Can't remember who but it seems we do. 

I believe that GreggO is a claims adjuster.

Well, our house in Stone Harbor came through undamaged and dry.      Our next door neighbor's house has roof damage and they lost some trees on the property line (fell their way), and one uprooted and damaged our sidewalk, but no biggie.  On the other hand, my cousin's house in Ocean Gate, NJ (another shore town) is another one of Sandy's victims.  The clean up and reconstruction apparently will be extensive.     Luckily, everyone is safe and sound.  Ok, back to your regularly scheduled program of "As the Vols/Coach Turns."   

'90 and '91 came a half-decade before Fulmer's run started, so they weren't expected at the time.   That was the best run UT football had experienced in 20 years, since the beginning of the Battle era.

I guess people's perspectives can be different.  1990-91 followed the 11-1 1989 season, and by comparison they were not great.  Good, but certainly not great.

It isn't as though Majors came back and immediately lost three straight. He took a team that was 3-0, won two more over Cincinnati and LSU, and then lost three straight. No, LSU and Cincy wasn't Georgia or Florida, but still...

The Alabama game that season would've probably been a loss regardless of who was coaching. That was a very good team with an awesome defense. There was no excuse for the Arkansas and South Carolina losses but I still have to wonder how much of that was due to the turmoil going on behind the scenes. I think when Fulmer proved he could beat some of those top-notch teams, Majors' knew his days were numbered. It's no wonder he was bitter for so long. (And re: Battle's first three seasons, he never won an SEC championship. Majors won three.)

I'm not so sure about bama in 1992.  That was a 17-10 loss to a bama teamed ranked number 4.  Coaching could have made a difference.  Fulmer tied bama in 1993 (later forfeited by bama) when they were ranked number 2.  Majors always coached timid against bama -- one of his "major" problems IMO.  

Anyway, I guess the primary point I was going to make but never did was that we were quick to fire Battle, who had some good seasons early on and never had a losing season, and we were quick to fire Majors, who was coming off back-to-back SEC championships and lost only three games in his final season. So where did our mindset change? I'm too young to remember the end of the Battle era, but I imagine most folks were ready for him to be fired. And I know there was hardly anyone complaining when Majors was fired. Yet right now there is nearly half our fan base that wants to bring Dooley back next season. I don't get it.

I am not sure the mindset changed, really, especially since two different ADs were involved.  Woodruff was quick to fire Battle because he regretted hiring someone who was only 28 years old and saw an opening to hire Majors, a favorite son of Vols football, who just happened to be coming off a national championship at Pitt.  Dickey was quick to fire Majors (assuming 16 years is quick) because he saw a coach at or nearing the end of his career and who had some significant personality issues (some say drinking caused this; I wouldn't know) and he saw great potential in Fulmer after he took over on an interim basis.  Plus, Dickey knew Fulmer and Fulmer was another Vols guy.  Then there are some like me who think Dooley is in over his head right now and will probably never be an SEC caliber head coach, but I would not be overly disappointed if he came back for one more season if that meant a better coaching search and chance to make meaningful change.  Dooley has the athletes to win games, but they look like thay lack real coaching, and I am extremely disappointed in the defense.  It's pathetic.  Anyway, unless Hart can bring in someone truly worth the money, I don't think one more season is a program killer, especially if Dooley can recruit decently.  The program has been through worse (like Battle's last couple and Majors' first few seasons).  But, there is a lot more public involvement now due to information availability (internet, more TV, more radio, etc.).  So, it always seems worse than the past because we hear about it constantly, regardless of reality.

If Majors wasn't fired in '92, who knows what ultimately happens. He was terribly inconsistent in the '80s, but that '89-'91 stretch can hold its own against any 3-year stretch in the history of UT football. The problem was Majors made the wrong people mad, they were looking for an opportunity to fire him, and they found it in '92. Here's a question: how much of that turmoil in '92 was due to what was happening behind the scenes? We'll probably never know, but I'll guarantee you that it was partially to blame. When Fulmer got the team off to a great start, a line had been drawn in the sand, regardless of the success Majors had had the previous three seasons. There was no excuse for the Arkansas and South Carolina losses; Arky wasn't very good and South Carolina was terrible. But if Majors doesn't have heart surgery to start that season, the '92 team is probably another 10-win season for him and who knows what happens after that.

Well, technically the 1993 season was a 10-win season due to the bama forfeit, but....    1990 and 1991 were 9-2-2 and 9-3.  Those are good seasons, but records as good or better than that were pretty much expected after Fulmer's run from 1995 through 1998 (lost a total of 5 games).  Heck, '99 was a disappointment at 9-3.  And, Battle's first three seasons were better.  If that guy could have recruited, he'd have been a great field coach for the Vols IMO.  And, of course, there all of Coach Neyland's good runs.  I don't think Majors would have won 10 games in 1993 had he coached all of the games.  I'm guessing it would have been his typical 9-3 or worse season.  He had a tendancy to have at least one down season after a couple good ones.  Of course, we'll never know, but he did take a winning team and lost three straight when he came back.  The man was the eptiome of coaching scared all too often.  I just wish Fulmer had never lost his fire for recruiting and hired assistants without feeling he had to be overly loyal and promote from within (whether assistants were ready or not).  The past five seasons sure could have been VERY different. 

Battle's biggest problem was he just wasn't a good recruiter. He started out with the program Dickey had built up and had three straight 10-win seasons to start. By the end the program had fallen so far that it took Majors a while to get it built back up.

Three 10+ seasons to start (better than Dickey ever did at UT).  Battle's first season in 1970 the Vols actually won 11 games.   

The 85 and 89 Auburn games are two of My favorites

I was at both.  The '85 Auburn game was great and was the day before I left Knoxville for active duty in the Army.  The '89 game was my second year with season tickets (first full season after active duty).  Great season. 

Part of the problem was that it was Majors building it up.  Like him or not, and I never really did.  He was too inconsistent for me, and we all know at least partially why    , but he did build the program into a perpetual top 25 team, year in, year out, that almost always competed for the SEC...at least from 89 on, anyway.

Favorite son or no, he wouldn't get the time nowadays.

....almost always competed for the SEC...at least from 89 on, anyway.  So for a whole 4 years of his 16 years as head coach at UT he "almost always" competed for the SEC.  Wow!     In his tenure, the Vols won 2 outright SEC titles ('85 and '90) and tied for one ('89; easily his best team).  Except for the one-loss '89 team, he never had a season with fewer than 3 losses/ties.  His teams generally drove me crazy, but there were some spectacular moments (bama '82 and Miami in the Sugar Bowl leap to mind).   

It's happened before Bill Battle played for Alabama and was an assistant for the Bear. David Cutcliffe also went to Alabama

I have seen that referenced before, that Battle was an assistant for Bear Bryant, but I did not recall that and I can't confirm it anywhere.  Wiki says it, but the "coaching career" stats say otherwise.  Most sites list him as a player at bama, assistant at Army and UT, and head coach at UT.  BamaMag.com had a story about him in 2008 that also included assistant time at Oklahoma.



http://alabama.scout.com/2/759632.html -- A member of Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant's first national championship team in 1961, Bryant followed his playing days by entering the coaching profession as an assistant at the University of Oklahoma. From 1964-1965, he served at the U.S. Military Academy, including work as an assistant football coach. He arrived at the University of Tennessee in 1966 as an assistant to Hall of Fame Coach Doug Dickey, and in 1970, when Dickey left for Florida, Battle, 28 years-old, assumed the head coaching position, becoming the youngest coach at the time, tallying a 59-22-2 record.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Battle
http://cfreference.net/cfr/coaches/bill-battle/456;jsessionid=CFBBEB9B2CEF2B15FF60D6920EA543D3
http://www.fanbase.com/Bill-Battle

I turn off my lights and play video games in the basement while the wife takes the kids trick or treating with her brother and her parents.

My hero (minus the video games)!   

Also, we are certainly not handing out full size candy bars - unless 1" is now full size. Kids are given two, and if they say "thank you" I double it.

My lovely bride insists on giving out full size candy bars, so it's become a tradition.  This will be the 14th straight Halloween doing that.  The neighborhood kids love her. 

Once again, I've decided to dress as the cranky old man who won't let the kids take more than one full size candy bar.   

Just trying to understand.  Has a line already been crossed somewhere here today?

No, not that I know of.  If I thought it had, I would have sent a PM to the people involved.  This is just something I wanted to post earlier, but with the cable and power outages here, I just never got to it.  I just don't want things to get out of hand, and we have quite a few new users now who have never been through stuff like this at the VTTW and may think of us like other boards.  I haven't even read much here over the past couple days.  I'm just now catching up.    I trust the old timers (and, yes, you fit the description  ) to keep things in check.    

I'm more passionate today about whether Han Solo will be replaced by some stupid young fill-in.....

I saw that.  Take it easy big guy!   

...expected and welcome, it really is, but let's try to keep it civil please.  Regardless of how passionate one is, there are two sides to everything, and no one's opinion deserves a lack of respect or complete dismissal (pun intended).    Seriously, we all get frustrated at times, but ReVOLver has created a great community here and it would be nice to keep it somewhat courteous.  I know, I know, it's difficult, but I'm just sayin'.   

...indefinitely: http://blogs.knoxnews.com/woodbery/2012/10/omari-phillips-is-suspended-indefinitely-coach-derek-dooley-says.html.

Good for you.  That might cover a day or two of pay for our new coach.

Ummmm, "tens and tens" wouldn't cover an hour, much less a day.  Sheeesh, try to lighten the mood....  Good for me indeed. 

Yeah I haven't really scouted Troy yet.  That sounds SKEERY.

For comparison, Troy is ranked 26 (459.63 ypg) in total offense; Akron is 42 (436.11 ypg).  On the other hand, Troy is 65 in scoring offense (27.88 ppg) and Akron is 63 (28.00 ppg).  On defense, Troy is ranked 62 (399.38 ypg) in total defense, and Akron is 108 (472.22 ypg).   Troy is ranked 62 in scoring defense (26.88 ppg) and Akron is 110 (37.33 ppg). 

FeelsLike98 is now claiming that Cheek's ultimatum is that Hart cannot fire Dooley if UT wins out. TIFWIW, which probably isn't much . . .

At least we only have to put up with rumoring like this for a few more weeks.     Seriously, why have an AD at all if the chancellor is going to micromanage?  Save some money and get rid of Hart and let Cheek play AD in his spare time.   

[Tennessee Volunteers]

...tens and tens of dollars to the UTAD.  Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to make contact, and reach an agreement, with the next head coach of your Tennessee Volunteers!  I'll let Dave Hart know about it when I get the chance.    I can't tell you who it is, but his name rhymes with poodin'.  Shhhhhhhhh.  It's a secret.

If I was a booster (which I am not) and I was going to have to float the bill for the next coach (which the boosters are) I would want to be heavliy involved in making the coaching hire.  I see nothing wrong with this nor do I think it is uncommon.  It is their money period.  At least it is people that want to see us return to Victory.  I dont care who brings in the next coach as long as it is a big name coach with a winning record.  The following criteria is what I DO NOT want to my responses to be when we name our next head coach:

Who?
The man sitting in a "holler"?
His record is what?
Who?
Who?

Whoever can bring a coach in that can prevent me from repsonding like is all I care about?  

Well, anyone who contributes to retain season tickets is a booster, so numerous people who post here are boosters, but probably not the type who contribute millions and get involved in stuff like hiring coaches.    I have been making donatons since the 80s and I actually care about the process.  Boosters should not run the process IMO.  That is Hart's job.  He is charged with getting donations and administering the funds.  If the big boosters don't like it, they can keep their money and Hart might pay the price with his job.  I have a feeling that the story was just worded very poorly, perhaps even for effect, and Hart is controlling everything within the normal university system confines.  If not, then I say get rid of him. 

I'm sorry... and I am 100% behind change, but this approach seriously makes me feel terrible for Coach Dooley.  All of this talk, the way this is being "handled", and now his family is abused at the SC game, all of it.  I swear!  It's fizzleing football!  SO many more important things in this world.  Ugh. 

Yep, and the worst part is that none of us know that this approach is even being used.  It's all unsubstantiated stuff right now.  Too many things haven't panned out as predicted.  That makes me think that the sources are either not as in touch as they think, or they are being fed misinformation.  I should have stayed out of the discussion, since I have no sources and will probably just roll with whatever happens.  Like you said, it's just football, not real life.  I'll go back to tracking Sandy now. 

Maybe it is not a case of the inmates running the asylum.  Maybe it is a case of sending Benjamin Franklin to France.  Well spoken, strong people skills, and with unquestioned authority to deal on behalf of the nation.  If we hired a search firm to approach France, we might all be having tea and crumpets this afternoon.

And that would be perfectly fine.  That would be Hart running the show and sending his emissaries forth to do his bidding -- pretty usual and expected.  But, that is not what was written.  What was written was Benjamin Franklin going to France and telling the U.S. government and to sit back and wait until he made the deal he wanted and told them what to do.  Not quite as alright. 

Just so I'm clear, you don't think any of these guys are credible unless they're plugged into the UTAD.  Is that correct?

Nope, not at all, and I am not sure where that comes from.  But, since the UTAD is the ultimate source of information, even by leaks, that would certainly help.  That's where sources get their information, regardless of who the sources are and how fair down the source chain they are.  Information almost has to start with the UTAD.  If it doesn't, how credible can it be?  I just have never liked sites like that one, ever.  Personal preference.

Sorry, but this is pretty unreal to me.  The pancake house we frequent already has water inside up to the chair bottoms, and the local "watering hole" is under water too.   

I think we have to keep in mind that this is coming from Basilio and is in his words. We can argue about the way he phrased it but these aren't quotes from a source . . . they are Tony sharing what he thinks is happening.

My impression of Hart is that he is a stronger leader than Hamilton. I'm not afraid of what you are afraid of because I highly doubt that is what is happening. It's also entirely possible that Basilio's source has no clue.

Hence my first comment, "Like usual, I am sorry I clicked a link."    I should never do that..........NEVER!    I hate sites like that.