For the past 5 years, I’ve complained about the traffic going from Concord Road onto Northshore.  I sat in endless lines late for my sons’ ball games at the Farragut Park.  And I made my frustration clear.  I called TDOT countless times asking when they were going to fix it.  Each time, they told me they were working on it and that they were putting in a round-about (at least that’s what I call it). Well when I heard this, I freaked.  How could something like a round-about work in a high traffic area.  I thought TDOT or whomever was responsible for this had lost their mind.

I’m here today to apologize for ever thinking that. The round-about has been in place now for several months and it’s amazing how folks have adapted to it.  No lines.  No frustrated drivers.  Not even a stop.  People just slow down, hit their gap, and move on.  Sweet.

TDOT, Town of Farragut, Knox County – whomever is responsible for getting this done – kudos.

Rosters:

HT Group
Tyler Smith – Tennessee
Courtney Pigram – ETSU
Daniel West – Tennessee
Michael Jenkins – Northwestern
Cole Rose – Lee University
Greg Hamlin – East Tennessee State
Kyle Huckins – Emory & Henry
J.T. Blair – King College
Chris Conner – University of Maryland-Eastern Shore
Ryan Walden – Milligan College

Toyota of Knoxville
Wayne Chism – Tennessee
Dane Bradshaw – Tennessee
Rashard Lee – Tennessee
Andy Tipton – Carson Newman
Tony White Jr – College of Charleston
Kirill Yakovlev – McNeese State
Isiah Brown – East Tennessee State
Jared Stevens
Jimmy Boone – Tusculum
Dan Walter – Tusculum

Rays ESG
Scotty Hopson – Tennessee
Bobby Maze – Tennessee
Brian Williams – Tennessee
Logan Johnson – Coastal Carolina
Steven Pearl – Tennessee
Alex Oliver – Alabama State
Alex Bowers – Maryville College
Ben Williamson – Maryville College
James Gallman – Knoxville Fulton
Mario McClurie

News-Sentinel
Damon Johnson – Tennessee
Ron Slay – Tennessee
Renaldo Woolridge – Tennessee
Phillip Jurick – Tennessee
Jalen Steele – Knoxville Fulton
Raul Placeras – Maryville College
Cameron Sharp – Carson Newman
Jeremy Saffore – UT Chattanooga
Chauncey Thompson – Carson Newman
Keith Bauer – Roane State

Richardson Construction
John Mueller – Marquette
Terrence Oglesby – Clemson
Stanley Asumnu – Tennessee
Josh Tabb – Tennessee
Bobby Guyton – Carson Newman
Elmar Kuli-Zade – Lee University
Michael Blue – Hiwassee College
Rob Zalucki – Tusculum
Skylar McBee – Rutledge
Adam Plavich – Carson Newman

1st Tennessee

Cameron Tatum – Tennessee
John Higgins – Tennessee
Jordan Howell – Tennessee
Zach Hyatte – Carson Newman
Ben Bosse – King College
Eryk Watson – Maryville College
Marko Costic
James Boo Jackson – Eastern Michigan
Justin Walker – Carson Newman
Dustin Brown – Loyola Marymount

Schedule:

Monday, June 16
Sentinel vs. HT Group – 6:00
Ray’s vs. Richardson – 7:30
1st TN vs. Toyota – 9:00

Wednesday, June 18
Sentinel vs. Toyota – 6:00
Richardson vs. 1st TN – 7:30
HT Group vs. Ray’s – 9:00

Monday, June 23
Ray’s vs. 1st TN – 6:00
HT Group vs. Toyota – 7:30
Sentinel vs. Richardson – 9:00

Wednesday, June 25
Sentinel vs. Ray’s – 6:00
HT Group vs. 1st TN – 7:30
Richardon vs. Toyota – 9:00

Thursday, June 26
Richardson vs. HT Group – 6:00
Ray’s vs. Toyota – 7:30
Sentinel vs. 1st TN – 9:00

Monday, June 30
1t TN vs. Toyota – 6:00
Sentinel vs. HT Group – 7:30
Ray’s vs. Richardson – 9:00

Wednesday, July 2
Championship Round
#3 vs. #4 – 6:00
#1 vs. #2 – 7:30

I dropped in the Pilot on Campbell Station around 5 this afternoon and it started off on a positive note. I was greeted by a friendly employee who offered to help me find anything I needed – nice touch.  I headed straight to the drinks and held my breath.  In my experiences, Pilot has never been known for having essentials – especially Coke Icees. Man was I wrong.  Coke, Blueberry, Cherry and – the cream of the crop – Mountain Dew.  I sampled the Coke Icee and the consistency was spot on. It had a slight cherry taste which I’m not a big fan of but other than that, I was pleased.

I checked out the restroom and although it was small, every necessity was fully stocked and the floors were clean.  I’m not talking eat-off-the-floor clean. More like I-would-change-my-clothes-in-here-if-I-had-to clean.  Definitely better than their counterpart across the street.

I browsed through the selection of items and although it wasn’t as diverse as Weigel’s it was neatly arranged and easy to get to everything real quick. That’s one thing that bugged me about Weigel’s.  It seemed a little too big for a “quick-stop” place.

My last comparison took me to the hot food counter.  Talk about variety.  This Pilot could almost be considered a Shoney’s buffet compared to the warming lamp dip dog I sampled at the circle W.  The hot dog roller was filled with your standard franks, sausages, jaleponeo cheddar dog and cheesburger dogs.  That’s no typo folks.  Cheeseburger dogs.  Just imagine taking hamburger meat and shredded cheddar and shaping it into a hot dog.  It doesn’t sound inviting and it definitely doesn’t look inviting.  In fact it looked like…well…I’ll just let your imagination do the work on this one.  On to the rest of the food counter. (Yes, there’s more.

They also had nachos, cheese, chili and a choice between two taquitos – sausage and egg or fajita chicken. Nothing really looked that good (how can it when it’s been sitting on rollers all day) but for catering to the quick-bite crowd, this place could not be beat.

The only complaints I had were a) the hotdogs/meat sticks were not identified or properly aligned with their signs so it led to b) my second complaint – I tried what I thought was a hot dog and it ended being their “smokey dog” or sausage.  The meat was tough and a little dry but definitely edible.

So, after round one, Pilot is in control.  Now on to round two.

My usual consists of potato salad and pulled pork. Now that might sound boring, but this meal is anything but. The meat is always perfect and the potato salad is the best you’ll ever have. Keep in mind that I’ve got a big family and I’ve been to tons of covered dish events – no one, not even Aunt Geraldine, can touch his potato salad (sorry, Geraldine). The secret ingredient in this meal, though, is the sauce. I’m a tried and true Tennesseean and love me some tomato based, but his sauce has the North Carolina vinegar twang to it that flat out rocks. Actually, its a great combo of both styles. It’s probably distilled up in the hills on the state line just east of Mountain City.

I’ve sampled the rest of the goods as well – chicken, brisket, wings, tomato and blues salad – it’s all good.

I do have one complaint, though. Unfortunately, he does not have a restaurant. This is strictly a catering-only gig for Chris. Instead of running a restaurant, I guess he likes to tend to the smoker to make sure everything comes out right. If that’s the case, I think I can wait for next Friday to come around.

Lucky for you, Chris is only a phone call or email away.  Here’s his info:

Phone: 865-804-4843
Email: orders@sweetpbbq.com

First up – Wiegels.

I had some time to kill so I ran in to see what I could find. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find much – especially in the bathroom. Tell me this. What’s the one thing you need to do in the bathroom when you’re done? (No, it’s not write on the walls.) Wash your hands, right? What is required? Water – Soap – Towel. Well Wiegel’s gets a big fat F on this one – no soap or towels. And the bathroom was nasty. I expected more than this from this location.

As I walked out, I was sure that they would redeem themselves with the good ole’ standard – a Coke Icee. Every Weigel’s has a Coke Icee. Right? WRONG! Only cherry and… (get this)… mocha. Yeah, that’s right. Mocha. I about threw up in my mouth when I read that.

By then I started to feel sorry for this place. It got even worse when I realized they had no warm hotdogs on rollers (not that I like these things…I’m just doing my job).  Surely they had several items for a quick bite. Nope. The only thing I found was a corn dog under a light bulb. I got brave and went ahead and tried it. Amazingly it wasn’t too bad. My daughter and son scarfed it down.

So, on to Pilot. I’ve not done the side by side yet with them but I’ve been in there several times and a worker even gave me a free coffee. My hopes are high for this place.

One thing I will say is that Wiegel’s did have a big map of East Tennessee on the wall. Nice touch for lost travelers.

- I’m going to pick a few intersections around town where both places are in full view of each other. That will keep it fair.

- I’ll also make sure that I choose stores that are similar in age (again, trying to even the playing field.)

- Lastly, I won’t be judging these stores on gas price. It changes too much and frankly, the less I have to think of gas prices, the better my blood pressure will be.

Here’s my judging criteria:

- Quality of hotdogs
- Shlushee/Icee quality/availability
- Cleanliness of bathrooms (that should get interesting)
- Quality/appearance of staff
- Variety of merchandise
- Overall appearance of store

That’s a shortlist. If I think of other items during the judging, I’ll add them.

Stay tuned….

Brian and Jake heading out to sea on the NZL-12

Originally uploaded by bwbizzle

It looks like America’s Cup is going to the Swiss again. The New Zealanders made a good try at it, but the Swiss boat is too strong and fast. I bring this up because I’ve actually been on a New Zealand boat recently. Well, it’s not the actual America’s Cup boat used in a race, but it’s one they used for training. I took my father-in-law and son on the NZ-14 in Nassau this past June. Talk about fun. If you get a chance to do an America’s Cup excursion on your next cruise or vacation, don’t hesitate to pay the $75 +. It’s an incredible experience.

The Rocky Top League consists of 6 teams comprised mostly of college players (see rosters below). There are also a few exceptional local players along with Jalen Rose from the Suns so it’s a great opportunity to see a lot of incredible talent. From what I hear, Jalen is only going to make a few games. These 6 teams play each Monday and Wednesday in the Bearden gym from 6 – 10:30 until July 18. The July 4th games will be played on July 5th instead.

I went with my 2 sons last Monday and watched a couple of games and it was the best money I’ve ever not spent (it’s free admission). If you go – and I highly suggest you do – here are some tips:

- Get there a little early. Parking is at a premium but it’s free.
- The gym is in the back of the school so park in the back if you can.
- The gym is not heated so dress accordingly – flip-flops, tank top, etc.
- Bring a few bucks for waters or a drink from the concession stand.
- If you have a small hand fan (the kind they give out at funerals), bring it. Did I mention the gym is hot?
- Bring a camera. You’re right next to the players so there are plenty of opportunities to get good shots.
- If you’re into autographs, bring items you want signed. The players are more than willing to sign anything you’ve got (within reason of course). I think they even expect it. We didn’t have a pen handy but most the players did.
I’m serious folks, it’s some of the best fun you’ll have. You can sit right next to the floor and see these guys play up close. Since it’s a rec league, the refs let ‘em play so it’s extremely physical and there is a lot of show-boating. I witnessed some truly nasty slams by Crews and T. Smith from UT.

Here’s a roster and schedule I found online so take it for what it’s worth.

Rocky Top League Rosters

Team: Knoxville News-Sentinel, Coach Andy Rines
Tyler Smith, J.P. Prince, Andrew Reed (ETSU), Omar Wattad (Georgetown), Tony White Jr (College of Charleston), Scott Williams (Carson-Newman), Cameron Sharp (Carson-Newman), Adam Plavich (Carson-Newman), Chauncey Thompson (Carson-Newman), Keith Bauer (Roane State).

Team: HT Group, Coach Pat Walden
Duke Crews, Ryan Childress, Brian Williams, Cameron Tatum, Alex Oliver (Alabama St), Ben Bosse (King College), Alex Bowers (Maryville College), Matt Parton (Transylvania), Darrell Dean (King College), Ryan Walden (Catholic)

Team: Kingston Alley, Coach Chad Smith
Wayne Chism, JaJuan Smith, Jalen Rose (Suns), Logan Johnson (Coastal Carolina), Stanley Asumnu, Raul Placeres (Maryville College), Justin Albrecht, Jordan Dixon (Carson-Newman), Rande Sibley (Anderson College), Chris Conner (Powell)

Team: Suntrust, Coach Kevin Feltner
Ramar Smith, Courtney Pigram (ETSU), Terrence Oglesby (Clemson), Rashard Lee, Kenyona Swader (ETSU), Jon Higgins, Justin Walker (Carson-Newman), Bernard King (Just Kidding), Zach Hyatte (Carson-Newman), Steven Pearl, Andy Hill (Milligan)

Team: First Tennessee, Coach Brent Watts
Ron Slay, Vincent Yarbrough, Jordan Howell, Josh Tabb, Mykail Vibbert (Cleveland State CC), Russell McNeal (Motlow State), Rob Zalucki (Tusculum), J.T. Blair (King College), Alex Wells (Motlow State), Ben Purcell (Sewanee)

Team: Toyota of Knoxville, Coach Rick Campbell
Chris Lofton, Dane Bradshaw, John Mueller (Marquette), Damon Johnson, Andy Tipton (Carson-Newman), Tom Gallaher (Radford), Tyler Gaskin (Tennessee Wesleyan), Cole Rose (Lee University), Nick Pasqua (King College), Ike Weaver (Tusculum)

SCHEDULE

MONDAY, JUNE 18
Knoxville News Sentinel vs. HT Group @ 6:00
Kingston Alley vs. SunTrust @ 7:30
1st Tennessee vs. Toyota @ 9:00
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20
HT Group vs. Kingston Alley @ 6:00
SunTrust vs. 1st Tennessee @ 7:30
Knoxville News Sentinel vs. Toyota @ 9:00
MONDAY, JUNE 25
Kingston Alley vs. 1st Tennessee @ 6:00
HT Group vs. Toyota @ 7:30
Knoxville News Sentinel vs. SunTrust @ 9:00
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27
Knoxville News Sentinel vs. Kingston Alley @ 6:00
HT Group vs. 1st Tennessee @ 7:30
SunTrust vs. Toyota @ 9:00
MONDAY, JULY 2
Kingston Alley vs. Toyota @ 6:00
SunTrust vs. HT Group @ 7:30
Knoxville News Sentinel vs. 1st Tennessee @ 9:00
THURSDAY, JULY 5
1st Tennessee vs. Toyota @ 6:00
Knoxville News Sentinel vs. HT Group @ 7:30
Kingston Alley vs. SunTrust @ 9:00
MONDAY, JULY 9
SunTrust vs. 1st Tennessee @ 6:00
Knoxville News Sentinel vs. Toyota @ 7:30
HT Group vs. Kingston Alley @ 9:00
WEDNESDAY, JULY 11
Kingston Alley vs. 1st Tennessee @ 6:00
Knoxville News Sentinel vs. SunTrust @ 7:30
HT Groupo vs. Toyota @ 9:00

MONDAY JULY 16
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
#3 vs.#4 @ 6:00
#1 vs.#2 @ 7:30

I had a taste of my youth recently when we attended a birthday party for my 5 year old niece. My sister had the event at Inskip Pool in North Knoxville. Everything from the parking lot to the pavilion was old school. In fact, my mother who grew up in Fountain City, mentioned that, except for the fresh coat of blue and white paint on the main building, it hadn’t changed since her days in high school in the early 60′s.

When you enter through the main building, you’re standing on the upper patio overlooking the pool. I could just remember walking in as a much lighter and much more in shape teenager and checking out the scenery hoping the scenery would be checking out me and my friends. These days, though, I’m looking out for safety hazards for my kids instead. The multi-layered patio is a combination of concrete and wood planks so it’s kinda got a boardwalk feel to it. The entire complex contains the pavilion, a sand volleyball area, a large lawn for Frisbee and other games, a kiddie pool, the main Olympic size pool and a deep end. But I’ve saved the best for last…

The deep end has something banned from all but 3 pools in the city of Knoxville. In addition to a 3 foot spring board it has a 10 foot, spring-board high dive. According to the life guard on duty, almost all the high dives have been retired due to potential lawsuits from injuries. And apparently, Inskip’s high dive is on the endangered list as well. The lifeguard mentioned it’s coming down once it gets on the city’s “needs maintenance” list. So to all of you daredevils out there, enjoy it while it lasts.

Actually, I can’t blame the city for going this route. Believe me, when the line forms to take the leap, I’m right there. But at the party, I was directly involved in the danger of these things. As soon as we got there, my sons made a bee-line for the high dive. My oldest one fearlessly attempted a flip and nailed it. After nailing it several times, he attempted a 1 and 1/2 (I kinda urged him so it’s partly my fault). Unfortunately, he only completed a 1 and 1/4 and slammed face and belly first into the water. The noise sounded like he had broken the sound barrier. After the “ooooos” and applause from the 40 party attendees subsided, Jake emerged from the pool with a bloody nose and a candy-apple red stomach. Needless to say, I don’t think he’ll be attempting that again anytime soon. And if the city sticks to their pool maintenance schedule, he might not get the chance.

If you’re looking for a little old-school summer fun, pack the towels and a picnic and hit a public pool like Inskip.  I know Alcoa has one and we plan to go there soon.  I hear they still have a high-dive, too.

Inskip Pool & Park
4204 Bruhin Road
865-687-9919

Come to think of it, isn’t laughing and having a good time what we are supposed to be doing when we are eating together as a family? And honestly speaking, I can’t think of anywhere else in town that I truly have more fun eating than Wasabi on Lovell Road. I like Japanese food but my family has not been big fans. But something has changed over the last couple of years. Whenever the question of “Where are going to eat?” came up, I would throw in “Let’s go to Wasabi!” in hopes they would eventually bite. Well, the kids and wife bit one day and we’ve been going back ever since.

Why?

Easy. The food is fresh and good. Not great. There is plenty of it. In fact, the last time we went, we had enough left overs for 2 more meals! And dang it, it’s just plain fun. Where else can you watch your kids eyes light up as the chef sets the entire counter on fire. They always get a kick out of seeing if Dad can catch the rice in his mouth on the fly. And there’s just something mesmerizing about that onion ring volcano with smoke pouring out.

So what should you get if you go? I like to stick to the basics – steak and chicken (for the variety). I would suggest to save room for the glazed carrots that come near the end but who am I kidding? Your practically full before the entree gets there. They bring out the teriyaki shrimp as an appetizer, soup and salad with ginger dressing, fresh grilled vegetables and fried rice before you even get your main course.

The prices aren’t too bad. You can get the combo meal like I suggest for $15. But I’d be smart and split a meal with your spouse or child. Like I said, they give you a ton of food and you will not leave hungry.

As I mentioned before, eating together should be fun a as a family. How can you not have fun when there is flying food and fire involved?

Wasabi Jabanese Steak House
226 Lovell Road
Knoxville, TN 37922
865-675-0201