I'm currently sitting in the press box at Hawkins Field watching the Commodores and Bulldogs square off in the first of three critical games this weekend... and thought I'd post some news and notes.

First, congrats to women's tennis head coach Geoff Macdonald. Macdonald (pictured to the right) picked up his 300th win at Vanderbilt earlier today when the 'Dores defeated Indiana State, 4-0, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. If you're in the Nashville area Saturday, stop by and watch the Commodores take on SEC rival Kentucky for the right to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

Today was also a busy day on campus as several Commodore student-athletes officially graduated with a degree from Vanderbilt University. One of the graduates was basketball star Shan Foster. Foster finished off a degree in Human and Organizational Development and is now preparing for June's NBA Draft. In case you missed it, there were a couple of great pieces recently published on the Kenner, La., native.

NCAA Champion Magazine featured Foster on the cover of its spring issue. The story also included some nice photos from a recent campus shoot.

And if you haven't read Jennifer Johnston's story on Shan, then stop what you're doing and take five minutes to find out how the senior swingman excelled not only on the court, but in the classroom.

And keep your eyes out... we sat down with Shan today to get his thoughts on graduation and the upcoming draft. Look for that video interview sometime next week.

Also, there were some other good articles on the web today that you should check out.
Teresa Walker's AP story: Alvarez showed smarts, boosted draft stock
Brett Hait's Friday Q&A with basketball's A.J. Ogilvy
Rocky Mountains News: Jay Cutler raises money and profile

Finally, we posted a new YouTube video.

Fans had emailed about wanting to see video of Pedro Alvarez's monster home run (approx. 430 feet) against Memphis at Pringles Park Tuesday. The blast soared over the right field scoreboard within the blink of an eye... and legend has it that it might be one of only a couple of homers that have ever been hit over the Double A park's scoreboard.

A couple of things to notice while watching the video.

First, Pedro had already homered earlier in the game when he was greeted by "overrated" chants as he stepped to the plate. You'll see what happens.

Second, this game was the first time the 'Dores broke out their gold pinstriped jerseys and pants. I would say there's a chance we'll see these again since we're undefeated (1-0) wearing them. Something you won't see again are the white shoes they played in a few times this season. After losing the Kentucky series, it was determined that they contained "bad karma".

Finally, listen to the crowd reaction once the contact takes place. There was no doubt in anybody's mind where that ball was headed.

Anyway... Hope you enjoy it. I'll see you out at tennis and baseball Saturday.

Congratulations to the baseball team for its second straight sweep over Tennessee last weekend. Here are some post-Tennessee notes I jotted down with quotes from Coach Corbin. And fans.. this week just gets bigger. The 'Dores will host their final four regular season home games starting Wednesday with Tennessee Tech, followed by SEC-leading Georgia coming to town for a three-game set beginning Friday. Over 700 tickets remain for each game, so call 615.322.GOLD and make sure you pack the park!

DEFENSE FIRST

It was time for a change.

In their series loss to Kentucky two weekends ago, the Commodores committed six overall errors, capped off by four miscues in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Wildcats, prompting head coach Tim Corbin to make a move for the Tennessee series.

"I was down about the way we played defense against Kentucky," said Corbin. "We didn't hit the ball, but run prevention has always been the theme in this program.

"I thought we were going to play defense first and if we got offense, fine, but I wanted energy and clean baseball in the field and that's what we got."

Corbin started his defensive adjustments against UT by putting Brad French's sure-handed glove back at first base for the first time since April 15.

"He's just played a lot of games over at first and he's been out in the field in tough situations," said Corbin. "Yeah, he doesn't give you the typical first baseman numbers of .350, 20 jacks and 60 RBI, but he's alert. I like his legs, I like his mind, and I like his alertness and that just kind of bleeds into the rest of the team."

In addition to French, Corbin liked Steven Liddle's defense in left field, a position that has seen five different players earn starts during the season. That decision meant the lefty would be in the lineup against two southpaw starting pitchers on Friday and Saturday. Alex Feinberg also played second base after spending time in and out of the lineup since suffering a broken jaw April 5 at Ole Miss.

The moves paid off as the Commodores were error-free in their first sweep of Tennessee in Knoxville since the SEC went to three-game series in 1986.

"To me it's about trying to lessen the run production of the other team while trying to increase the run production of our team. It's paramount that we play good defense and I think that had a lot to do with the success of the weekend."

WITH DEFENSE COMES OFFENSE

Corbin not only made some defensive moves against Tennessee, but also shuffled the batting order to try and spark an offense that produced just six total runs against Kentucky, which included going a dismal 4-for-26 with runners in scoring position.

"There was no rhythm in the lineup," said Corbin. "We weren't getting people on base, and when we were getting people on base, we weren't driving them in, so I said forget it and let's just bump everyone up."

Corbin stayed with David Macias at the top of the lineup (who's been placed there for every game this season), but moved Dominic de la Osa up to the two spot, followed by Pedro Alvarez in the three hole with Ryan Flaherty hitting cleanup.

The top four jumpstarted the offense, combining to go 20-for-53 (.377) with 13 RBI, 14 runs and eight extra base hits on the weekend.

"I think it's just a matter of getting your best hitters up there and getting them as many at-bats as they possibly can because when it really gets down to late in the game, you want those guys back up there again."

But the hitting surge didn't stop there.

In fact, it was contagious throughout the entire order.

Steven Liddle led the 'Dores going 5-for-11 (.455) with three doubles and three RBI against the Vols. After some early season hitting struggles, the redshirt freshman has battled back to raise his average to .299.

"Steve's a kid who was hitting about .220 for most of the year, but it was the hardest .220 I had seen," remarked Corbin. "He was just hitting hard line drives and fly balls all over the place. I think he's a good RBI guy. He seems to pick up guys when they get on base and he's very aggressive with the bat."

Shea Robin also continued his offensive tear over the last few weeks by hitting 6-for-14 (.429) with two homers, a double and four RBI. The senior has raised his average an impressive 55 points in three weeks to .317.

"My running joke with Shea is that I don't need him for offense because he can't hit, so just give me defense," quipped Corbin, who labeled Robin as the best defensive catcher in the SEC. "Ironically, all along we recruited him because of his bat and what he's given us in return is a solid bat."

Alex Feinberg looked like he's returning to form at the plate with four hits including his first homer since March 4 against Louisville. Andrew Giobbi knocked in two runs in Saturday's win, while Brad French contributed with his second multi-RBI game of the season in Sunday's victory.

Overall, the Commodores exploded to score 27 runs on 42 hits versus Tennessee, while the team hit .356 with four homers, 14 doubles and a triple in the three games. VU also rebounded by going 20-for-51 (.392) with RISP and converted 10 two-out RBI as well.

It was a nice turnaround for a team looking to hit its stride at the most important time of year.

"As a coach, you want to be playing your best ball of the year," said Corbin. "We've fought through a lot of adversities earlier in the year with injuries. They're not excuses but they're thunderbolts and they hit you and knock your team down a little bit and you see how they react to them.

"I think now we're starting to bloom a little bit. Hopefully we're playing our best down the stretch."

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Well, that's it for today. Thought I'd go old school on the blog and include a video of the day.

At Tennessee this weekend, they tried to play "Sweet Caroline" in Friday's game in the eighth when UT was trailing 8-0. Let's just say it fired up the Commodore faithful that made the trip to Knoxville.

Now, this version below isn't the original by Neil Diamond (which is far and away the best). It's a cover by the King himself, Elvis. I love just about anything Elvis --- young Elvis, fat Elvis, tiny Elvis... heck, even the Elvis impersonator I met in Vegas last summer that was from Paducah, Kentucky (yes, that's a true story... I have the picture to prove it). My favorite part of this video is when Elvis makes his swivel movements to the part in the chorus that's known for the horn section.

And by the way.. there was no way I was posting David Archuleta's "Sweet Caroline" cover from American Idol this season. As much as I love Idol, young David should have been voted off for even trying it. As Simon said, it was "amateurish." David Cook should win it all based on who's left. I personally thought Michael Johns was just as good, but he was voted off weeks ago. And how Jason Castro has survived this long in a competition based on talent, I'll never know.

Not only are the stakes high with the season winding down, but the most crucial series of the season to date comes at instate rival Tennessee.

Corbin has had a lot of success against the Vols, going 12-5 overall in his six years at Vanderbilt (winning four of five series), but this year will mark the first time he will face a UT team not coached by Rod Delmonico.

Tennessee hired Todd Raleigh from Western Carolina last June after he spent eight years with the Catamounts, winning two Southern Conference titles and making two NCAA appearances.

The Vols come into the series struggling of late, dropping seven of its last 11 ball games. But don't get too excited based on that stat alone. UT hasn't surrendered a home series all season at Lyndsey Nelson Stadium. And even though the 'Dores swept Tennessee last year in Nashville, the three games were decided by a total of four runs.

"It's a big series with the SEC East being all bunched up," said Tennessee head coach Todd Raleigh. "It's against our rival, it's instate, and they've kind of been the class of the East over the last couple of years. It's a big weekend. This week's probably got a little special meaning to it and we're looking for it."

Corbin downplayed the rivalry, though, by saying that he doesn't see the series with UT being any different than any other opponent in the SEC.

"It's just another opponent that you have to play well against in order to get to the next step," said Corbin. "Outside of that, I don't go into a war room and start slamming my fist on a desk saying, 'This is a big rivalry and we got to have this game.' I don't treat it like that at all. I treat it more like any other team we play."

So with all the rivalry talk amongst fans and media, has Raleigh noticed anything about it since arriving in Knoxville?

"I think people want this rivalry to be nasty," said Raleigh. "I want it to be a heated rivalry and I want it to be great, but I don't think it's ever going to get to the point where we're ever going to cross those lines. Life's too short for that."

COACHING TIES BETWEEN TEAMS

Not only are there ties between the players (Tennessee has 17 players from the state and Vanderbilt has 13), but there's a strong connection among the coaching staffs of both teams. Let's see if I can break this down.

*Both Tim Corbin and Todd Raleigh were mentored by Jack Leggett.

*Raleigh played for Leggett when he was at Western Carolina (1988-91) and Corbin was an assistant coach for Leggett at Clemson (1994-2002).

*VU assistant coach Erik Bakich played for Raleigh for one season (1999) at East Carolina.

*UT assistant coach Bradley LeCroy played for Clemson (1997-2000) while Corbin was an assistant coach, and was also teammates with Mike Calitri, VU's Director of Baseball Operations.

So, after sorting it out (sure I messed part of it up), here's what was said about the relationship between the coaches:

Raleigh on Corbin

"I've known Tim, I don't know how long," said Raleigh. "He coached with my mentor, Coach (Jack) Leggett, so I have nothing but respect and admiration for Tim.

"There are so many ties between us and Vandy that it's going to mean more. There's no question about it. But our kids don't see that so it really doesn't come into play. I won't even bring it up to our kids because they're not getting into that deep with it."

Corbin on Raleigh

"I know Todd very well," said Corbin. "We have a lot of common from the standpoint of we're both northeast guys, and we both worked for a head coach who put us in this position to coach where we are right now.

"I was very supportive of him getting that job and I felt all along that he would do a great job. I just felt like he would bring a mentality and a disposition to those kids that was different. I thought once he got things together he'd bring in a new energy to them that I think the kids would respond to. I think that's been seen and they've had a lot of good wins."

EXTRA WEEKEND NOTE

Finally, keep your eye out for Dominic de la Osa's stat line this weekend. The senior outfielder is only five hits away from breaking Karl Nonemaker's school career hits record of 283. Good luck, Dom!

MR. EVERYTHING

David Macias is a prime example of why baseball players return for their senior season.

Halfway through the conference slate, The Woodlands, Texas, native just may be Vanderbilt's most valuable player.

Known more during his first three years for his stellar defensive play in centerfield, Macias has shined at the plate in his final season, ranking fourth in the SEC in hitting (.394), while leading the Commodores in hits (61), runs (43), total bases (88) and slugging percentage (.568).

Macias has also shown an extra pop in his bat, a nice surprise for a leadoff hitter in a lineup full of big sticks. Entering 2008 with only one career homer, he's ripped six long balls so far, the second most on the team.

"He thrives on getting hit, walking, or doing something to drive the other team crazy," said head coach Tim Corbin. "I think the element that he's added to his game is his ability to hit for extra bases. He's driving doubles and hitting the ball out of the ballpark. He's doing it from both sides of the plate. He's become a very potent, dangerous offensive guy."

During the Commodores seven-game winning streak, the SEC Hitter of the Week has an eye-popping .545 average (18-for-33) with a double, triple, homer and four RBI with 11 runs scored. Macias credits his success to changes he made to his swing in the off-season.

"As a leadoff hitter I'm just trying to get on base," Macias said, "and fortunately I'm getting good pitches to hit and a couple of home runs have happened here and there."

But don't be fooled.

Just because his offensive production has increased doesn't mean that there's been a drop off in the field. Macias has recorded five assists this season and made a couple of jaw-dropping catches at Mississippi State last weekend to show why he's the best at his position in the SEC.

"He plays centerfield as well as anyone in this conference," stated Corbin. "It's not because he's a flyer out there. It's because he's got good instincts. He makes good reads on the ball. He's alert. He can throw runners out."

"I just go out there in the outfield and play as hard as I can in practice," added Macias, "that way it carries over onto the field to help our pitchers out."

Corbin credits Macias' energy level as the main reason for his achievements at the plate and in the field.

"Here is a guy that has played in the SEC for four years and he's never slowed down one step whatsoever. He's still laying out during batting practice when nobody is in the stands. It's what he is use to doing. He carries that same mentality to the games.

"He's hitting home runs, stealing bases, driving in important runs and making great catches... He's doing everything."

MORE ON MACIAS:

Here are a couple of extra tidbits on Macias from Monday's media day.

Taking the beanball

Those that follow Commodore baseball know about Macias' uncanny ability to get on base in a variety of ways, including being able to draw a high number of hit-by-pitches during his career (46 to be exact).

So... Does he practice this art?

Macias: "To tell you the truth, when I hit in the cages, I tell the pitchers to hit me sometimes so I don't get out of the way when it comes to game time. I guess sometimes it is something I work on. I'm the leadoff hitter so I do whatever it takes to get on base to get those guys behind me to drive me in."

The clubhouse joker

During the preseason last fall, a couple of players commented about David being the funniest guy on the roster. So what did Corbin and Macias think about it?

Macias: "I just go in the dugout and locker room and be myself and I guess they think it's funny and they enjoy it."

Corbin: "Macias is funny, but I don't think he tries to be funny. He says things that are so innocent and out there that he catches people off guard, and they start laughing. He's one of those guys that says something funny, and he's not laughing, but then when he sees everyone else laughing, he starts laughing. He's a piece of work."

SEARCHING FOR CONSISTENCY

Baseball head coach Tim Corbin was searching for consistency from his ballclub after the Commodores were reeling from a 1-4 record in the first week of April including being swept at Ole Miss.

During that span, the 'Dores struggled in all phases of the game: the offense hit only .262, the pitching staff allowed almost eight runs per game, and the defense committed 11 errors.

The Commodores were in last place in the SEC East and had to go back and refocus as a unit to turn things around.

"After Sunday's game, I talked about how we had to break it down to the point we're playing pitch by pitch, inning by inning, and game by game," said Corbin.

"We just tried to get back to the basics," said centerfielder David Macias. "Practicing hard and practicing like you play. Ultimately it carries over and we got a good week out of it."

A good week indeed.

Vanderbilt responded to the tough stretch by posting its most consistent week of the year, winning all five games including midweek wins over Western Kentucky and Austin Peay, as well as a three-game sweep at Mississippi State.

The Commodores excelled in all areas of the game that had given them problems the previous week: the offense heated up with a .340 average, the pitching staff posted a 2.60 ERA, and the defense made only three errors in 185 chances.

"Every aspect of the game is contagious," added Macias. "Once everyone starts doing well it just goes throughout the whole team."

So what was the turning point?

Trailing Mississippi State 7-3 in the fifth inning last Friday, Vanderbilt found itself in a hole once again on the road. Instead of getting rattled in a tough environment, the Commodores battled back to score nine runs over the next two innings and eventually won 15-8, setting the tone for VU's first sweep in Starkville since 1914.

"When we got behind, it could've been a situation where they said, `Oh boy. Here we go again,' but it wasn't like that at all," added Corbin. "We kept pecking away. Then when we won, and I thought this could turn us around."

The Commodores followed Friday's emotional comeback by winning in two different fashions: A 16-0 rout of the Bulldogs on Saturday and a 4-3 nail biter on Sunday to give VU its first road series win of the year.

"If you win a series like that, you're doing things well," stated Corbin. "I thought we had a pretty positive approach in all of those games that week."

Vanderbilt will try to carry over last week's momentum into the rest of the year, starting with two midweek road games before hosting Auburn for a three-game series this weekend at Hawkins Field.

"We're only halfway through the SEC season," added Corbin. "We've got a long way to go. We figured out something for the time being, but it all starts again this week with Lipscomb Tuesday."

MORE OF COACH CORBIN'S QUOTES FROM MONDAY'S PRESS CONFERENCE:

On the younger bullpen thriving in adverse situations:

"We've been on the road three times. We've put them out there in adverse situations."

"In Sunday's game, the game was 4-3 with one out and the bases loaded. We brought in (Richie) Goodenow, and he strikes out a guy. We brought in (Russell) Brewer, and he strikes out a guy. They both had a 2-0 count on each hitter. The crowd was on their feet, and it's difficult to pitch in that situation for the first time for each of them.

"Every time we have a moment like that, it builds upon itself. Every time they succeed, they get more confidence the next time they go up there (on the mound). If I don't give them opportunities, then I won't know how they'll react in the situation. If I give a guy an opportunity like that, and he reacts well to it, then he'll get the ball again in that same situation."

On making the team think like a contender instead of a pretender:

"I told our team last Thursday that the problem is that other teams think more of us than we do of ourselves. I said to them that we're playing like a pretender rather than a contender. We've got to get to the point where we feel like we're the contender. We need to play like the team we're capable of playing like, and I think we started to do that this past weekend."

Alex Feinberg is as tough as they come.

During the first game of a doubleheader Saturday in Oxford, the senior second baseman was on the receiving end of a 92 mph fastball from Ole Miss ace Lance Lynn that hit him just beneath the mouth. What was later determined to be a broken jaw, he ignored the injury and sprinted to first base as if the ball had never hit him.

"He's a tough kid," said head coach Tim Corbin. "He never went down on the ground (after being hit by the pitch) and his face was all over the place. You could see all the way through to his teeth and he said, 'I'm not coming out of this baseball game. Find a way to stop the bleeding and I'm playing.'"

After Vanderbilt's medical staff assessed the situation, Feinberg had to be taken out of the game and immediately returned to Nashville that night for surgery the following morning.

Before being sidelined, the Orinda, Calif., native was in the middle of his best season as a Commodore, ranking fourth in the SEC in hitting (.400) and third in the conference in on-base percentage (.521). He's also been a rock in the everyday lineup, starting all 27 games on the year before getting hurt as well as 62 of 67 games last season.

Not having his toughness in the lineup will be missed as the 'Dores prepare to get back on track with midweek games against Western Kentucky and Austin Peay as well as a weekend road tilt at Mississippi State.

"He's your grinder, he's your Phil Garner, he's your guy who's just a battler and never takes no for an answer," added Corbin. "His injury is a loss because there's a confidence level he plays with that goes to our team... The kid wants to play right now, but he's not going to play for another two weeks."

Feinberg is expected to be out until April 18-20 when the Commodores entertain Auburn. Utility man Brian Harris, who excelled as a starter during Pedro Alvarez's injury, will replace him during his absence.

Feinberg was unavailable for comment at Monday's media day (undergoing care while his jaw is wired shut), but emailed a thank you to Commodore fans for their support.

"I sincerely want to thank everyone who has supported me since my injury on Saturday," he said. "The cards I have received really mean a lot to me, and I just want everyone to know that I am doing well and should be back in action soon."

I am traveling to Spokane, Wash., for the NCAA Regional Semifinals this weekend. I will be posting photos from the road throughout the trip plus other news from the road at our postseason central site. Check it out!

Click for NCAA Tournament Central

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MARCH 19, 2008: NCAA TOURNAMENT UPDATES FROM THE ROAD

Fans, all of my blog updates from the road during the NCAA Tournament will be done in our Postseason Central page.

Visit NCAA Tournament Central

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16- 12:59 PM

Well, I am parked in my media seat for the start of a big weekend on West End. The men's basketball team takes on Florida in an hour in a game that could go down as being a difference maker in an Eastern Division that has three teams locked together for second place.

And tomorrow, the women's basketball faces a Tennessee team that's coming off a home loss to LSU. We haven't beaten the Lady Vols since I started working at McGugin in the fall of 2003.. so hopefully we can break that string, so I don't have to keep blaming myself as being "the curse." A win tomorrow would tie us up with Tennessee in the conference, so as the hip hop group De La Soul once said... "the stakes is high!"

I think the Commodores need another big performance from junior standout Christina Wirth to have a shot at knocking off the Lady Vols. In four of Vanderbilt's six losses, Wirth has scored less than double digits in points. If the offense can get going early, they can put some pressure on UT, and I believe Wirth's ability to create her own shot could be the key against a talented UT defense that ranks third in scoring defense during SEC play.

Coach Balcomb chimed in on the importance of Wirth during the Commodores' red-hot six game winning streak to push VU to 8-2 in the conference standings.

"I'm seeing somebody that wants the ball. Earlier in the year, she didn't want to make the tough shot. She didn't know that was going to be her role. Now she knows that's her role. She wants the basketball. She can find different ways to score. Tonight you saw her drive. She got to the free throw line because they (Kentucky) took her three point shot away which is what she has done so well. She has been money from 3 and shooting very well. She put it on the floor, and then she also went into the paint and posted. You saw her make post moves with her back to the basket. She has all three things, and it's nice to have a player that is that complete, especially as a junior. She has other weapons to go through but also want to take and make the big shot."

Was it a matter of her being too unselfish?

"Definitely," Balcomb responded. "Christina really enjoys assists. She really enjoys the team getting assists. We were stressing so much ball movement, sharing the basketball, and running the offense. Now she has figured out that she is the best option to take it no matter where the ball is in the offense. She has been more aggressive to get more shots. That was really important early (in the season). She wasn't aggressive enough. If the shot came to her, she let the game come to her (a little too much). Now she's going out to get the game."

Good luck to both the men's and the women's teams this weekend - Go 'Dores!

A couple of other notes...

*I hope you had a chance to read Brett Hait's article in the Nashville City Paper comparing the TV ratings in Nasvhille on Tuesday between the Preds hockey game with Detroit to our MBB game with Kentucky. I am a firm believer that more fans in Nashville are not only Vanderbilt fans but college basketball fans, when compared to hockey fans. This isn't a knock on hockey fans, because I enjoy the Predators games, I just think there's more interest in Vanderbilt (of course, I'm biased). Here's the link to Brett's story - Click Here.

Sometimes we don't get the coverage we deserve, so as fans, what can you do to help? I think it means doing more things like flooding radio shows with calls to talk about Commodore sports, contacting the local newspapers and television stations about wanting to see more coverage of the black and gold.

*We had our first live online chat with Pedro Alvarez yesterday. Thanks to everyone that sent questions in on VUcommodores.com. Junior pitcher Brett Jacobson will be our guest on Tuesday from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. CT, so get your questions in now... and make sure you stay updated on the Diamond 'Dores by visiting our baseball preseason central page.

*Two more "must-watch" basketball video features when you have a couple of minutes:

Fox 17 followed Shan Foster to get a feel fo what it's like to be him on a regular school day - Shan Video ... Also, Aussie Hoops America put together a nice piece on freshman sensation A.J. Ogilvy - AJ Video.

*Finally, here's what the baseball poster looks like this year. Make sure you pick one up at the games!

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14- 5:02 AM

First off, tonight is the Vanderbilt women basketball team's annual "Pink Out" game to raise awareness of breast cancer in support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

Not only is this a great cause, but also a big game. The Commodores have rolled off five consecutive wins and stand at 7-2 in the SEC, their best start in over a decade. Kentucky comes to town just a game behind the 'Dores in the conference at 6-3. The winner of this matchup becomes a step closer to securing a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament in early March, which is being held here in town at the GEC... err... Sommet Center. I hope to see a large turnout from the Commodore faithful at Memorial tonight wearing Pink!

Speaking of women's basketball... juniors Christina Wirth and Jennifer Risper recorded two web commercials for us a few weeks ago to promote (1) Sunday's UT game (which is officially a sellout) and (2) Girl Scouts Day vs. Alabama on March 2. You can watch the video spots at the following links:

UT Game Invite: Watch
Girl Scouts Promo: Watch

Now, there were some great outtakes from the shoot, and Tina and Jenn were gracious enough to let us post some of the footage. I think you'll enjoy the video below:



And you can view more of VUcommodores.com's YouTube videos here

Quick note on men's basketball. As important (and fun) as Tuesday's blowout of Kentucky was on national TV, the stakes are even higher Saturday as the Gators come to town. The Commodores dropped their first meeting in Gainesville a few weeks ago, and are currently tangled up with Florida and Kentucky in a battle for second in the SEC East. We all remember how magical Memorial was for last year's home game with the national champions... let's make it special again.

Oh, and word is that the students are planning a "black out" for their seating area... and the Maniacs will contribute to the promo by giving them t-shirts with the phrase "Don't tase me, bro." If you are unfamiliar with this term, then you are as old or older than myself!

Now, turning to some baseball news... we are another day closer to the start of the 'Dores 2008 campaign. I hope you've had a chance to visit our Preseason Baseball Central page to get ready for opening day next week in Tempe, Ariz., against two-time defending champs Oregon State.

We have a lot of new content coming over the next week so stay logged onto our official site. We are holding our first live online chat on VUcommodores.com this Friday and All-American Pedro Alvarez will be our guest. The chat will take place from 12:30 - 1 p.m. CT and you can submit your questions in advance by clicking here. We plan to have another player chat early next week as well.

Also, be on the look out for Q&A's with players... and check out Paul Jones' FOX17 video preview on the boys of spring. Paul and the rest of his crew do a great job of covering Vanderbilt Athletics and we are much appreciative!

Oh, and I mentioned in my last post that former Commodore pitcher David Price was being recognized twice on Tuesday.... here are two pictures from the events courtesy of Daniel Dubois and John Russell.

Nashville RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) presents him with the Butch McCord Student of the Game Award.



He's awarded the Golden Spikes trophy (best player in college baseball) during the Kentucky MBB game.



Changing subjects, the Sports Guy on espn.com had this video in his weekly web links... and I thought it was hilarious. At the time, Shaq was on a Los Angeles Lakers team that had just defeated the Sacramento Queens (as he termed his opponent back in the day, instead of the Kings) in the NBA playoffs. The Diesel came up with this freestyle to the Cheers theme song to brag about the Lakers triumph. My favorite part is how Shaq draws out the final line of the song. Just classic.



Finally, since today is Valentine's Day... what's love really got to do with it (as Tina Turner once sung)?

So, we'll close today's post with her hit single from the 80s.. especially since she's been in the news lately because of her duet with Beyonce at Sunday's Grammy's show. Apparently, Aretha Franklin didn't "respect" Beyonce for referring to Tina as "the Queen."

By the way.. check out Tina's hair in this video. It definitely could have won her "Best in Show" at the Westminster Kennel 132nd Annual Dog Show earlier this week.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11- 4:59 PM

Happy Monday to all.

Just wanted to hit quickly on some news and notes around the building.

First, we just added a clip of Jermaine Beal's winning jumper at South Carolina that lifted the Commodores to a thrilling 66-65 victory in Columbia. I loved the play call... notice how everyone just splits into different directions off of the inbounds play, sending the Gamecock defense into mass hysteria. Watch it below:



Also, you can watch more videos on our VUcommodores YouTube page. Make sure you subscirbe to the page so you will be notified when videos are added.

Second, we launced a website so fans can keep track of Shan Foster's race to break Matt Freije's all-time scoring record at Vanderbilt. The senior sharpshooter is only 119 points away from first place. The site also has some other cool things like new desktop wallpaper of number 32. Check it all out at www.vucommodores.com/shanfoster.

Third, Tuesday is another big day for David Price. In the morning, the No. 1 overall draft pick in last spring's Major League Draft, will receive the first annual "Butch McCord Student of the Game Award." The award is being presented by Nashville RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) in recognition of his achievements on and off the field and the positive example he has set for Nashville-area kids. Later that night at the men's basketball home game against Kentucky, he will be presented with the Golden Spikes award for the first time during half time. Eric Campbell and Matt Titus from USA Baseball will be at the ceremony as well as R.J. Harrison from the Tampa Rays. Make sure you stay in your seats for this special recognition.

Finally, another video clip to end today's post. This is for those of you going through withdrawal because there have been no new episodes of The Office due to the Writers Guild of America strike. Yes, things may seem awful, sorta like Michael Scott trying to get over his breakup with Carol, but there will be a brighter day.. one day. (well, as long as we have iTunes songs to click on repeatedly without purchasing).

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8- 3:42 PM

	Melanie Balcomb, pictured with Vice Chancellor David Williams, was recognized prior Thursday's game for achieving her 300th career victory last Sunday at Georgia. (Photo/Neil Brake)

Ask most fans of the game, and they'll tell you they'd prefer a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat thriller over a lopsided blowout any day. But following Vanderbilt's 78-48 dismantling of South Carolina Thursday night at Memorial Gym, head coach Melanie Balcomb explained that victories are satisfying to her under any circumstances.

"I just like to win and it doesn't matter how," said Balcomb, who was honored prior to the game for picking up her 300th career victory at Georgia Sunday.

And the Commodores have done just that of late.

Featuring a roster full of youth and only three upperclassmen, the Commodores (17-6, 6-2 SEC) have jumped out to their best SEC start since the 1997-98 season to once again put the conference on notice that they are a team to be reckoned with down the stretch.

This might have been tough to envision after Vanderbilt suffered four losses during the non-conference schedule, its most defeats prior to SEC play since the 1998-99 season.

Instead of packing it in after early season struggles that resulted in falling out of the national rankings for the first time in several years, Vanderbilt used the situation to come together and find its identity.

"I think we learned our lessons and it's helped us to mature," said junior Christina Wirth. "We went through some hard times and it's helped us find out who we are and that makes us more determined to show what we can do."

So what has been the difference in the turn around?

Previous Vanderbilt squads thrived off their offense's ability to score at will, and while the Commodores still stand near the top of every SEC offensive category, this year's team prides itself with buckling down on the other side of the ball to win games.

"I thought this team could be the best defensive team that we've had and we just weren't doing that early," noted Balcomb. "I think we really can play a very high level of defense and rebound, where our teams in the past were known to outscore people. I think we've changed. We're just different."

During its four-game winning streak, the Commodores' defense has been able to:

Hold opponents to an average of 27% shooting from the field in the opening 20 minutes of play, resulting in half time leads in each game.

Clamp down on three-point baskets allowed, limiting the opposition to 9-of-62 (14%) from behind the arc.

Force 20+ turnovers per game, turning the takeaways into an average of 23 points scored per game.

"We're spending more time practicing defense then we ever have and that's because it's something I thought would be the strength of our team," said Balcomb.

As the Commodores begin to regain national attention with each victory, Balcomb seems perfectly okay with her team going unnoticed until tournament time.

"Nobody's talking about us, and with a young team, it's not a problem," she stated. "It's a good thing.

"Our goal is to keep improving all season and to be the best team we can be in March... I know the potential is there and right now the attitude and effort are there and we're just building confidence."


AND TO CLOSE OUT TODAY'S POST...

A little REO Speedwagon to rock out to for the weeknd. I picked the classic song "Roll with the Changes". Turn your office speakers up to 11 for this one.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4- 4:14 PM

	Somebody wake Tom Petty up for the second half of the Super Bowl.

I haven't updated the ol' blog in a while... so today will be a mix of some Vanderbilt notes as well as my random thoughts of the Super Bowl.

*First, hats off to Coach Balcomb on getting her 300th SEC victory yesterday with a win at No. 14/17 Georgia.

And get this stat... the team currently holds a 5-2 record in conference, Balcomb's best start in SEC play during her six seasons at Vanderbilt. This really stood out to me, especially since we have a young team and she has had some very talented squads in the past.

Also, another impressive number to chew on courtesy of our WBB sports info wiz Chris Weinman... VU held UGA to 3-for-19 from three-point range Sunday. In the last four games, Vanderbilt has held its opponents to a combined 8-of-62 from long distance (12.9%).

So, congrats to the team on the midseason turnaround and best of luck during the second portion of SEC play.

One final WBB note... if you haven't purchased your tickets to the home game with Tennessee on February 17, you better hurry up. Tickets are almost sold out, so call 615.322.GOLD or click here.

*It was a good weekend overall for the basketball program, with the men's team getting back on track against Auburn. In case you missed it on VUcommodores, I posted a YouTube clip of Jermaine Beal's spectacular half court shot... Click here to see it.. and be sure to take a look at all of the other videos on our YouTube page!

*One of our biggest days of the year on VUcommodores is Wednesday... Football's official national signing day. Bookmark this page to keep track of everything as it unfolds. We'll start announcing the names of the signees early that morning, and will carry Coach Johnson's press conferece live in All Access (free) at 4 p.m. CT that day.

*A baseball note. Saturday's baseball banquet may be sold out, but we are planning to webcast the event live in All Access at 7 p.m. CT that night. Stay tuned. (Also, we just added a "countdown to first pitch" button of the baseball home page - only 18 days away!).

Okay.. now for my random notes about the Super Bowl, in no particular order.

1) That was an incredible ending and I was thrilled to see it unfold that way. The first three quarters were about as exciting as Tom Petty's half time performance (I'll get into that later)... but the final 15 minutes were truly amazing. From Eli coming through in the clutch, to some "no names" making big time catches on the grandest stage, to the Pats defense failing multiple times to kill the final drive... it was truly memorable. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the Patriots. I like Tom Brady and the team, I just have no love for Bill Belichick.

2) Speaking of Belichick, my brother sent me this ESPN article about "Spy Gate" ... it's worth the read and makes it seem like NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has a lot of questions to answer.

3) I think it's safe to say that the Tom Brady and Joe Montana comparisons can be put to rest for now. In what was considered to be Brady's most prolific offense in his four championship games, he could only muster 14 points, easily his worst SB performance.

Since both QB's have played in four title games, let's look at the numbers: Montana has thrown 13 TD's to Brady's 7, he has 142 more passing yards in 34 less attempts, and the biggest number, he has four rings in four tries which outdoes Brady's three out of four. Throw in the fact that Montana led the Niners to first half blowouts in two of his wins against Denver and Miami, keeping him from piling up even more stats. Sure, Joe Cool was known for performing under pressure, but he also had the ability to put opponents away early, something Brady hasn't done. In his previous three SBs, Brady did find a way to come through in crunch time, which is admirable, but to be honest, he wasn't able to do it Sunday, something Montana would have never let happen.

Okay, enough of that.

4) Kudos to Tom Petty for the half time show. Look, I celebrate his entire catalog, but did he make an actual movement during his performance? Is he really still alive because I couldn't tell. I love the guy and his music, but it's a live performance... Do something, Tom!

I really think you could have just played his greatest hits CD over the loudspeakers and it would have been the same thing. He didn't spice up the original versions, and didn't try to work the crowd.. nothing.

They should have just played his CD and had a few guys up on stage playing the video game 'Guitar Hero.' That would have been electric, my friends. (By the way, I am addicted to that game.. and by gosh, I'm a showman when I play. I don't care about the accuracy of the chords I hit.. I just care about rocking out, plain and simple).

5) Did you know Frank Caliendo does a John Madden impression? You'd never know it by watching Fox or TBS over the last few years.

6) Carlos Mencia... still not funny. Not even in a beer commercial, which is the cheapest way to get a laugh. Well done, Carlos. I've got Carrot Top on speed dial.

7) Speaking of beer, does Jeremy Shockey get a ring for drinking alcohol in the sky box? I loved that camera shot of him during the game with three drinks in front of him.

8) Oh, and congrats to Tiki Barber on his first championship. Errrr, wait.

9) Who decided that Joe Buck needs to be the "funny" guy in all of his commercials? I missed that board meeting. How about a commercial reuniting Deion Sanders and Tim McCarver instead (can we make that happen?)

10) Best commerical? That's Easy. Nascar's Carl Edwards and his spot for Claritin.
"Even if you don't drive a 180 mph like I do, it's still risky driving with an allergy medicine that can cause drowsiness."

Nicely done, Carl. Maybe that explains your four "DNFs" in 2007.

11) With everything sponsored throughout the game, I was shocked to see that Fox didn't take advantage of slapping a corporate sponsorship on the "Peyton Cam" they showed after every play. Did you know he's related to Eli?

12) Best line of the night goes to my friend C, who predicted New England would win by three touchdowns:
"That was superb. I was wrong and it was worth it. I always liked Boston people better when they felt bitter and unlucky."

13) Best line from a message board (found by my brother):
"I just realized that Jared Lorenzen is going to own a Super Bowl ring. He can also use it as a cookie cutter."

Ouch, that's just wrong. I thought a ring would be better to cut doughnut holes, instead. I should know.

14) One random TV side note... I was really enjoying all of the air time for the Baldwin family.

First, the writer's strike ended Alec's run on "30 Rock" for the time being, Daniel just left VH1's "Celebrity Rehab," plus it looks like Stephen will quit Trump's Celebrity Apprentice next week (at least, that's what I gathered from the preview).

What's the world coming to? First, the Patriots do the unthinkable and ruin a perfect season, and now this.

15) Finally, the best reason for watching Fox right now is that American Idol is back in full swing. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the audition episodes. They never get old. This clip has been the highlight of the season so far. I will dedicate it to Eli and Peyton... "Brothers Forever"

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MONDAY, JANUARY 14- 2:02 PM



Sometimes as fans we forget that sports aren't the only things happening in the lives of Vanderbilt's student-athletes. I'm always fascinated with finding out about some of the other stuff they're involved in around campus, outside of the typical box scores and game recaps. Here's another great example:

The Vanderbilt Commodore Steel Band program, under the direction of instructor Mat Britain, was formed in the Fall of 2004 at the Blair School of Music. In only a few years, the program (open to all students) has grown into three bands including the creation of the First and Ten Steel Drum Band, which consists of student-athletes on the Commodores' football team.

Last fall's First and Ten Steel Drum Band participants were Marcus Buggs, Kyle Fischer, Justin Green, Theo Horrocks, Cassen Jackson-Garrison, Dom Morais, Steven Stone, Sean Walker and David Whittington. They practiced throughout the semester to prepare for an end-of-semester performance at Ingram Hall.

I thought you would enjoy seeing some photos (courtesy of Stan Jones) from their show in December.

VIEW PHOTO GALLERY BY STAN JONES

Also, here's a great video from 2006 that documents how the First and Ten Steel Drum band originally came together. The piece was produced by Emily Pearce and Pat Slattery fron Vanderbilt's News Service department (in the Public Affairs division). It's even nominated for a Midsouth regional Emmy in the Advanced Media Arts/Entertainment category.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 11- 11:55 PM

This post is a couple of days late.... but better late than never, right?

We all know by now that the men's basketball team, ranked twelfth in the nation, started off conference play on the right foot with an 80-73 win over South Carolina on Wednesday night at Memorial Gym.

But for fans outside of Nashville, you missed something special prior to the game... something called "Memorial Madness."

Memorial Madness was created this year by the Vanderbilt Student Government and Vandy Fanatics as a way to get students excited about the start of conference play.

And man were they excited!

Over 1,000 students started forming a line outside the Gym three hours before tipoff just to see what the "madness" was all about. The line extended so far that it wrapped all the way around the right field foul pole at the baseball stadium.

The first 500 were treated to Shan Foster replica jerseys (they were in such demand that I didn't even get one!). Everyone could also register for cool prizes like a chance at winning a semester of free books. To top it off, one student would be selected randomly to have a chance to shoot a half-court shot for $30,000 at half time of the men's game later that night (unfortunately, the student missed the shot).

Once everyone made it into the gym, an hour-long program was hosted by former Commodore and current Cleveland Indians pitcher Jensen Lewis. The program consisted of:

*Video highlights and interviews with the men's basketball team on the jumbotron

*Performances by the Spririt of Gold, VU Danceline, and Cheer squads

*An introduction of the women's basketball team accompanied by a t-shirt toss

*Baseball player Brett Jacobson put his girlfriend as well as Coach Corbin to the test in a game show to see who knew him better.

*And free pizza!

I was told the goal of this pep rally was to create an atmosphere similar to a midnight madness event, which is typically held by most schools prior to the start of the season. With the team off to its best start ever and the students just returning from winter break, holding the event after non-conference play ended up working out much better.

Actually, it was perfect. You couldn't have scripted it better. In my five years here, I have never seen a student section packed that early. When South Carolina walked out to the court an hour and a half prior to the game for warmups, they were greeted by a rowdy south side of the Gym.

Big props to our kids for creating a buzz in Memorial... and it was definitely noticed and appreciated by the players and coaches. Let's hope they can keep the energy going at our next home game against LSU!

Check out this photo gallery from the event so you can get a better idea of what I'm talking about. Almost all photos were taken by Steve Green, with a couple by Dwayne Elliot and myself.

VIEW MEMORIAL MADNESS PHOTO GALLERY

Well, I am off to Lexington in the morning with some other staff members to see the undefeated Commodores take on Kentucky. I have never been to a game at Rupp, so let's just say I am looking forward to it.

Which leads me to my video of the day. Since I have heard so much about "the Blue Mist," it made me think of a video from Eiffel 65 (another one-hit wonder). Like the lyrics, I have a feeling that this represents what I'll be walking into when I arrive at Rupp...

"I have a blue house with a blue window...
Blue is the color of all that I wear...
Blue are the streets and all the trees are too."

I think you get the point. Have a great weekend!

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9- 1:14 PM



Good afternoon, Commodore fans. I had a chance to catch up with men's basketball senior swingman Shan Foster at Monday's practice as the No. 12 Commodores prepare for tonight's conference opener against South Carolina. Foster has had an unbelievable start to his final year. He leads the league in scoring (21.1 ppg) and is shooting 53 percent from behind the arc. He's also averaging a career-high 5.1 rebounds per game and Coach Stallings recently praised him as the team's best defender.

At the same time, he's making his climb to the top of the Commodore record books. With one three-pointer tonight, he'll become the school's all-time leader in three-pointers made (Ronnie McMahan made 296 from 1992-95). He's also closing in on Matt Freije's scoring record, standing eighth on that list with 1,637 career points. Freije holds the record at 1,891.

But before I get to that.. here are a couple of links with some nice pub for the undefeated 'Dores:

Vitale: Surprise Undefeated Teams
ESPN Weekly Watch: Foster POW
Parrish: Foster Serious Candidate

Okay... here's the interview with Shan:

Heading into Wednesday's conference opener undefeated, you have to feel good about the position that the team is in right now. "It's a great honor to be 15-0 right now, but we still haven't played our best game yet. That's something we have to strive for. The UMass game was a great game, but we still had 20 turnovers. We had some defensive breakdowns hear and there, so that definitely gives us something to work towards and continue to get better at."

Even though the team is undefeated, you guys sound like you're still focused on what you need to improve on. "Our main goal is to stay humble and hungry. We need to realize that although our record is perfection, that's not the way we're playing unfortunately. In a way, it's good because we're able to win in situations where we're not playing our best basketball. As a senior, I've been here when we haven't played our best basketball, and we lost. It's definitely a humbling experience, and it makes us strive for perfection."

It's apparent that this team is very confident on the court, especially down the stretch. Did the ups and downs of last year help to build that confidence? "I think last year taught us that if we stay together, then anything is possible. Especially with four seniors and everyone that was on last year's team, we take a great deal of confidence from winning in late game situations. We feel like we're the best team in the country whenever the game is close, and that gives us confidence. Even when we're not playing our best basketball or blowing opponents out, we have a great deal of confidence we're going to win."

Last year, Vanderbilt turned the season around by knocking off several ranked teams early in the SEC schedule. This year, the role is reversed and you're ranked 12th nationally heading into conference play. Everyone else will be gunning for you every night. How does it feel to be in that position? "I think it's good for us because it will force us to continue to get better and bring our `A' game every night. Whenever you have teams going to play their best every night, it forces us to be better, both as a player and as a team."

What steps do the more experienced guys like yourself take to help the younger guys adjust to conference play? "We keep on them and make sure everyone stays humble and keeps their eyes on our goals we set for our team. We need to keep getting better every single day. As long as we do that like we did last year, we will reach our potential whatever that may be. Things are looking pretty good so far."

What do you tell them about the difficulty of playing in the SEC? "They can look back in previous years. For the last two years, the NCAA champion has been Florida. That should tell you right there how strong our conference is. It's one of the toughest conferences in America. Every night is going to be a fight. There are no easy games or giveaways. Everything is going to be a grind from here on out."


And now it's time for my video of the day. This one is from Miley Cyrus, better known by the youngsters as Hannah Montana.

To be honest, I usually like the videos I post no matter how bad they are, but don't really care for this one (especially the part near the end where it looks like they're doing a cheap rip off of the Macarena... or better known as the "Barca-rena" by people in my circle because of my twin brother's dance moves in high school. No video of that though... sorry!)

I picked this song since we are technically starting our second season today for men's hoops. We may be 15-0 right now, but if we don't have a good conference record, then our postseason dreams could fade away.

So here's Miley Cyrus with "Start All Over."

(Don't you love how I tie in these meaningless videos to one of our current storylines in athletics? Oh, and I'm really looking forward to being at Memorial tonight. See you there.)

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19- 3:06 PM

John Russell, one of our sports photographers at Vanderbilt, served as an Associated Press photographer for the NAIA Football Championship between the University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) and Carroll College (Mont.) last Saturday in Savannah, Tenn. Little did he know that this event would produce something special for him: a cover photo for Sports Illustrated (as shown to the right).

I talked with him earlier today to get the story on how it all went down. I mean, it's not every day you talk to someone with a SI cover listed in their credentials. John told me that he's had photos in SI before of the Predators and Titans on inside pages, but nothing as big as this.

Plus, I think the photo is amazing because it says so many things about the passion and glory of collegiate sports. I'm glad that SI went with a "feel good" picture on the cover, instead of something negative about the Mitchell report.

By the way, the magazine hits newsstands today, so pick one up. It's their annual copy of "Pictures of the Year." I hope you enjoy the interview.

John, how did you get the assignment to shoot the NAIA Championship? "Mark Humphrey called me a week ago and asked if I would cover the game for the Associated Press because he was putting on a Christmas party. I said, `sure.' I drove 2 ½ hours from Nashville to Savannah in the pouring rain. That's how I came to get the assignment, so Mark could have his Christmas party."

Once you made it to the game, how did you deal with the adverse weather conditions? "You have to be a little more careful shooting in the rain. I had rain gear on myself and my equipment. It won't work if it gets very wet. The main challenge is trying to keep the front of the lens dry even though I had a lens hood on. The blowing rain can get in there, so I'm constantly making sure that I'm keeping it tilted away out of the wind and drying it whenever needed so that pictures stay sharp. If it gets a little wet on there, then things get a little soft."

Now, your cover picture was taken while Carroll College was celebrating their championship. Describe how you got that shot. "It was right after the game, which Carroll College won 17-9. The game had been over for a couple of minutes. I was on the sideline photographing the coach. He was being congratulated by the players, and they were dumping the coolers over him. I turned around to see what else was going on and saw the players taking head first dives onto the field into the mud. I walked out there and started shooting photos of the guys taking slides, and then I noticed that this one guy, who turned out to be Carroll College's Brandon Day, take a slide. I snapped a frame of him then he came up on his knees and leaned back. I snapped that shot. I was then out of memory space on my card because I had been shooting all of the other celebrations and hadn't paid attention to the amount of file space on my card. I franticly was trying to delete other images to make space for more jubilation shots. Ten or 15 seconds of deleting and the moment was over, but fortunately, I was able to get that one shot."

Was there a fear you would accidentally delete that shot during that process of clearing out space? "I was very careful. That probably caused me to delay deleting another 10 or 15 seconds because I wanted to make sure I went forward and didn't erase any of the celebration shots. I scrolled through the card before I started popping off the photos. I probably deleted 10 frames pretty quickly, but I was very careful.

Did you know at the time you had taken a special photo? "Yeah. After my last frame, I viewed the photos and said to myself `wow.' I knew I had the shot. I knew I had a pretty good moment there."

Did you bring a couple of cameras with you, and if so, what did you use for the shot? "Yeah. I always have at least 2 bodies with me. For that setting, I used a Canon 1D MarkIII camera with 24-70mm canon lens."

Okay, so what happened when you submitted the photo to the AP? "The first I knew it was a picture they liked was when I called the New York AP office after the game to confirm they received the photos and caption information. When I called in, one of the editors I spoke with said, `everything looks good. Your picture went to AP Top Pics.' That's where editors pull photos and put them in a special category that goes everywhere. That's when I knew it was going to be seen more than my other pictures. It was going to be put in a slideshow of best images of the day from the AP."

Is it rare for that to happen? "Kind of. It's not that rare that I get it, and I'm not saying that because I shoot great pictures all the time because that's certainly not true, but they'll put stuff on there fairly regularly. If I shoot at a Titans game, they may put my photo in AP Top Pics, but it doesn't happen all the time."

How did you find out that SI was considering using your image? "I first got a call from the Associated Press. They said SI was interested in the celebration shot at the end of the game and wanted to get the original file, uncropped and untoned. After I sent it in, I received a call from Jim (Colton) at SI who said, `yeah we're considering this for the cover, but if we don't use it for the cover, we're going to use it as a double truck (shot) inside. I was excited that it was going to be used for at least a double truck. When he said they were considering it for the cover, I thought to myself, `yeah right.' I thought he was just being nice and trying to get me excited, which I was. Either way, I didn't want to get my hopes up for the cover."

When did you officially find out how the photo was going to be used? "At 11 a.m. Monday morning, Jim said they were closing on the magazine today. I will let you know if you make the cover. I went home at 5 or 5:30 that evening and hadn't heard anything and figured it wasn't used."

Did you say anything to anyone about the possibility of your photo being on the cover of SI? "No. I don't think I said anything to anyone at that point. I didn't hear anything or even tell my wife when I got home SI was interested in the picture. I thought they closed the magazine by now. I checked my email every hour but got nothing in the inbox. At about 7:30 or 8, I had pretty much given up hope, but around 9, I got a call from a writer from SI.com who said the photo was going to be on the cover of SI. He wanted my thoughts on the taking of the photo and of it being on the cover. I said, `oh wow because Jim never emailed me to tell me I was on the cover.' He said if this was the Kentucky Derby, I'd be on the back stretch with an eight-length lead. It was not until about 11:00 when I checked my email again and Jim emailed me the actual cover."

When you saw the cover, how did you feel? "Even now, I hadn't seen a hard copy yet, but it was kind of bizarre to see that on the cover."

What's the title of the issue? "'2007 Pictures of the Year' is the issue. I was reading a story by the Helena Independent Review that did a story on it too. It said the editors at SI were torn considering my photo and a photo of the Mitchell Report. They decided to go with one with sports at its best. They went with the Mitchell Report at the top of the page as a headline over."

Why do you think they chose your photo over a photo from the Mitchell Report? "The quote from the SI editor that made me feel vindicated was, `it was the best photo I had that captured the feeling and spirit of football in the United States.' That's his direct quote out of the story. It was pretty cool he said that about my picture."

What are your thoughts about the athlete in the photo? "I'm just happy for this kid who's in the photo. It is something he'll remember for the rest of his life, as will I, but certainly for him in a different respect. A childhood dream of making the cover."

Has anyone else congratulated you on the accomplishment? "A good friend of mine used to be a SI photographer back in the `80s. He was their baseball photographer. I called him yesterday to tell him I made the cover, and he said, `that's great Johnny.' I said, `so, how many covers have you had'? He said, `I think about 80 or 90, but you don't get cover (caliber) shots unless you get cover (caliber) assignments from SI. You getting on the cover is a pretty big deal since you don't work for SI. SI rarely uses cover shots from someone other than staff.' He was very complimentary."

Did you camp out to get the first edition of the issue today? "No, but I will definitely be picking up a copy of SI today. I have a subscription to SI, and I should get that copy in the mail at least tomorrow, but I would kind of like to get a copy that doesn't have the address box in the bottom corner."

What will you do with the cover? "They're supposed to send me a PDF file where I can make larger prints of the cover. I'll probably have a copy framed to put in my house. I may even have one framed for the office. It's pretty special to me."

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18- 12:36 PM



I thought I would drop this quick note today about some of our former student-athletes that are currently playing professional basketball in Germany. There may be a few guys that I accidentally left out... these sites aren't very easy to navigate (as you'll find out). I separated some of the links to make it easier. The picture above is of Dan Cage's team, TBB Trier. You'll notice he's still sporting the ol' number 20.

Thanks to John for sending me this info. If any of you guys playing in Europe see this, feel free to drop me an email update so I can let Commodore fans know how you're doing over there. Best of luck!

DERRICK BYARS
Team: Köln 99ers | Roster | Stats | Schedule/Results (find team and click on Spielpläne)

DAN CAGE
Team: TBB Trier | Roster | Stats | Schedule/Results (find team and click on Spielpläne)

MATT FREIJE
Team: Artland Dragons Quakenbrueck | Roster | Stats | Schedule/Results (find team and click on Spielpläne)

And since we're talking about Germany... what better time than to post a great video from "the Hoff."

I always chuckle about when Norm MacDonald was the anchor on Saturday Night Live and he'd deliver the following line with a dry sense of humor after a random news story... "Which once again proves my theory: Germans love David Hasselhoff!" This video must prove it!

Oh, and sorry, this had to be done. Please note that this video is way ahead of our time, sort of like Marty McFly playing "Johnny B. Goode" at the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance in Back to the Future. "Your kids are gonna love this!"

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14- 11:52 AM

Just because a sport is in the offseason doesn't mean it's the offseason.

The Omaha Challenge is a prime example.

The Omaha Challenge (TOC) was started by head strength coach John Sisk in 1997 when he worked with baseball coach Tim Corbin at Clemson. In its tenth year of existence, TOC has spread to other universities around the nation, making it the benchmark of offseason skills competitions.

What is TOC? Well, to give you a quick synopsis, at the end of fall practice and workouts, the baseball team competes in four days of rigorous activities to test the physical abilities of every player on the roster.

Here are some bullet points about TOC, which took place last week:

It's comprised of seven speed, strength and skills competitions over a four-day period.

Players are split into four teams and rosters are picked by seniors via a draft (position-by-position draft to keep teams balanced).

For each event, the top six in each group score points for their team.

Events include a tire flip, the prowler push, the two-minute drill, and so on. It's tough to explain these unless you actually see them. Let's just say they're not easy.

The final competition every year is the obstacle course, which combines the previous activities into one grueling event to separate the best from the rest. This usually takes a player anywhere from two to four minutes to complete, and by the end of it, there are few still standing (to be honest, I don't know how they do it). Check out my pictures below from the obstacle course to get an idea of what it was like.

After TOC concludes, a team champion is selected based on the points earned over the four days, as well as an individual champion among both the pitchers and the fielders. This year's individual winners are ... (drum roll, please) ... Mark Lamm and Jonathan White.

OBSTACLE COURSE PICTURES

And like I said before, it is unbelievable how well conditioned our guys are to compete in this sort of event. Hats off to John Sisk and Gabe Teeple from our strength and conditioning program for staging the Omaha Challenge.

Have a great weekend!

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5- 10:55 AM

In only his first season, point guard Keegan Bell is one of several Commodore freshmen to provide solid minutes off the bench to help lead Vanderbilt to a 7-0 start heading into tonight's tilt with Wake Forest. Already known for his flashy passing and ability to run the point (note his 18 assists to only 8 turnovers so far), Bell was able to score the first points of his career in Saturday's 92-79 victory over Georgia Tech. I spoke with him before practice on Monday to ask him about several topics including how it felt to knock down that first basket.

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How did it feel to make your first collegiate basket Saturday against Georgia Tech? "I was definitely relieved. I remember hitting the first shot and feeling relaxed. I've been trying not to worry about it and just take what's coming to me. It was the right time for me, and I felt good."

After making your first shot, did you feel more comfortable shooting? "Definitely. I talked with Coach (Stallings) before the game and he said I needed to look more to score. I thought before the game I was going to be more aggressive. Once the first shot went in, I felt more confident taking more shots."

How did your teammates react after you made your first shot? "After I made the first bucket, they were definitely going crazy. When I went back to the bench, everyone was supportive of me. I hit two shots, missed a third, then when I took the ball out a few plays later, Ross (Neltner) said to me, `Was that a heat check"? I responded, "Definitely.' I was feeling it."

Your assist to turnover ratio is very impressive for a freshman. How do you feel about your performance so far? "My role with the team is to get the ball to lots of guys that score. It's so easy to pass to Shan (Foster) or A.J. (Ogilvy) and get quick assists. They've made it very easy for me. I've just tried to play solid and not turn the ball over because Coach (Stallings) doesn't like to see turnovers."

A lot of your great passes have set up easy scores for teammates. Does your skill come from natural ability or extra practice? "It's just kind of natural. I've always been kind of a flashy player. I played for my dad and we worked on passing a lot, especially when I was younger. He had confidence in me and wanted me to play like that. I'm not out there trying to get `oohs' and `awes', but I guess when I do it, it looks a little flashy. It's not meant to be, but I guess it's just natural."

Talk about playing point guard as a true freshman. Did you expect to have so much early success and play so much early in the season? "I think everyone wants to play right away and do his part. It's been more than I've expected and it's been great. One of my big credits goes to Alex (Gordon). He pushed me very much through the summer. He made the success I'm having right now so much easier, especially on the defensive end. Guarding him every day has made me a better player."

How have the seniors with their experience helped developed the young guys? "The seniors have been absolutely wonderful. They each bring different aspects of leadership. Ross (Neltner) is kind of the dad figure to us. Alex (Gordon) gives us a lot of energy. Because Alex and I both play the same position, he's been a great influence on me. He kicks my butt every day and has taught me to fight hard every play."

Has there been a forgettable freshman moment yet this year for you, whether it was on or off the court? "I definitely had a few of those moments during the first few practices. I made a few dumb plays and felt like I was playing awful, but now, I'm starting to get more comfortable with the team and finding my role."

Talk about having the men's basketball team ranked in the top 25 for the first time this season and getting some national respect. "I think it feels great and it's only my freshman season. We didn't get that much respect coming into the season, and I think we liked that because we had to earn the respect. We played some solid teams so far and had some good outcomes. I think it means a lot more to us now. We have to keep working hard and not let the attention get to our heads."

Well, hope you enjoyed the interview. I know I've been slacking with the blog lately, but will work on updating it more often now that football has concluded.

In prior entries, I've posted some of my favorite "awful" videos from back in time. Well, today is no different.

I'm going to somehow tie this video in with today's interview. Since we're talking about point guard play... and well, they're judged at times by their ability to set up their teammates for easy scores.... I am going to use the words of the great Kenny Loggins and say that it takes two to make an assist happen (not just the flashy pass, but having someone with the ability to finish).

So, meet me halfway (okay, this is a big stretch, I know).

By the way, since it was the title song for Sly Stallone's Over the Top, Loggins mixed in clips from the movie to make this video an instant classic. And my buddy Tommy sent me a link so I could find out what the kid from that movie (David Mendenhall, better known as Michael Cutler on the big screen) is up to these days... because we really need to know these things. Click here to see his bio. Let's just say that he's probably made the right career move.

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4- 12:45 PM

One of the reasons for the men's basketball team's jump into the national rankings has been the play of senior center Alan Metcalfe.

Metcalfe is off to a tremendous start, registering career-high point performances in his last two outings (14 vs. South Alabama and 15 vs. Georgia Tech) to push the Commodores to a 7-0 record heading into Wednesday's game with ACC power Wake Forest. In fact, he's already matched his career high for field goals made in a season (set last year with 19) and we're only seven games into the schedule.

I had a chance to talk with Alan at Monday's practice to find out more about his early season success.

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You've been on a roll to start the season, including scoring career highs in points in the last two contests.
I just keep trying to go out and not really think about points but really just try to play as hard as I can and get scrappy buckets under the hoop. If I can keep racking them up like I am right now then I don't think we'll be running out of points. We'll try to play the best we can as a team and I'll just do what I can to help out.

You have to be satisfied with the way your senior season has started. Definitely. I've had some ups and downs in my career and it's just awesome to be able to come out and put a few numbers up and contribute to the team.

Even after your big game in the win over Georgia Tech, word is that you were more concerned about going 5-for-8 from the free throw line. Yeah, I'm always focused on doing the things I need to do to get better. After the game, Coach Stallings reminded me that I'm not a 60 percent free throw shooter, which I think I was on Saturday after I missed a few that I normally make. There are always places you can improve as a player. I'll be back in practice this week trying to make that right. I just try to come out here everyday to get better with the rest of the guys.

Does something stand out to you that you can attribute your early season success to? I think it's the "senior-itis" thing. I can remember how great Dan (Cage) and Ted (Skuchas) performed last year in their final season and I feel the experience I have allows me to have more security and confidence on the floor. I also realize that it's not just how well I play but that I also have a responsibility as a senior to help lead the six to eight guys on the roster that until a few weeks ago hadn't stepped foot in a collegiate game. I just try to solely focus on this year and put the team first with my energy and enthusiasm and let the rest of my game come to me.

Did you seek out any advice going into the year? Dan and I were roommates last year and he'd tell me that when you get to be a senior, you begin to realize what it's all about. He kept coming in after every game talking about how it was one less game for him to play for Vanderbilt. When I look back now and remember what he was saying, I understand what it means to be a senior and how important it is to enjoy every moment on the court.

Do you still keep in touch with some of those guys from last year? Yeah. Some of the guys are over in Germany right now playing professional ball. (Matt) Freije, Dan and Derrick (Byars) are all in the same league there. They'll send some messages to encourage us and let us know we're playing well.

It's been brought up a few times about the impact Dan had as a senior. Did you take any of the things he did to succeed with you into this year? After I got injured against Wake Forest at the start of last year, he was put into a spot to play out of position at the 4, something that he wasn't expected to do going into the season, and due to his phy