Irish or Lady Vols

[MSGRET]

No problem @BroadwayVa. All good information. And we agree that death doesn't or shouldn't be the reason to be blinded to the foibles of the life one led. I do think we have to acknowledge Pat Summit's extraordinary record and what it did to elevate the sport of WCBB.

But to let her off the hook for what she tried to make a clandestine/unattributed effort to severely damage Geno's reputation and career because of Alzheimers, is too facile. And highly questionable and, of course, both unsupported and unknowable. Pat fired off the 30 pages of nonsense to the NCAA through the SEC offices in 2006, the same year (you didn't notice til 2007) that Tenn ended the UConn series. She announced her diagnosis in August 2011 and coached the following season. After filing that some say addled by Alzhaimers complaint Pat took home to more national championships and thereafter coached for 3 more seasons. No whispers of what was wrong with Pat before her revealing of the disease. Not a trace.

So to me Pat earned her blame for killing off the greatest rivalry in the game and attempted a low down smear job on Geno out of an unreasoning outrage at facing the challenge by Geno as the greatest in the game .

In 1973 my Grandfather died from Alzheimer's, he was one of the first to ever be diagnosed with it and it wasn't pretty. I remember about 5 years before he died that he wasn't himself, always seemed to be petty and paranoid. He also seemed to forget who his grand-kids were and living in the past. his final years were not so great and many of us were thankful when he passed because he wasn't suffering anymore. Unfortunately I went through the whole thing again when my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and passed on Veterans Day 2004. I in good conscience can not hold it completely against Coach Summit without taking the Alzheimer's into account. Now with all that being said, with the thought of me rooting for ND in any sport both of my Grandfather's would come back to haunt me from the grave. My Grandfater from my Mother's side was one of the leaders in the agriculture department at Purdue and traveled the World bringing back many different plants to the University for studies. While my Grandfather from my Father's side was a top Administrator at Purdue.

 

[Waquoit]

When was that? UConn has never lost to Tennessee in the finals and dispatched them pretty handily a few times.

They never lost in the final but UT beat UConn in the NCAA tournament in 96 and 97. UT won the title both times.

 

[Soxx]

Actually, that urban myth was recently busted by our friend @Orangutan , who posted the video. Muffet and her husband withheld their applause, but most of the ND players didn't.

I remember watching the video live. Poor sportsmanship.

 

[Bayareahusky]

Too bad when the conversation sinks to the point of sniping..... the fact is that Pat was the bomb in her time.... and deserves an awful lot of credit for lifting the game to the level to which she brought it....

what to say about the unfortunate chapter with Maya, Maya's mom, Sue, Diana, etc.... oh well

now looking back.... Geno and Chris D have all the accolades.... eclipsed all of Pats marks with the exception of total wins.... which UConn will own in the 19-20 season.... and in a career significantly shorter than Pat's ..,. i think GA and CD have accomplished all they have in 4 and a half seasons shorter than Pat's tenure ... of course in an era where the competition is much tougher....

that comparison is unassailable.... congratulations to the Huskies and its basketball programs....

 

[Bayareahusky]

They never lost in the final but UT beat UConn in the NCAA tournament in 96 and 97. UT won the title both times.

Yes in 1998 UT led UC in national championships 6 to 1

 

[JS]

'Tis the season to revive a Holiday post of yore.

With apologies to both Virginia O'Hanlon and New York Sun editor Francis Pharcellus Church --

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Vol Villain"​

Dear JS,

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Vol Villain. Papa says, "If you see it on the Boneyard, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Vol Villain?

Virginia O'Hanlon
115 West Ninety-Fifth Street

_______________​

Dear Virginia -

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see.

They think that nothing can be which is not currently seen in Knoxville. All minds, Virginia, whether they be adults’ or children's, are little. But especially those of Vol Villain skeptics.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Vol Villain. She exists in the resentful hearts of living Vol fans who participated in the unmentionable events and in the equally despicable minds of those who echo their sentiments.

She exists as certainly as slanderous accusation and jealous disparagement and malicious mendacity exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its most gratifying moments of both revulsion and schadenfreude.

Alas! how dreary would be a Boneyard if there were no Vol Villain. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no faith in orange evil then, no certainty of right versus wrong in the realm of WCBB endeavor, no enjoyment, except in sense and sight.

No Vol Villain! Thank God! she lives, and she lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, any woe that befalls her will continue to make glad the hearts of Husky faithful.

Enjoy the gifts of her stumbling and frustration at the Holidays to come and always.

JS, Christmas 2018

 

[JellyBean]

Notre Dame easily. Never cared for their hype since day one.

 

[HoopsHoppy]

when they become irrelevant, as I believe the Lady Vols will remain under their present "coaching", I have to say my disdain (I try not to hate anyone) is for those whose mantra is the Notre Dame fight song. In my years of watching, others rise and fall but there has been only one constant - and their home is Storrs.