By MARK BURGESS, burgess@knews.com August 27, 2006 As long as it meant he could play the game, David Cutcliffe wasn't above a little petty theft when he was a child. For as long as he can remember, happiness has always gone hand in hand with "the game" for Tennessee's offensive coordinator. "I hated to lose," he said. "I despise it still." About 40 years ago in Birmingham, Ala., Cutcliffe and some neighborhood buddies formed a team called the Lawson Road Bombers. The sole purpose was competition. They would play rival neighborhood teams any time, any place, in any sport. If it meant stealing home plate and a pitching rubber from a baseball complex so they could have their own field of dreams in a nearby pasture - so be it. "I got in trouble with my parents," Cutcliffe said. "I mean it was intense. "I had problems with it. Fights." Losing was unthinkable. "My dad was like that as a competitor," Cutcliffe said. "As a kid, I would pitch a fit and break stuff. I got in trouble throwing rocks at people. "I love it. I feel most alive when I'm competing." That's why Cutcliffe feels most alive right now. Besides being thankful to "just be on God's green earth," he's in the coaching fold once again. He feels like he's home.