I remember, years ago, Sheri Sam (a family favorite) beating her chest or some such nonsense and counting the seconds until Coach Foster sat her down. (that would be three seconds and she sat for a full half) We talked about that for the rest of the game. My son was confused and horrified that the best player was sitting for so long, but we got to talk about what was more important: winning or character?

I also remember attending a particularly horrid game at TB where we got spanked. Okay, beaten into the ground and pounded. Pat kept her starters in until nearly the end, even when UT was winning by more than thirty points in a low-scoring game. That stuck with me too.

But what stuck with me too was how nice the fans at TBA were. It astounded me. And here is why–whenever UT played at Memorial, the fans were HORRID. They were loud, obnoxious and rude. They reflected the players’ ridiculous behavior. Same thing at the SEC tournaments. Unless UT was winning by a ton, they were loud, disrespectful and bossy. Every call was unfair, every foul undeserved. I wondered if the TBA fans were the regular fans, day in and day out fans and the ones in Memorial or Sommett were the ones who only got to see their team play once in a while and felt the RIGHT to act ugly. I don’t know. Granted, Vandy was getting sent to school so maybe the fans were better because there was no reason to fear a loss.

Here are just a few memories I have of UT:

Michelle Snow dunking and mugging for the camera at the end of a game that was already won. We still wonder if that was just a ploy to help attract Candace.

Kara Lawson running around the floor, holding her ear to the crowd and screaming. Did she forget she was not at home? (how nice to have Kara turn out to be such a great TV announcer–she has learned to keep her emotions at the acceptable level)

Kristen Clement’s over the top celebrations on too many occasions to count.

Bobbitt’s ridiculous technical and Pat’s equally absurd response. Of course you play like that, Pat; all your players do and that is why they forget to behave when the cameras are there to catch it. It’s part of the deal–go to UT and you can act as silly as you want…as long as we win.

It goes on and on.

I think one of the reasons this continues is that Pat lets it. Pure and simple. She lets it happen and she encourages it to happen. She knows that, no matter who is playing a televised game, the announcers are talking about her. Extolling her. Lifting her up as the Greatest Coach Of All Time. It doesn’t matter that the game is between LSU and Georgia, the announcers (not you, Kara) only talk about one thing: Pat. Pat’s fried chicken and biscuits, Pat’s son Tyler, Pat’s childhood, Pat’s mother, Pat’s problems with Geno. Pat is wholly unaccountable and she knows it. Pat screeches at the ref and Pat gets ACTION, not a technical. So her players do the same.

I was in the gym for the final game in the girls state tourney for Div II in Tennessee. Ensworth, a new high school, had just beaten Webb School, a pretty big upset. Playing for Webb was the tremendously talented UT signee, Glory Johnson. She was all that and a bag of chips, I thought, dreading having to play against her next year. Then I noticed the teams lining up to shake hands. Hmmmm. Guess who would not shake hands? Yup. Maybe she was upset, maybe she was shocked. But, guess what, YOU SHAKE HANDS AT THE END OF A HIGH SCHOOL GAME.

I remember hoping Pat would take care of that when she came to UT.

I doubt it.