The Sportaholic show Online Radio by Sportaholic | Blog Talk Radio

                     

The Sportaholic show Online Radio by Sportaholic Blog Talk Radio

Upadated May 13, 2011

I would like to invite all my viewers to join me in the conversation as I launch the Sportaholic Radio Show. Sports is one thing in life that can be fun for all. Each day we go through the motions of life and try to keep sane while facing our everyday challanges.Sports is the one constant many of us have in our lives. In the inaugural Sportaholic radio show, I would like to address the effect sports has one's life. Most people who played team sports at one time or another in their life, know the benefits they've received of being part of a team with one united goal. This along with the NBA Playoffs, NFL Lockout and local sports topics will all be chronicled on the debut show of Sportaholic radio. Be sure also check me out at http://www.sportaholic2112.blogspot.com and http://www.noomizo.com/sports. The initial show date will be held on Saturday, May 14th at 11:30 A.M. All opioions are welcomed, so get ready for a good laugh or two and an even better time. If you would like to call in and let your voice be heard on the weeks hottest sports topics, the number is 714-464-5225. Thanks Nashville for all your continued support.

The Memphis Grizzlies and the Nashville Predators give Tennessee a taste of post-season success:

A couple of weeks ago I assessed the post-season success or should I say unsuccessfulness of Tennessee’s professional sports franchises. (See: http://www.noomizo.com/index.php/the-tennessee-sports-fan-conundrum-why-cant-tennessees-professional-sports-teams-acheive-post-season-success/) and as always it seems my foot has now been placed firmly in my mouth. The Memphis Grizzlies at the time had never even won a playoff game, and were given the tall task of facing the number one seed of the NBA’s western conference in the San Antonio Spurs. The Nashville Predators hadn’t won a playoff series and were facing arguably the hottest NHL team coming into the playoffs in the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. As much as I credit myself for knowing a thing or two about our local pro teams, little did I and for the most part the state of Tennessee anticipate that we would be treated to a pair of fast-paced and exciting NHL and NBA playoff series victories for both teams.

The Predators got things started as they battled Anaheim in a highly entertaining back and forth battle of up-tempo teams. The series featured everything you want in an NHL series with brutal hits (Martin Erat had four teeth knocked out by Jarkko Ruutu in game 4), spectacular goals (You won’t find a better one than Bobby Ryan’s amazing goal in game 5), suspensions (Ryan for stomping Jonanthon Blum’s foot) and a dramatic come from behind victory overtime thriller in game 5.

The Preds fought for every inch of ice and resembled the hard nosed blue collar team they always have been under Barry Trotz. Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, Pekka Rinne, and Mike Fisher all showed at various points why they are so valuable to the team. But it was also the unsung heroes in Jered Smithson with his game-winning shot in OT of game 5 as well as Nick Spaling scoring two goals in the game 6 clincher, detailing the entire team effort. They also stole the hearts of Nashville in the process as the sold out Bridgestone arena was rocking in every game. “Hockeytonk” showed to be alive and well in “Smashville” as fans came out in droves to see their Predators. The local and national media have finally caught on as the media presence at Predator games has nearly tripled. They have given us locals something else to talk about other than the Titans and the NFL lockout labor strife. They have made us proud and proved that hockey can survive in this non-traditional southern market.

The Predators have fought for respect since they arrived in Nashville. They seem to finally be getting there just due as Head Coach Barry Trotz has been nominated for the Jack Adams award for coach of the year, Goalie Pekka Rinne is up for the Vezina trophy for best goalie and defensemen Shea Weber is a finalist for the Norris trophy awarded to the NHL’s best defensemen. As critical as the press has been about Nashville’s hockey team, it seems that things are finally changing for the better. The Predators attendance has steadily increased as the chart below shows. And now with the playoff victory under their belt, the numbers should only get better.

Season Avg. Paid Avg. Comps

2008-09 14,189 852

2009-10 14,155 834

2010-11 15,562 655

The Memphis Grizzlies have come into their own at the right time as they took down perennial playoff power San Antonio Spurs in just six games. The Spurs were the number one seed in the west and Memphis was given little hope of winning a couple of games much less the entire series. The Grizzlies came out in game 1 and showed the Spurs they meant business as they punished San Antonio in the post thanks to Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. The newly minted “Bruise Brothers” just obliterated the older Spurs team on the inside. San Antonio had no answer for the multi skilled big men as Memphis ran its offense to perfection thru the duo. The Spurs tried everything including small lineups and inserting seldom used rookie Tiago Splitter in favor of undersized and ineffective Dejuan Blair. Memphis also used a stifling perimeter defense featuring perimeter pit-bulls Shane Battier and Tony Allen. One of the surprising and ironic events is how the injury of the Grizzlies most athletic player in Rudy Gay has allowed the paring of Battier and Allen to attack other team’s best wing players. The lethal 3-point shooters of the Spurs were limited to just 29.4% in the series after shooting an NBA best 39.7% during the regular season. Marc Gasol has made the trade of his brother Pau to L.A mentionable in these parts again as he has developed into one of the better center in the league. He averaged 20 points and 16 rebounds against the Spurs

However, maybe the biggest story of the Grizzlies surprising run has to be the emergence of Zack Randolph as their go to clutch performer. Randolph as you remember was the enigmatic head case that made stops in Portland, L.A., and New York before arriving in Memphis. He was a player who reputation had preceded him. He was known for having talent but not the work ethic that was needed to become a consistent star. Randolph is now proving that he has moved past those demons as he carried the Grizzlies past San Antonio averaging 27 points and 11 rebounds for the series. He bullied his way to the hoop and showed a soft leathery jump shot from the outside. He made the game winning 3-pointer in game 3 that stunned the Spurs so much that they never recovered from it (Tim Duncan looked as if his eye-balls were going to pop out).

Credit also has to be given to the Grizzlies coaching and bench play as Head Coach Lionel Hollins has mixed and matched players until he finally settled on a unit featuring hard nosed defenders in Darrell Arthur and Sam Young and balanced it out with skilled offensive players O.J Mayo and Grevis Vasquez. Memphis has taking on the identity of its coach Hollins who was a member of the 1977 and 1978 NBA all-defensive teams. He relishes the opportunity for his team to get out in passing lanes and playing in your face pressure defense. Hollins has been the steady hand that has led Memphis to respectablity. He has taken this team and made it his as he has navigated thru the Allen Iverson debacle and enstilled confidence in Point Guard Mike Conley by giving him the minutes he needed to become a solid leader on the team.

As a result of their attainment both the Grizzlies and the Predators have made this spring much more interesting here in Tennessee. The teams continue their march into history as the Preds now are facing the number one seeded Vancouver Canucks. The Grizzlies are taking on up and coming Oklahoma City, a team featuring one of the best players in the world in Kevin Durant. There are so many similarities in these teams as both face stiff challenges in their quests to bring home championship hardwood that has eluded the volunteer state. They are both hard working blue collar teams that don’t have the name recognition as the big cities teams do. Nashville and Memphis have also proved that they are hungry for more as well, as they have both already taken a victory in their second round series.These two teams have captured the spirit of Tennessee, from the rolling hills and country music of the mid-state to the bar-b-qued filled aroma and fun loving elements of Beale Street of Memphis. These two teams have a chance to go down in Rocky Top lore.

Sportaholic NFL Draft Spectacular



In anticipation to the draft this year, I scanned every so called draft expert’s picks, including Peter King’s on Sports Illustrated, Mike Mayock from NFL.com, Rich Gosselin of the Dallas morning news and of course Mel Kiper and Todd McShay of ESPN. After witnessing the first round of the draft I can say with confidence these guys are guessing just like the rest of us. Four QBs went in the first round (To Kiper’s credit, he did predict four would go) with your classic over-reaching in the Titans picking Jake Locker at 8 and Minnesota picking Christian Ponder at 12. Jacksonville’s GM Gene Smith made a bold move in trading up for Blaine Gabbert, which officially puts David Garrard on the hot seat. This was an example of the effect of the lockout. The Titans, Vikings, and Jags were directly affected because they couldn’t count on signing a veteran QB like they could in normal years. Now these teams turn to rookie passers to lead or eventually take over their franchises. We all knew the Cam Newton experience would be going to Carolina. The Panthers and GM Marty Hurney are mortgaging their future on the former Auburn star. Now can he lead them to the promise land is another thing.

Another trend this year was the run on pass rushers. 7 of the 32 picks in the first round were used on sack specialists. Another 4 picks were used on defensive tackles, making it 11 picks for defensive linemen in the first round. Teams know that if they can grab an elite pass rusher it can pay big dividends. When you look at teams such as Dallas with Demarcus Ware, Pittsburgh with Lamar Woodley, and Green Bay with Clay Matthews you understand the importance of having a game changing edge rusher who can get to the Qb at any given time. Speaking of pass rushing, how about the Detroit Lions? They had Nick Fairley fall right into their lap. That defensive line now features Fairley, Ndamakong Suh and Kyle Vaden Bosch. That noise you heard last night after the Fairley pick last night was Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler’s jaw dropping. Those guys have to be shaking their heads thinking of what life going to be like when the Lions come to town. The boldest move of the entire draft so far though has to be Atlanta giving up the 27th pick along with its 2nd and 4th round picks of this year’s draft and their 1st and 4th round picks of next year to obtain Alabama’s Julio Jones. A lot of people are questioning this move. The Falcons gave up a lot for the services of Jones but it brings drool to my mouth thinking about an offense that features Roddy White, Jones, Tony Gonzalez, Michael ‘Burner” Turner and Matt Ryan. You are looking at a bona fide explosive offense with those weapons at Ryan’s disposal.

Now for the biggest surprises of the NFL draft and the local perspective of the Titans pick:

Biggest Surprises:

1. Julio Jones to Atlanta: Hands down it has to the Atlanta Falcons. As I stated above, the Falcons paid a steep price for wideout Julio Jones but when you look at the possibilities, how can you not like it? This offense now has top 5 written all over it. Every since Matt Ryan and Roddy White developed into one of the best QB-WR tandems in the league, most people were saying they still needed one more threat on the outside to bring it all together. When I watched Falcons games last year I would always notice the double press coverage used on White. It forced Matt Ryan to find Tony Gonzalez probably more than he liked to over the middle. Jones will free up the opposite side of the field for Atlanta and will open up holes for Turner with his physical blocking. The more I look at this for the Falcons the more I like it.

2. Nick Fairley to Detroit: This pick had to make Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler quiver. Jim Schwartz has always been known for his defensive line schemes since his days here in Tennessee. He now has a potentially devastating assortment of talent with Suh, Fairley and Vaden Bosch. They guys are going to hurt someone this year, mark it down. The physicality and nastiness that Fairley and Suh will bring every game will set the tone for the Lions defense. Both guys are known for their rough borderline dirty playing styles and it should be fun to see how they play off each other.

3. Blaine Gabbert to Jacksonville: Jaguars GM Gene Smith is a man who sticks by what he believes in. He proved that last year by picking Cal’s Tyson Alaulau who turned out to be one of the better rookie defensive ends last year. After countless experts weighed in and called the pick an over reach, Smith never wavered and at no time even worried about what others thought. So I have to trust a man of such conviction as he must have had a hunch about Gabbert, who he moved up to take 10th. It cost the Jags a 2nd round pick but they now have their future franchise QB. Gabbert was predicted all over the board from 3rd to the Bills all the way down to 10th by the Redskins. There is no way he could have thought he would be a Jaguar at the end of the day. I trust Smith knows what he is doing. David Garrard your days are numbered in Jacksonville.

Best 1st round: New Orleans Saints. The Saints grabbed defensive end Cameron Jordan of Cal, who some say was a potential top 15 pick and the Saints got him with the 24th pick (Value, Value, and Value) They followed that up by trading with New England for the 26th pick and landing former Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram. They now have a dominant in-between the tackles runner that Reggie Bush will never become. But the most intriguing thing about the Bush-Ingram tandem is the endless possibilities. Sean Payton is one the brightest offensive minds in the game. He will incorporate both to the best of their abilities. I envision Ingram softening up the defense with his down-hill running style, only to have Bush take a toss sweep and turn the corner on a stunned defense. Ingram should help bring better balance on offense for the Saints and anytime you give Drew Brees another toy to play with it’s a good thing. Jordan will solidify the defensive line for the Saints who at times last year had problems getting to the QB. It’s just been a great draft so far for Sean Payton and company.

Worst 1st round: Minnesota Vikings. The draft is all about value. Each slot in the draft has a certain expectation of market price at its position. This is what makes the Vikes decision to go with Christian Ponder of Florida State so perplexing. Ponder was thought to be a late 2nd rounder at best in most projections and the Vikes over reached because they reacted the Qb bonanza that was taking place in the early 1st round. There is a lot to like about Ponder who is probably the most pro ready out of all the QBs drafted in the first round. He played in a pro-style offense at Florida State and is one of the most cerebral players in the entire draft. But the value was just not there to justify taking him that high. The number of quality QBs still left in this draft is another thing. Ryan Mallet, Ricky Stanzi , Andy Dalton, and Colin Kapernick all are still on the board. Minnesota has the 43rd pick in the second round which they could have used on one four named Qbs left. For all we know Ponder could have still been there, which makes this pick such a stinker.

Local Perspective: Titans select Jake Locker with the 8th pick. I could have easily placed Tennessee in the worst 1st round slot that is currently filled by Minnesota. For the very same reasons I didn’t like the Vikings pick is the same reasons I don’t like the Titans pick as well. Locker seemed like a reach at 8. The first thing I did when the pick was announced was to go straight to my phone as I received numerous texts, twits and facebook statues asking one simple question. Why Locker? It was projected that he would go in the first round but just not in the top ten. The Titans need defensive help just as much as they need QB and they were staring at a potentially dominant force in Nick Fairley in the face. Now I know a lot of people will say that the Titans need a QB more than anything and that may be true but over reaching for a guy with a career 56% competition rate in college? They could have selected Fairley in the 1st round and had plethora of choices at QB in the 2nd round with the 39th pick.



However, contrary to my beliefs, this is a guy who would have been the number one pick in last year’s draft. He has tremendous upside if the Titans staff can correct his accuracy problems that plagued his draft status this year. He has all the intangibles you look for in a QB. As Jon Gruden said he is as tough as a two-dollar steak and this guy means business when he tucks the ball and takes off running. Todd McShay put it best when speaking of Locker. He stated that his potential ceiling could be as high as Aaron Rodgers and his bottom could be that of Heath Shuler. This is the rub I have with the pick. Why roll the dice on such a high risk high reward player? In the first round you want to absolutely without a doubt make sure you get the best player you can at your position. Most are saying that the Titans have been in love with Locker since the combine but I just question entire front office if that is the case. Even if they were so enamored with Locker, I’m pretty sure they could have traded down and got some more draft picks in return. It’s just so many different ways the Titans could have went with the 8th pick but they seem to know something we don’t about in Locker.



Hopefully Locker is more Aaron Rodgers than he is Heath Shuler because he is now the face of the franchise for the Tennessee Titans for the foreseeable future.

Michael Jordan would not have won 6 championships in today's era.

Michael Jeffrey Jordan, his airness, flight 23, simply put the greatest player to grace the court ever. In my opinion that is not up for debate, however I do question in this time and era would he be able to dominate opponents as he did that are just as athletic and some just as talented as he. Please don't get me wrong on this, its not an indictment on MJ. His on the court ferocity and tenacity is what most set him apart from his foes. No one stepped on the throats on his opponents like Jordan. He was going for the jugular in the second quarter of most games. I just believe that the competition in today's league would be much more fierce. Rather if you agree with me or not, I think we can all agree that the NBA's talent pool has been raised over the last decade, from the AAU circuit and the impact of international players. With likes of Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, and Brandon Roy to name a few the league is as deep and talented as its ever been at the wing position. It also has its share of long and strong defenders like Ron Artest, Trevor Ariza, Thabo Sefolosha, and Shane Battier. Now I know Jordan would have his way with a few of these guys, but that's not all what I am debating. It would be harder facing this competition day in and day out.

For the sake of argument, lets take a look at the competition Jordan faced during his title reign. The names don't jump out at you: Alex English, Clyde Drexler, Joe Dumars, Kevin Johnson, Dominique Wilkins, and Reggie Miller. I will say that those are Hall of Fame players, but would also argue that aren't capable of checking Jordan. In the six tittles that Jordan won these are the teams he faced in those finals: 1991 defeated LA Lakers with Byron Scott as main defender, 1992 defeated Portland Trail Blazers with an Danny Ainge and Cliff Robinson trying to defend, in 93 defeated the Phoenix Suns with Dan Majerle, Xavier McDaniel and Jeff Hornacek in platoon defense. That was MJ's first three year run. After that little baseball thing he came back for a second round of terror defeating Seattle in 96 being defended by Nate McMillan and Xavier McDaniel (again). His last two titles came against Utah and we all know they had no one to contain "His Airness".

Furthermore and to reiterate I am huge Micheal Jordan fan. I had his jersey, cards, shoes and anything else you can think of. Jordan changed the game in so many ways, from the style he implemented (baggy shorts anyone?) to his pitch man status for endorsements and to his charismatic personality and his determination and drive. If you put all of those things together you get a brand of its own, as Jordan proved. No one has been able to market themselves as well as Jordan then and arguably now. Only Lebron James comes close, and he didn't add many fans with the whole "Taking my talents to Miami" thing.

There is no doubt in my mind that MJ was the best player to ever play, there also no doubt in my mind that he came into the game in a perfect timing of sorts. His talent was above and beyond those who he played with in his generation. To his credit, none of that is his fault. He played that cards that were dealt to him to the fullest. But again, in this new generation of players that are just as athletic and skilled (although none are of the level of sheer will to win) as he was. He was the first of the new breed of wing player in the NBA.

What do you guys think? I know many will disagree with me on this one but I will debate with anyone on this subject. As a matter of fact I always say what if you put Kobe on the Bulls teams that MJ won his titles with? Do you think Kobe with those same teams would win as many rings as MJ? Always good to hear different views on that. Please feel free to drop comments as I know this is a touchy subject that is sure to have many varying opinions.

The Weekend Run-down: Nashville Edition

This was an exciting weekend to be a sports fan in Nashville. The Predators made team history by finally winning a playoff series. Former AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke made an appearance for the Nashville Sounds, and Nashville superspeed way held the annual Nashville 300 nationwide and truck series events. Nashville native and Vandy alum Brandt Snedeker snuck up the leader board and stole a victory at the Heritage classic in Hilton Head, SC. The Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team even got in on the action as they completed a sweep of LSU over the weekend.




This has to be considered one of the best weekends’s the Nashville’s sports scene so far this year with so many different events in the local area. Now it time for the rundown the weekend in sports, Nashville edition.

The Predators Make History As They Cap Series With Game 6 Victory Over Anaheim: It had to happen one day. After countless heartbreak chasing Lord Stanley’s cup, the Nashville Predators are finally headed to the 2nd round of the NHL playoffs. They didn’t make it easy on themselves in the closer as they fell behind early as Saiku Koivu fond Teemu Selanne for his sixth goal of the series and Koivu’s sixth assist. The Preds would counter back with a Nick Spaling goal to tie things up in the first period. The two teams battled hard as the numerous penalties and rough play indicated. Steve “Sully” Sullivan would add another goal for Nashville in the second. Its always a good site to see Sully healthy and playing well. Vezina trophy finalist Pekka Rinne warmed up in the second and showed off his skills on countless saves in the period but allowed a Jason Blake goal to slip by in the period. Nashville would ultimately put the Ducks away with two goals in the third period. Nick Spaling would add his second and David Legwand would provide an insurance goal at the end.

It was such a great moment for “Hockeytonk”. The Preds have been to the playoffs six out of the last seven years and ousted in the first round each time. This game had an eerie feeling of the last game 5 the Preds were involved in with the Chicago Blackhawks of last year. The Predators had built a one goal lead well into the third period only to see Marian Hossa of the Blackhawks tie the game and the Preds would lose in overtime. The lost of game 5 hung over the Preds and they eventually lost the series in game 6. The Preds had to sit with that stinging lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champions all year. They would not be denied this time however. “I’m happy because I think of the resiliency of the group that worked so hard all year, and I’m relieved because there is a little bit of a cloud that we wanted to get to the next level,” said Barry Trotz. The Preds go on to face its arch nemesis the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. Let’s keep it going Preds and keep the support up Smahville, your team needs you.

Carl Edwards Wins The Nashville 300 For The Fifth Time: The ceremonial back-flip Carl Edwards does after each victory is becoming a pre-requisite at the Nashville Superspeedway. Edwards dominated the field as he led 148 of 225 of the total laps. Edwards was only challenged by Kyle Busch, who won the Bully Hill Vineyards 200 Camping World Truck Series race Friday night. This is Edwards 31st victory in Nationwide series events. Edwards plans to auction the trophy guitar on eBay with the proceeds going to the family of Roush-Fenway Racing employee Jonathan Bunting, who died earlier this week in North Carolina. The way Edwards continues to dominate the Nashville Superspeedway and collect  guitar trophies; he is going to have look into starting a band. We’ll need a drummer,” Edwards said.

Zack Grienke Roughed Up In Rehab Start For Nashville Sounds: In a bizarre moment of pitching match-ups, the former AL Cy Young winner Greinke faced former Brewer and fellow major league starter Jeff Suppan now of the Omaha Storm Chasers. Greinke had a strong first inning performance but struggled from there. It was Suppan who stole the show as he retired 16 of the last 18 batters he faced. In the first inning, Greinke was able to induce four straight groundouts to begin the game and had has fastball hitting 94 mph on the radar gun. Ball acceleration was not the problem for Greinke, it was his control. He allowed three hits,walked one batter, and gave up two runs before reaching his mandated 54 pitches on his pitch count. Tim Dillard would relieve Greinke and the Sounds would go on to lose 7-3. "Maybe the velocity was still there, but the control wasn't that sharp," said Greinke. He also recoginzed that he needs another start before heading back to the majors, and will get another chance for the Sounds this Friday when they take on Albuquerque. Another Major leaguer graced the Sounds roster as Bowling Green, Kentucky native Corey Hart got the start in the outfield. He continues his own rehabilitation assignment as well. It was a great day to see Major league talent at Greer Stadium.

Vandy Brings Out Its broom And Sweeps LSU: The Vanderbilt Commodores had a season high 20 hits as they claimed the top spot in the SEC conference at Hawkins field this Saturday. The Dores’ charged the Tigers for six runs in the bottom of the third. The Dores matched a season-best with six hits during the rally with Conrad Gregor's two-run homer leading the way. LSU would score four runs in the seventh inning to get within two runs but Vandy’s vaunted bullpen would secure the victory from there. Vanderbilt (35-5 and 14-4 in SEC) now sits atop the SEC rankings with Florida’s sweep of Alabama and South Carolina's 2-1 series victory over Mississippi State puts the three teams in a three-way tie in the SEC standings at 14-4.

Brandt Snedeker Wins The Heritage Golf Tournament: Nashville native and former Vandy great Brandt Snedeker posted an out of this world 7-under 64 to earn his second tour victory. It was Snedeker’s first victory since winning the 2007 Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., in his first year on the tour. Snedeker birdied seven of his first twelve holes to take the lead just as the final pair of Luke Donald and defending champion Jim Furyk were up to tee off. Snedeker would then close the final round with a 12-foot birdie putt on the at No. 18th hole. Snedeker’s victory prevented Luke Donald from claiming the number one ranking in the world and also put a cool $1,026,000 in his pocket. "To win this time, after all the hard work I put in the last three or four years, trying to improve, trying to get better," said Snedeker, "I feel like my game is finally there. Congrats on your victory Brandt, from all of your fans in Nashville.



It was a great weekend to say the least for Nashville sports. I hope everyone got a chance to take in the nice weather and witness one of the many events held in the local area because it will be awhile before this weekend will be topped.

Highlights and Interviews from 4th Annual Music City Classic

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Game Summary:

Both teams came out with high energy which is to be expected at these types of events. Micah Williams of ETSU set the tone early for the away team with a couple of acrobatic dunks. The Morehead State contingency of Kenneth Faried and Demonte Harper would also get into the action as both players took turns dominating the game. Faried, a potential first round NBA draft pick, punished the basket and brought the crowd to its feet with a number of ferocious dunks. Harper, who you may remember from his buzzer beater against Louisville, made a couple of early jumpers and got a big slam of his own during the first half.

Things really heated up in the second half as Atlantic Sun player Mike Smith dialed up a few 3-point bombs. As the game settled down, both teams picked up their defensive play. Cedric Austin of Freed-Hardeman was inserted in the game and immediately picked up the tempo. He would match-up against Harper of Morehead State and slowed down the Eagles star. When coach Ricky Collins of the home team gave Kenneth Faried would a breather, the game would turn in favor of the away team. Micah Williams would hit a 3-pointer and follow it up with an alley-oop jam on the next play. The teams played to a 108-105 score with the away team up by three. The stage was set for another late-game buzzer beater from Morehead’s Demonte Harper. Harper would receive the ball at the top of the key and take one dribble to sink a game-tying 3-point shot, almost exactly as he did against the Louisville Cardinals in the NCAA tournament.



However, that would be the last celebration for the home team as Justin Tubbs of ETSU and Caleb Brown of Austin Peay secured the lead for the away team and sealed the victory of a couple of key baskets. It’s was a great game and even better effort given by both teams.





Interviews:



I had the pleasure of interviewing event coordinator Cecelia Shell after the game. Shell is a Fisk alum who along with former Belmont point guard Brian “Penny” Collins developed this great occasion. She spoke about making the event more open to the public and how the event has grown over the last four years. Shell spoke on how she thinks this is the premier showcase of college basketball talent in the mid-state. She also said she would like connect with the local high school all-star game that was also held at Fisk, and make it an entire weekend event, showcasing both high school and college stars. Shell was a bundle of energy and a joy to speak to.



Brian “Penny” Collins was unable to attend due to a schedule conflict, but he has built this game from the ground up. I had a chance to catch up with the former Belmont Bruin over the phone. He stated that he wanted to make this a showcase game for all of the college basketball seniors in the state. His vision is to get further sponsorship and eventually land the game on one of the ESPN networks as a featured showcase game. Collins said he will continue to recruit the top talent in the state and the rest should take care of itself. I will agree with him on that statement. When you have the type of talented players he is brining in, then the sponsors will follow.



I also spoke with future NBA players Kenneth Faried and Demonte Harper. Those two guys were easily the funniest guys I spoke with the entire evening. They have a certain chemistry between the two that reverberates on and off the court. Faried explained how he thinks he will be successful in the NBA. He said his tenacity and determination hopefully will take him a long way. I asked Harper what with him and his flair for the dramatics and let’s just say he believes in his abilities. For more on this interview be sure to watch the attached video of this article. Those two guys are hilarious together.



Ricky Collins is the former coach of the Pearl-Cohn Firebirds. He gave his opinion on who he thinks has the best pro potential out of all players from the game. He also stated that he enjoyed the energy and effort that both teams displayed and hopes to be back coaching again in next year’s game.



I cannot state enough how much I enjoyed myself covering this event. Everyone from the players, coaches and fans all were in high spirits and made this a successful and highly enjoyable function. Everyone in Nashville and Tennessee as whole should come out next year and support this great event. If you enjoy basketball in fun family atmosphere, then your doing yourself a disservice by not attending. Special thanks to Robert Snelling for his splendid camera work and Fisk University for hosting such a great event

The Weekend Run-down April 18, 2011

NBA Playoffs Opening Acts – After one of the most exciting and entreating NBA seasons in history, the NBA showcased what might be the best ever playoffs as well. The post season opened with three stunning first game upsets (Grizzlies over Spurs, Hornets over Lakers and Hawks over Magic) to get things started. The stars showed up as Chris Paul went off for a ridiculous 33 points, 7 rebounds, 14 assists and 3 steals in the Hornets big victory of the Lakers. Chicago’s Derrick Rose continued his MVP campaign as he would not let the Bulls lose scoring 39 points and controlling the last part of the game with his unstoppable moves against Indiana. Not be outdone, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant poured in 41 points in the Thunder’s victory of the Denver Nuggets. The most disturbing big time performance has to go to Orlando’s Dwight Howard. The big man was in beast mode as he scored 46 points and collected 19 boards. There is no way that your best player puts up those kinds of numbers and his team still loses by double digits. Someone needs to put out an APB for the rest of Orlando’s starters not named Dwight Howard or Jameer Nelson. Boston was down most of the game against the New York Knicks but was saved by Ray Allen as he hit the game winning 3-pointer in the waning moments of game 1 of this renewed rivalry. I can’t remember a better opening act to the NBA playoffs than this one. There wasn’t a bad game out of the bunch and it is just the beginning.

Predators take a 2-1 series lead over Ducks: Smashville came out in full support of its Nashville Predators as a raucous sell-out crowd of 17,113 flooded Bridgestone Arena to see the Preds defeat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks 4-3. The Preds capitalized on the suspension of Anaheim’s Bobby Ryan out shooting the Ducks 37-16. Mike Fisher gave the Preds the lead for good as he scored at the 10:21 mark in the third period. Nashville’s prime-time players showed up as Captain Shea Webber scored a goal (His seventh goal tying the Nashville’s Predators all-time mark), Martin Erat had a power-play goal and an assist. David Legwand and Jordin Tootoo also scored. Ryan Suter had two assists. The Predators could not let this opportunity pass as Anaheim’s second leader scorer Ryann was suspended for stomping defensemen Jonathon Blum’s foot in Friday’s game. The Predators look to take a commanding 3-1 lead this Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena. The Preds have all the momentum and hopefully are on their way to winning their first ever playoff series.

Jimmie Johnson wins closest race ever at Talladega: It was a two man race the whole way and almost at the finish line. The five-time defending Sprint cup champ held on to the victory over Clint Bowyer by two-thousandths of a second with a little help from Dale Earnhardt Jr. Little E played good teammate and help catapult Johnson to victory. Saying Junior sacrificed is an understatement, as he carries a 101 race winless streak and also the burden of being the most popular Sprint cup driver. If I couldn't win the race,'' Junior said, "I wanted Jimmie to win the race, because I had worked with him all day and he is my teammate.'' This was the closet victory ever in a Sprint cup race as it tied Ricky Craven’s win at Darlington in 2003. Earnhardt Jr. would still end up in fourth place as the top eight drives were separated by a mere 0.145 seconds. Talladega will always be good for paint swapping as there were twenty-six leaders and the lead car changed a whopping 88 times, tying the record from last year’s race. Johnson made sure to give Earnhardt his due by giving him the checkered flag but initially Earnhardt was reluctant to accept. "He said it belonged to me, but I don't agree with that," Earnhardt said after his fourth-place finish. "I appreciate it. I'll get him to sign it and it'll be one checkered flag that ain't mine."