Concord-Northshore Roundabout Works

So I’m digressing today.  I’m not talking about a restaurant, sporting event or service company.  Today’s post is a bit of an apology.  Here’s the deal.

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.

The Rocky Top League is Back!

In a post last year, I talked about how awesome the Rocky Top League was.  The good news is the league is back again this summer. They’ve just had the draft and will be starting games Monday, June 16 at the Bearden High School Gym.  Here’s the schedule and rosters:

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’ve Got Gas!” “No, I’ve Got Gas!!”

It’s on. Actually, it’s been on for years. Call it Knoxville’s own version of the Hatfields and the McCoys. You know it as Weigel’s vs. Pilot. I’ve been frequenting these places now for almost 30 years and I’ve never really spent time to think which one is better. Well, those days are over. I’m going to do a side by side comparison and come up with a winner. A couple of ground rules.

– 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….

America’s Cup Excursion Way Worth It

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.

Ask the mayor.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say this referring to me.

No. I’m not an official mayor. In fact, I’m completely unofficial in every way. I’ve not ran for office nor do I plan to. Here’s the scoop…

I’ve lived in Knoxville my entire life. 39 years to be exact. 40 this November. A lot of my friends at work are transplants from Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida…pick a state.