TankTalk

The poll will move on the AP wires this evening, meaning most newspapers will have in the morning. Just to be mean, and because I like Coach T so much, I will post it as soon as it moves. That is, if I am still awake when it comes over.

I for one, make my voting on the AP high school polls public ... and it's time to fill out the first one of the season. I know I know, some of you hate the AP poll because so much of it is regional-based, trust me I understand your frustration. While I am pretty good with most of my 5A poll, why not state your case for your favorite team? Especially in all of the other classifications, let me know why I should vote your team in the top ten. Who should be No. 1 in the other classifications ... why? Anyway, help is appreciated ... plus it gives us yet another "who is No. 1" thread. In this case, it's a "who is No. 1 through 10." I will fill out my ballot tomorrow around 3 p.m. EST.

Yep, if both are No. 1 seeds, OR would make the trip to DB in the third round I am pretty sure. Think both teams have plenty to worry about before that scenario is even considered.

I grew up just down the road in Roane County. I think Mike started a pressure-washing business.

Thank you, but I am new to The Oak Ridger, this is my first DB game in the regular season. I did have the pleasure of being here for the playoff game last season. I am very excited about visiting DB and watching a football game there, best of luck to everyone involved.

I was informed, due to some technical issues, we would begin voting after this Friday night. Initially, I received an e-mail that we started at the end of the second week, but that was delayed. Also, something that upset me, we will NOT be doing the players of the week for each classification this season. No reason was given.

I guess for the longer road trips, I should put the directions in sooner. My plan was for away games, to include directions as part of my "Gameday Preview" section. Sorry about that.

I respect your opinion of the TSSAA, but I base mine not on some rash, quick reason. It's from 16 years or so of having to deal with them and continously scratching my head at some of their decisions.

While my heartfelt prayers go out to those involved in this tragedy, I can't help but worry about the longterm effects on atheltics. Will top-notch players gang up and try to go to the better programs? I look for the rich getting richer in this whole thing. I would hope there would be at least some stipulations as to how many displaced players could go to a certain school, but I am sure this will be too much of a headache for organizations like the TSSAA to worry about. I don't think being fair and balanced is one of their top priorities. It's a mess, and I just hope the players involved are safe and allowed to get an education quickly, while turning their lives back around.

I am not falling for this "woe is me" thing coming from DB fans. I am sure coach Clark will have them fired up and ready to play Friday night. Should be an outstanding atmosphere and game.

I am not worried one bit about the gas prices! By the way, looking for a ride to Kingsport next Friday night ...

Bump, important thing here. On our little show Wednesday, Goose and I are going to challenge all of the schools playing at home to do the same thing. There are several in our viewing area. Goose has talked to a few of the schools already and we are going to contact the rest in the morning. Hats off to everyone involved in this!

I am much more objective than you are, since you obviously have a child playing for Clinton. I wish him the best, by the way. I do my job, without worrying about keeping it. I write what I feel and I always will. If I felt that coach Stevens had run the score up by running his offense with third stringers with nine minutes in the game, I would have penned it. If I didn't know that coach Shattuck called coach Stevens Saturday night and said, after watching the film, he did NOT feel the score was ran up on his team, I would be more concerned about hard feelings among coaching staffs. I really care about reporting facts, when it comes to game stories. Those who can't handle the facts, have other options. Like ... making up their own facts to satisfy their obvious pain in a bad loss. Best of luck to the Dragons the rest of the season. Shattuck has quickly become one of my favorite people in the coaching profession because he has class.

I personally think it is classless to come on a freakin' message board and call someone classless, that you don't know. The evidence is there, there was no running up of the score, although there could have been. Any coach would have played the first game of the season the same way. To be upset over your team losing is normal, I can accept that. But to constantly whine and whine and whine (Did I mention whine?) and to call people you don't know classless is rather boring now and isn't accomplishing much. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Get stronger ... or don't.

Pretty sure they played football before 1993.

Kingston is better than you think.

If Kingston holds onto the football more, LA will get a rude welcome to a real football region. If not, then LA will squeak by. The football is a little tougher, top to bottom, in LA's new region. Kingston 21, LA 7

Actually, if OR would have been on the receiving end, you would have had a big ol smile on your face last night and calling in Wednesday to laugh at OR and their fans.

I would like to know how not to pound someone. Do you have the kids take a knee in the second half? Do you ask kids who work just as hard in practice to fall down when they are playing? Oak Ridge played 35 players in the first half. Their starters were out with 9 minutes left in the third quarter. I hate the score reflected that bad on the Clinton team, but there was no running the score up, but there could have been. I just don't think you ask reserves to take a knee in the third or fourth quarter, you let them run the ball and if they score, so be it. But if someone has a way to not run the score up in the game situation last night, I would love to hear how it could have happened.

He was playing subs throughout the second half, from early on. He ran his normal offensive scheme throughout the third quarter with second and third teamers. Heck, I got it on two series myself. Fourth quarter, it was pretty much handing the ball off up the middle. The scary thing is, Oak Ridge could have really run it up if they wanted to. Just hope the Clinton players don't let this affect them too bad, although it will be tough mentally. They really have improved, although I am quite sure people will think I am nuts for saying so after a 74-0 beating like that. There were a lot of factors for the score, from the idiotic vandalism, to the emotion of Stanton's first game. The OR players had a chip on thier shoulder because so many have been putting them down because of a lackluster pre-season. Many teams would have taken a similar beating last night from Oak Ridge.

Well, as long as you said there was a brawl, guess that's fine. I do wonder, and this is indeed the sarcastic part of me coming out, if it were a Coalfield, or Morgan County player that said he was punched in the back of the head two or three times by an OS coach ... would it have warrented more? By the way, some fires deserve to be stoked. But I am sure nobody will talk about it now, since the heat of the moment is cooled down ... guess the parents have been talked out of filing charges. It's a shame that kids will have that type example leading them just because a few people are afraid to rock the boat. But that's all I will say on the subject ... you know you do a good job ... you know how I feel about your sports coverage ... that's never been in question.

Well, actually I feel if what happened, really did, it is outside the scope of sports reporting ... but you do seem a bit uninterested about finding out about it. That's just my opinion. And you are right, Oliver Springs is ... and I will. It wasn't a slap about sports coverage, I know you do a fine job. But I am puzzled as to why so many are talking about it, but nothing is being reported about it.

I of course don't know a lot about these two teams, other than seeing them both in a pre-season scrimmage. I look at all the horses on one sideline and the robot-like precision on the other. In the end, I find it very hard to go against GQ in any football game to be honest ... Maryville in a classic.

It amazes me that all the things I have been hearing, seem to have quietened down. Do the parents of the kid, allegedly hit by an opposing coach condone this? Did the film show it didn't happen at all? Has the media in that area let it go? Surely not. Maybe things are happening behind closed doors that I don't know about, but I guarantee you if a player was hit by a coach here, or most anywhere else, things would be happening. Things that should happen, pleasant or not. Heck, I am old school, like seeing a coach get riled up and crawl a player in practice to motivate him ... love it, but there is a line to cross, and I think that line got crossed. I think it got crossed by someone MOST of us aren't surprised by. These kids aren't inmates.

After the new decorating job "The Ship" received early this morning, the score could be much worse than anticipated.