June 8, 2012
Quick Slant is an array of brief insights and occasionally opinionated overviews of collegiate athletics in general and the Vanderbilt Commodores in particular.
Is it not about the ultimate testimony to the tradition our baseball team has forged over the past decade that we were disappointed we didn’t make the Super Regionals, if not Omaha? During the first third of the season, this team was nearly left for dead except for its own dedication and the fantastic coaching performance of Tim Corbin, Derek Johnson and Josh Holliday. Is there a better staff anywhere?
Each of us can decide if we think these never-say-die Dores overachieved but we like asking folks who they considered our team’s best player. The fact that we always got a different answer shows this was not a team of stars but, rather, a true team in the finest sense of the term.
We always enjoy attending the annual Southeastern Conference Spring Meetings and the beautiful white beaches are not the reason. The meetings include the athletic directors, football and basketball coaches, senior women’s administrators, faculty representatives and for at least one day, the conference presidents along with key partners such as the major television network executives. There is no shortage of ideas or vision so the meetings are stimulating but what we like most is the family feeling one gets during the week. For this week we represent our schools but we are all SEC members; we might have different viewpoints but there is a spirit of cooperation as we consider ways to craft a better conference future. While this isn’t a love fest, we suspect fans might be surprised at how well the various groups get along when the heat of a ball game is absent.
Our department put tremendous effort into hosting the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship at Vanderbilt Legends Club in late May and the glowing reviews from the 24 teams and individuals made us feel the effort was worthwhile. Some veteran writers and coaches thought this tournament “raised the bar” by which future tournaments will be judged. And while we are on the topic, how about the great Vince Gill for volunteering to perform at the pre-tournament team dinner! Vince flew back from his daughter’s college graduation in Florida earlier in the day to make good on his promise to entertain the teams and the acoustics at the renovated Franklin Theatre made his performance spectacular.