…”It wasn’t supposed to end like this.”
Almost to a man, the Nashville Predators uttered that phrase after Friday night’s loss to San Jose. After what happened last year, getting booted in the first round, all of this is eerily similar.
But here is what got to me. We go in the locker room right after the game and they are upset, some barely holding back tears. They were just beaten down, and upset one player told me, because they feel like they let the city down.
I have been into many locker rooms and 99 percent of the time, you cannot tell if the team just won or lost. They are laughing when they lose and laugh when they win. The Preds were just shellshocked. A lot of times, pro athletes will not talk to the media and avoid them at all costs, but the Preds, every single one of them, stood there and answered questions well past midnight.
There is a unwritten rule not to get too attached to teams that you cover but when you see this team, who battled day in and day out and never made a single excuse, it is hard not too grow a bond with those guys, especially when you get to know them, know how hard they work and how much they love Nashville.
It will be an interesting off-season for the Preds. Hopefully, they can go further next year.
Pacman buys ad……..Why???????
I need someone to help me understand why Pacman Jones would buy an ad in a Nashville Newspaper….
I’m guessing, just guessing a full page add in the Tennessean runs at least $10k. However, I really don’t care how much it cost. If it was $10 or $20k it was a bad decision. Not the apology, but actually buying ad space.
Pacman Jones hasn’t spoken with the Nashville media in months. All he has to do is call a press conference and every single media outlet in Middle Tennessee would be there an hour early. He could give a “free” apology that would run in every newscast, every radio talk show, and every newspaper all weekend long.
I truly hope he gets his act together. He’s got the talent to do a lot of positive things in his life. But once again, it is apparent he’s surrounded himself with people who make bad decisions.
I wonder if any of Pacman’s people paid for the ad?
A reminder to all folks that nobody in the TV News, Newspaper, or Radio industry charge for an interview.
In fact, Pacman’s folks probably could have made their client a big chunk of change for an exclusive interview.
What are your thoughts?
…………Preds Face Tough Road…..
Now they come back to Nashville. The Preds desperately needed to win at least one game out in San Jose but they come back to Music City, down 3 to 1. Wednesday night’s game was very different than Monday’s when the Preds looked like one of the worst teams in hockey. Sluggish, sloppy play that resulted in them playing catch up all night long. At least Wednesday, they attacked and attacked, but the Sharks goalie was not in a giving mood.
So game 5 is Friday night at the Arena. I think they win that game and head back to San Jose for game 6. Anything can happen in sports so to say the Preds are done, big over-statement. Just ask Red Sox fans in the 04′ ALCS.
But if the Preds lose, I have heard some people say that Trotz should be gone. Hogwash! Folks, this was a man for the first 4 years of the franchise, who was putting minor league hockey players, for the most part, on the ice against the top hockey players in the world. And he made them competitive. Jeff Fisher first 4 seasons with the Titans produced zero, zero, playoff teams. Then they went to the Super Bowl and the playoffs the next year. In 2001, they were horrible, then in 02 and 03, returned to the playoffs and haven’t been back since. Do we fire Jeff Fisher? Absolutely not.
No one knows this Preds team better than there head coach. Face it, San Jose is good, very good. Maybe getting Forsberg wasn’t the right move, losing Erat and Steve Sullivan sure didn’t help any and being in the penalty box so much is not helping this team.
But with a game 5 in Nashville, anything can happen. I say they win it and then return to San Jose for game 6 and that will be a doozy because the Preds have nothing to lose and when teams play with reckless abandon, who knows what could happen.
If the Preds do this tonight, they’ll win……..
Score at least 3 goals.
Paul Kariya must score a point.
Make it a penalty free night.
Keep the puck in their zone 60% of the game.
Stay alert on defense at ALL TIMES (this killed them in game’s 1 & 3)
Vokoun needs to maintain his splended play.
If this happens it is a best of 3 series with 2 games at Nashville Arena. If any of the above don’t happen the Preds are in too deep and can start wondering what in the heck happened.
Wednesday A Must Win For Preds……..
If you stayed up late Monday and watched the Preds and Sharks to the bitter end,,,,,,,you are probably thinking what I’m thinking…………. These Preds are in hot water. If they do not win Wednesday night this series is over. This doesn’t appear to be a the Sharks just playing lights out while the Preds are a off their game. This is simple………..The Sharks are a better team right now. And that is a problem when you’re in the postseason. There are very few upsets in a seven game series. The best team usually wins.
The only way this series changes is if Tomas Vokoun gets really really hot.
What are your thoughts?
Pacman Makes an Appearance
If you saw Sports Extra Sunday night, then you caught the video of Pacman Jones making his first public appearance in Nashville since Commisioner Roger Goodell suspended him for the entire 2007 season.
Jones attended a charity event held at the Gentry Center on Tennessee State University’s campus. Many Titans players and former players participated in the event to help raise money for a scholarship foundation.
Vince Young, Steve McNair, Brad Hopkins, Blaine Bishop, David Thornton, Cortland Finnegan, LenDale White were among the attendees. Pacman was not expected to be there, but just before halftime of the charity basketball game, he made his entrance and sat on the end of the bench of the team coached by Young. McNair coached the other team.
As expected when he arrived, Pacman was not making any comments to the several media outlets (including News 2 Sports) that were in attendance. When the event was finished, he was escorted out of the building by a security officer.
When he arrived, each of his teammates that were there greeted him with a smile and a hug. The biggest of those hugs came from Vince Young. From dealing with Vince over the past year, I’ve come to discover that he is one of the most humble and easy-going people I’ve ever been around. He is also of very high moral character, a trait that can be of great significance if he and Pacman are as good of friends as they displayed tonight.
I don’t think it is any secret that Pacman puts himself in situations that could end up putting negative light on his character. We’ve seen it numerous times. Perhaps it is time that Pacman starts to hang out with his teammates a bit more often, and not hang out with the people he grew up with. I understand and respect a person for staying true to their childhood and how and where they grew up, but perhaps it’s time for Pacman to start thinking about himself, and contemplating where he could be one year from now if these events continue.
Attending the charity event tonight is a step in the right direction. At least ten of his current teammates were there, all of which use their notoriety for the right reasons.
Could this be the first step in the opposite (and positive) direction for one Adam “Pacman” Jones? Maybe, maybe not. He did arrive by himself, and leave by himself. For his sake, and for the sake of the outward appearance of the city of Nashville, I hope he starts hanging out with Vince Young, David Thornton, and the rest of his teammates, so that he can learn a few things from them off the field.
………..First time for Everything…..
If you saw Saturday’s sportscast, you will know what we’re all talking about on the newsdesk. Vanderbilt on Saturday, won their first National Championship in any sport when the women captured the NCAA Bowling title. Now I know some naysayers and they are everywhere, will say, big deal, it is bowling. But it is a sanctioned sport by the NCAA just like football, basketball, lacrosse, etc.
The girls hit some big shots, or I should say, knocked down some huge pins on their to way capturing the crown. They needed a 300 game to get to the finals, they got it, and a freshman, a freshman, hit the strike to send the girls into the championship game.
Now thru all of this, something hit me. I have a daughter, she is almost 9 and the thought of her going to Vandy on a bowling scholarship is delightful because the time she gets there, Vandy will cost 50K a year.
So congratulations to Vandy and the women’s bowling team. A job well done!
If you are a sports fan…..Name the most intense and dramatic event you’ve attended.
I have had so many people come to me today in total awe of last night’s overtime Playoff game. I’ve been telling rookie hockey fans since my arrival to News 2 that there is nothing like an NHL Playoff game. What I didn’t tell them about was overtime playoff hockey. If you were not there you can’t explain what it is like. If you are a sports fans and haven’t been to an NHL Playoff game your resume is in bad shape.
Here are my top 5 most dramatic-intensity filled sporting events that I’ve covered.
1. Game 7 2006 Stanley Cup Finals Hurricanes and Oilers
2. Game 7 2006 Eastern Conference Finals Hurricanes and Sabres
3. 1998 NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 Pacers and Bulls. Reggie Miller hit a 30 foot 3 pointer over Michael Jordan with less than a second to go.
4. Mark McGwire’s record breaking home run in 1998.
T-5. 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. When Kathy Freeman won the women’s 400m Gold in her native Australia. The Stadium that night was something I’ll never forget.
T-5. 1997 and 2005 Men’s Final Four Championship game. Arizona’s win over Kentucky gets the nod.
I could go on and on. I’d love to see your list of most memorable or dramatic sporting events.
PREDATORS FALL IN 2OT IN GAME 1 TO SAN JOSE
Talk about one of the most exciting atomosphere’s I have ever been apart of involving a sporting event. Game one between the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks lived up to it’s billing as the best series in Round 1. If the rest of this series is anything like tonight, it’s going to be great. Here’s a recap of game one.
Patrick Rissmiller scored at 8:14 of the second overtime, and the San Jose Sharks beat the Nashville Predators 5-4 on Wednesday night after blowing a two-goal lead in the opening game of the Western Conference first-round series.
Alexander Radulov scored twice for the Predators in the first postseason game of his NHL career. He’s the first player with two goals in his NHL playoff debut since Paul Kariya had two goals in his first game, for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on April 16, 1997.
Rissmiller, who scored only seven goals in the regular season, beat Tomas Vokoun with a shot from the edge of the left circle after taking a crisp pass from Patrick Marleau.
San Jose squandered a 4-2 lead after two periods, an advantage built with three goals in the middle frame after the Sharks lost top goal scorer Jonathan Cheechoo to an injured right knee.
But the Predators, who stood atop the NHL until March 29 before slipping to the West’s No. 4 seed, scored twice in the final 6:55 of regulation to force the first overtime in the franchise’s short postseason history.
Game 2 Is Friday Night 7:00 at the Nashville Arena.
Titans 2007 Schedule
The Tennessee Titans return to primetime in 2007, after a two year absence on the national schedule, with two appearances on ESPN’s Monday Night Football at New Orleans (Sept. 24) and at Denver (Nov. 19). The Titans will open the season at division rival Jacksonville (Sept. 9) and open the home schedule the following week against the Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 16. Here is the rest of the schedule.
Sep 9 @Jacksonville 1:00pm
Sep 16 Indianapolis 1:00pm
Sep 24 @New Orleans 8:30pm
Week 4 BYE
Oct 7 Atlanta 1:00pm
Oct 14 @Tampa Bay 1:00pm
Oct 21 @Houston 1:00pm
Oct 28 Oakland 1:00pm
Nov 4 Carolina 2:00pm
Nov 11 Jacksonville 2:00pm
Nov 19 @Denver 9:30pm
Nov 25 @Cincinnati 2:00pm
Dec 2 Houston 2:00pm
Dec 9 San Diego 2:00pm
Dec 16 @Kansas City 2:00pm
Dec 23 N.Y. Jets 5:15pm
Dec 30 @Indianapolis 2:00pm
