It's On!

Time to go Camping in Nashville once again! The Titans are back on the practice fields at Baptist Sports Park and this time, it's for real...as in the next thing will will see is games! Brad Hopkins and I will be on site for 12 practices this August, and we'll be looking at how Micheal Griffin and the new-look defense is coming along. Of course, we won't really know till the Oakland Raiders visit LP Field in September, but there will be clues. With Keith Bulluck and Kyle Vanden Bosch gone to the NFC, the 1st thing to determine is where the leadership will come from? And then offensively, can this group be as dynamic as they look on paper? Jared Cook? Kenny Britt? Nate Washington? And does this LeGarrette Blount really pack a punch? (Sorry!) I do know we'll have a ring side seat for it all, we'll bring it all to you each afternoon!

Let the Border Battle Begin Anew!

Since the Thom Abraham Show moved to Nashville in 2007, we have been on in North Alabama as well, most of the time. When the show moved back to Afternoon Drive Time, we lost our friends down there, but thanks to the new 97.7 The Zone, in Huntsville, we are back, and sounding better than ever! A tremendous FM signal, the Zone covers from Cullman to Scottsboro, to Fayetteville, TN and, of course, all of Huntsville and Madison. Now, one of the things the Show, shares with it's listeners, from Kentucky to Alabama, and in the heart of Middle Tennessee, is it's passion for college sports! And the Border Battle between the states of Alabama and Tennessee is one of the fiercest around, and we'd love to bring that to the airways again. So have it....but lets try and be respectful! To kick things off, we are conducting the Nike Golf British Open Challenge on July 14th. Give us your 3 man team, and low team wins a beautiful college golf bag of your choice! Submit entries to thom@thomabraham.com or call the show!

Awful or the American Way?

So I guess the thought of LJ roaming the end zone for the Browns is pretty much dead? My first though is, "How dare he jump to a sexier town with better players"! Second thought is, "This is Chris Bosh's fault! He goes to Cleveland, LeBron stays!" My third, and maybe most reasonable thought is, "This is the American Way, why should the King without a Title not be able to move and work where and with who he likes?" As for his legacy, I think he takes a major hit here. He is running to a situation that is contrived to win, not lifting a franchise and a city, a la Jordan in Chicago or Kobe post Shaq. But isn't this what Shaq did, leaving Orlando without a title? Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joining Paul Pierce in Boston? Those guys also fall short of the Kobe/MJ comparison, but they're all Hall of Famers. So LeBron, you now fall into that category, and Cleveland, well, you're still a Browns Town, so get behind the Big Show, the Mangenious, Colt and the boys and forget about the last 7 years...LeBron has...

Really?

I tried, like many other Americans, to jump on this World Cup Soccer bandwagon. I looked away from the flaws of a game that originated Rugby, then American Football. But truth be told, this game is a perfect example as to why they cut the bottom out of the peach basket in basketball...and built indoor ice rinks...and stopped filling golf balls with feathers. Evolution was good to soccer...the fact the a large portion of the world wishes to remain stuck in the past does not change the fact that their are flaws in the original game. Think of it as New Testament v. Old Testament, if you will.
The bigger question is, where does US Soccer go from here? We all acknowledge the drama of Landon Donovan's goal to win the Group, only to lead to ouster at the hands of a small African country. Now for the reality check...the winning of the group was accomplished how? By tying England when Robert Green botched a routine save, then coming back from 2-0 to tie a country the size of Houston, TX and then breaking a 0-0 tie, in something called "Injury time" against Algeria. So winning the group or finishing last...by the slimmest of margins...So when you listen to all the soccer apologists talking about how proud we should be of our effort, think about that simple blown save above and ask yourself; really?

Enough Already

OK, we get it....everyone now understands that Chris Johnson, seasonal resident of Nashville, wants more money than he originally agreed to play for. We all know he's going to make "only" $550k in 2010 and although that is cheap for the best back in the league, let's look at it as 8 mil. for his 1st 2 seasons...does that make everyone feel a little better? As for you CJ, did anyone tell you we had one of the biggest natural disasters in US history here last week? How about coming to town, helping out you buddy VY in raising a few bucks, maybe go to practice, and show you care about something other than your "measly" paycheck? Yeah, I know, its all about the biz....well, some folks here aren't hearing you now since, you know....THEY DON'T HAVE POWER, A RADIO OR A TV! Just sayin'....

Answering the Call to Volunteers

That's not the World's Largest Swimming pool...but LP Field, home to the Tennessee Titans, TSU, the Music City Bowl and Music Fest. And now, the Cumberland River. In the midst of this greatest of Great Floods for Middle Tennessee, what I have witnessed has been truly amazing...not the flooding itself, but the response of the folks in the Volunteer State. Keep in mind, the UT Volunteers take there name from the spirit of the people, the people are not named for UT. And these people have stepped up in huge numbers, rescuing their neighbors, helping strangers in need, and checking on friends. And this is a trait not just native to native Tennesseans. It's something about this place that makes you want to, well, volunteer. This will be a long and arduous task, but one these people will answer the call to do. What can you do? Pray. For patience. For sunshine. For little miracles as the water recedes. The impact will be lasting, and in some cases devastating. But it will not be terminal...not in the Volunteer State.

So Close!

I know this deal is not done yet, but it sure feels like. Now I'm one of the most positive people I know, but 13 seconds from being someplace the Predators have never been? And on the Power Play? Marty Erat, who was great coming up with a couple of goals Saturday, just needs to keep the puck down low, with :30 left in the game, and the Blackhawks goalie pinned in the net, and the Preds come home looking to close out Chicago...the centering pass....it's all very painful...the bottom line is, the preds can't place blame anywhere but on themselves for this meltdown. They gave up a shorty late, and then still had 3:41 on the Power-less Play to start the OT...inexcusable! The good news is that this has been the most resilient team I've seen in many years; remember the 3rd period debacle in San Jose and the resulting win streak? I hope to see history tonight in the Stone...