Aug. 20, 2015
Quick Slant is an array of brief insights and occasionally opinionated overviews of collegiate athletics in general and the Vanderbilt Commodores in particular.
Quick Slant has returned after a summer hiatus. We look forward to visiting weekly throughout the upcoming sports year. There is always an electricity in the air as the new year begins and the games get near.
Our team of guest service representatives – called ushers in a previous era – will gather soon for a detailed training orientation session. These good people, the vast majority not otherwise affiliated with Vanderbilt and none being athletic department staffers, are important to the game experience as they are often the only link between the fans and the university. How they perform their duties before, during and after a game is often what many campus visitors remember about Vanderbilt.
In case you have missed it, Tennessee residents can pre-order a special Vanderbilt athletic license plate. Two versions were approved by the state legislature, one with a generic Star V logo and the other with the 2014 National Baseball Championship mark. Order on-line on this website and be sure to read the Question & Answer sheet as it provides information you need to know.
The Coaches Call-In Show, presented by Martin and Zerfoss, starts back Thursday, August 27 at the Commodore Grille of the Holiday Inn Vanderbilt. It runs in the same 7:00-8:00 p.m. time slot as the past. Fans can watch the show in person or listen to the program live on NewsRadio 1510 WLAC or online in Vanderbilt All-Access.
Vanderbilt finished 51st out of the 289 institutions earning points for their NCAA Tournament finishes in the 2014-15 national all-sports Director’s Cup. That puts our overall program in the 83rd percentile. Schools are awarded points based upon making and advancing in the NCAA Tournaments; top spring point winners were our national champion women’s tennis team, the national runner-up baseball squad and the elite eight men’s golf team. Stanford won the all-sports once again with its outstanding array of programs including sports such as water polo; Vandy fields just 16 varsity teams, a handicap in this tabulation.
Football has lost a couple of key guys for the season due to injuries in fall camp. We cringe for them, knowing how hard they worked during the off-season. Fans naturally fret the lineup won’t pack the same punch but I’ve often been pleasantly surprised to see someone previously expected to play a minor role rise and shine when given the chance and the responsibility.