With the Tigers last year Polanco made 4

In fact, no one would blame Tennessee for celebrating if the Dome ceased to be a venue for post-season championships, tournaments, bowls and other sporting events.But Tennessee's 21st Century misfortunes in the Georgia Dome match its misfortunes in the Chick-fil-A Bowl quite well. The Vols have made four appearances in the bowl (tied for 6th-most among all NCAA teams) Their only win came on Jan. 2, 1988when the bowl was still known as the Peach Bowl and was played at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium.Tennessee entered that game fresh off a 9-2-1 regular season that included a 20-20 tie of No 3 Auburn Ranked No. 17 in the nation, the Vols defeated Indiana 27-22 to wrap up a 10-win season with a Top 15 ranking.Tennessee's other appearance in the bowl came in 1982, also at Fulton County Stadium. In three appearances in the bowl, the Hokies have only won once: a 25-24 win over North Carolina in 1986.

And with that much tradition represented in the Georgia Dome this New Year's Eve, don't be surprised if the Chick-fil-A Bowl continues its recent success as one of the most-anticipated, most-watched non-BCS bowls.. The Detroit Tigers did not offer second baseman Placido Polancoarbitration, which means any team can sign him without having to forfeit a draft pick since he's a Type-A free agent.Polanco, 34, hit .285/.331/.396 with 10 homers and 72 RBI in 675 plate appearances with the Tigers last season. He only struck out 46 times last season, which indicates he makes contact most of the time.He has been linked to the Phillies multiple times thus far this offseason as many believe they're eyeing him to be their third base this coming season despite him not playing third since 2004.In his 11-year Major League career, he is a .303/.348/.414 hitter and he has played in Philadelphia before The Phillies acquired him from St. Louis for Scott Rolenthen traded him to Detroit in 2005.With the Tigers last year, Polanco made $4.6 million. Many believe he will not cost as much as Chone Figginsor Adrian Beltre, but he could give the Phillies something that no free agent third baseman can.Polanco is a great situational hitter, something the Phillies currently don't have. The Phillies have a lot of strikeouts in their lineup, and penciling him into the lineup would add a contact bat who does the little things.How many times have you seen the Phillies fail to get a key hit with runners in scoring position with two outs or unable to move a runner over That's where Polanco would help most.Don't be surprised if he is playing third base for the Phillies next season instead of Mark DeRosa, who many think is the favorite to land in Philadelphia or Beltre. Now, it will not cost them a pick to sign him. For more Phillies coverage, please go to my blog: Phillies Phandom.

Behind the arm and legs of Reggie McNeal in his senior season, the football program was receiving more hype than they had since the late 90s.Poor coaching and questionable play proved they were not worthy of their preseason No 17 ranking, as they finished with a 5-6 record. Fran finally beat Texas in Austin in a game that not many fans will soon forget. "12-7" shirts still make appearances on and off campus every once and a while.The team finished 9-3, with the three losses totaling six points, but were waxed by California in the Holiday Bowl 45-10.Despite the embarrassing bowl loss, several experts witnessed the fact that 18 starters were returning for the 2007 season. Kirk Herbstreit even mentioned the Aggies as a BCS sleeper contender.A booster newsletter controversy, questionable coaching, ill-prepared teams, and failure to succeed all led to Fran's resignation at the end of the 2007 season, despite his second straight victory over the Longhorns.In walks Mike Sherman, and with him questions about his lack of college experience and ability to withstand the grind of recruiting.He has struggled to implement his pro-style offense with Fran's zone-read players, and Joe Kines has not been able to get the defense to show up consistently.Last season, he finished with a 4-8 record but also was able to provide reasons to look to the future. The 2009 recruiting class was ranked in the top 25; apparently his pro style offense will attract more than just quarterbacks and tailbacks like Fran's offense.Fran was always able to get the skill positions to come to A&M, but where he lacked, Sherman is excelling.He has already recruited four offensive lineman, all four of which are four-star recruits and in nearly every credible recruiting website's top lists.With four other four-star recruits and several three-stars from Texas, the recruiting class for 2010 is expected to be in the top 15.The make or break aspect of the 2010 season will be keeping Jerrod Johnson away from the lure of the NFL draft and all those dollars. If he and Jeff Fuller get yet another season together, we could be witnesses to the best QB-WR combination in the program's history.Johnson performed at the highest level on the biggest stage on Thanksgiving against the Longhorns. All the Aggies did was make Longhorn fans sweat for 60 minutes and worry that their defense will not be able to withstand Alabama or Florida. The loss ended a 6-6 up and down season to say the least.

It featured a win at Texas Tech for the first time since 1993, but also saw embarrassing losses of 38 or more points three times.It was almost impossible to get a handle on this team, which is the main reason they have fans questioning the hiring of Sherman.That being said, a bowl win could turn in Sherman's first winning season and possibly bring in more solid recruits. He deserves at least one-two more years, it is almost impossible to turn around a bad program in two seasons.Hopefully the Aggie brain trust feels the same way and gives him what he deserves; a chance to prove himself on the field.The whole point of this article is to highlight the fact that despite around eight straight years of an average football team, the Ags will return to the national spotlight in 2010.With 16 returning starters, including several key young players at skill positions, there is little evidence to the contrary. . Bears vs Bruins:After finishing work on Thanksgiving Eve, we headed to the Giant Center to see the Bears take on the Providence Bruins.With fond memories of eliminating the Bruins from the playoffs last spring, the tough match we anticipated did not materialize, and the Bears would be given a lesson by the boys in yellow. Providence would win the game 4-1, as Hershey failed to find chemistry and failed to stay out of the penalty box with their eight infractions.Boyd Kane would score the only goal for the Bears, and it was one of those lucky-turned-fluky efforts that saw the puck flip up of Kanes' stick over Dany Sabourin and into the net.Alexandre Giroux did all of the work, Kane got the glory, and the Bears shut down from that moment on.It was just a shame that the Bears had to be the turkeys on the eve of Thanksgiving.Bears vs Phantoms:Hershey found their form on the road in Adirondack the night after Thanksgiving, upsetting the Phantoms in front of their own fans.With Alexandre Giroux on recall to the Capitals, Hershey called up Michael Dubuc from South Carolina, and from all accounts, he shone for the Bears - and scored his first AHL goal in the process.A great road win, and 24 hours later, both teams would face off again in Hershey, PA.Less than 60 seconds after the puck dropped, Dubuc would strike, taking a nifty pass from Zach Miskovic and sending the vulcanized rubber into the back of the net.Ten minutes later, Dubuc made the score sheet once again, earning the primary assist on a Darren Reid goal.Many in attendance started to believe that this 21 year old was for real. I wish the same could be said for defenseman Sean Collins, who was fairly impressive last season and had playing time in Washington to show for it.Fast forward to the present, however, and Collins has failed to repeat such a performance.On numerous shifts, he was out of position, out-played by the Phantoms forechecking, sloppy with the puck and gave up too many odd-man rushes.I had to laugh when I heard somebody compare Collins with a turnstile - creaking as he spins in circles.Right now Collins needs to be benched, or even spend some time back down in the ECHL in order to help him find his game.Come on Sean, last season I believed in you......don't let the Bears down.As stated in an earlier post, I am having a hard time warming to Boyd Kane.During this game, however, he started to break down some barriers...mixing it up with his former Phantom team mates, and being a general agitating pest.At one point, I almost cracked a smile.However, in a game that would be tied at the end of regulation, Kane would destroy all of his temporary credit by taking the DUMBEST double roughing minor in overtime.Fortunately the Bears made it through the five minute OT period, and would ultimately lose in the shootout.....but for me, the damage had been done when Kane mixed it up with the Phantoms one time too many.Thanks Boyd.....Bears v Baby Pens:Having had time to cool down, we ventured back to the Giant Center the following evening for a showdown with the boys from up I-81.The previous encounter between these two teams at Giant Center had been lopsided, especially as the majority of the Penguins stars had been recalled to an ailing Pittsburgh club at the time.This time around, many familiar faces were back - Ben Lovejoy, Mark Letestu, Deryk Engelland - the Bears would have to bring their A-game tonight and not underestimate the pesky Pens.Hershey would call on Michal Neuvirth to tend between the pipes, and a few fans would cheer when Sean Collins was announced as a scratch, leaving captain Bryan Helmer to fill the final defensive roster spot.After 60 minutes of play, Michal Neuvirth earned the first star honors as he shut out Wilkes Barre in the Bears 5-0 victory. 'Neuvy' faced a total of 42 shots, while Pens netminder John Curry faced only 21 in comparison, statistically giving up 1 goal for every four shots faced.The Bears outhustled the Penguins all night, and earned the victory in a great team effort.After his poor performance on Saturday, Boyd Kane would redeem himself to the Hershey faithful - scoring on two of his three shots, and staying out of the penalty box all evening.Michael Dubuc would assist on Darren Reids' power play goal to finish the game, collecting points in three straight games and making it difficult for Mark French to reassign him back to the ECHL.The Bears took 5 of 6 points in three consecutive nights, and maintain a comfortable position at the top of their division. This article is also featured on Salutations From the Sin Bin. Following today's practice, Urban Meyer announced that Carlos Dunlap is "suspended indefinitely" after his arrest for DUI early this morning.