Category: Sports

by Alan Carpenter of Tomahawk Take

The delay in the start of the 2020 season has ramifications that could extend into next year, a scenario that might move the 2021 All-Star game, which is set to be hosted by the Atlanta Braves.
The 2020 All-Star Game was scheduled for Tuesday, July 14 in Los Angeles. The city of Atlanta and the Atlanta Braves were already looking toward the next year, where the Midsummer comes to the South for the first time since 2000.

The phrase “was scheduled” is intentional. It is still a point of speculation as to what might happen, but almost all commentators are in agreement: that July 14 date is almost certainly not going to be met.

This from Tim Brown and Hannah Keyser of Yahoo Sports: “The fate of the Midsummer Classic will depend in part on how long the coronavirus shutdown lasts — the longer it lasts, the more things that will get canceled. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony could get postponed simply because it still might not be safe to have crowds of that size gather. The Field of Dreams game is also up in the air now.”

So virtually all special events slated for this year could be in jeopardy: the Field of Dreams game, the London series between the Cubs and Cardinals, and yes: the All-Star Game.

As the reality of an altered All-Star Game is sinking in, there’s now a myriad of proposals coming in from all over in an effort to figure out what to do with it:

• Cancel the game outright (various floated suggestions, on the basis that the league will need all the days they can get to muster enough games for a credible season)
• Open the season with the game
• Play it between the League Championship Series matchups and the World Series (Brown/Keyser)
  Clearly, this last option would have some issues, mainly that there are at least 2 teams that would not be able or willing to provide players: the World Series contenders. I’d also suggest that the teams they had just vanquished might not be emotionally up to turning around and participating in an All-Star day either.

So omit All-Stars from the best teams in baseball? That doesn’t quite sound like a game that people would be clamoring to see right before the World Series starts (of course Atlanta Braves fans wouldn’t care if we were in that World Series!).

The notion of a possible cancellation was specifically raised by Jim Bowden today on MLB Network Radio (no link available), and his thought was that it would only be fair to give the Dodgers the 2021 game in place of one this season.

The thinking is that the city and the team had already begun preparations for hosting the event, and that money shouldn’t be wasted.

If that were to happen… then the Atlanta All-Star year would likewise be pushed to 2022. In turn, the 2022 contest, which could be awarded to the Colorado Rockies, would bump an additional year as well.

The writers from Yahoo Sports aren’t sold on the idea of a cancellation, under the quite correct notion that Fox Sports has paid quite a bit for the privilege of broadcasting the game, and they certainly would have a say in the discussions as well.

One obvious possible solution would be to extend their contract out a year to accommodate them in the event of a cancellation, but we’re well into the realm of speculation at this point.

Regardless: since we don’t yet know when we’ll get a season underway, everything discussed is merely ‘ideas being floated’.

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/GM David Poile announced Monday that the team has signed goaltender Connor Ingram to a three-year contract worth $700,000 at the NHL level and $120,000 at the AHL level in 2020-21, $750,000 at the NHL level and $125,000 at the AHL level in 2021-22, and $750,000 in 2022-23.

Ingram, 22 (3/31/97), has posted the best statistical season of his professional career with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals in 2019-20, appearing in 33 games and recording a 21-5-5 record. He’s ranked among the AHL’s goaltending leaders in multiple categories this season, including third in both save percentage (.933) and goals-against average (1.92), and tied for third in wins (21) – all career bests. The 6-foot-1 netminder represented the Admirals at the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic in January, his second career appearance in the game (2019) and the fourth Milwaukee goaltender since the 2014-15 season to earn a nod to the event. A three-year pro, Ingram has suited up in 90 career AHL games – 57 with Syracuse and 33 with Milwaukee – and has recorded a 55-23-7 record, 2.16 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and 11 shutouts.

Originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third round (88th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Ingram spent three seasons with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers from 2014-17 before joining the pro ranks. He was selected as the Blazers’ MVP in his final two seasons with the club, which included a WHL-leading .927 save percentage and a spot on the league’s second all-star team in 2016-17. A native of Imperial, Sask., Ingram represented Canada at the 2017 World Junior Championship, posting a 2-1 record, a 2.57 goals-against average and one shutout en route to a silver medal.

The start date for local prep sports suffered another delay on Monday.  Both the Coffee County School System and the Manchester City School System announced that schools would remain closed through April 12^th.   The closure of the local schools due to the COVID-19 Pandemic also means that interscholastic sports cannot resume practices or contests until school is back in session. 

In order to help local prep sports fans deal with the absence of live sports, Thunder Radio is going to bring you encore coverage of previous broadcasts of middle and high school sports.  Each Thursday and Friday at 6 PM we will rebroadcast one of our exclusive broadcasts of local prep sports.  On Thursdays at 6 PM, Thunder Radio will rebroadcast one of our previous broadcasts of Westwood Middle or Coffee County Middle School sports.  On Fridays at 6 PM, Thunder Radio will rebroadcast one of our previous broadcasts of Coffee County Central High School sports.   Thunder Radio will announce this week’s broadcasts later in the week.  Just another example of why Thunder Radio is your true Hometown Station. 

By John Brice, TSSAA

In the early morning hours of March 3, deadly tornadoes rampaged across the state of Tennessee as many of its residents slept.

By sunrise on that Tuesday, damage spanned from west of Nashville to more than 60 miles east along the Cumberland Plateau. The death toll in Tennessee would rise to 25; injuries were far more widespread.

Somehow, just two days later, Upperman High School’s girls’ basketball team mustered the fortitude to play in the Region 4AA championship game. Despite coming up short, they would have one last shot, 48 hours later, in the sectional round for a berth in the BlueCross State Basketball Championships.

On Friday, March 6, President Donald Trump flew to Tennessee and visited the devastated areas throughout Putnam County. Later that same night, Upperman High School’s boys’ basketball team ventured to nearby Tennessee Tech, where it lost the Region 4AA championship to York Institute.

Like the girls’ team, the boys’ would have one final chance for a trip to the state tournament in the sectional round.

In a magical rally, and within a 48-hour span, both would win challenging games on the road. The Upperman Lady Bees upended host Meigs County for a spot in the state’s final eight and on Monday, March 9, the Bees dismissed host Howard High School of Chattanooga.

Both Upperman teams had punched tickets to Murfreesboro. Both teams had won by an identical 44-42 margin.

And both squads played like cohesive family units.

Of course, they’re coached by the husband and wife tandem of Dana and Bobby McWilliams.

Sons Tyler and Austyn McWilliams are assistant coaches for Dana’s Lady Bees squad.

Youngest son, Jace, is a junior on Bobby’s team, his 20th at the school. He joined all three of his older brothers, including Covi, who have all earned state tournament berths as Upperman players.

“For us, basketball has always been a big part of our lives,” said Dana McWilliams, a former Tennessee High School Coach of the Year with 26 seasons at the helm. “[The disaster] put basketball in perspective and it’s still something we enjoy and love to do, but it was really hard right after the storm. It was nice to kind of get back on the court, but also a little bit stranger.

“We were both fortunate to win our sub-state games, and it meant a lot to both teams for us.”

This journey, however, is like none before. When the tornadoes splashed across Tennessee earlier this month, they destroyed the homes of a trio of Upperman basketball players — girls’ team members Torie Brooks and Ashland McClellan; Rex Davis from the boys’ squad.

In all, Dana McWilliams explained, approximately 30 students from Upperman High School lost their homes. The middle school-aged sibling of an Upperman student was killed in the storm.

The school’s enrollment is only about 750 students.

“Well for us, it’s been a very emotional time,” she said. “We saw our community just struggle with a lot of things, we lost lives and many lost homes. But the flip side is, we have seen so many people reach out and it’s been emotional to see so much good in everybody. For us it’s just been kind of a roller-coaster. We were fortunate enough to make it to the State Tournament, but I look back and it definitely puts basketball in perspective.”

As the close-knit community rallied together around their state-bound basketball teams, an unprecedented health crisis — the global pandemic, COVID-19 — brought society to a full-stop. The girls’ basketball tournament got its first two days of games completed, albeit under surreal circumstances as all sports at all levels eventually ceased play across the country.

In one of Tennessee’s final games and one of the final athletics competitions anywhere in the country, the Lady Bees thwarted Gatlinburg-Pittman to advance to the Class AA semifinals.

“People were still struggling to find a place to live,” Dana McWilliams said. “Our players themselves, some were displaced, and they had endured the tornado and had to find places to live with family, and then they had to all move to a new apartment or a new place to rent, all in a five-day span. And also they were practicing and trying to prepare for a game.

“It was just overwhelming, I think, for those kids. We were emotionally and physically exhausted but our crowd and our community love sports. This all kind of put sports in perspective, but we just want to use it if we can, to take some time and give pleasure to people to watch. I’m thankful for that.”

Both coaches had given their student-athletes the option not to play the games in the wake of the natural disaster. Everyone voted to participate.

Brooks and McClellan combined for eight points, seven rebounds and two steals in 38 combined minutes on the court in that state tournament contest.

“Rex Davis lives directly across the street from Ashland, and Torie was staying with Ashland (the night of the storms),” Dana McWilliams said. “Rex was on the second level and his house was destroyed down the foundation. He was in the yard.

“People don’t realize what these kids have been through. I can’t imagine now every time anyone talks about storms, what is going through these kids’ minds. And these are great, great kids.”

No sooner had Upperman’s staff and students returned to school than had Tennessee and its local districts made the decision to suspend school operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has now crested 100 known cases in Tennessee.

Nothing is normal for Upperman. Except, after all, the community bond.

“Our community is always such good supporters,” she said. “When we got back to school Monday, and we actually left Tuesday (due to the closures), so many kids there had lost our homes and their world just got changed around again.

“I’m hoping that if we get back and have some sense of normalcy, I feel certain our students and community will be together. We’re completely in support of them, and I know their support for us.”

By Jim Wyatt, TitansOnline.com

The NFL Draft is on as scheduled for April 23-25. And the Titans still have the 29th overall pick in the first round. With free agency not even a week old, right now there’s still a lot to be determined with the Titans, and across the NFL. But that hasn’t kept the mock drafts from doing their thing. Let’s take our second tour of the mock drafts for 2020. ….

Mel Kiper, Jr: Yetur Gross-Matos, DE/OLB, Penn State

Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

Charles Davis, NFL.com: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

Bucky Brooks, NFL.com: Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama

Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times: A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson

Todd McShay, ESPN: Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia

John Clayton, Washington Post: Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU

D. Orlando Ledbetter, Atlanta Journal Constitution: Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor

Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press: Grant Delpit, S, LSU

Vinny Iyer, Sporting News: Zack Baun, OLB, Wisconsin

Will Brinson, CBS Sports: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report: Patrick Queen, LB, LSU

Corey Parson, Sports Illustrated: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

Kevin Hanson, Sports Illustrated: A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson

Lance Zierlein, CBS Sports: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

Jason McIntyre, Fox Sports: Austin Jackson, OT, USC

Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports: Yetur Gross-Matos, DE/OLB, Penn State

Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports: A.J. Epenesa, Edge, Iowa

John McClain, Houston Chronicle: Austin Jackson, OT, USC

Aaron Wilson, Houston Chronicle: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

Dan Kadar, SB Nation: Terrell Lewis, Edge, Alabama

Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

Adam Hill, Las Vegas Review-Journal: Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Lucas Niang, OL, TCU

Walter Cherepinsky, Walter Football: Yetur Gross-Matos, DE/OLB, Penn State

Vinny Soma, Heavy: A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson

R.J. White, CBS Sports: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

Chad Reuter, NFL.com: A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson

Joe Schad, Palm Beach Post: Yetur Gross-Matos, DE/OLB, Penn State

Nate Davis, USA Today: Austin Jackson, OT, USC

C.J. Doon, Baltimore Sun: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin

Jay Skurski, Buffalo News: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

Matt Miller, Bleacher Report: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin

Patrick Finley, Chicago Sun Times: A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/GM David Poile announced Friday that the team has signed forward Patrick Harper to a two-year, entry-level contract.

Harper, 21 (7/28/98), is coming off a four-year career at Boston University headlined by a 14-goal, 37-point senior season in 2019-20 that helped him earn Hockey East Third Team All-Star honors. His 37 points matched his career high first established in his freshman campaign, and his 14 goals were a personal collegiate best. The 5-foot-7, 150-pound forward finished the season 15th among all NCAA skaters in points per game (1.16), tied for 18th in points and tied for 25th in assists (23). An alternate captain for the Terriers this season, Harper was second on his team in points – trailing only fellow Predators prospect David Farrance (2017 third-round selection) – third in assists and tied for third in goals. He also recorded a career-best 12 multi-point games this season, six of which came during his career-long eight-game point streak (4g-11a) to open the campaign.

“Patrick is a dynamic player and with his size excels in the way today’s game is played,” Predators Director of Player Development Scott Nichol said. “He’s a fun player to watch – he likes having the puck on his stick, he likes to make plays and wants to score goals every game. He fits in well on the power play and uses his biggest on-ice attribute – his hockey sense – to his advantage.”

Originally drafted by the Predators in the fifth round (138th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Harper amassed 115 points (41g-74a) in 127 games at Boston University and became the 84th player in program history to reach the 100-point mark. Harper was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team as a freshman in 2016-17 and won a conference championship with the Terriers as a sophomore in 2017-18. Internationally, the New Canaan, Conn., native represented the United States at the World Junior Championship twice, winning gold in the 2017 tournament and taking home a bronze medal the following year. Prior to enrolling at Boston University, Harper spent the 2015-16 season captaining Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut; he also skated in nine games with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers.

By Jim Wyatt – TitansOnline.com

A day after the 2019 season ended, Titans cornerback Logan Ryan was asked about his football future. Standing in front of the locker he occupied for three seasons, Ryan smiled before conceding he didn’t really know.

“If I could foresee the future then I would just start betting on games like they did in Back to the Future,” Ryan said back in January. “But I don’t think anybody knows that. … I kid you not, all I wanted to do was to pour my heart and soul into this franchise. I wanted to make it a better place. If I were to leave, I wanted to make it a better place than when I came in and I feel like I did that.

“And I signed up for three years (in Tennessee) – that’s what the Titans offered. I took it and moved my family down here. I gave them three years and played in every game that I possibly could. I played every snap with my heart and soul, and right now I’m looking for a job. If they can extend it and work something out, that would be great. But as of right now, that’s what my contract was and I fulfilled my end of the bargain and they did as well, and we were able to have a great run this year.”

As of today, Ryan remains unsigned. It remains to be seen whether he returns to the Titans or plays elsewhere in 2020. Ryan, after spending the first four years of his NFL career with the Patriots, has proven to be a leader on and off the field in Nashville.

Off the field, he’s been active in the community. Logan and wife, Ashley, are the founders of The Ryan Animal Rescue Foundation, and as a couple they’ve raised money and awareness for homeless animals. During past offseasons, he helped organize workouts with the defensive backs.

On the field, he’s been valuable as well. In 2019, Ryan set career-highs with 120 tackles and 4 ½ sacks while also tallying four interceptions, four forced fumbles, and 19 passes defensed. He had a memorable late-game, pick-6 of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in a playoff game win over New England.

During the past three seasons with the Titans, Ryan appeared played in 50 games, including five playoff contests. Back in January, he said he wouldn’t stress about the uncertainty.

“I don’t want to live with anxiety,” Ryan said. “There’s uncertainty in life with everything. I signed up for (a three-year deal) and I fulfilled that. I am happy to play over 1,200 snaps this year, and to have the year I had, and the year we had as a team, it’s all I could have asked for. This day was going to come regardless, and I am happy it came after the AFC Championship. I wish it would’ve come after the Super Bowl, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

“So this day was going to come, these questions were going to come. I think it was a great marriage for both sides, me coming here. I told them I was happy they believed in me, and they allowed me to expand my role after leaving New England and it allowed me to grow as a player and a leader.”

At the end of the 2019 season, Ryan said he likes the direction the Titans are going. The challenge in 2020, whether Ryan is on the team or not, will be to keep it going.

“The Titans are for real,” Ryan said. “The Titans are contenders, and the Titans have guys that know what they’re doing up top and players that care, that play the right way. They play as physical and as hard-core as you can play with these modern-day rules and bring a smash-mouth brand of football to the South, which is a great reflection of the area that we live in.”

In accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance to postpone events involving more than 50 people over the next eight weeks, Nashville Soccer Club in conjunction with Major League Soccer has extended the postponement of its matches during this period of time. MLS remains focused on playing the entire 2020 season and is evaluating all options, including pushing back the end of the season and playing MLS Cup in December, as the league did prior to the 2019 season. The league is also identifying other available dates. Throughout this process, MLS will continue to prioritize the safety of our fans, players, employees and partners and to coordinate with federal and local public health authorities as well as other sporting organizations.

Coming up on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show, we will discuss the current suspension of local prep sports due to the school closings as a precaution against the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Local schools and prep athletics are suspended until at least April 1st. Our guests will be Coffee County CHS athletic director Rebecca Koger, Coffee County Middle School athletic director Kyle Harris and Westwood Middle School athletic director Jim Dobson.

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

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman will donate $125,000 to aid three charities in their efforts to assist those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Freeman will donate $50,000 to the Atlanta Food Bank, $50,000 to Giving Kitchen and $25,000 to the Salvation Army.

Freeman’s donation to Giving Kitchen will aid over 30 food service workers with utility and rent. This Atlanta-based charity pays living expenses for food service workers who are sick, injured, experiencing a housing crisis or suffering from the death of a family member.

The Braves announced Tuesday that they, in concert with all 30 Major League clubs, will donate $1 million to assist thousands of ballpark staff impacted by the delayed start of the 2020 season. Through the Braves Foundation, the organization has created a fund to assist gameday workers and certain other affected members of the baseball community with special financial needs that may arise before play begins.