Tennessee Sports

Hey, way up here in New York I have a wealth of Tennessee pride concerning sports right now. I can even ignore the fact that Pacman Jones is the latest of an exclusive group of NFL players who find ways to be in the wrong place at the wrong time nearly every day.

Though the runs of Memphis, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee in the NCAA tournament may end this weekend, the fact that there are three representatives from the state in the sweet 16 rules. Tennessee has more (all things being equal) chance of landing a national champion than any other state. I also like the idea of three teams in three radically different areas of the state going for the prize. Too bad the three teams can't conceivably be in the Final Four together, because if Memphis and UT win this weekend, they'll play each other in Elite Eight action.

And hey, we can always root for the best women's basketball program of all time, the Tennessee Lady Vols, to win another championship this year. It's actually been awhile since the last one.

Also, the Nashville Predators continue to be one of the top teams in the NHL, currently the top team, the only one with 100 points as of this writing. Although they continue to frustrate me when they play top teams, I realize more and more that if this team has all of their injured guys back by the playoffs, they will be tough to beat. They haven't had all the guys they can possibly have all in the lineup for one night yet. Just imagine them when they do. KW was telling me the other day he feared that the Preds might need to go to the Stanley Cup to stay in Nashville. Let's hope not. I think a good step would be advancing past the first round this time and not getting beat up like they have the past two playoff runs. If I bear witness to another San Jose Sharks shellacking in the first round, all will look gloomy.

Anyway, I was hoping maybe to find a ticket available for the East Rutherford games this weekend and root on Vandy, but alas, the tickets have been sold out, probably for quite awhile. Go 'Dores. Go Vols. Go Tigers. And if one of them happens to play each other by the end of the weekend, it at least gives us a guaranteed Final Four contestant.

And as always, go Preds. I will always miss them if they leave.