Mark Wiedmer - Chattanooga Times Free Press

Wiedmer: McElroy, Nix should make Red Bank Baptist event special

by Mark Wiedmer ·July 21, 2019

Depending on how you look at it, there is no better or worse rivalry in all of college football than Alabama-Auburn.

Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy smiles near the end of a game against Georgia State on Nov. 18, 2010, at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Wiedmer: This classic Wimbledon final will hurt Federer’s fans for years

by Mark Wiedmer ·July 15, 2019

At this moment, Novak Djokovic is better than either Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer, especially in the majors.

Novak Djokovic, right, holds the winner's trophy as he walks past runner-up Roger Federer after the Wimbledon men's singles final Sunday at the All England Club.

Wiedmer: Jeremy Pruitt’s coaching seat far from hottest in SEC football

by Mark Wiedmer ·July 14, 2019

Second-year University of Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt is on the hot seat?

Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt reacts during the Vols' game at Georgia in September.

Wiedmer: Passage of time hasn’t dimmed the joy for 1969 Dixie Youth world champs

by Mark Wiedmer ·July 10, 2019

Fifty years having passed since he helped the Lakeside All-Stars become the first team from Tennessee to win the Dixie Youth World Series, Perry Perkins decided it was time to get as many of those 16 boys as possible to come together again for a golden reunion.

Members of the 1969 Little League World Series champion team pose for a photo during a Chattanooga City Council meeting Tuesday, July 9, 2019 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. They were honored on the 50-year anniversary of their win.

Wiedmer: LA’s Staples Center should be center of NBA universe next season

by Mark Wiedmer ·July 9, 2019

Break up the Lakers?

Los Angeles Lakers guard Jaron Johnson, left, goes to the basket against Golden State Warriors guard Brandon Sampson, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball summer league game in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Wiedmer: U.S. Women’s World Cuppers will always be special to Scenic City

by Mark Wiedmer ·July 8, 2019

You know your team has arrived in these dynasty debates when you no longer get choked up over a world championship.

The United States' Tobin Heath (17) tries to get around a tackle attempt by Costa Rica's Fabiola Villalobos during an exhibition match on Aug. 19, 2015, at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga. The U.S. team was visiting as part of its victory tour after the 2015 Women's World Cup in Canada. The Americans repeated as champions by beating the Netherlands 2-0 on Sunday in France.

Wiedmer: Sad death of Jared Lorenzen a lesson for us all

by Mark Wiedmer ·July 7, 2019

The advertisement for the weight-loss product ran on radio stations around this town in the mid-1980s.

University of Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen looks down his offensive line as he calls a play during a game at the University of Louisville on Sept. 1, 2002. Lorenzen died Wednesday.

Wiedmer: UTC football coach Rusty Wright lets Mocs know he won’t tolerate them doing the wrong thing

by Mark Wiedmer ·July 3, 2019

It was late in the afternoon of April 15 and new University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach Rusty Wright was about to address his Mocs as a single unit for the last time before sending them off to exam week and a brief summer vacation.

UTC football coach Rusty Wright gives instructions during a spring practice in March. Wright has added three players to the roster for his first season in charge of the Mocs.

Wiedmer: NBA free agency frenzy sends wrong message to too many kids

by Mark Wiedmer ·July 2, 2019

According to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, approximately 1.53 million males graduated from American public high schools this spring.

In this Monday, June 10, 2019 file photo, Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) walks off the court after sustaining an injury as he is accompanied by Toronto Raptors center Serge Ibaka (9) and Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9) and guard Kyle Lowry (7) during first-half basketball action in Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Toronto. On Friday, June 14, 2019, The Associated Press found that a video circulating on the internet that appeared to show fans in a Toronto bar cheering as Durant s injury is shown on a large TV screen was deceptively altered, with the Durant injury image inserted into unrelated footage of cheering soccer fans. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

Wiedmer: Vonn Bell’s football camp shows he has the heart of a saint

by Mark Wiedmer ·June 30, 2019

You can't beat free. Especially when so many of us in this country have been free of raises for so long.