The student congregation last night outside the building hosting the departing Lane Kiffin's final press conference toddleresque squirmfest was estimated at between 500-1000.  According to this morning's KNS, the crowd, while burning Lane Train t-shirts and shouting obscenities, never got unruly.

"The crowd was very manageable," UT Police Department Capt. Keith Lambert said. "We asked them to move and they moved, so you can't say they were an unruly crowd."

It's good to see that the current Volunteer student body, while upset, are still able to conduct themselves somewhat amicably.  Which is more than I can say for the populations of Ohio State, West F. Virginia, or Michigan State (after wins, even).  Not to mention a few UT alumni I know.  No word if those associates had anything to do with any of the foulness painted on The Rock last night.

Hell, even the media is getting in on it.  WVLT's Mark packer is calling him a "snake" and GoVolsXtra.com's Mike Strange insinuates he's either a wolf or a pig, I'm not sure which, but both probably fit.

I'm sure at some point we'll get a list of potential new(er? est?) coaches from our own J. Yeary, but until then, we can expect more tempered grumbling and douchebag-calling from Big Orange Country. Stay tuned, this could get interesting.

Image via govolsxtra.com

Billy Donovan's Gators showed some mettle in an 89-77 loss to Kentucky tonight.  The Gators trailed at the half by the score 38-31 and got down by as much as 13 early in the second half.  Kenny Boyton and Erving Walker led the Gators back to a one point deficit with 4:47 left in the game.

In the end it wasn't enough.  Kentucky finished the game on a 15-4 run to improve to 17-0 on the season.  Eric Bledsoe continued over from the first half to lead the Cats with 25 points on the night.  John Wall padded the stats with some late free throws and a later three and finished with 19.  The big guys all chipped in with Patterson having 15 and 7, DeMarcus Cousins having 13 and 5 in limited minutes, and Daniel Orton contributing 2 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 huge blocks.

Florida made 5 three pointers in the second half, many from well beyond the line.  The Gators couldn't get enough of the deep shots to fall down the stretch and Kentucky got some big shots to fall from Darius Miller and Darnell Dodson.

A lot of talk over the last few days has centered around DeAndre Liggins recent good play, but Liggins did not see major minutes tonight.  When he was in the game he played fairly good defense; however, DeAndre does not contribute any aggressiveness on offense. 

A couple of parting shots on the announcing tonight.  Overall, it wasn't horrible (for a Vitale called game).  We did get a case of Jimmy Dykesesque repeating as "John Wall has a 43 inch vertical" was said at least 4 times.  The other major problem with the broadcast tonight was Dick Vitale saying on multiple occasions that "the three point line is the great equalizer in the game today." 

Okay, I understand that a team making a lot of three's is important, but I have a major problem with how Dicky V (and other announcers) say this.  All of the older announcers say things like this.  The bottom line is that the NCAA implemented the three point line in 1986.  It has been nearly 25 years since this change was made.  Can we drop the "in the game today" talk when discussing how a team's three point shooting can help them get back in a game already?  I mean seriously, the three point line has been in the NCAA longer than several of my good friends have been alive! 

Alright, mini-rant ends here.  Overall, a pretty exciting game for UK and Florida fans but it ends in good fashion for Cats fans.  A twelve point win on the road against a team that was ranked a couple of weeks ago is a good sign that this young team is making strides in the right direction.  Florida hosts LSU Saturday while Kentucky travels to Auburn to try to extend their perfect record to 18-0.

How about a hand for Lane Kiffin? That was some rebuilding job huh?

Look, I'm not faulting good ol' Lane for making the move from Knoxville to Los Angeles. He's leaving one elite program  for another, one where he has a history. It makes sense. And coaches leave all the time to take new jobs- nothing new about that. But for Kiffin, who announced his entrance to the SEC with a string of barbs toward the power programs, who had Vols fans rejoicing about the energy he brought, who talked more than any 7-6 coach ever should, his quick exit is decidedly fitting. A guy who promised to have the Vols competing with Florida and Alabama again is now on his way out of town, having barely spent a full calendar year there. For a guy who claimed to embrace the Vol nation, he sure was quick to jump on another offer the second it came his way.

And that my friends, is why SEC fans are laughing today. All of his bravado, all of his comments, all of his "energy"....and yet all Knoxville has to show for it is a 7-6 record, an embarrassingly lopsided bowl loss, and now, another coaching search. Given the class and maturity he showed throughout his tenure at UT, I can't say I'm surprised. Lane has always been all about Lane, and it's safe to say his smug smile won't be missed by many around the South, including Tennessee.

Yes, you read that correctly. I don't think UT fans should be that upset today. All of the talk about Kiffin energizing and turning around the program this season was a little shocking to me. I mean, they went from 5-7 to 7-5 in the regular season. Is that an improvement? Yes. But that's hardly a dramatic turnaround, and to be fair,  he didn't exactly inherit a bare cupboard, going to a roster with more than its share of high school All-Americans who had underachieved in their college careers. Now there's something to be said for getting a roster to play to their potential. QB Jonathan Crompton and RB Monterio Hardesty, inconsistent at best during their careers, both showed tremendous improvements under Kiffin's watch. But the name of the game is winning, and in the end,  the whopping two game improvement simply did not impress me much.

Now Kiffin could recruit- no question. He had some top notch athletes ready to hit campus this fall. But he also had the nasty habit of collecting secondary violations related to his recruiting. One or two- no big deal. It happens everywhere. But Kiffin collected at least seven between December 2008 and January 2010. So I don't think it's a stretch to think that the longer he spent there, the more headlines he would have made for the wrong reasons. (Of course, Kiffin would have probably found those violations and recurring NCAA investigations to be a compliment, as he stated last month). And considering Kiffin learned under Pete Carroll at USC, who's had his share of..ahem...questionable recruiting tactics...it's not unrealistic to think Kiffin may have eventually had the Vols headed down a dangerous path.

So I think I speak for all SEC fans when I tell Kiffin good riddance. He talked a real great game, but barely stuck around long enough to even try to back it up. As an SEC fan, I hope Tennessee gets someone good, but also someone who understands the SEC. We don't mind trash talk, outsized egos and energetic personalities, but you have to earn them. The SEC is better when Tennessee is good- even a Gator fan like myself can admit this. So let's hope they get this one right.

In the meantime, I hope USC knows what they've gotten themselves into.

It's halftime of the Kentucky - Florida game and it's been a good one.  Kentucky weathered an opening run against Florida and took a 38-31 lead into halftime. 

The first half began with Florida jumping out to a 7-0 lead as UK missed several bunnies in close and Florida took their opportunities in the open court.  Kentucky's missed shots inside were so bad that Coach John Calipari said in the half time interview "we missed 10 one footers."  When asked what he told the team, Cal replied with his usual witticism, "I told them please make it or dunk it!  That's some good coaching huh?"  Well done coach.

Florida was lead in the first half by Alex Tyus with 9 points.  Tyus made the first two threes of his career in the first half.  Combine that with the banked three pointer in the final minute and Florida has to feel good about being within single digits at the half.

For Kentucky, John Wall made a couple of impressive pull up 17-footers and Eric Bledsoe had a monster first half.  Bledsoe scored 15 points on 6-7 shooting and knocked down two foul shots.  Wall had 8 in the first half and Patrick Patterson added 7 points. 

One of the biggest influences in the first half was the inside play of Daniel Orton.  DeMarcus Cousins missed several inside shots (1-6 shooting at the half) and Orton came in to snag 7 rebounds and block three shots (all in the same sequence) in the first half, helping Kentucky to dominate the paint on the defensive end.

The second half is coming up.  We'll see if Kentucky continues to press and try to wear down Florida.  Florida will need to improve their shot selection and improve on their first half 3-13 performance from the three point line if they are going to knock off the #2 team in the nation at home.  We'll be back with postgame coverage after the second half.

Also of note tonight, Purdue falls at home by the score of 70-66 to Ohio State despite Robbie Hummel's big 35 point night.  Kid was on fire in the first half.

Breaking news tonight is that Lane Kiffin will be leaving the University of Tennessee to fill Pete Carroll's vacant spot at Southern Cal.  We'll have more in the coming days with reactions, predictions, and coverage of UT's coaching search.

Kentucky goes to Gainesville tonight to play Florida in their first road game against SEC competition. An event like that obviously deserves a bullet-point post.

• It's put up or shut up tonight for Kenny Boynton. Kenny Boynton is a freshman guard for the Florida Gators. He was a McDonald's All-American. Before John Calipari came to Kentucky and brought John Wall, Eric Bledsoe and DeMarcus Cousins, he was probably going to be the highest rated incoming freshman in the SEC. Even after Cal brought those guys in and Kentucky was thought of as a preseason top-five team, Boynton had this to say to SLAM Magazine about Kentucky, "...I think we have a better team... I don't think they're as good as everyone says they are." I'm all for athletes being confident, but those comments seem a bit ridiculous considering that was in July and neither team had played a game. For what it's worth, Kentucky is 16-0 with wins over ranked UConn and North Carolina. Florida is 11-4 with losses to Richmond and South Alabama (at home).
• Pete Carroll knew when to get out of USC. A lot of people in the media will tell you Carroll didn't leave because of the violations that are forthcoming to USC, but that's horsecrap. He was the king of college football for almost a decade and could get almost any kid he wanted. Now, he's coaching the Seattle Seahawks. Can anyone remember the last marquee free agent they got? Yeah, exactly. The hammer is coming down on the Trojans (insert your own perverse joke) and a postseason ban and loss of scholarships are inevitable.
• Would Lane Kiffin leave Tennessee for USC? I've been going back and forth on this one since the Carroll news broke. On one hand, USC is a more prestigious job than UT and has a bigger recruiting base. USC's campus is nicer and much closer to the beach and ocean (depending on who you ask). It's also easier to win in the Pac-10 than it is in the SEC. On the other hand, no one knows for sure what the NCAA is going to do to USC. Kiffin still has one of the ten best jobs in college football and is already revered in Knoxville. He's got a top class coming in for 2010 and barring any arrests, the Vols have a chance to compete for the SEC East next year. Like everything else, it will probably come down to money should Kiffin decide to bolt. If USC wants a Carroll clone, someone who's energetic and doesn't mind ruffling some feathers, they'll throw a bunch of cash at Kiffin and he'll be out of Knoxville as quick as he was there.
• Mark McGwire took steroids. When informed of the news Jerome Bettis said, "Hey, did you know I'm from Detroit?!?"
• Auburn Basketball is irrelevant and not funny. I'm going to watch UK play Auburn this weekend down in Auburn. I don't take signs to games, but I was wondering what I would write on a sign if I were to take one. I can't think of anything other than, "Auburn Basketball is so irrelevant I don't have anything funny or insulting to put on this sign." That seems a little long to write on a posterboard. What say you, readers? Do you have any good ideas for a possible sign idea for Auburn Basketball?
• I hope John Wall dunks on Kenny Boynton tonight. While standing over Boynton, Wall could then pull the above-mentioned SLAM article out of his sock, then unfold the article and lay it on Boynton's chest. John Wall would immediately move past Tom Brady and Trey Anastasio and be my favorite person alive.

What a weekend. Three things happened on Saturday, in this order:

1. The Bengals pooped the bed against the Jets, continuing a 20 year tradition of crushing my spirit.

2. My old man called me for the 15th straight rendition of his "I don't think I'm going to renew my Bengals tickets" speech. This speech has become as much a tradition as the Bengals futility. At this point it wouldn't feel like the off-season without it

3. I started hearing this song in my head, on a loop:

Far be it for me to attempt to make any actual football analysis--I mean I'm no Dennis Miller--but it didn't take a genius to see this one coming. A combination of injuries, tragedies and an offense that hadn't really shown up for most of the season led to the giant steamer you saw out there on Saturday. Honestly, I'm too tired of thinking about it to give any more energy. I do know I'm about to stop following Ochocinco on twitter. Perhaps some more practice and less youstream next season, Ocho. I'm also considering spinning off a new blog titled "Overthrown by Carson Palmer." There will be no shortage of material.

Other things that happened between Friday and Monday:
- Purdue lost to Wisconsin up in Madison, making everything I said in my first post look completely idiotic.  Thanks guys.
- Tennessee beat Kansas, ensuring that Grubby spent most of his Sunday night collecting traffic cones for home decoration.
- Landon Donovan had a kick ass debut for Everton (that's soccer, kiddos), was probably their best player, notched an assist and helped them to a 2-2 draw with Arsenal. These are all good things.

I'll spare you the details of the STF visit, and simply share this video I found this morning via UTSports.tv

I do find it odd that Chism is the one directing the cheers and the "hey-pay-attentions."  This is the same guy that wore a Bert and Ernie hat to the SEC Tournament first round games last year.

Anyway, this is fun.

This appears not to be as fun.

We'll be tied up for the next three days trying to keep this dude out of jail, pounding blue shit, and watching nachos disappear (and hoops).  Let's hope we all enjoy our weekend as much as this Romanian truck driver.

Can somebody please explain the baseball Hall of Fame to me?

No, this isn't a "who should be in" argument, because bascially, for the most part, I couldn't care less who is in the MLB Hall of Fame. Sure, it's neat to see guys like Tony Gwynn and Rickey Henderson get in- I grew up watching those guys play. But a great deal of the plaques in Cooperstown mean nothing to me. Seriously- look at some of the members. There's Hugh Duffy and Edward Delahanty in the vaunted 1945 Class. Can anyone tell me anything about either of them without looking it up? What about Albert Barlick? Amos Rusie? Burleigh Grimes? Or my favorite - Henry "Heinie" Manush? Any of those ring a bell?

Doesn't matter. Because that's not the point. The point is that the entire Hall of Fame election process is greatly flawed, at least to me. Because, to me, Hall of Fame voting should be easy. It should be reserved for players who were undeniably great, and if a player is great, it should be obvious to everyone with an understanding of the game. Chances are, if you have to make an argument that a player deserves to be in the Hall, he doesn't. If there's a debate over whether someone was a great player, than in most cases, he probably wasn't. And if he wasn't great enough to get the votes five years after he last picked up a bat or glove, then why would he be any better 10 years later?

Babe Ruth. Mickey Mantle. Sandy Koufax. You mention those names to a baseball expert, and their eyes glaze over as they fondly recall the heroic exploits of these legendary players. There's no discussion about home run to strikeout ratio, no talk about WHIP or any of the other countless statistical measures we use today. Those guys were great players - plain and simple. There's no argument that can be made against them.

So with that in mind...why are players allowed to be on the Hall of Fame ballot so many times?  Not to pick on Bert Blyleven, who is probably already having a rough day, but if there's enough debate to keep you out of the Hall for the 12 years through which you've been eligible, then you may not deserve to be in there. The same goes for many of the other players who find themselves falling short of the required votes year after year. If there's enough questions about your greatness, then maybe you weren't all that great.

Now Blyleven was a good pitcher - no doubt. But it's the same song and dance every year. He just makes the talk-radio rounds, touts his statistics, and hopes for the best. But why? If he wasn't good enough in 1998, or 2003, or 2008, then why would he think he's good enough in 2010? He hasn't taken the mound or struck out any more batters since then. So why would he be better in 2010 or 2011 than he was in 2003?

That's where the flaw lies. At this point, it's becoming less and less about Blyleven's statistics or skills, and more about his lobbying ability.Essentially, he just has to get a few more baseball writers to change their opinions, and then BAM! - all of a sudden he's an elite player to be remembered by hundreds of future generations, instead of a good player who might be best known to our generation for using two obscenities during a live broadcast as the Twins announcer.

But does he really want to get into the Hall now? Does he really want to get in based on his ability to lobby writers and promote himself, rather than his pitching ability? Because that's what the system allows right now. First, you have to be good enough to get consideration, which Blyleven certainly was, and then you have 15 years to plead your case for being great.

Maybe I'm being too harsh, or too short-sighted. But my general view of athletes is that you shouldn't have to tell someone how good you are. It should be evident from your play. And if it isn't, if there's room for debate, then maybe you weren't quite as great as you think you were.

But hey - best of luck to Blyleven in 2011 as he takes another year to try to prove how good he was. For his sake, I hope he finally gets in. But for me, I'm not buying it.