My literary contributors commented on a variety of topics this week.
In a battle of Literary Contributors Hall of Fame inductees, Terry attacked James for his less than glowing critique of Tennessee’s secondary.
On another issue, none of my readers complimented the ESPN+ broadcast of the Tennessee-ETSU game. And Sam predicted the Vols would go unbeaten if they upset Georgia on Sept. 13.
He didn’t say if he thought Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar would win the Heisman Trophy.
Jack writes: The problems with ESPN+ that you and Jennifer Morris mentioned on the Tony Basilio postgame show are widespread, I believe. We went through it the whole game, and it would freeze on the Home Depot commercial that seemingly ran a thousand times.
We had another friend that encountered the same issue.
It got so bad that I pulled the game up on my laptop, and it worked fine. Not sure how the others were accessing the game. It was not a good showing to sell this ESPN+ mess. I hope we do not have another game on this mess the rest of the season and that I don’t have to endure this in baseball and basketball games.
My response: Watching on my phone became preferrable to ESPN-minus.
Terry writes: Contributor James who erroneously criticized the Vol defense recently is a bit “touched” so to speak. His asinine comments must have been from a previous Vol team and staff.
The current Vol D is ranked #6 in the country in total defense. His incorrect comments on db’s are disputed by Colton Hood (a db at last check) being named SEC defensive Player of the Week in Week 1. A freshman db (Ty Redmond) had an impressive outing, and the Vols have played with two starters injured, including a preseason All-American.
James is obviously a Nico/Bruins fan and likely a Phillip Fulmer disciple. Him getting Bruin season tickets right now should not be a problem. I’ll donate to that cause.
My response: You don’t need to donate. Tickets to UCLA football games aren’t for sale.
However, the Bruins will pay anyone who is willing to sit through one of their games.
Diana writes: Tennessee is struggling with unemployment, with claims 103.09% higher than the week before and 114.50% higher than last year, according to WalletHub’s updated rankings for the states where unemployment claims are increasing the most.
Please let me know if you have any questions or if you would like to arrange a phone, video or in-studio interview with one of WalletHub’s experts.
My response: Thanks for the info. And yes, I do have a question: “Have unemployment claims increased among the Iamaleavas residing in Los Angeles?”
Thanks in advance for your response.
Mark writes: Would you be interested in speaking with Dr. Laurie Cure, a leading voice in executive coaching, on how bias for hiring a “culture fit” creates exclusion?
My response: A doctor named “Cure?“ That can’t be a real.
Nonetheless, if you had read my email column, you would know I have long been on the front lines in the fight against exclusion.
With only a few exceptions, I haven’t excluded anyone from contributing to my email column. One exception: I tossed out Colorado Mark’s satirical commentary on the danger of bat fungus.
Sam writes: Tennessee vs. Georgia will be its most important game of the season. If Tha Vols win, they should go undefeated. I say Tennessee has a 50/50 chance of winning because they are playing at home.
My response: And Joey Football gets the Heisman, too, right?
Daniel writes: Will South Florida’s Alex Golesh be the next coach at Arkansas? Alabama?
There are still 10 games to play, but with USF’s win over Florida, it’s hard to see him not being the next coach somewhere else in 2026.
My response: The Gators could do worse than Golesh. Oh, wait. They already have done worse.
More than once.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or jo********@******ws.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Reader unhappy with ESPN+, Tennessee football defense gets mixed reviews
