By Ron Wynn The Nashville Predators avoided getting behind early, and then withstood a furious third period rally to edge the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 Wednesday night in Denver. That win put them ahead in the best of seven series 3-1. It also marked a turnaround in form from the earlier games in which the Predators had to shake off slow starts. This time the Predators had a first period shots advantage of 18-8 while taking the early 1-0 lead. They expanded it to 3-0 with a pair of second period goals. But Colorado stormed back in the third period to…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn Sports View Etan Thomas played 11 years in the National Basketball Association, but he was always much more than just an athlete. An accomplished poet, author and activist, as far back as 2005 Thomas was among the few athletes in any sport to openly voice opposition to US foreign policy, most notably in regards to Iran. He was a 2009 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation Legacy Award winner, and the 2010 recipient of the NBA Players Association Community Contribution Award. Since his retirement Thomas has written three books, become a weekly radio talk show host on…
By Ron Wynn On a night when their best (and arguably the nation’s finest) player was in foul trouble and had an awful game, Villanova still romped to an easy 79-62 victory over Michigan Monday to take their second NCAA title in three years. Jalen Brunson, voted by the Associated Press as Player of the Year and the team leader in scoring and assists, had maybe his worse game of the season. Brunson hit only four of 11 shots, scored nine points, and spent most of the second half on the bench after picking up an early fourth foul. But…
By Ron Wynn Major League Baseball opened its new season last week with a novel approach: it actually had all 30 teams open the season on the same day. There had been past experiments with international openers and some teams getting a jump on others, but this time the sport decided to try a return to something that previously worked: a genuine opening day. MLB might also think about trying some other tried and true things to help it solve some perennial problems. The first concerns possibly returning to a 154 game schedule rather than the current 162, which came…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee State University Tigers have given a former staffer his first chance at a Division 1 head coaching job. They announced Monday the hiring of Brian “Penny” Collins as the new men’s head coach, replacing Dana Ford, who left for a similar position at Missouri State. Collins was formerly a member of the TSU staff, serving as Director of Basketball Operations in 2008-09. He becomes the school’s 18th men’s head coach, and begins the job at 34. Collins spent last season as an assistant coach at Illinois State under Dan Muller. There he…
It has been well over a year now since Colin Kaepernick went from being an NFL free agent to a pariah. Over that time, he’s been the lightning rod for a protest campaign that has electrified many and angered others, while also triggering reaction from owners that’s ranged from bemused comments to threats about firings, and then the possibility being floated of insisting players stand for the anthem (which didn’t happen). Finally there’s been kind of an uneasy peace. The NFL owners did craft a conciliatory agreement with a select players’ committee pledging various amounts to charities, but even that…
By Ron Wynn The Lady Vols made history in Knoxville Sunday, but not in a fashion they want to remember. Oregon State, a number six seed, stunned the number three seed Lady Vols 66-59, knocking them out of the NCAA Women’s Tournament in the second round. It was both the first time the Lady Vols have lost an NCAA Tournament game on their home floor, and failed to advance beyond the second round for two straight seasons. Oregon State survived a dismal opening quarter that saw them commit six turnovers and only score nine points. Things weren’t much better in…
Sports View by Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Memphis Grizzlies, who relocated to the Bluff City from Vancouver after the 2000-01 season, once took pride in being one of the NBA’s blue collar teams. They weren’t fancy or flamboyant, just steady and consistent. They once reached the Western Conference Finals despite lacking a first team All-NBA player, and Fed Ex Forum got the nickname “The Grindhouse,” a reflection of the type of hard nosed team, players and game that the Grizzlies represented. But as the league’s style and focus shifted towards perimeter play and three-point shooting, increasingly it seemed…
By Ron Wynn When the college basketball season began, Middle Tennessee State University was regarded as the local team with the best shot at making the NCAA Tournament, followed by Belmont. But Sunday when the selections were announced, neither of them were part of the field. Instead, Tennessee, picked to finish 13th in the SEC during preseason, and Lipscomb, a team that had never made it to the NCAA Tournament since becoming a top tier program, were in and both MTSU and Belmont were out. Tennessee won a share of its first SEC regular season title since 2008, and despite…
Sports View Given all the headlines this season regarding allegations about illegal payoffs and coaching improprities, the last thing the NCAA needs right now are more bad stories. They would rather the focus remain on all the conference tournaments, Selection Sunday, March Madness, etc. But instead, situations in Memphis, Tennessee and Storrs, Connecticut, have refocused attention on the ugly side of college basketball. That is the win or else mentality that permeates the sport, despite the myths about student athletes, amateurism, and the value of education. At the University of Memphis, a famed coach is no doubt on his way…