Office Junk: Finders, keepers

by Travis Young

Instead of showing up in one of the Cadillacs provided to each team for the SEC Tournament, I made my grand entrance into Regions Park yesterday with the help of an abandoned, rusty old grocery cart that I found in the parking lot outside the stadium.

I filled the empty cart to the max weight capacity with media guides, notes and SID's Wrestlemania DVD collection.

I'd like to report that the buggy's right rear axel was disengaged and lugnuts were missing, but it served its purpose and is now being looked at by an ASE certified professional at Jiffy Lube.

Westmeade Field Day

By Weinman

Earlier today, Commodore student-athletes hosted children from Westmeade Elementary for a Field Day at the Vanderbilt track & field complex. I dropped by to take some photos of the 100's of kids -- both big and small -- playing a variety of games on an absolutely beautiful day.

Photo Gallery

Often times, it was hard to tell who was having more fun -- the kids from Westmeade or the Vanderbilt students. The elementary kids were put in teams before making their way through a host of activities which included kickball, capture the flag, water balloons and box ball along with more traditional sports drills like football, soccer and basketball.

The morning ended with both sides saying their thank you's and enjoying pizza.

Flip It: Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Field

by Barca Blog

We've had perfect baseball weather at Hawkins Field this weekend for the South Carolina series. Intern Travis was on the scene Saturday afternoon and captured these Flip clips during the Commodores' 8-2 win over the Gamecocks.

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Video 1 Notes: Nice cameo by marketing intern Hedgehog Shanks at the 0:27 mark. You also get to hear superfan Bruce's cry for "Westy" (who delivered with the base hit).



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Video 2 Notes: Perfect song over the loudspeakers for Travis' location. After the video finished, Travis yelled out a passionate yet uncomfortable Fight 'Dores to get the crowd amped-up. Folks, the guy bleeds black and gold, especially since his alma mater (Iowa State) only has a club baseball team.

Commodores in the Pros

Thanks to intern Travis, here is an updated list of former Commodore baseball players in the pros as of March 30, 2010.

Player, Team, Years at Vanderbilt

Majors - Official Site
Jensen Lewis, Cleveland, 2003-05
David Price, Tampa Bay, 2005-07

AAA - Official Site
Pedro Alvarez, Indianapolis (PIT), 2006-08
Mike Baxter, Portland (SD), 2004-05
Matt Kata, Round Rock (HOU), 1997-99
Ryan Klosterman, New Orleans (FLA), 2003-04
Ryan Mullins, Rochester (MIN), 2003-05
Ryan Rote, Charlotte (CHI-A), 2004-05
Jeremy Sowers, Columbus (CLE), 2002-04

AA - Official Site
Matt Buschmann, San Antonio (SD), 2003-06
Ryan Flaherty, Tennessee (CHI-N), 2006-08
Mike Minor, Mississippi (ATL), 2007-09
Cesar Nicolas, Erie (DET), 2001-04
Jeff Sues, Altoona (PIT), 2002-05

A - Official Site
Brett Jacobson, Frederick (BAL), 2006-08
Steven Liddle, Beloit (MIN), 2007-09
David Macias, Daytona (CHI-N), 2005-08

Rookie/Short Season - Official Site
Caleb Cotham, Staten Island (NY), 2007-09
*Casey Weathers, Tri-City (COL), 2006-07

*Weathers missed the 2009 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

New throwback uniforms

by Barca Blog

No, this isn't Archibald Moonlight Graham.

It's intern Travis modeling a prototype of Vanderbilt's new retro baseball uniforms.

The Commodores will unveil their new look Tuesday night against Belmont at Hawkins Field (game preview). The custom gray outfit includes pinstripes, a jersey collar, and the star logo.

These will be the second throwbacks worn during the Tim Corbin era. The 'Dores also have a cream white uniform with "Vandy" stitched in cursive across the chest.

Thanks to Daniel and Graham for the photo.

Video: Next American Idol?

by Barca Blog

With American Idol in the middle of its 9th season, Travis stopped by women's basketball practice to see if any of the Commodores could make the cut on the popular show. Watch the audition footage below.

Also, make sure you come out and support the team, especially the four seniors, in their final home game Sunday at 12 p.m. CT. The Commodores are asking all fans in attendance to wear blue in support of the "Well Worth It" campaign, which is committed to preventing waterborne diseases caused by contaminated water and inadequate sanitation systems in rural Kenya. Read More

(Thanks to Aaron for editing the video)

Travisodes: The Whammer

by Barca Blog

Senior catcher Andrew Giobbi came up big with a walk-off single in the Commodores' extra inning win over Austin Peay last night.

Did it have anything to do with the latest Travisode?

Watch and discuss.

If you've missed previous Travisodes, click here

Flip It: Students camp out for UK game

by Barca Blog

Earlier today, Travis Young talked to Vanderbilt students that camped out to get prime seating for the Kentucky basketball game. The scene was unbelievable with over 1,000 students waiting to get inside Memorial Gym. The line stretched all the way to the intersection of 25th and Jess Neely Drive.

Watch the video, which was shot on my Flip cam, below:

Flip It & Office Junk: Baseball Banquet

by Barca Blog

Two more videos for the blog... This time we focus on last weekend's Vanderbilt Baseball banquet and intern Travis' escapade after the function. Enjoy!

Flip It: Baseball Banquet Recap (SID provides the commentary)



Office Junk: Travis the Salsa Crasher

Travisodes: Rookie of the Year

by Barca Blog

Yes, it's been a couple of months since the last Travisode... but he's back! Check out the latest edition as Travis heads over to Hawkins Field to get ready for baseball season.

After you watch the video (below), make sure you answer this trivia question on our Facebook Fan Page: How many actual sunflower seeds did Travis chew during the filming of this video? The fan that gets the closest will win a 2010 Vanderbilt Baseball poster autographed by the entire team.

Submit your answers here before midnight on Sunday. Only one winner will be selected.

Thanks to Aaron, Sonny, Braeburn, Larry, and of course Travis for making the video. If you missed previous Travisodes, click here.

Cut it out

by Barca Blog

This is probably the closest intern Travis will ever get to being on the Commodore men's basketball team. (click to make image bigger)

Actually, the cardboard cut-outs of the hoops squad were used as props during the Memorial Madness student pep rally held prior to Vanderbilt's matchup with Missouri.

Overall, it was a good showing by the Vanderbilt student body... and why not, with a bunch of great prizes to giveaway, just about everyone walked away a winner. The first 500 in attendance received Jermaine Beal replica jerseys, one student won free books for a semester courtesy of the Vanderbilt Bookstore, and to top it off, three kids will have a chance to win $10,000 by shooting a half-court shot at half time. Not too shabby.

Other competitions included a Wendy's chicken nugget eating contest, and the fan call of the game, plus performances by the Spirit of Gold, VU Cheer, and Juggleville. The event ended with free Papa John's pizza for the entire student section.

Now we're ready for tip-off. Follow the action on VUcommodores.com and on Twitter @VandyMBB.

(And in honor of the title of this blog.. I bring you the great Joey Gladstone)

Travisodes: Jay-Z tickets

by Barca Blog - With rap superstar Jay-Z coming to perform at Memorial Gym tonight, will intern Travis be able to secure backstage passes to the event? Find out in the latest Travisode (below).

Also, you could win a 2009-10 men's basketball autographed poster by participating in this week's trivia contest. Last season, A.J. Ogilvy became the first sophomore in school history to eclipse the 1,000-point barrier for his career. Where does the junior big man currently rank on Vanderbilt's career points scored list?

Submit your answers on our Facebook Fan Page before midnight on Saturday. Only one winner will be selected.

If you missed previous Travisodes, click here

Travisodes: Trivia Answer

by Barca Blog - Several of you came up with the correct answer (49 or 50 percent) to this week's Travisodes trivia question. We could only select one winner, though, so congratulations to Bobby Baer. Bobby will receive a 2009-10 autographed men's basketball poster.

Check back for future giveaways.

Travisodes: Basketball Walk-On Tryouts

by Barca Blog - In our latest Travisode... Intern Travis attempts to make the Vanderbilt men's basketball team at walk-on tryouts. Watch the footage below to see how he did during the workout (with extra outtakes at the end).

Also in the video... find out how you can win an autographed team poster in our latest online giveaway. Submit your answers on our Vanderbilt University Athletics Facebook Fan page by noon CT on Friday, Oct. 23. Only one winner will be selected.

If you missed previous Travisodes, click here

Travisodes: Helmet Sticker Answer

by Barca Blog - Thanks to all of you that submitted your guess to this week's Dore Prize Contest... How many helmet stickers did Chris Marve earn in 2008?

The answer: 51.

One Commodore fan came up with the right answer, so we'll send you an official anchor sticker in the mail.

Stay tuned for more giveaways.

Travisodes: Helmet Sticker (Dore Prize)

by Barca Blog - Commodore fans, you have until Friday at noon CT to participate in the latest Dore Prize giveaway.

Watch the video (below) to find out more on the contest and then go to our Facebook Fan Page to submit your guess.

Whoever is the closest, wins. If more than one of you gets the right answer, then we'll pick one winner from the group. Maybe you'll share your prize with intern Travis.

Casali balancing rehab with practice

by Travis Young - On June 9, Curt Casali underwent Tommy John surgery to repair his torn ulna collateral ligament. After the surgery, Casali spent countless hours rehabbing during the summer.

"The first four weeks after the operation were rough because I had a brace on," Casali said. "Since then the rehabbing has progressively been getting better."

This past Sunday (Sept. 27) marked the first day Casali had picked up a ball to start throwing.

Click Here to Read More

Travisodes: Nerf Hoops (Prize Winner)

by Barca Blog - Find out how many free throws intern Travis hit (out of 10) on the office nerf hoop. We'll be in touch with this week's winner, who will receive a Ted Skuchas name card from the 2007 NCAA Tournament (Skoooooch). Check back for more contests.

If you missed part 1, click here.

Travisodes: Nerf Hoops (Dore Prize)

by Barca Blog - How many free throws (out of 10) can intern Travis hit on the office nerf hoop? Watch the video below and put your guess on our Vanderbilt Athletics Facebook fan page to have a chance to win this week's Dore Prize.

Your response is due by 2 p.m. CT on Thursday. Obviously, several people will give the right answer, so we'll pick one winner from that group.

Please note: due to NCAA rules, current high-school students and collegiate student-athletes cannot participate in the giveaway.

Everything Young is New Again

By Weinman - With the cross country meet going on this afternoon at Percy Warner Park, our intern Travis Young will be unable to broadcast tonight's women's soccer game against Belmont. I have agreed to fill in for the evening.

In the interest of making the webcast interactive, I've setup a Twitter account where I'll be accepting any questions or comments you may have -- www.twitter.com/fightdores -- I'll send shout-outs, try to answer questions, etc. Go Dores!