Predators! Nashville is stepping up...

Predators fans will be seeking a financial boost for the team and an emotional lift for themselves when they gather for an all-day rally and ticket-thon today at Sommet Center.

The event comes at a particularly significant time for the franchise, as a group of Nashville businessmen met Wednesday with current owner Craig Leipold and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to discuss the coalition's bid to purchase the team.

- John Glennon, The Tennessean









Sources say that the all-day effort, which will be broadcast live on sports talk radio 104.5 The Zone, may be getting off the message that Nashville's corporate community needs to step up more and buy the pricier tickets in the lower bowl. Unsold tickets last year in the lower bowl left about $6.4 million sitting on the table, twice the combined unsold tickets in the upper bowl and club level.

- Richard Lawson, The City Paper


More photos at my Flickr set

Unleashed: Titans Tix for Sale

After camping out since Wednesday night - 61 hours - plus the long trek from East Tennessee, David and Judith with son Cory and daughter Courtney snagged the first single game Titans tickets that went on sale at 10:00 am.

The happy family was congratulated by Don MacLachlan, executive vice president of administration and facilities for the Titans.



Competing against the online world of Ticketmaster, the LP Field ticket office flung open six windows. Considering the line was only thirty two deep, the odds were working in favor of those in line in the 90 degree heat.

Here's John feeling the morning heat with only 2 minutes to go... after 59 hours.





The local news networks were out as well to capture the moment - WSMV, WTVF and Fox; WKRN was missing although Mitch Mitchell was out filming Friday.



Best response to the PacMan Jones drama: "It's not about one person; I'm here to support the team... and be here on game day to root for the Titans!"



With six windows opened, everyone I talked to got the game tickets they were looking for, with one person picking up four preseason tickets for Green Bay to see Brett Favre. A true cheesehead indeed.



Here's Judith and Courtney, the very first ones to exit the window and husband David talking to NewsChannelFive.



I saw a couple leave highly upset because the rule was only one person per window; apparently their ticket selection game plan wasn't in place. She was going home to get online after being spending all that time in line. Good luck with that!



As for me, I wa photographing the end of the line when I though why not step up to the window?

At 10:15 am, I picked up tickets to the Carolina Panthers and San Diego Chargers games.

Photo blogging has been very good for me!


More photos at my Flickr set

For the Love of the Game (Camping Out…)

Over the past year, I’ve been intrigued by fans camping out for high tech gear like the PlayStation3 and just recently, Apple’s iPhone. Sure there are compelling reasons to work up the nerve to ask the boss man for vacation time for such an adventure. After all, time earned off is… frankly speaking, your time off, so no one should care anyway. Most working class heroes long for an escape from the drudgery of work, socking away money in a hidden cookie jar to embrace the day – that defining day - to experience the perfect escape route to a high tech fantasy world of fighting demons, hunting down the enemy or barreling down the highway at 120 mph with the highway patrol in hot pursuit.

Controlling your exhilarating moments of victory and defeat in the PS3 or Xbox game world, I’m told makes time management unimportant. The expectations of living life in the working world comes to a standstill. Should a dragon breathe his fire and wrath upon you burning you to a crispy matchstick figure, with a simple press of the button, resetting the game and asking for a do-over is easier than forgiveness on the factory floor.

Hand eye coordination is key to winning; Apple’s iPhone requires one finger to point, swipe and open / close with thumb and pointer finger dexterity.

But there is something that I experienced first hand, up close and personal today.

Holding eight 2 ½ x 6 ½ 4 color tickets in the clutched fist of the hand close to the heart releases a rush of passionate ecstasy that no gaming system or iPhone can match.

It’s called the NFL Experience. Yes, August is upon us – here in America, real football known as the National Football League prepares to kick off to the masses of stadium filled pigskin enthusiasts. Saturday morning at 10 AM here in Nashville, Tennessee, single game tickets go on sale to the general public.



Wednesday evening, David, Judith and family made the three plus hour trek from East Tennessee into Nashville to claim the first spot in line. Two hours later at 11 PM, John and Jennifer joined them, pitching tents against the gated entrances of LP Field to secure single-game tickets for the Tennessee Titans.



I was curious as to why not go on the Internet at ticketmaster.com and secure your tickets the high tech way? Besides the usual complaints of the high service charges levied by ticketmaster and the exponential pool of competition of fans vying for the same tickets, camping out in line for three nights ensures a defined pecking order.

David and Judith have been camping out for four years.



They enjoy the camaraderie and friendships built over the years with folks like John and Jennifer. They increased their fortune this year, moving from number 82 last year to 2nd in line.



“This is our seventh year in a row that we’ve been here; I’ve even camped out for the three playoff games,” said John. “I don’t have to fool with scalpers or worry about whether the tickets are legit or not.”

His wife Jennifer has her bare feet propped upon an ice cooler in the 90-degree heat, as she should – nearly seven months pregnant, she loves Titans football.

So what does the Titans organization think about the passion exhibited by camping out?

“The Titans are great! They brought us out pizza last night, offer us a chance to cool off in the air conditioned room if it gets too hot, and even set up Port-A-Potties for us to use,” said Judith.

John added, “We even had lunch from the Titans and some businesses drop by with food, so we get to have extra food!”

Would you wait in line for a PlayStation, I asked John. “No way, you have to be crazy to camp out when two months later, you can get a PlayStation at regular price. With Titans football tickets, it’s the experience of the game day. I’m looking forward to see Indianapolis and the New York Jets play here at LP Field.”

Fans can purchase a maximum of four tickets to a maximum of two home games with prices ranging from $34 to $67 per ticket. The available pools of tickets are 2,500 tickets to each of the 8 regular season and two preseason home games.



Later, Don MacLachlan, executive vice president of administration and facilities for the Titans stopped by to check on how the campers are doing. “Yeah, he drops by, asks how we’re doing and if there is anything we need. Last year, Drew Bennett (Titans wide receiver) dropped by to talk to us. The Titans really care about their fans,” added John.

Jim Caple of ESPN sums up what I witnessed today in his article, 101 things all sports fans must experience before they die.

# 64 of 101:

Camp out for tickets (any event). If a game isn't worth investing a cold, wet night in a tent with hundreds of other rabid fans and sharing your love for a common goal, then maybe you should reassess your priorities in life.

True, so true. It’s in the game. Go Titans!


More photos at my Flickr set

My brush with greatness

During lunch today I wasn't feeling particularly hungry knowing that later in the evening I was going to a birthday boy Chinese buffet king's feast with crablegs, shrimp and my thing with eating lots of jello.

So I head out walking up Broadway from the Frist Museum to the Nashville Arena with my trusty camera, experimenting with taking lots of artsy angled shots from a kid's point of view.



On the way back, I'm trying out some perspective shots on the porch of Cummins Station with the repetition of the lamps and signage...



After I'm done, back to work inside I go when the opposite door opens at the same time. Out of the corner of my eye, I do a double take...

"Would it be cool to take a photo, unless it's your day off..." I asked.

"No problem man."



Class act that Steve McNair.

On my birthday too.

What's a Cowboys Fan to Do?

SEATTLE - The stars had been aligned for the Cowboys to pull off an improbable playoff win here at Qwest Field.

But quarterback Tony Romo bobbled the snap of a potential game-winning field goal and was stopped short of the first-down marker, allowing the Seattle Seahawks to escape with an improbable 21-20 wild-card win Saturday night. - LINK - Dallas Cowboys.com

Ok, I repent... it's just a football game. I did all the things to set the Cowboys up to win against the Seahawks - I shifted places on the sofa, wore the lucky shirt, ate a ton of homemade mac 'n' cheese, stayed focused on the stats, TIVO'ed the game...

My son Gary called me from Seattle when I was at the two minute warning part of the game.

I yelled out on the phone, "Gary! Don't tell me the score! I'm still watching!"

"Ok, call me back..."

So I'm watching the game unfold with the Cowboys 2nd and 10 at the ten yard line with 2 minutes left! Could it be that Gary is calling me to congratulate me on a big win? With Seattle leading 21 to 20, it was simple - score a TD or kick a winning field goal, not knowing what to expect but a victory and advancing to face the Chicago Bears after a thirteen year playoff drought...

But it ain't over until it's over and in the end, rather than a winning kick, I took a mental kick to the head with the mishandled snap.

Understand that I've taken jock abuse for forty three years of my life for being faithful to the Dallas Cowboys. The good times and the bad times and even the worse of times - one and fifteen. But I never jumped off the bandwagon.

There's alway next year! - we'll get our Cowboys fan swagger back; T.O will play for some arena football team; Jerry Jones will have a billion dollar playground for the 'Boys to play in and as always, we have our Tennessee Titans to cheer on with Vince Young!

Could be worse... I could be a long suffering Washington Redskins fan.

Excuse me while I dust off the Cowboy Church hymnal...

Drop kick me Jesus through the goal posts of life
End over end neither left nor to right
Straight through the heart of them righteous uprights
Drop kick me Jesus through the goal posts of life. - Bobby Bare

The Curse of Chunky (Titans Win)

"Campbell's Chunky Soup, the most dangerous soup not served in a Thai restaurant" nugget of truth comes from the blog Chunky Soup Curse

So what is the Chunky Soup Curse?

John writes: The Chunky Soup Curse is the belief that every NFL player who endorses Campbell's Chunky Soup will suffer a rash of carrer- or even life-threatening injuries, failure on the field, humiliation and ultimately defeat.

Strangely, the curse does not directly stand in the way of success. It just mangles you, and eventually the mangling causes failures.

For example: Kurt Warner went to a second Super Bowl after being cursed. He just also mangled his hand the next season and had seven turnovers in a single game because of the hand. And he eventually ended up with the Arizona Cardinals.

Well, I'm of the belief that if one watches too much NFL football like I usually do every Sunday (and now Thursday & Saturday plus the NFL Replay - the four most-exciting games each week in a 90 minute format - all on the NFL Channel), the the Curse will ooze out of the TV and onto some unsuspecting soul... like me.


I've been aware of the Curse since Philly QB Donovan McNabb's Big Momma started serving the stuff up on commercials... and you'll have to visit the mentioned blog to get the full scoop. Now McNabb's Big Momma might be kinda getting old or she may be a little loose in the kitchen letting roaches crawl into the soup (they good too!)

Last week, I'm at Kroger shopping with Mrs. WonderDawg when I see Campbell's Chunky Soup on sale for $1.79. WOW, that's only 20 cents more expensive than WalMart - and Kroger never has soup on sale, because they rather sell pallets of Ramon Noodle Soup in those ten for .99 cents packages to those with college student budgets and tastes. It was cold last weekend and I had a real desire for soup, even if it came in a can. I gave some thought of violating my covenant of "Any Place But Shoney's" to have seven big bowls of soup from the hot bar, but the only soup Shoney's has been primarily serving for the last ten years is cabbage beef soup.

As soon as I put the two cans of Campbell's Chunky Soup Slow Roasted Beef with Mushrooms in the cart, my stomach started churning... I told Mrs. WonderDawg better hurry it up, as I need to head out... I always heard never shop at the supermarket while hungry to prevent buying junk food. That morning I had just a little too much coffee and fiber; fortunately we were at the Belle Meade Kroger, so I drove home to excuse myself and was back in 20 minutes. (I never use public restrooms)

So today, I'm laid up with a bad sore throat and my back hurts from laying around, so some good comfort food includes grilled cheese sandwiches and Campbell's Chunky Soup. I make the two sandwiches quickly so as to not arouse my two dogs with the power of cheese and pop open the can of soup into a microwave bowl. The pop top emitted a carbonated like sound which I thought was unusual, but because I shook the can I didn't think anything about it.

After nuking for three and 1/2 minutes, my soup had this bubbly surface that hung around like a witch's brew after stirring. I took a spoonful into my mouth - with an ammonia flavored taste hitting my taste buds, I immediately recognized the Chunky Soup Curse demons wanted to invade my weak body and do bodily (and bowel) damage, so I said no way! I flush the soup and its Slow Roasted in Hell Beef with Mushroom demons back to the pits of hell down the garbage disposal immediately.



I retrived the can of out the trash bin for further inspection - no dents in the can.

So my health was spared from The Chunky Soup Curse.

As for the NFL action, my beloved Dallas Cowboys beat the Atlanta Falcons with 17 unanswered points; our Tennessee Titans scrimmaged the Jacksonville Jaguars offense for 44 minutes of stellar defense and won big; the Denver Broncos beat the hapless Arizona Cardinals and for good measure, the axis of evil Washington Redskins made me feel great beating the New Orleans FEMA Saints after the thrashing last week of the Cowboys. QB Donovan McNabb? Remember how he hurt his knee during the Titans/Eagles game? - he's out for the season.

So by not eating the Chunky Soup, all of our favorite NFL teams won. And I still have this bad cough.

What's in your pantry? Cast those demons out now!


McNabb photo credit

NFL Draft & Salary Cap FAQ

National Football League 

If you been following the ESPN NFL Draft Coverage, then sooner or later you just might want to know the process of signing these high priced rookies under the NFL Salary Cap. Maybe not? - I know I do!

If a player earns a contract that is 5 years and pays him a total of $20 million, he counts $4 million per year against the cap, right?

Answer: If it were only that simple.

Teams with heavy payloads learned quickly that the best way to combat the Salary Cap was to circumvent it. They did this by back loading contracts, pushing all of the big money to the end of the contract.

Only the Commish knows! For the best explanation of how the NFL Salary Cap works, Ask The Commish is the place to go. Al Lackner explains about Caponomics, Free Agency and Mathematical Calculations in a sensible manner.

As a bonus, read a first-round NFL Draft Day analysis from a front office and scouting perspective should you want to get an insight how players are selected.

Who's Number 1? Tar Heels of course!

Tar Heel Fever!  

At 1:30 am in the morning, there were plenty of photo opportunities - I got plenty of high fives - but felt a little uncomfortable when urged to take off my shirt and burn it - maybe next year! No doubt about it - A memorable night in Chapel Hill!

Tar Heel Victory Leap!

We're Number One! Leap of Faith Victory Dance - Photo by Kelsey 

Tar Heel Fever - 45K Strong!

Tar Heel Fever! Photo by Kelsey 

"I ain't never been to heaven, but this is the closest thing," said Donnie King, 34, of Raleigh. "Next to Jesus, this is it. It's an awesome feeling."

Kerry and Fans celebrate in Chapel Hill!

Sean May, who had 26 points and nine rebounds, drives toward the basket during the first half. (AP Photo)

Oh What a Night in Tar Heel Country!
Hanging out with seven great guys, watching the game on HDTV and sweating out the last two and one half minutes watching the UNC Tar Heels triumph over Illinois 75-70 and clinched the NCAA championship was absolutely off the charts!

Time to say bye, hop in the Honda and jump down to Franklin Street.

I'll be posting some photos shortly of the fun times - and a BIG SHOUT GOES OUT to Mr. Darryl "P" for hosting us with Hi Def Class -

Meanwhile down on Franklin Street - according to The News & Observer:

"I ain't never been to heaven, but this is the closest thing," said Donnie King, 34, of Raleigh. "Next to Jesus, this is it. It's an awesome feeling."

But by 1 a.m., a steady stream of people had began to walk in the opposite direction of the mayhem on Franklin Street.

Police estimated the crowd at 45,000 at the peak around 12:32 am

Read the rest of this article (reg required)

We've got the Hoopla!





Left to Right: Carolina students Doug Weiss, Ryan Bailey, Andrew Satten, and Nate MacCosbe cheer on the Tarheels Monday night in the Smith Center.
Photo by Ray Jones

Stop the holy showboating

Here's a controversial article by Dan McGraw from September 2002. You may not agree with it, but I thought you'd like to read it. Here's an excerpt from it:

"...In the realm of jock theology, God seems to show himself only to the winners. While many athletes do their own dances or gyrations to gain attention from the fans and TV cameras, many others seek their own spotlight through very public prayer on the field of play. It is a curious trend in the "hey-look-at-me" form of self-promotion that has infected pro sports in recent decades. And it goes beyond making a sign of the cross before taking a few swings at the plate. It's almost as if these jocks are saying: 'God thinks I'm special, so you should too.'..."

"...Do accountants point to the sky after they balance the books?..."

Read the rest of this article

Kerry has Tar Heel Fever (Hoop, there it is!)

Jack McArthur, left, Ben Wilde and Kevin Sitko celebrate a Tar Heels' basket against Michigan State in the first half at Bub O'Malley's bar in Chapel Hill.
© NEWS OBSERVER - STAFF PHOTO BY SHAWN ROCCO

In my previous post, I commented about starting to catch the college basketball culture a bit, rooting for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels - albeit cautiously – but I decided to live amongst the natives and live happily ever after…

My friend Michael, a UNC alumnus and college basketball fan patiently extolled the virtues of college basketball vs. the NBA. Plus watching the incredible tournament games with the double overtimes and all with my son Gary and having lunch with my family at Champs Restaurant with rabid fans (sneaking away on a two hour lunch break from work) in the midst of the Sweet Sixteen tournament play was contagious!

Well, here it is – I’m getting caught up in the spectacular UNC 87, Michigan State 71 victory – and watching the local news when thousands of UNC fans flooded the streets with great celebration. And thank God for those UNC fans on their best behavior - building bonfires out of pallets versus trashing police cars, burning stores down and pillaging villages is so much more civilized!

Today at church, I’m talking UNC basketball with my men’s Bible study group that meets on Monday – “We are going to get done by nine pm, right?”

It's not the Hype, It's the Hoop!

Not that my priorities are misplaced – that famous coach John Wooden who led the UCLA Bruins to 10 national championships, including seven in a row (1966-73) said - "I always tried to make clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live. There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior. Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles and goes nowhere."

I am looking forward to hanging out Monday night with my newhope church Follow The Rabbi men’s group, digging into the Word and then at 9 pm, rooting for the TarHeels! Maybe then, I may hop in the car and celebrate on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill with fifteen thousand fans as well!

Alley Oop to the Hoop!




A fan celebrates the Tar Heels' win over Michigan State by jumping over a bonfire on Franklin Street.
© NEWS OBSERVER - STAFF PHOTO BY SHAWN ROCCO

Basketball Fever in North Carolina! and Coach K

Apparently, every year during March in North Carolina, or at least in the region that I live in (Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Durham) basketball fever rules! Yeah Baby! With University of North Carolina, Duke, NC State and other ACC schools in my backyard, a boy from Nashville, Tennessee would think that Mardi Gras was in full swing (without the beads). Everybody except me is talking about basketball - even the cultured here take Abe Lemons to heart: "There are really only two plays: "Romeo and Juliet, and put the darn ball in the basket."

I'm a big NFL football fan (Cowboys and Titans), and I don't care for baseball at all which is nothing but five minutes of action crammed into two hours - and golf... well, I'm not old enough to play yet. But I'm starting to catch the college basketball culture a bit, rooting for the UNC TarHeels - albeit cautiously - I don't want to get addicted to a sport that consumes my time - for the same reason why I don't watch college football - too many teams plus giving up my Saturdays? NO WAY! With NetFlix, woodworking, reading, projects, work and now blogging, can I possibly work all those games into my twenty hour daily lifestyle? A friend at work countered with the fact that college basketball season is actually a short season. I didn't buy it.

Woody Allen in Annie Hall quipped, "What is so fascinating about sitting around watching a bunch of pituitary cases stuff a ball through a hoop?" On the other hand, James Naismith says, "The invention of basketball was not an accident. It was developed to meet a need. Those boys simply would not play "Drop the Handkerchief."

OK - enough said - I don't want to get shunned at work!

On a serious note about basketball - Duke style, here is AN EXAMPLE OF LEADERSHIP.

(CBS) If you passed him on the street, you might think he was an accountant. But this mild-mannered fellow is one of the most inspiring men in America -- the master of motivation.

His name is Mike Krzyzewski, and he's the head basketball coach at Charlie Rose's alma mater, Duke University in North Carolina. "Coach K," as he's known, has put his teams near the top of the NCAA basketball tournament nine times in the last 16 years -- three times as champion. And he's done it with a style unlike anything you would expect.

He doesn't talk like a typical coach, or act like one. Though he can be tough, and temperamental, Krzyzewski is hardly a tyrant. He hugs, he listens, he supports. He wants every player at every game to feel he has something at stake...."
To read the rest of this report, click here