Category: Sports

The Manchester Youth Baseball Association was in action on Thursday with 6 games contested in 4 age divisions. 

In the 6U Division, Cooper Sports squeaked past Lovelady Auto Parts 20 to 19.  Tied at 14 entering the final inning, Cooper pushed across 6 runs to Lovelady’s 5 in the decisive 4^th inning for the win.  Walker McKnight had the walk-off RBI double and added a pair of singles for Cooper.  Owen and Isaac each had 4 hits and 4 runs at the top of the Lovelady lineup. 

In the 8U Division, Dr. J’s raced past KK’s 17 to 4 and Interstate Auto caged Lions Club 14 to 0.  In the opener, Dr. J’s built a 13 to 1 lead after 2 innings to spoil KK’s upset hopes.  The win improves Dr. J’s to 5 and 0 on the season.  The Doc squad was led in hitting by Kolton Strickland had 3 singles and a home run while scoring 4 times.  Walker hit a triple and a single for KK’s.  In the nightcap, Interstate built and early lead and played good defense in the shutout win.  Kaden Spencer had a home run and 3 singles while Eli Baker had 4 hits and scored 4 times for Interstate.  Fallon had a pair of hits for Lions Club. 

In the 10U Division, Chico’s Bail Bonds raced past Coffee County Bank 14 to 3.  Chico’s jumped on top early as they plated 7 runs in the top of the 1^st inning.  Kaden Brewer had the big knock for Chico’s as he ripped an RBI double.  Hunter Stoner of Chico’s had 3 walks and scored 3 runs.  For Coffee County Bank, Tucker Linzey had a solo home run.

In the 12U Division, Bush Insurance blanked Peoples Bank 16 to 0 and Shelter Insurance edged First Vision Bank 6 to 5.   In game #1, Bush scored in every inning as they pounded out 13 hits.  Aiden Melton swung the hot stick as he had a home run and 2 singles for Bush.  Ethan McKenzie and Isaiah Deadman each had singles for Peoples.  In a thrilling 2^nd game, Shelter had to rally from a 2 run deficit with 4 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning.  First Vision got a run back in the 4^th inning and got a lead-off double in the 5^th by Riley Evans before he was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple.  Jonathan West had a 2 RBI double for Shelter in the decisive 3^rd inning to provide the winning margin.  Boone Floyd had an RBI double for First Vision. 

Friday MYBA Schedule

The pictures, material and information contained in this story may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, for commercial gain, without the express written consent of Coffee County Broadcasting.

by Jim Wyatt – TitansOnline.com

Kevin Byard has played in a Pro Bowl, and he’s been voted a team captain by his teammates. The Titans safety, who has 17 interceptions over the past three seasons, is regarded one of the best in the game at his position. But there’s something else Byard is even more proud of – he bought his mother a house recently.

“That’s probably one of the biggest milestones that I’ve accomplished in my playing career, for sure,” Byard said. “To get drafted, and second to be able to buy my mom her forever home is something that means dearly to me, has meant something to me since I was younger.

“It’s kind of been a pipe dream. Something that I never really – something I thought about doing, but I never really thought it was going to be possible. Just been a lot of hard work and dedication to be able to accomplish that goal.”

Byard has credited his mother, Artina Stanley, for much of his success. Following a divorce when Byard was in ninth grade, his mother moved with the children from Philadelphia to Atlanta. While the family dealt with financial struggles, Stanley worked long hours to make sure her children received what they needed. Byard has said he and his older brother “had to grow up really fast” as they helped their mother with taking care of the younger kids in the family.

Byard, who played collegiately at MTSU, has made an effort to give back to the community. Last May, Byard hosted 200-plus youngsters at the inaugural Kevin Byard Football Camp at Ensworth School. At the time, he said he planned to hold the camp – which was free – every year.

In September, Byard partnered with UnitedHealthcare to distribute new shoes and socks to over 300 students at Robert Churchwell Elementary School in Nashville. Byard tossed the football with kids, and spoke to them about the importance of making good grades. Byard joined Titans teammates, coaches, and other members of the organization for tornado clean-up efforts in Nashville in March.

Kevin Byard Taking One Day at a Time as Season Approaches
Byard has taken part in the Titans Caravan, and other off-field events in the Nashville area.

On the field, Byard said he wants to keep improving while being even more of a leader. “We’re all in this together,” Byard said. “We’re all in this to win a Super Bowl. I know for a fact every single day that I come into that building I come into that building to put in the work, and I come into the building to work hard and try to accomplish that goal. I feel like we all should be trying to accomplish the same.

“I’m going to try to hold my guys accountable if I feel like somebody is slacking off, or if I’m slacking off somebody should hold me accountable. I think that’s just the relationship that we all need to have in the building, and not be too concerned with emotions and different things like that. It’s all about the goal of trying to win a Super Bowl.”

After 2 days of proposals, there is a glimmer of hope that Major League Baseball could be played in 2020. On Wednesday, the league reportedly made a proposal for a 60-game season that featured prorated pay for players, something the union has been asking for since talks began. On Thursday, the MLB Players Association(MLBPA) made a counter proposal.

While a deal has yet to be reached, there’s clearly some progress being made. The MLBPA took the next step Thursday with a counterproposal calling for a 70-game season. MLBPA leader Tony Clark released the following statement Thursday afternoon:

“We delivered to Major League Baseball today a counterproposal based on a 70-game regular season which, among a number of issues, includes expanded playoffs for both 2020 and 2021. We believe this offer represents the basis for an agreement on resumption of play.”

The union released another statement shortly thereafter after some owners started speaking out against the deal anonymously in the press. Clark said it was “unequivocally false to suggest that any tentative agreement” was reached when he met with commissioner Rob Manfred earlier in the week.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan notes that the league is unlikely to accept this latest proposal. But there is middle ground and a deal could be close. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal said Thursday afternoon that he expected a deal within the next 48 hours. The MLBPA’s proposed regular season would begin on July 19 and wrap up on Sept. 30.

Knowing that the league likely needs around a week to get things up and running for a second “spring” training and about three weeks for said spring training to take place, there really isn’t much time left to argue over the number of games to be played this season.

June means certain things in Manchester, Tennessee…vacations, hot weather, Bonnaroo, and dominant performances for the Coffee County Claybusters.  Since its inception in 2005, the Coffee County Claybusters have consistently had state and national championship individuals and teams represent Coffee County Central High School and Coffee County Middle School.  2020 will be a little different as the Claybusters competed on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Tennessee AIM State Championships in Nashville. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling most of the spring season, the American Trapshooting Association made the decision to not award team titles due to the lack of team competition opportunities leading up to the championship.  The Claybusters fielded 3 teams in the singles competition which requires shooters to shoot 100 targets in consecutive days.  Squadded in 5 person teams, each team has 1,000 possible targets to shatter for the 2 day event.   Individually, members of the Claybusters competed in the Handicap and Doubles competitions.     

“I was pleased with everyone’s effort and attitude” said Claybusters coach Scott Dickson.  “The kids worked hard and put up with all the changes without complaint” added Dickson.  Unofficially, Dickson feels like that Claybusters Team #1 and Team #2 posted scores good enough to win team titles had they been awarded.  Final scores plus individual championships will be announced in the coming days and Thunder Radio will keep you apprised of award winners.

The Claybusters are set to return to competition in August at the AIM Grand American Championship.  The Grand American has for years been held in Sparta, Illinois.  Due to COVID-19 limitations, the 2020 Grand American will be held in Linn Creek, Missouri near the Lake of the Ozarks. 

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

Thursday MYBA Schedule
6U at Tee Ball Field
7:30 PM – Lovelady Auto Parts vs. Cooper Sports
8U at Fast Pitch Field
5:00 PM – KK’s vs. Dr. J
7:30 PM –Interstate Auto vs. Lions Club
10U at National League Field
5:00 PM – First National Bank vs. Chico’s Bail Bonds
12U at Aaron Miller Field
5:00 PM- Bush Insurance vs. Peoples Bank
7:30 PM- First Vision Bank vs. Shelter Insurance

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

By Mark Bowman – MLB.com

After making four selections in last week’s shortened MLB Draft, the Braves are now evaluating some of the undrafted free agents who can immediately provide some organizational depth.

Because these players cannot receive a signing bonus that exceeds $20,000 this year, very few of the players being targeted are projected to become top prospects. The players willing to sign are primarily college seniors or juniors who are worried about how this year’s coronavirus shutdown could affect their future at their current school.

According to Baseball America, here are three undrafted free agents who have agreed to terms with the Braves. The club has not confirmed these agreements:

1B Bryson Horne, Columbus State (Ga.) University

Horne hit .425 (34-for-80) with six homers over 21 games for Columbus State this year. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior had spent the two previous years playing at Georgia Highlands College. Horne told Panama City’s CBS affiliate he declined a similar offer from the Yankees because he grew up a Braves fan.

UTIL Landon Stephens, Miami (Ohio) University

Stephens was a four-year starter who earned all Mid-American Conference honors after he hit .310 with nine homers and 12 stolen bases over 56 games in 2019. The versatile senior can play each of the infield positions and spent some time as an outfielder during his freshman season. He participated in the 2010 Little League World Series with Hamilton, Ohio.

Carter Linton, Tusculum (Tenn.) University

Linton pitched at Colombia State (Tenn.) and East Tennessee State before playing the past two seasons for Tusculum. The right-handed reliever recorded 20 strikeouts and issued seven walks over 13 1/3 innings before the season abruptly ended in March. His is the son of Doug Linton, who pitched for the Blue Jays, Mets, Angels, Royals and Orioles over seven big league seasons.

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

The Manchester Youth Baseball Association was in action on Tuesday night with games in 4 of the 5 age divisions. 

In the 6U Division, Star Physical Therapy dumped Lovelady Auto Parts 21 to 17 and Manchester Tire and Brake stopped Cooper Sports 21 to 4.  In the opener, Star Physical Therapy jumped out to an early lead and held off a late rally from Lovelady to claim the win.  Zach, Dowell and Curtis all had 3 hits for Star.  For Lovelady, Isaac and Jax each had 3 hits and scored 3 times.  In the nightcap, Manchester Tire and Brake scored in every inning in the convincing win.  Kayvon Perry and Knox Chason each had 3 hits and scored 3 runs for Manchester Tire and Brake.  Levi Fisher had a pair of hits and scored a run for Cooper Sports. 

In the 8U Division, Freedom Automotive tamed Lions Club 24 to 1 and Dr. J defeated Interstate Auto 18 to 11.   In the 1^st game, Freedom scored the maximum 8 runs in each of the 3 innings to get the win.  Davion Davis had a home run, a double and a single while scoring 3 runs for Freedom.  Lions Club got a pair of singles from Fallon and Harrison.   In the 2^nd game, Dr. J’s defense held Interstate to single runs in the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th innings to collect the win.  For Dr. J, Rylan had 3 home runs and a single while Kolton added 2 home runs.  For Interstate, Eli Baker had 2 home runs and a single while scoring 3 times. 

In the 10U Division, State Farm spilled Coffee County Bank 13 to 0 and Viam topped First National Bank 13 to 8.  In game #1, pitcher Xander Meeks tossed a 1 hitter as State Farm moved to 4 and 0 on the season.  Hyatt Moss had a home run and a single with 4 RBI to lead State Farm.  Will Carden had a double for Coffee County Bank’s lone hit.  In the 2^nd game, Viam scored 7 runs in the top of the 1^st inning to take the starch out of First National and grab the win.  Ty Stevens had a home run and a walk with 2 RBI to lead Viam.  Steve Lombardo had a pair of singles and scored twice for First National Bank. 

In the 12U Division, Shelter Insurance doubled up Bush Insurance 14 to 7.  Shelter built a 10 to 0 lead to capture the insurance battle.  Matt Moore had 2 doubles and a triple to lead Shelter at the plate and also got the win on the mound.  Jaden Dickens, Kasen Morrison, Kasen Shores and Ethan Stephens all had doubles for Bush Insurance.    

In the 18U Division, the Expos bested the Christiana Braves 5 to 4 in the only game of the night. The Expos of Murfreesboro rallied from an early deficit and held off a late rally from their Rutherford County neighbors to claim the win.  For the Expos, Brock had a single and reached on 2 errors while scoring 3 times in the win.  Ty Reynolds had a triple, a double and a walk to lead Christiana. 

The league returns to action on Thursday with a full slate of games at Fred Deadman Park.

The Coffee County Claybusters opened up competition on Tuesday in the AIM State Championships in Nashville.  The Claybusters look to continue their string of state championships while adding individual titles along the way.  A trio of Claybusters shot 99 out of 100 clays on Tuesday.  Prior to the shoot, 3 Claybusters were named to the American Trapshooters All-American Team.  Honored were Hayden Jacobs, Landon Meadows and Logan Meadows. 

After a strong start to the championship on Tuesday, the Claybusters will conclude the 2 day AIM singles competition on Wednesday.  The AIM State Championships is celebrating their 107^th State Shoot through Sunday.  The state shoot is being held at the Nashville Gun Club. 

Jadeveon Clowney remains a free agent, so his landing spot remains up in the air.  Could he land in Tennessee?  Well, the Titans remain interested in the former Texans and Seahawks defensive end, but right now there’s nothing new as far as the team is concerned.  “No conversations of recent,” Titans General Manager Jon Robinson said during a Zoom conference call on Thursday. “I think we’re going to continue to monitor it and see.”

Clowney spent his first five NFL seasons with the Texans, where he played under Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, before being traded to Seattle prior to the 2019 season.  Clowney has 32 sacks in six NFL seasons, but he had just three sacks in 13 games last season. He added 1.5 sacks in Seattle’s two playoff games.

During an interview with Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston last month, Clowney said he’s been working out and “waiting on the right opportunity.”  Clowney also said he has multiple offers.  “I know he wants to play,” Robinson said. “I think we would be a pretty good fit for him. There was some mutual interest there when we started the discussions, but I would say that really hasn’t grown legs since we spoke last.”

The Manchester Youth Baseball Association was in action on Monday night with games in 4 of the 5 divisions. 

In the 8U Division, Interstate Auto edged KK’s 13 to 11 and Dr. J won a thriller over Freedom Automotive 16 to 15.  In the early game, Interstate got 2 runs in the bottom of the 5^th inning to win the thriller.  Kadon had 3 singles and a double and scored 4 runs to lead the Interstate squad.  Lhane had a single, a double, a home run and scored 3 times for KK’s.  The nightcap featured a battle of unbeaten teams as Dr. J’s and Freedom each came in with 2 and 0 records.  Dr. J’s built a 9 to 1 lead through 3 innings only to see Freedom rally for 4 runs in the 4^th and 8 in the 5^th.  A 2 run rally in the bottom of the 5^th came up short as Dr. J’s held on for the win.  For Dr. J’s, Kolton had a home run, a double and 2 singles while scoring 3 times.  Rylan added 3 singles and a double.  For Freedom, Bentley, Davion and Deacon hit home runs. 

In the 10U Division, Viam topped 1^st National Bank 9 to 5 and State Farm handcuffed Chico’s Bail Bonds 12 to 2.  In the opener, Viam plated 3 runs in the 1^st inning and never trailed in the game.  Bryce Spencer hit a round-tripper for Viam.  Steve Lombardo had a triple, a double and 3 RBI for 1^st National.  In the late game, State Farm jumped out to an 8 to 1 lead and never looked back.  Levi Rossman had a single, a triple, a home run, 3 runs scored and 3 RBI for State Farm.  Hyatt Moss and Xander Meeks also added home runs for State Farm.  Kaden Brewer doubled and scored for Chico’s.

In the 12U Division, Clower Automotive outslugged First Vision Bank 20 to 9 and Powers Storage felled Peoples Bank 19 to 1.  In game #1, Clower Automotive stayed unbeaten as they pounded out 11 hits and got 10 walks in their win.  M.J. Rollman had 2 doubles, 2 singles and scored 4 runs for Clower.  Lane Johnson had a double and a walk and scored twice for First Vision Bank.  In Game #2, Powers Storage also got their 3^rd win of the year in impressive fashion.  After Peoples got a run in the top of the 1^st inning, Powers Storage rallied for 6 in the bottom of the 1^st before adding 8 more in the second to salt away the win.  Austin Gipson had a walk, single and a double while scoring 3 runs for Powers.  Cole Shedd had an RBI double to lead Peoples.   

In the 18U Division, the Yankees swept the Manchester Braves in a doubleheader 5 to 3 and 9 to 1.  In the opener, the Braves jumped out to a 3 to 0 lead in the 1^st inning, only to see the Yankees rally for 3 runs in the bottom of the 5^th to take the win.  Cody Esslinger had 2 hits for the Yankees.  Cole Bryce laced a double for the Braves.  In the nightcap, the Yankees jumped out to an early lead with 4 runs in the top of the 1^st and 5 more in the second inning.  The Braves got their lone run in the 2^nd inning.  Owen Neel had a walk and a triple and scored twice for the Yankees.  Jacob Sherrill walked, has a stolen base and scored the Braves only run. 

The league returns to action on Tuesday with a full slate of 9 games in 5 divisions. 

Tuesday MYBA Schedule