I was trying to figure out how I got to where I am, why I am no longer as passionate about my school or my team. And I have said many times, that if they give Lyle and extension and another raise, I am out of here. But then something dawned on me today: I haven't gone anywhere. UT has left me. Yes, I have changed over the years as well, but I don't even recognize the UT Athletic Department any longer. Football is stuck in a mire of bad or mediocre play. Basketball has been floundering for 35+ years save a Camelot under Pearl. Baseball? Bunch of suck. Track? What has happened to our once national power track and field teams? And yet the AD demands more and more of out of its fans. More money. More gear. More time. Oh, and one more thing, more MONEY. Game times are all over the place, football games last 4+ hours now, and it sucks. This is not just UT, of course, but all of college sports. And yet some programs get the new times and roll with them. Alabama. LSU. Michigan. Even UGA, though they UGA everything up. Our fans are content with 8-4. No, not content, they are [dadgum] jubilant about it. I feel like the guy who "volunteered" because everyone else in line took four steps back while I stayed where I was. So I haven't left UT, but UT has left me. Left me for mediocrity, money and status quo. But I will always be right here. And UT knows where to find me.
