No one takes preseason results all that seriously, but teams always prefer winning to losing. With the first game under new head coach Brian Callahan now in the win column, the Titans are generally encouraged about a lot of the possibilities they can see based on results from that 17-13 victory. While starter Will Levi only played a couple of series, the offense got two touchdowns during his stint. That’s the kind of production that they’re hoping to get, finishing drives and scoring seven points rather than settling for field goals. While new acquisitions running back Tony Pollard and wide…
Author: Ron Wynn
Seldom have the rights deal to televise a sports league’s games gotten more coverage than the new NBA contract. It’s even competed for front page attention in sports sections with the Olympics, despite the fact that both NBA regular season and playoff ratings have been down the last couple of years. But it is still sports content, and that’s what every cable, satellite and streaming provider desperately seeks. It’s also content that can lure more customers. When the league recently announced it had signed a new 11-year, 76 billion dollar deal with ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock and Amazon, one major name was…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville Sounds will celebrate and honor the legacy of the late Negro League star Henry Kimbro August 10 with special game activities and giveaways. Kimbo was a legendary Nashville star who excelled as a centerfielder for the Negro League team the Elite Giants, whose roots are local. He played 15 years and finished as the team leader in games (511), stolen bases (55) and runs batted in (264). Defensively, he led the league in games played five times, putouts three and assists twice. “I am very excited and humbled by it because my…
By Ron Wynn Guitarist/vocalist George Benson has made many celebrated projects throughout his career, but few have had the lengthy period between recording and release date as his latest. “Dreams Do come True: When George Benson Meets Robert Farnon” (Rhino) was finally issued Friday, despite the fact Benson actually recorded it back in 1989. The Benson/Farnon collaboration was envisioned as the ideal match of Benson’s superb vocals and guitar solos and Farnon’s masterful arrangements. The sessions featured Benson’s version of such standards as “Autumn Leaves,” “At Last,” and “My Romance,” as well as versions of the Beatles’ “Yesterday” and Leon…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — With the start of school only a few days away for Metro Nashville students, a popular and annual festival signals their return to the classrooms. It’s the 11th Love’s Health Start Festival on Aug. 3 at the Hadley Park Community gymnasium. The event begins at 9 a.m. and continues until 11:30 a.m. It’s a chance for school kids to have some fun, parents to enjoy it with them, and also to promote education and literacy, the principal reasons why Rep. Dr. Harold M. Love Jr. started it. There’s free food and refreshments, a variety…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Coming off their first winning season in nearly seven years, the Tennessee State Tigers were picked to finish fourth in the 2024 Big South-OVC preseason poll. It will be the second season that TSU is competing in this joint conference arrangement. UT Martin was the narrow choice to finish first, getting 61 votes, while Eastern Illinois finished second with 53 and Southeast Missouri third with 51. The Tigers got 41 votes. TSU also had 12 players make the league’s preseason Player to Watch list, led by QB Draylen Ellis and running Back Jordan Gant.…
While the Summer Olympics represents the world’s greatest sporting event, it has even greater meaning for those athletes who strive for years and finally make their national teams. Nashville and Middle Tennessee is well represented in the 2024 Paris edition, which begins Friday. There are many area athletes in various sports who will be vying for international glory and Olympic medals over the next couple of weeks. Heading the parade is Vanderbilt’s Veronica Fraley, a 24-year-old graduate student and winner of this year’s NCAA outdoor women’s discus final. The 2024 SEC Field Athlete of the Year, Fraley finished third at…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Any music fan who missed the earlier screening this week of the rare and valuable film “The Blues Under The Skin” gets another chance Thursday. It’s being shown for a final time in a rare afternoon screening at the Belcourt. It was a classic work by filmmaker Roviros Manthoulis, despite the casual blurring at times of straight documentary fact and fictional cinematic encounters. The fictional portion spotlighted a turbulent relationship between a young couple (Onike Lee, Roland Sanchezz) battling the dual obstacles of racism and poverty that are preventing them from being a happy…
By Ron Wynn The versatile Maya Rudolph took top honors as the Emmy Awards were announced last week. She not only won four nominations but they came for three different programs. Rudolph is nominated in comedy lead actress for Apple TV+’s “Loot” (just renewed for a third season), in character voice-over for her role as Connie the Hormone Monstress in Netflix’s animated “Big Mouth,” and in comedy guest actress for her hosting stint on “Saturday Night Live” (which also got her an original music and lyrics nomination for her monologue tune). Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Richard Gadd (“Baby Reindeer”) and…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — New leaders are taking over for the basketball and track squads at Fisk University. The announcements were made late last week. The new basketball coach has an HBCU background as well as a solid coaching background. He’s former Tennessee State University basketball player Jeremiah Crutcher. He’s been in the coaching ranks since 2013. He previously coached at Battle Ground Academy Hunters Lane, John Early Middle School and Lebanon High School prior to his most recent Stay at Whites Creek. Last season he led them to the TSSAA Class AA Final Four. “I am excited…