We are a few days into Florida hate week, and I am unhinged. In my podcast this week, I've already talked about wanting to go to blows with anyone wearing Flordia garb. For the past thirty years, I have watched Flordia beat us like a drum in football. Since 2000 the Vols are 4-18 against them. Florida has won sixteen of the last seventeen games. Our only win since 2004 was in 2016. Those are hard numbers to swallow as a Vol fan. However, if you want to make it look even worse, suppose you go back to 1990 when we started playing Florida again regularly. We have only won SEVEN games in thirty-two years. As a Vol fan that was lucky enough to see the football program in its heyday, this is one colossal horse pill to swallow. Coach Heupel was asked in his weekly press conference this week. How long did it take for someone to mention to you the importance of the Flordia series? His response was, "About thirty seconds."

However, this is a new year. Dragons are once again flying over Westeros, and Josh Heupel is sitting on the Iron Throne. HOW CAN THIS NOT BE OUR YEAR? I am shouting from the top of Ayres Hall on campus, "We are going to beat Flordia this weekend!"

Go Big Orange and beat those braided belts and jorts-wearing Gators.

How in the world am I supposed to recap one of the greatest Tennessee Teams I have ever seen and may ever see? Knoxville sports talk shows have posed the question, "Is this the greatest UT team of all time?" I know for me, I can not. Most might say the 1998 National Championship football team, or if you are old enough, maybe the 1985 Sugar Vols. I vividly remember at almost three years old. A program led by Johnny Majors that one its first SEC championship since the late 60s and beat the Miami Hurricanes in the Sugar Bowl. Spoiler alert I don't remember that season, but I've heard so much about that team growing up that I felt like I did. And between us friends, maybe I did remember and didn't manifest those memories. My good friend Google says people can start remembering things around two and a half to three years old. I may never know, but that is not what we are here to discuss today. What I am going to talk about is the 2022 'Classless Vols.'

The 2022 Diamond Vols have done what no other SEC program has done in the history of the SEC, and that was starting a season 12-0—then becoming the unanimous overall number one team for the first time in program history. I am sure many more that I am leaving out, breaking attendance records, home run records, and many more.

However, what this team did was unite a fanbase around a program built on moxie, swag, and mojo. I don't enjoy using those words, but in this case, I'm not sure what other term to describe them. Baseball will always be my go-to sport, the one I dream about and the most relatable to me. I am sure it has to do with the fact I anchored down the hot corner and first base all through my high school days and thought of myself as the Freddie Freeman of co-ed softball. Norm, you are starting to ramble. Well, that is when I do my best work. These 2022 Vols mean the world to me and will for as long as I can remember them. I was fortunate enough to remember the 'Good old days' over On The Hill. What were those days, you ask? In the mid-90s, football was at its prime, and so was baseball. I couldn't tell you about basketball back then, and I am not going to google it and pretend to know it was or wasn't. Fast forward to the present day. While basketball, baseball, and football are back to showing signs of life, it wasn't always the case for baseball. UT baseball program was the laughing stock of college baseball for the better part of ten to fifteen years. Those mid90s Todd Helton days with Rob Delmonico were long gone, and so were the fans. I remember watching baseball games in the mid to late 2000s and watching them with twenty to thirty of my closest friends. At one point, the program would let you get in by bringing a can of food, which is not telling a lie. Hit the fast forward button to June 7th, 2017.

The day, I said, "Who the heck is Tony Vitello, and he is going to be the coach?" Tony Vols has not only built this program from the ground up. He is setting it up for the future. Since becoming the program's skipper, Tony is 134-68. Gone are the days of donating a can of beans to get in. Now you need to donate a kidney on the black market even to have a chance to see them play. This season's tickets sold out in about an hour. The cheapest general admission ticket for the super regionals was $250. They are the hottest program on the hill, which is not even close. I never thought UT baseball would be the spectacle it has become. A place where potential recruits are taking in a game at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. I started this by wanting to talk about the players and give you stats, but I'll do that on a podcast and post it here soon. Hold your heads high, Vol fans. The future is bright over on the hill.

slack·er

/ˈslakər/

noun

INFORMAL

1. a person who avoids work or effort.

2. "the slackers who let the side down by their want of team spirit"

Yes, you can call me a slacker. I was doing such a good job or doing the podcast once a week and updating the site. Okay, maybe not updating the site, but for sure, doing the podcast weekly. Then it happened; I skipped a week, and here it is a month later. I'll give you a few excuses. I am the only one doing the podcast, so that means I have to hold myself accountable, and let's be honest, who does a good job of that? I went to the Australian Grand Prix, or did I?

Okay, enough excuses. Let's get down to brass tax. Since we last spoke, the BaseVols have only lost two games. Here read that again. The Vols. HAVE. ONLY. LOST. TWO. GAMES. One of those was a silly midweek game, and those of you who follow college baseball know those are glorified scrimmages. Then they lost to, at the time red hot Alabama team. I threw up a little in my mouth when I said that. After that loss came what I call 'The Chest Bump Heard Around The World.'

The Vols are on pace to be the most remarkable college baseball team of all time. That is not orange kool-aid drinking Norm saying it, but national writers. You are more than welcome to search that and or look up the stats for yourself. I'll go more in-depth with those on the actual podcast this week.

This weekend, the BaseVols are traveling to Gainsville to take on those jort-wearing Gators. With a season-ending elbow injury, the Gators will be without their ace Hunter Barco. If the Vols can get to their bullpen early and often, they should have no issues taking a series win.

I'll be back next week to recap the series and give you a preview of Auburn.

See everyone in the future.

Some people say Tony Vitello was my muse for this podcast, and those people would be correct.

Onward and upward.

While I have been a while, Rick Barnes basketball team has been ranking up the wins. The #BasketballVols were 7-1 in February, with their only loss at Arkansas by ten. With quality wins over two top 5 programs #Kentucky and #Auburn. This basketball team is hitting its stride at the right time of the season. Hopefully, they can make a deep run in March.

Let's talk about Tony V's #BaseVols or the #DiamondVols whatever you want to call them. They have started the season off Toyota hot, hot, hot. In their first seven games, the #Vols have outscored their opponents 117-7. Stop. And. Read. That. Again. Seriously, read it again. The #Vols have outscored their opponents ONE HUNDRED and SEVENTEEN to SEVEN. The #Vols will dramatically increase their competition this coming weekend (March 4th-6th) at the #ShrinersHospitalsForChildrenCollegeClassic Until then, enjoy the ride and give thanks to Daddy himself, #TonyV

I talked about #MLB, but truthfully I wasted my breath doing it.

See you in the future

#GBO #OTH #DiamondVols #VolHoops #Knoxville #GoVols

Good Hello,

I think Aaron Lewis from Staind said it best 'It's been a while.' I have been slacking when it comes to updating this site, so I apologize. Let's skip the Youtuber, "I needed a break from making content" speech, moving onward and upward.

[Foreboding music playing in the background]

Let's talk about the last week or two of the BasketVols. No, let's go back to December 18th and start from there. Wait, but Norm, why in the world do you want to go back to December 18th? That was almost a month ago. Two reasons. The first is that I haven't done a podcast since then, and the second, I haven't got to talk about One Cent Softaway on the Memphis Tigers since then. Listen, I was a massive supporter of Tiger High years ago. Several of my good friends live in the 901. A grit-grind nation and a GTG supporter. Let me remind you this was before the resurgence of TN basketball and Brrrrruuuuccceeeee Pearl.

Anyway, what one cent has done to the Memphis basketball program over the last season is just an utter travesty. Softaway is, at best, a glorified AAU coach running or, I should say, attempting to run an elite basketball program. I am not sure how you have a 'couple of guys' test positive for **vid and, in return, not have enough players to field a basketball team. It baffles my mind that they could not play that game. Also, it has divided the UT fan base on if we should keep playing Memphis. Half of the fan base believes that we should continue the rivalry, and the other half wants never to play them again. I want another one vs. two as we had in 2008. So I would like to continue the rivalry if it is a three-game home and home, then a natural site like Nashville, or just a home and home. In closing, we would have waxed the floor against Tiger High this season.

The Vols quickly moved in transition to face Pac-12 foe Arizona on December 22nd. Arizona was ranked number six in the nation when they traveled to Knoxville. On a night in which John Fulkerson made his 142nd appearance for the Vols, he tied Wayne Chism for the most games played in program history. That was not the only achievement of the night for the super senior. Fulkie scored a season-high 24 points and grabbed 10 boards while adding two assists in 30 minutes of action. While not officially a triple-double, Fulkerson also drew 13 fouls as the Wildcats (11-1) struggled to guard him all game long. He made Arizona pay at the line, knocking down eight of his 11 free throws. Fulkerson was why the Vols went on to win this game 77-73. This was a statement win over a quality opponent for the Vols and will help them come selection time in March.

After a short break for Christmas, the Vols traveled to the Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa to take on those mouthbreathers of Alabama. I can't stand Alabama, and the fact that they have an excellent basketball team urinates me off. Due to vid protocols, the Vols left freshman phenom Kennedy Chandler and super senior John Fulkerson in Knoxville. The online forums and radio rumor mill have stated that Josiah-Jordan James (Triple J) and Justin Powell were also under the weather. The Vols lead all but 1:02 of the second half, but that was the 1:02 that counted the most. The Vols fall short 73-68 to the Crimson Tide (a fantastic movie). *If the Vols want to make a historic run in March. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (BHH) needs to be a more significant part of this team. BHH averages 14 minutes per game, 5.3 PTS, 52.7FG%, and a meek 3.4 total rebounds (1.3 ORB 2.2DRB). Those stats, my friend, are not what I was hoping for at the beginning of January. He HAS to be playing more meaningful minutes from now on. He played 16mins in the loss to Alabama, but the majority were in the first half. I'm pretty positive he did not see the court in the second half of that ball game. I forget that this group has only played about 12 games together and has plenty of room for improvement.

The #18 Volunteers (9-3) will host Ole Miss(8-4) Wednesday, January 5th. The Vols hold the all-time record over Ole Miss 75-45. However, they did lose last year in Oxford. It would help if you remembered it was a weird **vid season last season. Also worth noting that Ole Miss has not played since December 21st.

Alright, Alright, Al- let's talk Vols football. The Marathon Bowl, I'm sorry, I mean the Music City Bowl. This game took FOUR and a HALF HOURS—one more time for those in the back. FOUR AND A HALF HOURS. Listen, I can sit here and complain about the officiating crew. And that Hendon Hooker (Hendo Cinco) didn't have his A-game or that Josh Heupel didn't have his most memorable game either. I will take the high road on here, but I promise to get on my soapbox about 'that play on the podcast.' 8-5 sounds and looks so much better to me.

I am happy for those young men who wanted to play on Rocky Top and played well enough to make it to a bowl game. I do not want to talk about too much right now because it's sevenish months until college football season. But I wonder how Heupel will do on the recruiting trail.

Quickly wrapping this up with a little Diamond Vols. With the season kicking off in forty-five days as of January 4th. Tennessee had three players named Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-Americans. Sophomore pitcher Blade Tidwell was tabbed a first-team selection, junior outfielder Jordan Beck was a second-team pick, and super senior Evan Russell was named to the third team as a catcher. To view the complete Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-America Teams, click HERE.

That is all I have for you all today; see everyone in the future.

I have no fingernails left;

To say that the next three games for the Braves are the biggest of the entire season is an understatement. The band Modern Baseball said it best "Bottom of the ninth, can't find my socks." The Brave's entire season comes down to these three games. They will carry a two-and-a-half game going into the series. But, a sweep of the Phillies would give up some series momentum going into the playoffs. Of course, the Braves do not have to sweep. They need to win two out of three and take care of the Mets over the weekend. But where in the world is the fun in that? A sweep takes the life out of the Phillies organization. An organization that continues to spend big and fall short year after year. It also means winning their sixteenth NL East division and fourth consecutive. All this without Acuña, Ozuna, and Soroka. If you are a Braves fan, I don't have to remind you that we didn't have d'Arnaud for over half the season either.

Let's talk about the pitching matchup for these three games. The Phillies will throw their Ace, Zach Wheeler (14-9), for tonight's game (Tuesday 9/28/21). Zach has a 2.79 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP for the year. Great numbers again this year for Zach. The Braves will be throwing their ace tonight as well, Charlie Morton (13-6). Charlie has a 3.53 ERA and a 1.07WHIP for the season. Charlie, also known as Benjamin Button, has had yet another dominant year. I, for one, am glad the Braves are bringing back Charlie for another season. Wednesday night, both teams will be throwing their number two guys. Aaron Nola (9-8) for the Phillies, and Maxiumis Fried (13-7) for the Braves. Nola's last start against the Pirates did not go as he would have liked. Giving up six earned runs on six hits in six innings pitched. Nola for the year has a 4.64ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. Fried, on the other hand, is coming off two stellar performances. Throwing a complete game three-hit shutout on ninety-eight pitches against the Padres. Fried has a 3.12 ERA and a 1.11WHIP for the season. Maximus! Maximus! Maximus! Sorry, I get a little excited when we get to talk about Max. Thursday's matchup is Kyle Gibson (10-8) vs. Ian Anderson (8-5). Kyle has a 3.60 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP for the season. Ian has a 3.60 ERA and a 1.24WHIP for the season.

I've already said it, but the path to another NL East title is winning this series against the Phillies. The last time we played the Phillies, the Braves lineup was a lot different. I fully expect the Braves to win the series and the Phillies to do what they do best, choke.

Now that I have that out of the way, I should say something about the Vols. Josh Heupel is a play-calling mastermind that unfortunately does not have the offensive players to compete with Florida. The million-dollar question is will Vol fans give him time to recruit "his players" and turn things around. My hot take on this is that his 2022 recruiting class so far is not looking that hot. I have said it on the podcast several times, but I am conflicted on how I should feel about the Vols this year. I'm sick and tired of moral victories and participation trophies. Give me wins that go on the record books—looking to Saturday's matchup against the Missouri Tigers. If the Vols want to be bowl eligible, this is a must-win. Missouri has a horrific defense, but let's be honest, our offense has not looked that great. It is a noon kick-off on the SEC Network, and I hope we "get this W," as TikTok likes to call it.

I plan to do a write-up after each Braves - Phillies game this week and an NL East champs podcast on Friday.

See everyone in the future!

Greetings and Salutations, friends;

Let me kick this week's recap off with the ol' Bravos if you don't mind. Like you have a choice in the matter. To talk about the Braves, we must also talk about the Phillies. Currently, as I am writing this on Tuesday, September 21, 2021. The Braves have a three-game lead over the Phillies. The Phillies lost last night to my new favorite American League team, the Baltimore Orioles. I am still trying to figure out what their team hashtags are, but for now, I am going with #GoOrangeBirds—moving onward and upward. The Brave's lead is at three games, and their magic number is eleven. That can be any combination of Phillies losses or Braves wins to get to eleven games. Where things can get strange, and let's be honest, it's the Braves, so it will. Braves have three games remaining with the Diamondbacks and then four games with the Padres, before a three-game series with the Phillies. The Braves need to wrap the NL East up before that series which is doable, with some help from the Phillies. If not, the Braves could have to play a win or go home game on October 4 against the Rookies due to a rainout last week. I hope that we do not have to play the Rockies again. It would be very on-brand for the Braves for them to lose a winner take all game.

Let's talk about The Big Orange. The Vols took on the Fighting Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech this past weekend. It was a glorified scrimmage, if we are honest with ourselves. What did the game show us, if anything at all? I'll start, nothing. It showed us absolutely nothing. Maybe you could say that Bailey does look like our number three QB. You could also say our O-Line looks horrific, and I would agree with both of those. However, this is Florida hate week, but does anyone care anymore? Since the Vols started playing the Gators regularly in 1990, the Vols have only won SEVEN times. Yes, I said seven. In that time frame of thirty-one years, the Vols have only managed to win back-to-back times in 2003-2004. If the Vols managed to pull off an upset, they would be changing the Miracle at South Bend to the Miracle at Gainsville. And unless Josh Heupel stumbled across a magical lamp over the last week to wish for the better offensive line and quarterback play. The Vols are not going to take W. Could it happen? Of course, anything can happen, but I don't see it.

"Sometimes I'll start a sentence, and I don't even know where it's going. I just hope I find it along the way."
9/21/21

Oh no, Oh no, Oh no, no no. Is that correct grammar? I have no idea, and I don't care if we are honest. Anyway, let's start with the good old Volunteers football team. I have been so conflicted on how to feel since the game on Saturday. As defined by Webster's Dictionary, emotion is a conscious mental reaction (such as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as a strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body.

On the one hand, I am furious we lost the game. And on the other hand, I am excited to see progress as a whole from our team. The team looks well-coached, and when is the last time you could say that about a Tennessee team. And no, I am not talking about Tony V's Diamond Vols. Seriously, when was the last time you could say that the Tennessee Football team looked "Coached." I can tell you it was not over JP's time here.

The kids are playing with effort, and I, for one, am excited to see that. If we could get better quarterback play, UT can still go 6-6. I am not going to tell you who or not should be UT's starting quarterback. That is a job for Heupel and his staff. But Milton already has III on the back of his jersey for a reason. Think about that one for a second, and then you will get it.

Braves are playing pretty good baseball right now. They managed to win both series against the Nationals and Marlins, giving them an overall record of 76-66. Regular season baseball is coming to an end in just about three weeks. I, for one, am hoping the Braves can make if back to back to back to back NL East Pennants for them.

You haven't seen the last of me.
9/14/21

Hello friends and compadres;
Let's talk some Braves and Vols, shall we? Let's start with the good ol' Volunteers and their win of Bowling Green. I have said this multiple times since the game ended Thursday, and I can't remember a time in my life that I was so disappointed in a thirty-two-point win. I recorded a podcast last week that will never see the light of day because it was too much. I had the Vols going undefeated and winning the Natty. For reasons unbeknownst to me, I have been drinking the orange kool-aid, wearing the orange-tinted glasses. However, after watching JG 2.0, aka Joe Milton. The Vols will struggle to win six games if they do not improve their quarterback play. Milton appears to be the same QB he was at Michigan. This weekend's game against Pitt will be telling how the rest of the season will go. While the game started great but then the offense went dormant for two quarters. I said it last week, and I'll repeat it, Bowling Green is an atrocious football team, and they were "in it" until the third quarter. I hope that Milton can get it together and figure things out, BUT he didn't at Michigan, and I don't see it happening with what I saw Thursday night. I hope he proves me wrong.

The big question of the day is, why do I get my hopes up every football season? I swore I wouldn't do it this year, and I did a pretty good job of that until about two weeks ago, and I took one sip of the kool-aid, and I got hooked like a ten-pound largemouth bass on a one aught EWG. IYKYK.

Moving on from the Vols makes my head and heart hurt too much.

The Braves did not have a great road trip to the west coast. The Dodgers managed to sweep them in three games. They managed to split the series with the Rockies. And are currently hanging on my thread to a one-and-a-half-game lead in the division over the Phillies.

Charlie Morton has a pretty big weekend. He picked up his thirteenth win of the season on Sunday and Monday inked a twenty million dollar deal with the Braves for 2022 with a club option for 2023. I love everything about the signing. Morton has been dominant this season and is thirty-eight years old. Now, if the Braves have an extra twenty million for Morton next season, this begs to ask the question? Why have they not re-signed Frederick? Again for those in the back. WHY have the Braves not re-signed Frederick Freeman?!?! Do you need to hear that one more time? Why have the Braves not re-signed Frederick Freeman?

This week the Braves have a series with both the Nationals and the Marlins. Then another off-day the following Monday (9/13/21).

See everyone in the future.
9/7/2021

I miss John Ward's voice. He was legendary and Iconic. John brought UT sports for me and others all around the world. In contrast, Bob Kessling is like meatloaf. You will never have great meatloaf; it is always just okay. Think about it have you ever had meatloaf and said, "This is the best meatloaf I've ever had?' I doubt it. With deep fake technology and the year, 2021 can we not create some artificial intelligence to have John Ward's voice call the game? The University has to have all thirty-plus years of his broadcasts archived somewhere.

I digress.

I am thirty-eight years old. I have witnessed the glory days of Volunteer football, and I have been there in their darkest days. When the light has not shined, it's brightest upon Neyland Stadium. Could our twenty-seventh head football coach Josh Heupel get us back to those Bruce Springsteen days? It is hard for me to get excited about UT football after the last decade of pain and suffering. However, allow me to put on my orange-colored glasses and drink my orange Kool-Aid for just a few minutes. In three seasons at UFC, Coach Heupel's record was 28-8 and 20-5 in conference play. Heupel has coached in three National Title Games and sixteen bowl games. His offense has been in the top-five Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the past three seasons averaging over 520 yards per game. Coach Heupel was also a finalist for the 2018 National Coach of the year. Oh, did I mention that he was a National Championship at Oklahoma in 200 and a Heisman Trophy runner-up? Heupel is probably the best hire Tennessee has made in my lifetime. Was he the sexy hire? Probably not. Will he make it here? Only time will time.

Quick before I wrap this up, let's talk about The Bowling Green Falcons. UT's first opponent this Thursday night, September 2nd. The preverbal powerhouse that is Bowling Green has been picked by the oddsmakers in Vegas to win a whopping 1.5 games. Yes, you read that correctly 1.5 games. In 2020 BG went winless in a shortened Covid season. BG managed just eleven points per game and allowing forty-five. In their last five games against power five schools, they are 0-5, allowing 270points. The breakdown is as follows, in 2019, BG went 0-2 with losses to Kansas State 52-0 and Notre Dame 52-0. In 2018 BG went 0-3 with losses to Georgia Tech 63-17, Maryland 45-14, and 58-24 against Oregon. With over half of their roster being freshmen or redshirt freshmen (59/105). It is safe to say BG has hit the reset button. The Vols are a 34.5 point favorite to win, and I think they should win easily.

I think the Vols will go 6-6 with a trip to the Music City Bowl. And to me, that is a win for the program.

The new podcast will be published later this evening or tomorrow.

See you in the future.
08/30/21

June 16, 2021, the Braves were seven and a half games back and had a record of thirty and thirty-five. Fast forward to early July, and the Braves were four games back, a record of forty-one and forty-four. And in sole position of in fourth place in the NL East. Hit the skip button to the All-Star Break (July 12), and the Braves are still in third place in the NL East and four games back. Fast forward again to August 2, and the Braves are still four games back and two games under five hundred. Skip to August 17, and the Braves are first in the division and a season-high seven games over five hundred. In other words, the Braves are HOT, HOT, HOT.

FanGraphs now has the Braves with a 50.9% chance to win the division and a 53.0% chance of making the playoffs. If you checked FanGraphs in June, you would have noticed they had a less than 20% chance to make the playoffs. The Braves have finally hit their stride this season. It just took one hundred and seven games and me complaining endlessly to whoever would listen. Before we all crown the Braves 2021 World Champions.

The Braves still have forty-three games to play in the regular season, and a lot can happen. I have said it before, and I will say it again. I am just going to enjoy the ride we are on with the Braves this season. With all that being said, it is tough not to think, "What we could have been with a healthy Acuña Jr, Ozuna, and Soroka."

One more thought about the MLB before I close this out. Where and why is all this talk about Bryce Harper being a front-runner for the NL MVP? Here are his stats through August 16, 2021. Bryce has twenty-one home runs, ONLY forty-nine RBIs, sixty-four walks, and ninety-one strikeouts in ninety-six games. His slash line is as follows, .297average, .414obp, .567slugging, .981ops, and a 158wRC+. While he does have a good slash line and wRC+. I don't see anything there that screams MVP to me. MAYBE, and I mean MAYBE if they win the division and finish above five hundred for the first time since 2011. Again, a lot would have to go right for the Phillies for that to happen.

Last and not least. (I promise I am done after this) I will be posting a Vols football preview sometime next week and a podcast dedicated to just Vawls football.

I'm off like a dirty shirt!

The Atlanta Braves Baseball team has finally done it. They have put together (In my opinion) their best week of baseball this season. The Bravos went five and one last week, with a sweep against the Cardinals, and took two out of three from the Nats. I'll say it, and I will say it loud enough so everyone in the back can hear me. The Braves SHOULD have swept the Nationals this week. My favorite bullpen arm, who, for whatever reason, is under contract for the next two years with Atlanta, blew yet another save. It was only his third blown save of the season. But come on, it felt like his one hundredth. Blown save aside, the Bravos have looked like a new team since the trade deadline.

Atlanta now sits two games behind the first-place Phillies. Yes, I said the Phillies. The New York Metropolitans have managed to squander first-place after losing their last nine of eleven and getting swept by the Phillies. Stranger things have happened in baseball, but the Mets are getting very Metsy. With about fifty games left in the season, I hope they stay as Metsy as possible.

The Braves have a favorable schedule, with six of their next nine games against the Nats and Marlins if the Braves could go seven and two, or eight and one, over these nine-game stretch. Would butter my biscuit. But if you've watched any Braves baseball in 2021. You know that the odds of that happening is slim. I've said it before, and I'll repeat it. The season is like a roller coaster ride, with lots of ups and downs. We should try and enjoy it and not go all 'The Fault in Our Stars' and say, "I'm only on a rollercoaster that goes up, my friend."

In the next couple of weeks, I will give my thought about the upcoming Vawls football season. I am not physically and emotionally ready to talk about it, but I will.

Thank you as always for taking the time to read and or listen to the podcast. It means a lot to me.

See you in the future.

Deplorable, miserable, heartbreaking, woeful, pitiful, and meager. These are just a few words to describe the Braves season. The Braves managed to outscore the Phillies 24-12 and ONLY win two games in the series. The Braves are in their most crucial stretch of the season and have gone .500. They are sitting five games back of the Mets and fall to 48-50 on the year. There is still a lot of baseball left to play, and only being five-game back. The Braves are still "in it". However, I think the season could be over if they do not take three out of five from the Mets. Now undoubtedly, it will not mathematically be over, but the next time we play the Mets is the last series of the season in October. A lot is riding on this five-game series, and my well-being is one of them.

What if I told you the Braves swept one of the best teams in baseball this weekend, and all was right in the baseball world? And the Braves looked like the Braves of the past two or three seasons, and they were the talk of all things MLB today. Then while listening to your favorite Youtube recap show or podcast and hearing about how Joc Pederson hit his first Jimmy as a Brave, Fredrick is on fire, and some veteran catcher from the Diamondbacks named Vogt went 3/4 with an RBI. Unfortunately, this was not the case this weekend. In a three-game series, the Braves could and should have swept against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and in a weekend where the Pirates take two out of three from the Mets. The Atlanta Braves managed to win one game. ONE GAME. I wish the Braves would go on a ten-game losing streak so that I wouldn't care about the rest of the season. However, they are still four games outside of first place in the division. I have said it numerous times, but the next two weeks are make-or-break for Atlanta. In this week's podcast, I take a deep dive into just how bad the bullpen has been this season.

In less depressing news from the past week, the 2021 National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America Coach of the Year award winner has signed a contract extension through 2026. Tony V has revitalized, rejuvenated, and became the straw that stirs the drink for Tennessee baseball this year. The Diamond Vols had one of their most entertaining and successful seasons in program history, and I loved every pitch of it. From winning fifty games for just the third time in program history or punching their ticket to Omaha for the first time since 2005. Under Tony V's tutelage, they also went on to the SEC Eastern Division title for the first time since 1997 after finishing with an impressive 20-10 record in league play. I have not been able to track down the exact dollar amount he will be making per year, but the rumor on the interwebz is that it's close to 1.2 million.

Last but certainly not least. The Smokies went 3-3 this week against the Mississippi Braves. The Braves are currently sitting in first place in the Double-A South-South Division with a 40 - 26 record. Over the last ten games, the Smokies are 6-4 and are currently on a two-game winning streak. However, they are still eight and a half games out of first place. They will travel to Rocket City to take on the Trash Pandas for another six-game set beginning tomorrow, 7/20. The Trash Panadas are currently in third place and are 5-5 in their last ten games. The Smokies could potentially make ground on the field with a good showing this week.

I will embed the podcast link later this evening.

Braves need to get more offense out of the bottom of the order. The Braves can not continue to rely on Acuna/Ozzie/Fredrick to carry them. Starting pitching has been dominant as of late. Smyly has won five straight games and posted a 1.98 ERA after starting the year with a 5.82 ERA. As a whole, the Braves rotation has posted a 3.49ERA over their last 21 games. Our starting pitching is over that stretch, which is the only reason we are still even in the mix for the NL East. That and the fact the NL east is trash.

The Braves have a three-game set with the Marlins before the all-star break. *If they sweep the Marlins, which they have only done once this season against the Nationals back in May (4th, 5th, 6th). It would put them over .500 for the first time this season. The Braves are one of three teams that have not been above .500 all season. The other two teams are the Marlins 38-47 and Rangers 34-53. I do not see them sweeping the Marlins, nor do I see them above .500 before the all-star break. I wish they would be, but...

Unless the Braves do something, they haven't in 86 games which is over half the season. I don't see them winning the division or winning the playoffs. I know that this is a hard pill to swallow since all Braves fans had high expectations for this season. I was hoping to win the NL East for the 4th season. I knew that the bullpen would not be as good as they were over the past two seasons. Also, I know that we have had a few critical injuries to d'Arnaud, Soroka, Ynoa (on his own accord), and whatever is happening with Ozuna.

I think the two weeks coming out of the all-star break will be the determining factor for the Braves this season. With series against the Rays, Padres, Phillies, Mets (five games), and Brewers. With no off-day until 8/2. This will determine to me at least if the Braves will be buyers or sellers at the tradeline at the end of July.

I have seen rumors about an Aarron judge trade, which to me makes no sense at all. Regardless of how good he is now, he is going to get injured in a few days. He is just too injury-prone, and I would not want to waste some "potential" prospects on him. Speaking of prospects and trades, Alex A has shown he is not willing to part/let go of any of them away for anything. So the thought of him putting all his chips in on trade seems doubtful to me. I think we will end up hearing that Td'A will be our best pickup when he is back at the end of August, which no one wants to hear.

*I typed this up before the Braves series with the Marlins. Some of the information and or thoughts maybe a couple of days old.