Wiki:

Iamaleava served as the backup quarterback to Joe Milton during the 2023 regular season before being named Tennessee's starting quarterback for the Citrus Bowl, played in January.

 In his first career start during the Citrus Bowl, Iamaleava threw for 151 yards and recorded four total touchdowns, one passing and three rushing, leading Tennessee to a 35–0 victory over Iowa.

For his performance, he was named Citrus Bowl MVP.

Entering the 2024 season, Iamaleava was named Tennessee's starting quarterback.

 In the season opener against Chattanooga, he threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns in a 69–3 win.

That butt-kicking was a relatively infrequent occurrence in my four years at UTC after ceremoniously opening the game at Chamberlain Field: 

Seven siblings!

 For most Samoans, the family is of the utmost importance.

 It is believed that each person is a representative of their family and thus should act in such a way that honors all family members. Each is expected to contribute to the family’s cumulative success.

Not dissimilar to the South and values my North Carolina upbringing provided.  What has happened to North Carolina...

 Much emphasis is placed on one’s willingness to share and cooperate with those around them. Indeed, in adherence to fa’a Samoa, many Samoans believe that a person should place their kin before all else. 

Eight children.

Hence, Nico's number 8...

All Samoans that I have had the good fortune to encounter reflect those family values.

One man that comes to mind is a young Specialist, E-4, Poe.

SP4 Poe was an X-ray tech at DC#1, Fort Rucker, on whom I relied for specific radiographs that other techs could not provide.

Bisecting angle radiographs require a certain eye that cannot be taught.

SP4 Poe was quite valuable and a great asset to our staff.

This was a big man.

I wore XL surgical gloves; his hands dwarfed mine.

Despite his massive phalanges, he was known for the gentle manner in which he acquired his radiographs.

When post softball season started in 1982, I inquired if he played softball.  "No sir...but I would like to...".

No hyperbole here...

Virtually every at bat, Poe would launch a homer.  With or without a fence; it didn't matter.

This six-foot-four-inch 245 pound man entertained us at every practice and game with his moonshots.

His skill with the bat at home plate provided a double edge for me.  

My professional reliance on his technical skills came to a screeching halt when Army brass found out about those softball skills.

One day, at the beginning of my DOD week, I was looking for Poe with no success.

Colonel Maddox shared with me that our great X-ray tech was now on the official US Army softball team.

Yup, Martha, he was travelling and homering instead of acquiring detailed images of maxillary first premolars.

Army sports programs are a big deal.

My initial Samoan contact was when I was an eight-year-old; my father had been selected for jungle operations training with the 25th Infantry Division, Tropic Lightning, in Hawaii.

The Polynesian culture was evident; their love for family and religious convictions was readily apparent.

My last interaction with a Samoan was SP4 Poe; I have been enriched by those encounters.

  Iamaleava 

I am so trying to resist the increasingly enigmatic vowel conspiracies that are surfacing, however...

Those polysyllabic, multi-vowel surnames always seem to eschew my precious diphthongs.

All the while encasing one within their very name:

Hawaii.

Taken to the woodshed... 

• In the first quarter, during which Tennessee outscored Kent State by a 37-0 margin, the Volunteers totaled 283 yards of offense, while the Golden Flashes had -22 yards. Tennessee had a 305-yard edge in offensive yards through 15 minutes.
  • At halftime, Tennessee held a 541-23 yardage edge, good for a plus-518 margin.

• This is the seventh time in Heupel's four seasons the Volunteers have totaled 60-plus points in a game, including the second time already in 2024.

• Tennessee has outscored its opponents 191-13 through the first three games of the 2024 campaign. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the +178 point differential through three games is the largest in SEC history and second-most by any FBS team in the AP Poll era (since 1936).

• The Vols have scored 50-plus points in the first three games of a season for the second time in school history and first since 1913. Tennessee joined 2018 Alabama as the only SEC programs to accomplish the feat in the AP Poll era.

• Tennessee's 71 points set a school record for the modern era (since 1937), eclipsing the prior top mark of 70 on Sept. 23, 2000.
  • Including games before the modern era, this is the 11th time the Volunteers have ever scored 70-plus points in a game and the first since tallying 73 on Nov. 9, 1929, versus Carson-Newman, four years before Tennessee joined the SEC. The 71 points ranks 10th on the program's all-time list, regardless of era.
  • The last time an SEC team scored 70-plus points in regulation against an FBS opponent was Sept. 12, 2015, when Ole Miss registered 73 versus Fresno State.

• The Volunteers won by 70-plus points for the 10th time in program history, including the first in the modern era (since 1937).

• Tennessee amassed 740 total yards to set a school record, eclipsing the prior top mark of 724 against Missouri on Nov. 12, 2022.
  • This is the second time in three outings in 2024 the Volunteers have posted 700-plus yards after previously doing so twice all-time. Tennessee had 718 yards, tied for its second-most ever, in its opener against Chattanooga on Aug. 31.
  • Four of the top five yardage marks in Tennessee history are in the last three seasons under the direction of Josh Heupel. In addition to the three aforementioned games, the Volunteers notched 696 yards versus UT Martin on Oct. 22, 2022.
  • The 740 yards by Tennessee tied for the 10th-most in SEC history and for the fifth-highest such mark against an FBS foe.

• The Vols finished Saturday's game with 456 rushing yards as a team, the 26th game of the Josh Heupel era producing 200-plus yards on the ground. Tennessee owns a 24-2 record in those contests, including 18 wins in a row when reaching that mark.
  • The 456 rushing yards marked the seventh time Tennessee has hit 400-plus, placing fifth on the program's all-time list.
  • The last time the Volunteers rushed for 400-plus yards was Oct. 2, 2021, at Missouri when they amassed 458 on the ground.

• Tennessee led 37-0 after one quarter of play, setting a new program record for points in a period in the modern era (since 1937). The prior record was 35 in the first quarter against Arkansas on Nov. 11, 2000.

• The Volunteers took a 65-0 lead into the halftime break to set a new school modern era (since 1937) record for points in a half. The prior mark, also under Josh Heupel, was 52 on Oct. 22, 2022, in the first half versus UT Martin.
  • Previously, the record in said era for points in a half against an FBS team was 49 before the intermission against UL Monroe on Sept. 23, 2000.
  • Per SEC Network, Tennessee's 65 first-half points marked the most in a half by any team in at least the last 20 seasons.
  • Tennessee finished 11 points shy of the FBS record for points in a half. The all-time mark is 76 by Houston on Nov. 23, 1968, versus Tulsa.

Wrong Way Parker...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDwraPv9f5Q

"Don't bring a brick to a gunfight!"

Not actually a conundrum, but a tempering of the enjoyment I had for a song I liked in 1970.

Despite being written by foul-smelling hippies, a special class of stupid, military-hating scum, 'Ohio' was a monster hit.

As with many songs I have enjoyed over the  years, the lyrics are often digested over a period of time.

As an example, the most popular song blared at GI hangouts in Tongduchon was

 PSA lessons on AFKN were frequent in order to help soldiers learn common Korean phrases; 'maekju chuseyo....' was my initial phrase to learn.

First things first.

The next, necessary because I also treated ROK civilians who could not speak English, was "Epal apayo?" 

Do you have a toothache?

Delving into the diagnosis, "Odi apayo?"

Where is the toothache?

"Onje apayo?"

When does your tooth hurt?

At any rate, years passed before I realized that this Springsteen asshole was being sarcastic and even ashamed of being American.  

My family experienced untold anguish and worry as my father, a jungle warfare special operator, had two tours of combat in Vietnam.  Each day, we would pray for his safe return.

God provided such.

And the hippies, unemployed and living with their parents, wasted their college years acquiring useless degrees.

Further, they were all liberal and hated the military.

And I witnessed this hatred every day for  years.  

They spat on US soldiers returning from combat, on orders from their country.

A few assholes would even razz the UTC ROTC cadets on Wednesdays when they were in uniform.

As much as I enjoyed the Springsteen concert with Rich and Deb while we were in dental school, I revile Bruce Springsteen today.

I should have taken note of the first line - 

 "Tin soldiers and Nixon's comin' "

Again, Southerners have common sense.

Two things not to be taken to a gunfight:  knives and bricks...

I suspect Dr. Van Sickle was not aware of those anti-American lyrics at the time, either.

Hey, Rich, how is that Jewbag governor of yours in PA working out?

Which is worse, Philly or Memphis?

God bless you and your beautiful wife.  We had some great times, countering the stress of being the inaugural class of dental students that propelled UTCHS College of Dentistry to world class level.

It was our high honor to receive the instruction of 'Diamond Jim Andrews'.

I recall the imparted wisdom -

"Mechanics use tools.  You use instruments."

Looking up with his loupes in place and smiling...

Beer lovers from across the globe travel to Germany for this festival.

I was in Bavaria in 1982 as part of REFORGER and unable to take advantage of this impressive celebration.  I was on 24-hour duty with the Second Combat Support Hospital.

Not only missing out on some of the finest beer in the world provided in huge mugs or beautiful steins...

But worse, visual pleasures were not available, either...

Or, as envisioned by Wagner...

Some of these soldiers had not seen a beer in several weeks, as they had been combat deployed since their arrival in Germany.

As a reward for their participation in REFORGER, some were allowed to enter an Oktoberfest tent adjacent to the CSH AO.

But there always seem to be some dumbass who screws things up for everyone else.

  Testosterone and alcohol-fueled skirmishes developed among a few hot heads.

The Military Police were summoned to quell the uprising, leading to one idiot providing kinetic energy from about twenty feet.

One of those heavy glass mugs hurled at an MP fractured the body of his mandible.

I approximated the fractured bone using archbar fixation.  Stabilization was accomplished by utilizing his centric occlusion to maintain the 3D position of the fracture line.

In those days, cross arch fixation required twisting 24 gauge wire interproximally to keep the patient's arches completely stable.

Wire cutters were attached to the soldier's uniform in case of nausea.

Then, off to Landstuhl Medical Center for continuance of care...

My 1982 Oktoberfest...

An elderly gentleman was riding his bicycle one beautiful evening.   The Bavarian countryside was bathed in moonlight provided by a perfect Ranger Moon.

Hearing the unfamiliar sound of propellers overhead, he looked up and, with astonishment, saw hundreds of paratroopers descending.

As this nice man had lived through the horrors of WWII, vivid flashbacks occurred.

He sustained an MI (heart attack).  

Passersby, aware of the nearby US military presence and emergency care availability, hurriedly transported him to the 2d CSH.

God smiled;  he was stabilized and flown to Wurzburg.

Those six weeks during the REFORGER exercise saw relatively few dental emergencies.  A chipped filling didn't qualify as an 'emergency'.

One young soldier presented with pain emanating from his lower right mandible.

Apparently, this soldier had not received his annual dental exam, or chose not to follow up on the dental officer's findings.

His dental classification would have been class III, meaning he was likely to have issues with a tooth within a year.

Technically, he was undeployable.

His lower right first molar (#30) had a large carious lesion that had progressed to the pulp, resulting in severe pain.

DRP (Dental Readiness Profile) is an important aspect of military readiness.  This poor guy was stuck in the field for weeks with a toothache.

The only analgesic available was aspirin.

Obviously, ASA is not sufficient with pulpal pathosis; the pain can be excruciating.

This soldier had not received much, if any, relief with aspirin orally, so he placed aspirin tablets in the vestibule next to his aching tooth.

Aspirin is an acid; the chronic apposition of an acid on thin mucosa quickly found the underlying mandibular bone exposed to the oral cavity.

And he thought the toothache was bad...

I quickly effected profound local anesthesia, performed a pulpotomy on the tooth, and placed a periodontal dressing on the open wound.

And off to Landstuhl...

Soon I would be heading back to CONUS.

Those appear to be Irish eyes...

Certainly an improvement over his wife, but risky business, as God will be riled.

You're right, Martha, Kirsten's eyes appear evil...

It remains unclear about the fate of the product of Dougie's tryst.

The Daily Mail:

'Naylor did not keep the baby, a close friend with direct knowledge of the affair and pregnancy told the Daily Mail. It’s unclear what exactly the friend meant.'

We know...

We must pray daily for our most vulnerable.

The Demoncratic Party is staking everything on those who murder babies.

Some perform infanticide for profit.  Note Planned Parenthood financial interests.

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2015/oct/07/john-stemberger/planned-parenthood-has-been-found-illegally-sell-b/

Others have such little regard for life - even inside their own body - they use abortion for birth control, when so many preventive measures are available.

I will say again:  those who advocate this brutality performed on a baby should be forced to witness the gift from God writhing in agony as it struggles to escape its dismemberment.

Will God just accept "It's my body!" for redemption?

Is it a they-them?

Is it a male?

Is it a female?

Is it a navy recruit?

But, as Lee Corso, the senior analyst for College Gameday on ESPN would say

"Not so fast, my friend!"

 Rose Montoya  

https://www.newsweek.com/topless-trans-woman-white-house-pride-outrage-1806151

I have appreciated the good old XX chromosome variety since birth.

Literally.

And even today, I maintain that healthy love for what our Gross Anatomy professor, Dr. Cohn, referred to as 

"modified sweat glands..." 

Despite my desire to avoid all visual input of this lying former prostitute, inevitable contamination of the rods and cones in my eyeballs occurs.

Her seemingly endless presence on the airwaves, provided by the Fourth Estate, leaks over to Fox News.

UTC Senior ROTC training to become an Army officer included how to give public communications.

Keep your hands out of your pockets.

Avoid excessive and repetitive use of hand gestures.

Never was continual, and quite distracting, head bobbing as if to confirm the BS coming from the mouth, discussed.

Who did that? 

The Call Girl has a most flexible cervical spine, demonstrating such with her bobble-head motions.

Maybe Willie gave 'The High-end Call Girl' extensive exercises in order to strengthen those neck muscles...

Just sayin'...

Here's an idea...

Orthodontic headgear...

And stopping the incessant head bobbing.

Perhaps an added benefit would be limiting that cringy cackle...

Simply repurpose its use by clipping the orthodontic appliance directly to the collar immediately behind 'Middle Class Family' Harris' neck.

Note the attractive designs available.

Dentistry has historically provided some innovative solutions to societal and even military dilemmas.

Perhaps this dental solution would even eclipse other remarkable events... 

 Wikipedia :

The electric chair at the Tennessee State Prison in Nashville also was nicknamed "Old Smokey", and was used to execute 125 people for capital punishment in Tennessee between July 13, 1916 (Julius Morgan) and November 7, 1960 (William Tines.

After switching its primary method of execution to lethal injection in 2000, Tennessee has given prisoners sentenced to capital punishment before then a choice between lethal injection or electrocution.

 The chair was moved to Riverbend Maximum Security Institution and refurbished by Fred A. Leuchter.

 In 2014, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed a bill making the electric chair a backup method of execution if the drugs used in a lethal injection are not available.

Because globalists have allowed us to become dependent on China and Europe for pharmaceuticals. (!)

Hmmmm....

Seems none of the deserving evil bastards are desirous of their brain being cooked; the new millennium and Tennessee's regrettable decision to switch to lethal injection has ruled the day.

I would wager these scum have ever thought supply chain issues would affect them.

Praying for the uninterrupted delivery of the required barbiturate...

And required paralytic...

Potassium chloride - no worries there.  We have that readily available.

  Save the electricity and simply forego the pharmaceuticals...

Potassium chloride works nicely as a stand-alone...

Don't forget about the diaper shortage of recent years.

You'll need those if Old Smokey has your ass.

Southwick was also something of an inventor.

 He designed an implant for cleft palates and also used a low-voltage electric current to numb patients' mouths while performing oral surgery.

This low-voltage measure to interrupt pain signal propagation in the trigeminal nerve has been used in recent decades for minor procedures.  

Needlephobia guides some patients to select this form of local 'anesthesia'.

  'Paresthesia' would be a more appropriate term. 

Coupled with other non-needle augmentations for pain control, minor restorations and periodontal surgery without osseous reduction, among other limited procedures, can be accomplished.

Nitrous oxide, oral pharmaceuticals and topical anesthetics, combined with the TENS stimulation, provide a synergistic approach for patient comfort.

https://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo/2020/06/the-condemned-how-a-drunken-saloon-boast-led-to-the-invention-of-the-electric-chair.html

 In 1880, the Brush Electric Light Company built the first electric plant in the city and illuminated Ganson Street in light. 

By many accounts it was the first illuminated street in America.

People were fascinated by the new technology.

 It became a popular pastime to visit the main generator of the plant and, when the guards were not looking, to grasp the three-foot high railing surrounding it.

In his book “The Electric War,” author Mike Winchell described the phenomenon:

“You could feel a surge jump from the generator to the railing. It was a harmless tickling sensation along the skin, one that elicited laughter and smiles in those who experimented with the little game.”

 That harmless “little game” would eventually help change the way capital punishment was carried out in the United States. 

On the evening of Aug. 7, 1881, George Smith, a Buffalo dock worker with a serious drinking problem, was looking forward to a night on the town with a couple of friends.

They stopped at the Brush Electric Company to play the “little game” before spending hours at a saloon drinking.

Towards the end of their night, one of his friends would later testify that Smith proclaimed he was going to back to Brush Electric and “stop the generator”.

He snuck back into the plant and, when no one was looking, hugged the powerful generator with both arms.

Winchell described what happened next:

“His body went stiff upon contact – his hug giving way to a statuesque pose of an incredible upright and well-postured man.

 The attendants saw Smith’s body stiff as a board and quickly rushed to his aid. They tried to pry his body away from the generator but found his hands stuck firmly to the machine, as if a magnetic force had taken hold.”

Only after the generator was shut off did Smith’s lifeless body slump to the ground.

Witnesses were stunned by what had happened, and especially what was not present at the scene.

There were no cries of pain, no blood or burns on Smith’s body.

 There did not seem to have been any suffering at all.

An autopsy confirmed that there was no burning and no skin or tissue damage.

One of the people most interested in the autopsy results was one of Buffalo’s own, Dr. Alfred Porter Southwick.

He was born in 1826 and was trained as a steamboat engineer before becoming a highly respected dentist.

 After learning about Smith’s painless passing via electricity, Southwick’s curious mind went to work believing that it could lead to a more humane way of administering the death penalty. 

And the rest is history...

Gotta balance that budget.

Our national debt increases 1 trillion dollars every 100 days!

No, Joe, not 'zillions'.

And we know, Call Girl, it's "Trillion with a 'T'..."

A Star is Born endeared Kris Kristofferson to my bride.

Airborne!

An Army Ranger, this Manly Man received helicopter training at my old stomping grounds, Fort Rucker.  

He was stationed with the 8th Infantry Division in West Germany, keeping the thankless Germans safe from the bastard Russians.

An Army brat like yours truly, he made his father, a General Officer in the Army Air Corps, proud.

Until he declined an assignment at West Point to teach English Literature.

 He left the Army and moved to Nashville in order to pursue song writing.

It is unclear if his disappointed, and quite pissed, father and he ever had a reconciliation.

Pete Rose

His #14 made it my favorite number.

With the exception of one baseball season, that was my number, also.

My father always had a knack for making everything he did for me special.

My first major league baseball game!

SSG Daw had no idea how unique this game was going to be.

Historic.

Further, a guy named Johnny Bench was their catcher.

My hero...

8 August 65

The number of baseballs hurtling out of Crosley Field was quite surprising to me.

Every inning launches occurred.

The Dodgers' ace, Don Drysdale, was getting hammered.

Known for his brush-back pitch:

"I'll knock down my own mother if she crowds the plate", he asserted.

When I found the box scores of this amazing game, I was surprised that only Tommy Harper was beaned.

It was so desperate for the Dodgers, I saw Sandy Koufax, a stud starter, warming up in the bull pen!

Known as "The Left Hand of God"...

The loss was inevitable, however.  He didn't enter the game.

But 18 to nothing!

An atypical baseball score, provided in an atypical game...

Thanks to an atypical father...the jungle warfare special operator and devoted husband.

 Accompanied with their contempt for the South...

There were a few dozen people gathered in the lobby of a hotel in Princeton, anxiously awaiting a chance to lay eyes on the flesh and blood actors.

All had smiles on their faces; this was much like any get-together in the South.

When a number of the AMC cast arrived at the lobby, the Instamatic cameras popped out.

This man gave an impassioned plea for this cause.

I felt then what I feel now every time I view a Saint Jude appeal on Fox...

I did not detect any reservation in these nice celebrities to interact with all these ladies.

Throngs of ladies, not many men I noted; all had huge smiles and most were dressed to the nines.

Amidst all this activity, Lisa was loving it...

The room was abuzz and the multitude of cameras were capturing as much as possible.

Always smiling and pleasant, the celebs spent about a half hour mingling.

Thanking the folks who welcomed the cast to Princeton, the commander of this mission (can't remember his name - let's call him 'Blondie') invited only serious bidders to the VIP lounge downstairs.

The ratio of fans to celebs was significantly lowered.

This enabled more one-on-one with the cast.

Again, they could not have been more gracious.  

As I observed various conversations around the room, I saw these celebs looking the fan (bidder) in the eyes, engaged in an earnest conversation.

I was impressed.

Sarah Michelle Gellar had a certain aura about her...

Unsure how this pic has been augmented with coffee...

That's not a blemish on this beauty.

Wish I had taken more shots of her...

Having seen a few episodes of AMC with Lisa, I appreciated the good story lines and plot.

And it certainly provided a bevy of beauties.

In Princeton, I was surprised to see Kelly Ripa as a blonde...

She has that Elvira look...

Where is she?

It's been about ten minutes since Buffy started off the auction...

A second later...

And quite dramatically!