Auburn or Memphis loses to Tulane. So who's winning the focus battle? Why, Coach Pearl, of course, because he's "at least[ ] offered a fairly legitimate reason why Auburn is the most important opponent for the Vols this week. With each SEC victory, Tennessee is a step closer to the SEC regular-season championship, which is clearly his team's immediate goal."
Me, I'm failing. But so is the MSM. GVX's Mike Griffith notes that the No. 1 job for No. 2 is Auburn, and then concludes the article with five paragraphs on the Memphis game. He'll get no criticism from me for it, though, because this just had to be worked in somehow:

Memphis coach John Calipari said the people who want to keep the Memphis-UT series on a home-on-home basis are being selfish.
Pearl's response?
"I'm sure their fans in Memphis, as far as their season tickets, this is a game they look forward to,'' Pearl said. "Selfishly, I do want the fans in Knoxville to see that game.
"We play in Nashville already, we play Vanderbilt there every year and we've played other games in the Gaylord (Sommet) Center.''
Pearl pointed out it doesn't matter what anyone's opinions are on where the game is played because there is a contract signed to play eight more games on a home-and-home basis.

My summary, undiplomaticized:

COACH CAL: I don't care what the contract says, I don't want to play Tennessee in a home-and-home. I don't. I don't. I don't.

COACH PEARL: Waaaa, waaaa, waaaa, waaaa, waaaa.
UPDATE: Now with audio!
We're certainly in no position to throw stones, but as far as I know, none of our players have ever slapped an opposing fan just after a game:

Click on the picture for a larger version and have a look at the guy on the right in the red. And right in front of the cop!
And finally for today, Fulmer's Belly responds to GVX's John Adams' article calling for The Papa's head on a silver platter with a fancy new John Adams Hate-O-Meter (follow the link to see it) and describes is thusly:

One might notice that the "love" portion seems disproportionately small with the "Hate" portion is unfairly huge. Well, just like the intuits [sic] have 20 words for snow, Tennessee fans generally have at least 20 words to describe the disdain they feel for John Adams. As you can see, we’re at about 88% hate here. What that means is, that we’ve passed the love and indifference portions of the scale and vaulted into the coveted "hate" portion of the scale, up to 88%. Monay!

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Scary Tiger

Is that the tiger that we have to play tonight or Saturday? I'm intimidated; I don't know about ya'll!!

So Coach Calimari wants UT to travel to Memphis every year? Is the road too tough for him? Isn't that a bit Notre Dame-ish?

by Aerobab on Feb 20, 2008 8:21 AM EST reply actions

Calipari's just being Calipari

He also complained about UT trying to recruit out of Memphis earlier this year. (Hint to JC: a lot of schools try to recruit out of Memphis. They have this novel thing called "talent" in the city that many coaches seem to have a thing for.)

I think he's just trying to argue everything to his team's advantage. I can't fault him too much for it; I always hope our coaches look for advantages for our teams, too. But this is a rather trite point to be making. Right now, Duke and UNC are laughing at him. As in, ROTFLOL - LMBO (that one's for Aerobab).

Joel:

The "intuits" term in the Fulmer's Belly quote was his typo, right? As in, [sic]?

Oh, and you nailed the undiplomatic translation. I can even pick up the vocal inflections in the Pearl response.

by David Hooper on Feb 20, 2008 8:42 AM EST reply actions

Yeah

As you pointed out over at his place, I'm sure he meant to type Inuits. It happens.

Go Vols!

by Joel Hollingsworth on Feb 21, 2008 9:54 AM EST up reply actions

I understand

Usually I'm the last guy to point out a typo. I still don't know why I felt I had to note that one.

Perhaps I need to relax a touch.

by David Hooper on Feb 21, 2008 11:19 AM EST up reply actions

Perhaps you're from the cold middle-north?

My wife (a Minnesotan) had the same reaction. Something must have triggered a defense response.

Go Vols!

by Joel Hollingsworth on Feb 21, 2008 11:25 AM EST up reply actions

Could be

I'm from Wyoming, which at times feels closer to Alaska than the South. Fortunately, FB was more gracious than me.

by David Hooper on Feb 21, 2008 12:13 PM EST up reply actions

Picture worth many, many words

and laughs.

Every time I see that picture, I find more things in it that just make me pause.

The slap and the "Mempis" have been widely publicized. No need for me to add comment.
Look at the girl in the gray t-shirt between the two players on the left. The facial expression, the body posture - all classic. The left eye? Read the t-shirt. "I dated Dozier." Uh-huh. (Bonus points to the cameraman for getting that shot with Dozier in the center.)
For a true distraction from work, play the "count the middle fingers" game. Bonus points for finding the proud double.
The one guy in the pink polo grasping at it like a physical challenge. (Sing it with me: one of these things is not like the other...)
The pom-pom in the very far back that is midflight. Yeah, that'll make it to the players. Add to that the guy behind the black-eyed girl in mid windup.

Fun times.

by David Hooper on Feb 20, 2008 8:54 AM EST reply actions

Great photo

It's almost like redneck version of the pic from the Vietnam War of General Loan shooting the VC prisoner. The look on their faces is nearly identical.

Here's the photo

by wvvol on Feb 20, 2008 7:51 PM EST up reply actions

Despite the lack of TV coverage of the #2

team in the nation, are you going to follow along with an open thread? With Aerobab and I confirmed at the game, it might not be very populous tonight here.

Oh, and can we add this as evidence of ESPN's bias against the SEC? #2 team with a conference game and no TV? Just for fun? Pretty please with sugar on top?

by David Hooper on Feb 20, 2008 5:05 PM EST reply actions

No iPhone

If I were REALLY hi-tech, I'd live blog from the game!

But I'm not.

(Dumb Blackberry.)

by Aerobab on Feb 20, 2008 5:11 PM EST up reply actions

That would have been cool.

Perhaps we could text message Joel an update or two, but he'd have to email a phone # for it and I'm not so sure he'd really be enthused by that possibility.

BTW, my wife got a kick out of all this when I explained that I was going to the game to meet some guy I met online in a chat environment who said he had a really cool idea for meeting. About halfway through, it dawned on both of us what this whole thing sounded like...

by David Hooper on Feb 20, 2008 5:31 PM EST up reply actions

After tonight . . .

. . . you'll realize that you're both so much cooler online.

And yeah, if you feel like sending a text message, please do. Just emailed you my number.

Go Vols!

by Joel Hollingsworth on Feb 20, 2008 5:40 PM EST up reply actions

Cool!

Twenty bucks and I don't post your phone number online!

(Just kidding! We'll send you a text.)

And I have absolutely no doubt as to my utter geekiness in real life. Let's see ... engineering major, check ... stats fanatic, check ... blog frequenter and commenter, check.

...yeah, I fear sunlight and physical exertion.

by David Hooper on Feb 20, 2008 5:54 PM EST up reply actions