Went and saw ‘Air’ tonight to cap off my Easter weekend. Pretty good, even really good, compared to the dreadful run of most post COVID movies. My complaints are best encapsulated in this review. Basically Damon doesn’t even attempt to sound or act like the real Sonny Vaccaro.

One small detail of interest here, and no idea if this was made up or researched, but in an early scene the Nike basketball execs are looking at a board of NCAA players approaching the draft with the intent of selecting 2 or 3 of them to sponsor. At the bottom of the board is Vandy’s Jeff Turner. Spoiler alert,…………..Sonny Vaccaro convinced Nike to go all in on MJ as the sole Nike athlete that year. But I do wonder if Turner was seriously considered. No idea if Converse or Adidas signed him instead.

Today’s mailbag is sponsored by Sutherland & Belk, a family owned injury law firm. If you or a loved one has been hurt in an accident, give Taylor or Russell a call at 615-846-6200 to see what your rights are and if they can help.

Podcast is presented by Jody Jones, DDS.

Get 'em in...

Love this quote from Barton:

“Rankings are not that important at this stage. Some day, when we level up, there will be correlation with rankings. But we’re at the point right now where we are going to win by out-evaluating, not by getting the guy with 50 offers. As we demonstrate a proof of concept, then we’ll out-recruit. That’s going to be a progression that we’re on. Our strike zone is going to get bigger as we find success on the field. There is going to be an evaluation to what things look like here, but right now we’re dialed in on finding guys who are undervalued.”

Most of the commits if not all will be in attendance.

Targets:

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I'll be there furiously taking notes so not sure how much time I'll have to update the thread. I'll give it a shot if I can but I'm sure a bunch of you watching can help also.

About to leave Franklin to get there now.

Looking for one infield ticket to the Friday uSC game. Pm me if available.

LSU beats the Gamecocks 8-7. Lots of glaring into the uSc dugout at the end of the game from the LSU pitcher (Guidry) who closed out the game. First game of two today.

Just when you think it can’t get any worse, we are now experiencing pre-announcements. That way, it can be announced officially again in a week. “Look at me! Look at me! Look at me!!!”

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I want to take my boys to the North Alabama game Tuesday night, and this will be their first Vandy baseball game (4 year old twins). I need three tickets and infield seats would be great. You can call/text me or send a DM (615-319-9067).

Thanks in advance.

Need more carries than Smith. I’m already convinced of this. Smith doesn’t have it. Sed and Gillespie showed me something out there today. Newberry and Benson, could be better but as of now, those two need the carries going forward.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

It appears as though Nashville SC and or the MLS requires you to pay Apple TV to watch and then pay $12.99 per month or $79.99 for the full season including playoffs.

Is there another way to watch? It seems illogical for a game that was finally gaining momentum and growing interest to now be making it harder to watch?

We are a soccer family with a daughter big into soccer and my daughter and wife just decided not to pay the money citing “that it was silly to pay considering we can only watch occasionally.” They’re not wrong, we’re busy but building fans is never a bad thing.

What is the logic here?

@Southernpipe

Thanks for anybody’s thoughts.

First off, hats off to Devin for the way he’s pitched recently. A comp I’ve brought up before for him is Mason Hickman, and he’s got a lot of the same tools in terms of the size, lack of velo, but great off speed stuff, great control, and just being unflappable on the mound.
On a more negative note, I think it’s time to end the Jack Bulger experiment. He had a small stretch where it looked like he had improved upon last season, but now when you look at the numbers it’s clear he’s dragging the lineup down in the cleanup spot. He walks a lot which is great but he provides no pop in that cleanup spot. Especially now that teams are shifting on him, his ground balls to the 3rd base side just aren’t going to go for hits. Right now his stat line looks eerily similar to last year where his OBP is about .360 but his slugging is also .386 (before this game’s stats).
- For one I don’t think a guy who can walk but has no pop should be in the cleanup spot
- I could argue that he shouldn’t be the DH whenever Espinal catches because you’re taking out Maldo who’s been one of our best three hitters
-After today I might even argue that he shouldn’t be the main catcher at all. With Espinal you’re gonna get better fielding, great pop (this lineup has plenty of guys who can walk but needs more pop) and he had a nice game today looking much better against the breaking ball which was his big problem. I think there’s way more upside to giving Espinal lots of at bats and seeing if he can improve his hitting whereas we know exactly what Bulger is at this point

I'll be at home watching until I've got to head to the spring game. Not sure if we will run a gamer or not because of that.

3RD QUARTER

Alexander for 7 (missed the first 2 plays, sorry!)

Swann to Hoskins for about 7, tackle by Riley
Swann to wide-open Swinner, who beat Russell and Wright and glides for a 68-yard TD. Ball was thrown perfectly. I thin it was a 4th-and-3 play.

Skinner called for unsportsmanlike conduct for taunting at the 10, so that brings the play back to the 25 and takes the TD off the board.
End around pitch to McGowan, Mahoney stays home and makes a great open-field tackle for a gain of 2
Smith left, hesitates, nothing there, cut down by Taylor for a loss of 6
Dump off to Walker for about 12, Berry open-field tackle holding him 1 yard yard short
Play fake, Swann lobs it up for Hoskins who beat Russell for the TD
Faris missed the PAT

Inside handoff Gillespie, tackle by Alex Brown, loss of 1
Seals flushed right, Lee tackle for gain of about 2
Seals to Long PBU by Riley

Dickey overthrows Hoskins
Handoff Alexander right lots of room first down run of 13 Wright knocks him OOB
Alexander big hole up the middle Crisp hangs on for tackle gain of 8
Dickey picked by De’Rickey, runs it back for 60-yard TD, pressured by DeCosmo

Betts-Pauley carry for 4 stop by Outarra
Taylor complete to Walker for 1st down, Cowan dropped a pretty easy pick and knocked it in the air

Taylor over-threw Cole Spence down the middle of the field
Taylor sidearm to Spence, was complete and then Sewell hammered him and broke it up
Taylor blasted by Ugochukwu, ball falls incomplete
Hayball punt to Taco Wright inside the 10

Swann badly under threw Skinner, Ugochuckwu had an easy pick and he dropped it
Smith nice run left but there’s a hold
Smith inside handoff Rinaldi nice tackle in space
Swann pass incomplete, limps off field, Davis with pressure
Hayball punt of 53

Seals throw over Wells OOB, threw it away
Gillespie inside handoff, scampers right for first down and gain of 12
Gillespie inside run for about 4, tackle by Eckes and Gaw
Seals sacked by James and Gaw, loss of 9
Seals rolls right under pressure and gets 16
False start on Clark
Trickeration and Seals gets a wide-open Spence for 33
Gillespie handoff inside gain of 1, Outarra and Bapst tackle
Seals with a dart to Long for 3
Seals hits an open Gillespie right side for TD of 5 yards

Hayden Moses rolls right and completes a short throw
Snap over Moses’s head and DeCosmo recovers on game’s last play.

We have been gifted a start against 3 of the 4 worst teams in the SEC and I feel like we need to win 2 of 3 against Mizzou to keep our momentum going. Mizzou swept UTjr on the first SEC weekend but has been dealing with some injuries and are 0-6 since then.

Who’s hurt for Mizzou?

How do their starters matchup with Holton, Owen, and Futrell?

LSU is at Carl’s Jr and Florida is at UTjr so we have a chance to start putting some real distance between us and the rest of the SEC. (A position I didn’t see coming with this team coming off of last year).

Thoughts?

With the Frist donation, have you heard anything on how close/far away they are to the $300m goal?

Swann to Skinner, tipped but complete (Russell tackle)-about 5

Smith left for a couple, Barr tackle, no gain

Swann to Hoskins for 3, Taylor tackle

4th and 1 going for it at its 34

Smith stopped by Clifton and Outarra he had no chance



Seals QB

Short throw to Wells for 6 tackle Riley tackle

Seals good throw to Carter making something of nothing but Carter bobbles and its OOB

Intended for Wells Riley cover little chance to be complete

FG Faris 48 defense jumps

Going for it on a half yard

Seals sneak makes it easily

Seals pass broken up by Cowan

Seals short swing to Long, gain of 5

Blitz, complete to Hoskins for no gain

FG Faris 34 missed it left



Dickey to McGowan tackle by D Wright no gain

Gillespie spins and breaks tackles for 9

Gillespie for 1st Taylor tackle gain of 4

Dickey had McGowan wide open for 20, Wright gets there and blasts him for break up.

• Ashmore false start

Smith runs into a pile DeCosmo tackle gain of 3

Taylor sack, DeCosmo there to help, loss of 6

Punt to 35



DBP run right for 5, Crisp tackle

Taylor to Baird, tackle by Crisp

Gilesspie spurts through hole Ruth tackle to save maybe a TD, gain of 11

Pitch left Gillespie, tackle by Cowan and Sewell

Taylor to Walker, tackle by Sewell and Dannett, gain of 7 and 1st down

Taylor had Baird open, under thrown, flag on Cowan for 1st down
Jet sweep McGowan, Alexander nice block, tackle by Riley, gain of 7
Alexander wiggles through traffic and dives into EZ for TD, gain of 15

Faris PAT good



Swann QB
Gillespie nice run left side, gain of 17

Barr down, gets up and walks off
Swann to Hoskins, gain of 2, tackle by Lee?
Inside handoff to Gillespie, huge hole, rush straight ahead for 31
Swann to Sheppard, Russell held him for PI, would have been TD if good
Gillespie over hole right, nice block by Hernandez, gain of 4
Gillespie left, no chance, Langston Patterson got him in the backfield for a loss of 5
Swann throw to EZ to Sheppard, Richard good coverage, Sheppard slips, would have been a tough catch given the coverage
Faris FG 29 good



Seals QB
Seals dump off to Alexander after check down, gain of 12, tackle by Cowan
Betts-Pauley left, not much there, gain of 1



2ND QUARTER

Seals has Walker open, ball tipped a bit, would have been long completion, Berry broke it up
Seals to Spence on hash, gain of about 10 and a 1st down
Seals under throws Walker, Taco Wright pass defended
Seals rolls right, has Spence wide open for TD and overthrew him
Outarra tips Seals’s pass to force fourth down
Punt to the 11 by Hayball, pooch attempt

Taylor fumbles the snap, recovers it, minus-5
Taylor sidearm to Skinner incomplete, ball was sidearmed
Taylor squirms around, buys time, has Skinner slightly open way downfield but tough throw and it went out of bounds
Hayball punt to the other 47, 46 yards

Dickey in
Gillespie sweep right for 3, Cowan tackle
Dickey scramble right, run OOB by Alex Brown, gain of 6
Gillespie left for first down, Taco Wright and Bryce Cowan tackle
Dickey rolls right and hits and open Spence, gain of 14
Inside handoff Gillespie, wiggles left for about 5, tackle by Crisp
Dickey to McGowan, tough catch but McGowan could have had it, Agu pressure
Dickey under pressure from Agu incomplete
Faris FG from 43 pushed it right

Smith carry right for nothing, Ugochuckwu and Clifton there for minus-1
Screen to Ball, knocked down by Mahoney after gain of about 8
Swann under throws Baird, play wasn’t going to make much anyway
Swann easy throw underneath to Sheppard, DeRickey Wright tackle for gain of 5 and first down
Swann sacked by Agu, Ucochucku pressured him too
Swann short throw to Hoskins, pass hit him in the numbers but dropped
Blitz, a bunch of people there, Swann throws into traffic, Cowan PBU but could have had INT
Hayball punt of 45

Inside handoff Alexander, tackle by Crisp, gain of 3
Seals to Ball incomplete, a little high, Ball had it and Sewell belted him
Sealls to Baird under throw and incomplete, Gaskins coverage
Punt

Dickey dump off to Gillespie, DeRickey Wright tackle, gain of 6
Outarra pass batted down at LOS
Lee tipped pass, falls incomplete
Hayball punt for 40

Taylor QB
Taylor keeper left, tackle by Gaskins, gain of 7
Inside handoff to Betts-Pauley for a gain of about 6 and a first down
Betts-Pauley inside into a bunch of defenders led by Clifton
Taylor keeper right, hit by Spencer, no gain
Alexander up the middle for about 4, Agu and Ruth tackle
Taylor to Wilson Long for 50-yard TD, beat Taco Wright
Lurie PAT good

They bowl against Carthage College.