By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville Predators made more transactions last week as their busy off- season continued. They named a new coach for their minor league affiliate in the American Hockey League and signed three new players to two-way contracts that allow them to either have them on the roster or gaining more experience in the minors. They announced that Karl Taylor would be the new head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals. Taylor, 47, has been an assistant coach with the Texas Stars of the AHL the last four seasons. During three of them the Stars made…
Author: Ron Wynn
It has become one of the big events of the summer, right there next to the World Cup, various Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and the ongoing MLB season. It’s the Tiger Woods watch, as both hardcore golf fans and just casual observers wait to see if he’ll finally end a victory drought dating back to 2013. Last week it seemed about to happen as Woods was playing at the Quicken Loans National against what was the weakest field he’ll probably face in any tournament the rest of the season. However it didn’t really matter because Francesco Molinari, one of the…
Though he didn’t win his second Norris Trophy last week as the NHL’s best defenseman, the Nashville Predators’ P.K. Subban still made news and history. EA Sports announced that Subban would be the cover athlete for the newest version of their video game. NHL 19 will make its debut September 14 for both Playstation and Xbox One. Though they don’t mention it anywhere in the advance publicity that they sent out regarding the game, it’s also highly likely that Subban is the first Black player who has ever been a cover athlete for any EA hockey video game. Last season…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Some of the top Black films from the ‘70s, labeled “blaxploitation” movies in some circles, will be coming to Nashville next month as part of the Belcourt Theatre’s Music City Monday series. Five classic productions, plus a special seminar discussing the era’s impact and influence, will be spotlighted throughout July. The series begins July 2 with “Shaft,” a powerhouse chronicle about a Black private detective that starred Richard Roundtree and Moses Gunn, and also had a spectacular score from Isaac Hayes that ultimately won an Oscar. There’s a double play set for July 9. Melvin Van Peebles’…
By Ron Wynn They haven’t played a game yet, but there is already considerably more anticipation and excitement around the University of Memphis basketball program than in the last couple of years. Since the hiring of former Tiger and NBA star Penny Hardaway in March, the mood has shifted from gloom to high expectations, something reflected in a major increase in season ticket sales according to University of Memphis officials. “It’s vastly different than last year,” Assistant Athletic Director Adam Walker told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “You can see the difference. It’s impressive what we’ve sold in a few months.”…
By Ron Wynn Tennessee State University head coach Brian “Penny” Collins isn’t just thinking about this coming season, but looking ahead to the future beyond it. Last week he announced that former Stewarts Creek High School (Smyrna) star Jy’lan Washington will be transferring to Nashville from Louisiana Tech. Washington at six feet, nine inches, will bring some needed size to the Big Blue frontline, although he won’t be eligible for this year due to NCAA transfer rules. He’ll be available for the 2019-20 season. He’s been a valuable reserve over the past three years for Louisiana Tech, a team that’s…
Anyone old enough to remember the way the NBA was in the ‘60s and ‘70s, or even the early 80s, would have to marvel at the transformation it’s made from niche sport to mainstream entertainment. During the ‘60s especially, but also during the ‘70s and parts of the ‘80s it wasn’t uncommon to see lots of empty seats at NBA regular season games. For many years ABC, then the league’s principal (and only) TV partner, wouldn’t even start broadcasting games until there was about a month left in the season. Then there was only one game on Sunday afternoons. ABC…
By Ron Wynn The Vanderbilt Commodores finally ran out of comebacks and rallies Sunday night in the NCAA Super Regionals, dropping a 10-6 decision to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the 11th inning of the series third and final game. The epic contest, which took over five hours and ended sometime after midnight, saw the Commodores constantly battling back from behind, overcoming an early two-run deficit, then staging an amazing ninth-inning rally trailing 6-3. Pat DeMarco started things with a solo home run. Harrison Ray had a single, then Ethan Paul tied the game at 6-6 with a two-run homer,…
No President in recent history (certainly not in either the 20th or 21st centuries) has conducted themselves in office like Donald Trump on a host of fronts, and that includes their interaction with professional athletes. Last year Trump ignited a firestorm when he falsely claimed that players kneeling during the National Anthem were disrespecting the flag and the anthem, when it had already been announced from the very beginning by Colin Kaepernick and others that the protests were about police misconduct and other social injustice issues. NFL owners spent months trying to reach some sort of accord with players, then…
By Ron Wynn The Vanderbilt Commodores set a school record and tied an NCAA mark for slugging Sunday while battering the Clemson Tigers 19-6 to take the Clemson Regional. The Commodores hit nine home runs, shattering their previous school mark of six, and tying the NCAA single game record. Shortstop Connor Kaiser had a mammoth game, with three home runs (also tying the school record) and knocking in 10 (tying an NCAA tournament record). He’d hit a total of four homers in his previous 163 games. Kaiser was also named the Clemson Regional MVP. Stephen Scott and Philip Clarke each…