That's Not It At All: July 2011

Back at it.

Before today, my last post on this sinking ship known as my blog was November 19, 2009. Lane Kiffin was still UT's football coach. Miley Cyrus was still in her horrible music-making prime. Nobody knew who Rebecca Black was.

So what happened? I got Twitter. It's quick, easy, and worked on my phone. For all of their world-dominating ways, Google has struggled with making Blogger mobile-friendly.

But, I've been fortunate enough to start contributing to UTSports.com and UTLadyVols.com on a semi-frequent basis over the last few months, and those contributions will become more frequent in the near future. You'll notice I've linked to most of my features over the last year here in the blog. I'll continue to link to the full stories posted there. I'll also run some fresh stuff here, maybe excerpts from interviews that were cut from a story, sometime full stories that I'll write but we just don't have a place for on the UT sites.

You'll also notice that I haven't monetized the blog, so I'm not making anything off of it. It wouldn't be fair or appropriate to gain financially from some of the behind-the-scenes access that I'm granted to write and to help out at events.

Hope you enjoy what's been posted and what's coming soon.

Connecting Through Camps

Posted to UTSports.com July 29, 2011

KNOXVILLE -- Hundreds of young athletes spend part of their summer vacations improving their games and skills at one of Tennessee's summer sports camps. And they get to do it all in some of the nation's finest athletic facilities.

For the programs running those camps, though, there's more than just coaching up young athletes from around the region. Summer camps serve as a front door for many of the programs on campus. For some, camp is a chance to bring in fans - both campers and their families - from all over the country that have previously only seen Tennessee through the eyes of a TV camera.

Altering The Plan

Posted to UTLadyVols.com May 22, 2011

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Things didn't go quite according to plan for Tennessee at Lee Stadium on Saturday.

The ideal itinerary for the day had the Lady Vols at home relaxing Saturday night, preparing for a Knoxville Regional Championship matchup on Sunday. Instead, the team was busy rallying around themselves, trying to earn that berth in Sunday's final, thanks to their first loss of the postseason at the hands of Oklahoma State in Saturday's opener.

Selection Night Not Always a Breeze for Lady Vol Softball

Posted to UTLadyVols.com May 16, 2011

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Disrespect was a phrase thrown around a lot on Sunday night in the Tennessee Softball clubhouse following the NCAA Softball selection show. The Lady Volunteers will host an NCAA Regional for the seventh straight season and will appear in the tournament for the eighth straight season, but the feeling in the team video room Sunday night harkened back to another selection night eight years ago where the end result was completely different.

Power Plays for UT Softball

Posted to UTLadyVols.com May 19, 2011

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- On most Saturday nights in SEC softball, a two-home run, four-RBI night in a winning effort would be the lead story. In a nationally-televised game, the performance might even make "Top Plays" on Sportscenter. But on a Saturday night that just happened to be the SEC Tournament Championship, a game that just happened to be on ESPN, a walk-off home run stole most of the spotlight. Nice problem for a team to have, right?

Summitt Wants Juniors to Step Up

Posted to UTLadyVols.com March 28, 2011

DAYTON, Ohio -- It is often said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. What Lady Vols hoped was a journey to a National Championship this season took a step back on Monday night at the University of Dayton Arena, but a team that loses just two seniors and one starter, the journey to the 2012 Final Four is just beginning.

Picture This

Posted to UTLadyVols.com March 27, 2011

DAYTON, Ohio -- "People get hurt, get knocked down, that was a tough loss for us," Angie Bjorklund said early Sunday afternoon.

Was she talking about an early season loss to Baylor? One of the games from her sophomore season in 2009?

Simmons' Block Sparks Lady Vols

Posted to UTLadyVols.com March 26, 2011

DAYTON, Ohio -- The line on the official play by play reads simply "BLOCK by Simmons, Meighan 16:42." The effect of that one line on the stat sheet on Tennessee's 85-75 win and the rest of the Lady Vols' season could be immeasurable. Obviously, no one in the Tennessee locker room at the University of Dayton Arena was happy as the team ran in for halftime on Saturday afternoon. Though Shekinna Stricklen had just come around two defenders to nail a two-pointer as the first half buzzer sounded to pull the Lady Vols within two at 42-40, the first-half effort was clearly not what Pat Summitt or her squad had in mind.

Inside the Dayton Regional - Friday

Posted to UTLadyVols.com March 25, 2011

DAYTON, Ohio -- Just a few feet and a steep ramp away from Tennessee's press conference in the University of Dayton Arena, it was quite the relaxed atmosphere in the Lady Vol locker room, where the team opened the doors for the media for the open locker room session.

A Rocky Top Homecoming

Posted to UTSports.com Aug. 23, 2010

KODAK, Tenn. - When Ty'Relle Harris entered the visitor's clubhouse at Smokies Park on Wednesday night, the former Vol was a Mississippi Brave who was excited for the opportunity for a homecoming of sorts, playing again in East Tennessee. Less than two hours later, Harris found out that, thanks to his parent club's need for a big bat in its lineup, the homecoming was going to be a little more permanent than the scheduled five-game series.

Sunday, July 31, 2011