March 9, 2010
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Joe Fisher’s Mailbag Submit Your Question | View Archive Wondering about a player, a past game or another topic involving the Commodores? The Voice of the Commodores Joe Fisher will answer a variety of email questions from fans during the season on VUcommodores.com. |
What is the injury to Brad Tinsley? Any information on his status for the NCAA Tournament?
— Greg from Cincinnati, Ohio
It is my understanding that Brad’s injury is a sprained MCL in the knee (which is a much better diagnosis than we first feared). The plan at this time is to see if he can practice on Wednesday, and how much. The issue in these cases is usually lateral movement and starts and stops. Hopefully he can get back very soon, as Brad is very important to this team being able to perform at its best.
Hi, Joe. Greetings from Eastern Europe, where we are still able to follow the Commodores via vucommodores.com and Armed Forces Network. I wanted to ask you why this team is so much more successful on the road than other Commodores teams, including some very good ones like the 2007-08 team. Keep up the great calls you make which reach here without any problem.
— Eli from Belgrade, Serbia
Eli, how wonderful to hear from you in Serbia! I think this team has several keys to success on the road. They are an excellent free throw shooting team, which is an absolute must in close games. They don’t rely on only one person to score in critical situations, which makes us extremely hard to guard in game winning situations. They have a tremendous amount of confidence in the coaching staff that if the game is close in the final minutes they will find a way to win it. They are a far more physical team than in years past, which bodes well when you have to deal with playing on the road. And, I believe though in the grand scheme of things they are still a young team, they are mentally tough with a lot of battle-tested guys in the lineup.
Thank you so much, Eli, for your service to our country, and a big hello from all of us here to you and yours! I hope to get the opportunity to meet you in person one day.
Jermaine Beal will be missed. He is a great role model. He visited my son in the hospital last year after his heart surgery. He was very kind and positive to Matthew. He even called and checked on him after his release. He is the real thing, He will go far in whatever he chooses to do.
— Tracey from Kingston Springs, Tenn.
I think Kevin Stallings said it best. Jermaine Beal is the classic example for what a four-year college athlete should be. He came to Vanderbilt keen on getting a quality education, and intent on getting better every year. He has done exactly that. He’s a tremendous leader to the team by example. He’s not the biggest rah-rah guy around, but you can bet everyone on this team would run through a wall for him. I’m extremely thrilled that the SEC Coaches recognized all of this and voted Jermaine first team All-SEC. It is truly deserved.
Is there anything wrong with Lance Goulbourne? Props to Coach for starting Jenkins and also for giving Steve more playing time (he is just too active to keep off the court).
— Jim from Franklin, Tenn.
Lance is dealing with the beginnings of a stress fracture, referred to as a stress reaction. Coach Stallings opted over the past week to rest Lance to see if they can get some healing done and have him in better shape for the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. It is one of those injuries that only improves with treatment and rest. I anticipate Lance playing this week here in Nashville, but only time will tell.
Does Vandy get to practice at the Sommet Center prior to the SEC Championships and do you consider playing at the Sommet Center a “home field” advantage?
— DW
Yes, the team will get an hour on the Bridgestone Arena (formerly Sommet Center) floor on Thursday morning, I believe. You have to hope there is some “home field” advantage, but truly with the limited number of tickets made available to each school, it’s difficult to create a huge home court for yourself. We played in the arena earlier this year precisely because the tournament was going to be there. That game (Western Kentucky) didn’t go so well, but I think the team now is in much better shape than then.
Cumulus Broadcasting, LLC and Vanderbilt University have announced a new agreement that will move Commodore football and men’s basketball games to 97.1 RQQ (WRQQ) as the flagship station on the Vanderbilt ISP Radio Network. How will this affect your daily radio updates and where will we be able to hear you now?
— Scott from Nashville, Tenn.
It is my understanding that my daily radio updates will move to afternoon drive time once the move to 97.1 occurs. The exact time of those updates is yet to be determined, but you will be able to hear them live on 97.1, or listen live on their website at www.971rqq.com.
Hi Joe, can you tell me who was involved in the decision to leave the Zone. That was the poorest public relations move I have seen Vanderbilt make in the 15 years I have lived in Middle Tennessee. Thanks for hearing my disappointment.
— Granville
Thanks for your question, but I will beg to differ that this is a poor public relations decision. We enjoyed a tremendous partnership with WGFX, and I’m sure we’ll continue to work together very closely. However, with their decision to become the Titans flagship station, along with the Predators and the Sounds and other possible entities, there was far too much uncertainty into what impact all of that would have on when and how our game broadcasts and call-in shows would air.
It was imperative for us to find a flagship where our broadcasts would be the number one priority, and WRQQ 97.1 was a willing partner. They have an increased sports presence in adding NASCAR broadcasts, but Vanderbilt has the number one priority on their airwaves for all of our programming. In my opinion, it was totally the right thing to do, and I’m very excited about the new partnership.
What is the next step in the football facility improvement project?
— Tom from Hermitage, Tenn.
Tom, it is actually underway. The football staff has moved out of their office area for their offices and meeting rooms to be renovated. It is hoped it will be completed by August. For now, the football press box has become the football staff’s temporary office location.