The Official “Regular Posters of the Basketball Forum” Thread

[Col_Cathcart]

To your last point, he was not only an effective communicator he was a university ambassador. I know we’re a “football school” but TV was arguably the voice of the university. Heupel is essentially a robot. His press conferences are pure coach speak. He is boring to listen to. I think that is where TV’s value extended beyond just being a great baseball coach. He was extremely visible both nationally and in the community. I will miss that.

I think you’re overestimating how much people who don’t follow college baseball were aware of who he was. “Extremely visible nationally” seems like a big stretch unless you mean “nationally in baseball circles”

 

[vol94]

We’re reaching new levels of stupidity and ridiculousness in college basketball. G-Leagues players can now come to college?? Come on. What’s next? Letting Anthony Davis come back for his last 3 years of eligibility?

How can a pro player play college ball. Some type of stupid.

 

[YankeeVol]

How can a pro player play college ball. Some type of stupid.

How can a 23 YO Israeli Pro play college ball.......

 

[vol94]

I enjoy your obsessiveness about stats and have fun debating you when you’re open to learning. There are times when you’re relentless pursuit of “being right” clouds your judgement materially, but so it goes in an Internet forum. I’m not sure why you’d come at me over Hiter. I, along with a lot of people in the program, including our coaches, believed he was coming here. I share what I hear, along with my perspective and try to be clear about the distinction. When I hear something that is accurate at the time, but changes, I don’t offer downside insurance. It’s part of the game.

But you use sarcasm when someone makes a comment or asks a question. Others may have information, too, and more accurate than yours. So don’t discredit those folks.

I for one appreciate anyone giving info, including my buddy @ Spyre. He knows what’s going on inside our program, and i respect the fact he can’t share everything he knows.

 

[vol94]

How can a 23 YO Israeli Pro play college ball.......

Good point.

 

[YankeeVol]

Good point.

I know.

 

[vol94]

I know.

Yippee

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

But you use sarcasm when someone makes a comment or asks a question. Others may have information, too, and more accurate than yours. So don’t discredit those folks.

I for one appreciate anyone giving info, including my buddy @ Spyre. He knows what’s going on inside our program, and i respect the fact he can’t share everything he knows.


Edit- I appreciate the info you bring

I have never been sarcastic, and would never interrupt my calling to serve with something so petty. My work teaching you and Nighthawk to read, dress and feed yourselves is all I care about.

 

[vol94]

I have never been sarcastic, and would never interrupt my calling to serve with something so petty. My work teaching you and Nighthawk to read, dress and feed yourselves is all I care about.

Idiotic response once again - so juvenile. You can’t help yourself, can you?

@ BTO Made a comment that you didn’t like. So naturally, you responded.

You were wrong, it’s okay. Just like you were wrong about McCoy. He never went through practice. But it’s okay if you were wrong, it happens. Laurel and Hardy were correct.

Enjoy your weekend!

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

Idiotic response once again - so juvenile. You can’t help yourself, can you?

@ BTO Made a comment that you didn’t like. So naturally, you responded.

You were wrong, it’s okay. Just like you were wrong about McCoy. He never went through practice. But it’s okay if you were wrong, it happens. Laurel and Hardy were correct.

Enjoy your weekend!

I want to apologize for lumping Nighthawk in with you. That was not fair to him, and I take it back.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

I think it’s nearly impossible for a college baseball coach to be the voice of the university. It may seem like it to people like us who are immersed in TN sports, but college baseball remains an extremely niche sport (about 1.5-2 million viewers for the World Series, about a tenth as the CBB championship, not to mention football). Even if not Heupel since he’s a robot, I think it would definitely be Barnes before Tony. (But again, my opinion of that could be clouded by my being closer in temperament to Rick than Vitello, or at least I’d like to be)

This. I get the emotional response to TV leaving but some of the fanbase needs to get a grip. I love that baseball is great now but it’s still behind women’s basketball in terms of interest.

Some of the takes of TV taking a freakin’ MLB manager job are just…..really stupid.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

This. I get the emotional response to TV leaving but some of the fanbase needs to get a grip. I love that baseball is great now but it’s still behind women’s basketball in terms of interest.

Some of the takes of TV taking a freakin’ MLB manager job are just…..really stupid.

That may be true for you, but I don’t think it’s true for the entire fanbase.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

That may be true for you, but I don’t think it’s true for the entire fanbase.

I think you’d be quite surprised…baseball ranks 3rd among a large number of fans, LV basketball ranks #1 for a massive chunk of the older and female crowd as well

 

[TheMookieMonster]

I think you’d be quite surprised…baseball ranks 3rd among a large number of fans, LV basketball ranks #1 for a massive chunk of the older and female crowd as well

I’m not saying LV basketball isn’t popular. I know it is with older fans for sure. But it’s gone through quite a bit of turmoil since the Summit days, much like football, and with the success of the baseball program while younger fans grow up, I wouldn’t be shocked if baseball has surpassed the LV…..for now.

 

[Col_Cathcart]

That may be true for you, but I don’t think it’s true for the entire fanbase.

Nothing is true for the entire fanbase. Anecdotally, it’s definitely true for me as well. I can also say that NOBODY went to baseball games when I was at UT. I lived near the stadium, never even considered going, and couldn’t tell from the outside if there was a game happening or not.

Lady vols basketball by contrast was a hot ticket.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Nothing is true for the entire fanbase. Anecdotally, it’s definitely true for me as well. I can also say that NOBODY went to baseball games when I was at UT. I lived near the stadium, never even considered going, and couldn’t tell from the outside if there was a game happening or not.

Lady vols basketball by contrast was a hot ticket.

Trust me, I know your position, you said you’d be fine if the baseball program cratered to support other programs. I’m not sure when you went to Tennessee, I would assume it’s not recently, but my entire point is that popularity of programs ebb and flow. Tony built a program that exploded in popularity on campus during a time when LV basketball was not good.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I’m not saying LV basketball isn’t popular. I know it is with older fans for sure. But it’s gone through quite a bit of turmoil since the Summit days, much like football, and with the success of the baseball program while younger fans grow up, I wouldn’t be shocked if baseball has surpassed the LV…..for now.

Hard disagree, but I’m not sure how to measure it so agree to disagree. There’s a massive section of just LV fans, way more than there are just baseball fans, most baseball fans are FB & BB fans and have enjoyed the success of baseball and that it bridges the gap of the other 2 sports, I don’t think the number is even comparable of LV fans to BB fans.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Hard disagree, but I’m not sure how to measure it so agree to disagree. There’s a massive section of just LV fans, way more than there are just baseball fans, most baseball fans are FB & BB fans and have enjoyed the success of baseball and that it bridges the gap of the other 2 sports, I don’t think the number is even comparable of LV fans to BB fans.

I said it was debatable and it “wouldn’t shock me” not that it was an absolute certainty. At the very least, I don’t think there are “way more” LV fans as you suggest. In 2024, the Lady Vols averaged roughly 10,500 in home attendance in an arena that seats over 21,000. Baseball averages 5,600 in 2025 in a stadium that seats 6,300. Once the renovations are done, you’re going to have a capacity closer to 8,500. Both sports are probably closer in popularity than you or I think. We’re just on different sides.

 

[Col_Cathcart]

Trust me, I know your position, you said you’d be fine if the baseball program cratered to support other programs. I’m not sure when you went to Tennessee, I would assume it’s not recently, but my entire point is that popularity of programs ebb and flow. Tony built a program that exploded in popularity on campus during a time when LV basketball was not good.

2009. So I was there for the last LV championships. I’m not “young” anymore, but making it out like only older fans might prefer LV basketball to baseball seems like a stretch. Baseball had a nice little run, but there’s going to be what, 3-4 years of people for whom that’s true? That’s a tiny fraction of the fanbase.

I get it that you’re sad about baseball, but that doesn’t mean everyone should be. You’d probably get a more sympathetic ear in the baseball forum

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I said it was debatable and it “wouldn’t shock me” not that it was an absolute certainty. At the very least, I don’t think there are “way more” LV fans as you suggest. In 2024, the Lady Vols averaged roughly 10,500 in home attendance in an arena that seats over 21,000. Baseball averages 5,600 in 2025 in a stadium that seats 6,300. Once the renovations are done, you’re going to have a capacity closer to 8,500. Both sports are probably closer in popularity than you or I think. We’re just on different sides.

I think if you travel to California for example the number of LV fans is probably 100 to 1 on the UT baseball fans you’re going to find…they’re global, I’m not trying to get into politics or LGBTQ stuff, but that LV brand is literally global and often times doesn’t even have a whole lot to do with whether they’re good or not.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

That may be true for you, but I don’t think it’s true for the entire fanbase.

I don't know what to tell you if you actually believe Vol baseball is bigger than the Lady Vols basketball program. Clearly for you Vols baseball is bigger and for me myself that is also true, but we're in the minority. LV Basketball is still one of the biggest names in women's basketball. It's stil an institution. You are letting recency bias cloud you, prior to TV sorry to say but compariatively nobody really cared about Tennessee baseball that much other than diehards. 6 years isn't going to outgain 40 years of history on the LV side.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

I’m not saying LV basketball isn’t popular. I know it is with older fans for sure. But it’s gone through quite a bit of turmoil since the Summit days, much like football, and with the success of the baseball program while younger fans grow up, I wouldn’t be shocked if baseball has surpassed the LV…..for now.

Again you are using some really recency bias and some extreme tunnel vision. The "success" of the baseball program has been 6 years.

Ratings, attendance, social media interaction is still heavily in favor of the LV. The LV are still one of the most prominent names in women's athletics while Tennessee baseball while currently at an elite level is still a newcomer to this area.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Trust me, I know your position, you said you’d be fine if the baseball program cratered to support other programs. I’m not sure when you went to Tennessee, I would assume it’s not recently, but my entire point is that popularity of programs ebb and flow. Tony built a program that exploded in popularity on campus during a time when LV basketball was not good.

Yeah but it went from nothing to big; LV went from gigantic to down to still big but not elite. There's a huge difference. It's like someone being generationally wealthy vs. someone who just won the powerball.

 

[omghulkhands]

Here is what I am most excited to see against Duke.

It seems like our best shooter is going to be our PG.

The offense may look quite a bit different this year because of that. I wanna see if they utilize him off ball (and who handles the ball when that happens?)

And how we get him open looks on-ball.

These aren’t things we’ve really done much of in the CRB era at UT. But CRB always adjust the offense based on personnel. Exciting for an X/O nerd like me.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

I said it was debatable and it “wouldn’t shock me” not that it was an absolute certainty. At the very least, I don’t think there are “way more” LV fans as you suggest. In 2024, the Lady Vols averaged roughly 10,500 in home attendance in an arena that seats over 21,000. Baseball averages 5,600 in 2025 in a stadium that seats 6,300. Once the renovations are done, you’re going to have a capacity closer to 8,500. Both sports are probably closer in popularity than you or I think. We’re just on different sides.

The interesting thing is that people never underestimated how much of the Lady Vol brand was Pat. I think many have underestimated how much of the Vol baseball brand is Tony.