One of the silliest rules ever devised by any major sports organization is coming to an end, and it couldn’t come soon enough. Last Thursday NBA Commissioner Adam Silver publicly said what pretty much everyone has been saying for many years, that it makes no sense to require people who have no interest in either going to college or being students to attend a university for one year and pretend they care about academics or college life. “There are a bunch of issues that need to be worked through between us and the players association, so it’s (the rule) something…
Author: Ron Wynn
Steve Smith became the latest college basketball assistant last week to take a hit in the ongoing probe into college basketball corruption. Clemson announced they were firing him after seven years due to the comments heard on a federal wiretap that involves Christian Dawkins and Marty Blazer. Head coach Brad Brownell said he supported the decision to terminate Smith, with the implication being he had no knowledge of what Smith was doing, nor did he support it. This continues a pattern that’s occurred at places like Auburn, where former star player and longtime assistant Chuck Person is headed for federal…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — New Vanderbilt head basketball coach Jerry Stackhouse added the second son of a former top NBA player to his incoming roster Sunday, with the announcement that Kenyon Martin Jr. was committing to the Commodores. He made the announcement on Twitter, which has become the go-to social media of choice for this generation. He will reunite with Scotty Pippen, who is the son of NBA Hall of Famer and multiple champion Scottie Pippen. They previously played together in Chatsworth, California at Sierra Canyon School. The addition of Martin sets aside some fears that he might…
One thing that repeatedly happens in these days of constant outrage and manufactured spectacle is folks love to oversimplify and equate situations and cases that are far from identical. That happened last week when the Titans drafted former Mississippi State defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons, and new information surfaced about Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill. The only thing similar about the two situations is both happened in 2016. But one involved someone who was in high school at the time (Simmons), while the other concerns an adult who is quite possibly guilty of spousal and child abuse. By now pretty much anyone…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Titans addressed primary defensive needs during last week’s NFL draft, which was held in Nashville. They chose a defensive lineman with their first pick, the 19th overall. Then they drafted defensive help with picks four through six, while adding some offensive depth with their second and third picks. However the bulk of the attention and scrutiny is coming regarding their first selection, former Mississippi State defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons. At six feet, four inchdes and 301 pounds, there are no questions regarding his size. But there are multiple questions regarding his past and…
Major League Baseball found itself in another extremely thorny and complex cultural situation last week following their decision to suspend White Sox infielder Tim Anderson for one game in the wake of a near brawl between the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals. The initial story that got released was Anderson’s bat flip following his home run caused a scuffle which escalated into something worse, and the actions of Anderson and White Sox manager Rick Renteria were partly responsible. Royals pitcher Brad Keller hit Anderson on his next at-bat, and tensions quickly erupted. When news was announced Keller had…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — For many weeks it’s been widely assumed that the Titans’ first priority in the upcoming draft would be defensive help, in particular either a defensive lineman or a linebacker whose specialty was rushing the passer off the edge. But a majority of draft analysts who are projecting their first round selection for Thursday’s draft, which is being held in Nashville for the first time, are saying that the team will be looking first at offensive line help, with two names in particular appearing on many lists. At press time the Titans were slated to…
There was some overlooked history made at this year’s NCAA Final Four. It wasn’t just that Virginia finally won an NCAA men’s title, or that they went from being the first number one seed to lose to a 16th seed one season and then the next year become a champion. No, the real history came at the top of the ladder for the respective schools. Both Virginia and Auburn, who played a thrilling one-point semifinal game decided on a controversial call, had Black athletic directors. Allen Greene is Auburn’s AD. Carla Williams is Virginia’s, and she became the first Black…
By Ron Wynn The Dallas Stars took advantage of a penalty-filled first period to score a quick pair of power play goals and never look back Wednesday night, defeating the Nashville Predators 5-1 and evening their first round Stanley Cup playoff series at 2-2 in Dallas. Pekka Rinne had displayed his Vezina Trophy form of last year in Games 2 and 3, but found the going rough in Game 4. He allowed four goals on eight shots in less than 14 minutes and was replaced by Juuse Saros, However the consensus was he didn’t get a lot of help from…
Sports Halls of Fame often forget about pioneers in the rush to celebrate contemporary players and achievements. That’s especially the case as the ages of its electors get younger. But this year’s Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame deserves praise for its selection of two different and often overlooked trailblazers. Their choices included Chuck Cooper and the late 1950s Tennessee State Tigers team that set college records, but for too long were simply ignored when folks talked about the exploits of collegiate basketball players. Chuck Cooper wasn’t the first Black player in the NBA, but he was the first to…