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Commodore Notebook – August 16 8/16/2006 A Tale of Two Commodores One is a slender southpaw, probably not the 6-foot tall he’s billed and not much more than 175 pounds. In street clothes with his hat pulled low it is safe to say only the sharpest eyed fan would recognize him as the guy who turned down one million dollars out of high school to attend Vanderbilt and likely doubled that or more when he left three years later. The other throws right-handed, is 6-4 and 225 pounds. He’d be one of the most recognizable faces in Nashville if only he was still in Music City. The former plies his trade with the demeanor of a fine craftsman, relying on precision, cunning and God-given physical skills that long-ago separated him from other guys who were called “pretty good”. The latter can fling a pigskin through a carwash and not get it wet. He’d score 20 points in a basketball game, play shortstop and bat third in baseball or probably would win the decathlon in a track meet. He could have left Vanderbilt after four years but chose to play a fifth. So what exactly do Jeremy Sowers and Jay Cutler have in common, besides a Vanderbilt diploma? You may have noticed they are both off to outstanding professional starts. Sowers has shined since being called up to the Cleveland Indians roster in mid-summer, tossing back-to-back shutouts and beating the fabled New York Yankees. Cutler debuted last Friday for the Denver Broncos against the Detroit Lions, going 16-22 for 192 yards and a touchdown. He was five for six on third down. Bronco Coach Mike Shanahan said afterwards Jay “?showed a lot of poise and did an excellent job.” ESPN’s NFL gurus called him the most impressive skilled player of the exhibition season’s opening night. In addition to enormous talent, both are very bright and neither will likely be caught saying something stupid to the media. Sowers, a Louisville native, is no Louisville lip when interviewed after a victory and Cutler will skirt a reporter’s Catch-22 question quicker than dodging a corner blitz. Dore Jammin’ Over 2,000 fans of all ages showed up for the annual Dore Jam August 13. The line for Bobby Johnson’s autograph stayed long but there were plenty of other things going on including a giant slide and jumping pit for the little ones, hurdle races, putting contests and pitching coach Derek Johnson had a speed gun off in the corner to let the kids see how fast they could toss a baseball. With the enlarged menu of events that began with the first Dore Jam five years ago, it seemed to this veteran of 24 similar events that there are even more young children attending this than before. Fogler Back for ’93 Reunion A couple of weekends ago our 1993 Southeastern Conference men’s basketball champs got together in Nashville for a couple days of golf and good times. Among the returnees were Coach Eddie Fogler, Kevin Anglin, Chris Lawson, Chris Woods, Frank Secker, Chad Sheron, Assistant Coach Mike Petrone and Bruce Elder. Watch for Ticket Office Mailings Those of you that ordered Michigan football tickets should probably have them in your possession by now. They were mailed late the week of August 7. Your football season tickets will go to the post office later this week (August 17-18) so look for them early next week. Please note that parking passes will be sent in a separate mailing a little later than the tickets. Lastly, renewal letters for men’s and women’s season basketball tickets were mailed Monday, August 14 so also be on the lookout for that mailing. Previous Journal Entries |
