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04
Locals in the Pros Notes
Apr 11, 2008Through the first eight games of the season, former Tazewell High School star Billy Wagner has yet to get a save opportunity for the New York Mets.
Wagner has only appeared in two games for the 4-4 Mets, who begin a series with Milwaukee on Friday.
The left-hander tossed a shutout inning on Tuesday in New York’s extra-inning victory over Philadelphia. Wagner walked one and struck out two in his one inning of work against his former team and did not factor in the decision.
It might be good for Wagner that he hasn’t gotten a lot of work in thus far. It will allow him to garner some rest and be ready for the stretch run. It’s possible, he was worn down last September when the Mets collapsed and missed the playoffs.
In other locals in the pros notes:
--- Through Thursday, Kansas City Royals reliever (and left-handed specialist) Jimmy Gobble had retired all five left-handed hitters he’d faced. The Bristol, Va. native will likely get a lot of work this weekend during KC’s series with rival Minnesota. Minnesota has two powerful left-handed sluggers in Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.
--- Nick Hill (Sullivan East) is 0-0 with an 8.31 ERA in three relief outings for the High Class A High Desert (Calif.) Mavericks. Hill struck out two in 1 2/3 shutout innings in his last appearance on April 8 at Rancho Cucamonga.
--- I am currently in the early stages of working on a series looking at former local players who spent time in the big leagues during the 1920s-1970s. If you have any information, have any relatives from Southwest Virginia/Northeast Tennessee that played in the big leagues or can help me in gathering information about the former locals in the pros, please e-mail me at
Posted by Tim Hayes Roots Racing
Apr 03, 2008Juding from the empty seats at Bristol Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway the past two races, the economic crunch appears to have hit NASCAR fans. Racing fans will have an option at BMS Saturday.
In the formative days of stock car racing, promoters were forced to be creative, innovative and fearless.
Attractions ranged from demolition derbies and inverted starts to giveaways and bounties on track champions.
At least at the top level of NASCAR, not much promotion has been necessary to attract fans over the past decade.
Drivers such as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon are admired not only for the racing skills, but for their status as pop culture icons.
Judging from the worsening economy and the empty seats for the past two Sprint Cup races at Bristol and Martinsville, the economic blues appear to have hit NASCAR-land.
No matter how tasty the action, it appears some folks are no longer willing to pay for overpriced motels, concessions and tickets.
There are options for the racing crowd, however.
Take Saturday’s diverse racing program at Bristol Motor Speedway. Thanks to the wise minds of BMS vice president of events Wayne Estes and nine-time ARCA series champion Frank Kimmel, the Saturday Spectacular will offer a blend of grassroots racing, dreams and pizazz.
There will no traffic jams, and tickets cost only $15. Yes, $15.
This reporter has said it many times, but it’s shame that so few so-called NASCAR diehards realize the full and gritty story of racing.
The guys who will compete in Saturday’s Frank Kimmel Street Stock 150 and Modified 4 races compete for the love for the sport, not for the glamour. And who can resist a Monster Truck smashing into buses?
There will be no self-promoting, sappy-happy network TV types covering Saturday’s program at BMS. And the same goes for the corporate types, public relations smoothies and fame-seekers.
There will be plenty of gutsy racing by guys who have made sacrifices to realize their dream of racing on the high-banks of Bristol.
Roots-racing. It’s compelling, affordable and, above all, fun.
Bring the kids, kick back and enjoy the show.
Posted by Allen Gregory A short-sighted money grab?
Apr 01, 2008A short-sighted money grab?
With much fanfare – or at least as much as one can generate out of a press release – Tennessee and UCLA announced Tuesday the move of their football game from Sept. 6 to Sept. 1.
“The opportunity to play unopposed on national television against such a quality opponent as UCLA was something we couldn’t pass up,” Tennessee athletics director Mike Hamilton said in an Associated Press story. “It’s a great time slot for a national game of interest like this one.”
That, as well as collecting a nice paycheck from ABC and ESPN for agreeing to move the game, are the pros of this move.
As for the cons, well, let me count them from the Volunteers’ perspective:
1. So much for easing the new quarterback, whether it’s Jonathan Crompton or B.J. Coleman, into the first start of his varsity career.
Playing UAB in Knoxville on Aug. 30 would have been perfect for whoever wins the job; this won’t be. Not that UCLA’s defense will remind one of an SEC unit, but a road game three time zones removed isn’t easy for an experienced quarterback, much less a first-time starter.
2. So much for easing the new offense into its first test.
Playing UAB would have been a perfect forum for coordinator Dave Clawson, because the team could have afforded a few slip-ups and probably still left the season opener with 35 points, maybe more, and an easy win.
Now that opportunity isn’t there. A unit with a new quarterback will have to be sharp right off the bat. Although UT’s defense should be better this year, you don’t want to put too much of the burden on it in an opener that’s 2,500 miles from home.
3. A loss here will reopen speculation about coach Phillip Fulmer’s future. And no, it’s not too harsh to make that assumption after the first game of the new season.
Face it, if ever a program needed a smooth start to the 2008 season, it’s the Vols. After all the off-field turmoil in January and February which had media questioning Fulmer’s ability to exert discipline upon his athletes, the last thing UT needs is an 0-1 start with the SEC schedule awaiting it.
Now comes this newly scheduled opener, which is full of danger. And in an environment like east Tennessee, where every big game has become a referendum on Fulmer’s future for a couple of years, an early loss is not what the program needs.
Sure, the opportunity to play on national TV with air running against it appealed to Hamilton and will add six figures to the university’s athletic department.
But if the Vols fly back across the country late Labor Day night and the next morning after a loss, that hefty paycheck probably won’t mean so much to their legion of fans.
