Lunchtime links! Quickly!
What is it with the Volunteer blogosphere? Jerod Mayo actually asked us to "keep talking bad" about the team. I tried, I really did, but I couldn't lodge even one criticism that wasn't immediately followed by an apology. (Sorry!) Ghost of Neyland tried, too, but had to call in a ringer to do the dirty work. Volstothewall made a run at it but was last seen atoning for his sins backstage, whimpering softly in a fetal position, horrified at what he'd done. BloodSpite was frightened by the entire process. Bulldurham piled on but cautioned against the pull of the dark side. XRayVol spewed forth a terrific rant, but was immediately and genuinely penitent. Volorado hurled the ultimate insult by talking about basketball, but his signature reminds us that he is the charter member of the Eric Berry Man Crush Club. And while Holly was sincerely dreadful, Old Smokey reminded us that you really can't teach old dogs new tricks.
So what's the deal? Why can't we be negative when our team really needs us? Here's the thing: they're pretty good and getting better. The future looks bright indeed, and the Vols, even this season, are perfectly positioned to win out and represent the East in the SEC Championship. There, they'll be pitted against LSU, and the media will give them no chance against the Tigers, which is, of course, right where we want to be. Forget the pessimism. I love this team.
And in other news:
- The basketball team squeaked out a win against Arkansas-Monticello last night, 101-44 despite Chris Lofton still being in a slump.
- And speaking of slumps, Erik Ainge is just fine and dandy with his decreasing stats as long as the Ws continue to increase. The most common explanation for Ainge in Orange's recent "slump" is that the teams we've been playing are playing aggressive press coverage. Vanderbilt doesn't normally do that, and they probably won't this week. According to Ainge, "It would be like if we came out and ran the option with me," which may just be the quote of the year.
- If by chance you missed it over at EDSBS, this has to be one of the funniest things ever:
And another hat tip to Orson for finding this beauty: