Todd Helton earned induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and Knox News literally traveled by plane, train and automobile to cover the ceremony.

The IT outages stranded reporter Mike Wilson in New York, so he kicked it old school and traveled by Amtrak to Upstate New York. There, in the idyllic town of Cooperstown, Helton earned his enshrinement.

A Knoxville native. A standout Vol. Now, a Hall of Famer.

Helton was a force of consistency throughout his 17-year career spent entirely with the Colorado Rockies. A sweet-swinging, slick-fielding first baseman, he posted a career .316 batting average.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Mike Wilson unpack Helton’s journey from Knoxville to Cooperstown -- and Wilson’s hectic, circuitous journey there, as well.

They examine Tennessee’s impact on Helton’s career and why some Vols fans still remember him best as a quarterback.

Paul Finebaum's optimism grows for Tennessee football.

The SEC Network's opinion king emerged from SEC media days feeling more bullish about the Vols' playoff chances and their place within the conference pecking order.

Is that sunny outlook warranted?

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Adam Sparks re-evaluate Tennessee's playoff prospects and assess whether their estimation of Tennessee has improved, regressed or stayed about the same throughout the offseason.

Their verdict: A 9-3 record is more likely than a playoff berth, but an accommodating schedule nonetheless helps make Tennessee a playoff contender.

Also in this episode, an update on the latest developments in the Neyland Entertainment District project that would bring a hotel, restaurant and bar to liven the area around the stadium near the riverfront, at the expense of the G10 parking garage.

Tennessee didn’t select Nico Iamaleava to be among its contingent at SEC media days, but that did little to contain the hype for the Vols’ ballyhooed redshirt freshman quarterback.

The Nico train is out of the station, and ESPN’s Greg McElroy jumped into the conductor’s seat this week when he predicted Iamaleava will be a Heisman Trophy finalist. That’s lofty praise for a guy with one career start, but Iamaleava oozes talent.

On today’s episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer, Adam Sparks and John Adams outline Iamaleava’s path to becoming a Heisman finalist and predict whether he’ll be among those in New York City.

While no one expects Iamaleava to wilt, part of his Heisman candidacy will be hitched to Tennessee’s playoff status.

So, which side of the Heisman finalist cut does Iamaleava fall on? The hosts issue a split verdict.