I was stunned yesterday to get a news alert, informing me of the death of former Titans' quarterback, Steve McNair. And I'm sure in the days and weeks ahead, as the story continues to unfold, we'll get more details that we ever wanted to know about McNair and the woman whose body was found with his in a Nashville apartment.
And I'm sure we'll all eventually get tired of hearing every tiny angle played up and every detail dissected in much the same way I'm ready for this whole Michael Jackson story to be done and over with.
I hope that as we get every sordid detail dredged up, that we won't forget the player that McNair was on the field. There were so many times when McNair just willed this team to win and made some stunning and spectacular plays that resulted in a crucial first down, a much-needed touchdown or some incredibly needed momentum of the Titans. He was an electric player and one that could really get the fans fired up and going. In his prime, there was no deficit too big for McNair to overcome--or at least that's how it seemed and seems in my memory. I only regret the Titans couldn't win at least a Super Bowl or two with McNair. But I won't forget the Sunday afternoons when he thrilled me with this athletic ability on the field and helped me to come to love the Titans as much as I do today.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Mr. McNair. He will be missed.
Labels: Titans
posted by Michael at 7/05/2009 07:22:00 AM |
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So, it turns out I'm actually missing jogging/running.
I've been in a walking cast the past five or so week with a stress fracture in one of the toes of my left foot. And while I can still swim and use the exercise bike, that's put a damper on my jogging and/or going to ultimate cardio/boot camp.
And I realized the other day that I've kind of been missing both activities.
Which if you'd told me six months ago I'd miss running, I'd have told you were out of your mind.
Hopefully only a little bit longer with the walking cast. I am starting to feel better but I am worried I'll push myself too soon and go back to square one. And since I'd like to participate on the Chick-Fil-A 10 K in September and the Murfreesboro Half Marathon in October, I'd like to not have a relapse.
posted by Michael at 7/01/2009 01:19:00 PM |
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It's that time of year--time for another series of bluegrass concerts at the Ryman.
Now, I have to admit that I wasn't really all that thrilled about last night's opening act of Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper. I heard them a few weeks ago when they opened for Cherryholmes at Cumberland Caverns. And while they were good, they weren't one of my favorites.
I have to admit I was kind of wrong about them. Or maybe it was the setting was more conducive at the Ryman. I'm not sure, but I ended up liking them a lot more last night as the opening act. The group had a high energy, especially the mandolin player. The highlight of the set was Cleveland and the mandolin player jamming together for a long, incredibly great song. I wish I could recall what it was called because it's one I'd love to have on CD, though I am not sure it would really capture the energy of seeing these two play off each other on stage.
I did notice that Cleveland, as the fiddle player, was really working his bow hard. Threads kept coming loose and I joked that that was how he'd know the set was over--once he wears out all the bow threads, the set is done.
But that was just the opening act. The real treat was yet to come, one of my favorites--Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. Now, I will admit that I was also aprehensive about hearing Doyle again. I've seen him twice and loved the set both times. But part of that is the band that Doyle surrounds himself with--which included Jamie Daley who has gone on to headline his own duo, Daley and Vincent. I wondered how much of the fun of Lawson might be lost with Dailey gone.
It took about one song to get used to the new members of the group and then I was swept up for an hour and a half of bluegrass and gospel music. As I've said before, what I love about bluegrass is that while you have some big names, it takes a whole group to make it all come together. And while Doyle is a master mandolin player, I think his bigger gift is his eye for talent and grooming them. He's got several members of the current Quicksilver group that I could see having a great career on their own in a couple of years.
The highlight of the show was Doyle and the group singing acapella gospel songs. Who says you need instruments...Labels: bluegrass
posted by Michael at 6/26/2009 04:01:00 PM |
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It's that time of year when the pool is packed with people, all of them enjoying a refreshing dip in the water to combat the heat of another hot Tennessee summer.
As a person who swims laps on a regular basis, some of the excitement of being at the pool has been negated by the fact that I'm in the water, swimming laps a lot.
One way you can tell it's summer is a lot of the stuff that starts floating around--band-aids, long hair follicles, etc.
But what really makes me go "Ewwwwwwwwwwww!" is this article about people who let loose in the pool instead of getting out to use the restroom and those who don't rinse off before getting in (something I have been guilty of, but am trying to be better about after reading this article....).
After reading that article, it does explain why the chemical levels are so high in pools this time of year....
posted by Michael at 6/24/2009 02:00:00 PM |
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Saw this t-shirt over at Jinx. Pure genius! It really says all it, summing up exactly why "Buffy" is awesome and "Twilight" stinks....
posted by Michael at 6/23/2009 05:30:00 PM |
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I'd love to know the logic on how CSS picks games to repeat in the summer.
I say this because they've got their Tennessee showcase and tuning in today, it was the UT vs Florida game from 2006, which is great for about three-quarters and ends with the Vols losing to the Gators by the count of 21-20. I think classic depends on whether or not your team wins and I'd honestly rather not go through all of the highs and lows of that game again. (Once was enough...I still shake my head and mutter about it under my breath.)
I'm pretty sure I complained about this choice of a classic game last summer, which shows you that I've got way too much free times on my hands. Of course, the other part of that equation is there weren't a lot of really great moments from last season to show us in repeat mode. The less I have to recall what happened last fall, the better. Unless we want to see the Vandy and the Kentucky games played on an endless repeat loop...that might be OK.
Speaking of that, I heard Phil Fulmer interviewed on the radio the other day and was reminded again of how much the program has lost. I'm not talking about the x's and o's and winning percentages. I'm talking about a guy who loved Tennessee football and was an all-around classy guy. Hearing him talk about his work with the Jason Foundation and say he might take a job as a studio analyst this fall was great to hear. But what was even better was Phil resisting the bait to take swipes or make some bone-head comment that would haunt him later.
I think the current coaching staff might need some lessons from Fulmer.
posted by Michael at 6/17/2009 08:06:00 PM |
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