It’s hard to keep a good cowboy down. Since George Strait wrapped his Cowboy Rides Away Tour in 2014, his appearances onstage have been few and far between—outside of his 18 “Strait to Vegas” concerts.
However, George is feeling froggy in 2019—he’s already announced a handful of shows for the new year, including a headlining gig at the Buckeye Country Festival in Columbus, Ohio, on June 8. The one-day festival lineup also features Blake Shelton, Midland, Chris Janson and RaeLynn.
In addition to performing at Buckeye Country Superfest, George has announced four Strait to Vegas dates (Feb. 1, Feb. 2, Aug. 23, Aug. 24) as well as a date at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on March 30 and a show at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on Nov. 22. George will wrap 2018 with two Vegas shows on Dec. 7 and 8.
Catch the King when you can.
George Strait by by Kirkland/AFF-USA.com; Blake Shelton by Jason Simanek
The perpetually fit Tim McGraw has partnered with Snap Fitness to help design and launch a new line of boutique gyms called Trumav Fitness.
The flagship club is slated to open in Nashville in January at 601 9th Ave South.
Trumav Fitness will provide instructional exercise classes, and members can work out on their own, with a trainer or in a group class setting. Each club will include custom equipment and programs based on Tim’s personal workout routines, as well as the expertise of Snap Fitness professionals.
“Physical fitness is something I value—it can help you lead your best life,” said Tim. “Working out becomes a habit when it’s an easy part of your every day. That’s why I’ve partnered with Snap Fitness to create Trumav. We want to help you find what works for your fitness goals and give you a community that can inspire you to achieve them.”
Snap Fitness announced a two-year partnership with Tim in 2017 that included the development of a custom fitness club franchise.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 6 Tennessee’s starting five combined for 72 points, fueling the Volunteers to a 95-67 victory over the Eastern Kentucky Colonels Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Four Vols scored in double figures, headlined by a double-double from junior forward Grant Williams. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native posted 21 points, 11 rebounds and five assists and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line. The performance marked Williams’ seventh career double-double.
Senior guard Admiral Schofield poured in 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field, while junior point guard Jordan Bone added 14 points and seven assists for the Big Orange. Sophomore wing Yves Pons posted a career-high 10 points in his first collegiate start to round out UT’s double-digit scorers.
EKU’s Nick Mayo paced all scorers with 23 points on the night while also leading the Colonels with nine boards. The senior forward went 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.
Tennessee (5-1) pulled down a season-high 50 rebounds, including a season-best 18 boards on the offensive end. The Vols outscored the Colonels 48-20 in the paint, and UT had 25 points off of 20 EKU turnovers.
Williams and Schofield led the second-half charge with 12 and 10 points over the final 20 minutes, respectively. Sophomore guard Jacob Fleschmanknocked down a 3-pointer with nine seconds left in the game to vault UT to a season-high 95 points.
Tennessee’s 21-3 run midway through the first half gave the Vols a comfortable 32-14 lead with 6:53 remaining in the opening period. UT led by at least 13 points the rest of the way, as the Big Orange cruised to their fifth non-conference win of the 2018-19 campaign.
Williams clogged the first-half stat sheet with nine points, eight boards, four assists and three blocks in the first half. Schofield tallied 10 points in the opening frame to lead all scorers, while Pons added eight points on three-of-four shooting from the field over the first 20 minutes.
The Big Orange crashed the boards in the opening period, pulling down 33 rebounds compared to 16 for the Colonels (3-4). UT’s 33 rebounds were its most in a half this season. Additionally, the Vols earned a 12-0 advantage in first-half fast-break points, including a pair of breakaway dunks from Pons and Jordan Bowden late in the half.
PONS EARNS FIRST CAREER START:Yves Pons cracked the starting lineup against Eastern Kentucky, marking his first career start. The sophomore knocked down a 3-pointer to open the scoring for the Vols. The Fuveau, France, native finished the night with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting along with five rebounds and a pair of blocks in 22 minutes. All of last season, Pons totaled 17 points in 24 games.
MILESTONE FOR THOMPSON-BOLING ARENA: Wednesday’s contest marked the 500th game the Tennessee’s men’s basketball team has played inside Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols’ all-time record in TBA is 371-129 (.742).
SCORING EARLY, OFTEN AND EFFICIENTLY: In the first six games to start the season, Tennessee has dropped at least 45 points in the first half on four occasions. Last year, UT accomplished that feat a total of five times. Against the Colonels, the Vols took a 49-28 lead into intermission, which was one point shy of tying their season-high for points in a half. Also, for the fourth time this season, the Big Orange shot better than 50 percent from the floor, converting 35-of-69 attempts from the field.
ALL-SEC DUO ECLIPSES 20 POINTS EACH: For the second time this season, Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams both eclipsed the 20-point mark in the same game. Williams finished with 21 points, while Schofield added 20 on 8-of-9 shooting.
UP NEXT: The Vols return to Thompson-Boling Arena Sunday for a noon tip against the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders. The game will be televised on SEC Network.
Earlier this month, Chris Stapleton revealed during his concert at Madison Square Garden that he and wife Morgane are expecting their fifth child in 2019. Chris and Morgane also have twins sons who are eight months old and a son and daughter around ages 6 and 8.
For an artist who headlined more than 50 shows in 2018 with his wife by his side, Chris’ tours have become a family affair—both literally and figuratively—which bodes well for everyone involved, including the upcoming addition to the Stapleton clan.
“You know, our kids go on the road, my in-laws go on the road, my mom goes on the road when she feels like coming, and so we carry a good bit of actual family,” says Chris to Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown. “As an extension of that, I consider Derek [Mixon on drums] and J.T. [Cure on bass] to be family members, you know, the guys in the band, and all the guys in the crew. I want everybody to feel like they are family. We try to approach things that way. That’s always been the goal with me anytime.”
Chris and his touring family will have some downtime over the next couple of months before heading to the U.K. and Ireland in March. Chris will also perform in honor of Dolly Parton at 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year gala on Feb. 8.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Tennessee sophomore offensive lineman Trey Smith has been named to the 2018 SEC Football Community Service Team, as announced by the Southeastern Conference on Wednesday.
The SEC names a Community Service Team for each of its 21-league sponsored sports, looking to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to his community through superior service efforts.
The other 13 members of the 2018 SEC Football Community Service Team are Joshua Casher (Alabama), T.J. Smith (Arkansas), Derrick Brown (Auburn), Fred Johnson (Florida), Rodrigo Blankenship (Georgia), C.J. Conrad (Kentucky), Blake Ferguson (LSU), Javon Patterson (Ole Miss), Gerri Green (Mississippi State), Corey Fatony (Missouri), Spencer Eason-Riddle (South Carolina), Riley Garner (Texas A&M) and Khari Blasingame (Vanderbilt).
A member of the 2018-19 VOLeader Class, Smith participated and helped coordinate the adapted Sports Festival and worked with Club Vibes, which aids visually impaired youth. Smith also assisted in the organization of Tennessee’s annual VOLoween event. Throughout the year, Smith makes time to read to children at local schools in addition to participating in Read Across America Day.
The Jackson, Tennessee, native most recently spearheaded a coat drive for Knoxville Area Rescue Ministry (KARM). Smith set up a drop off point at the Thornton Student Life Center and promoted the event on social media. Due to his efforts, over 1,000 coats were donated in five days.
On the field, Smith was an integral part of the Vols’ offensive line rotation in 2017 and 2018 before his sophomore season ended seven games in due to blood clots. He started all 19 games of his career and was tabbed to the 2018 Outland Trophy Watch List while also being named a 2018 Preseason All-SEC First Team selection. Smith earned Freshman All-America designations from both 247Sports and FWAA in his first season with the Big Orange.
Pandora hosted a free “Backroads” concert that was headlined by Jason Aldean at Nasvhille’s Marathon Music Works on Nov. 27. The free concert was a celebration for fans—and Jason, who is the most played country artist in Pandora history.
“It’s cool to get to play shows like this where you know the fans are all going to be some of the biggest out there,” said Jason.
Steven Lee Olsen, who recently released his new album, Timing Is Everything, opened the show.
If you’re a fan of Jason’s music, tune in to Pandora’s “Backroads” station, which features music tailored for country listeners.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Houston Texans rookie punter Trevor Daniel is tied for fourth in the NFL with 24 punts downed inside the 20-yard line while veteran punter Britton Colquitt leads the NFL in punts (68) and longest punt (79). Colquitt also ranks second in punting yards (3,071) and punts I-20 (30).
Catch up with all of Tennessee’s former players below.
Derek Barnett – DE, Philadelphia Eagles 2018 Regular Season: Games/Starts: 6/6, Tackles: 11 UA, 5 A, 16 Total, Other: 2.5 Sacks
Barnett suffered a season ending injury to his shoulder in Week 7.
Eric Berry – DB, Kansas City Chiefs 2018 Regular Season: No Stats Recorded
Berry has yet to see action this season for the Chiefs. The five-time Pro Bowler has been rehabbing an Achilles injury he suffered in last year’s season opener.
Bray played in four preseason games for the Chicago Bears in 2018, completing 60-of-97 passes for 652 yards and one touchdown. The California native was named to the Bears’ practice squad to start the 2018 season.
Coleman made four tackles, three of which were solo, in Seattle’s Week 12 win against the Panthers. The outing marked Coleman’s third start of the season.
Daniel is tied for fourth in the NFL with 24 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. In Week 12, Daniel averaged 44.8 yards on five punts and landed two I-20 to help the Texans to a 34-17 win over Tennessee.
Dobbs completed his first career pass for 20 yards to help the Steelers defeat the Ravens, 23-16 in Week 9. The following week against the Panthers, Dobbs was 1-for-2.
Foster got his 126th career start on the offensive line for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Foster is a leader for the Steelers, who hold a 7-3-1 record.
Kamara rushed for 89 yards on 14 carries in New Orleans’ 31-17 win over Atlanta. The running back also had one reception for nine yards in the outing.
Kamara is second in the league in total touchdowns scored this season (15) and sixth in total points with 94.
John Kelly – RB, Los Angeles Rams Preseason: Games/Starts: 3/0, Rushing Att-Yds: 46-197, 4.3 Avg., 40 Lg, 3 TD Rec-Yds: 6-18, 3.0 Avg., 12 Lg, 0 TD
Kelly rushed 46 times for 197 yards and three touchdowns through three preseason games Los Angeles. The rookie running back has not seen action in any regular-season contests for the Rams.
LaTroy Lewis – LB, Tennessee Titans (Practice Squad) Lewis was signed to the Titans’ practice squad in October.
McCullers didn’t record any stats in the Steelers’ 24-17 loss at Denver in Week 12.
Kahlil McKenzie – G, Kansas City Chiefs Preseason: Games/Starts: 4/0
McKenzie made four appearances in the preseason for the Chiefs and helped pave the way for 397 yards of total offense in the final preseason game against the Packers. McKenzie has not played in any of the Chiefs eight regular season games so far this year.
Emmanuel Moseley – DB, San Francisco 49ers (IR) 2018 Regular Season: Games/Starts: 1/0, Tackles: 1 UA, 0 A, 1 Total
Preseason: Games/Starts: 4/1, Tackles: 6 UA, 0 A, 6 Total, Other: 1 PD, 1-6 Int-Yds
Moseley made his NFL debut in Week 9, making one tackle in the first quarter of San Francisco’s 34-3 win over Oakland. He was placed on injured reserve after suffering an injury in the outing.
Sutton didn’t record any stats but saw action in the Steelers’ 24-17 loss at Denver in Week 12.
Jordan Williams – LB, New York Giants (IR) Preseason: Games/Starts: 4/0, Tackles: 3 UA, 0 A, 3 Total
Williams played in all four preseason games for the Giants, making three tackles. He is currently on injured reserve for New York.
Ethan Wolf – TE, Green Bay Packers
Wolf was signed to the practice squad by the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 30. He spent the preseason with the Tennessee Titans after signing as an undrafted free agent.
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