Texting For CLASS?

Posted by Weinman

Consider this your first reminder of many more to come about voting for the 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Last season, Shan Foster has honored as the men's recipient, and this year Christina Wirth is one of only 10 women's finalist.

In addition to voting online (click here), voting via text message has been added for 2009. In order to vote for Christina, simply text the message WB10 to 839863.

Fans are allowed to vote once daily (one text per cell number, one vote per computer), and voting will remain open through March 22nd.

Important WBB home stand starts tonight

Posted by Barca Blog

The No. 24 Vanderbilt women's basketball team is in the middle of a SEC title race with only five games to go. The first of three straight home games starts tonight against No. 9 Florida (7 p.m. CT) and could very well determine if the Commodores win their first ever regular season conference championship.

Currently, Vanderbilt (7-2 SEC) is second in the conference behind Florida (8-1) and Auburn (8-1), who the 'Dores will also entertain next Thursday, February 19.

Here's the Final Home Schedule:
Thursday, Feb. 12 vs. No. 9 Florida
Sunday, Feb. 15 vs. Georgia (Pink Out)
Thursday, Feb. 19 vs. No. 5 Auburn

We need the Commodore Nation to fill the Gym to give our team a true home court advantage. Tickets for each game are only $10 for adults, $9 for youth 17 and under. Call 615.322.GOLD or click here to order online.

You can read more about tonight's matchup in The City Paper and The Vanderbilt Hustler. The game will be broadcast on SUN/FSN and fans can follow live stats and live audio from 560 AM at VUcommodores.com.

Men's Basketball Tickets Available

Posted by Barca Blog

MBB Single Game Tickets Available for Two Games
Student Spring Break tickets for Commodore Men's Basketball are now available in a limited quantity for the February 28 game versus South Carolina as well as the March 8 home season finale versus Arkansas. Purchase online today www.vucommodores.com or at 322-GOLD (4653). Buy Tickets

2009 SEC Tournament Tickets On Sale Now
Purchase your seats now for the 2009 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament. This year's event is scheduled for March 12-15 in Tampa, Fla. Buy Tickets

YouTube redesign

Check our vucommodores YouTube page... we tweaked the look a little.. hope you like it! Share your favorite videos with friends or send them to your rivals! Click here

Ditty helps USA to victory

Remember Julie Ditty, the star of our 2001 tennis team that played Stanford for the NCAA Championship? The All-American has been on the professional tour since her graduation and currently she is a member of the coveted USA Fed Cup team. Last week she scored the match point in Uncle Sam's victory over Argentina in the Fed Cup quarterfinals. USA advances to the semi-finals to face the Czech Republic. Click here to read the United States Tennis Association article.

The number of former Commodore student-athletes enjoying success over a wide spectrum of professional athletics -- Major League Baseball, PGA, WPGA, NFL, WNBA and the ATP -- continues to grow each year.

Low's SEC Pre-Spring Football rankings

ESPN.com's Chris Low posted his 2009 SEC Football pre-spring power rankings yesterday. Find out where he placed the Commodores - click here.

Graham leaves basketball team

From Vanderbilt's Athletic Communications Office:

NASHVILLE - Guard Jamie Graham has decided to discontinue his basketball career at Vanderbilt in order to devote his full attention to football.

"We agree with and totally support this decision," said Vanderbilt head basketball coach Kevin Stallings. "We wish Jamie the best of luck and look forward to following his success on the football field."

Graham, who joined the basketball team as a walk-on in 2007, played in five games on the hardwood in 2009 and did not score. On the gridiron this year, the wide receiver/running back had three touchdown receptions and one rushing touchdown, and helped guide the Commodores to their first bowl win in 26 years in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl.

Graham was the only player in the SEC to play both football and basketball in 2007-08 and 2008-09, and the first Vanderbilt player to play both sports since Fred Baker did it in the 1994-95 academic year.

Gumbel, Raftery break down MBB win

In the video below, CBS commentators Greg Gumbel and Bill Raftery break down Vanderbilt's 71-61 win over Ole Miss Saturday.

Stallings' Call-In Show Tonight

Kevin Stallings' Call-In Show airs live from 6:30-7:30 p.m. CT Monday night at the Commodore Grille. Listen locally on 104.5 the Zone or online on VUcommodores.com. For more info, Click Here.

Vanderbilt (15-8, 4-5 SEC) will take its three-game winning streak to Knoxville Saturday for a 2 p.m. CT matchup with Tennessee. The game will be televised by Raycom Sports.

Video: Goulbourne rocks the rim, part II

We posted Lance Goulbourne's monster slam against UMass in early January (in case you missed it, click here). Well, Brooklyn's Finest was up to his old tricks again in Saturday's win over Ole Miss.

Check out the video below.

And you decide, which dunk was better... part I or II?

1988-89 Basketball Reunion Photo

The 1988-89 men's basketball team was honored during halftime of Vanderbilt's 71-61 victory of Ole Miss Saturday. Here's a photo courtesy of Daniel DuBois (click to make larger).

In attendance for the 20th anniversary ceremony: Alberto Ballestra, John Bostick (assistant head coach), Scott Draud, Paul Federici (trainer), Barry Goheen, Frank Kornet, Ruth Martin (wife of assistant coach Ed Martin), C.M. Newton (head coach), Mike Petrone (assistant coach), Eric Reid, and Derrick Wilcox.

Barry Booker was unable to attend the reunion since he was working as an analyst on Raycom's Saturday SEC broadcast.

Live webcast of Baseball Banquet tonight

Watch a free online webcast of Vanderbilt Baseball's 2009 preseason banquet tonight on vucommodores.com. This is your chance to learn more about this year's squad. The video feed will begin around 8 p.m. CT and will last until 10 p.m. Live Webcast

Note: If you purchased tickets to attend the event, please click here for more information.

Byars thanks fans for All-Star votes

A few weeks ago I posted a link where Vanderbilt fans could help vote former basketball star Derrick Byars into the third annual NBA D-League All-Star game.

Every vote helped as Byars was selected as an All-Star for the Red team on Tuesday. Byars thanked Commodore fans for their support.

"I appreciate the involvement in my being selected for the All-Star game,” Byars said, “even though I'm two years removed my last game in a Vanderbilt uniform. I appreciate the fans and followers who voted because they didn't necessarily have to. I look forward to their continued support."

Byars leads the Bakersfield Jam in points (18.0) and assists (3.0), while also pulling down 4.8 rebounds per game. He’s sixth in the league in three-point percentage (.437) and eighth in three-pointers made (52). In his last game Thursday, Byars scorched Anaheim for 31 points on 9-for-12 shooting from the field including 6-for-8 from three-point range.

The NBA D-League All-Star game is scheduled for February 14 at 1 p.m. CT in Phoenix, Ariz. To view the entire roster, click here.

Finally, take a trip down memory lane with some of Byars’ highlights from his senior season in 2006-07.

McGugin's Biggest Loser Powered By Coke Zero and Smart Water

McGugin's Biggest Loser has officially hit the big time as Coke Zero and SmartWater have signed on to be partners in what is becoming a tight race between Vanderbilt Athletic Staff. I wrote this next thought to my teammates on Team Black to encourage them to eat healthy and exercise this weekend leading up to the Monday morning weigh-in. There aren't too many iconic names out there that truly represent the American way of life. At a time when many traditional American companies are selling out to investors in Europe, it's great to know that Vanderbilt has got one of the big ones, in Coca Cola. In addition, Coke Zero and Sprite Zero are starting to disappear from the Vanderbilt media room cooler much faster these days, because some of us just don't want to give up our cola. Now Smart Water is coming into the picture with more of our student-athletes carrying it around McGugin. Take heed Biggest Loser Teams, there might be a lesson there.

Here are this week's stats:

Team Gold: 54 Total lbs lost (1.39% of total body weight lost)

Team Black: 44.5 Total lbs lost (1.06% of total body weight lost)

Next time around, answers to the probing question: What's on your iPod, or in my case Walkman when you get on the treadmill or for a walk around your neighborhood? I can't help but think some of my fellow Loser contestants have a Kenny Loggins or Frank Stallone blast from the past banging off the inside of their heads while in the Zone (Danger Zone that is).

Cutler's Pro Bowl Journal

Former Commodore quarterback Jay Cutler has been writing a diary all week long about his first NFL Pro Bowl experience in Hawaii. Follow his journal on DenverBroncos.com. Here are the links:

Monday -- Diary 1
Tuesday -- Diary 2
Wednesday -- Diary 3
Thursday -- Diary 4

Cutler was also on the receiving end of a prank from his fellow AFC teammates earlier in the week. Let's just say it involved a pool and two 300-pound lineman. Find out more details- click here.

The 2009 Pro Bowl will take place Sunday at 3:30 p.m. CT on NBC.

AP Story on David Price

Take a few minutes to read this touching AP story by Teresa Walker on former Commodore star David Price. Price will host a fundraiser this Saturday in Smyrna, Tenn., in honor of his longtime friend, Nathan Stephens. Read AP Story --- More on Saturday's Benefit

1988-89 Commodores to be honored Saturday

Vanderbilt's 1988-89 basketball team will be honored at halftime of Saturday's game with Ole Miss. With a 19-14 overall record, they finished second in the Southeastern Conference and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Scheduled to be in attendance for the 20th anniversary ceremony: Alberto Ballestra, John Bostick (assistant head coach), Scott Draud, Paul Federici (trainer), Barry Goheen, Frank Kornet, Ruth Martin (wife of assistant coach Ed Martin), C.M. Newton (head coach), Mike Petrone (assistant coach), Eric Reid, and Derrick Wilcox.

Ogilvy mix-up

This email was sent in from Michael:

"I was going through the TV listings on my digital cable box, when I saw the listing for tonight's basketball game with Alabama. I clicked on "More Info," and quickly noticed a glaring error (see picture above). Wow, Geoff Ogilvy is one of the best golfers in the world, and he plays basketball for Vanderbilt?! Forget Deion, Bo, etc. Geoff Ogilvy is a REAL two-sport athlete!"

The Commodores will host Alabama tonight at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2. For a complete preview, click here.

Articles on National Signing Day

(Photo by Steve Johnston/Chicago Sun-Times)

The Commodores' 2009 class includes Parade Magazine prep All-American quarterback Charlie Goro (Park Ridge, Ill.).

In his senior year, Goro led Maine South Hawks to 8A state championship and first 14-0 record in school history. He completed 74 percent of passes (227 of 321) for 3,210 yards and 38 TDs.

Goro commented yesterday on his decision to attend Vanderbilt.

''I am excited and relieved [to have the recruiting process end],'' Goro told the Chicago Sun-Times. ''Everyone in my family is excited for me. My parents are very happy with my decision, especially with the great academics Vanderbilt provides.''

"It was exciting to see how well they played. And we have a great recruiting class coming in. I feel very confident with where the team is headed."

Here's a listing of all the news stories on National Signing Day.

Around the Web:
Vanderbilt secures its in-state stars
Tate picks Vanderbilt
Parade All-American highlights VU class
Vanderbilt looks to build momentum
Receiver catches on with VU
Goro excited for future at VU
McCallie's Fullam signs with Vanderbilt

Just another day at the office

We'll, another signing class is in the books for the Commodores.

You know, I've always wondered what Signing Day is like for the coaching staff as they wait on each prospect to send in their National Letter of Intent.

I can't help but remember the scene from the movie Office Space when the office printer breaks down.

"PC Load Letter??!! What does that mean?"

Since it probably didn't go down like that, I thought I'd find out the real answer straight from Coach Johnson.

“We stared at the fax machine for about thirty minutes out of every hour,” Johnson quipped, “just waiting for a fax to come over.

“It’s kind of a relief. It’s kind of an excitement. You look forward to getting those guys in here because you have spent a lot of time with them. But it’s also the start of next year’s (recruiting), so you just continue on.

“You do have a lot of pride and satisfaction in bringing in a class that we think is very good. Our coaches work extremely hard at it. I can’t even tell you how many letters have been written, film has been watched, and games have been attended. It’s just a good feeling when you put all that work in and you get a guy that you really like. We really like all of these guys.

It was written in the stars

Stars. Stars. And more stars.

That's all you really seem to hear about on National Signing Day.

Was he underrated? Overrated? A steal? A stretch?

It's nice to speculate about the potential of the new signees, but you never truly know what you're going to get until they arrive on campus. You could get a diamond in the rough like Chris Williams, who was given a two-star assessment by Rivals.com, and ended up being a first-round pick in the NFL Draft last year.

And sure, this might end up being Coach Johnson's best class yet... and there's good reason to be excited, especially since he received 12 3-star commitments, the most in his tenure on West End.

But the star ratings really don't matter until the new bunch hits the field and tries to make that big jump from high school to college.

"It doesn't carry much significance with me," Johnson said of the star ratings at Wednesday's press conference. "It just matters how many stars that we got out of them when they get here. Their performance here is going to be the key. I think all of them have five-star capabilities.

"When you look at it, a lot of guys that come out of high school never get better, and a lot of guys come out and prove a great deal. I think we've probably had a bigger history of getting guys coming out and getting better here and thriving in our systems and taking advantage of the coaching they get here and they get better. We're looking for the stars when they get here."

Tate's a Commodore

(Photo credit: Chris Lynn / Hendersonville Star News)

Here's a picture of Pope John Paul II tailback Wesley Tate signing on the dotted line to play for Vanderbilt next season. Tate averaged 6.1 yards per rush while producing 3,045 career rushing yards and 42 TDs during his prep career.

"Wesley is a prototypical SEC tailback," said Jeff Brothers, Tate's high school coach. "He gives them (Vanderbilt) a very powerful running back, an explosive, downhill runner. When teams played us, Wesley was our marquee player on offense.

"Wesley is also a young man of the highest character, very coachable, and willing to do anything and everything to help the team succeed."

Click here for Tate's full bio with video.

Also, here's an article on the Commodores' overall signing class by Maurice Patton of The Tennessean.

Buy your Brick today and support VU Athletics

Construction is underway at the Gate 2 area of Vanderbilt Stadium near the intersection of Natchez Trace and Jess Neely drive. The area is being prepped for renovations that will feature a beautiful brick facade, new signage and wrought iron gates.

Now you can be part of these remarkable transformations by purchasing a customized brick that will be laid in the new plaza to show your support of Vanderbilt Athletics. All proceeds will go to support the athletics facilities campaign.

This is your opportunity to Pave the Way and help build Vanderbilt's newest tradition. Order your brick today!

Johnson's upcoming radio

Bobby Johnson is scheduled to comment of the Commodores' 2009 recruiting class in several Nashville area radio appearances today and tomorrow. Here's the tentative list (CT):

Wednesday

4:45 p.m. George Plaster, Willy Daunic and Darren McFarland at 104.5-FM The Zone.

5:15 p.m. Thom Abraham at 106.7-FM The Fan

5:30 p.m. Bill King and Joe Biddle at WNSR AM-560

Thursday

7:25 a.m. Greg Pogue and David Colemen on WNSR AM-560

8:10 a.m. 104.5-FM The Zone’s Morning Show with Mark Howard, Kevin Ingram and Frank Wycheck.

Signing Class is Official

Vanderbilt football's 2009 signing class is official. Check out complete bios of each new signee with video highlights, photos, quotes and more. Fans can also watch a live webcast of Coach Johnson's news conference at 4 p.m. CT today. CLICK FOR SIGNING DAY CENTRAL

Video: 2008 recruiting class

More video has been uploaded on our Signing Day Central site.... Check out clips of last year's recruiting class - click here.

2009 Signing Day will start at 8 a.m. CT Wednesday morning, so make sure you log onto VUcommodores.com for minute-by-minute updates after each NLI comes in.

Baseball media guide online

With the season less than three weeks away, take a minute to study and memorize the 2009 Vanderbilt baseball media guide at VUcommodores.com. Click here!

Video: 2007 Recruiting Class

We just uploaded video of Vanderbilt football's 2007 recruiting class on VUcommodores.com. Check it out at our Signing Day Central site - click here.

National Signing Day Wednesday

VUcommodores.com, the official source for Vanderbilt Athletics, will present complete coverage of National Signing Day for Commodore football fans on Wednesday, February 4, beginning at 8 a.m. CT. Visit this page for the most up-to-the-minute information on the 2009 class including video highlights, player bios, Coach Johnson's Live Press Conference, and much more. VUcommodores.com - the place to be on National Signing Day.

NOTIFICATIONS STARTING EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING
Once a National Letter of Intent (NLI) is received from a signee, VUcommodores.com will provide immediate notification and the time that the letter was received. (Please note that an VU compliance official must review all NLI's before we can release the prospect's name.)

WATCH COACH JOHNSON'S LIVE PRESS CONFERENCE AT 4 P.M. CT
VUcommodores.com will broadcast a free live webcast of head coach Bobby Johnson's news conference at 4 p.m. CT on signing day. Register for Commodore Nation All Access to watch!

FREE VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF EACH SIGNEE
In addition, the popular highlight videos for every new Commodore will be posted.

FULL PLAYER BIOS WITH QUOTES
Check out official signee bios and pictures plus quotes from high school head coaches.

PREVIOUS SIGNING DAY COVERAGE
2008 Signing Day
2007 Signing Day

Stallings' Call-In Show Tonight

Kevin Stallings' Call-In Show airs live from 6:30-7:30 p.m. CT Monday night at the Commodore Grille. Listen locally on 104.5 the Zone or online on VUcommodores.com. For more info, Click Here.

Vanderbilt (13-8, 2-5 SEC) will host two games this week: Thursday vs. Alabama at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2, and Saturday vs. Ole Miss at Noon CT on CBS.