Archive for June, 2008
Preds sign Ellis, trade Mason
The Preds are closing their ranks behind goalie Dan Ellis, who barely made the roster out of training camp but shined down the stretch and in the playoffs, and have traded fellow netminder Chris Mason to the division rival St. Louis Blues.
Even though Ellis looked shaky at times during the season, I think this is the best move for the team. Mason is a class act who thrived in Tomas Vokoun’s shadow in the 2006-07 season but struggled at times in the limelight as the Preds’ #1 goalie. I hate to see him go, but the team couldn’t tie up the millions it invested in Mason and also sign Ellis, who had become a hot commodity around the league after his performance this spring. Here’s hoping the Preds made the right choice … and that sending another player to a division rival doesn’t come back to haunt them.
What not to do when you get a parking ticket
The next time you get a parking ticket, don’t post your strategy for getting out of it on the Internet. A local motorist received a ticket at the end of May and proceeded to ask for advice about his avoidance strategy online:
Ok, so I got a parking ticket last night in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. I didn’t notice the sign, and know I had seen motorcycles parked there before. Anyway, so I met the cop as she arrived and started writing my ticket. She was very rude, but that’s beside the point.
I am just wondering if my plan to get out of paying the ticket would work. Since the officer did not check the vin#, or write it down, couldn’t I just say that my tag was stolen, and that I was not in Nashville that night? How would they know otherwise, unless they read this!!?? Also, my license was not checked or anything else. Can’t I just deny that I was there, and say that someone borrowed or stole my bike tag??
As users responding to the post pointed out, this is a good strategy for winding up in jail, not for avoiding a ticket. To be fair, the motorist claims later in the thread that he never actually intended to follow through on his plan, but you have to wonder. After all, he did take the time to seek out an advice Web site to check his scheme out. I dread parking tickets as much as the next guy, but admittedly probably not as much as this guy.
Ellie’s Run: When compassion wins
Thoreau once wrote, “For every thousand hacking at the leaves of evil, there is one striking at the root.” It’s regrettable that so many of us are distracted by silly diversions that fail to address the real problems we face as a society, but it’s also encouraging that some go out of their way to give generously and with compassion to help people in need.
It’s even more amazing when one of those people is a child. Ellie Ambrose is a teenager these days, but she hasn’t lost her motivation for helping people facing desperate situations:
Ellie’s Run for Africa is the God-given dream of a young American girl to help families and children in Africa. Combining educational efforts in area churches and schools with a 5K run and family fun day, Ellie’s Run for Africa raises awareness of and funding for Africans who struggle to meet basic needs such as health care, food, water, shelter, clothing and education.
I admire this amazing effort, which will mark its fifth-annual race this weekend on Saturday morning (June 14) at Percy Warner Park. There’s still time to make an online donation if you’re interested in lending a hand toward a little root-striking. Thanks for making a difference, Ellie.
Nashville dodges another Balsillie bullet?
Troubled co-owner Boots Del Biaggio attempted to sell his stake in the Preds to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie as recently as two weeks ago, according to Canada’s National Post.
For a team sorely in need of some off-ice stability, any hint of Balsillie’s reemergence is salt in the wound inflicted by Del Biaggio’s impending financial implosion. Both Boots and Balsillie are eager to have majority ownership in an NHL team. Even though Del Biaggio is likely no longer a threat because he is expected to file bankruptcy, for local Preds fans Balsillie is bad news that just won’t go away. The sooner the local ownership group can find a way–preferably from a Tennessee source–to fill Boots’ shoes, the better.
(Hat tip to Walker Duncan at Nashville Post for unearthing this news from north of the border.)
Update: Del Biaggio has filed for bankruptcy.
One lost life doesn’t deserve another
It’s amazing to me that one group of people can forgive someone for killing a member of their family while another group can condemn a man they don’t even know.
How? How? How? He should be executed. Period.
The condemnations (including the one above) are coming from commenters on a story about a man with mental illness who was released despite killing one of his neighbors. It is highly likely, in my opinion, that John Henry Roberts should be institutionalized or incarcerated because of what he has done, but I don’t believe that means that he should lose his life. For me at least, one life lost in this story is more than enough, and I sure won’t be the one to call for another.
Boots’ fiasco might be a blessing
What is bad news for the Predators in the short term may be good news over the long haul. Like many local hockey fans, I haven’t been pleased to see coverage about the Preds’ ownership situation following a series of lawsuits filed against team minority owner Boots Del Biaggio.
Many cynics of Del Biaggio’s involvement in last year’s franchise sale were quick to claim that the California businessman would ship the Preds to Kansas City at his first opportunity. As Ken Whitehouse and others have pointed out this week, that fate looks increasingly unlikely with each passing media cycle, as legal actions against Del Biaggio continue to pour in.
While no one who roots for the Preds is happy to see another offseason where any level of instability emerges in the team’s ownership group, it may ultimately prove to be a blessing for Del Biaggio to be replaced by someone with fewer motives and, ideally, a local address.
Crafton: Less posturing, more tutoring
Mike Byrd is right that Councilmember Eric Crafton’s plans for an English-Only ballot initiative are a waste of time and resources:
When immigrants are already learning proper English at faster rates than native born Americans are, Crafton’s ballot initiative is grand-standing designed to further his own political ambitions and ultimately destroy progress in our community.
Crafton, naturally, is claiming different motives:
“The reason it’s so important is because any logical, intellectually honest person would have to admit that English is the success language in the United States,” Crafton said. “If you don’t know English, you’re going to be trapped in a lower strata of society, not having a voice, having menial jobs and no education.”
I agree that fluency in English is a major stepping stone toward success in American society, but I don’t think trying to force people to learn our language will carry them any closer to that goal.
I wish Councilmember Crafton would spend his time tutoring non-English speakers rather than wasting our time on what is, in my opinion, a silly measure likely to embarrass the city (again) and accomplish little else. We need leaders who are looking for ways to create meaningful and positive change in our community, not ones who are consumed with scoring political points.
Is a Nashville Women’s Final Four a slam dunk?
I can’t say I’m crazy about the logo design, but Nashville should be a slam dunk for its bid to host the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four for one year sometime between 2012 and 2016. There are twelve other cities* vying for the five opportunities to host, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Nashville and Tennessee have a strong heritage of success in women’s basketball, and it isn’t all from Pat Summit. OK, a big chunk of it is, and her success is hard-earned and well deserved. Vanderbilt and MTSU have had plenty of women’s hoops success, too, and there are many high schools (most notably Shelbyville) that have been extremely successful. The SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament has been well attended each time it has been played in Nashville, too.
This would be a nice boost for the local economy and good national visibility for the city (despite the logo), and I’m all for it. Regarding the logo, I’ll leave the larger debate about whether Nashville’s country music industry helps or hinders the city’s image for another time, but my short answer to that question is a resounding “yes.”)
[*The other bidding cities are: Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Dallas, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio and Tampa.]
