By Ron Wynn Tennessee State University head coach Brian “Penny” Collins isn’t just thinking about this coming season, but looking ahead to the future beyond it. Last week he announced that former Stewarts Creek High School (Smyrna) star Jy’lan Washington will be transferring to Nashville from Louisiana Tech. Washington at six feet, nine inches, will bring some needed size to the Big Blue frontline, although he won’t be eligible for this year due to NCAA transfer rules. He’ll be available for the 2019-20 season. He’s been a valuable reserve over the past three years for Louisiana Tech, a team that’s…
Author: Ron Wynn
Anyone old enough to remember the way the NBA was in the ‘60s and ‘70s, or even the early 80s, would have to marvel at the transformation it’s made from niche sport to mainstream entertainment. During the ‘60s especially, but also during the ‘70s and parts of the ‘80s it wasn’t uncommon to see lots of empty seats at NBA regular season games. For many years ABC, then the league’s principal (and only) TV partner, wouldn’t even start broadcasting games until there was about a month left in the season. Then there was only one game on Sunday afternoons. ABC…
By Ron Wynn The Vanderbilt Commodores finally ran out of comebacks and rallies Sunday night in the NCAA Super Regionals, dropping a 10-6 decision to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the 11th inning of the series third and final game. The epic contest, which took over five hours and ended sometime after midnight, saw the Commodores constantly battling back from behind, overcoming an early two-run deficit, then staging an amazing ninth-inning rally trailing 6-3. Pat DeMarco started things with a solo home run. Harrison Ray had a single, then Ethan Paul tied the game at 6-6 with a two-run homer,…
No President in recent history (certainly not in either the 20th or 21st centuries) has conducted themselves in office like Donald Trump on a host of fronts, and that includes their interaction with professional athletes. Last year Trump ignited a firestorm when he falsely claimed that players kneeling during the National Anthem were disrespecting the flag and the anthem, when it had already been announced from the very beginning by Colin Kaepernick and others that the protests were about police misconduct and other social injustice issues. NFL owners spent months trying to reach some sort of accord with players, then…
By Ron Wynn The Vanderbilt Commodores set a school record and tied an NCAA mark for slugging Sunday while battering the Clemson Tigers 19-6 to take the Clemson Regional. The Commodores hit nine home runs, shattering their previous school mark of six, and tying the NCAA single game record. Shortstop Connor Kaiser had a mammoth game, with three home runs (also tying the school record) and knocking in 10 (tying an NCAA tournament record). He’d hit a total of four homers in his previous 163 games. Kaiser was also named the Clemson Regional MVP. Stephen Scott and Philip Clarke each…
Only a select handful of athletes in any sport ever become so transcendent that both hardcore fans and just casual types follow them regardless of how well they are doing. Michael Jordan during his glory years helped make the NBA a red hot television property. The New England Patriots and Tom Brady are the closest thing today in the NFL to being both a dynasty and a team that people will always monitor, even if they are defeated in the Super Bowl. When Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky were setting records in the NHL, folks who neither liked nor understood…
By Ron Wynn Despite not having as lofty a record as in past seasons the Vanderbilt Commodores did enough down the stretch to reach the NCAA Baseball Tournament for the 13th consecutive year. It was almost an exact parallel to last season as it was announced Monday that Vanderbilt would again be the number two seed in the Clemson Regional, and once more face St. John’s. The other team in that draw is Morehead State. Vandy will play St. John’s in the opener. They defeated them last year, beat Clemson two of three, and made it to the Corvalis Super…
By Ron Wynn Sports View Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts is both an exception to the rule and someone Major League Baseball should be giving maximum publicity. The former John Overton High School baseball and basketball star is arguably the finest athlete in his sport. Betts was MVP of District 12-AAA his senior season in basketball, and an honorable mention inclusion for the Louisville Slugger High School All-American List in baseball. But Betts was also Tennessee boys Bowler of the year his junior year, once bowling a 290. In the offseason he’s a member of the Professional Bowlers Association and…
By Ron Wynn Sports View Despite the wishes of those who would insist that sports remain both apolitical and apart from social events, there’s a long and distinguished history of Black athletes who used their exploits to aid the causes of social justice and equality. The same holds true for sports writers, both those who worked for Black owned publications and later others who were able to use platforms at mainstream papers and broadcast outlets. The color barrier in Major League baseball for instance was broken as much by the continual advocacy of such writers as A.S. “Doc” Young, Sam…
By Ron Wynn, Sports View One of the often difficult realities in professional sports that teams discover is that the playoffs are a totally different animal from the regular season. During Major League Baseball’s 162-game marathon, or the 82-game seasons of the NBA and NHL there are many variables that can skew the picture. Injuries, teams from the East to West Coast or vice versa, back-to-backs or stretches of three games in four or five days can all wreck havoc on a team’s record. Consequently, a team can get on a hot streak and then depending on how they are…