Braves win NL East!

In the 6th inning of today's 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs, the Braves had reason to celebrate. The Washington Nationals had just lost their game against the Miami Marlins which resulted in them being officially eliminated from NL East contention. This gives the Braves their first division title since 2005. After their victory, a mosh pit was formed on the mound, champagne was sprayed and cigars were lit in the visiting locker room.

Hopefully this is just the first of many celebrations for the Braves over the course of the next month. The Braves still have plenty to play for over the next week. They only have a 1 game lead over the Cardinals for home-field advantage for the NLDS and NLCS. This is very important for the Braves, as they currently hold the best record in the league at home but have the worst record out of all the playoff teams on the road.

This will be an exciting month to be a Braves fan or a baseball fan. Here is to seeing the Braves win their first title since 1995.

Until next time,

Nathan Krispin
Red, White and Orange Sports

Peyton is Still the Greatest

Peyton Manning just threw seven touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens. Yes, that's right. Seven touchdowns. Peyton Manning at 37 years old may be the best quarterback in the league. 

Athletes these days are finding ways to keep winning at older ages. Peyton is drinking some of whatever Kobe drinks before games. Kobe Bryant loves the name 'vino', which alludes to a fine wine getting better with age. Peyton showed that tonight, though. 

Can Peyton keep this up through 16 games? That has yet to be seen, but he's off to a great start.  Here at RWO sports, we appreciate the Tennessee athlete, even if he's in the pros. Peyton is repping Tennessee well, and even though it's only the first game of the season, he's showing no signs of slowing down for anything or anybody. 

 

Tennessee vs. Austin Peay Recap

Last Saturday marked the beginning of the 117th season of Tennessee football and the first season of the Butch Jones era. I was among the over 97,000 people in attendance to watch the season opener. The outcome was never in doubt. Austin Peay should have just taken their money and gone home to save them the embarrassment. At halftime, it was 42-0. By the end of the game, UT won 45-0. It could have been much worse had we not played our subs in the 2nd half. The win gave Butch Jones a W in his coaching debut. Let us not forget that both Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley were both 1-0 and remember what happened after that.

There were some positive signs that we have taken a step in the right direction. However, there were some negative aspects that I noticed that we need to work on before we get into the SEC portion of the schedule.

Positives:

There were many positives to take away from this game. Justin Worley was consistent, completing 11 of 13 passes. He showed that he is capable of leading the new offense. Marlin Lane set the pace with the running game, scoring on a 47 yard touchdown run early in the game and rushing for over 160 yards in just the first half. Remember the defense last year that gave up nearly 40 points a game. The one we saw Saturday was a stark contrast from that defense. We committed 0 penalties which shows that we are well coached and well disciplined. Michael Palardy converted a 37 yard field goal in the 3rd, which is a welcome sight since we have not had a consistent kicking game in the past few years.

Negatives: 

Not too many negatives to report after a game like that but there are a couple areas I noticed that we need to improve on. One thing that Worley needs to work on is that he seemed to under throw or not lead his receivers with his passes. One play in particular was a long pass to Marquez North he under threw. North did catch the ball but had Worley hit him in stride he would have walked into the end zone. Another thing to work on is Worley needs to hold onto the ball more during the Read-Option. It looked like he was afraid to take off running and there were times where he should have kept it himself instead of giving it to the running back. We have to keep the defense honest by changing up who has the ball on that play.

Overall, it was a fun night to be a Tennessee fan. It feels great to be 1-0. Next week we have a bigger challenge in Western Kentucky, who beat Kentucky last week. They are no pushover and they are lead by former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino. This is a big game and one we must have before we head to Oregon.

Go Big Orange!

Until next time,
Nathan Krispin
Red, White and Orange Sports

After Further Review

Big news from baseball this past week as Major League Baseball has decided that, starting in 2014, they will expand the use of instant replay. This will be done to limit the amount of incorrect calls made by umpires. Currently, replay is only used to determine if a home run has been hit or not. Starting next year, anything can be reviewed. Each manager will have 1 challenge over the first 6 innings of a game and will have 2 challenges from the seventh inning until the completion of the game. All calls that are challenged will be reviewed by a crew in MLB Headquarters in New York City, which will make the final ruling.

In this article, I will give you reasons why I think this is a great decision and reasons why I think this is a dumb decision.

Pros:

1. Get the Calls Right- This is the most obvious one. We will never have to worry about a bad call made by an umpire. Remember when Armando Galarraga lost his perfect game because of a bad call by Jim Joyce? We will never have to worry about that again with instant replay.

2. Everybody else is doing it!- The NFL has a replay system that has been in place for many years. The NBA uses replays during close calls in the last few minutes of the game. The NHL reviews close calls to determine if there has been a goal or not. It is about time for MLB to follow their lead and do the same. 

Cons:

1. Eliminates some of the human nature of the sport- One of the best aspects of baseball is the human element of the sport. It is what has made baseball so compelling. We have never seen technology become a factor in baseball and it will be weird to see it happen.

2. Less Arguments- Some may see this as a good thing but with instant replay means that there will be less arguments between players/coaches and umpires which the fans love to see. There will still be arguments about balls and strikes but it will not be the same.

Overall, I think this can be a good move for Major League Baseball. We should give it a chance and see what happens before we make judgments. Some may hate change but sometimes we have to adapt to the world that we live in.

Until next time,

Nathan Krispin
Red, White and Orange Sports

Rapid Reaction: Titans v. Bengals

The Good

1. The running game: Chris Johnson, Shonn Green, and Jackie Battle got most of the work load tonight against the Bengals and picked up where they left off.  After a tough first drive for Johnson, he bounced back and looked great.  Definitely an encouraging sign for the Titans as that makes two weeks in a row with a solid running attack.

2. Jake Locker:  Although Jake's numbers were average, his play showed a confidence that Titans fans have been longing to see since last season. No interceptions throughout the preseason is a very encouraging sign.  He could have easily thrown two touchdowns tonight but drops from Kenny Britt and Nate Washington hindered his performance.  Jake Locker was one of the few bright spots in the Titans loss this evening.

Unfortunately that's about the only good that came from the game.  A few nice plays here and there, but overall a very sloppy performance by the Titans.

The Bad 

1. The kicking game: Bironas and Bonani looked absolutely terrible tonight.  I can't help but think that their weird "B" names have something to do with it.  I'm not too concerned, though.  Bironas should be solid once again this year.

2. Bernard Pollard:  For a guy with a big mouth, I've seen nothing to make me think he can back up his words so far.  He's a mediocre safety at best, and look for George Wilson to give him a run for his money in the coming weeks.

3. Defense:  Although Pollard stood out the most, the defense in general was absolutely awful.  If the Titans want to win more than a handful of games this season, they have to "Titan Up".  It could be a long season if we continue to see what we've seen in run defense early.  Akeem Ayers went down but should be fine. If Verner doesn't beat Campbell for the corner spot, we as Titans fans should boycott.  Verner is clearly better.

Conclusion

Much more negative that positive in the Titans second preseason game.  They looked tentative, sloppy, and just bad overall.  Game 3 against the Falcons should give us a better understanding of where they are, though, as we will see the starters play into the third quarter.  Oh and..... GO RUSTY!

Photo Credit:  http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gametracker/recap/NFL_20130817_TEN@CIN/dalton-sharp-in-2719-win-over-offtarget-titans

Written by: Trey Frisbey
RWO Sports
8/17/2013

Bye Bye A-Rod!

This Monday, Alex Rodriguez and 12 other players were officially suspended for their role in the Biogenesis scandal. All of the players have been accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs. The 12 other players were given 50 game suspensions while Rodriguez was given a 211 game suspension, which would have cost him the rest of this season and all of next. As expected, Rodriguez has appealed the suspension. The appeal process will not be completed until after the season which means that he will be able to play the rest of this season before being suspended.

Personally, I am glad that this is happening to him. He cheated, got caught and is being punished for his actions. He deserves to be punished and to possibly never play again.

A-Rod has hit 647 career home runs. Who knows how many he would have hit had it not been with some help. Before his injuries he had a realistic chance of catching Barry Bonds, the undeserving home run king, of hitting more home runs than anybody else in baseball history. What needs to happen is for all of his home runs to be stripped away. The same goes for Barry Bonds and others who have taken performance-enhancing drugs. There is no place for that in the game and it tarnishes the legacy of those players who played the game the right way and for those who created the game.

At 38 and coming off a long injury, this season might be the last we see of Alex Rodriguez. A year and a half out of baseball might be too much for him. He would not be the same player he was before he was suspended. I believe the Yankees should cut ties with him and get their money back.

Anyways, I cannot wait for the season to end and hopefully see the end of Alex Rodriguez. He had the talent to do well on his own but decided to be selfish and cheat his way into having a successful career. He has always been one of the more arrogant players in baseball and I am glad to see that his arrogance will get him in trouble. Thanks Bud Selig for doing the right thing!

Until next time,
Nathan Krispin
Red, White and Orange Sports

Riley Racist

Riley Racist

Since the news of Johnny Football broke yesterday afternoon, the national media has shifted it's attention to the Heisman Trophy winner, but the big news before Johnny's autograph scandal broke was the story of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, Riley Cooper using racial slurs at a Kenny Chesney Concert a while back.  The video went viral, and Riley may be kissing his NFL career goodbye.  I want to point out four good reasons on why he should keep his job, and how the media and the average sports fan more than overreacted to this story. 

 Here's a link to the video.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dEQxO8Yuas

After watching that video, it is impossible to even attempt to defend Riley and the hate that was coming out of his mouth.  There are no excuses, and no words that can be said to fix the damage he has done, but does he deserve to lose his career over a drunken mistake? There are four good reasons he shouldn't.

1. "First Offense"- Even some Eagles players said they were disappointed because they felt like "they didn't know him".  It was the first time any of them had heard anything like that from him.  Although we may assume that he has used this language before, it hadn't been heard from any of his teammates.

2. Alcohol- No, alcohol is not a good excuse for any actions taken place while under the influence.  With that being said, we all wish we could take back some things we have said while under the influence, don't we?

3. Context- Although what Cooper said was undoubtedly wrong (we all agree on that), there are athletes commit more moral and legal crimes, and don't get nearly the criticism this man has received from his teammates and the NFL community.  Domestic violence, drug abuse, and DUI charges come up fairly regularly in the NFL, and they become water under the bridge in 24 hours.

4. It goes both ways!- Why does Roddy White get ten minutes of SportsCenter time for telling the Jurors of the Trayvon Martin case to "kill themselves", but Riley Cooper gets days of criticism? Enough said.

Remember that dialogue and comments are always welcome here at RWO sports.  We need feedback!

Written by: Trey Frisbey
Red White and Orange Sports
8/5/2013  

Atlanta Braves Season Review

With two months left to go in the season, the Braves currently have the largest division lead in the MLB with a 9 game lead over the disappointing Washington Nationals. While many may say we are a lock to make the playoffs, let us not get too ahead of ourselves. Any Braves fan will remember 2011 when the Braves had a "commanding" 9.5 game lead in the Wild Card with just over a month to go in the season yet let it slip away and the St. Louis Cardinals got in and wound up winning the World Series. While I do not expect a repeat this year, we can never get too comfortable .

In this article I will give a little review of the season thus far. I will give you my biggest surprises, disappointments and my prediction for the rest of the season. Here we go!

Biggest Surprises: 

1. Chris Johnson- The biggest deal of the offseason was when we traded Martin Prado to the Diamondbacks for Justin Upton. In that deal we also picked up Chris Johnson. My first reaction was "Chris Johnson the football player!" Losing Prado meant we needed somebody to fill in at 3rd and Johnson has done that and then some. He has the team's highest batting average at .339 and has proven to be more than capable at defense. What initially started as a platoon with him and Juan Francisco eventually turned into his spot when Francisco was traded earlier this year.

2. Evan Gattis- This has been one of the best stories of the year. A rookie who was a janitor, ski-lift operator, parking valet and a pizza boy may wind up winning the rookie of the year. The best moment was his second at bat of the year, while his father was being interviewed, when he hit a homer off of former Cy Young winner Roy Halladay. He filled in great the first month of the season when Brian McCann was out. Even when McCann came back, we have used him in Left Field and First Base.

From Janitor to Rookie of the Year

3. The Bullpen- Going into this season we felt that the bullpen would be as strong as last year. However, both Eric O'Flaherty and Jonny Venters went down early in the year with season-ending injuries which lead many to believe the the bullpen might be a problem this year. I am glad to say that is not the case. Another off-season move, trading Tommy Hanson for Jordan Walden has benefited us greatly. Walden has been tremendous out of the pen with a 2.57 ERA. Luis Avilan, David Carpenter, Anthony Varvarro and Cory Gearrin have also proven to be reliable out of the pen. The addition of Scott Downs should bolster our bullpen even further. Of course we cannot forget about Craig Kimbrel who has been lights out this year as our Closer.

Honorable Mentions:

1. Julio Teheran- Has proven to be a great starter and will continue to grow in years to come.
2. Jordan Schafer- Has been a very reliable backup in the OF.
3. Ramiro Pena- Had been surprisingly productive before his season ending injury.

Biggest Disappointments:

1. The Entire Outfield- Along with Justin Upton, the Braves signed his brother BJ from the Rays. The Upton Brothers plus Jason Heyward were supposed to be the most dynamic outfield in all of baseball. Sadly that has not gone according to plan. Justin had a huge first month where he hit 12 home runs. He has only hit 4 since and has seen his average go down in the process. BJ struggled the first 2 months of the year and was even benched for a portion of the year. He has picked it up the last 2 months but he is not being the player we signed him to be. Heyward has not produced like he should either this year.

The best OF in baseball? Not even close.

2. Kris Medlen- I am not going to say that Medlen has had a bad year. He has a respectable 3.74 ERA. However, after having such a great year last year where we never lost a start by him until the Wild Card game he has not been the same pitcher. He is 7-10 and has not been the reliable pitcher that we thought we were going to see. There are some games where it looks like the pitcher from last year and some games where it looks like he has no control of his stuff. I am confident that he can turn it around and possibly pitch well in the postseason.

Honorable Mention:

1. Paul Maholm- Been inconsistent this year. Always seems to have 1 really bad inning per game.

Prediction:

I predict that the Braves will hold on and win the division. Even if the braves struggle down the stretch, the Nationals and Phillies have too many problems to catch us. Come playoff time, we can compete with all of the possible playoff teams. Even with the loss of Tim Hudson, we still have a solid pitching staff with Minor, Medlen, Maholm and Teheran as our starters. Our bullpen will never let us down. If the outfield will start hitting we will have one of the best lineups in baseball. The only problem I have seen this year is that we are too inconsistent. This is not a good problem to have in the playoffs especially in a best-of-5 series which we have always had a problem with. I will give you a solid prediction and say that the Braves will make it to at least the NLCS. The Braves have all the tools to make a deep run in the playoffs. All they need to do is put those tools together and they will do just fine. Either way, I am excited about these last 2 months and hope to see a World Series banner hanging in Left Field next year.

Until Next Time,
Nathan Krispin

Red, White and Orange Sports

Creating a Buzz (Titans Training Camp so Far)

Just two weeks ago, St. Thomas Sports Park was as lonely as my mean great grandmother in her nursing home on Thanksgiving.  As of Saturday, however, the fans are rolling in and the pads are popping.  The Tennessee Titans have been irrelevant for years.  Let's be honest, the 2008 season was the only flash this team has shown in the past decade. Not only have they been bad, but it feels like they can't catch a break if it was thrown to them from Peyton Manning.  Through the past seven months, however, the Titans seem to have made a culture change, and the fans are noticing.

Offense

None of us here at RWO Sports have been to a training camp practice this year (we hope to check one out this week), but the buzz on the internet seems to imply that the offensive side of the ball may be much improved this year. Although much has been written about the preseason signings and draft picks, the "x factor" player in the offense WILL be Justin Hunter.  Throughout the first few days of training camp he has been the center of discussion, both good and bad.  If he can stay injury free, and learn how to play big boy football, he can bring a lot to the table as a third or fourth wide receiver. Jake Locker needs as many weapons as he can get, and with four established WR, the Titans can have an unbelievable passing game this year.

 

Defense

If I could use one word to describe the defense thus far, I would use "INTENSE", and I think it's the only word I need to use.  Greg Williams will have this defense rocking come September, even if the talent level is sub par. Gregg and Bernard Pollard are already giving this defense a new face, and the fans are loving it.



Titan up Titans fans, 2013 will be a good year.

Written by:  Trey Frisbey
Red White and Orange Sports
7/28/2013

Allow me to introduce myself

To all my readers out there,

My name is Nathan Krispin and I am one of the writers here at Red, White and Orange Sports. I have been born and raised in Nashville, TN since 1989. My love of sports began in 1998 when my beloved Tennessee Volunteers won the first ever BCS National Championship. I am a huge sports fan and I will watch all of the 4 major sports and any other major sporting event.

I recently just graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a degree in Exercise Science. I would love to do something in the sports field, whether it is an athletic trainer on a sports team, a coach, or possibly a personal trainer. In High School I played baseball for 3 years. One of my teammates was former Notre Dame and current Seattle Seahawk star Golden Tate.

What you can expect from my blogs is my take on the world of sports, with a heavy emphasis on my favorite sport and America's past time, Baseball. I will give you my reaction to any big news and my opinions on any important matter. I will tend to be biased towards the Tennessee Vols, Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Braves, and the Nashville Predators. You will eventually notice that I have a general dislike for anything related to Lane Kiffin, Lebron James, the New York Yankees and anything that happens from the state of Alabama.

While you may not respect all of my opinions, please know that this will be a friendly blog and I am always up for polite debate and friendly discussions about sports. I hope that you will enjoy reading my blogs as much as I will enjoy writing them.

Until next time,
Nathan Krispin

Red, White and Orange Sports

     Hello and welcome to Red, White and Orange Sports. We are here to bring you up to date sports news with maybe a slight bias for the Volunteers. We hope to give a unique and informative spin on national sports news and inform you of stories you may not be aware of.  As our team grows, we hope to include a variety of stories from a variety of sports.  Whether you are a die hard American football fan, a Vol for life, or a hockey junkie, we hope to be your source for all sports news and opinions.  So stick around, read up and give us some input!