Monday Musings: Helton goes all Vol into the Hall

IIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTT’SSSSSSS MONDAY!!!!!!!!!!! And you truly glorious folks know just what that means.

Let’s grab those rifles, lock in the cartridges, Yell pull, and fire away at the orange and white nuggets of Tennessee Vols-related thoughts flying out of my head.

1) Man, you have to LOVE the dedication that Todd Helton showed in going into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Vols legend was inducted as part of the 2024 class on Sunday afternoon, along with Twins catcher Joe Mauer, Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre, and manager Jim Leyland.

2) Helton tipped off that he was going to be supporting the Vols in his speech based off his Hall of Fame display case that was unveiled earlier in the week. While many have shown off all baseball stuff, Helton had a Tennessee football helmet included in there.

3) But man, Helton really was all Vol on Sunday. He showed up to the stage with an orange Power T pin on his suit coat. And when he went on stage, his love for Tennessee, Vols football, Knoxville, and the UT baseball program were all on display.

4) Helton gave an early shoutout in the speech to David Cutcliffe. He credited Cutcliffe for giving him some simple advice that he says stuck with him and helped mold his behavior as an athlete: “don’t be a dirt kicker.” Well, that appears to have stuck, as Helton was known throughout his career for having a quiet but determined demeanor and not wearing his emotions on his sleeve. Well done, Cut.

5) Helton also talked about how he knew he wasn’t as cut out for football as baseball by being sandwiched between Heath Shuler and his friend Peyton Manning in the pantheon of Tennessee quarterbacks. Can’t blame him for that. It seems he miiiiiiiight have known what he was doing by hitting that little ball around the field.

6) But lastly, he shouted out Vitello, whom he described as the best college coach in the country, and the national champion Volunteers. Hey, it’s always really cool to hear “national champion Tennessee Volunteers.” It’s even cooler to hear that from the mouth of a baseball Hall of Famer. It’s INCREDIBLY FREAKING COOL to hear that from the mouth of a baseball Hall of Famer DURING HIS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION SPEECH. Man, chills. I applauded like a fool when I heard that.

So yeah, all the credit in the world to Helton and what he accomplished in Knoxville and with the Colorado Rockies. He certainly made all Vol fans proud with his accomplishments and how he certainly didn’t forget where he came from.

7) So yeah, SEC Media Days took place last week. And man…they were pretty quiet for Heupel and the Vols. The media really didn’t ask much that interesting. Nothing on NIL and the lawsuit by Tennessee against the NCAA, in particular. Perhaps some see that issue as closed (even though the case is still ongoing), but no one really has had much of a chance to ask Heupel about it. A big whiff there by the attending media IMHO.

8) But Heupel did mention his favorite restaurant to go to in Knoxville, for those interested in such things. Speaking with Barrett Sallee of Outkick, he noted it’s J.C. Holdway in downtown Knoxville. Oh, and he’s also a less frills BBQ guy. A true man of the people.

Go Vols!