Introducing Sportaholic's latest addition: Ashley Danielle

Ashley Danielle is a former NFL cheerleader for the Tennessee Titans and an avid sports fanatic. She now teaches dance and gymnastics along with yoga and strength training at different locations which you can find through her website NashvilleStiletto.com. Not only does she teach just about every style of dance and fitness but she also has her own Burlesque/Cabaret company called Neon Kisses in Nashville and Atlanta. It is my pleasure to welcome her to the Sportaholic staff as a writer and interviewer. She will present to us the woman’s perspective on sports topics along with that much needed allure. As a former NFL cheerleader and networking extraordinaire, she has connections inside the locker room and keen insight from first-hand experience. She will be working with the Sportaholic on future articles and interviews. Everyone welcome Ashley with open arms, as she is a very accomplished woman in her own right and will help take the Sportaholic  sports coverage to the next level.















To introduce Ashley to everyone, we have a few quick questions to pick her brain and get the thoughts of a woman on sports:






1. Tell us a little about yourself and your favorite players in various sports.



First and foremost, I'd like to say thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts at Sportaholic. I won't let your fans down! Well to get on with the question, I'm born and raised in the fabulous Music City, USA. I'm what you call a jack of all trades. Not only do I teach dance and have my own dance company, I am a fashion designer, singer/songwriter, musician and mother. Oh and I'm smart too. Graduated Valedictorian from high school and Summa Cum Laude from college. I am a nerd but who doesn't love an intelligent woman....I'm just saying! ;-)






As far as my favorite players, I could go on and on. And to all of you out there that think I'm basing my favorite athletes off of looks should be ashamed of themselves. In football, my top 2 current NFL players are Michael Vick and Troy Polamalu. Vick has great accuracy and is a hell of a runner. All around top tier athlete and I love that he advanced his team to the playoffs despite his demise a few years ago. Now for Troy....I don't have much else to say other than WOW! I followed him when he went to USC. I've never seen a defensive player like him. His tenacity and drive is like no other. Not to mention, he's a great family man. What's not to love?




Ok now basketball....my top 2 favorite current players are Rajon Rondo and Blake Griffin. Yes, I know sports guys! Two excellent players that are at the top of my list. Blake's power is uncanny and I was glad to see him named Rookie of the Year. Rajon is an excellent ball handler but there are many in the NBA that I can name. Just my opinion though.



To round out some of my other favorites I pick Tiger Woods for golf with Jack Nicholson in a close second. Serena Williams in tennis, A-Rod for baseball and Usain Bolt for track and field. Not saying that I don't watch other sports. I just don't have a favorite athlete but I'll root for the team.






2. Did you participate in any sports while you attended school?



I dabbled in sports growing up but my passion ended up being more focused on the arts. I played softball and tennis in high school but I never turned down a flag football game or a game of H.O.R.S.E.





3. Who is the best female athlete in your opinion?



Best female athlete would be my favorite tennis star, Serena Williams. That woman is a beast and I mean that in the most classiest of ways! She devours her opponents and has sustained a career that many can only dream of. Not to mention, she has a great body and as a fitness instructor many women aspire to have muscle definition like hers.




4. Do you think there is a bias to women reporting in the sports field

Great question! I do believe that there is a bias to women reporting but it's not as uncommon to see females reporting sports as if it were 30 years ago. Women have made lots of strides in the sports world, especially as journalists. You see a sparingly, increased amount of females that know more about sports. Now ask me if you think that women and men will be equals when it comes to reporting in the sports field. The answer is hell no!

5. Anything else you would like to tell the audience about yourself



Hmmm....I will say that I'm a little ball of fire. I get into heated debates because men act like all women are oblivious to sports. I plan on surprising you all with my knowledge. Tootles....haha

Follow me on Twitter: @_ashleydanielle

Another day in the Summer of Misfortune for Kenny Britt

I’m never one to pile on a person but sometimes that person just makes it easy for you. The latest in Kenny Britt summer tour of misfortune now finds our Mr. Britt on facebook, slandering and outright cursing the commissioner Roger Goddell. As first reported by Pro football talk, NJ.com<, and Slam! Sports, Britt’s updated his status with the following:



"Retiring From the NFL. F*** You Goddell."


"Change of HEart.. My family is always here for me. I made mistakes and i am sorry i am going to change and become a better person and mentor for all my young fans.. I will accept any penalty like a man.. The road beings Sept 11 in Jacksonville.. ill be ready!!!"


"my facebook was hacked with those past 2 status's.. i am not retiring and do not have any hate toward the commissioner."

So it first appeared that Britt was going all Cee-lo on the commish but he later retracted those statements with his last status update. I don’t even know where to begin with this one. Britt just does stupid things or supposedly has them happen to him. To his defense, it’s fairly easy to hack someone’s account (especially when you password IS password as according to some reports it was) but these type of incidents are happening way too much to the 2nd year pro. Now the grammar errors are another subject. I know this an updated facebook status but sheesh! Between the capitalization errors and the misspellings, it makes you wonder what they are giving out at Rutgers these days as far as degrees. Again, I’m not here to kick a dog when he is down but this is just ridiculous.

Let’s hope this is just a minor incident because as we all know, social media can destroy people’s lives these days (Ex. Anthony Weiner, Rashard Mendenhall etc.)

As much as I love the traffic you generate for my site Kenny, this is getting out of hand. From the high-speed chases to the smoking weed in public and now this facebook post, I don’t know what it will take for you to get it. And for him to say he will be ready Sept 11 is not well thought out on his part because it’s a 97% chance that Mr. Goddell will be ringing his phone as soon as the labor strife is over.

I genuinely hope this is the last negative post we have on Sportaholic about Kenny Britt. But if we haven learned anything so far about the Kenny Britt ‘s summer tour of misfortune, we know to always expect the unexpected with him.

Updated: Join the Sportaholic on 104.5 the Zone radio June 22, 2011

V

To listen to full interview click here: https://www.yousendit.com/dl?phi_action=app/orchestrateDownload&rurl=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.yousendit.com%252Ftransfer.php%253Faction%253Dbatch_download%2526send_id%253D1155337527%2526email%253D6f1ef133ad1913e97308dfb164c65e85&s=19105&cid=tx-02002208350200000000

I will be featured on Nashville’s leader for sports, 104.5 the zone radio tomorrow at 9:00 am. I will be discussing the 5th annual All-Around Basketball camp and the Elite Football camp held here in Nashville. The Sportaholic team will be covering both events. The 5th All-Around basketball camp expected guesses include Vandy’s Jeff Jenkins, Brandon Wright of the New Jersey Nets, Wayne Ellington of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Gerald Robinson of the Georgia Bulldogs, Ed Davis of the Toronto Raptors, Demonte Harper of Morehead State. Camp will be held at Brentwood Academy and the cost is $200.

The Elite Football camp expected guess include former TSU star and current starting cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Cecil Newton (Brother of Cam Newton) of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Anthony Levine, and Jarvarris Williams. The focus of the Elite Football camp will be to promote health and fitness for children and young adults. Each day the 1st 45 minutes of the camp, they will have a seminar/meeting about the importance of nutrition and hydration, especially in sports. The Elite Football camp team will also provide mentoring opportunities. Participants for this camp will range from 4th grade to 12th and it will be held at Maplewood High School. Register at www.elite3.org or call Riley Howard at 496-1594

Both Camps will be held the week of June 27th-June 30th. Make sure to tune in to 104.5 the Zone at 9 am if you’re by your radio to hear the Sportaholic discuss both of these premier camps.

Editor’s Note: If you are holding any type of sports camp or sporting events feel free to contact me by way of e-mail at carlos.paige@hotmail.com and I will be sure to contact you back. The Sportaholic team in collaboration with Noomizo.com will cover your event including live recordings, photos, interviews and written articles at no charge to you. Thanks for all your continued support Nashville.

Elite Football Camp in Nashville

For more info contact Riley Howard at 615-496-1594

The Weekend Run Down June 20, 2011

Summertime is in the air (I just heard Will Smith's Summertime song, so that makes it official in my book) as the temperature rises, the summer sports such as baseball, tennis, and golf take hold of the sports universe. The big news this weekend was the dominance of Rory McIlroy in the U.S open. The 22-year old Northern Irishman lapped the field and put on a performance not seen since the glory days of Tiger Woods. The College World Series is also underway as local favorite Vanderbilt, as far fetched as it sounds, made their first appearance in college's baseball's championship. In MLB news, St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols was injured making a catch at first base and appears to be in line to miss some time. Just another injury to add to the list for the Cardinals.




Now without further ado I present to you the weekend rundown:

Rory makes it looks easy at the Congressional: That Masters collapse was so yesterdays news eh Rory? McIlroy was brilliant breaking multiple records (12 in all) including lowest round scores in every round. The Irishman shot of the gates with an opening round of 65 and never looked back. The players themselves were in aw of McIlroy's greatness as multiple players heaped praise on him left and right. Said Jason Day who finished 2nd at – 8: “It’s just phenomenal golf,” Day said. “He lapped the field, and for such a young age, how mature he is. Golf right now is in a really, really good spot where Rory McIlroy is right now.” McIlroy made everybody else play for 2nd place as the he really was never challenged. The pulse of golf maybe changing as McIlroy's humble demeanor and cheerful Irishman accent is in stark contrast from the fiery Tiger Woods and his private and steely eyed approach to the game. My one warning for everyone is not to expect so much from the young man so fast. This is his first major, although he has been in the mix for the last 3 or 4 majors. He is going to be great as evident by his performance this past weekend but we as writers and fans need to allow him to come into his own. The British open is next for the McIlroy and he will have the home crowd behind him to see if he can continue his hot streak on golf's grandest stage.

Pujols sprains wrist and possibly injures shoulder: Albert Pujols smashed his 17th home run of the season in one inning and hurt his gold glove wrist in the next. In what has been a trying year to say the least for the Cardinals MVP slugger, now has become even worse as he is expected to have a MRI and further tests today to determine the damage. The play happened as Kansas City's Wilson Betemit hit a chopper up the middle. Cardinals second baseman Pete Kozma made an awkward throw to Pujols which led him off the bag and as he tried to apply the tag, Betemit ran into him, colliding with his glove hand that sent the burly first baseman to the ground in obvious pain. Said long time St.Louis skipper Tony La Russa: “It scared the hell out of all of us,” La Russa said. “It smoked him pretty good. The doctor said he has good strength so that makes us kind of optimistic. First indications are that we caught a break. La Russa had good reason to be scared. Pujols has played at least 143 games in each of his first 10 MLB seasons. He is as durable as they come and it takes a lot for him to go down. The Cardinals were just getting healthy again as their other slugger, Matt Holliday was back playing and the Cards were expecting more reinforcements to come off the DL. Lets hope Pujols isn't out to long as he was just getting into his MVP groove.

Vanderbilt wins its first ever College World Series Game: The Commodores waited a long time for this and finally got their due. Vanderbilt has been playing baseball since 1886 and this marks their 1st appearance in Omaha. Now that they are here , they didn't wait long to pounce on the North Carolina Tar Heels and defeated them 7-3. Even former President George W. Bush was on hand to see Vandy exercise some demons over the Tar Heels. Tony Kemp led the Commodes with 3 hits including making history on multiple occasions by having the first hit ever in the new TD Ameritrade Park and also the first stolen base. Conrad Harrell broke the game open as he hit the first CWS home in the new park in the sixth-inning to break the tie. Vandy starter Sonny Gray only went 4 2/3 innings ( His shortest outing in 18 starts since going 4 1/3 in the season opener.)

and was relieved by Corey Williams who worked 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Jason Esposito made a Sportsenter top 10 highlight play at 3rd as he made a great stop on a hard hit grounder by of all people J. Stallings-- son of Vanderbilt basketball team coach Kevin Stallings, and threw a laser to first base for the out. So far so good for the Commodores. They take on Florida today in the winners bracket , make sure to tune in to ESPN to support the Dores.



Alright, that is it for the weekend rundown. Make sure to check back this week as I have multiple posts in the works and some big news later this week.

The 5th Anuual All-Around Game Run n Gun Basketball Camp



Brandon Wright



Brian "Penny" Collins

 Looking for a great basketball camp full of experts, NBA players, and professional coaches in the Nashville area this year? Well look no further, as the creators of the Annual Music City Basketball Classic now bring you The 5th Annual All-Around Game Run n Gun Basketball Camp. It will be held at Brentwood Academy June 27th-June 30th for 7th graders and up. This will be the premier basketball camp in all of the mid-state Whether you are a newcomer to the sport or a all-star level player, the All-Around Run and Gun camp is designed to help young basketball players develop athletically and mentally.



Ed Davis



John Jenkins

 The 5th Annual All-Around Game Run n Gun Basketball Camp will feature some of the best talent in the country. The co-hosts for this camp this year will be former North Carolina standout and first-round NBA selection Brandon Wright of the New Jersey Nets and former Belmont Bruin and Whites Creek star Brian ‘Penny” Collins. Also expected in attendance include sharp shooting John Jenkins of Vanderbilt, big man Ed Davis of the Toronto Raptors, Wayne Ellington of the Minnesota Timberwolves, former interim head coach of the University of Tennessee Tony Jones, Gerald Robinson of the University of Georgia, Andre Whitehead of Tnprephoops.com, Carlos Paige of Noomizo.com and Sportaholic blog and many more.

Gerald Robinson

Tony Jones

The All-Around Run and Gun camp will emphasize basketball education experience on and off the court. The roster of NBA players and college stars will conduct training drills, fundamental skill development, and most importantly having fun. The coaches will provide knowledge and keen insight on what players need to focus on to get better. Carlos Paige will educate players on media training and using the internet to receive college recognition and much more. If you are an up and coming basketball star in the mid-state area, then you will not want to miss this.

Wayne Ellington

For registration information contact Brian “Penny” Collins at 615-260-1234 or e-mail him at briancollins10@hotmail.com. The cost of camp is $200 and the last day for sign-ups is June 27th. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to train with some of the best basketball has to offer. Contact Brian “Penny” Collins today before time runs out.

Lebron's failure and the media's obession with it

Hope everyone enjoyed a nice weekend, as for me I’m recovering from a sprained Achilles and sprained ankle I suffered playing some pick up basketball over the weekend. Sometime the mind forgets how old the body is and in my case I was watching too much basketball here lately and thought I was Kobe or Dirk. In any case, I have missed the boat on writing about Dallas’s victory over Miami to claim their first title and as I can see from reading, everybody has had their say about Lebron and his failures and anything else they always wanted to say about the Miami Heat. So I won’t bash the boys from Miami too much who although they didn’t bring home a ring otherwise had a great season. Just to think that this team was put together in a year and went on to take the Eastern conference title and came within two games of winning it all.

The last I checked it was Dallas who won the championship but the more you read the more you notice how much this has become how Lebron and the Heat LOST and not so much on how Dirk and the Mavs WON. This is what’s wrong with the world these days, people are always more concerned the individual than they are with the overall big picture. Dirk, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion, Rick Carlisle, and hell even Mark Cuban deserved this on so many levels. Those players named played their hearts out, Carlisle out-coached everyone he faced in the playoffs, and Cuban spent the money and persevered through season after season of long and enduring disappointments to finally claim a title. The media has all but forgotten about the Mavericks already as they are ready to throw Lebron under the bus even though he has been ran over by the entire Greyhound fleet at this point.

Furthermore, to put all the blame on James’s burly shoulders is pure ludicrous. In the words of one my blogging pals Sports HR, those who all blame Lebron should be fired for that notion of thinking. Granted, Lebron did not do the things that have earned him the moniker of “King”. He was passive aggressive, he shot too many jumpers, he defer too much, he didn’t rotate on defense with the authority that we are use to seeing, and didn’t show up in the fourth quarter. Those are things the great ones ALWAYS do in championship moments. Lebron has been chastised to the point of no return in the media and it’s getting to the point of borderline obsession with him. Every sports outlet wanted to capture James in his moment of shame to mock him and criticize. He is human just like everyone else and did bring a lot of this on himself with the ill-advised decision massacre but enough is enough. Everyone that reads this column and knows me personally knows how much dislike I have for the Heat and Lebron, but me as a fan of sports knows the greatness of Lebron and that he is the greatest player on earth right now regardless of poor performance in the Finals.

Just to think that less than a few weeks ago, we were having the discussion of if Lebron was on the path of being the best player ever, even surpassing ‘His Airness” Michael Jordan. Scottie Pippen posed that argument and some people actually agreed that Lebron has a chance to be better than MJ. I think one of the greatest factors in Lebron’s performance is that he has never faced the pressure cooker of being of the big stage that is the Finals. Sounds ridiculous at first though right, but when you take a look at Lebron basketball past, you will notice that he really hasn’t had to face that much adversity in his career. Yes he did face the expectations of being a childhood prodigy, who was predicted as early as 10th grade to go number one in the NBA draft. Those were a different set of forecasts back then as all he had to do was go and play ball and the rest would figure itself out. Now James has the weight of being the best player in the league, an icon in his own right, and the pressure he has created with his antics. Lebron was so much better than his counterparts in high school that it was easy for him to vanquish them and win state titles. Could you imagine being a sophomore in high school and seeing a guy that was a step away from the NBA coming at you? Sheesh. Lebron never had to face the rigors of March Madness and everything that comes with it. Learning how to deal with pressure is different for everyone and unless you have experienced it, than you won’t know to respond to it.

Eventually LBJ will figure it out because he is too great of a player not to. Michael Jordan had to find a way to harness his scoring ability to go along with the team aspect and ditto for Kobe Bryant. Magic Johnson failed miserably in his first attempt in the Finals against Bird and the Celtics (I know this James second try, but he really didn’t have a chance his first time with the Cavs facing the Spurs). The great ones have to experience failure on a level that they never have experienced before to humble them and motivate them in a way that will bring out the beast in them.

Lebron says that he doesn’t listen to all of the negativity but I would put my bottom dollar on it that some does seep into his brain from time to time. His time will come and one day he will perform to the level that we have set for him in expectations. He will also appreciate his championship much more than he ever would have had they won this year when he would have thought “ I did things my way and still won, to hell with everybody and what they think” Lebron has learned a valuable lesson not just in basketball but in life altogether. It’s the best thing for us basketball fans because I guarantee you Bron will be back with a vengeance next year to prove everyone wrong. He has everything in the world but the one thing that would make it complete is a championship. Until then the Lebron hate will go on, but deep down in the heart of every Lebron hater, they know this man will eventually get his. So hate and admonish all you want people but leave yourself a little wiggle room for when he does become a champion.