The Summitt

It has come to the attention of Vol Nation that the Athletic Director Dave Hart has plans to “rebrand” the University of Tennessee Athletics and unite both the men’s and women’s athletic department. Unless this “rebranding” plan is the blue print for a Football National Championship in the immediate future then Hart should spend his time fixing something that’s not broken.

Allegedly, the “Lady Vols” logo used in women’s athletic department will no longer represent women’s athletics. The powder blue will fade from the women’s uniforms and “the Summitt” on the center court of Thompson-Boling Arena will be pushed to the baseline. Hart’s rebranding plan lacks any heart for the Lady Vols. Who are you Dave Hart? He’s acting like an Alabama spy with a questionable Florida State past who has completely lost his mind!

Why would you take away the “Lady VOLS” logo- what’s the point? If it’s really about team unity then are you are going to have the girls and boys locker rooms become one locker room too? Lady Vols is a marketing goldmine and it has a nice ring to it. It works- and it shows every other athletic program that the University of Tennessee stands behind and supports women’s athletics.

The powder blue was started by the men’s team in the mid 70’s- it wasn’t just a “girl” thing. If Hart seriously believes that removing a color from the women’s uniforms will unite the men’s and women’s athletic departments then there is a full blown delusional psychopath running the athletic asylum.

And moving “the Summitt” from the basketball court…WHAT? Are you going to move the 8 National Championship banners too? Someone call 911- there’s an emergency in Knoxville!

Dear Dave Hart, take your meds and take your ridiculous rebranding plan to a school that has no branding, zero championship banners and lacks in attendance. Is this an SEC undercover terrorists attack on UT? It’s as if Hart is trying to be hated by VOL nation and exiled like Lane Kiffin?

Is your ego that big and your stones are that small that you want to challenge The Summitt to make your mark on UT? Pat Summitt will ALWAYS be a part of UT and 100 years from now the Summit will still be there. Dave Hart however, will be remembered as the AD who ended up in a straight jacket during his short time at the University of Tennessee.

If Hart honestly thinks this rebranding is about “unity” he is clearly are not a Tennessee VOL! The power T is branded in the heart of every student, athlete and fan- both men and women, but it’s the University of Tennessee that unites the VOLS!

Birthday Bombs

My eighteenth birthday was the last birthday I spent with my twin brother. I’ll take the blame for this. Using vacation time to go Roanoke, VA (where I’m from) sounds like an oxymoron. So naturally I don’t make a big deal out of birthdays or plan anything. Instead, the baseball gods did all the party planning.

Being a Texas Ranger’s fan and living in the Washington, DC area without the MLB package limits the amount of full games my neighbors have to listen to me hoot and holler. (My cable provider doesn’t have the MLB package in HD. Maybe I’m spoiled or maybe it’s just my vision at this old age reminding me that I can only watch sports in HD.) So the baseball gods sent my Texas Rangers to Baltimore during the week of my birthday!

Who needs a birthday cake with candles when you can watch Josh Hamilton drop bombs live in Baltimore? Tuesday’s game was like watching Home Run Derby and this time, Hamilton was crowned King! The outfielder went 5 for 5 (a career high) and eight RBI’s. Dropping bombs in the first, third, seventh and in the eighth off former team mate Darren O’Day made Hamilton the 16th player in MLB history to hit four home runs in a single game. (He had a double in the fifth that was inches away from being a souvenir ball.) Hamilton’s 18 total bases set a new American League single-game record.

Ranger’s fans were not the only ones cheering when Hamilton took the field. Oriole’s fans gave the slugger a standing ovation. It was a moment you don’t see that often, but to experience that moment where the opponent respects the game more than the score will give you chills.

Carlos Delgado (the last player to hit four home runs in a game on September 25th 2003 for Toronto) welcomed Hamilton with a “welcome to the club” tweet.

Wednesday’s game was rained out and that set up a doubleheader for Thursday- my actual birthday. Thanks to my twin brother I had tickets behind the Rangers dugout for both games. The Ranger’s lost the first game 6-5 but in Texas Rangers fashion, history was made again. Colby Lewis gave up five hits; all of them were bombs, but Lewis also had 12 strikeouts- a career high. That hasn’t happened since 1918!

Ranger’s shortstop Elvis Andrus went into game 2 tied with Curtis Granderson for the major league high for safely reaching base in 28 straight games. Andrus also kept a 10-game hitting streak alive.

I’ve known Elvis for years. He’s younger than I am so I’ve always called him my little brother and he calls me his little sister because I’m shorter. It was only fitting that he tossed me a game ball. (Well, he tossed me two balls- I gave one to a little kid in a Rangers jersey.) And then he signed the ball after the game. To all the little kids wanting autographs; I’m sorry- this ball is for my twin brother.

Hamilton is a beast and the Rangers are playing the best baseball in the MLB. It’s a long season, but if the Ranger’s and Hamilton stay healthy Hamilton will be on his way to winning the AL Triple Crown.

With every failure comes new opportunity. With every new at bat comes new hope. With every new season comes a chance at redemption. There’s a saying in the Ranger’s dugout when someone hits a homerun “is that all you got”? And there’s a saying that Ranger’s fans believe: Third times a charm. Let’s Go Rangers!

Thank you my friends, family, and the baseball gods for making this a great birthday!

The Draft

Steve (Anheuser-Busch), Me & Colt (BK Miller Meats & Liquors)

The Friday before the draft I received a phone call from Dan Snyder asking me to fly on his private jet to New York City for the 2012 draft. Thanks to my father, I’ve been a Redskins fan my entire life- Mr. Snyder knows my loyalty to the team and with my almost perfect attendance for home games, he knows my dedication to the team too. It was only fitting that he needed me to chaperone one of the most important drafts of his career as the owner of the Washington Redskins. Without hesitation I said Hail Yes!

Okay, Mr. Snyder didn’t really call me… but Anheuser-Busch did and we did fly to NYC on his private jet. Usually one of two things happen when I’m in moving transportation that I’m not driving: I get sick or I fall asleep. My parents would be so proud to know that this was the first flight where I flew as a real adult. Thank you Mr. Snyder, Thank You!

We land and head to the Redskins war room suite. Not the players War Room, but the suite that Denzel Washington filmed American Gangster- where we had dinner and adult beverages. How did I get this lucky again?

A short walk across the street and hello Radio City! Let the 2012 Draft begin!

It was packed with die-hard football fans from face paint and jerseys to suits and ties. I’m still amazed that so many rivals were in the same room and every one was happy. Fan comedians were out in full-force. Goodell was booed every time he walked out, a Dallas Sucks chant broke out and it wasn’t started by the Redskin fans, Jets fans mocking Andrew Luck’s cheesy/dorky smile and still they applauded when the Colts took him as the overall number one draft pick.

But the most important pick of the draft wasn’t the number one pick, but the number two pick: Welcome to Washington Robert Griffin III. RG3 wore burgundy and gold striped socks with a message “Go Catch Your Dream” – ironic, Redskin fans have been dreaming about a franchise QB for a loooooong time. We don’t expect RG3 to win a super bowl this year, but if we can make a playoff appearance this kid might be the savior of the Nations Capital.

Besides laughing at fans in the audience, I couldn’t stop noticing how Roger Goodell was embracing the rookie class. There were no half hugs with pats on the back; they were all moments between Goodell and the kid holding the jersey. At one point, I thought I needed a permission slip when the Kansas City Chiefs selected Dontari Poe as the 11th overall pick. The commish and Poe’s face were nose to nose with their eyes closed. Maybe this is a softer side of Goodell or maybe he just wants the new class of NFL players to know he really does care about them.

Believe it or not, but in Washington we care about winning and with the CAPS in the conference semifinals, the Nationals leading the NL East, and now the arrival of RG3; this is a whole new era of Washington sports- it’s time to make history.

THANK YOU Anheuser-Busch for asking me to a part of this experience!