The Lady Vols blew out a couple of overmatched opponents in exhibition games. They won their season opener in a breeze Saturday afternoon.

But don't be misled. This program isn't in nearly as good of shape as the scores suggest.

And that has nothing to do with the players. It's all about the coach.

Pat Summitt can coach. But she can't sign.

That's not her decision. It's her doctor's.

Summitt, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, underwent surgery on her right hand in the off-season. Her doctor subsequently advised her to avoid signing autographs during the recovery process.

When you're Pat Summitt, that's not easy.

She's probably the most popular person in East Tennessee, one of the biggest celebrities in the entire state and the queen of women's basketball. With popularity and fame come autograph requests.

Katie Wynn, Summitt's longtime secretary, can vouch for that. She sees the signing material - sent in by fans - piling up in two closets at Lady Vols headquarters. The coach outgrew two closets a long time ago.

When healthy, Summitt has met those demands with binge-like zeal. In the off-season, the signing binges, which take several hours, occur every three weeks, Wynn said. During the regular season, it's every six weeks.

The material ranges from something as big as a basketball to as small as a Christmas ornament. And the signing process is more than a one-woman job.

"It's like an assembly line in there," Wynn said.

Team managers assist Summitt in the process. But don't worry. The managers unwrap, repackage and return the signed material. They don't sign.

Maybe they should.

"Over the last couple of years, (the autograph binges) have really taken a toll on my hand," Summitt admits.

That's not a concession speech. Once she receives an OK to resume signing autographs - probably in the next week - she will get after it again, though on a more gradual basis.

"It's amazing how many people like to collect autographs," Summitt said.

It's more amazing how hard Summitt tries to accommodate them.

Before she went into the hospital for hand surgery, she signed material for six consecutive hours.

Afterwards, she failed miserably in her determined attempt to sign left-handed.

But she tried.

She's more relentless about signing autographs than some coaches are about recruiting. And she makes the task sound as though it were a blessing.

"We have a lot of requests, which is a good thing," she said. "We've just got so many wonderful fans."

The more she talked, the clearer it became what her program lacks.

She's the best coach in her sport.

She has excellent assistants.

She signs the best players and molds them into a championship team.

But she needs a good forger.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.