Category: Sports

Coming up on Saturday morning’s Coffee Coaches Show we will have the first in our new series of interviews with “Central High School Legends.”  On a day when Al White Ford/Lincoln is closed for the 4th of July holiday, we have lined up interviews with 3 generations of stand-out performers from their days playing for the Red and Black of Central.  The Legend Series will be a semi-regular feature in the coming months for the Coffee Coaches Show as we attempt to revisit some of the historic names to ever play sports in this community.

We begin the show with an interview with former Red Raider, and current Tennessee Volunteer, football player Alontae Taylor from the Class of 2018.  Taylor is the first member of the Red Raider football program to sign a football scholarship with an SEC program since the 1970’s. 

Next, we will talk to former Lady Raider and Lady Vol track athlete Leslie Henley Trussler from the Class of 1993.  Leslie was not only a member of the 1993 state championship Lady Raider basketball team but competed in 4 events, winning 3, in the TSSAA State Track Meet.  She went on to hurdle and pole vault at Tennessee. 

And we close the show with an interview with former Red Raider basketball star Marshall West.  Marshall was a member of the Class of 1960 and was recruited by the legendary Adolph Rupp during his senior year.  Marshall eclipsed the 1,000 point mark during his time playing for head coach Red Jarrell at Manchester Central.  Marshall did not continue his basketball career at the collegiate level but has the distinction of being a pretty effective fast pitch softball pitcher facing the renowned “King and His Court” on 2 separate occasions. 

The Coffee Coaches Show is heard each and every Saturday morning from 10 to 11 AM here on Thunder Radio.  The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln.

There will be a player/parent meeting for prospective members of the Coffee County CHS cross country team for 2020. The meeting will take place on Thursday, July 9th beginning at 6 PM in the CHS cafeteria. Practice for the fall season will get underway on Monday, July 13th. Anyone with questions should contact Coffee County CHS athletic director Rebecca Koger at: kogerr@k12coffee.net

Student/athletes need to remember to bring along with them the signed and completed TSSAA Physical and Parental Consent forms with them when they arrive for the first day of practice. That form can be downloaded at:  http://tssaa.org/wp-content/uploads/Forms/med01.pdf .

All homeschool students living in Coffee County who would like to sign up will need to register through the Coffee County Schools Central office. See Keith Cornelius at the Coffee County Schools central office. 

Thursday MYBA Schedule

6U Division at T-Ball Field

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

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

8U Division at Fast Pitch Field

5:00 PM – KK’s vs. Lions Club

7:30 PM – Interstate Auto vs. Freedom Automotive

10U Division at National League Field

5:00 PM – Coffee County Bank vs. Viam

12U Division at Aaron Miller Field

5:00 PM – Shelter Insurance vs. Peoples Bank

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 Atlanta Braves are one of six clubs that has committed to paying minor league players through July 31 according to a report by Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser.  Atlanta had previously committed to paying through the end of June as was recommended by Major League Baseball back when the minor league season was first postponed.  On Tuesday it was announced that the minor league season will be cancelled altogether for the first time since 1901. 

There are a total of 11 teams that have committed through August 31 and seven of which that will extend through September 7 which would have been the end of the minor league season.

For the 2nd night in a row, the Manchester Youth Baseball Association games were rained out at Fred Deadman Park. At press time, no time has been determined for making up Monday’s or Tuesday’s games has been decided.

by Mark Bowman – MLB.com

Less than three weeks after being drafted, Jared Shuster was placed in the 60-man player pool the Braves submitted to Major League Baseball on Sunday afternoon.

Shuster is not expected to make his MLB debut this year. But his inclusion on this list creates the opportunity for him to spend the next couple of months working out with some of the top members of the Braves’ development staff.

First and foremost, these 60-man player pools were designed for teams to designate which members of their organization will be eligible for the 60-game regular season, which is slated to begin on July 23 or 24. But with a Minor League season this year seeming unlikely, teams also chose to fill some of these spots with their top prospects. The Braves’ pool actually includes each of their top 12 prospects (per MLB Pipeline’s rankings). But only two or three of those prospects has a shot of being added to Atlanta’s active roster at some point this year.

The members of this prospect group who could be used by Atlanta this year include outfielders Cristian Pache and Drew Waters, right-handers Ian Anderson, Kyle Wright, Bryse Wilson, Jasseel De La Cruz and Huascar Ynoa, and left-handers Kyle Muller and Tucker Davidson.

Shuster, a left-handed pitcher taken in this year’s Draft with the 25th overall pick out of Wake Forest, is part of the group of prospects added to this list just to get some experience this year. The others who fit this description are infielder Braden Shewmake and the club’s top two catching prospects, Shea Langeliers and William Contreras.

The Braves opted to place just 56 players on this list for now. This will allow president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos some flexibility should he want to add free agents or other internal pieces over the next few weeks and months.

When a team’s pool is maxed out at 60 players, to add another player, a player must be removed.

Players on a 40-man roster can be removed via trade, waiver claims, return of Rule 5 Draft selection, release, outright assignment, designation for assignment, placement on the 45-day injured list, placement on the COVID-19-related injured list, or placement on the suspended list (by the club) or voluntarily retired, restricted, disqualified or ineligible lists.

Non-40-man-roster players may be removed by trade, release, placement on the COVID-19-related injured list, or placement on the suspended list (by the club) or military, voluntarily retired, restricted, disqualified or ineligible lists. Any injured non-40-man-roster players will continue to count against the team’s player pool unless they are removed through one of the aforementioned transactions.

Here’s a look at the Braves’ player pool:

Catchers (7): Logan Brown, William Contreras, Travis d’Arnaud, Tyler Flowers, Alex Jackson, Shea Langeliers, Jonathan Morales

It would seemingly benefit the Braves to find somebody more dependable than Jackson to be the top backup option should something happen to d’Arnaud or Flowers. But while the club’s MLB-ready catching depth might be thin, Langeliers and Contreras both provide significant hope for the long-term value Atlanta could receive from this position.

Right-handed pitchers (18): Ian Anderson, De La Cruz, Mike Foltynewicz, Shane Greene, Felix Hernández, Luke Jackson, Chris Martin, Mark Melancon, Darren O’Day, Chad Sobotka, Mike Soroka, Josh Tomlin, Touki Toussaint, Jacob Webb, Patrick Weigel, Bryse Wilson, Kyle Wright, Huascar Ynoa

Anthopoulos has indicated most of his starters will work 3-4 innings within their first couple starts. So, with the active roster consisting of 30 players during the season’s first two weeks, expect the Opening Day roster to include a few long relief options like Wright, Toussaint and Wilson. Hernández will likely be competing against Sean Newcomb for the rotation’s last spot. One could start the year in the rotation and the other in the bullpen.

Left-handed pitchers (12): Tucker Davidson, Grant Dayton, Max Fried, Cole Hamels, Tyler Matzek, A.J. Minter, Kyle Muller, Sean Newcomb, Philip Pfeifer, Chris Rusin, Jared Shuster, Will Smith

Hamels, Fried and possibly Newcomb could all begin the season in the rotation. Pfeifer and Matzek both made strong showings during Spring Training earlier this year. But the plan to carry an extra long reliever or two, combined with the three-batter minimum rule, could lessen the possibility that either of these two relievers begins the season in the bullpen, which was bolstered with the offseason signing of Smith.

Infielders (12): Ozzie Albies, Yonder Alonso, Johan Camargo, Charlie Culberson, Freddie Freeman, Adeiny Hechavarría, Pete Kozma, Peter O’Brien, Austin Riley, Braden Shewmake, Yangervis Solarte, Dansby Swanson

Now that the National League will have a designated hitter, you could argue there’s more reason to think Alonso could earn a roster spot. But the club has some better options, including Riley and Marcell Ozuna. Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that the Braves’ 40-man roster has just one vacancy. Culberson, Solarte and Alonso are all non-roster invitees. The ease of finding room for one of them will be more difficult if a spot also has to open for Hernández and possibly Tomlin.

Outfielders (7): Ronald Acuña Jr., Adam Duvall, Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis, Marcell Ozuna, Cristian Pache, Drew Waters

Really, the only question is how will manager Brian Snitker use Ozuna. If Ozuna is used as the primary DH, the Braves could platoon Markakis and Duvall in left field. There’s also a chance Camargo could be used as an outfielder. Had the start of this season not been delayed, Pache and Waters might have already made their respective big league debuts. Time will tell if either experiences that thrill this year.

According to MLB’s Operating Manual, all players on a 40-man roster “that the Club anticipates participating” during the season will be part of the player pool, while the rest will be made up of non-40-man roster players under contract. Any 40-man-roster players who are not included in a player pool (for example, maybe a prospect who isn’t deemed ready for the Majors) will still be paid during the season.

No team will be allowed to exceed the limit of 60 players in its player pool at any time during camp or the regular season.

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

The Manchester Youth Baseball Association was rained out on Monday night.  The tentative plans are to makeup the games on Wednesday. 

Tuesday MYBA Schedule

6U Division at T-Ball Field

5:00 PM – Cooper Sports vs. Lovelady Auto Parts

7:30 PM – Manchester Tire & Brake vs. Star Physical Therapy

8U Division at Fast Pitch Field

5:00 PM – Dr. Jay vs. KK’s

7:30 PM – Lions Club vs. Interstate Auto

10U Division at National League Field

5:00 PM – Viam vs. State Farm

7:30 PM – First National Bank vs. Chico’s Bail Bonds

12U Division at Aaron Miller Field

5:00 PM – Bush Insurance vs. Shelter Insurance

18U Division at Looney Riddle(Babe Ruth) Field

6:00 PM – Expos vs. Mets

8:00 PM – Manchester Braves vs.Yankees

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.

Greg Joseph didn’t know what to expect when he joined the Titans in December. At the time, the Titans had already been through four kickers, and Joseph was moving into a hotel room in a city he’d never been to in his life. He was also faced with learning a bunch of new teammates and coaches, knowing there was a chance he’d kick in just two regular season games before packing his bags and returning home for the offseason.

Plenty transpired, of course. Joseph ended up making every kick he attempted, he moved from the hotel room and into a teammate’s basement, he quickly developed chemistry with the team’s specialists, and he played in three playoff games, including the AFC Championship Game.

Joseph, well, got a kick out of it all. “It was a heck of a ride,” he said. Now, Joseph plans to do everything in his power to stick around long-term.

“When the season ended, they just kind of conveyed the message: We love what you did here,” Joseph said. “And I told them: I want to be the guy. This is where I want to be, and I am going to bust my butt all offseason to make that happen.”

After signing with the Titans on December 18th off of Carolina’s practice squad, Joseph played in the team’s final two regular season games in 2019 and made all nine of his extra point attempts. Joseph then appeared in all three of the team’s postseason games, and he made good on his lone field goal attempt in the AFC Championship Game vs the Chiefs while connecting on all nine of his postseason extra point attempts.

In all, Joseph was a perfect 18-of-18 on PATs, in addition to his 30-yard field goal. Joseph also handled 25 kickoffs (with 11 touchbacks and 13 into the endzone) in the five pressure-packed games for the Titans.

Joseph, who played collegiately at Florida Atlantic, kicked in 14 games with the Cleveland Browns in 2018. Prior to signing Joseph in December, kickers Ryan Succop, Cairo Santos, Cody Parkey, and Ryan Santoso all kicked for the Titans during the 2019 season.

“Greg definitely has the demeanor of a great kicker in the NFL,” Titans punter/holder Brett Kern said of Joseph. “He’s very level-headed. If he makes a kick, it is kind of the same reaction as when he misses one. He never gets really too high or too low or too hard on himself. I am excited for the opportunity that he has. He did great for us last year, especially coming in at the end of the when it is cold and not the easiest to kick the football. And he did great in our playoff games. He is a great guy and I am excited to be able to continue to work with him.”

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Joseph began kicking a soccer ball around the time he first started walking. He continued playing the sport after moving to the United States when he was seven, but he also started playing football when he was in high school at American Heritage School in Delray Beach, Florida.

Joseph spent four seasons at Florida Atlantic, and he finished his career hitting 165-of-170 extra point attempts (97.1 percent) and 57-of-82 field goal attempts (69.5 percent).

In his first NFL season, Joseph hit 17-of-20 field goal attempts, including 11 for 11 inside of 40 yards and one from plus-50 yards in 2018 with the Browns, but he was waived in August of 2019, which eventually led him on his path to Carolina, and finally Nashville.

Joseph said the Titans made him feel at home at the end of last season. In fact, Kern welcomed Joseph into his own home for several weeks at the end of the season. He stayed in a bedroom in the basement of Kern’s house, sharing the home with Kern and his wife, and the couple’s three children.

“That definitely made me feel more at home and more comfortable on a new team,” Joseph said. “Brett and the entire Kern family, they were amazing to me and I’ll never forget it. His family is awesome, his kids are awesome, and I got to know Brett a lot better. I was the entertainment for the kids. I was throwing a football with his son, reading books and doing puzzles with his daughters. … We played ping pong, foosball, we played in the snow. It really did make me feel like I was a part of the family and I’ll always appreciate it.”

On the rides to and from work, Kern also got plenty of chances to razz Joseph about a line from his first gathering with media in Nashville after joining the team, when Joseph said, “I am not here to assert my dominance or anything. I am here to be Greg Joseph.”

Some folks got a kick out of his choice of words, including the crew on 104.5-FM’s “3HL.”

“Brett’s buddies with a lot of the radio guys, and whenever they’d mention it, he’d die laughing – he thought it was hilarious,” Joseph said. “It was funny to me, too. Hey, I don’t mind if people have a laugh at my expense. I thought it was funny how funny Brett thought it was.”

Joseph is serious about putting in the work to earn his spot back, and to keep it.

During the offseason, Joseph has worked back on campus at Florida Atlantic University, and he’s had kicking sessions with other specialists in Jupiter, Florida. He’s also spent some time working in Nashville with Kern and long snapper Beau Brinkley.

The Titans didn’t pick a kicker in the NFL Draft, and right now Joseph and former Missouri kicker Tucker McCann are the only two kickers on the team’s roster. McCann, signed by the Titans as an undrafted free agent, was 16-for-22 on field goals (with a long of 52) and 34-for-37 on extra points at Missouri in 2019.

“I loved being there at the end of last season,” Joseph said of the Titans. “Brett and Beau were amazing to me throughout the year, and they made me feel at home right away. The entire team – coaches and my teammates – were great to me. Hopefully we can build on that in the future.

“The way I look at it, I am in a competition every year, and I just have to focus on myself to become the best kicker I can be. I want to put them in between the uprights on every kick and do everything I can to help the team. I want to be with the Titans, and I am going to work and do everything I can possibly do to make it happen. I am excited about what’s ahead and looking forward to the season.”