Vanderbilt Hotline: Afternoon Edition

Sorry for the delay loyal readers, but not working on a Friday means there is a lot to do on Monday. Not surprisingly, there is NOT much to talk about. Hopefully all of you who ordered the Althon preview got a special treat in the mail this weekend. For me, my bathroom reading is now pretty well taken care of for at least the next month. So, let's get into it...what little "it" is.

Brett Hait's got a number of nuggets in the Vanderbilt Notebook printed in today's Nashville City Paper. Among the topics discussed, David Price's negotiations with the Devil Rays, Kevin Stallings' "offer" to coach Iowa, and another Commies commit.

Apparently it just broke in Huntsville, Alabama that Vanderbilt doesn't have a traditional athletic structure. Huntsville Times columnist John Pruett sheds some light.


While not about Vanderbilt directly, there is an article in today's Tennessean about how the next mayor of Nashville will have a dramatic effect on the way downtown continues to develop.

Now, to the Sopranos. I'm sure you've heard people talking about last night's series finale, even if you aren't a loyal watcher of the crew from Jersey. As someone who has watched the show from the beginning (and then binged on Season 6, part 1 before this season began), I consider myself fairly invested. While I am glad that the show didn't end in hail of bullets, or "too resolved," I wish more had happened. As it stands we have many more questions than answers...and frankly, that pisses me off. Some highlights were Phil Leatardo getting gunner down, and then having his head literally run-over by the car he was riding in. The projectile vomit from one of the kids watching the scene unfold was a close second to Vito Jr.'s bathroom break in the communal shower at school. Chase's penchant for excess was one of the great things about this show throughout its run. I wish the show had been more about Tony. It seems clear that Tony is staring an indictment in the face, it is also clear that his FBI guy considers himself part of the team when he yelled out "we're gonna win this thing" after finding out Phil Leatardo's been wacked. The fact he was in a cheap motel, looking like a gorilla, with a another FBI agent who he was having an affair with made the scene that much better Finally, the good doctor and I discussed how great it was that the show ended with "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey. Not only that, but the fact that almost the entire song played through was just too good. Still, I wish we knew more. It's a great show, and I wouldn't be surprised if something comes down the pipe for our favorite middle-management mobster. No one thinks shows end well, because no one who likes them enough to care wants to see them end. Regardless, I am going to go with the conventional wisdom and say the Sopranos, for me, ended with less of a bang than I would have hoped for. What did you think?

Big Love starts an all-new season tonight, and Entourage is back next Sunday after a week off to introduce "John from Cincinnati," HBO's new show to replace the Sopranos. I'll give that a watch, but with Vanderbilt being out and TV getting slim, this could be a very long summer for those of who have come to rely on the Hotline to get you through the day.