Cotham signs with Yankees

By Travis Young - According to Baseball America, Caleb Cotham has agreed to terms with the New York Yankees. Cotham was a fifth-round selection (165th overall) by the Yankees in the 2009 draft back in June.

This past season, Cotham went 7-5 with a 4.10 ERA for the Commodores. The Mt. Juliet, Tenn. native struck out 84 in 79.0 innings while opponents hit only .222 off him.

Cotham went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in a short stint with the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod League this summer. The Commodore struck out 15 in 13 scoreless innings while making two starts.

Click here to view Baseball America's link of Cotham signing.

The deadline to sign with a Major League team is tonight at midnight.

Black & Gold Out on September 5

Spread the Word…

As part of National College Colors Weekend, we want you to show off your Black & Gold at the Commodores home opener against Western Carolina on September 5.

Take a look at the stadium map below (click image to make bigger). If your tickets are in one of the designated black sections (A-K), we want you to wear a black shirt to the game. If your tickets are in one of the gold sections (L-V), we need you to show your gold!


Make sure you check your tickets to find out which color you should wear to the game. Let’s have some fun and welcome the Music City Bowl champions with a stadium split with Black & Gold on September 5.

Don't forget, season tickets start at only $109... click here to order. Also, if you come to the Vanderbilt Bookstore between the dates of August 16-September 5 and trade in a non-Vanderbilt college shirt, you will receive a 25% off a brand new Vanderbilt t-shirt! All the old items will be donated to charity.

Can you hear me now?

by Barca Blog - Coach Johnson had one new twist to help the Commodores get "game ready" during their scrimmage inside Vanderbilt Stadium Saturday.

As the offensive and defensive units took to the field for the first series, they were greeted by a deafening noise over the speakers. It sounded similar to 92,000 screaming fans on a Saturday night in Death Valley, a place the 'Dores will visit on the second week of the season.

As I sat in the empty stands, the sound reverberated in my head like the twister in the opening scene of The Wizard of Oz. It was so loud, it even caused one trusted media member to make an error on a player's number, sending the rest of us into shock. Yes, the crowd noise even got the best of him.

Following the 75-play scrimmage, Coach Johnson explained the reason for the increase in decibels.

"We’re signaling a lot now," he said, "but there are some verbal commands that the quarterback has to make out on the field for the linemen. We wanted to make sure that they were going to be able to hear that.

"It makes you concentrate a little bit more or it makes you realize the need to concentrate a little more. That was more game-like than just a quiet scrimmage."

Johnson's message was loud and clear to senior center Bradley Vierling.

"We just really had to pay attention more," Vierling said. "Coach Sisk cranked up the speakers on us, but it was good. We need that because we'll have to go into places like LSU."

I'll leave you with this classic clip thanks to Chris.

MBB live stats vs. Townsville

By A. Boggs - In case you want to stay up late and follow the Commodores against the Townsville Crocs in Australia, you now can at this link.

Action starts at 10 p.m. central time.

Go 'Dores!

Photos: Special Visitor

by Barca Blog - The Commodores received a pep talk from a special guest following Friday night's practice– Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos. To read more about his visit, click here.

Walker catches winning TD for Rams

by Barca Blog - Rookie receiver Sean Walker made a good first impression for the St. Louis Rams in Friday's preseason opener. The former Commodore caught a game-winning 13-yard touchdown pass from Keith Null midway through the fourth quarter as the Rams edged the New York Jets, 23-20, at Giants Stadium.

Walker, who is fighting to make the Rams roster, ended up with two catches for 18 yards. He talked to STLtoday.com earlier this week about what it would take to make the squad.

"Just show up every day and be consistent," Walker said. "Show them my speed. Make an impression by catching every ball, finishing every drill. And then in these preseason games, go in there and do everything right. Execute everything we've learned."

Click Here to watch video of his touchdown at NFL.com.

My lips are sealed

by Barca Blog - It's officially been one week since Vanderbilt opened camp and the big question about who will start at quarterback can be summed up by three letters: TBD.

Head coach Bobby Johnson hasn't tipped his hand to the press so far (nor did we expect him to at this point), explaining that it's an open competition. Johnson has been asked several times throughout the week about how the QB's have performed, but has opted not to reveal if there's been any separation between the group.

"I'm pleased with Larry (Smith), I'm pleased with Mackenzi (Adams), I'm pleased with Jared Funk, I'm pleased with Charlie Goro, and Matt Casas," the head coach said. "We're just trying to put things in and see everybody execute."

I don't have any problems with his reasoning. If you don't have a clear cut favorite to start camp, then make them earn it. That's what it's for. Healthy competition is good. There's a long layover between spring and fall practice, so rather than jumping the gun, give them the reps to find out (a) who put in the work over the summer and (b) who is the best option to lead this offense. No reason to rush the decision process.

One thing's for sure... each signal caller will need to be ready no matter what the depth chart looks like heading into the Western Carolina opener on September 5. Three different quarterbacks have taken snaps in each of the Commodores previous three seasons.

Nice praise from a captain

by Barca Blog - So what is Bradley Vierling's assessment of the freshmen tailback trio of Warren Norman, Zac Stacy and Wesley Tate after their first week of practice at Vanderbilt.

"They're awesome," Vierling commented earlier this week. "Zac Stacy is really showing out. He can pick up blitzes, which to me that's more impressive than him running the ball for 15 yards. They're all doing great, but him imparticular, he's really, really doing well."

Nice praise indeed from the Commodores' two-time captain and senior center.

The freshmen backs have been one of several glaring positives in camp, displaying the ability to explode on any given carry during two scrimmages. All three should contend for playing time this season.

Vierling went on to say that Vanderbilt's o-line is focused on reducing the amount of sacks allowed this year (ranked ninth in the SEC with 26 in 2008), but also noted another tidbit of motivation for the front five.

"Personally, I think we want a 1,000-yard rusher, just one of them," Vierling added. "I know we're going to have a lot of different guys running the ball but I want one legitimate 1,000-yard rusher. That's what we want up front to show we're a unit that can move the ball."

The last time a 'Dore accomplished that feat was in 1995 when Jermaine Johnson rushed for 1,072 yards, which stands as the second-highest single-season total behind Corey Harris' 1,103 yards in 1991. The only other Commodore to break into four digits was Frank Mordica in 1978 with 1,065.

If you missed intern Travis' entire interview with Vierling on Tuesday, listen to it here.

James Williams... Doin' work

by Barca Blog - I chatted with redshirt sophomore right tackle James Williams for the first time on Tuesday for a quick Q&A on VUcommodores.com. A few things stood out to me:

1. Williams is an imposing figure, listed at 6-6 and 315 pounds in the Commodores 2009 media guide. Sure, I knew of his size, but it didn't really hit me until he was towering over me in the hallway outside of the locker room. If I'm a tailback, this is the kind of guy I want to run behind.

2. He is a soft-spoken giant. That's a good thing. I definitely didn't want to anger him with my line of questioning. He doesn't say a lot but is precise with the words he uses.

3. In a two and a half minute interview, Williams mentioned the word "work" five different times with an emphasis on "working hard." His demeanor strikes me of someone who is focused on making a leap on the gridiron this season. The Smyrna High product, who impressed coaches during spring practice with his improved play, has been "working" with the first team at right tackle during fall camp, and that's a testament to him considering seven Commodores with multiple starts on the o-line returned this year.

Anyway, check out the entire Q&A here.

"Stallings is best story in basketball"

By A. Boggs - That according to Mark Wiedmer of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, a longtime writer for the paper. Check out the article here.

Dore Jam reminder... This Sunday!

Vanderbilt’s featured Fan Day activity, Dore Jam, is scheduled this Sunday at the John Rich Practice Facility. Since its inception in 2002, the event has drawn large crowds of Commodore fans eager to get autographs of their favorite Vanderbilt student-athletes and coaches. Activities for kids also are in abundance during the event.

Dore Jam is scheduled from 4-6 p.m., and is free of charge. Admission to the practice fields, located just behind McGugin Athletic Center, is available off Natchez Trace.

Bye-bye bye week

By Ryan Schulz - When members of Vanderbilt’s football team suit up for the their season opener on Sept. 5 against Western Carolina, they will be embarking on a grueling stretch in which they will be playing the first of 12 games in 12 consecutive weeks.

The Commodores are the only team in the SEC that will play 12 straight games and one of just 15 programs in the country without a single bye week between games. Nine of the team’s without a bye week hail from the Big Ten, which has traditionally concluded its conference schedule the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Not having a break in the midst of a difficult schedule was certainly not done by choice of the football staff.

“I’m not real happy about it,” Bobby Johnson said. “I don’t think there’s anything anybody could do to avoid it. We certainly would have if we could have. In fact, we tried to fix it a little bit last year when we found out it would work out that way, but we just couldn’t get it done.”

The staff would definitely covet a week off, but not having a bye week will be nothing new to Vanderbilt’s coaching staff. Just three years ago, Vanderbilt didn’t have the luxury of a bye week in 2006 when the team finished 4-8 overall. No other SEC school has gone without a bye week since 2006.

Before the 2006 season, Vanderbilt had at least one bye week in every season dating back to 1955 when the Commodores defeated Auburn in the Gator Bowl. It wasn’t until after the 1955 season that bye weeks became a normal occurrence in college football.

Without a bye week, finding the extra time to recover from injuries and the typical dings and bruises that accompany a season will be one of the biggest challenges facing Vanderbilt in 2009. “We do have to be careful with how we work guys during the week and watch their legs,” Johnson said. “We have to make sure we don’t work guys too hard.”

To make it through the season, Vanderbilt will rely heavily on the conditioning work that took place this summer under the watch of speed, strength and conditioning director John Sisk.

“During the summer we lift five days a week,” speed, strength and conditioning director John Sisk said. “The NCAA gives us eight hours a week to work with them and we take advantage of every hour we get. It was a very productive summer with a lot of energy.”

Johnson hopes that the success experienced in summer conditioning will help limit the amount of conditioning work needed during the preseason and regular season.

“The great thing nowadays with everybody being able to go to summer school, especially your freshmen, is that they get in shape during the summer,” Johnson said. “Then we teach them the playbook and the game plan in preseason practice, so it's not that emphasis of getting them in shape that happens in the preseason practices any more. They're in shape. Then during the season, you’ve got to be smart about any kind of contact that you have during the week and the length of your practices.”

Andy Katz blogs about Australia trip

By A. Boggs - ESPN senior college basketball writer Andy Katz had a nice article on ESPN.com about Coach Stallings and the team's trip to Australia. Check it out here.

Hayward ready for 'big step'

by Barca Blog - One of only three true freshmen to play for the Commodores last season, Casey Hayward gave us a glimpse of what he could bring to the gridiron.

With the NFL departure of All-American D.J. Moore and graduation of Darlron Spead, the sophomore defensive back will have his chance to make an impact in 2009. Hayward shined during spring practice and hopes to earn a starting spot this fall.

"It's a big step," Hayward said. "I know I've got to come in and fill a big role that D.J. fulfilled last year."

Hayward had his best performance of the season when Moore went down with an ankle injury in the second quarter of the Music City Bowl. The Perry, Ga., native responed with three tackles and a pair of defended passes in the Commodores' 16-14 victory over Boston College.

"It gave me a tremendous amount of confidence," Hayward admitted. "I know I can do it."

Watch VUcommodores.com's entire interview with Casey Hayward below:

Video: Johnson's Monday presser

by Barca Blog - Watch head coach Bobby Johnson's press conference following Monday night's practice at the John Rich Practice Facility.

Leave the sharks alone

by Barca Blog - What's one thing that men's basketball head coach Kevin Stallings won't be doing during the Commodores five-game tour in Australia?

Find out in the video below.

I don't blame him... just read this story from Time Magazine.

Also, make sure you keep up with assistant coach Brad Frederick's blog during during the trip for all the latest news from on and off the court. Check out the first two installments: Day 3, Days 1 & 2

Intern Travis is revealed

From Brayburn's award-winning documentary...

In this video clip, Vanderbilt soccer seniors Lindsay Ratterman (6) and Megan Forester (9) give the scoop on intern Travis during the team's preseason photo shoot. We discover how the media relations assistant was almost left in Athens, Ga., on a trip last year.

(Breaking news from the AP wire... Travis has officially signed a one-year extension to work in our office. He will receive minimal pay plus a year's supply of A1 Steak Sauce. Make sure you say hello if you see him at a Commodore event this year.)

Marve: 'No room for complacency'

by Barca Blog - Chris Marve terrorized opposing offenses to earn Freshman All-American honors last season.

And he's not satisfied with his performance just yet.

When asked to name a couple of areas he's trying to improve on, the hard-hitting linebacker was quick to point out that the job's never done.

"I'm just working on everything," Marve said. "I can't just name two things. I'm trying to improve every facet of my game to be the best linebacker I can possibly be for this team."

That's a scary thought considering the Memphis native ranked first in the SEC with four forced fumbles and sixth with 105 tackles (tops for freshmen) in 2008. He may be considered the most intense player on the field for the Commodores, but you'd be surprised to know that his mindset is almost exactly the opposite.

"The more relaxed you are on the field, the better you play," Marve explained. "That's my personal philosophy. The better you feel out there, there more you know, the more relaxed you play, the more you execute."

As for his thoughts on the Commodores' defensive unit improving off one of its finest seasons in recent memory?

"There's no room for complacency. Staying in the same position takes you down. We need to get better and try to be the best we can be, the best in the SEC, and the best in the country. We strive for nothing less."

Watch VUcommodores.com's entire interview below:

New Addition

by Barca Blog - We've added a new All Access player to the front page of VUcommodores.com thanks to CBS College Sports and ISP Sports (see image above - right column). This will be the place to watch the latest Commodore interviews, highlights, features, etc.

The good news is that the files are encoded in flash, so they will work on both PCs and Macs. Also, you can click on any of the thumbnails, and the video will automatically play in the screen above it.

Hope you enjoy it!

Video: Johnson's Sunday presser

by Barca Blog - Vanderbilt donned shoulder pads for the first time Sunday evening (recap), giving us a taste of what Tuesday's practice in full gear will be like.

"When we get in pads on Tuesday, we'll probably dedicate a little bit of time to real football," head coach Bobby Johnson said. "We'll scrimmage some and the inside drill will be live. It will be no holds barred then. Football is Football."

Watch Johnson's entire press conference following last night's practice below:

Liddle signs with Twins

by Barca Blog - Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune is reporting that 15th-round draft pick Steven Liddle has signed with the Minnesota Twins.

Liddle, a second team All-SEC performer, had a standout sophomore year batting .348 with 10 homers and 51 RBIs. He led the team in virtually every offensive category during conference play including batting average (.374), runs (33), hits (43), doubles (tied-11), homers (7), total bases (75), slugging percentage (.652) and on-base percentage (.474).

Liddle was also spectacular in the outfield during his career, registering five assists while committing only four errors in two seasons.

The Franklin High product, and nephew of Twins bench coach Steve Liddle, was draft eligible because he redshirted his first year at VU. He will report to Elizabethton (Tenn.) of the Appalachian Rookie League Wednesday.

More Signing News: Earlier in the week, junior ace Mike Minor agreed to terms with the Atlanta Braves. He received a $2.42 million signing bonus, the highest ever given to a seventh overall selection.

“We were excited about being drafted in the first round, and then to be picked by the Braves was like a dream," Minor told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "Now to get a bonus like this — it’s a little overwhelming.”

David Boclair of The City Paper also reported that pitcher Drew Hayes will be coming back for his senior season. Hayes is having a solid summer as a reliever for Yarmouth-Dennis, the Eastern Division regular season champions in the Cape Cod League. In 10 appearances, he's 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA in 21.2 innings. Y-D is currently down 1-0 to Cotuit in a best-of-3 playoff series.

Still to be Determined: Pitcher Caleb Cotham, a fifth-round selection of the New York Yankees, as well as the 'Dores incoming recruiting class have until Monday, August 17, to decide whether to enroll at Vanderbilt or go pro.

Sideline watch

by Barca Blog - One of the storylines coming out of Saturday's practice had to do with the Commodores that didn't take the field on day two.

First, three receivers – redshirt sophomore Udom Umoh, redshirt freshman John Cole and redshirt freshman Akeem Dunham – attended practice but did not participate due to minor injuries. Cole and Dunham tweaked hamstrings while Umoh had a sore shoulder.

"We were a little thin at receiver today," Johnson said. "We need all those guys out there. John is one of our most explosive receivers and Udom has continued to improve. We'll get them back when our trainers give their okay."

Also, senior tailback Jared Hawkins watched the two-hour session from the sidelines. The Commodores' top returning rusher missed all of spring practice after having offseason surgery on his foot.

"Yesterday I was back in full-go and today (the coaches) wanted to limit me a little bit to make sure I'm easing back into things," Hawkins said. "They don't want me to start back up right away.

"It's very important to be back. It's killing me to be on the sidelines every now and then. I'm itching and ready to go for the season."

Watch video (below) of Coach Johnson's post-practice press conference plus VUcommodores' interview with Hawkins. For a full recap of the action, click here.

Register for Commodore Kickoff event

Please join the National Commodore Club, Vanderbilt coaches and student-athletes for a picnic celebrating Vanderbilt athletics on Tuesday, Aug. 25, from 6 to 8 p.m. The program begins at 6:45 p.m. at the Memorial Gym Plaza and the adjacent baseball patio.

Head football coach Bobby Johnson will kick-off the picnic at 6:30 p.m. with remarks about 2009 Vanderbilt Football and several Vanderbilt coaches and student-athletes will also be on hand to discuss their upcoming seasons and sign autographs.

Tickets are $10 per person; Children 12 and under free. The picnic will feature barbecue and refreshments from Golden Rule Smokehouse.

Register online before Aug. 20 by clicking here.

Parking available at the Highland Avenue entrance of the 25th Avenue Garage. Rain Location is the practice gym in Memorial Gymnasium.

Breaking it down

by Barca Blog - With preseason camp officially underway, we're another step closer to the Commodores opener against Western Carolina on September 5.

Gone are the days of summer conditioning. Now the coaches can get down to business. They'll use the time to thoroughly evaluate their roster on the field and then re-evaluate them in the film room to see if progress has been made since the offseason.

"You can really start coaching now," head coach Bobby Johnson said after Friday's session. "You've got a practice under your belt and you've got some film to show them. They'll be really surprised when they see some of their technique, which we can make better right off the bat. You get started and then you break it all down again to show them what they can improve on."

The next big step will be Tuesday when the Commodores are scheduled to put on full pads. NCAA rules require teams to practice four times before strapping on the gear, so the guys will spend the next three days participating in drills similar to today.

Watch the video below to see Bobby Johnson's post-practice press conference:

Billinger staying humble

by Barca Blog - Greg Billinger is no longer the new kid on the block.

The senior defensive tackle had a breakout season in 2008 after patiently waiting his turn as a reserve for two years. He set personal career highs in virtually every statistical category, and led all lineman in total tackles with 47. He also started every game for a team that finally ended the school's 26-year bowl drought.

But don't expect him to get a big head about it.

"It's confidence, but not cockiness," Billinger remarked. "I play out here like I'm a freshman every day. And when you play like that, you don't have that attitude that you're better than the next guy. If you have that attitude, then you shoot yourself in the foot. You've got to always keep that humbleness about you."

Find out what else Billinger had to say by watching Friday's post-practice interview below:

Larry Smith - Preseason Interview

by Barca Blog - Redshirt sophomore quarterback Larry Smith talked with the press following Vanderbilt's first preseason practice Friday evening at the John Rich Practice Facility.

Watch the video below:

Without the fans, black and gold would just be colors

by Barca Blog - At the moment, I'm probably like the rest of you... just passing time on a Friday afternoon at work thinking about the beginning of preseason camp, which gets underway tonight at the John Rich Practice Facility.

While we're waiting, I thought some of you out there, especially the ones that live outside of Nashville, would like to hear some of the local radio ads promoting season tickets (order here starting at $109). These four spots include some of Joe Fisher's best calls -- with a funny twist -- from last season's bowl run.

And kudos to our marketing department, which took home the top prize for this ad concept at the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) convention in June.

Click the links below to listen. You can also download them at our Athletics itunes page.

Spot 1: Final seconds of 2008 Music City Bowl victory
Spot 2: Myron Lewis' interception against Auburn
Spot 3: Adams to Wheeler for TD against Auburn
Spot 4: Jared Hawkins TD against South Carolina

SEC television answers

By A. Boggs - We’ve gotten a few questions about some of the logistics of the SEC’s new television deal with ESPN. Hopefully, these answers will be able to help you find the Commodores on a television set this fall.

Will every VU game be on television? In the SEC footprint, you’ll be able to watch every game on one of these channels: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, the SEC Network (see tentative list here), Fox Sports Net, Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS), or on a pay-per-view basis (each school gets to designate one game on their schedule for pay-per-view if they choose). If you’re outside the footprint, you’ll be able to get the games on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU for sure. The SEC Network is also expanding into markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and many other major markets, with the list growing almost on a daily basis. You may be able to get those games. And if you’re outside the footprint, you won’t be getting the FSN South or CSS games. However, every game on the SEC Network, FSN South, CSS, and the pay-per-views will be available on ESPN360 or on the network’s GamePlan package.

One marquee game per week? That’s all up in the air right now, but it looks like there will be many. Here’s the listing of the first three weeks of games and their television outlets.

In the first week alone, if you live in New York, you’ll be getting seven SEC games on either ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU. And for the other five, if you have ESPN360 or you buy the GamePlan package, you can watch them all! Or, if a local station near you is a part of the SEC Network, you will get those telecasts on that over-the-air channel. Notice the primetime nature of the games – that will be a staple of most weeks during the season.

What time are the games? There are three games that are set in stone – the SEC Network telecast, which will take place at 12:21 Eastern time; after September 19, a CBS game at 3:30 Eastern time; and a 7 p.m. Eastern time game on ESPNU. The rest will, in all likelihood, be primetime games on ESPN, ESPN2, CSS, or FSN South.

Will CBS offer live streaming of games? From all that we’ve seen and heard, that practice will continue, just like 2008.

And, as mentioned before, if you live outside of the SEC footprint and have ESPN360 or GamePlan, you will get to watch every football game in the SEC this season.

See this article from Stewart Mandel of SI.com for an analysis of how big this deal really is.

Football freshmen move-in photos

by Barca Blog - A new crop of Commodores moved into their residential living space Wednesday eager to participate in their first college practice in less than 48 hours.

The prospects lugged their personal belongings into Vanderbilt's state-of-the-art community known as The Commons, which houses all incoming freshmen. You may remember this location as the same place that ESPN set up their popular College Gameday show for the Auburn game last season.

I was able to capture 12 photos for your viewing pleasure. It was tougher to get most of the newcomers on camera this year since The Commons consists of several residence halls (and I haven't mastered the art of being ten places at once).

Anyway, Click Here to view my photos.

And if you want to take a trip down memory lane, here are links to galleries from the previous two freshmen move-in days: 2007 Gallery / 2008 Gallery

Note: Commodore returnees will report Thursday with camp scheduled to begin Friday evening at the John Rich Practice Facility. All preseason practices are closed to the general public.

Cool item for kids (and adults, too!)

by Barca Blog - You might be familiar with Fathead, a company that offers decal-like sports posters that stick to bedroom walls without tape or thumb tacks (it just peels off).

Well, Replay Photos is now selling a similar item of the best mascot in the land.

That's right, you can purchase a four-foot tall adhesive cutout of Mr. C for only $69.95 (echo) which also includes a couple of Commodore logos.

I'm jealous because this product wasn't available when I was a kid. It would have been placed right next to my Eric Davis "44 Magnum" poster and Shawn Kemp "Reign Man" poster.

Click here to bring Mr. C into your home.