TankTalk

I don't talk a lot before the season, but I think Spencer is one of the best I have seen since I have been covering HS football here in East Tennessee. People should get to see a lot more of him at linebacker this season as well, where he will do VERY well. He will also have a pretty dang good line in front of him. I also think having someone like Leonard Blair in the backfield should be a boost. Blair would star for many teams in the area.

Don't be scared ... Coalhill Christian Academy is waiting!

Would it be Coach Lane Lane?

Sorry T man ...

A little correction. I messed up a bit and coach Weekly has not accepted the job at Seymour. He is pursuing it, however. Sorry about that. I thought, in my talks with coach Weekly, he said he would be coaching at Seymour. Perhaps I took it the wrong way and I made the big sports writer boo boo of assuming. Coach Weekly has worked hard to try and improve Oak Ridge's feeder programs. The freshman and sophomores on that team should be tantalizing for a good softball coach to come a great sports city and build a great program.

My mom has a cannon! She has control issues in the late innings, however.

Get mom to toss batting practice ... all will be cool.

Mean Gene from the TSSAA will make a decision early Monday, but it looks like the game will be forfeited. Coach Froning made no excuses, he got caught up in the moment and once he realized his mistake, took the illegal player out. According to the rules, that is what is supposed to happen. It's not clear if a forfeit is the punishment for this, but the six innings Oak Ridge played legally, will be null and void. In other matters such as this, the TSSAA has indeed called for the forfeit. It isn't known, if those situations saw the coach see their error and pull the player, or continue through the rest of the game with the illegal player. It's a shame ... but rules are rules.

I don't think they appreciate ya Goose. Come on up here man, I will can Tom and we can rule the world.

Being OK is fine with me, when comparing me to the workhorse Goose Lindsay ...

Oak Ridge is playing Cumberland County, not Campbell County in the spring.

It will be, but I had to hold the story until tomorrow's issue. Had some personal things pop up early this morning and I had to slap things together under deadline. The story will be online as well as in the newspaper tomorrow. I am really sorry.

I had a long talk with coach Stevens this morning about many subjects from spring practice to the coaching staff. Officially (there's that word again) coach Gray has quit nothing. Stevens had so many great things to say about coach Gray, including how hard it had to be to put so much into Oak Ridge football over the years and the frustration of the entire process we all endured. It is coach Stevens hope that he can get Gray to stay on staff. We also talked about offensive and defensive changes, scrimmages over spring practice, etc. The full story will be in the Ridger tomorrow. Also, for folks in the area, Stevens will be on the show tonight and will be taking some phone calls.

I loved watching Parris hit people ... he is a real head-banger out there.

I didn't know anything until Carringer called me Thursday morning. If I had read a post here, that doesn't mean much to me. As soon as I got off the phone Thursday, I put it on our site, then put it here for coacht, because of my immense respect for him and what he does for high school athletics. So if I scooped everyone in the media, then yay me ... that whole blind squirrel finding a nut thing. I don't really mind getting scooped on a message board.

Not that it matters, but who in the media scooped me? I mean, I get scooped a lot I am sure, but wondering who done it this time?

Scared? My ex-wife scares me ... something dealing with my job doesn't. And it could have been posted here, but a lot has been posted in a lot of places. I still feel very good that I waited on the official word. Sure a lot of other media members wish they had.

Not true at all. When and if I knew anything about the selection process, there was a story in the newspaper. I can honestly say I received no "leads" or "inside" information about anything, nor did I try very hard to find that. I don't print rumors, which we all heard a bunch of. I will stand up and say I feel VERY sorry for the time and effort that the advisory committee spent on this, only to have it seem like a waste. However, if you look at the name of the very committee and notice that advisory part, it pretty much tells the story that they were not in charge of the actual hiring. No matter how people feel, there is a process that is in place. That process was followed and Oak Ridge has a coach in place. Those that did serve on the advisory organization, should be congratulated ... but of course we won't officially know whose hands to actually shake.

Those are the posts the program needs right now. It also sets a great example for the youth of Oak Ridge ... the ones this entire process is really supposed to be about. I just wish that attitude would quickly spread throughout and we can get down to business.

I appreciate it. You really have no idea how much heat I took ALL day yesterday from my bosses to people calling me wondering why The Oak Ridger didn't report on the "new coach." I just felt comfortable in waiting on something official, however.

oakridger.com

I will not post it on here when I find out. By the way, I am 99 percent sure, the official announcement will be a morning one. As soon as I do get the word, I will be posting it on The Oak Ridger's site.

I am an outsider ... probably be the last one to know officially. I will keep calling and/or waiting on that call. It's gonna be soon though. All the websites that have it, TV stations, etc. are probably correct, but I just can't bring myself to write a story or promote a story that hasn't been backed officially. I just can't operate that way.

Yes, he is going to be one of the guest speakers. And ... he is really excited about it. After all the scuttlebutt I have heard, it rather shocked me. Of course, I get a lot of whacky scuttlebutt in my seat.

Oh, nothing juicy, I promise. I was just talking to him about his part in the "roast" this weekend and about how excited he was coming into OR for an official function.