Category: Sports

Veteran coach Dave McGinnis will replace Frank Wycheck as color analyst for Titans Radio for the 2017 season.

The Titans issued a release on Wednesday morning:

“After multiple discussions with Frank (Wycheck), it was agreed that he will take this season off from the radio broadcasts and return next season. With the season quickly approaching, we have reached an agreement with Dave McGinnis to fill-in for Frank this season. Coach Mac has a deep knowledge and passion for the game, along with eight years as a coach with the Titans. He is very excited about taking on this role and we think he will fill in admirably.”

McGinnis is a veteran NFL coach who served as linebackers coach/assistant head coach with the Titans from 2004-2011. He most recently served as an assistant with the Rams.

McGinnis served as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2000-03 before joined Jeff Fisher’s Titans staff in 2004.

He’ll work alongside Titans play-by-play man Mike Keith.  Thunder Radio is a proud affiliate of the Tennessee Titans Radio Network since 1997.  Thunder Radio is your exclusive home for radio broadcasts of Titans games in Coffee County.

In spite of a sub par round from junior Samuel Prater, the Red Raider golf team dropped an 18 hole match to Cookeville on Tuesday.  Playing at the Golden Eagle Golf Club in Cookeville, Coffee County lost their first match of the year falling to the Cavaliers.  The Raiders dropped a 305 to 296 decision to the home standing team from Cookeville.

Samuel Prater continued the red hot start to his junior year as he shot a 1 under par 69 to lead the Red Raiders.  Austin Farris fired a 75 while senior Reid Lawrence got around in 79 strokes.  Matthew Hale shot an 82 to round out the Raider scoring and Josh Perry added an 88.

The Raiders return to the links on Friday when they play host to Franklin County.  That match is set to tee off at 4 PM and will be held at Willowbrook.  Coach Mike Ray will be a guest on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show to talk about his team.  The Coffee Coaches Show airs at 10 AM each Saturday and is broadcast from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln.

On a night that will be remembered as the debut of both Ozzie Albies and Lucas Sims, the final result was not a favorable one for the Atlanta Braves. The team never led on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers and, much like the misery in Philadelphia over the weekend, Atlanta fell by a final score of 3-2.

Sims performed admirably in his first MLB start, allowing three runs (and six baserunners) across six innings of work. The young right-hander did not yield a single walk, though he only struck out three, and Sims’ performance was strong enough to keep the Braves competitive.

However, the scoring began with two doubles (from Yasiel Puig and Chris Taylor) in the third inning and it was quickly followed by a Cody Bellinger leadoff home run in the fourth. From there, the Dodgers would tack on an insurance run in the fifth after a throwing error from Tyler Flowers behind the plate and that, as they say, was that.

On the offensive side, Albies’ debut was a relatively quiet one, as he finished the evening without a hit but the speedy prospect did reach base on a leadoff walk in the eighth inning. Overall, though, the Braves managed very little in the way of offensive production before (and after) Johan Camargo’s two-run blast, that plated Albies, in the eighth.

That swing did provide a glimmer of hope in the form of a one-run deficit and Brandon Phillips then singled to place a runner on base with no one out in the inning. On cue, Ender Inciarte was asked to bunt, bringing Danny Santana (inexplicably hitting in the No. 2 hole) to the plate. Both Santana and Freddie Freeman recorded outs and the final threat was vanquished.

Of note, Matt Adams, who made his first start in left field, exited the game in the sixth with what the team described as dizziness. Elsewhere, Camargo was the only member of the lineup to record an extra-base hit and that paints an accurate picture.

The Braves and Dodgers will be back in action on Wednesday evening, with Julio Teheran facing off against former Atlanta left-hander Alex Wood.

The Salt Lake Bees scored eight runs in the third inning and raced to a 13-4 win over the Nashville Sounds in the series finale Tuesday afternoon at First Tennessee Park.
The eight-run frame was the theme of the series for the Bees who scored 10 runs in the sixth inning in Sunday night’s win, and seven runs in the eighth inning of last night’s win.
It looked as though the Sounds would play from ahead for a while when they scored in the first inning. Franklin Barreto started the rally with an infield single and quickly swiped second base to get into scoring position. Moments later, Barreto raced home when an errant pickoff throw by Andrew Heaney went into center field.
Two Nashville errors in the top of the second evened the game for the Bees, but the real issues came in the third.
Salt Lake sent 11 hitters to the plate in the inning and came away with eight runs on eight hits. Dustin Ackley’s run-scoring single gave the Bees a 2-1 lead and they never looked back. Cesar Puello, Rey Navarro, Nolan Fontana, and Bo Way chipped in RBI hits.
The Bees put an exclamation point on the frame when Eric Young, Jr. belted a two-run homer into The Band Box to cap the scoring and make it a 9-1 game. It was the third straight game in which a single player had two hits in one inning for Salt Lake.
Sounds starter Zach Neal settled down the rest of his outing but was still charged with eight earned runs on nine hits in five innings. The loss dropped his record to 1-7 on the season.
Nashville scored a pair of runs in the fifth to cut the deficit to 9-3, but that’s as close as the game would get. Matt McBride doubled, Melvin Mercedes knocked him in with a base hit to left-center, and Barreto doubled down the left field line to plate Mercedes with Nashville’s third run of the day.
Barreto finished the day 3-for-4 and was the lone Nashville player to tally a multi-hit game. Matt Olson drilled his 21st home run of the season in the eighth to cap Nashville’s scoring for the day.
After winning four of the first five games on the homestand, the Sounds dropped the final three games to finish .500 on the eight-game homestand.
The Sounds enjoy a league wide off day Wednesday before beginning an eight-game road trip in Reno, Nevada on Thursday. Right-hander Frankie Montas (0-1, 4.22) starts for the Sounds against right-hander Jake Buchanan (2-0, 5.20) for the Aces. First pitch is scheduled for 9:05 p.m. CST.

The Westwood football team wraps up their final week of preseason workouts this week.  The Rockets have been working hard and competing for starting positions.  Coach Chad Dyer begins his 14^th year at the helm of the Rockets football program on Thursday night as the Rockets host their annual Blue/White scrimmage game.

The Blue/White game will begin at 7 PM at Dyer-Bouldin Field and feature an intersquad scrimmage.  The scrimmage will get underway at 7 PM and is a fundraiser for the Rockets football team.  Each of the players will get a chance to play and show off “under the lights” for the first time this season.

The Rockets will take part in the Cascade Jamboree on Friday before opening the season on Thursday the 10^th at Chapel Hill when they take on Forrest.  The Rockets first 2 games are on the road before returning to Dyer-Bouldin Field on August 17^th to take on Cascade in their first home game of the year.  Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you that broadcast as part of the First National Bank Hometown Sports Series.

Coach Chad Dyer was a guest on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show to talk about the upcoming season.  You can hear that interview by downloading the podcast at: http://www.thunder1320.com/audio/CCS072917Podcast.mp3

As the hours ticked away before Monday’s 4:00 p.m. non-waiver Trade Deadline, Philadelphia’s top two young, controllable position players gave the Phillies as good an opportunity as ever to trade them.

Odubel Herrera cracked a long three-run homer, and Cesar Hernandez and Tommy Joseph combined to go 5-for-8 with two RBIs and three runs scored as the Phillies triumphed over Atlanta on Monday afternoon, 7-6. The win gave the Phils their first four-game sweep of the Braves in Philadelphia since 1949.
“He’s over .280 [and] he’s playing very well, good defense, stole a base … He’s stolen a few bases lately and hopefully he’s going to get the knack of that and steal a few more. He’s been fantastic,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said of Hernandez’s play since returning from the DL in mid-July. Mackanin also noted Joseph’s opposite-field approach against hard-throwing Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz.
Right-hander Nick Pivetta spun six innings of one-run ball, capping a brilliant turn through the Phils’ rotation. In their last five games, Phillies starters have posted a 0.62 ERA (two runs, 29 innings).
“Seeing those guys have success knowing that we’re all in here together and we’re all doing the same thing kind of feeds off each other,” Pivetta said.
The Braves threatened after Pivetta was pulled, scoring three runs in just one-third of an inning off Jesen Therrien in his second big league appearance. But, as has been the case all series, their runners-in-scoring-position woes hampered any chance for a comeback. Facing Phils reliever Luis Garcia in the eighth, Atlanta loaded the bases but was unable to bring home a run as Garcia struck out Tyler Flowers swinging with back-to-back 99-mph fastballs.
The Braves went 1-8 after beginning this 11-game road trip by handing the Dodgers two of the three losses they totaled in July. Kurt Suzuki hit his team-high eighth home run of the month, but also flew out to left after Nick Markakis delivered a two-out RBI single in the ninth.
“These kinds of runs happen every now and then,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “You’ve just got to grind through it. There’s nothing else to do. Nobody is going to feel sorry for you. You’ve got to make your own good luck.”
While neither Joseph or Hernandez were dealt, the Phillies did trade veteran reliever Joaquin Benoit and cash to the Pirates for Class A Advanced reliever Seth McGarry.
Another day, another Herrera homer. The latest, his sixth in the last 17 games — punctuated as per usual by his signature bat toss — climbed into the second deck in right field to give the Phillies an early 4-0 lead.
“Herrera had a really good homestand and that three-run [home run] he hit was fun to watch,” Mackanin said.
The Braves clawed their way back in the game with five runs between the fifth and eighth innings, turning a 5-0 game into a one-run deficit. To provide a bit of cushion and breathing room for Philadelphia, Maikel Franco got a 3-0 green light and served a Sam Freeman fastball into the upper deck in left field.
Suzuki tallied eight home runs over 44 at-bats in July. The eight he tallied over 345 at-bats last year stood as his highest season total since he recorded 14 homers in 2011.
Coming off an 11-game road trip, the Braves will return to SunTrust Park to begin a three-game series against the Dodgers Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. CT. Lucas Sims is expected to be promoted from Triple-A Gwinnett to make his Major League debut. Sims will be filling the rotation spot vacated when Jaime Garcia was traded to the Twins.

For the second straight night the Nashville Sounds let a multi-run lead slip away. The Salt Lake Bees overcame a four-run deficit to defeat the Sounds 11-5 Monday night at First Tennessee Park.
Jesse Hahn was in line for his second straight victory as he collected his first quality start of the season but the bullpen could not keep up its end of the bargain. One day after his birthday, the 28-year-old logged six innings and gave up just one run, a second inning RBI single to Tony Sanchez. He issued three free passes on the night while fanning three as well.
The bullpen, however, allowed Salt Lake to erase the advantage and secure the victory. Nashville relievers gave up 10 runs on nine hits in three innings. Bobby Wahl, on a rehab assignment from Oakland, surrendered a season-high three runs in his lone inning of work including a two-run home run to Eric Young Jr. Chris Bassitt retired just one of the seven Bees he faced in the eighth inning and that out came on a sacrifice bunt by Rey Navarro. In Bassitt’s 1/3 of an inning he yielded six runs on four hits. One run scored on Lou Trivino in his 1 2/3 innings.
In back-to-back nights the Bees batted around in an inning that led to the Sounds downfall. Both innings included a Bees player collecting a pair of hits. Jefry Marte singled twice for Salt Lake in the Bees’ seven-run eighth inning.
The Sounds did all their damage offensively in the fourth and fifth innings. Nashville put up a pair of runs in the fourth inning as Joey Wendle sacrificed himself with a ground out to second base to allow Renato Nuñez to score. Two batters later, Matt McBride lined a double to left field to drive in Chris Carter. In the home half of the fifth Matt Olson roped a run-scoring single for his 55th RBI of the season. The Sounds benefited from a costly error by Young Jr. that extended the inning. Nuñez reached and Olson each scored on the error. Mark Canha then continued his hot July by ripping his second triple of the season for an RBI.
The Sounds pitching staff completed the month of July with an ERA of 5.73, its worst total in a single month since 2005.
Canha had a much more productive July with a .340 average, 23 runs scored, and 24 runs batted in on 17 extra-base hits.
The final game of the four-game series is set for Tuesday afternoon at First Tennessee Park. Right-hander Zach Neal (1-5, 4.10) starts for Nashville against left-hander Andrew Heaney (0-0, 0.00) for Salt Lake. First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m.

After finishing with a perfect 4 and 0 record in pool play on Saturday, the Coffee County Middle School volleyball team entered the single elimination tournament of the CHS Middle School Play Day as the #2 seed.  The Lady Raiders advanced to the semifinal round before dropping a 3 set match to Unity.  Unity went on the win the 3^rd annual event.

To say the Lay Raiders were perfect in pool play would not be much of an exaggeration as they did not drop a set.  Coffee Middle won their 4 matches each in 2 sets.  The Lady Raiders opened the day on Saturday with a straight set win over Eagleville by set scores of 25-15 and 25-19.  In their 2^nd match, Coffee Middle downed Fayetteville 25 to 20 and 25 to 14.  In their 3^rd match, the Lady Raiders dispatched conference rival Harris in 2 sets but scores of 25-18 and 25-15.  The Lady Raiders finished pool play with a sweep of conference rival North Franklin by scores of 25 to 10 and 25 to 8.

In the tournament opener, Coffee Middle once again dropped Harris in straight sets to advance to the Final 4.  In the semifinals the Lady Raiders split the first 2 sets with Unity to set up a decisive game 3.  Unity pulled out the win 16 to 14 on their way to an eventual championship.   Coach Malaysha Pack was pleased with the play of her team saying they did a “great job.”  Returning player and middle hitter Kiya Ferrell led the team in kills along with a strong service game.  Lauren Brandt also served well and led the team in assists.

The Lady Raiders open the season on August 10th when they travel to Decherd to take on North Franklin. That match is scheduled for 5 PM. The Lady Raiders will be featured on the September 11th edition of the First National Bank Home Town Sports Series when they host Harris.

Ryan Johansen knew it. As did David Poile.

It was only a matter of time before it all came together. And when it did, Nashville’s top center signed on the dotted line to complete one of most significant contracts in franchise history.

Just before the work week came to a close, Johansen inked an eight-year, $64 million deal with the Predators to remain with the team and the city that the 24-year-old, soon-to-be 25 on Monday, has fallen in love with in just 18 months – more than enough time to realize Nashville is right where he wants to be.

“This is where I belong,” Johansen said Friday afternoon from Bridgestone Arena. “This is where I want to play. There’s no better staff, management team, group of guys, friends, place to live, city, fans… there’s no better place to be right now.”

“A year and a half ago, we made a deal with Columbus to pick up Ryan, and I think everyone would agree that was somewhat of… a turning point in our franchise,” Poile said. “In [these contract] negotiations, his agent used a line that ‘Ryan’s a driver of our team,’ and I totally concur with that. I really feel in these next eight years, we’re going to do really well, and when we do really well, Ryan Johansen’s going to be a big, big factor in all of our winning.”

Johansen, who set a career-high with 47 assists during the 2016-17 season and tied for the team lead in scoring with 61 points, helped to make up one of the more dominant lines in hockey, centering wingers Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson. Forsberg has five years remaining on his current deal, and Arvidsson just inked a seven-year contract last week, all part of the general manager’s plan to keep as much of his roster intact as possible. A roster that was two wins shy of winning a championship last month.

Nashville, TN – February 2: Ryan Johansen #92 of the Nashville Predators celebrates his goal against Leon Draisaitl #29 of the Edmonton Oilers during an NHL game at Bridgestone Arena on February 2, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Nashville, TN – February 2: Ryan Johansen #92 of the Nashville Predators celebrates his goal against Leon Draisaitl #29 of the Edmonton Oilers during an NHL game at Bridgestone Arena on February 2, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. John Russell

“We have our whole core signed up, and for a lot of guys, for a lot of years,” Poile said. “I hope we’ve chosen correctly, and I believe we’ve chosen correctly… I think our room is a very close room, so I thought it was in my best interests, and in our team’s best interests, if I could get the bulk of our team locked up for a long time so they could play together for a long time. So here we go.”

After suffering a thigh injury in the Western Conference Final that sidelined him for the remainder of the team’s run, Johansen began his rehabilitation in Nashville before heading home to British Columbia for the summer and says everything has gone according to plan.

Before the injury occurred, Johansen added four goals and 13 points through two-plus rounds, asserting his dominance as one of the top centers in the game, performing when it mattered most. And for those efforts and commitment, the Predators have returned the favor.

Nashville, TN – June 2: Ryan Johansen #92 of the Nashville Predators watches his teammates practice from the bench prior to Game Three of the Stanley Cup Final at Bridgestone Arena on June 2, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Nashville, TN – June 2: Ryan Johansen #92 of the Nashville Predators watches his teammates practice from the bench prior to Game Three of the Stanley Cup Final at Bridgestone Arena on June 2, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. John Russell

“The class that they’ve shown with me and committing and trusting me and believing in me for these next eight years, it’s just so humbling,” Johansen said. “I’m so excited for the next chapter, which is coming up fast with the short summer, but this is probably one the best days of my life right now.”

The hope is that Johansen will be able to make some additions to that statement in the coming years, and for a 6-foot-3 centerman just coming into his prime, the odds are in his favor.

That’s exactly why Poile and the Preds wanted to lock Johansen in for the foreseeable future – a wish that became reality with the stroke of an ink pen and belief in what’s to come.

“There’s no better place to play in the NHL right now than Nashville,” Johansen said. “For myself, just as David and management believing and trusting in me to be the No. 1 center… there’s no better opportunity for me.”