By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — No one knows this early how any team will do, but if you believe the national media’s predictions this will be a rough year for the Titans. After three straight 9-7 seasons and one playoff win, most observers see the Titans taking a step backward in 2019. Bleacher Report has them at 7-9, while Sports Illustrated sees them occupying the basement among AFC South teams at 6-10. Pro Football Weekly, Monday Morning QB, Deadspin and many others have similarly bad forecasts. What makes all of this even scarier is that some of these predictions…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn Toni Morrison was a transcendent author and magnificent stylist whose work brilliantly fused fact and fiction, personal experience and insight with historical reflection and analysis. Morrison, who died Monday night at 88, won a host of major awards in her extraordinary career. These included the Pulitzer Price for Fiction in 1988 for “Beloved,” a tale inspired by the true story of a runaway slave, and the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature for a distinguished host of achievements in the field. She was the first Black woman to win that honor, Publisher Alfred A. Knopf confirmed news of…
The NBA continues to lead the way in terms of innovative approaches, whether it’s in free agency, social media and public relations, or global expansion. But the league’s latest news-making event is in another area: team management. After yet another dreary 50-loss season, the Washington Wizards’ owner Ted Leonsis finally tired of constant defeats and half-filled arenas. He dismissed general manager Ernie Grunfeld after 16 seasons, but instead of rushing out and hiring a replacement, Leonsis decided it was time to take stock of his team’s entire structure. “Last year we thought the Wizards were a 50-win team and we…
By Ron Wynn Whatever additional trades or moves are being planned by the Predators, Colton Sissons will be on the team for years to come. He signed a seven-year deal Tuesday worth $20 million. The new pact keeps the Predators from going to arbitration with him, something that often turns nasty and leaves permanent bad feelings between player and management. Sissons was a restricted free agent, so the Predators had the right to match any offers he might have gotten, but the new deal also prevents another team from theoretically offering him a much bigger contract that they would either…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Barely missing the playoffs by a game last season evidently cost the Titans some national attention, because they are limited to just one contest in prime time the entire year. That will be the third game of the season when they head to Florida for a first encounter with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Though they’ve gone 9-7 the past three seasons and reached the divisional final two years ago, there remains plenty of skepticism nationally over whether the Titans are legitimate contenders or perennial close but not quite types. This season should be a good…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — What is widely viewed as a pivotal season for the Titans formally begins when training camp opens July 26. The team announced last week that there will be two joint practices with the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, and one session in Nissan Stadium. The bulk of the practices will be held at Saint Thomas Sports Park. The joint morning practices with the Patriots will be on August 14 and 15. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, going into his second year, has a long relationship with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick dating back…
MOVIE REVIEW By Ron Wynn The Belcourt Theatre will be the only place in Nashville cinephiles can see the new Quentin Tarantino production “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” in 35 mm, the most visually spectacular and dazzling manner. The long-awaited work which offers Tarantino’s vision of late ‘60s Holllywood and the impact of the Manson family and its horros, debuts Thursday. Only a select number of theaters across the nation are getting the opportunity to present “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” in the manner that Tarantino envisions it, and both the Thursday at 7:20 p.m. and Friday night…
There was a time when baseball dominated the summer headlines, especially around the Fourth of July. That was traditionally the time when teams would look around and either consider themselves contenders or figure that it was time to think about making deals and looking to the future. July was also the time when the two leagues chose their All-Star teams, and that was considered a prime period as well. But a funny thing has happened to MLB, although it’s doubtful the league office finds it very humorous. The first week of July has been dominated by two things: the NBA…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Though it wasn’t a straight player-for-player trade, the main result of the P.K. Subban trade wasn’t the two prospects or two draft choices that the Predators received at the time. No, the principal reason for Subban’s departure was to clear cap space that would allow general manager David Poile to finally get the additional scoring center he had craved for at least the past two seasons. Last Monday that happened as Poile signed Matt Duchene to a seven-year, $56 million dollar deal. It was the first day that free agents could sign with anyone,…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The greatest baseball season in Vanderbilt University history was given more honors and notoriety last week as both the American Baseball Coaches Association and Collegiate Baseball named Vanderbilt’s Tim Corbin their national Coach of the Year. Vanderbilt won its second national title last Wednesday with an 8-2 victory over Michigan in the College World Series. Making it even more impressive is the fact the Commodores dropped the opening game of the best-of-three series, and had to win back-to-back contests. But they did so in impressive fashion, completing a record-breaking season in many ways. Their…