By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville Predators began play in the second half of the NHL season in much better shape than many anticipated. They are in second place in the Western Conference’s Central Division at 28-14-4, eight points behind the Colorado Avalanche whom they defeated last month at Bridgestone Arena. Most predictions before the season had the Predators in the lower end of the Central Division, but they have surpassed expectations, and gotten strong seasons from several players. Goalie Juuse Saros was the team’s only selection for the NHL All-Star Game. He was voted the NHL’s Second…
Author: Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — All season long Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse has sought more offensive balance, not wanting his team to overly rely on leading scorer Scotty Pippen Jr. to carry the whole load. Now that he has Rodney Chatman back in the lineup, that seems happening more often. Saturday the Commodores played arguably their best game of the season, defeating the 25th ranked LSU Tigers 75-66 at Memorial Gymnasium. It was their fourth SEC win, the first time they’ve reached that mark since Stackhouse took over. It was also their first victory over a ranked team since in two…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Last year was the biggest yet for country vocalist Mickey Guyton, and things only continue to improve for her career wise. Sunday she’ll be performing the national anthem at the Super Bowl in Los Angeles. “I am shook, I am grateful, I am praise dancing,” Guyton wrote last month in a tweet. “So excited to be singing the national anthem.” Guyton was already headed out to LA for Super Bowl week. Back in November, the 2022 Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest announced that it will feature three nights of A-list stars taking the…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — For those interested in more about Kanye West than his current domestic troubles, Netflix has unveiled this week the full trailer of the Kanye West documentary “jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy.” It is a more complete presentation than the earlier one issued in January, and also gives a preview of all three parts of West’s epic journey. “When I first put the camera on this up-and-coming producer back in ’98, I knew he was destined for greatness. The goal would be to see how long his dreams would take him. But I had no idea…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Titans playoff hopes ended prematurely as the Cincinnati Bengals destroyed any hopes of the AFC Championship game being in Nashville. But while the pain of that loss remains for many fans, the team did get one significant postseason honor last week. Head coach Mike Vrabel was selected Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America. It’s his second such award, as previously the 101 Awards also gave him that award. Vrabel is now the favorite to get a third such honor, the AP NFL Coach of the Year, which…
The NFL has gotten heat and deservedly so for its pathetic record in terms of Black head coaches. As the league’s postseason playoffs continued and the Super Bowl matchup of the LA Rams playing the Cincinnati Bengals in Los Angeles was decided, the NFL still had only Black head coach. In fact more Black head coaches had been fired after the season (two) than the number retained. But there is one area where the league is making progress. That’s among the ranks of general manager, a position on most teams that’s second only to the team owner in terms of…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — It’s taken several years and the subject matter is quite unusual, but a Lee Daniels project based on a true and highly unusual event is coming to Netflix. It’s a film about an exorcism involving a woman named Latoya Ammons. Daniels had sought a home for it, and last weekend there was a bidding auction when Netflix reportedly won for $65 million. The project dates back to 2011, when Ammons, based in Gary, Indiana, claimed her children were being attacked and possessed by demons. Deadline reported on the project in 2014. Production will finally…
Sometimes an athlete can make an enormous contribution to a sport despite having a limited playing career. One great example of that is Willlie O’Ree, a man who’s become a hockey legend despite playing only 45 games in two seasons for the Boston Bruins in 1958, and then again in 1960-61. O’Ree was the first Black player in NHL history, and he reached the league despite having been blinded in one eye by an errant puck. But O’Ree didn’t let anything stop his quest, overcoming both physical disability and racist treatment from fans and players, including physical attacks from opponents.…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Vanderbilt Commodores continued the second leg of their current SEC road trip Wednesday seeking a victory at South Carolina. They also hoped to correct problems that have caused them to lose four of their first six SEC games (10-8 overall). Against Tennessee at home Jan. 18 they rallied to trim a 14-point deficit to two, but then key fouls and missed shots led to a 68-60 loss. Saturday they had one of the season’s most dismal performances to date, losing at Florida 61-42. Vanderbilt won’t win many games when their leading scorer and…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — For months the popular game show “Jeopardy” was in hosting flux following the death of Alex Trebek, who’d hosted the program for more than three decades. Trebek’s personal choice for a replacement was CNN anchor, author and Sirius XM radio host Laura Coates. But she didn’t appear during the period when various guest hosts were auditioning before the duo of actress Mayim Bialik and previous champion Ken Jennings were announced as the hosts of season 38’s remaining episodes. Sony later announced there would be no plans to select a permanent host before season 39.…