World conspiring against me, so a very brief Talking Points this morning. Oh, and we'll pick back up with the Getting to Know You series tomorrow.
- I was in and out during this week's EDSBS Live, so I didn't get a chance to discuss the weekly Four Questions. Had I been there live, I would have declared O.J. Simpson as the champion of sketchy football players. He's not only a sketchy individual, he's sketchy in another sense of the word: I'm certain there's one of those police drawings of his mug somewhere for sale on eBay, and I'd bet that there's a slew of courtroom-artist renderings of him sitting stoical at the defense table.
On the matter of what behaviors or tendencies might cause one to call my orientation into question, I'll just say that I live in a house of females, including the dog. So you know that I've been desensitized, but I have to admit that I really enjoyed Fiddler on the Roof the other night. And The Sound of Music the weekend before last. These are indeed a few of my favorite things. And on a side note, who else believes that the sequel to Fiddler on the Roof, had there been one, would have featured the sole remaining single daughters running off to marry each other? The Final Demise of Tradition. Papa would not recover from that.
Tradition!!! - All right. Have I talked about sports yet? Okay, then. Beloved (former, ouch) Vol Dane Bradshaw apparently kept a journal last season and has now compiled it into a book, Vertical Leap. Here's the teaser:
Be a part of the 2006-2007 Tennessee Volunteers Basketball Season! Through the eyes of Dane Bradshaw, share the early morning workouts, the sacrifices, the injuries, the road trips, the personalities, the worries of a college athlete, the academic demands, and the game results that lead to the agony of defeat and the thrill of victory.The foreword for Vertical Leap has been written by Coach Bruce Pearl. Under Coach Pearl's leadership, there has been a major leap in the vitality, competitiveness and popularity of The University of Tennessee's mens basketball team. Dane Bradshaw, the lone senior and team captain for the 2006-2007 season, played an important role in the team's success, including their journey to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
Dane kept a journal throughout the season. Those journal entries form the foundation for his book--Vertical Leap. This book provides an insider's perspective that any fan of basketball will enjoy.
UT's first official game of the season was on November 10, 2006. However, for the players and coaching staff the season began months before the first game. Soon after the March Madness hurrahs end, preparation for the new season begins. Coaches and players do everything within their power to be the last team standing in the season to follow. Dane's behind-the-scenes coverage is organized into three major sections: Preseason Preparation, Season Play, and Post Season Play. Vertical Leap is a 232-page book, including 32 pages of full-color photographs that captures the entirety of the team's 2006-2007 basketball season.
- Please join me in welcoming Male Pattern Fitness, SB Nation's newest blog. I'll probably end up reading it all of the time. Whether I actually do something with the information, well, that's another thing entirely, isn't it?
- Tennessee held its first annual Volscars on Tuesday. Check out the winners, who are listed in . . . orange. Duh, huh? I don't follow Lady Vol softball (although it has a nice, rhyming ring to it, doesn't it?), but Ralph and Karen Weekly must be something special if they beat Pat Summit for the "best year-end results" for a Lady Vol Coach of the Year.
- Check out the promo video for Head Coach, which features both Bruce Pearl and Phillip Fulmer prominently. Looks like a really good show.
Time's up. Get to work.