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…
Author: Ron Wynn
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…
There were three huge things happening in sports over the weekend, and if you grew up with NBA basketball you would never have placed offseason league acquisitions in that trio. But as amazing as it may seem to anyone versed in pro basketball history, the NBA hot stove league now rivals that of the NFL, and arguably outdistances both MLB and the NHL. In the same time period MLB was having games in London involving the Red Sox and the Yankees, and the U.S. Women’s World Cup team was engaging in a huge match with France on their home turf,…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Vanderbilt Commodores completed a season-long quest Wednesday, defeating Michigan 8-2 to win their second College World Series championship. Vanderbilt came back to win two straight games after losing the opener, and they won for a second time in four overall CWS appearances. It was their first title since 2014, and first time back in the CWS since 2015. Mason Hickman and Jake Eder combined for 14 strikeouts, The Commodores knocked out Michigan ace Karl Kauffmann in the fourth inning. Meanwhile Hickman was striking out 10 in six innings, and surrendered only one hit…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — It’s rare when two players from the same city or state wind up drafted by the identical team, but that’s exactly what happened in Thursday’s NBA draft. Darius Garland, whose Vanderbilt career was cut short by injury, and Dylan Windler, Belmont’s star and last year’s number two OVC player behind Murray State’s Jah Morant, were both picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. Garland was among the nation’s most heralded signings when Vanderbilt landed him, but he played only five games before a torn meniscus ended his tenure there. Yet he’s the…
The prospects of Nashville getting its own Major League Baseball franchise seem to be improving by the day, despite the Commissioner’s recent decision to shelve expansion talk for now. But the good news is that Nashville is considered one of three top sites, the other two being Charlotte and Portland, for possible expansion teams. However another development now offers yet another possible means of Nashville getting a team sooner rather than later – relocation. The Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East are currently contending for the division title despite lacking the resources of top rivals defending champion Boston…