Gas Pumpers

31-13. Enough Said

Vols are gonna run the table and finish at 8-4. Book it.

It's about time for me to show Montario Hardesty some love. This kid is an absolute stud. 120 yards and 2 TD's. He runs like a moose. The spin move in the first quarter to score a TD was absolutely disgusting.  I have no clue how Hardesty hasn't been on the field before this year.  I know he has had some injuries but he has been a beast his senior year.  4th most yards in the SEC right now.  Guarentee he ends up in the top 2.  Huge fan.

I wasn't a huge fan of the black uni's personally.  They looked really plain and cheap.  I am a big fan of Kiffin though.  He will push the boundaries anyway he can.  Got some love from Lil Wayne this week.  Huge recruiting tool.  Street Cred.  The plan is working.  Super pumped about the Vols right now.

Janzen Jackson is the next Eric Berry.  The kid can play.

Decade of dominance. Engage.

Happy Halloween!

A nice old school slasher movie tribute seems appropriate for this strange holiday.

DISCLAIMER: Highly disturbing

Bulls Predictions

Well this week has been a fun one.  Put in about 16 hours days four of the last five days.  Fun.  I don't care to ever see any moulding plaster for the rest of my life but I will discuss that at another time.

The Bulls begin their 2009- 2010 campaign tonight against the Spurs.  I've got high hopes for the 'baby Bulls' this year.  Here are my five bold predictions for the season.

1.  Derrick Rose will be a top 3 point guard in the league and make his first all star appearance.
2.  John Salmons is gonna be a beast.  Averaging 24 points per game.
3.  Taj Gibson and James Johnson will both get significant minutes as rookies and Gibson will make the rookie team for the All Star Challenge.
4.  The Bulls will finish 2nd in the Central and 5th in the East with a record of 48-34 and make an appearance in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
5.  I will be a true Joakim Noah fan by the end of the year. (10+ rebounds per game.  just call him the new Dennis Rodman)

But really, how could I not be after this?

Really???

 This picture says it all.  The kicking game is just as important as any part of a football team.  UT dominated Alabama in all aspects of the game yesterday but couldn't pull out the W due to the kicking game.  The Vols outgained Bama's offense by nearly one hundred yards, Crompton played great, and the defense didn't allow a touchdown.  The Vols D hasn't allowed a touchdown in the last two games.  Can you say Monte Kiffin?

This game really hurts.  UT goes to Alabama, the #1/2 team in the country, and dominates all aspects of the game but still loses.  This would have been a huge win in Kiffin's first year.  You can't place the blame solely on the kicker or line for the field goals getting blocked.  You blame both.  Lincoln not being able to get a 49 yard field to the goal posts at the end of the half is weak.  'Hurt' or not that is weak.  You are a SEC kicker.  The blocked kicks are on both the kicker and line.  Yes, Cody got a big push, but the ball hit him in the armpit on the first kick.  I know that monster can't get jump more than 3 inches off the ground, therefore the first blocked kick wasn't more than six feet off the ground when it was crossing the line.  I don't buy into the fact that he had to kick it low to get to the goal posts.  He wasn't kicking a 60 yard field goal.  The kick was around 40-45 yards.  That should be pretty routine for a SEC kicker.  If you are hurt, don't play.

The push on the second kick was huge but Lincoln didn't kick it any higher after already getting one kick blocked.  The sad part is, I think if Cody didn't get a hand on that ball it looked like about 3 other guys would have.  Also, if you go back and watch the replay of that kick it looked like it was going badly left.  Lincoln might have got lucky that kick got block because I'm pretty sure he shanked it left.

I love this Vols team even though the record is a little ugly.  I think with the way they have played they have a good chance of winning out and finishing 8-4.

"I'd rather be a Tennessee Vol and lose every game than go somewhere else and win them all." -Wes Brown.  You sir are a warrior.  ALL ORANGE

On another note, I went to the LSU/Auburn game last night.  As I said, LSU would bounce back and have a big game.  31-10.  Chief's defense played like men and the offense finally scored some points.  LSU looked like a complete team for the first time all year.  They've got another big time game in two weeks at Alabama.  The SEC is a beast of a conference.  They are gonna have to win that game if they hope to get to the SEC Championship and beyond.

3rd Week in October

Well, it's that time of year again.  The third week in October, AKA Vols vs. Bama.  It's Lane Kiffin's first taste of the rivalry.  I have no doubt that he already understands it completely.  Alabama is an extremely good team this year so the Kiffin has his hands full.  I am hoping and praying for a Vols win in Bryant-Denny Stadium tomorrow.  They will have to bring their all to win.

My prediction:  If the UT plays like they did against UGA two weeks ago then they have a legitimate shot.  It is nice that they have had two weeks to prepare but I think the Vols offense has a pre-UGA like day.  The defense will be ready to go but the offense won't be able to keep them in the game.  Ingram will not run wild like he has against just about everyone else this year but Bama wins 27-17.

BUCK FAMA

And just in case anyone forgot...



Eric Berry is a stud.

GO VOLS!


Tigers vs. Tigers prediction:  LSU bounces back big after a week off and wins 31-17.  Book it.

Atchafalaya Canoe Trip

My ecology class took a field trip on Tuesday to the Atchafalaya Basin.  We took canoes into the bayous, bald cypress swamps, and rivers.  These swamps and wetlands are what most people think of when they think southern Lousisana.  It was a good time.  Nice to get out of studio every once in a while.

SEC Preseason Hoops Ranks

Eastern Division                Points 
Kentucky (23)                   148       
Tennessee (2)                    117       
Vanderbilt                          90         
South Carolina                   77         
Florida                               68         
Georgia                             25         

Western Division              Points
Mississippi State (22)       144
Ole Miss (2)                     120
Alabama                           84
LSU (1)                            70
Arkansas                          63
Auburn                             44

FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC       
Devan Downey, South Carolina
*Patrick Patterson, Kentucky  
Tyler Smith, Tennessee            
Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State 
Terrico White, Ole Miss              

SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC              
Tasmin Mitchell, LSU                            
A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt                         
DeWayne Reed, Auburn            
John Wall, Kentucky                    
Chris Warren, Ole Miss                     

SEC Player of the Year: Patrick Patterson, Kentucky


The preseason rankings for the SEC came out on Monday and for some reason the Vols got absolutely no love.  Tyler Smith was the only person to make the pre-season All SEC team.  Somehow Wayne Chism, a four year starter, didn't even make second team.  That is completely bogus.  New-flash:  A.J. Ogilvy is not good and Chism dominates him.

Evidentally, everyone is all over Kentucky.  They had a mediocre year last year at 20-13 and this year they are almost unanimously picked to win the east?  I'll take the now experienced Vols team any day of the week.  Also in case people forgot:  Bruce Pearl owns Calipari.   Patterson is a stud but this new John Wall character almost makes first team all SEC without playing a bit of college ball.  Foolish.

Vols are gonna have a solid year.  My preseason prediction:  SEC East champs, SEC Champs, Elite 8 appearance.

Murals Around The World

Check out these wall murals....

50 Most Stunning Wall Murals

There are some crazy good artists in this world.  The scale on these things are crazy.  How can the artists keep the composition and form right when these things are so big???  Numbers 23 and 29 are sick.

LSU Lakes

During my visit to Baton Rouge we had PERFECT weather the whole time. Surprising considering it rains here a lot! Saturday we decided to take advantage of this weather since Kyle didn't have to spend all day in the studio. We went for a bike ride around the LSU lakes, taking some time to check out some cool houses and enjoy the weather.  The lakes are a beautiful area on LSU's campus. After riding around the lakes, we rode around campus. (Kyle will put some pictures up from campus later) We also went to visit Mike the tiger in his habitat and actually got to see him this time! He is a BIG cat. After seeing the real tiger we ventured to the tiger statue near the stadium...I climbed on top to show the foreshadowing of UT dominating the Tigers...this is just a little of what we did that day.  We also had a yummy lunch including blackened alligator and saw the movie 'Where the Wild Things Are'...I am definitely not ready to go back to Tennessee in the morning. 


- Sara 

Where The Wild Things Are

Sara and I went and checked out the new 'Where The Wild Things Are' movie on Saturday night.  I really liked it a lot.  I would rate it as a 4 out of 5.  It is a quite a bit different from most of the mainstream movies.  It followed the book pretty well from what I can remember.  I would recommend it if you have any interest in the book or any knowledge of it.  If not, don't go see it.

How to be Bully Smart

"Don't roll over on your stomach because the bully will grab your head and bounce it off the sidewalk." Haha wow. These people can't be serious. Classic

My Neighbors/Pets

Check out my awesome neighbors, Merlin and Rex. I can see these dudes out my window most days except when they are trying to dip out of the sun. Kinda strange having these goats next to me because I live in a pretty nice middle class neighborhood but I like it.

MLB Playoffs...so far

The excitement thus far during the MLB playoffs has been through the roof.  Three out of the four series have been swept and the fourth could end tonight in four games.  The Cardinals, Red Sox, and Twins were all swept in three games.  Exciting.

MLB has to be the most frustrating sport as a fan.  Especially a Cubs fan.  It doesn't matter how well a team plays for 162 games, if they have a bad stretch during the playoffs the season is done.

I can honestly say I haven't watched a single pitch of playoff baseball.  Partly due to the fact that I am always in studio, but mainly because I could really care less.  Maybe the Cubs will be relevant one day in late October.  For now, go National League!  You people who think the AL is superior because you play fake baseball with a DH are a joke.

Here is a comic I found kind of entertaining.  Go home Cardinals, go home Matt Holiday.  That is what you deserve.  Click on it to read it.

It's Saturday: LSU v. UF & Vols v. UGA

It appears to be a pretty big weekend down here in Bayou Bengal country.  The RV's started showing up here on Wednesday.  By the time I got out of class today half of the parking lots were already filled with RV's setup and cracking open some cold beers.  Pretty nuts.  Tailgating down here is taken to another level.  These people go all out.  As an example, here is the setup for the tailgate that my department is putting on tomorrow:

MENU: 300lbs of shrimp, 30 doz crabs, 6 sacks of oysters, gator meat and jumbalaya.

DRINKS: 12 kegs of beer (3 kegs at once), margaritas, and ice shot block (bring your favorite shooting liqour), soft drinks, etc....

And this is just the setup for a school group.

I am hearing that they are expecting 200,00+ people on campus tomorrow.  Some are calling it the biggest game ever in Death Valley, the highest ranked team to ever face off here.  Unfortunately I don't have a ticket to the game tomorrow.  I didn't get one through the lottery and the students are selling their tickets for $150+ so I'm out.  Mom and Pops are going to be here so we will figure out somewhere to watch the game.  We will definitely go down and enjoy the tailgating festivities though.  As for the game, I really like LSU at night in Death Valley.  I don't think LSU has played to their potential and everyone will be pretty amped up for the game.  I don't personally care if Tebow plays or not.  I'm just tired of hearing about him.  I think third and Chavis will have the defense ready, which he rarely ever did for the Vols against Flordia, and LSU is going to win.  My prediction is 27-21 Bayou Bengals.

Here is some readings for anyone's enjoyment:


Tebow Is The Greatest Man That Has Ever Lived
LES MILES: What's Under that Hat?
Clay Travis: Miracle Miles

As for the Vols game, I think UT is finally going to pull out a meaningful game at home.  I don't think it will be pretty but I think they will win.  Kiffin has got to start winning some of these games at home.  I think UGA is a mediocre SEC team and UT will squeak one out.  I look for a formidable day from J. Crompton.  The running game is gonna be huge.  I also think its about time that EB gets one of his big interception returns.  He hasn't had one all year.  I say Vols win 20-16.

GO VOLS, GEAUX TIGERS

Happy Saturday!

Bronco Sighting

I think someone stole my beast and brought it down here to Louisiana.  That is one sexy looking ride.

Dear Agony

The new Breaking Benjamin album, Dear Agony, came out last week.  I finally got to listen to it this week.  They continue to make solid music.  I will rate this one right behind 'Phobia'.  Their second best that they have made so far in my opinion.  Check it out.  Some of my personal favorites:  Fade Away, Give Me A Sign, and Without You.

Elk River Falls

The last stop for Sara, mom, and I in the Roan Highlands last Friday was to Elk River Falls in Elk Falls, NC.  We decided to make a stop by this waterfall since it was still pretty early in the day after we got done hiking.

This was a really nice waterfall that I didn't even know existed, although mom claims I have been there before.  It had a ton of water volume compared to many other waterfall that I have seen in the area.  It was only about a 500 yard walk from the parking area.  Supposedly, the water is deep enough that you can jump off the top into the swimming hole below.  Elk Falls is probably now one of my favorite falls that I have seen in the area.

Check out these guys kayaking off the falls.  Nuts

Roan Highlands

Sara, mom, and I went up to Roan Mountain last Friday when I was in Johnson City for a couple days.  It was nice to finally get back to the mountains.  There's not too many mountains down here in Louisiana.  Come to think of it, it is completely flat.  Here are some pictures from the trip.

We first went through Roan Mountain State Park up to Carver's Gap.  It was a little overcast but we ended up getting some pretty awesome views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains.  It was quite windy and cold on top as can be seen in the photos.  We hiked for about a mile or so up to Round Bald.  I am going to come back and do some backpacking on this part of the AT during my Christmas break hopefully.  It is a pretty awesome area.

We decided to come down from Carver's Gap and head back into the State Park due to the high winds on the balds.  We decided to hike the Raven Rock Overlook trail in the park.  It was a short hike up to the overlook where most of the state park could be seen.  Not quite as cool as the balds on top but still nice.  Much more of a forested, green area.  A nice place to enjoy lunch.

I sure do miss the mountains being down here in LA.  I want to do some backpacking immediately.  I will have a long list of places to go once I get back in TN for an extended period of time.  Who's coming with?

Eric Berry

While I was in Knoxville I was also introduced to this gem...



For anyone who thinks he is not having a good year they are kidding themselves. He is an absolute stud. No one will throw his way anymore, so he is just racking up tackles. He could go well over 100 for the season.

His Heisman campaign that UT is doing for him and the videos are pretty funny. Check out the entire campaign HERE.

ERIC BEERRRRRRRRYYYY

Gameday Festivities

Here are few pics from Saturday in Knoxville.  Had a blast at Abe's before the game, as usual.  Great times in Knox.  It was good to see all my people again.  I wish I could be there to enjoy more East TN fall game days.  Much Love.

UT vs. Auburn

I attended my one and only UT Vols game of the year when I was back in East TN for my fall break this weekend (unless some people nut up and decide that we are all going to the Ole Miss game).  It was awfully nice to get back to Knoxville and see all that orange.

Just a few comments about the game:

Sara and I got tickets from her dad for the game (thanks!) in section GG.  I'll tell you what, that section was pumped up for the game...NOT.  Sara and I were the only people in that section standing at any point other than when the team came out.  We decided to leave the least enthused fans I have ever seen at a football game after the first quarter and head down to the student section to watch the rest of the game.

Everyone got tickets in section G row 2.  Pretty good seats unless you actually want to know how the plays are developing.  We were basically even with the field.  It was cool to see all the coaches and players up close though.  The defensive coaches get pretty fired up.  The student section has changed none since last year.  About 15% of the students are at the game because they really love football.  The rest are a bunch of clowns; wanting to sit down at every timeout, complaining constantly, having no idea what is going on in the game, etc.  We have one of the worst student sections I have seen.  But at least they pay and show up right???

The Vols looked less than impressive to say the least.  I know Jon Crompton takes most of the criticism from the fans, but I think the struggles are much bigger than him.  The receivers are not good as a group, way too many dropped balls (good riddance, Branden Warren.  Blowing up at your coach was a brilliant idea)  They have not looked in rhythm with the QB all year.  I think it is time to makes some changes.  Give Nick Stephens a shot.  Why not?  There was no part of the Vols performance that was impressive.  I see a 2-6 record on the horizon if some things don't get changed for this team, quickly.

I am all for Kiffin but I am slightly confused by what is going on with the team right now.  Clearly they are doing some pretty big things in the recruiting game but why are they not winning on the field.  They should be 4-1 right now with the lone loss to FL.  UCLA and Auburn were both teams that had about the equivalent talent as the Vols but they still lost both games at home?  Makes no sense to me.  Lane, I understand you have a plan but lets see some production on the field.  Chizik, for Auburn, is a first year coach and his record is 5-0 with similar talent and not nearly as great of a coaching staff around them.  What gives?

All in all, I had a blast on game day and loved being back in big orange country for some football.  It would have like to of seen a Vols win though.