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Hey, Garrett, please call or respond, thanks, Todd

Hey, GHouse, hope you are well and productive as always! I check the threads from time to time, and always interesting to read your analysis....great work and glad for the success at CBHS...wanted to get an update on the Johnson boys, and give you an update on Chase, but lost your email (IPhone restore)...if you can provide that or you can call me at 615-417-6072. Hello, BCB, and thanks, Garrett, take care, Todd Brannon

Calebsdad, i am always for the wrestlers, appreciate your post. I grow tired of the debate, and just wish everyone would enjoy the day...alot has happened in last week, all good, get to eat,etc. hope you have a great week, and hope the wrestlers do to! Take care, Todd Brannon

Calebsdad, hope you are having a great Sunday! Here is what else I hope for you...I hope your son won (unless the ref cheated him), I hope your nephew won (same about the ref), I hope you won back in the day ( if not, believe it or not, you can live vicariously through SOMEBODY), I hope your team won, and even better, I hope all of them won injured, or because they are better coached, or tougher, or just plain meaner! I also hope D1 wins every time they step on the mat....because they deserve it...your research supports it...think of how sweet it will feel to beat the D2 folks, and continue to dominate the sport....A wise man told me once, no matter how good you are,a nd how good you think you are, go around the next corner, and there might be someone better...no excuse, no advantage in anything, just plain better....maybe we ought to put all of this in some kind of perspective, and enjoy what we have and see, and call it a day. Since I have proclaimed in my own mind ythat you are 100 % correct, then there wouldn't be any good reason to continue this line of reasoning that you have...you have won, Sir!

That is terrific!

Pummel, I can only imagine the great disappointment all of those D2 schools must have felt when you turned down all of their offers and scholarship money...bet that public school felt honored to have you ...lol

Morning, Pummel. I actually have been on a sub in summer training, plenty of oxygen, not much sunlight, good food, though! My dander gets up on this scholarship thing. I went to Overton, my kids went to BA. My parents choice, our family's choice. I recognize that some don't have that choice, so you move to the best area you can, and do the best you can, No scholarships. Just hard work. I have yet to hear one solid example of one, it is always, "well, they recruited me but I didn't bite", or "they offered Johnny a full ride, but for whatever reason, he didn't take advantage of that great deal"...I hate to say it, but it sounds like an excuse, and it sounds like envy, either one is no good and certainly not healthy. I am for respecting the wrestlers and the programs, and operating in the system we have,'cause we can't change it. We can't change coach's minds, either, as to their team agenda. I love D1 and enjoy following the wrestlers, and I love D2 wrestling. And I particularly enjoy the McCallie, Cleveland, and FR tourneys. Pride in you and yourn is a great thing...people shouldn't try to shine light on their situation by belittling others, and in particular other wrestlers, simply not right. I hope half of these posts are simple digs or awkward jokes, and for fun. I hope. Take care, and good luck to yours!

How is the tourney going for you? Pummel, the more you say, the more this is about you, and if that is going to be the case, tell us about you...if you have no credible background, like you have "been there"' then you become white noise...surely you clowns have something better to do, and if your design is to denigrate (look it up) the accomplishments of the wrestlers, then shame on ya...watch the figure skating....seriously, enjoy the time, and the moments...

Good morning, lasrever! It must be your humble opinion that the athletes at D2 schools tend to be held back to be better at sports. Must be anecdotal, unless you are somehow connected to the school systems, or TSSAA. MY humble opinion, based on my anecdotal evidence is that the percentage of older kids is the same at D1 and D2...at BA last year, we graduated 8 seniors, one of which was 19. Our undefeated heavyweight in fact was 16 at the state duals (turned 17 in late Feb). Year before that, no 19 year olds. At FR, MBA CBHS, the kids that I knew were 18 or younger...it is a convenient excuse for all of us as to why one athlete might be better than another. Again, IMHO.

Bayou, if I was 40 years younger I would accept your kind offer to attempt to wrestle for Bradley, most impressive situation. Good luck to all of yours, and I am sure you are proud of your younguns. My daughter is a junior at UT, and my son is a freshman there, and is pole vaulting (Chase Brannon of Brentwood Academy). We'll need some help this weekend, but will enjoy it nonetheless....take care, Todd

Bayou, good evening, and to you , MWR! Hope you enjoy the duals, we will certainly here in middle Tenn. You know, Bayou, the coach is human at Bradley, and if he feels the influence from alums, fans, other teams, bloggers, etc... to lean towards maybe considering possibly entertaining the idea of tangling with....whomever...doesn't really matter, the success of the program is obvious, and could honestly not be happier for the wrestlers there, past and present. This argument (folly) is left for us, the bloggers, who don't presently wrestle, but sure enjoy the sport, and the entertainment value. I betcha the wrestlers could give a poot in the grand scheme of things. On the issue of separation of D1 and D2, not much anyone could or can do here, glad everyone is wrestling, to tell you the truth, and it is basically a moot argument on a "championship" something, dual or individual, although our bloggin' opinions are somewhat valid, based on common opponents and such. On the issue of why a program is successful over time or not, we all know the "moving parts"....coaching, how many boys, feeder programs (starting early)dedication to the program, year round wrestling, fill in the rest of the blanks. One thing that is definitely not a factor is "recruiting"..ain't happening with this sport......one thing that may be a factor is ability to choose a wrestling school, agree on that one...but recruiting, gotta let this one go...I really think it diminishes the sport, and all of the work the wrestlers and coaches do, to offer up these distractions as to why one team may be better or equal, or almost as good, because of recruiting...not fair to the men....would appreciate folks letting this bias go...everyone going to private or public schools are after the same thing...let us not even begin to think that one is better than the other, or offered more opportunities...will le t our President sort that out....appreciate all of your posts in the past, just what is on my mind, take care....

RedRaider, good evening! We all are entitled to our opinions, but remembering that there are 14 weight classes...hard to go from certain loss to certain victory with two fellas in or out...looking forward to a battle in the semis!

I was wonderin' why the highly efficient GHouse was a week behind.....good to see you and meet your pretty better half at FR, hope to see you at state...

Back at ya, and enjoyed watching your son and the other winners in life compete, and seeing all of you fellas...

2blLeg, I knew what you meant in the beginning, enjoyed reading the misunderstandings, after all, controversy is always entertaining. Your posts are always on the money, and FAIRLY tactful, and definitely one of the good guys....LOL Keep em' coming....

Enjoyed the threads..update on Ryan Carothers...he was over at the house hanging with my son Chase....turning 18 in February, at Arkansas State as a d-lineman, 6 1 3/4, 312, runs a 5 flat 40 ... makin' A's like he did at BA...sharp, good, nice young man, proud of him.....

BCB, the Marriott and Embassy Suites on Coolsprings Blvd are nice, close to the mall and 10 minutes from the venue, both have bars and unapproachable women....if they are full, Baker's Bridge Rd has a few new ones (Homestead suite types), and there is a Hilton Garden on Carrothers Pkwy that is new ane pretty good...pretty good dinner places all around there....hope this is helpful....good luck!

There is still growin' time, and after all, your son has great genes.....

Morning, GHouse! Great work by Daniel and the Johnson's working hard at the tourney, also. Congrats to all three for going to the service academies, and wrestling there as well! Will see all of you at the Ryan tourney, I suppose, not sure Chase will make it as he is pole vaulting at UTK, and has to leave early for practice. Double-leg, will see you there hopefully, also...Chase is now 6'1" and 160, still growin'....hope you all have a great Christmas, Todd

Double, hope you are well, how'd the baseball go, and I am guessing that your man is the same twisted piece of steel as last year, only more so! GHouse, we will be at Ryan unless the king is vaulting somewhere! Good times, Todd

BCB, glad to have you back, is your youngun wrasslin, or Bball? We are empty nesters as Chase and my daughter are now at THE UT , flourishing I hope. Chase is pole vaulting there, is already up to 158, a twisted piece of steel as all of the vaulters are, looking forward to the season....GHouse, you are spot on as usual, hope to see you at some of the meets! We'll hopefully catch up soopn, good luck to you fine folks, Todd Brannon

In Hoc, is that really you? You seem like a decent guy...As an avid reader, this is a little strongly worded....the tourney was flawed, valid points have been made, there was apparently good comp, it is better than not wrestling, it was convenient, and being proud of one's state is legit, but I am not sure Alabama is inferior to TN or anyone, at least not on this site. Personal attacks are less than desirable and are simply not very classy. Let's put it in perspective and clean it up, my friend...

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Miller family, and wish there was something we could do for you...best wishes from the BA community and the Brannon family, Todd Brannon

Well, good luck to you and yourn....

Maj and Ghouse, hope you are well. BA went to the Cleveland and McCallie this year and it was terrific. Got to wrestle great folks that we would not have seen otherwise....missing wrestling already...