Ooltewah back in action
The Ooltewah basketball program has made all the headlines for all the wrong reasons for the last 10 months.
Without rehashing the gory details that we are all very familiar with, it was clear that there were deep problems within that athletic program that exposed a lot of the lack of communication and leadership from the top down within our school system.
(Side tangent: And as much outrage as there was about the failure to monitor and the absolutely terrible manner in which the Ooltewah rape case was handled, the potentially damaging details about the driver of the Woodmore bus and the history of the bus contractor the system uses could very well dwarf that. Think of it this way, the nightmare that involved the Ooltewah basketball players generated outrage among the everyday Hamilton County Department of Education parent, but it could be compartmentalized in some of our most basic defense mechanism efforts to being at that one school and involving those kids and those specific coaches. But the busses have a reach that permeates and touches so much of the system. As the pain and shock starts to fade after the horrific loss of life for those little angels, know that the real ramifications of the decision making to pick this contractor and the folks operating the wheels of our busses will be monstrous and closely followed.)
But that's a discussion for another day in the not-too-distant future.
On this Wednesday morning, we welcome Ooltewah basketball back into the news for playing basketball.
The Owls returned to the floor for the first time since losing to East Hamilton in late December in the Best of Preps tournament.
It will not be remembered for the outcome for the Owls, who fell behind 18-3 after one and trailed 28-10 at the half of a 57-42 loss.
But winning and losing, especially when measured in outlier circumstances like the one involving the Owls, are fluid terms more often than we realize.
Here are some excellent quotes from Ooltewah coach Jay Williams, who replaced Tank Montgomery after the nightmare scandal last December in Gatlinburg. (And credit to Larry Fleming of the Chattanooga.com - here is his game story that details the Owls return - who got these postgame quotes.)
"All these kids know what this program is about," Jay Williams said. "They certainly know that we're going to be under a microscope for at least a while. That's just a fact. We expect to have a program made up of kids with good character, and that's what we've seen so far. I'm not sure all of them took for granted this (the return of boys' basketball) would happen.
"We've basically asked three things from them: we want them to behave on and off the floor, in fact, we demand that. We ask them to practice hard every day and play hard in every game. I've always asked that of my players. Truthfully, if the kids don't do what's expected of them, they won't be in the program very long, and they understand that. And we expect more from our seniors in terms of leadership. If anyone gets in trouble, they're in trouble."
It's a similar message to the one that new Ooltewah athletic director Brad Jackson has delivered directly to me on the sideline of some of the Owls playoff football games.
The new leadership at Ooltewah is well aware of the 'microscope' that Williams referenced and they are acting accordingly.
Yes, it's a shame that a boy's life was forever changed to get the program back to a place that would appear to be the baseline of athletics and involvement of our students. Pride. Principles. Preserving.
But in truth, like every muscle, habit or trait, those baseline factors of sports can easily atrophy when not exercised regularly. And when they are ignored all together, things can go from bad to worse to uncontrollable to nightmares that appear on the CBS nightly news.
Ooltewah is doing everything it can to pull out of that spiral and rebuild. It's a challenge, for sure, and one that the school and the HCDE owes the students there and all around the county.
As heart-breaking as each new detail from last December was, we can't help but be hopeful with each new detail coming from the Ooltewah leadership team in general, and Williams' quotes to Fleming in particular.
In Williams' words, "Truthfully, if the kids don't do what's expected of them, they won't be in the program very long, and they understand that."
We have gotten so far away from that on all levels and all outlets that the outrage when the worst-case scenarios happen feel at least somewhat hollow.
Coaches, fans, administrators, teammates, you name it, have become more and more willing to turn a blind eye on the supremely talented kids and adults who can help their teams win games.
But when the blindfold is pulled off those blind eyes, we see the nightmares that can happen by the systematic enabling, whether it the process of hazing that becomes rape or whatever else.
So Ooltewah is back to the baseline and that's OK.
And we believe this: The Owls may have been handed a 15-point loss at East Ridge on Tuesday night, but the quotes and feelings from everything I've heard and read about Williams, Jackson and the new direction at Ooltewah, tells me the Owls were winners in the big picture last night.
UTC quarterback Alejandro Bennifield breaks a tackle by Wofford linebacker Lincoln Stewart during the Mocs' home football game against the Wofford Terriers at Finely Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn.UTC bandwagon rider
Charles Curtis, a USA Today writer, adopted the UTC Mocs at the beginning of the season. He did this to become more connected to the game.
As he details in this September story, Curtis was born in NYC and went to a small college with no football team.
He wanted to be part of the action. Now he's a Mocs backer. He got some Facebook feedback from Issac Luttrell and friend of the show Bob Mulkey, leading Curtis to pick the Mocs.
His latest installment this week details the pride and joy he got from Nick Saban's halftime rant on ESPN with the top-ranked Tide only leading UTC 14-3. (And in truth, Alabama was pretty fortunate to get that second TD. If it had been only 7-3, Saban may have sacrificed a live cat or a stunned greyshirting player right there at midfield.)
We think this is kind of cool, and let's face it any publicity is good publicity for the UTC program, especially when it comes form a national platform like USA Today.
With that, when the Mocs win Saturday - notice the when, not if, we are that confident and if we could find a line on that one it might be in the picks - we're going to try to get in touch with Mr. Curtis next week and see how he has enjoyed his ride on the bandwagon.
Deal? Deal.
As for the rest of the core group of die-hard UTC fans in this town, gang, you may need to help your coach and try to recruit folks to the game. Yes, people have family coming to town and the Iron Bowl kicks at 3:30, but your coach put his plea out there last weekend, and if less than 5,000 show again, well, that's not a good look.
And we can discuss all the things and reasons (legitimate or not) across all platforms - ticket prices, family, holiday, cold, other games on, you name it - a crowd less than 6,000 for the final UTC home game for a class of record-setting seniors would be bad.
It also would add teeth to Jomo's side of the question that he has been trying to goad us into answering for a few years about whether Chattanooga is a good sports town or not.
Hey, we're not telling anyone how to spend their money or what to do with their time. (And our philosophy as the sports editor for more than 12 years was the paper's job was more to reflect interest rather than generate it.)
But for years, the overriding calling card for UTC attendance woes has been a sports-spun Field of Dreams mantra "If you win it, they will come."
Well, this is the winningest UTC football class in the program's history. They have delivered the former; will the city deliver on the latter?
FILE - In this Monday, April 7, 2014, file photo, aluminum bottles of Bud Light beer are on display at Alcoa headquarters in Pittsburgh. Anheuser-Busch is apologizing Tuesday, April 29, 2015, for a slogan that appeared on bottles saying Bud Light removes the word 'no' from drinkers' vocabulary. (AP Photo/Gene Puskar, File) News of the different
Hey, it's Thanksgiving week, right? We can go a little different right here every now and then.
So let's venture here. Bud Light has a new promotion in which there are going to be 37,000 golden cans in 18-, 24- and 30-packs of 12-ounce cans of Bud Light nationwide.
If it feels like a Willy Wonka-type of deal, well, that's because it is a WIlly Wonka type of deal. (Only with beer rather than chocolate, which seems about right for the transition between childhood and adult NFL fan.)
OK, the 37,000 golden cans represent less than 1 percent of the number of cans distributed during the dates of the contest (Nov. 28 to Jan. 13)
Consumers must purchase special-edition packs of Bud Light for the chance to find a gold can, or they can visit BudLight.com to download and print a gold can wrap. (Side question: Is it a good thing or bad thing that when I clicked on BudLight.com, the statement "We love you for your loyalty" came up on the screen?)
Consumers can enter the sweepstakes by taking a picture with the gold can and posting the sweeps hashtags (#SBTix4Life and #Sweeps) on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and/or on BudLight.com*.
Six weekly winners during the promotional window will be selected to win a pair of season tickets to their favorite NFL team. One grand prize winner will be selected to win a pair of Super Bowl tickets for life (up to 51 years) the week of Jan. 16, 2017.
There are lots of contests out there, but you have to admit winning Super Bowl tickets for the next 50 years would be pretty cool. What sports-related grand prize would be the best? Go.
This and that
- According to Sports Illustrated TV/sports writer Richard Deitsch, Skip Bayless's new show on Fox Sports 1 drew 90,000 viewers last Wednesday. By comparison a Scooby Doo rerun at the same time drew 450,000 on Cartoon Network.
- Couple of stunning upsets in basketball on Tuesday. Fort Wayne beat No. 3 Indiana in college hoops and the surging Baby lakers knocked of the Thunder in the NBA. (Side note: The unbelievable road show that is Russell Westbrook, who is a one-man team to the lengths of Jordan early in his Chicago days and Wilt in Philly, was amazing again last night. He had 30 points, 13 assists and eight boards, and scored or assisted on 24 consecutive points in the fourth quarter as the Thunder tried to rally.)
- The top four in the college football playoff ranking stayed the same Tuesday night. Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Clemson are 1-through-4. The big winner here may have been Washington, because the Huskies are sitting at 5, and with Michigan and Ohio State playing this weekend, if the Huskies handle their BID-ness they may be in the dance. (Side note: The way the folks were downplaying Penn State, the Lions may be on the outside looking in even if they win the Big Ten. In fact, here's saying that, barring some fall-out in front of them, the only way for the Big Ten to get two teams in may be for Wisconsin to win the Big Ten over Penn State (and to do it something like 38-3) and then the Badgers and Ohio State may both be invited.
- Notre Dame was forced to vacate wins from 2012 and 2013, leaving another black mark on the resume of Brian Kelly.
Today's question
We like to trot out our One-Word Wednesday in the middle of the week.
Brian Kelly's career at Notre Dame can be described as ____________.
In terms of the playoff, Washington is going to be ___________.
Saturday's attendance at Finley will be ___________. (And we're going to treat one number as one word here.)
The best football-watching beer is ______________.
As for a Rushmore, well, we offer two. First, since Miley Cyrus is all of 24 today - yes, 24 - who makes the Rushmore of celebrities who started on kids shows.
Secondly, if you want to play along, William H. Bonney was born on this day in 1859. Rushmore of Old West outlaws.
Go and remember the mailbag.