Tuesday, Gator Week

Before I get into the football issues, there is one thing that's been on my mind. Is Tuesday not the worst day of the week? I know most people hate Mondays because it ts the first day back to work after the weekend of partying or driving across the state to watch the Vols lose to an inferior opponent at home. However, Monday has the excuse of being the first day of the week and there is Monday night football, reaction to weekends events, and catching up with co-workers about everything from movies to the sermon at church on Sunday. Tuesday has no excuse. There is nothing good on TV and it is the day stuck between kicking off the week and hump day. Everyone knows if you can get through Wednesday it is downhill for the rest of the week. Thursdays are cool because its almost Friday and there is college football on TV and it's my favorite night to play church league softball. Thursday night softball has been a weekend kickoff ritual for me for several years. You go out to to ball park, crank a few homers and breeze through a Friday wearing your favorite team's colors to work. Sorry Tuesday, you officially are the worst day of the week!

On to the game. I remember when this game and week were the highlight of my year, especially in college. You can bet that Patterson, Sal and I were not going to many, if any, classes this week and we could be found following The Tony Basilio show around Knoxville to remotes at fine establishments like Rick's Place, Wallabys and even a cell phone store. We could not get enough of the Vol v. Gator smack talk. We camped out in line for tickets in '98 and Tee Martin came by to show his appreciation for the support. I can remember my roommate Chris asking me if I was going to class and my normal response was "I won't if you won't." We would then proceed to play a few games of NBA 2k and I would dominate him while we listened to another sports talk show break down the match ups. Around mid-morning we would jump in the car and spend the rest of the day discussing and and listening to nothing but Volunteer football talk. By the time game day arrived, Sal was getting in the last minute bets on the game and we would be grilling no less than 20 pounds of beef, chicken and pork.

We would stuff about 7 or 8 people into my Isuzu Trooper and make our way to the stadium. Neyland would be shaking with excitement and there was an energy that could not be duplicated elsewhere. When the band formed the Power "T" and opened up for the team, the hair on the back of your neck would stand up and your eyes would water with emotion. At that moment, you would give anything to be able to dress out, run onto the field and look up at the sea of orange of 108,000 screaming fans. Running onto Shields Watkins Field after we beat Florida in '98 will be something I tell my son and grandkids about. Man, those were the days!

Fast forward to today. I am not currently working as a await the results of the Bar Exam so I had hoped to rekindle a little of that TN v. FL game week magic. Guess what? Times have changed. The TN football program is in a serious rebuilding phase and most fans are wondering if Florida will hang 60 or 70 points on us this weekend. I tuned in to the Basilio show to try and get the pulse of the fans in Knoxville and Tony was not even on the air today. He had some college kid breaking the game down and most of the callers were talking about how bad Crompton is. There are still a few true Orange blooded fans that actually think we will find a way to win this weekend in the Swamp. The hype is not at a fever pitch like it usually is and most of my friends are not scrambling around to see if they can somehow score tickets to the game and take the road trip to Gainesville. Maybe we are getting older but I think it is a result of the fall in our program.

One thing I do know is that Lane Kiffin has never been in an environment that he will see on Saturday. He will be the most hated man in the Stadium, in Florida and maybe even the Southeast. Everyone in the country will have their eye on this game because they all want to see the young brash coach who accused Urban Meyer of cheating get crushed by the mighty Gators. That very well may happen but as a Vol fan I am happy with the new staff and the way they are recruiting and coaching. We might get smoked this year and next, but in 3-4 years, the rest of the SEC better watch out because the Vols will be back!

Here is to hoping(dreaming) that the Vols find a way to stay in the game into the 4th quarter and somehow pull out a miracle. Check back with me this week in about three years and hopefully the intensity and passion of this week will be back and I will be enjoying a plate of Rick's wings listening to Basilio and the Vol Nation discuss why and how we will dismantle the Gators! It's Time!