I’d like to see Alexander Radulov return to Nashville as much as any Preds fan, but the team’s luck in developing Russian players speaks for itself:

Russians drafted by the Predators:
1998 — Denis Arkhipov, C, Four seasons with Preds, five in NHL. Now playing in Russia.
1999 — Yevgeny Pavlov, C, One season in North America, did not reach NHL.
Alexander Krevsun, RW, One season in North America, did not reach NHL.
Konstantin Panov, RW, Five seasons in North America, did not reach NHL.
2001 — Timofei Shishkanov, LW, Two games with Preds, 24 games in NHL. Now playing in Russia.
Denis Platonov, RW, Three games in North America. Did not reach NHL.
Anton Lavrentiev, D, Never played in North America.
2003 —Konstantin Glazachev, LW, Never played in North America.
Grigory Shafigulin, C, Never played in North America.
Rustam Sidikov, G, Never played in North America.
Andrei Mukhachev, D, Never played in North America.
2004 — Alexander Radulov, RW, Two seasons with Preds. Now playing in Russia.
Denis Kulyash, D, Never played in North America.

There’s an inherent risk in selecting any player under any circumstances. When home is half a world away and a competing league is emerging as incentive to stay there to play, it’s just not worth the gamble. This advice may be playing into the KHL’s hands, but it can only help the Preds, who need all the help they can get from the draft.

There will be no abiding Ken Whitehouse now: The same reporter who broke the story that the Nashville Predators might be sold to Blackberry co-founder Jim Balsillie dropped an even bigger bombshell today:

NashvillePost.com has learned that senior campaign officials from the Barack Obama Presidential campaign are being dispatched from various locations around the country and are converging in Indianapolis for a “major event” to take place on Saturday. Saturday is the same day that Obama is expected to make his first public appearance with his yet to be announced vice presidential running mate. Indiana is the home state of Democratic Senator Evan Bayh, widely considered to be on the short list of Democratic vice presidential contenders.

CBS News, among others, is citing Nashville Post as its source for speculation about Obama’s choice for vice president. This is a huge scoop for a local news organization that’s become an invaluable part of Nashville’s local media landscape over the past several years. Way to go, Ken!

KYpolitics.org, a right-wing blog devoted to chronicling political happenings in the Bluegrass state, just borrowed a page from the Bill Hobbs playbook: Publishing a doctored photo of a woman in Islamic headdress holding a child; both the woman and the child bear the photoshopped face of Barack Obama alongside the following commentary:

Some call him the greatest man ever. Some say he’s the world’s No. 1 celebrity. Others, well, others — like those who work for NBC News — claim he’s the new Messiah. If ever there was a doubt in anyone’s mind…here’s proof.

I read KYpolitics.org–and the counterpart left-wing blog Bluegrass Report–regularly, and I see instances of bias in both pretty often. That’s not unusual in the blogosphere. This latest nonsense is not only tacky, but just plain hateful and shameful. We’re all entitled to our opinions, but there’s no need to resort to these kind of childish antics to (try to) make a point. There are plenty of things I don’t like (and some things I do like) about John McCain, but you won’t see me grafting his face onto anything, not to mention anything this tasteless.

Jennifer Peebles is right to credit Glenn Reynolds for his major role in inspiring Tennessee’s active and ample blogosphere, but I think the original NashvilleIsTalking site is a big reason why our blogosphere is as connected as it is:

Welcome to the Tennessee political blogosphere: where citizen journalists, amateur pundits and wiseacres with broadband access endlessly type and snipe. It’s a well established, highly organized and highly readable subculture with a devoted following among political junkies, casual Web surfers, politicians and reporters alike…

“There are a ton of Texas bloggers … but they don’t ever seem to talk or know each other,” [Betsy] Phillips (aka Aunt B) said. By contrast, Tennessee bloggers seem to have a much stronger sense of group identity, as she learned after [a] would-be attack on her identity. “It was one of the first lessons I had in that kind of cohesive spirit of the Tennessee blogosphere,” she said. “There’s a sense that we all do this, and we can have our fights and still stay kind of nice.”

Thank you, Mike Sechrist and Brittney Gilbert, for helping us all get to know each other out here. If you’re looking for another example of Tennessee’s blogosphere rallying around one of its own, look no further than Katherine Coble.

A thorough, deliberative process to determine the fate of the Tennessee State Fairgrounds is the right approach.

On Wednesday, four development organizations will present their proposals for the future of the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. The meeting of the fair board, to be held 6-8:30 p.m. in Wilson Hall at the fairgrounds, will not have public comment, though listeners can offer written questions or comments to the groups and the board afterward.

It is hoped that questions and comments will be numerous, because this 117-acre site is a big, colorful part of Nashville’s history, and should not become a footnote in its future.

Demands for a plan for the fairgrounds have been growing, because it has remained undeveloped for years even as the city has grown and changed around it. It currently hosts the Tennessee State Fair every September, a monthly flea market and regular exhibitions, and has as its main tenant the Music City Motorplex, formerly the Nashville Speedway.

The fairgrounds have been in place for decades, but I personally think the existing site would be better served by another purpose. The site is close to downtown and underused, and many of the properties around it have fallen into disrepair. This part of town has a potential for residences and commerce that is going unfulfilled, if you ask me. I’ll defer to whatever consensus appears to emerge, but I think a town center or community park would be excellent choices for this property.

The Tennessee State Fair in its present state has outlived its usefulness. It’s no secret that gang activity is not unusual during the fair, and attendance is not what it ought to be for what is billed as a statewide event. I’d like to see the title of Tennessee State Fair ceded to the larger (and safer) Wilson County Fair or, touching on the idea I suggested on Monday, relocated to the current Hickory Hollow Mall property. Establishing a Six Flags-style theme park with exhibition space suitable for the state fair would be a major and welcome change for Antioch and for Nolensville Road.

I didn’t see this coming, but country star Toby Keith says he’s a Democrat and that he likes Barack Obama:

“I think [Obama's] the best Democratic candidate we’ve had since Bill Clinton. And that’s coming from a Democrat.”

I thought Keith’s signature anthem, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,” was at first patriotic and later arrogant (once the war on terrorism migrated from Afghanistan to Iraq). I would not have expected to see Keith, who’s song has been adopted by many red-meat conservatives, on the left side of the aisle. That’s a refreshing surprise.

The Indy Racing League’s abrupt departure from Nashville, despite attendance success, was a significant loss for the city. It may not have the impact that (God forbid) losing the NFL or even the NHL might have on the city’s image, but it subtracts one viable option on the local sports scene and reduces national exposure for Nashville.

Last year, the Sporting News ranked Nashville No. 16 among the “Best Sports Cities in the U.S.” — immediately behind Atlanta and Miami and immediately ahead of Oakland and San Diego. It is telling that the teams and events that have folded or left town fall under the general heading of “niche” sports. Women’s pro golf, the Arena Football League and IndyCar racing are not exactly in the sports mainstream.

“Open-wheel fans and racing fans in general are disappointed that we won’t have the race next year,” Hawks said. “I loved having IndyCar, but it’s questionable that the general population considers this a major negative to our marketplace.” Beyond that, the loss of the Firestone Indy 200 is an example that you can do everything right and still lose an event. Some things are beyond the control of the community. Officials at the IndyCar Racing League pulled the plug on the Nashville race even though the event had been well attended in its eight-year history.

In my opinion, Nashville needs to do what it can (or already has) to keep the Titans, Preds and Sounds in town. Other sports with a local presence have little influence on the city’s image.

While the subject of “niche” sports has been raised, for me at least, the sooner the Nashville Broncs are put out to pasture, the better. There is plenty of quality basketball played in this city by area colleges. The last addition we need for the local sports landscape is an encore from a league that didn’t fare too well (and caused plenty of embarrassment) in its initial appearance.

Much of this is posturing when the NHL and the Kontinental Hockey League still have issues to work out about future player transfers, but it sounds like it could lead to a worst-case scenario for the Preds:

Calling Alexander Radulov’s jump to a Russian team an issue of the past, Continental Hockey League president Alexander Medvedev said Monday “it’s time to look to the future.” That comment and others did nothing to thaw an icy relationship between the KHL and the NHL in the wake of Radulov signing a three-year deal with Salavat Yulaev Ufa last month despite having a year left on his contract with the Predators.

Medvedev is pushing for a signed transfer agreement with the NHL — a formal set of rules governing player movement between countries — and says it would eliminate these kinds of situations in years to come. “We need a strict enforceable scheme that will fix all the rights and the positions of the players on both sides of the ocean,” he said.

But NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said a meeting between the two sides to discuss the transfer agreement is now in jeopardy. “I don’t know whether the Sept. 4 meeting will go forward or not,” Daly said. “We are happy to discuss a possible transfer agreement, but the Radulov issue needs to be resolved first.”

The International Ice Hockey Federation is investigating the signing of Radulov, as well as the contracts of five other players involved in transfers between the two leagues. The IIHF is expected to announce a ruling soon, but Medvedev said he doesn’t expect it to make much of an impact on Radulov’s situation. Because there was no transfer agreement in place between Russia and the NHL at the time of Radulov’s signing, Medvedev said the deal broke no rules. “I don’t see the legal arguments to force the player to come back,” he said.

It will be grossly unfair for the Preds if Radulov’s departure and breach of contract turn out to be the wake-up call that lead the NHL to agree to terms with the KHL on player movement. If both sides agree that the damage is done and try to move on, the Preds are hurt even more than if no agreement exists between the leagues: Other teams won’t lose their Russian stars while Nashville already has. Daly doesn’t sound resigned to that result yet, and I hope he and the NHL maintain that position.

It’s no wonder that Councilmember Eric Crafton has been reluctant to disclose the funding source behind the English Only public referendum:

Dr. John H. Tanton, a retired eye surgeon, started both ProEnglish and the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The Southern Poverty Law Center identified FAIR as a hate group last winter based on its acceptance of $1.2 million from a white supremacist organization, employees’ ties to other such groups and a history of “anti-Latino and anti-Catholic attitudes.”

In my opinion, this is yet another indication that the English Only amendment does virtually nothing to help Nashville or its residents, and it does plenty to give the city a black eye.

It would be great for Nashville to host either the Democratic or Republican Convention in the future, but only if private parties are footing the bill.

“I can’t think of anything that pushes a city up in the world of conventions more than a political convention,” [Former Deputy Mayor Bill] Phillips said. “But you’re talking about two years of commitment. It is a huge burden on the local people to go out and raise that money. A community needs to think carefully about that.”

[Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO Butch] Spyridon said there will be no full-court press to land one of the conventions here any time soon. The Belmont debate, he said, “gives us almost equal exposure for a significantly lower price tag. We’ll have a more focused national and international press.”

With our schools in dire need of improvement, the hotel-motel tax about to increase and the city budget stretched awfully thin, this isn’t the right time for Nashville to take on another big-ticket item, even one that would promise huge positive attention. I think this idea should wait, unless private citizens are willing to step up to fund it.

It may be a technicality, but if it helps to derail this misguided, hateful and intolerant initiative, I’m all for it:

The Metro Law Department has been made aware of a legal technicality, which could potentially derail the proposed English Only charter amendment and prevent it from being on the ballot in November. Nashville attorney Gregg Ramos, of the firm North, Pursell, Ramos & Jameson, has called the department’s attention to the intricate wording of the Metro Charter on when proposed amendments can be submitted.

According to the charter, a petition-driven amendment proposal, like English Only, may only be submitted once every two years. “The council shall not adopt a resolution proposing amendments to this charter more often than twice during the term of office of members of said council,” the charter reads, “nor shall any such amendment or amendments be submitted by petition more often than once in each two years.”

“The council shall not adopt a resolution proposing amendments to this charter more often than twice during the term of office of members of said council,” the charter reads, “nor shall any such amendment or amendments be submitted by petition more often than once in each two years.” In 2006, Davidson County passed a petition-driven charter amendment, giving voters the power to approve property tax increases. The amendment passed on Nov. 7, 2006.

Normally I’d say such a close call should be overlooked. In the case of an amendment that benefits no one and hurts the city and some of its most vulnerable residents, though, I’m all for anything that will keep it from becoming law.

Maybe City Paper commenter “Big Papa” (see bottom of page) is on to something when it comes to the future of Hickory Hollow Mall: “Bulldoze down [the] Mall and put in an amusement park.” Is that such a bad idea?

Nashvillians have lamented Opryland’s departure for 11 years even though they have embraced its replacement, the Opry Mills mall. Maybe this is the right location for Thrillopolis rather than downtown? As local residents discuss the mall’s future, perhaps a theme park (with fresh retail supplementing it) should be on the table. This wouldn’t be as intrusive as the originally proposed Thrillopolis location downtown, and it would likely draw visitors/customers to an area of town that has been in steep decline for several years.

DeadMalls.com user Daron Dunkin predicted Hickory Hollow Mall’s demise in 2006, though he noted that it “isn’t dead yet.” National radio personality Tom Joyner made an appearance at the mall earlier this month, so perhaps the mall’s fate is yet to be sealed. Then again, maybe paying Joyner to broadcast from the mall was a desperate effort to draw customers.

As local officials are beginning to make clear, it would take substantial private development in the mall site for it to transform to a theme park or anything else that different from its original use. I’d say it’s worth considering, so long as it’s more Six Flags than Six Flags Over Jesus.