Last year, in honor of Father’s Day, the folks at the Nash Country Daily offices narrowed down our two favorite country songs about fathers to Alan Jackson’s “Drive (For Daddy Gene)” and George Strait’s “Love Without End, Amen.” Then we put it to a vote to let our readers decide which one was their favorite (George: 83% to Alan: 17%).
This year, we’re pitting Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue” against Conway Twitty’s “That’s My Job.”
We know, we know, there are plenty of other great songs about fathers, including Reba McEntire’s “The Greatest Man I Never Knew” and “Ricky Van Shelton’s “Keep It Between the Lines,” as well as new ones like Zac Brown Band’s “My Old Man” and Lee Brice’s “Boy,” but for the sake of this argument, it’s Johnny vs. Conway.
Check out the Tale of the Tape, give each song a listen, then cast your vote to help us decide. We’ve got “A Boy Named Sue” opening as the 3:1 favorite.
Fresh off of yesterday’s news that she will be releasing her upcoming fifth studio album, Now, on Sept. 29, Shania Twain stopped by the TodayShow’s plaza (June 16) to perform a few off her old hits, including “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” as well as Now’s lead single, “Life’s About to Get Good,” and new song, “Swingin’ With My Eyes Closed.”
“The new music is more celebratory, more inspirational, more about coming from somewhere bad and going somewhere good, dark to light, and that whole transition emotionally,” says Shania to NCD. “So, it’s a little deeper emotionally, for sure, this new album. There’s a lot of optimism, like ‘Life’s About to Get Good.’ The words are quite melancholy, but it’s just a happy song. It makes me feel happy when it comes on.”
Check out Shania’s performances from Today’s Summer Concert Series below.
It has been a crazy ride for Michael Ray, 29, since moving to Nashville eight years ago from Eustis, Fla., (population 20,000) to pursue his country music dreams. Since that time, Michael has dropped his self-titled debut album, notched two No. 1 singles (“Kiss You in the Morning” and “Think a Little Less”), played the Grand Ole Opry numerous times, toured with the likes of Darius Rucker, Sam Hunt and Kip Moore, as well as headlined his own Think a Little Less Tour.
And Michael ain’t slowing down . . . well, he does a little bit for his new single, “Get to You,” which he released today (June 16). The mid-tempo is the lead single from his upcoming sophomore album. Check it out below.
Tennessee Athletics, in partnership with the UT Knoxville Office of Alumni Affairs and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, announced details Friday regarding next month’s Big Orange Caravan event in Nashville.
The Nashville stop coincides with the 51st annual UT All-Sports Picnic at The Barn at Sycamore Farms (located east of Franklin) on Monday, July 10 from 6-8 p.m. CT). Unlike this summer’s previous stops, the Nashville event will feature a seated barbecue dinner, allowing for a max capacity of 400 attendees. Walk-ups will not be accepted.
Attendees must pre-register at BigOrangeCaravan.com, and that deadline is Friday, July 7. Admission is $20 for adults (age 12 and older) and $12 for children age 4-11. Children age 3 and younger receive free admission.
Five dollars from every registration will be earmarked as a tax-deductible donation to the Nashville Region UT Knoxville Alumni Chapter Endowment.
UTAD representatives confirmed to attend the Nashville Big Orange Caravan stop are Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics John Currie, “The Voice of the Vols” Bob Kesling, football coach Butch Jones and women’s basketball coach Holly Warlick. Additional coaches and VFLs may be added to that roster in the coming weeks; updates will be posted via @Vol_Sports on Twitter.
The Nashville event also will feature a silent auction connected to a mobile bidding site that enables fans to bid and pay via a smartphone. The auction begins July 7. Those who register for the auction in advance HERE will be able to preview available items and see new items added throughout the month. Bidders do not have to attend the event on July 10, and auction proceeds also will benefit the Nashville Region UT Knoxville Alumni Chapter Scholarship Endowment.
Presenting sponsors for the UT All-Sports Picnic are St. Thomas Health and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
Garth Brooks was running late for his weekly episode of Inside Studio G on Monday (June 12). To fill the time, his staff shared a short video of Garth interacting with a sign-holding fan named Jeremy Larson during a recent concert in Montana.
Jeremy’s sign read: “3 concerts down, two more to go!!! Waited 24 years to meet you!! You are the reason I play guitar.”
Garth had a few questions for Jeremy after the sign caught his eye. “Oh, you play guitar? Cool,” said Garth. “Now, you play . . . you play electric or you play acoustic? You play Takamine? You play one of these?” Garth gestured to the guitar in his hands, which was a Takamine-brand guitar. Then Garth took a closer look at the photo on the sign. “Oh no, no, no. That’s not one of these. Dude, if you’re gonna play a guitar . . . ” Garth unstrapped the guitar he was playing, tossed it to the fan and said, “you need one of those.”
Watch the video to see the Jeremy’s tearful reaction to Garth’s spontaneous gift.
After strapping on another guitar, Garth played “Which One of Them,” one of two songs that he brought with him when he moved from Oklahoma to Nashville in 1987—the other was his debut Top 10 hit, “I’m Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old).”
I was especially glad to be back in the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center today after spending three hours in the Charlotte airport last night waiting out a flight connection delay during my return from the annual NACDA athletics administrators convention in Orlando. We have now moved into our new Knoxville house, and I am grateful for my wonderful wife, Mary Lawrence Currie, who has managed the entire move-in process starting Monday morning without any help from yours truly. For the first time since March, the entire Currie family, including Charlie the dog, was under the same roof last night! We are blessed!
We’ve had an action-packed three weeks since I last wrote, so let’s get right to the updates.
BIG ORANGE FANS PACK CHATTANOOGA & MEMPHIS CARAVAN STOPS
Nearly 900 fans in Memphis this past Sunday night and almost 1000 in Chattanooga on June 3 have enjoyed our revitalized Big Orange Caravan stops this summer. I’ve heard nothing but positive feedback on the new format, which makes it a bit easier for our fans to bring their whole family to celebrate Tennessee Athletics, hear from our coaches and get excited about the year to come. And, it’s important for us to take the time to thank our fans who work so hard and travel to Knoxville to support Volunteer student-athletes. At both events, I had fun walking around and meeting lots of Tennessee fans and hearing your enthusiasm for the Big Orange. Having the opportunity to look you in the eye and thank you for your passion and support is very important to all of us. Coaches Jones, Barnes and Warlick have signed a ton of autographs and posed for a bunch of “selfies,” too!
Next stop on the tour is Nashville, where the Big Orange Caravan links up with the Alumni Association’s 51st annual UT All-Sports Picnic. This event is limited to the first 400 fans to register, so be sure and sign up before it’s sold out. We continue to work on a date for a Tri-Cities 2017 stop and will share details as soon as we can finalize.
As I discussed in my letter on April 19, this fall we’ll have a group study future formats for the Caravan and our fan engagement outreach program—keep sending me your thoughts on what you liked or thought we might need to improve or do differently in the future.
CONGRATULATIONS ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
All the $5 admission fees from the Chattanooga and Memphis BOC events went toward scholarship funds for students from those communities attending UT Knoxville. Congratulations to incoming freshmen Shelby Guthrie of Chattanooga and Xavier Grace and Michael Pham of Memphis, who were called to the stage at the respective events to receive scholarship certificates from their local alumni chapter. We’ll see you on The Hill soon!
THANK YOU: FIRST TENNESSEE BANK, PILOT/FLYING J, UT MEDICAL CENTER & REGAL ENTERTAINMENT
Monday evening, Mary Lawrence took a couple hour break from unpacking boxes to accompany me to a wonderful welcome reception for us hosted by four of our premier Tennessee corporate partners and leading community patrons at Knoxville’s beautiful downtown convention center. The athletics program, University of Tennessee and entire city of Knoxville are very fortunate to have the progressive leadership of First Tennessee Bank, Pilot/Flying J, UT Medical Center & Regal Entertainment!
TONY VITELLO TO LEAD TENNESSEE BASEBALL
If you haven’t had a chance to watch last week’s introductory press conference for new Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello, I encourage you to check it out. In addition to an incredibly accomplished resume, his poise and articulate nature serve as further proof that he is prepared for the challenge of steering our baseball program back to prominence.
As Coach Vitello continues to build his staff in the coming weeks, I’m confident our fanbase—which I know has hungered for championship-level performance on the baseball diamond—will have its baseball fervor reignited as it looks ahead to what’s in store in 2018 and beyond. I’m looking forward to many fun springs at Lindsey Nelson Stadium!
Before I move on to another topic, I’d like to congratulate our five Vols who were selected in this week’s MLB Draft: Jordan Rodgers (Atlanta), Kyle Serrano (Houston), Zach Warren (Philadelphia), Hunter Martin (Houston) and Jeff Moberg(Colorado)
BOWERMAN SEMIFINALIST COLEMAN LEADS CHARGE AT NCAA TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Coach Beth Alford-Sullivan led a group of 14 Vols to the NCAA Outdoor Championship last week in Eugene, Oregon. The men’s team finished in a tie for seventh place, the fourth consecutive championship (indoor/outdoor) at which the they have finished in the national top 10.
Overall, UT student-athletes earned 12 first- and second-team All-American honors: Shania Collins (200m), Chelsea Blaase (10,000m), Christian Coleman (100m, 200m), Nathan Strother (400m, 4x400m), Zach Long (5000m), Mustaqeem Williams (4x400m), Ari Cogdell (4x400m), Malik Elion (4x400m), Cameron Brown (Hammer) and Seth Whitener (Hammer). Chelsea, a Tennessee graduate and Academic All-American, finishes her fantastic career as a nine-time All-American! Additionally, assistant coach for sprints, Tim Hall, was named the USTFCCCA National Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year.
Tops amongst the highlights though, was Christian. He won National Championships in the 100m and 200m dashes to become the second person to ever sweep the four sprinting championships (60m indoor, 200m indoor, 100m outdoor, 200m outdoor) in one season, joining VFL and Olympic medalist Justin Gatlin. Tennessee is now tied for the second-most outdoor sprinting titles in NCAA history, as the Vols have 10 combined 100m and 200m championships. In the prelims, Christian put himself in some rare air as he set the collegiate record in the 100m by crossing the finish line in 9.82 seconds (Usain Bolt won Olympic gold in 2016 with a time of 9.81). Only three Americans have ever posted a faster time. Christian is now the only person to have a place on all four sprinting collegiate top-10 lists—and, incredibly, he appears in the top two on all four lists. Amazing!
Christian has also been racking up awards, as just this week he added the USTFCCCA National Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year to go along with his National Indoor Athlete of the Year Award from earlier this year. He was also named SEC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. Needless to say, he is a semifinalist and one of the nation’s top candidates for the prestigious Bowerman Award (track & field’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy).
Fan voting for the Bowerman runs from June 22-30, and I know Big Orange Nation has what it takes to put him over the top, so make sure to #VoteColeman and share the following link once fan voting goes live next week: http://www.UTsports.com/Coleman4Bowerman/
SALUTE TO GREG HULEN
On more of a bittersweet note, this Wednesday was Associate Athletics Director/Chief Development Officer Greg Hulen’s last day on staff here at Tennessee. Greg has accepted a wonderful opportunity as the Executive Vice President for Seminole Boosters, Inc. at his alma mater, Florida State.
Back in 2005, we brought Greg to Knoxville, and I have been so proud to watch him grow into one of the very best and most innovative fundraisers in the country. During his 12-year tenure with the Tennessee Fund, Greg made an enormous impact on both athletics and academics here at UT. His efforts were instrumental in the fundraising, planning design and construction of several facilities familiar to our fans and student-athletes, including the Neyland Stadium Master Plan, West Club, Tennessee Terrace, Thompson-Boling Arena renovation, Tom Black Track renovation, Pratt Pavilion, Joan Cronan Volleyball Center, Regal Soccer Stadium and Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
Greg also directed the recent Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence, which raised $163 million, and served as our sport administrator for the softball program this past season. The entire Tennessee Athletics family wishes Greg, his wife, Lyndsey, and their children, Colton, Josey and Wyatt, all the best in Tallahassee!
UT FOUNDATION BOARD IN TOWN
Tonight, I’m heading over the Lauricella Center in Neyland Stadium to visit with the UT Foundation Board of Directors, which is meeting over the next few days. Led by Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs and Programs/UT Foundation President and CEO Rickey McCurry, the Foundation Board is currently chaired by Ron Turner. Did you know that all gifts to Tennessee Athletics are also considered gifts to the University of Tennessee Foundation? I am proud to be part of a collaborative effort, led by Dr. DiPietro and Chancellor Davenport and our Foundation Board, to move UT forward.
Speaking of the Lauricella Center, I had a wonderful phone conversation several weeks ago with Betty Lauricella, whose late husband, Hank, was our legendary 1951 Heisman runner-up. Betty, a distinguished 1953 graduate of UT’s College of Education, is doing well in New Orleans and continues to follow the Vols closely!
PAINTING NEYLAND
As we all know, upkeep on a nearly 100-year-old stadium takes lots of time and money—and you can see lots of rust on steel at Neyland Stadium these days. Starting this month, over the next three summers we are spending close to $3 million sanding and painting structural steel, paid for from department revenue (i.e. your ticket money!). Of course, this is kind of like painting the Golden Gate Bridge—you start on one end, and by the time you get to the other end it’s time to start at the beginning again. Work is underway on the backside of the south end upper deck and on the video board structure, with additional work set to take place on the east and upper north areas. Thanks to those who work in the buildings around the stadium for their patience during this process.
CAMPUS SPOTLIGHT: VOLUNTEERING WITH THE VOLS
This week saw the beginning of the second annual “Volunteering with the Vols” initiative. It’s a really cool series of summer community service projects taking place in fourteen cities around the country. There may be an event taking place near you; you’d be welcome to jump in and serve.
I’ve learned that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions has been working more closely with Alumni Affairs in recent years, collaborating in an attempt to enhance UT Knoxville’s student recruitment efforts. This “Volunteering with the Vols” programming is one way to strengthen those ties and help new Vols get acquainted with our alumni in their area. It’s yet another example of the many great things taking place within our campus community under Chancellor Davenport’s leadership.
Remember to send me your questions and comments via the “Hey, John” utility on UTsports.com. Happy Father’s Day weekend to all the Dads out there and….
We have a really neat new feature exclusively here at SportsRadioWNML.com! It’s called Rocky Top Traditions. It’s presented by People’s Home Equity.
This week’s Rocky Top Traditions (5 & 6) bring you back to the 1951 Vols baseball team and Shields-Watkins Field. Listen to those in this post below.
A VOL for Life. Why does University of Tennessee sports mean so much to so many? For some it’s cherished memories of afternoons in Neyland Stadium beating Bama or Florida. For others it’s being huddled around a radio with family pulling for our beloved teams. Through the years we tell our friends and family about these games, people and victories. We’re proud to be Tennessee Vols!
Sports Radio WNML, the flagship station of the Vol Network, and John Wilkerson are proud to bring these moments to life in a new series called “Rocky Top Traditions.” John is a Knoxville native, the co-host of Tennessee’s longest running sports show and the voice of Tennessee baseball. His knowledge of the history of all Tennessee sports is unmatched, and he has the rare ability to bring a story to life.
Check back soon for the next two exclusive presentations of Rocky Top Traditions presented by People’s Home Equity!
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Volunteer baseball program had five players selected by four different organizations in the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft (Monday, June 12 – Wednesday, June 14).
On Tuesday, Tennessee third baseman Jordan Rodgers was selected in the sixth round (170th overall) by the Atlanta Braves, becoming the first Volunteer draftee in 2017. He was later joined by Kyle Serrano (10th round — Houston), Zach Warren (14th round — Philadelphia), Hunter Martin (20th round – Houston) and Jeff Moberg (30th round — Colorado) as Tennessee’s five draft selections this year.
Since the Major League Baseball Draft began in 1965, Tennessee has witnessed 55 players selected in Rounds 1-10. With this year’s picks, the Volunteers hold an all-time total of 132 players drafted out of Rocky Top.
Here’s a quick look at Tennessee’s 2017 MLB Draft picks:
Named a First Team All-SEC third baseman as a senior, Jordan Rodgers hit a career-best .322 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs in 2017. He committed just four errors over 160 total chances with 117 assists at the hot corner, good for a .975 fielding percentage.
Rodgers became the 54th Volunteer to be selected in the top 10 rounds of the draft since 1965 and is now the first UT draftee by the Atlanta organization since Ty’Relle Harris was selected in the 19th round of the 2009 draft.
Entering the 2017 season, Kyle Serrano ranked No. 93 on Baseball America’s Top 100 Draft Prospects list. He went 0-2 with a 3.72 ERA over nine appearances prior to his departure from the program in April due to personal reasons. In 9.2 innings of work, he struck out 21 batters and held opponents to a .194 batting average.
Serrano is the first Astros draftee out of Rocky Top since VFL Matt Duffy was selected by the franchise in the 20th round of the 2011 MLB Draft.
Zach Warren claimed Tennessee’s Saturday starter role to begin 2017 before transitioning into one of UT’s go-to relievers. He started 11 of 18 games, posting a 2-5 record with one save and 6.31 ERA while collecting 34 strikeouts over 51.1 innings of work.
Previously drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates (23rd round — 2014) out of high school, Warren is the first pick by Philadelphia out of Rocky Top since fellow lefty VFL Bryan Morgado was taken in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB Draft.
After claiming Tennessee’s Friday night starter role in 2017, Hunter Martin finished the season ranking ninth in NCAA Division I baseball and tied for first in the SEC with four complete games. He ranked fourth in the league with a 5.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio, as well as second among SEC pitchers with just 1.55 walks allowed per nine innings.
This season, Martin started a career-high 14 games, posting a 5-7 record with a 3.59 ERA with a career-best four complete games and 89 strikeouts in 92.2 innings of work. He led the Vols’ staff in multiple pitching categories, including innings pitched and strikeouts.
As a redshirt senior in 2017, Jeff Moberg hit .311 with 10 doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 33 RBIs over 51 games at second base. He ranked second on the Vols’ squad in batting average and tied for first with nine homers, while his 108 total bases on the year were the most for Tennessee’s offense.
Moberg becomes the first Rockies draftee out of Knoxville since former Vol outfielder John Czarniecki was selected in the 25th round of the June 2003 Draft. He is also the 132nd all-time player drafted out of Tennessee since 1965.
To read the complete release on Moberg, click HERE.
It’s often hard to pinpoint who started a movement. But in every musical offshoot there is inevitably someone who rises to the forefront and whose name becomes synonymous with the new direction. When it comes to the Outlaw Movement, that someone is Waylon Jennings, who was born on June 15, 1937, in Littlefield, Texas, and died on Feb. 12, 2002.
In honor of what would be Waylon’s 80th birthday today, let’s revisit Waylon’s 1980 No. 1 hit, “Theme From the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol’ Boys).”
That’s what Alan Jackson sang in his 2008 No. 1 hit, “Good Time,” and that’s what he’s created with his new AJ’s Good Time Bar.
The four-level building on Nashville’s Lower Broadway boasts more than 6,000-square-feet of good timin’ fun, including a honky-tonk on the first floor, a man cave on the second floor, a fishing-themed third level (the bar is a replica of AJ’s Hullbilly boat from his “5 O’clock Somewhere” video) and a rooftop bar. The venue also sports wall-to-wall memorabilia from throughout Alan’s career, televisions for watching the big games, stages for live performances and a karaoke bar.
After opening the first two floors in 2016, the third floor and rooftop patio are now open.
![Remembering Waylon Jennings’ 80th Birthday With His No. 1 Hit From ’80, “Theme From the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol’ Boys)” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2017/06/15160657/Waylon-Jennings.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
![Take a Peek Inside Alan Jackson’s New Downtown Nashville Venue, AJ’s Good Time Bar [Photo Gallery]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2017/06/15152035/2017-06-15-Alan-Jacksons-Good-Time-Bar-Nashville-main-photo.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
