NY Times writer George Vecsey vs. Tennessee
There is a battle underway between The New York Times and the Tennessee football program. The latest round sent over the wall comes from George Vecsey. The full article, which was published December 14th, can be found here...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/15/sports/ncaafootball/15vecsey.html?_r=1&em
Here are a couple of the key quotes from Mr. Vecsey, concerning the alleged recruiting violations by the University of Tennessee.
I’m not suggesting anything untoward happened on the little trip from Knoxville, Tenn., to Duncan, S.C... I’m sure the two young women were there just to wish the lads well and say, “If you’re ever in the neighborhood, y’all come see us, y’heah?”
He adds...
Whether Coach Lane Kiffin actually handed the hostesses a road map and chits for gasoline fill-ups is not the point. It happened on his watch, the way Watergate happened on the watch of Richard M. Nixon.
Mr. Vecsey explains that he is no "Tennessee-basher," and that he even visited a farm in Anderson County a few decades ago with no electricity or running water.
I am a native New Yorker, grew up in Albany, went to college at SUNY Geneseo, worked in Watertown. I have also lived in Knoxville for more than 11 years (2 while getting my Master's Degree, and the last 9 working at WATE-TV6).
Read the article from Mr. Vecsey for yourself, but to me, this is reminiscent of ESPN's Chris Fowler's "trailer-park frenzy" comment a decade ago.
Leave your comments below... would love to read them.
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all i want for christmas is
all i want for christmas is thirty minutes with georgie...please tell santa.
i think he left out running into a barefoot, pregnant woman.
I like the Vecsey article. It
I like the Vecsey article. It does hit home a bit, but then good writing should strike a cord.
Vecsey's Sour Grapes
I'm a native Tennessee honey, but I'm not a New York basher mind you. I went to NYC on my honeymoon 22 years ago and have been back a couple of times for fun and shopping. Heck, I've not only visited areas outside the glorious south, I've been outside the whole country. If Vecsey was fortunate enough to meet a woman who knows how to love her husband, her babies and football all at the same time, there's no doubt in my mind that he wouldn't have a clue what to do with her. I am conservative, and if Kiffin and UT used girls sleeping around to recruit a football player, there should be consequences. However, Vecsey's article reminded me of actors who even though they try their darndest to sound southern, they just sound like a cheap imitation. Using phrases like "once wrote a story" and "visited a spiffy farm" (spiffy...really?) to sound down home doesn't even come close to what a real southern writer like Rick Bragg (who had the good sense to leave the NYT and is now teaching at the fine University of Alabama) can turn out. Vecsey's right about one thing. It didn't take a Tennessee honey to turn him into a blubbering idiot. If he's dumb enough to hike in the Smokies after writing such an insulting article, heaven help him if he runs into trouble. He just may find he needs a hostess.
Peter Vecsey's Comment
As to Mr. Vecsey's comment on the Orangegate it;s unreal to me that the Tn fans are unable to see that this siyuation with the girls may of truly happened. If it wreaks a foul smell chances are thst it stinks this is correct all the thing;s that happen on Kiff the stiff's watch is his problem. The three bandido's now minus one is on his watch,the secondary violations is on his watch. I've said that after it's all said and done he will do more damage to this school and it's football program than anyone.Take all of these problems and see it for what it truly is.a stiff is a Kiff.
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