Sports Columnists - Chattanooga Times Free Press

5-at-10: Happy 4th of July, LeBron’s monster extension, MLB All-Star starters, competitive eating question

Happy Fourth of July everyone.

By Jay Greeson July 4, 2024

Los Angeles Lakers draft pick Bronny James, left, and his father, LeBron James, share a light moment as they arrive for the NBA basketball team's news conference in El Segundo, Calif., Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

5-at-10: WNBA rookies lead the way, Bronny James gets a daddy deal, more Biden excuses

Caitlin Clark has become the biggest sports star — pre-Olympics — in America in 2024.

By Jay Greeson July 3, 2024

Fever guard Caitlin Clark is defended by Mercury guards Sophie Cunningham and Sug Sutton during the second half of Sunday's game in Phoenix. (Associated Press)

Young: Bats might stink, but stacking arms is Atlanta’s best chance

Brian Snitker said the only thing he really could at the halfway point of what has been a shocking 2024 season so far for the Atlanta Braves.

By Lindsey Young July 2, 2024

AP file photo by Nick Wass / Big hits have become hard to find for the Atlanta Braves in recent weeks, including for slugger Matt Olson, who is among a number of players in the lineup struggling to match last year's success at the plate.

5-at-10: Booming NBA free agency, Summer TV binge watching, US men stink at soccer

The money is staggering.

By Jay Greeson July 2, 2024

Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum celebrates the team's NBA basketball championship during a duck boat parade Friday, June 21, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

5-at-10: Weekend winners (Simone Biles is boss) and losers at the halfway point of 2024

Simone Biles. Man, what a boss she is, and leading another U.S. team into the Olympics this summer at 27 is the exclamation point on arguably the greatest career in gymnastics history.

By Jay Greeson July 1, 2024

Simone Biles celebrates after she was named to the 2024 Olympic team at the United States Gymnastics Olympic Trials on Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Case: Deer horns bring out the greedy side in some hunters

Regular readers will recall that I sometimes refer to deer antlers as "horns" just to aggravate those who worry about such things.

By Larry Case June 30, 2024

Staff file photo / Special youth and novice hunting seasons sometimes come with restrictions that only antlerless deer (does) can be killed, but "Guns & Cornbread" columnist Larry Case isn't sure that every established hunter who support this rule has the purest of motives.

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Hargis: National title the cure for ‘Battered Vols Syndrome’

The procedure now demands instant reaction — hot takes — to whatever we just witnessed on the sports stage. But if age has taught me anything, sometimes allowing enough time to pass to digest it all and let a wider overview dictate our perspective is better than a reflex tweet.

By Stephen Hargis June 29, 2024

Tennessee's Zander Sechrist, left, hugs Drew Beam as they celebrate their 6-5 victory against Texas A&M in Game 3 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Monday, June 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)

Greeson: Lakers win both rounds of the NBA draft with Knecht and LeBron security

So the NBA Draft came and went this week, and like every season of talent acquisition, team officials are going to bust their buttons and fans are going to try to convince themselves that their new additions could be the guy who becomes THE GUY.

By Jay Greeson June 28, 2024

Dalton Knecht, right, poses for a photo with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected 17th by the Los Angeles Lakers during the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

5-at-10: Friday mailbag with best baseball movie characters, debate reaction, Bronny drafted, Olympic excitement

Let's handle our business.