Saturday, August 21, 2010

One to watch.....


If you are a fan of college football, you might remember this game.











It was Mountaineer Armanti Edwards that led his football team to one of the biggest upsets in the history of college athletics.

Well, come the 2010 draft, Edwards only has to move a few hours south to continue his football career. The Carolina Panthers drafted him in the third round this year, and while he probably won't see a lot of time at the quarterback position, he could be employed in a variety of scenarios, from special teams to the wildcat.

Regardless, Edwards is a heroic player, a two time back to back Walter Payton award winner, and a quarterback who led his team to four straight conference championships.

Oh, and I seem to remember a certain Cowboy who was also a Walter Payton winner....

Friday, August 20, 2010

As long as they keep the guitar score board....


Local columnist David Climer is never shy to rain on the parade, and it's one of the reasons I value his cold shower commentary. Too much sportswriting has devolved into either goggle eyed cheerleading or the cast-the-first-stone type of pathos you'd expect at a Tea Party rally.
So, as I said, it's good for guys like Climer and Joe Biddle to keep us grounded, and most Nashville sports fans, myself included, are acutely aware of the glass ceiling precariously above our noggins, whether it's the Titans barely sniffing .500, the Commodores looking at another season sleeping at the bottom of the SEC trough, or the Predators not making it out of the first round of the playoffs. (I would add that, all of the disasters of the last decade non withstanding, the members of Big Orange country, many of whom live in Middle Tennessee, seem able to convince themselves if no one else of their football supremacy. It's the kind of faux confidence you would expect from Fox News viewers or folks who drink light beer by the case. Oh wait...)
Anyway......Looks like there is a new pickle for us to ponder. The Brewers will soon be out of their contract with the Nashville Sounds, and the ailing Greer Stadium is widely considered an unacceptable home for a triple A affiliate. With no immediate plans to construct a newer baseball field, Climer alerts us in today's Tennessean to the very real possibility that Nashville could see its ball club downgraded to double A status, if not lost outright. Something worth thinking about as summer draws to a close.


When a new ownership group bought the Nashville Sounds in 2008, it spent $2.5 million on improvements to Greer Stadium.

It was lipstick on a pig. And everybody knew it — the owners, the players, the fans.

Greer Stadium opened in 1978. It is one of the oldest stadiums in Triple-A baseball. And even with the multi-million dollar improvements — which co-owner Frank Ward admitted was "a Band-Aid" — it is showing its age.

With Greer Stadium far past its prime and with no major movement on construction of a new facility in the downtown area, Nashville baseball is at yet another crossroads.

Get ready for change. The Milwaukee Brewers, whose Triple-A affiliate has called Nashville home since 2005, are expected to leave for greener pastures — and a nicer stadium — after this season. Beginning in early September, Major League Baseball has a
30-day window for its franchises to negotiate player-development contracts with affiliates. The likely landing spot for the Brewers' Triple-A team is Oklahoma City.

It is unclear which major-league team will step in to align itself with Nashville for its Triple-A team. There are 13 teams whose player development contracts with Triple-A affiliates expire after this season.

Branch Rickey, president of the Pacific Coast League of which the Sounds are a member, emphasized that Nashville is not in danger of losing its Triple-A status in the short term.

"There is not a single person in his right mind in the Pacific Coast League that thinks Nashville is less than a Triple-A market," he said. "Nashville is one of the most prestigious markets in all of minor league baseball.

"Nashville's not losing anything.

Nashville is going forward, whether it is retaining the Brewers' affiliate or not."

But Rickey acknowledges that aging Greer Stadium is a source of concern.

"Is the Pacific Coast League moving out of Nashville? No. That's the furthest thing from our minds," he said before adding:

"But we have a challenge."

Nobody wants to say it, but there is the distinct possibility that at some point Nashville could lose its Triple-A baseball identity if a new stadium is not constructed. And while slipping back to Double-A ball might not seem like a big deal to many residents, it would be a blow to Nashville's sports credibility.


Certainly, a city that serves as host to both NFL and NHL franchises does not pin its sports identity on whether its baseball team plays in Triple-A or Double-A. But since the Sounds moved up to Triple-A in 1985, backsliding to a lower classification would be a loss.

Another way of looking at it: The Sounds hit the field at Greer Stadium in 1978 as a Double-A franchise. If Greer Stadium remains home base, the Sounds might eventually revert to Double-A status.

Let's face it: Greer Stadium is no longer the premier baseball facility in town. Although its seating capacity is far less, Hawkins Field at Vanderbilt offers far more ambiance, as does Dugan Field at Lipscomb.

When the Sounds were an affiliate of the New York Yankees in 1980-84, the late George Steinbrenner occasionally visited town and once referred to Greer Stadium as "quaint" and "a throw-back." Since then, however, quaint has given way to cracked concrete in the concourses. The guitar-shaped scoreboard may be a throw-back, but it lacks many of the bells and whistles of newer models.

The solution, of course, is to build a state-of-the-art minor league park on the banks of the Cumberland River. A number of cities have found great success with downtown stadiums, both in terms of attendance and economic impact on nearby restaurants and nightspots.

Indeed, there has been talk of a downtown stadium for about 15 years.

Last November, the mayor's office confirmed that three sites were under consideration as locations for a new park. Sounds management hired a real estate attorney, a public relations firm and an architectural firm to formulate plans for a stadium.

Of course, the devil is in the detail. And the biggest detail is money. In these difficult economic times, a big-ticket item like a new baseball stadium is a tough sell.

But how many more layers of lipstick can you put on that pig?


Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Poutine


It's been a while since I dedicated a post to any variety of regional junk food, but poutine is one of my favorites. A sublime starch pile of french fries covered in cheese curds and gravy, it's a staple of French Canadian "fine" dining, and the kind of gut bomb that will sustain you through days of fur trapping. No real reason I felt the urge to honor this cardio-kryptonite on this particular evening, but I will dedicate it to the Washington Nationals (ne Montreal Expos) being beaten by my beloved Atlanta Braves.
Bong Apetit.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Yep, CJ was robbed....


Early this year, in the last game of the Titans' regular season, Chris Johnson broke through the Seattle Seahawks' defensive line for one of his "how far is he gonna go" sprints, picking up about seventy yards and inching closer to breaking the NFL's single season rushing yard record .
A controversial offensive holding call against fullback Ahmard Hall ruled the run null, and though Johnson still ended up with a 2000+ yard season thanks to this game, he came very very close to breaking the big record. Titans fans were, understandably, pissed.
Well, another season of football is about to begin, and wouldn't ya know it, the ref who made that call apologized to Hall last night, as the Titans took on the Seahawks in their first preseason match up. Maybe it cleared the air with Hall, but I for one am still pissed, and I am sure C.J. has an opinion about it. Here's the full scoop from today's Tennessean:

SEATTLE — Titans fullback Ahmard Hall walked out of Qwest Field back in January with mixed emotions.

While the running back he'd help pave the way for all season had eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark, a controversial holding call against Hall kept Chris Johnson from getting closer to the NFL's all-time rushing mark.

Hall returned to the scene on Saturday night with some closure, however. Hall said NFL official Ed Hochuli apologized to him and Johnson recently for making "a mistake."

"It is big of him," Hall said. "Some guys won't admit they're wrong regardless if they're dead wrong. So that is a big deal, with the record that could've been and him being a prestigious referee, to admit that he was wrong.


"I got over it, but I admit it hurt me for a while. You are getting replayed on ESPN as the guy who had the phantom holding call. But for Ed to apologize personally, that definitely added closure to the situation."

Johnson finished the game with 134 yards, which gave him 2,006 for the season.

Hochuli's holding call on Hall early in the fourth quarter wiped out a 62-yard touchdown run by Johnson. If not for the penalty, Johnson would have been within striking distance of Eric Dickerson's single-season record of 2,105 yards with plenty of time left.

Hall said the Titans would have pulled out all stops to get the record if not for the penalty. As things turned out the Titans had to be satisfied with Johnson being the sixth player to reach 2,000.

According to Hall, however, the call ended up costing Hochuli as well.

"He told us that call made him miss out on a big playoff game," Hall said. "He got a low, low grade for that call. He regretted it and talked to myself and C.J., and then talked to the team. He admitted it was a bad call. People make mistakes, and it was big for him to own up to it."

Monday, August 9, 2010

Remembering Jefferson Street Joe







Joe Gilliam is one of the great could have beens in the history of American football. A brash and confident young quarterback drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Nashville's Tennessee State University in 1972, Gilliam was a local hero, playing under the leadership of his father, who was defensive coordinator at TSU. While he was a two time All American during his years in college, once in the pros Gilliam experienced the wrong end of the race card. He could have been the franchise quarterback during the Steelers Seventies Super Bowl dynasty, but a star African American quarterback was not something Steelers fans were "ready" for back in the day, and with Terry Bradshaw at the helm, the rest is history. Still, here in Nashville, a lot of folks remember "Jefferson Street Joe", and his legacy is a poignant and painful reminder of our nation's struggle with race. I am reprinting his 2000 obituary from Jet, and also posting a clip from a 1973 Monday Night game where he started in lieu of an injured Bradshaw.




*******
Joe Gilliam Jr., one of the first Black quarterbacks to start an NFL game, died recently of an apparent heart attack while watching a football game between the Tennessee Titans and the Dallas Cowboys with friends in Nashville.

Gilliam's career was marked by a series of highs and lows, including a starting role for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974, six years after Marlin Briscoe of the Denver Broncos became the NFL's first Black starting quarterback.

"He paved the way for myself and the rest of the guys who now have opportunities to play," Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart, the first Black man to play the position for the franchise since Gilliam in the mid-1970s, told the Chicago Sun-Times.
However, troubles with drugs, in part, led to his benching and eventually ended his NFL career.

His financial problems led him to pawn two Super Bowl rings and left him homeless for a while on the streets of Nashville.

He fought his addiction to cocaine and heroin several times with stays in drug-rehab centers. Earlier last month, when former Steelers reunited for the final game at Three Rivers Stadium, Gilliam said his life was so tough at one point that he lived in a cardboard box under a bridge for two years and, "To me, it was like the Ritz-Carlton."

Gilliam, who was called "Jefferson Street Joe" for a boulevard near Tennessee State, was an All-American in 1970 and '71. He was an 11th-round draft pick by the Steelers in 1972.

After playing sparingly for two years, Gilliam got his big chance in 1974 when most players, including Terry Bradshaw, went on strike.

Steelers owner Dan Rooney told the Chicago Sun-Times, "Joe told the rest of the players, `I have to cross the picket line. I'm just a second-year man and I have to make the team.'" Rooney continued, "That was the year we drafted [Lynn] Swann and [John] Stallworth. We played six preseason games, and Joe was the quarterback for them. We beat everybody by high scores - it was a terrific thing."

Gilliam kept the job when Bradshaw, the starter the previous season and the others came back and led the Steelers to a 4-1-1 record.

But many Steelers' fans were unhappy, and there was a racial tone to their anger.

When the Steelers were losing at home against Oakland, the fans began chanting, "We want Bradshaw." Gilliam went 8-for-31 with two interceptions and the Steelers lost 17-0. It was his only loss as a starter.

Gilliam began receiving hate mail and death threats. He said the franchise began receiving bomb threats on Three Rivers Stadium.

"I was shocked," Gilliam said. "I thought if you played well you got to play. I guess I didn't understand the significance of being a Black quarterback at the time."

For game No. 7, coach Chuck Noll gave the job back to Bradshaw. Gilliam said his problems with drugs began that year.

Gilliam played little during the 1975 season, then was cut. He didn't play in the NFL again.

Gilliam joined minor league football teams in Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Baltimore during the 1970s. In 1979, he was seriously injured during an attack outside a Baltimore liquor store and was in a coma for weeks.

He recovered and played football again, for the Washington Federals of the USFL in the 1982 season.

But Gilliam couldn't defeat his drug addiction. He stopped and started doing drugs over the years, even working as a counselor for a while, only to slip repeatedly.

He wound up living on the streets of Nashville. He sold his Super Bowl rings for cash, but kind-hearted football fans and friends helped get the rings back to his father, who said earlier this year that he was holding them for his son until he was ready to have them back.

This was Gilliam's third straight year of sobriety and he appeared to be taking charge of his life, with the help of his wife of four years, Barbara. He opened a youth football camp in Nashville, using the field of his alma mater, Tennessee State, where his father, Joe Gilliam Sr., spent 40 years coaching football (JET, July 3, 2000.

Among Gilliam's survivors are his parents, Joe W. Gilliam Sr. and Ruth Gilliam, his sister Kim Gilliam, his wife Barbara, daughters Joi, LaWanda and Dominque and stepsons Steven and Stanley Douglas.

Ya Ho Whaaaa? 15


I know Tim Tebow is pretty confident about the state of his soul, but not sure what he was thinking in regards to his pate-state. Hope this was on a dare, and I think I preferred the eye paint.

Major League Minor


Tonight is the night. Former Vanderbilt star pitcher Mike Minor, a native of Chapel Hill, Tennessee, will make his major league pitching debut tonight for the Atlanta Braves. With All Star David Price holding in down in Tampa and Minor looking to make waves in Georgia, things are looking good for Vandy alumni in the big leagues. At least in baseball. Jay Cutler is another story.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

No Love for the Vets






First it was Kyle Vanden Bosch, whisked away in the night to Detroit by former Titans defensive coordinator and current Lions head coach Jim Schwartz. Then it was the cold brush off of Keith Bulluck, who has played for ten seasons with the Titans and was always a leader in the locker room. Nonetheless, Keith had the extreme class, even after his phone calls hadn't been returned and he signed a one year deal with the Giants, to take out a full page ad in yesterday's Tennessean thanking the Titans fans and the greater Nashville community for years of loyalty and support. Next day, the Titans give his jersey number to a (albeit highly promising) rookie.
In the middle of all this is the still to be decided fate of veteran center Kevin Mawae, maybe getting a little long in the tooth to tussle with boys fifteen years his junior but, like Bulluck, an undeniable leader. Mawae wants to come back something fierce and none other than Jeff Fisher has promised him a roster spot, even as a backup. But there has been little movement in the front office to facilitate such a deal, and training camp proceeds without many of the familiar faces that have helped lead this team through some dizzying and very recent ups and downs.
I know the NFL is all about money and tough love, but it does seem the Titans in particular have perfected the shallow pocket policy of letting the door hit some very loyal veterans on their way out. Let's just hope Mawae doesn't end up with the Ravens.