By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Things remain in flux for the NFL, although league representatives maintain that the season will start on time. But last week they reduced the preseason schedule from four games to two. The NFLPA is pushing for a complete elimination of preseason games. The league had already cancelled the annual Hall of Fame game, which usually marked the start of the preseason. As a result of these changes, the Titans lose one road and one home preseason game. Thus far the regular season schedule has not been changed. The league eliminated the first and fourth…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The announcement no one wanted to hear was finally made last week, and it means there won’t be any regular season Triple-A baseball in Nashville this year. Major League Baseball officially announced that they were canceling the entire minor league season. The majors are only playing a 60-game season, and that deal was finally reached when owners agreed to pay full pro-rated salaries. But there won’t be any expanded playoffs, and negotiations on the next Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) are expected to be even more bitter. The Sounds made their own announcement last week…
By Ron Wynn Dr. Estella Dior knows from first hand experience the importance of being motivated and determined to succeed no matter what the odds. Her life story would be ideal for a Lifetime movie, except it’s also the kind of thing that can cause a mental breakdown or even lead to suicide. But Dr. Dior, whose newest book “You Were Destined To Survive,” compiles the stories of 12 women who’ve overcome hardship and despair to ultimately enjoy successful lives. “I was in federal prison, at a low point in my life,” she recalled during a recent interview with the…
At 26 and in his second year as the only fulltime Black driver on NASCAR’s top circuit, Bubba Wallace has emerged over the last three weeks as both the embodiment of change and a very controversial figure. Wallace called for the banning of the Confederate flag at NASCAR events, something the organization did in a move that surprised many veteran observers of the sport. Since its beginnings, stock car racing’s primary audience has been working class Southern whites, many with right-wing leanings and either family connections to or sympathies with the Confederacy. For over its 72-year tenure, only one Black…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — For anyone concerned that the BET Awards might not prove a good fit for broadcast TV, the show Sunday night worked quite well on CBS. Aside from a handful of expletives deleted, the broadcast TV verson was just as cutting edge and provocative as the cable version. Considering this was on a network that’s historically been the most conservative of the major ones in terms of content, Sunday night’s program hosted by “Insecure” actress and comedian Amanda Seales had plenty of powerful moments, kicked off by a dynamic performance from 12-year-old Keedron Bryant. His…
By Ron Wynn Exciting and charismatic blues-rock guitarist Mike Zito didn’t plan to make his current LP “Quarantine Blues.” Instead, his goal was to promote his acclaimed 2019 release “Rock”Rock N Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry” on Ruf Records via a European tour. The outstanding LP, one of last year’s finest in any idiom, contains 20 tunes featuring 21 guest guitarists: Joe Bonamassa, Walter Trout, Robben Ford, Sonny Landreth, Richard Fortus, Alex Skolnick, Joanna Connor, Anders Osborne, Ryan Perry, Ally Venable, Albert Castiglia, Luther Dickinson, Jeremiah Johnson, Tommy Castro, Tinsley Ellis, Josh Smith, Kirk Fletcher, Jimmy Vivino, Kid Andersen.…
No sector of American society has been untouched by the ongoing nationwide protests against police brutality and racism, and that certainly includes the sports world. From some NBA players opening questioning whether now is the However one place where it probably wasn’t as expected was from college athletes. For decades they’ve operated in a system where coaches got the big money and major publicity, while their efforts landed lots of income for institutions and next to nothing for them beyond the basics of a scholarship. They were deemed “amateurs” by the NCAA, and prevented from even working jobs in the…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — A pair of now departed players are the only members of the Tennessee Titans to make ESPN’s top players of the decade from the AFC South. The list was made public last week, and Delanie Walker was chosen as the finest Titan and the starting tight end on that team. He was selected by writer Turron Davenport. “Walker was one of the best free-agent signings in Titans history,” Davenport said on ESPN’s website. “He was the epitome of consistency for Tennessee, with an ability to generate yards after the catch and consistently make plays…
Both the NFL and the NCAA have been operating publicly throughout the cornonavirus/COVID-19 as though they feel their seasons will be able to proceed on schedule. The NFL has twice held big splashy events in the draft and the announcement of the schedule, while some colleges are now allowing athletes to return for on-campus workouts. But a lot of very basic questions remain, and the biggest of all hasn’t even been addressed by either entity. It was raised once more last week on the air by ESPN sports commentator and co-host of “Pardon The Interruption” Tony Kornheiser in very straight-forward…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The impressive track of Vanderbilt players taken in the annual MLB draft continued last week, led by former star Austin Martin being taken number five overall by the Toronto Blue Jays. That actually was a little lower than anticipated as some thought Martin might as either the first or second overall choice. Martin became the sixth Commodore taken in the top five and the 10th overall Top 10 pick since Tim Corbin became head coach in 2003. Martin played 65 games at third base, 25 in center field, 13 at second base, 13 at…