Category: Sports

By Jim Wyatt, Titans Online

TRAINING CAMP PREVIEW: DEFENSIVE LINE

In camp (10): DL Jeffery Simmons, DL DaQuan Jones, DL Jack Crawford, DT Matt Dickerson, DT Isaiah Mack, DL Larrell Murchison, DT Joey Ivie, DE Amani Bledsoe, DT Teair Tart, NT Kobe Smith.

Offseason developments: The biggest move here was a departure – the Titans traded away five-time Pro Bowler Jurrell Casey to the Broncos in exchange for a seventh-round pick, and some salary cap relief moving forward. Defensive lineman Austin Johnson also departed this offseason, and he signed with the Giants. The Titans made some additions as well. Crawford, formerly with the Falcons, signed a one-year deal with the team. The Titans also drafted Murchison in the fifth-round of the NFL Draft while also adding a pair of undrafted free agents in Tart (Florida International) and Smith (South Carolina). Simmons spent a good portion of the offseason working with trainers to strengthen his knee. And the team has spent some time flirting with defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who remains a free agent.

In the spotlight: Jeffery Simmons. The 19th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State, Simmons looked like he was shot out of a cannon in his NFL debut last season, sacking quarterback Philip Rivers in an October 20 contest vs. the Chargers after spending the first six weeks of the season on the team’s Non-Football Injury list. Simmons finished the season with 40 tackles, 14 quarterback pressures and two sacks in nine regular season games, and he was a disruptive force on a lot of Sundays. The Titans expect Simmons to take a big step in his second NFL season. Simmons said earlier this offseason he’s feeling a lot better, and he revealed plans to ditch the knee brace he wore last season. He also expects to ditch more offensive linemen on the way to ball carriers and quarterbacks.

Battle to watch: Dickerson, Mack vs. the undrafted DLs. Simmons, Jones, Crawford and Murchison are going to be on the 55-man roster, but the race will soon be on for spots behind them. Dickerson and Mack have the edge heading into camp because of their experience in the system, and the flashes they’ve shown to this point. But the Titans have a pair of intriguing undrafted free agents in Tart and Smith, who could be roster spot stealers. Bledsoe and Ivie will be looking to make a case for themselves, too, of course. Keep in mind the Titans ended last season with seven defensive linemen on their 53-man roster. One other thing to keep on the radar: The possibility of an outsider or two joining this group at some point as well.

Keep an eye on: Crawford and Murchison. The Titans didn’t sign Crawford to replace Casey. But Crawford is a veteran with some versatility, and he should provide a boost as the team moves forward. Crawford (6-5, 274) is an eight-year veteran who has played with the Raiders, Cowboys and Falcons since entering the NFL in 2012. In 93 career games, Crawford has recorded 132 tackles and 16 sacks. He recorded a career-high 35 tackles and six sacks during the 2018 season with the Falcons, where he played for the past three seasons. Murchison is a young cat with some versatility himself. He earned second-team All-ACC honors as a senior when he was in on 48 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, and seven quarterback sacks.

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By Mark Bowman, MLB Network

ATLANTA — Freddie Freeman is set to make his 10th consecutive Opening Day start and Johan Camargo convinced the Braves his recently ailing right hamstring is now healthy.

Before setting their 30-man Opening Day roster on Thursday afternoon, the Braves placed Cole Hamels on the 45-day injured list. Hamels missed all of Spring Training with left shoulder inflammation and battled left triceps tendinitis most of Summer Camp. He will be eligible to be activated on Sept. 6.

The Braves also outrighted Yonder Alonso, who had been added to the 40-man roster on Saturday. Alonso was no longer a fit once Atlanta signed Matt Adams on Monday to serve as its primary designated hitter.

Here’s a breakdown of the Braves’ 2020 Opening Day roster:

Catcher: Travis d’Arnaud and Tyler Flowers
If the scrimmage and intrasquad games were a sign of things to come, d’Arnaud seems ready to pick up where he left off when he hit 16 homers and produced a .782 OPS in 365 plate appearances for the Rays. Flowers may take a slightly lesser role than he had each of the past four seasons with the Braves. But with 60 games in 66 days, expect to see both catchers utilized on a regular basis.

First base: Freddie Freeman and Matt Adams
Freeman will be starting the season opener exactly one week after learning he received the two negative COVID-19 tests at least 24 hours apart he needed to join the team. The four-time All-Star missed the first two weeks of Summer Camp, but he seemed to quickly regain his timing. Freeman homered and hit an opposite-field double off Sean Newcomb in an intrasquad game on Tuesday. Adams was signed on Tuesday to serve as the team’s primary designated hitter.

Second base: Ozzie Albies
This could be a big year for Albies, who consistently damaged Braves pitchers during intrasquad games. He stands with Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray as the only switch-hitters to bat .275 with 50-plus homers and a .800 OPS through his age-22 season.

Shortstop: Dansby Swanson and Adeiny Hechavarría
Swanson spent the past couple weeks showing some of the opposite-field power he consistently displayed before his left heel ailment sidelined and hampered him over last season’s final couple months. He’ll be making his fourth straight Opening Day start.

Third base: Austin Riley and Johan Camargo
Manager Brian Snitker has not revealed how he plans to utilize these two third basemen. Camargo may be limited during the first couple games because he missed most of the past week resting a slight right hamstring strain. But he could reclaim the starting role he had in 2018 if Riley does not show the great power he displayed before floundering over the final months of the ’19 season.

Outfielders: Marcell Ozuna, Ender Inciarte, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Adam Duvall
Acuña’s tremendous arm may prove to be even more valuable as he’ll be playing right field on a regular basis this year. But he could still transition to center field when Inciarte sits against left-handed starters. Ozuna’s defense is a concern, but with Adams now available to serve as the designated hitter, Ozuna is expected to be in left field on a regular basis.

Utility: Adeiny Hechavarría and Charlie Culberson
Hechavarría still remains one of the game’s top defensive infielders, and his bat actually showed some life after he joined Atlanta late last year. Culberson was a key asset when the Braves won the 2018 National League East title, and he still remained one of the team’s most respected players when his production dropped last year.

Starting pitchers: Mike Soroka, Max Fried, Mike Foltynewicz, Sean Newcomb, Kyle Wright and Jhoulys Chacín
Soroka will attempt to maintain his status as a Cy Young Award candidate and Foltynewicz will look to regain the consistency he showed during his career-best 2018 season. Fried has the potential to prove himself as a front-line starter this year, and Newcomb will try to show he deserves to be back in the rotation. Wright and Chacín are among those capable of filling the fifth spot until Hamels proves to be healthy enough to join the rotation.

Relievers: Mark Melancon, Shane Greene, Darren O’Day, Chris Martin, Luke Jackson, A.J. Minter, Josh Tomlin, Touki Toussaint, Tyler Matzek and Grant Dayton
The big absence is All-Star Will Smith, who has not been cleared to return since testing positive for COVID-19 at the start of Summer Camp. Melancon will be the closer. Greene, O’Day and Martin will serve as the other primary high-leverage relievers. This a deep bullpen that counts former closers Jackson and Minter as middle-inning options. Tomlin, Toussaint and either Wright or Chacín will all be available to work multiple innings as the team plans to piggyback some starters during the season’s first couple weeks. Minter will be the primary left-handed option. Matzek returns to the Majors for the first time since his promising career with the Rockies was derailed by the “yips” in 2015.

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Board of Control met on Wednesday at Siegel High School.  The session, which was live streamed via YouTube to more than 1,800 viewers, adopted contingency plans for the fall contact sports of football and girls’ soccer.  The session also adopted guidelines for all TSSAA sports including the elimination of all scrimmages until further notice. Additional mandates and recommendations for fans were adopted including the wearing of face coverings, limitations on attendance at events and a body temperature scan of all participants, media, officials and fans while attending TSSAA contests.. 

“The regulations and guidelines the Board passed today go into effect immediately for all sports,” said Bernard Childress, Executive Director of the TSSAA. “We’re hopeful that the prohibition on contact sports will be lifted before August 29, but if it’s not, the Board of Control has put some policies in place to help keep our kids and communities safe and lay out a roadmap to the start of our football and girls’ soccer seasons.”

What the association does not yet have is an exact start date for competitions. The reasoning there is fairly straightforward: Tennessee high schools and their athletics programs, as well as myriad other entities, cannot begin practices and/or games in contact sports under Gov. Bill Lee’s current State of Emergency Order. Executive Order No. 50 promotes “social distancing and avoidance of large gatherings” and limits activities in contact sports.

On Wednesday, the board adopted the “Option 2 Hybrid” plan which preserves the potential for an 10-game regular season and full playoff format, but also lays the groundwork for what could become an eight-game season with a reduced playoff field for Division I.

The plan perhaps is most succinctly summarized as thus: Once the state of Tennessee reaches the date of August 4 and the governor’s executive order declaring a State of Emergency still stands, region games originally scheduled for Week 1 of the prep football season will be moved to later, common dates that TSSAA already has modeled. As each week passes where no contact is allowed, the next week’s region games are rescheduled.  With the unanimous vote on the Option 2 Hybrid, there is a potential start date in place and a plan for the football season to begin as early as August 21^st  or as late as September 18^th.  Additionally, the soccer season could begin as early as August 20^th or as late as September 7^th. 

The board also passed a motion of safety guidelines that will be implemented throughout the fall sports seasons and will affect all sports, cheerleading and band as well as others involved in those activities.

Included in those guidelines:

• Players, coaches and personnel will have to take a temperature check prior to practice every day. Any person with a temperature 100.4 or higher will be required to go home immediately and cannot return without a negative COVID-19 test or verification from a doctor that the temperature wasn’t a cause of COVID-19.

• No coach, player or personnel can compete without a COVID-19 questionnaire completed.

• There will be no scrimmages for all fall sports, jamborees or seven-on-seven contests. Scrimmages must be limited to intrasquad.

• Fans entering a facility must have temperatures taken (with exception given to children 2 and younger). The same guidelines that are in place for players and coaches remain. Temperature checklists must be posted prominently.

• Member schools must require fans to wear face coverings while attending events.

• Concession stands will not be prohibited but will be discouraged, with options that would ensure social distancing recommended.

• Coaches must complete a NHFS COVID-19 course, which will be provided free.

• While no exact figure was set, schools were urged to offer limited seating (from a third to a quarter capacity) during events, posting areas that were not available.

A motion also passed that any team not able to play a postseason contest because of COVID-19 would forfeit. Any regular-season games with that scenario would be considered no-contests.

See the full guidelines at: https://tssaa.org/returntoplay

The pictures, material and information contained in this story may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, for commercial gain, without the express written consent of Coffee County Broadcasting.

The Manchester Youth Baseball Association postseason tournament continues on Thursday.  The league’s postseason tournament’s championship games scheduled for Monday, July 27^th.  

Thursday MYBA Schedule

6U Division at T-Ball Field

5:00 PM – Manchester Tire & Brake vs. Lovelady Auto Parts

7:30 PM – Star Physical Therapy vs. Cooper Sports

8U Division at Fast Pitch Field

6:00 PM – Freedom Automotive vs. KK’s

12U Division at Aaron Miller Field

5:00 PM – Clower Automotive vs. Shelter Insurance

7:30 PM – Powers Storage vs. First Vision Bank

18U Division at Looney Riddle(Babe Ruth) Field

6:00 PM – Manchester Braves vs. Mets

The pictures, material and information contained in this story may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, for commercial gain, without the express written consent of Coffee County Broadcasting.

By: Mark Bowman – MLB.com

Though the shape of the challenge has changed, the Braves still have the same World Series aspirations that existed before the coronavirus pandemic ended Spring Training in March.

While the Braves would certainly like to celebrate a third straight National League East title, their ultimate goal is to bring Atlanta its first World Series championship since the strike-shortened 1995 season.

The 60-game season that awaits will look much different than the one navigated by those Braves 25 years ago, but the satisfaction and excitement it creates could prove to be quite similar.

Here’s a look at what to expect from the Braves in 2020.

What needs to go right?

With Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna, the Braves may have the NL’s best Nos. 1-4 hitters, but the bottom of the lineup is a concern. Now that Yasiel Puig is no longer an option following a positive COVID-19 test, there is a greater need for Austin Riley to become the masher he was in the first six weeks of his career last year. If Riley can get back on track and Dansby Swanson builds on the success he had last year, Atlanta’s lineup should be plenty deep and consequently increase Acuña’s plate appearances in the leadoff spot.

Big question

One of the most influential pieces this year could be Swanson, who exited last June with 15 homers and an .815 OPS. What had the makings to be a strong season crumbled as he missed a month with a bruised right heel and produced a .611 OPS over the season’s final three months. Per Statcast, the Braves shortstop hit .020 lower than his Expected Batting Average (.271) and slugged .058 lower than his Expected Slugging Percentage (.480). If he shows opposite-field power, like he did early last season, this could be a very efficient offense.

On the schedule

Though getting off to a good start is important for every team during a 60-game sprint, it will be even more important to the Braves, who are scheduled to play their first 20 games — one-third of the season — before getting a breather. That 20-game stretch ends with a five-game road trip that includes games against the Phillies and Yankees. By Aug. 12, we may have a good feel for how successful the Braves might ultimately be this year.

Team MVP will be …

As good as Acuña was while finishing three steals shy of joining the 40-40 club last year, he’s primed to be even better this season. The 22-year-old outfielder is one of four players in the past 25 years to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases within a 60-game span. Expect him to match that feat this year and provide even greater defensive value with his arm in right field.

Team Cy Young will be …

It’s pretty hard to pick against Mike Soroka, who is one of the most cerebral young pitchers the Braves have developed since Tom Glavine. The young right-hander gained confidence from the gem he produced in last year’s NL Division Series against the Cardinals and could once again be an NL Cy Young Award candidate.

Bold prediction

The Braves will win a third straight division title, but they will not hold sole possession of first place before the season’s final weekend.

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.

The Manchester Youth Baseball Association postseason tournament got underway on Tuesday.  Five games in 4 age divisions kicked off the action at Fred Deadman Park.  The league’s postseason tournament’s championship games are scheduled for Monday, July 27^th.  

In the 8U division, Lions Club topped Interstate Auto 31 to 27 in extra innings.  Lions Club built a 23 to 12 lead through 3 innings only to see Interstate stage a roaring comeback to tie the game at 25 after 6 innings and force an extra frame.  In the extra inning, the Lions Club plated 6 runs and played strong defense to grab the win.  For Lions Club, Mia was the leading hitter as she had a home run, a double, 3 singles and 5 runs scored while Harrison added 2 doubles and 2 singles.  For Interstate, Kaden Spencer and Keyton Childress each had 5 hits including a home run apiece as both scored 6 runs. 

In the 10U division, Chico’s Bail Bonds downed Coffee County Bank 9 to 6. Chico’s got off to a red hot start scoring 7 runs in the 1^st inning.  The Bears added 2 more in the 2^nd inning to advance to Thursday’s semifinals.  Trailing 9 to 1 entering the 3^rd, Coffee County Bank rallied for 5 runs but could not catch Chico’s.  Christian Meadows knocked a 3 run home run to lead Chico’s.  Clayton Keele hit a pair of triples and drove in 3 runs to lead Coffee County Bank. 

In the 12U division on Aaron Miller Field, First Vision Bank stopped Bush Insurance 6 to 5 and Shelter Insurance edged Peoples Bank 7 to 6.  In the opener, First Vision pushed across 5 runs in the 1^st inning and added the game winner in the 3^rd to advance to Thursday’s semifinals to take on Powers Storage.  Bush Insurance jumped out to a 3 to 0 lead in the top of the 1^st inning and tied the game at 5 in the top of the 3^rd.  Eli Hancock had 3 singles, 4 stolen bases and scored once while Bryceton Bunch added a double, a single and 2 runs for First Vision.  Kasen Morrison and Elijah Vernon each had 2 hits and scored twice for Bush Insurance.  In the late game, Shelter built a 6 to 0 lead through 2 innings before Peoples rallied to tie the game in the top of the 3^rd.  Shelter pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the 3^rd and held off Peoples in the 4^th inning for the win to advance to Thursday’s semifinals against Clower Automotive.  Ian Smith clubbed a home run and David Featherson ripped a pair of singles for Shelter.  Ayden VanWinkle crushed a home run and Cole Shedd had a double and single for Peoples.

In the 18U division, the Expos dumped the Christiana Braves 3 to 2 in extra innings. The Expos took a 2 to 0 lead into the 7^th inning only to see the Braves rally to tie the game.  The Expos pushed across the winning run in the 8^th inning on an RBI double from Grayson.  Rashad had a double and a solo home run and scored twice for the Expos.  Kameron Smusz had a pair of singles for the Christiana Braves.  The Expos advance to Friday’s semifinals where they take on the regular season champion Yankees.

The league returns to the diamond on Thursday with 8 games as all 5 age divisions are in action. 

Thursday MYBA Schedule

6U Division at T-Ball Field

5:00 PM – Manchester Tire & Brake vs. Lovelady Auto Parts

7:30 PM – Star Physical Therapy vs. Cooper Sports

8U Division at Fast Pitch Field

6:00 PM – Freedom Automotive vs. KK’s

10U Division at National League Field

5:00 PM – State Farm vs. Chico’s Bail Bonds 

7:30 PM – Viam vs. 1^st National Bank

12U Division at Aaron Miller Field

5:00 PM – Clower Automotive vs. Shelter Insurance

7:30 PM – Powers Storage vs. First Vision Bank

18U Division at Looney Riddle(Babe Ruth) Field

6:00 PM – Manchester Braves vs. Mets

The pictures, material and information contained in this story may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, for commercial gain, without the express written consent of Coffee County Broadcasting.

The Coffee County Youth Golf League hosted their 3^rd week of matches on Monday night at Willowbrook.  The league, sponsored by the Coffee County Junior Golf Association, plays each Monday evening through July at Willowbrook Golf Club.  Four teams make up the league with 2 sets of head to head, 9 hole matchups each week using the Junior PGA flag scoring system. 

On Monday, Team Confidence edged Team Sportsmanship 7 flags to 5.  Earning full flags for Team Confidence were Avery Hill, Katie Grace Nichols, Gavin Smith, Brylee Chansky and Cade Williams.  Earning full flags for Team Sportsmanship were Brayden Kesling, Allie Judge, Kylan Jones and Landon Collins. 

In the other match of the afternoon, Team Respect out distanced Team Perseverance 10.5 to 1.5.  Earning full flags for Team Respect were Zach Tidwell, Gavin Kuhn, Dax Carney, Jaxon Phillips, Thompson Lowe, Ryan Brown, and Danica Fleenor.  Cooper Hinson grabbed a ½ flag for Respect.  For Team Perseverance, Luke Baskin grabbed a full flag and Sheng Fish captured a ½ flag. 

The league concludes play on Monday, July 28^th at Willowbrook Golf Club.  

The pictures, material and information contained in this story may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, for commercial gain, without the express written consent of Coffee County Broadcasting.

For the first time in his career, Roman Josi has a chance to be named the NHL’s best blueliner.

The Predators captain has been named a finalist for the 2020 James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded annually “to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position.”

Translation: Josi is one of the best in the world at what he does.

The first-time Norris finalist is joined by John Carlson of the Washington Capitals and Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning as the three defensemen up for the honor.

Josi’s talent – particularly throughout the 2019-20 regular season – has been well documented in Nashville, and those from the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, who vote on the award, have taken note as well.

Although the 2019-20 campaign was shortened, Josi’s numbers are still outstanding. He was one of just two Preds to dress for all 69 of Nashville’s games, and over that span, he recorded 16 goals, 49 assists and 65 points, all career highs. His totals for points and helpers both set franchise records in a single season by a defenseman.

The native of Bern, Switzerland, was the only League blueliner to record at least 15 goals, 45 assists, 60 points, a plus-20 rating and 25 minutes of average ice time over the past season.

Josi ranked among the top three League defenders in several categories, including shots (1st, 260), points (2nd, 65), goals (t-2nd, 16), assists (2nd, 49) and average time on ice (3rd, 25:47).

The point streak Josi accumulated as the calendar changed over is also worth a mention.

The 30-year-old posted points in 12 consecutive games from Dec. 16 through Jan. 9, a period that saw him tally seven goals and 20 points. For those four weeks, Josi turned in a franchise-record point streak for a defenseman and the second-longest overall point streak in Predators’ history.

The mark was also the longest point streak by an NHL defenseman since Shayne Gostisbehere’s 15-game run in 2015-16, and Josi became one of eight NHL blueliners in the past 20 years to record a point streak of at least 10 games. The seven goals Josi potted at the start of the streak came in just five games, the longest goal streak by an NHL defenseman in the last decade, since Mike Green posted an eight-game streak back in 2009.

The 2020 NHL Awards were scheduled for June 18 in Las Vegas but were postponed March 25. The winner of the Norris Trophy will be announced during the Conference Finals or before the Stanley Cup Final.

At Wednesday afternoon’s meeting, the TSSAA Board of Control plans to select a contingency plan for the 2020 football season.  The state office staff has prepared a video explaining the proposed options, as well as describing a recently-developed “hybrid” option that draws on elements from all the plans previously presented to the Board, while incorporating the feedback received from administrators and coaches in the past few weeks.

While the early plans assume that contact practice will be able to start on Aug. 30, the “hybrid” proposal makes no such assumption and accounts for the possibility of a different start date, regardless of whether it comes before or after Aug. 30.

The video can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/LrNIPZvW4ck

Information about the Board meeting can be found here: https://tssaa.org/article/board-of-control-to-meet-on-wednesday-july-22

The meeting will be held in the Lecture Hall at Siegel High School with all physical distancing requirements being enforced and masks required of all attendees. There will be limited seating, but best efforts will be made to accommodate those individuals in attendance.  The meeting will be live streamed via YouTube. The link for the live video is included in the article above.

The Manchester Youth Baseball Association postseason tournament opens up on Tuesday at Fred Deadman Park.  The league’s postseason tournament’s championship games scheduled for Monday, July 27^th.  

In the 8U division, Interstate Auto is set to take on Lions Club at 6 PM on the Fastpitch Field.  In the 10U division, Chico’s Bail Bonds will open up against Coffee County Bank at 6:30 PM on the National League Field.  In the 12U division on Aaron Miller Field, First Vision Bank squares off against Bush Insurance at 5 PM and Shelter Insurance matches up with Peoples Bank at 7:30 PM.  And in the 18U division, The Expos take on the Christiana Braves at 6 PM on Looney Riddle Field. 

The pictures, material and information contained in this story may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, for commercial gain, without the express written consent of Coffee County Broadcasting.