In Eckleburg's Eyes - 1/30/2009, Part 1

News & Notes from Wednesday, January 28th, 2009

-On Wednesday night, MPW, RAW, and I attended the Tennessee basketball game at Thompson-Boling Arena. We were running late as usual, this time because RAW forgot both that there was a game and that he had been invited. In an effort to save time, I met the brothers at MoFoS and we headed to the arena from there. We arrived just in time for the 8 pm tip off. (Note: For the first time all season, our tickets were ripped instead of scanned as proof of attendance.)

-Our opponent was LSU, who entered the game with a 15-4 record. They were an experienced squad with all five starters having started all nineteen games. Their leading scorer played the 2 position. This combination has been a recipe for disaster all season. It would prove to be so again on this night.

-The UT students must have also forgotten about the game as the student section was half empty. Yes, half empty (as opposed to half full). When the students have been overflowing for four seasons, a depleted crowd is certainly considered half empty.

-The students lack of enthusiasm did not translate to Section 317, or at least the two fans stationed in front of us. They stood throughout the game, impeding our view. While we agree that there are appropriate times to stand at sporting events, there are also times when it is fitting to be seated, such as when every other person in the rafters is.

-As noted, the Vols lost again, 79-73. Marcus Thornton, another shooting guard, just missed scoring 30 points for the third consecutive game. His 29 points were enough to defeat the Vols. Tennessee erased a 14-point second half deficit to take its only lead of the game, 69-67, with 4:45 left. As has often been the case this season, the Vols collapsed as the game ended.

-Tennessee has now lost twice as many games at home this season as in Bruce Pearl’s previous three seasons combined! Perhaps more importantly, Tennessee fans may never again eat free chicken.

-The Vols also reached a new low in regards to the halftime “entertainment”. They brought out
Simon Sez with Steve Max. Max is a professional Simon Sez caller. Yes, the children’s game. What’s more ridiculous than that? UT flew him in from New York to do this gig! Max carted out a bunch of students divided by gender and eventually the two winners faced each other. For the record, Wayne and Allison tied in the finals. Throughout this debacle, I could not decide whether to be angry or pity this guy. On the one hand, UT paid him for two nights work (including the Lady Vols’ basketball game the following night). On the other, the guy is a professional Simon Sez caller.

-If you were the Simon Sez guy, why would you admit it?

-The night’s one bright sport was the play of freshman Emmanuel Negedu, who for the first time was selected by the radio broadcast team as the player of the game. Negedu scored a career-high eleven points, made all six of his free-throw attempts, and nailed a 3-pointer in only fifteen minutes of playing time.

-Negedu also brought his celebrity friends, supermodel Marisa Miller and her Hollywood producer husband Griffin Guess, to the game. Miller was the cover model of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue in 2008 as well as a Victoria's Secret Angel. She appeared on the big screen several times throughout the game. Negedu attended the same high school (Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, new Hampshire) as her husband and befriended him when Guess spoke there. To be honest, I had never heard of them prior to the game. I do not know whether that is good or bad.

-After the game we talked to my good friend CDL and his daughter CML, whose season tickets are five rows in front of ours. CDL hoped the loss meant that we would take it out on Florida on Saturday. We are both hoping he is correct.

-Finally, Wednesday marked JTH and ALK’s four month anniversary. Congratulations! How long is that in JTH years?