Author: Ian Casselberry

WISE Sports Radio NFL spot: March 19, 2020

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While sports are on hiatus due to the coronavirus crisis, there was one big development that still held some drama and suspense: Would Tom Brady leave the New England Patriots and end his NFL career with another team?Now we know. Brady will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback next season.

Of course, that led Thursday’s WISE Sports Radio NFL segment. Pat Ryan, Mike Gore, and I discussed other big free agent signings and trades that have happened this week, including Teddy Bridgewater signing with the Carolina Panthers, Philip Rivers going to the Indianapolis Colts, and a bizarre allegation toward Houston Texans coach and general manager Bill O’Brien.

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WISE Sports Radio MLB segment: March 18, 2020

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Like all sports that would be played right now, baseball is on hold due to the coronavirus crisis. So there’s not a whole lot to talk about from MLB. But there are some questions, which Pat Ryan and I covered on Wednesday’s WISE Sports Radio segment.

When could the MLB season begin? Have any players tested positive for COVID-19? And will MLB take care of the stadium employees who won’t get paid during this postponement? Also, we’ll be talking about the current best player at each position over the next few weeks.

Thanks to WISE Sports Radio for allowing me to post this on my site, along with Mars Hill University (which sponsors the stream), host Pat Ryan, and Vistanet for sponsoring my MLB segment.

Bloodshot review at Mountain Xpress

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[UPDATE: Bloodshot is getting an early digital video on-demand release next week since its theatrical run was cut short. You can see the movie at home beginning March 24 and then come back and read this review!]

As I was sitting in the theater before Bloodshot began (preceded by about 25 minutes of trailers, of course), I realized that this could be the last movie I’d see in public for a while. Even before chain and independent theaters implemented social distancing measures, then closed entirely, major releases had been pushed back for months (at least), so we wouldn’t have been getting new movies for a while.

So if Bloodshot was the last new movie I’d see in theaters until maybe — maybe — the summer, did Vin Diesel send us into self-imposed isolation on a high note? Well, sort of.

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WISE Sports Radio spot: March 12, 2020

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We usually do an NFL segment Thursdays on WISE Sports Radio. So that was the plan early in the day, but could we talk about anything other than the coronavirus and the affect that it’s had on sports (and the world at-large) over the past 48 hours?

Virtually every college basketball conference had canceled its postseason tournament, the NHL had just suspended its season, and Major League Baseball announced a delayed start before Pat Ryan, guest co-host Demp Bradford, and I started our segment. Less than an hour later, the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tournament was canceled.

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The Way Back review at Awful Announcing

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Releasing a basketball movie in March, when so much real drama and joy is on TV with college hoops, seemed kind of risky. But The Way Back isn’t entirely a basketball movie, which may surprise some viewers.

Sports movies — portraying sports in pop culture and media — fit solidly into Awful Announcing’s beat. So I reviewed the movie for the site. Here’s an excerpt:

Some viewers might prefer a more predictable, more conventional sports movie with an uplifting message. But director Gavin O’Connor and Ben Affleck know life isn’t that simple and a tidy resolution doesn’t often make for a good story. What feels more gratifying is that viewers can determine how this story ends. Maybe it goes exactly as you would’ve predicted. But maybe not. Being trusted as an audience to deal with the many possibilities at hand makes it worth seeing. This isn’t the movie you think it is.

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