Hush Your Mouth
By Joe Rector
I had my idea for this week’s column all sorted out in my head. I would enjoy writing about the subject and could do it with a minimum amount of effort. Well, that idea went down the tubes when I read just a few minutes ago a sports column in another paper. My juices began flowing, and the heat from my increasing anger felt uncomfortable. So, I’ve scrapped my original idea until next week.
The article I read was written by Adam Sparks. The subject was about why football fans are dissatisfied with Coach Heupel’s tenure. I didn’t know fans were unhappy. After what seemed like decades of losing at the hands of what proved to be incompetent coaches, UT has had a sweet run with Heupel. Tennessee has won at a high level, coaches have recruited some of the best players in the country, and the transfer portal has proven to be a big plus for fans. Those who complain must have suffered an injury, possibly from a brick that was being used to build Tennessee football. Some might have disliked the way the offense performed under the leadership of quarterbacks not named Hooker. Of course, every fan base has a few chronic complainers who always have problems with a coach, an approach to the game, or the recruiting of athletes.
I’m tired of all the negativity that surrounds whatever sport is in season. Coach Heupel is a successful coach who has brought winning ways back to the campus downtown. He evidently is a wonderful recruiter who wins over players and parents. At the same time, he’s reintroduced the element of “fun” to games for both players and fans. Heupel appears to be a bit shy, but I’ve never met the man and can’t declare that to be a fact. I know this much is true: UT football was in the bottom of the garbage can, and it had begun to smell from rotting. Our present coach retrieved it, washed it, and returned it to its rightful status as a top-tier program. Those who must find something wrong just can’t help themselves, but I do wish they would confine the griping to their own homes.
The fact is that UT, under the direction of Danny White and Donde Plowman, has experienced a rejuvenation in its sports programs. In fact, the university has the best core group of head coaches. Rick Barnes is the basketball coach with whom serious athletes want to work. Barnes prepares players for becoming solid college and, in some cases, professional athletes. Thompson-Boiling Arena is filled and overflowing whenever the Barnes Bunch step on the floor to play.
The same can be said about second-year women’s basketball coach Kim Caldwell who has led a revival of the Lady Vols. Here, high-energy offense and oppressive defense are fun to watch, and rooting for a team that is going all out all the time invigorates fans. Caldwell recruits with dogged determination, and her aggressive style is bringing in better players. To me, Caldwell might be the second coming of Pat Summit.
Coach Karen Weekly just finished up a season of success with the softball team. An appearance in the World Series is special. Coach Weekly demands perfection, and the players strive to meet those demands every time they step on the field.
Tony Vitello is a masterful coach who knows how to condition players and how to make each year a success. The baseball team won the World Series last year, and they are determined to reach that goal again this year. Watching players makes it obvious that they are dedicated to Vitello and Tennessee baseball. Like other UT teams, the Vol baseball players are well conditioned both physically and mentally. They seem willing to follow their coach wherever he chooses to lead.
Perhaps slow news days dictate such picky pieces from the other paper’s staff. I grant that some fans couldn’t be happy even if Jesus Christ were the coach. My advice for those who whine and complain all the time is that they should follow another team. Leave the best assembly of coaches in the country. Have some faith in them; they’ve already proven what they can do. If that proves to be an impossible task, then I suggest that those carping find another team that makes them happy. We won’t miss your negative attitude. If you choose to stay with the Big Orange, then our only requirement is that you hush. We realize that you miss your glory days from high school.
In the end, we’ll soon see what kind of football team runs through the Power T. If they aren’t living up to your expectations, tell them how to change things. I really don’t care what you do; just hush your mouth.
