Saturn Spring Hill, Tennessee goes silent

The Spring Hill, Tennessee Saturn manufacturing plant will be silenced this week as the last Ion and Vue models will roll off the production line. Saturn will now be the unofficial/official re-badged GM Europe, with a lineup of Vauxhall and Opel cars produced for the US market under the Saturn nameplate.

Don't feel bad for the workers -- even though they are 'out of work' they will get 95% of their pay and benefits for a year while the plant is reconfigured to maximize production capacity for other GM products that will be produced there once it is finished.

Justin Timberlake is from Tennessee? I hadn't a clue!

On the other hand, I'm not a huge Timberlake fan. I particularly dislike the whole 'SexyBack' thing. Too 1988 for my tastes.

Apparently, a couple of state senators want to honor him with some kitchy resolution or decree and a couple of others didn't want to.

Must be a slow news day. I was simply surprised that JT hailed from my home state. Carry on.

I'm not sure that I'll ever recover...

Vanderbilt lead Georgetown by as much as 13 points, but lost in a dramatic, likely illegal, shot with only two seconds left in the game. Georgetown's Big East player of the year, Jeff Green, hit a twirling despiration shot off the glass after changing his pivot foot.

No call.

That's the way the cookie crumbles. Vanderbilt is eliminated from the tournament by the number two seed after a very well-played game. Go 'Dores.

New Products from Kumho - A trip to tire bizarro world

As a performance car aficionado, I like to do my homework on parts that I use for my car. After some research last summer, I bought a set Kumho ECSTA tires. They've been great thus far, and they're inexpensive to boot. I am very satisfied.

A catalog from Tire Rack, a mail-order Kumho retailer, came in the mail earlier this week. I bought my tires from them and I like reading about these things, so I flipped through the catalog to uncover new products and information. I was surprised at what I saw from Kumho.

It seems that Kumho has developed the ultimate ricer tire -- the ECSTA SPT Colored Smoke. According to the Tire Rack website, the colored smoke tires were developed solely for use during burn-out and drifting competitions to produce red, yellow or blue tinted smoke instead of the "traditional" white smoke. Bizarre. Really bizarre. Not so much that they exist, but that there is an actual market demand for this product. I'm absolutely stunned. So, if you own a Mitsubishi Eclipse with metallic orange paint and a fart cannon , a Dodge Neon with more than eight pounds of stickers on it or a Nissan Z-car that's got black-out window tinting and more than one subwoofer installed, these are the tires for you.

However, the oddities from Kumho do not stop there.

They have also introduced a tire that's designed to smell. That is, smell like something other than rubber and carbon black. It's a tire that smells like -- wait for it -- lavender. That's right, a tire that smells like flowers.

Quoting from the Tire Rack website:

The ECSTA DX Aroma is KUMHO's Grand Touring All-Season tire designed for trend-setting, fashion-conscious drivers who enjoy products that will set their luxury coupes and sedans apart from everyone else's. In addition to delivering an alluring aroma that replaces a tire's normal "rubber" smell with the subtle scent of fresh lavender, the ECSTA DX Aroma is designed to deliver a comfortable ride and low noise, while blending good wear with dry, wet and year-round traction, even in light snow.

My question is this: who wakes up in the morning and says, "Hmmmm, you know, if I make my car smell, that would really make me happy. That's it; I'm waiting no longer. I'm getting those crazy good smelling tires from Kumho. "? Who are these people? Homosexuals driving Volvo convertibles? Nature lovers in their VW Beetles? Old ladies that drive 10-year-old Buicks? I'm completely baffled by this one.

To recap: a major tire manufacturer is making tires that smell like lavender, and tires that make colored smoke. On purpose.

The end is truly near. I suggest that you pray with vigor.

Lady Commodores Down Delaware State to Advance

Since the Vanderbilt women were seeded at number two, the first game should be an easy win. Well, it wasn't so easy in the early going, but they cruised to a comfortable win.

Go (Lady) 'Dores!

An icon of sport succumbs to mortality

In sad news, Dallas Cowboys super fan 'Crazy Ray' died yesterday at age 76. After several years of poor health with diabetes and the attendant coronary disease, Ray passed away at home in Dallas.

Growing up a Dallas Cowboys fan, I used to love Ray's characteristic first down calls from the sidelines and his special Thanksgiving Day getup.

Ray, you will be missed.

Commodores Advance to NCAA Sweet Sixteen!

Despite all of the hype heaped upon Washington State and the PAC-10 conference, Vanderbilt prevailed in a tight game (double overtime!) today 78-74. Derrick Byars and Ted Skuchas had great games individually, making up for Shan Foster's foul trouble.

The next game against Georgetown will be a tough matchup. Vanderbilt beat Georgetown early in the season, but this is a different Georgetown squad -- they've been impressive in Big East play.

GO 'DORES!!!

P.S. - Here's a great article about Derrick Byars play yesterday. Enjoy!

Albert Gore, Jr., Polluting Industrialist

We've tried to be nice, but now it's time for a little dose of reality. Albert Gore, Jr. has a zinc mine. On his property. One that releases toxins and scars the land. And it makes him rich.

Vanderbilt Wins First-round NCAA Tourney Game 77-44

The Commodores smoke the George Washington University squad by 33. Go 'Dores!

Someone Unpimp This Thing, Please!!

Somewhere, underneath the orange metallic paint, decals and fiberglass, there's a Saab 9000. And it's crying for help. Oh, the humanity!

Vanderbilt Athletics Gains Seven National Rankings

This is a well-written article in the USA Today about Vanderbilt University athletics. Seven nationally ranked teams in the past month.

Go 'Dores!

ESPN Ombudsman Agrees With Me on Ameachi

The ESPN Ombudsman agrees with me on the subject of John Amaechi. Media coverage at ESPN (of course, the major sports news outlet in the US) was 'over the top' he says.

I repeat my opinion: nothing about a mediocre former NBA player is worth the ink spilled about his book and his life. Period.

Lady Commodores Win the Southeastern Conference Tourney!

Without question, the SEC is the top conference in women's college basketball. By far the most dominant, in fact. So it's with great pride that we celebrate this Southeastern Conference championship. Good luck in the NCAA tournament, ladies! Go 'Dores!!

An Enduring Classic of American Pop Music

I'm speaking of "God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys. The original version, from the legendary 1966 album Pet Sounds, was an instant classic. On the liner notes for a re-release on compact disc, Brian Wilson notes that "Carl and I were into prayer. We'd pray together, and we prayed for light and guidance through the album." I think it worked.


True to the original, with the original Beach Boys line-up.


From a recent performance in the UK, Brian Wilson looks a little stiff, perhaps a bit confused on stage with the Corrs.

A piece of Vanderbilt Football History

This helmet was worn in the late 1960's during what some would call Vanderbilt's 'Golden Age' of football. The Brown brothers, Mack and Watson were teammates and leaders on a team that was successful in spite of serious competition in the always-tough Southeastern Conference.

Go 'DORES!

Albert Gore, Jr. SIT DOWN!

Take a gander at this document. According to this source, our leftist environmental guardian Albert Gore, Jr.'s home consumes more than 20 times the national average while preaching a 'personal conservationism' agenda.

Meanwhile, President George W. Bush's personal home consumes about 25% of the national average, since it is only one-fifth the size of Mr. Gore's manse and uses energy-saving technologies such as a geothermal heat pump and natural flora instead of the energy-hungry heating and cooling system and oversized pool at the former Veep's place.

Who's the environmentalist? Who's the profiteer? Decide for yourself!