It’s it’s free, it’s for me!

I have an exciting update to the upcoming season of “Titans On 2″ on News-2.
The Wildhorse Saloon has decided to not charge a cover for anyone who comes for the “Titans On 2″ taping Tuesday nights.  Most nights, because it has live music seven nights a week, charge four-dollars for adults and six-dollars for anyone under-21.
I thank Jennifer and all the great folks at the Wildhorse for working with us in trying to make Tuesday nights a cool happenin’ night in downtown Nashville.  Here’s the plan for “Titans On 2″ for the 2010 season:

Tuesdays during the regular season beginning September 14th:

“Titans On 2″ will be recorded in front of a live audience at the Wildhorse Saloon from 7:15-8:15pm.

The first half-hour of the recorded show, “Bridgestone Titans On 2 With Jeff Fisher” will air Wednesdays at 6:30pm.

The second half-hour of the show, billed as “Bridgestone Titans On 2 Final Countdown” will air Saturdays at 6:30pm.

FAQ’S
——

Q. Can anyone come to the show?

Yes, by all means. While it’s named a saloon, all ages are allowed.

Q. Is it free?

As the wind!  Generally, each night because of live music, there is a cover charge. 4-dollars for adults. 6-dollars for anyone under 21.  Wildhorse management is waiving the cover charge .   There is no drink or food minimum, but I encourage you to come thirsty and hunger.

Q. If stayed  for the live music afterwards, would I have to pay the cover?

I suspect management will expect you to pay the cover if you hang out.  If you ran the place, you would probably expect the same thing, right?

Q. Will I have a good view of the show and be guaranteed a table for 2, 4 or more of my family or friends?

There really isn’t a bad seat. Along side the VIP seating area are tables on both
sides, extending all the way to the back. I’m told the second floor balcony
area is actually some of the best seating. There are flat screen TV’s all through
the place so finding a table or seat to watch the show live and on TV is not going
to be a problem. That’s unless 1,500 people show up when the Titans begin the season 11-0.

Q. If I go as a general admission spectator, can I eat?

This is where it get’s really cool. The Wildhorse Saloon is a full-service restaurant.
You can eat and drink before, during and after the show. Perfect timing would be to
get there around 6:30pm and grab some dinner and then hang out for the show taping.
The Wildhorse takes all major credit cards and even cash.
You can be back your car by 8:30pm.

Q. Speaking of parking, you have to help me here. Just where do I park?

There’s a covered public parking garage about a half-block away at 3rd and
Commerce with the entrance on the Commerce Street side. The closest outside
parking is a lot on 2nd Avenue, on the same side of the street, just north of Hooters
Restaurant.  I will track down the prices and let you know as I post these FAQ’S
periodically leading up to the first show.

Q. Can We bring signs or paint our faces for the show?

Do you think that’s a way to get on TV?  Of course it is!
We encourage it.

Q. What about getting autographs from Coach Fisher and the player guest?

This is where things get sticky.  Neither Coach Fisher nor the player is obligated
to sign autographs.  This is not a public appearance, but rather a taping of a TV show
in a public venue.  For you regulars, you know Coach Fisher has been overly accommodating
in the past. So have many of the players. I stress that coming to the show simply for
autographs could set yourself up for a letdown.  Coach Fisher usually signs while walking
out and bolts back to the office to meet up with the other coaches in preparing Sunday’s
gameplan and Tuesday is the only player’s full day off and most have plans after the show.
I can tell you in seeing the Wildhorse set up, Coach Fisher and the player will not have to exit
through the crowd. I guess what I’m saying is, if it happens, great, but please, please don’t count on it.

Q. I go to the show, the camera guy likes my enthusiasm and I’m on TV four times.
How can I get a copy of the show?

Here’s the cool thing. You can tape it yourself because you now know it airs Tuesdays and
Saturdays at 6:30pm. Fair warning: If you sneak down to the show and you end up on TV
but told your boss or wife that you were at the office working late, I will not, no matter how
much the bribe, edit you out of the finished product before it airs.

I hope these answer most of your questions. If you have any others, please email them johndwyer@wkrn.com and I will get back to you. So many of you have been incredible supporters of the show and I hope that you’ll plan to spend a Tuesday (or two or three) with us at our new home of “Titans On 2″, the Wildhorse Saloon.

We also now have a FaceBook page “Titans On 2″.  Click HERE for the link.  It’s the best way to find out updates on the show such as player guests etc.

12 days and counting to the first taping!

Enjoy tonight final preseason game on News-2.  News-2 sports director Cory Curtis and everyone behind the scenes at News-2 work hard to put on a good product. 

See ya tonight on the tube.

“Rally!”

It’s the name of WNDU-TV sportscaster Jeff Jeffers’  book on Notre Dame football written in 1981.

Now, it’s not just a name of his book, but also what Jeff must now do.

The “Dean of Local Sports” (in South Bend, Indiana) is hospitalized.  He’s going to be fine but needs to stay a few days for a few more tests.  There are not deep, dark secrets about his medical issues.  I’m just trying to tow the line between informing people about his whereabouts and his family’s wishes of privacy.  Click HERE for WNDU-TV’s official statement.

He’s kind of a big deal with Notre Dame football.  I mean, he has Regis on speed dial.

Jeff is a throwback.  Scour the country and I bet you don’t find five local TV sportscasters that have worked at just one station their entire careers that span more than 30 years.  A Tulsa University undergrad, he was a Notre Dame grad student in the 1970′s who was a “station rat” the same way an aspiring basketball player is a “gym rat.”  He knew right then and there that he wanted to be TV sportscaster reporting on Notre Dame sports and nobody was going to outwork him.  Nothing despite his self-proclaimed “Voit basketball” for a face.

In short verse, I owe my broadcasting career to him (along with many others from the WNDU family).  He took me in as a pitiful intern in the summer of 1982.  I soon learned that verbal abuse what just his way of saying, “I like you, but I’m still going to have to break you.”   Through my college summers and falls he allowed me to do some things on-air, fall on my face, and get back up again.  I think because I was willing to do all the grunt work behind the scenes (I even picked up his drycleaning on occasion) he threw me bones by letting  me do interviews and work my way up to cub reporter.  In those days, it was “no credit, no pay” but I wouldn’t trade those summers for anything.  I worked as a busboy at a local restaurant during lunches for money but couldn’t wait until I could bolt across town to WNDU.  I was inside the very station and sports department I grew up watching.  Inside.  It didn’t get much better.

After graduating from Butler University in 1985, I was lucky to land a job at another South Bend area station.  By industry structure I was now Jeff Jeffer’s peer (both local TV sports directors) but in reality, he would forget more sources than I would ever have and broke more stories than I can count.  He whipped my ass just like all the others before, and after me all up and down the dial.

Hammes Field dedication at my grade school in '92. That's Jeff in the back with the rest of my family.

When I left South Bend in 1988 to put my toes in the sand in Ft. Myers, Florida and Jacksonville, Florida, my parents kept in touch with their “adopted” son, even having him fill in for me on a few family occasions.  My parents have a razor sharp recall on who treated their kids well and otherwise through the years.  My parents continually feel indebted for how Jeff took me under his wing when he could have brushed me to the station parking lot curb.

For Nashville sports fans who listen to 104.5 The Zone, you probably have heard Jeff on the radio as he’s the Notre Dame expert that occasionally is called upon.  I always know when he’s been on because someone will report back to me that I was being ripped on the radio by some sportscaster from South Bend.  Yep, some things never change.  I would like to think it’s a demented sign of affection and/or respect.  Heck, maybe it is just a good ole’ fashion beat down.  I don’t care.  I probably deserve it.

Aside from his incredible run at WNDU that shouldn’t end anytime soon, he’s a giving father, brother and husband. 

Right now though, he needs to be one thing, in “Rally!” mode.

Notre Dame football kicks off a new era in three days.
I just know Jeff will return to the camera and microphone soon to chronicle it all.
Rest up my friend,  and then get after it.
You always have.

With Sue and Peg. A combined 78.6 miles among this trio on this day. April 2008.

While Lynley hosted a dynamite baby shower for a friend, I had to be out of the house for a few hours Saturday afternoon.  I decided to plod the 11-mile loop at Percy Warner Park.  It’s all you want.  I did it which is a decent indicator whether I should meet my sister Sue and her friend Peg for the Philadelphia marathon in November.  I’m in.  By the way, I never take Percy Warner Park for granted.  It’s an incredible running venue.  There’s never a boring stretch because of all the twists, turns and changes in elevation.  Also, the canopyof trees through most of the run keeps the sun from baking you.  It’s a real Nashville jewel.  Lynley and I ran the 6-mile route with a friend Sunday and we both felt pretty good afterward.  If you live in the Nashville area and love to walk your dog or run, and haven’t taken in the park, do yourself a favor.  You won’t regret it.

**********

Is Comcast “On Demand” a bargain or a rip-off?  Lynley and I probably bought seven movies this weekend but only watched two of them all the way through and they were okay, not great.  Going to the movie theatre probably could have saved us money.

**********

I don’t get all bent out of shape if a TV show isn’t in HD but when it comes to watching golf, it makes a HUGE difference.  I’m hypnotized by a PGA tournament in HD.

**********

Viewers are our customers so when you receive an email criticizing you and your coverage, you pay attention.  I received one over the weekend ripping me for incorrectly reporting about a certain runway at Nashville International Airport.  I have little doubt that the guy knew what he was talking about regarding the airport.  Only thing is, I didn’t anchor this weekend and haven’t read an airport story in weeks.  I don’t have a problem with viewers venting, demanding that “we get our facts straight” but his anger was misguided.  Oh, and he incorrectly used  further when he meant farther.  I kept that out of my reply.

**********

Bob has a well deserved week off so you are stuck with me on all the shows.  I hope we all can have a good, productive, calm week.  Fingers crossed.

Thanks for checkin’ in.

Okay, okay…

I ain’t got any substance today.  (I HATE the word “got”.  When it’s in any news copy I change it.  I challenge you to hear me say it on the air).

I ran to the office to fax a couple of things to Make-A-Wish and my condo association and a 20 minute errand turned into 90 minutes.  I had a great “catch up” lunch with a friend and then to work.

Lynley is hosting a baby shower for a good friend tomorrow and I spent my dinner break helping her set up the house.

Poof!

Day gone.

Have a great and safe weekend.

With a morning speaking commitment and a businesss lunch for Make-A-Wish, the day has slipped away.

I will check in with more substance tomorrow.

Thanks.

So I’m gearing up for another season of “Titans On 2″ while also in the middle of a CEO transition at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee.  Then there’s all the neglected projects at home that are piling up and Lynley is hosting a baby shower for a good friend Saturday.  On top of that, Lynley’s work is really cranking as it continues to attract more business.  (She’s an interior designer). 
No complaints. 
We are fortunate to have jobs, projects and good friends to fill up our days and nights.

There just seems to be times of the year that there’s not enough hours in the day, and days in the week to accomplish all that you want to get done.
So what goes?

Do I stopping trying to sneak a run in before a lunch meeting?
Do I cut back my Make-A-Wish commitments?
Do I get up earlier to tackle the household chores?
Put the blog on hiatus?

I know, I know.  Those of you raising kids are scoffing at my dilemma.  I honestly don’t know how our friends with kids do it.  I’m convinced they are really good people and God gives them a 36 hour day while the rest of us are stuck with the conventional 24.

Someone recently told me a good quote about busy people.  I don’t know if it applies to me but when I sat back and thought about it, it’s really true.  Those that bust their hiney always seem to be the most willing to drop everything to help out.

“You will find that the people who are the busiest in life have more time to help others.”

My father and sister Sue immediately come to mind.  Board members I work with at Make-A-Wish also fit into this group.  You know the type of people I’m talking about.  They are human perpetual motion.  They are seemingly everywhere doing everything.  They don’t do it for the slap on the back.  They do it because it’s simply in their DNA.  It doesn’t dawn on them that they can’t take on another task. 

I spent countless hours of my youth playing this game.

Not everyone can be these type of people.  Can you imagine the world?  It would be like that 1970′s electric football game when you turn the dial all the way.  
Twenty-two player figurines bouncing in all different directions. 
Chaos.

My rambling point is simply this.  We all have the capacity to do just a little bit more for other people.  We think we don’t but we do.  I know I can.  It doesn’t have to be 24/7/365 but there are windows in our life that we can give time to others in the form of volunteering or mentoring.  I see people all around me everyday that amaze me with what they get done in a single day.  These people aren’t the wealthiest, with the most resources.  They are people like you and me, “struggling for the legal tender”(as Jackson Brown would sing) and simply cutting and pasting a day together.

I can be much better in this regard. 

So there’s no cutting back on my schedule and the things I take on.
It’s full-speed ahead.
Somehow it seems things just work out.

It all reminds me of my mother long ago when her kids wanted to take on a part-time job or play sports,
“It’s fine with me.  Boredom creates trouble.”

Thanks to all those that continually show people like me that a more complete day is out there.

I was running some errands with the top down when my mind drifted…

…I have to come clean.

I’ve been carrying around a pound of guilt for more than 35 years.  My parents often state that they know more than they let on about my childhood antics and I respond that I got away with more than they think. 
We have a truce to meet somewhere in the middle.

Well, putting the top down triggered a memory that needs to be set straight once and for all.

If this car could talk...

When I was 12 my parents put me in charge of babysitting my six-year old brother.  Mom and Dad had dinner plans that night.  The moment I heard the garage door go down, I grabbed the small black & white TV from my bedroom and placed it Jeff’s room to keep him occupied.  I dashed for the kitchen cupboard where inside the car keys were organized.  Stuffing the keys to  the 1973 red Mustang convertible in my front pocket, I bolted for the garage.  For the last 35 years the story has been that I ran up the road to the convenience store (Burger Dairy, a local chain I think) to get some milk for my brother.

For 35 years at family get togethers, that’s been the story.  I can almost hear my mother initiate a new friend to the family by bellowing across the table, “Hey John, remember when you stole the car and went to get some milk for your brother?” (Followed by cat calls and groans.  The story is more well worn than hallway carpet in the Brady Bunch house.)

Drum roll please.

Here’s the real story.
Yes, I used the TV as a decoy to keep Jeff occupied.
Yes, I took the car for a joyride.
But…

I didn’t take a left out of the subdivision toward Burger Dairy.
I took a right.
And kept driving.

I picked up my 8th grade classmate Madeline Garvey a few miles away.
We preceded to drive across town and picked up another classmate Mike Eichelberger.
The three of us toured the north side of South Bend on a weekday night and dropped them off about an hour later.

Here’s where the two stories dissect again.

I pulled into our subdivision feeling as if I had really pulled one over on Mom and Dad.
I accelerated up the subdivision hill for my last gasp of freedom and power.
As I reached the crest I immediately recognized the slower car in front of me.

IT CAN’T BE!
It was.
My parents’ sliver 1976 Ford Granada.

Busted.

I pulled into the driveway right behind them and had to think of something quickly.
The best I could come up with was that whopper about going a mile up the road to get Jeff some milk.

They did what you might expect.
Chewed my ass and told me to go to my room.

I was grounded for awhile.
In fact, there’s a good chance I’m STILL grounded.

Here’s where I wonder if Mom and Dad have played me all these years instead of the other way around.
They have stuck to the story of me taking the car to buy my brother some milk.
Never have mentioned the possibilities of a joy ride, picking up friends and heading across town.

My parents are pretty smart and must have realized…
…I had no milk in the car.

So there.  I’ve come clean.
Not the most seismic revelation of a childhood but a big one for me to finally expose.

Just one question for Mom and Dad.
Am I still grounded?

Work just called and they have field anchoring from LP Field beginning on News-2 at 4.  Allow me to run some errands, get a run in and head to work.

You can see the Titans-Cardinals game tonight on News-2 at 7 o’clock. 

Have a great Monday.

I thought I would head into the weekend with a quick story for you to ponder.

I was walking downtown a few early evenings ago when I noticed a man with a knapsack (and about four days removed from a shower) a few steps behind me.  I ducked into a small eatery to grab bite to go.  As I ordered I noticed the knapsack man breezed by me and b-lined for the restaurant’s bathroom.  Seconds later he reappeared and dug into his pocket.  Out came a small wad of one dollar bills and some loose change. 

The man starred at the menu, then to hisclasped hand, back up to the menu, then again to his hand.
He plucked a crumpled one dollar bill and two quarters with his dirty fingers.
Placing it on the counter, he said meekly,
“I would like to buy a water so I can use your bathroom.”

The owner nodded, scrapped up the money off the counter and put it in the register.  He pulled a cold bottled water from the cooler behind him and set it on the counter.

Waiting for my order, I gave the owner a quizzical look. He read my mind and explained,
“I get homeless people in here all the time and they mess up my bathroom.  I had to put a sign on the restroom doors stating that only customers could use the bathroom.”

After a few moments a stranger in line was paying for his food when he said, “Charge me a dollar-fifty more and please give his money back to him.”

The stranger explained that he has strong issues about the brutal homeless problem downtown.  Heck, he lived downtown for six years and still owns a place around the corner.  But, he was taken by the respect and manners the homeless man showed the restaurant owner.  The homeless man didn’t duck in the alley behind the restaurant like so many other homeless people do to take of their business. 
He played by the rules. 

As the stranger was halfway out the door, he leaned back in and said to the owner, “Please explain to the man that it’s because he played by the rules and perhaps one day when he pulls himself up and make it, he’ll recall this and pay it forward in some small way.  Can you do that for me?” 
The owner gave the man in the dark blue suit a grin and thumbs up.

The stranger knows he could and should probably do much, much more for people and charities.
He’s very lucky to be raised right.  He knows this.
What he did is a mere drop in the ocean of good will.  He knows this.
There is a very good chance that nothing will ever come of this.  Nothing.  He knows this.

But what if it does?
That’s a buck-fifty well spent.

Have a great and safe weekend.

Comments? Questions? Rants?  johndwyer@wkrn.com

The world famous Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville has hosted a plethora of events through the years.

All the big names in country music riding their rising star.
Veteran rock ‘n roll acts.
Talent contests for practically every TV show here and overseas.
Nightly live music seven days a week.

Now it’s home to an NFL coach’s show.

“Titans On 2″ has a new home.  The Wildhorse Saloon.

May 3, 2010. Opry Mill shoppling complext surrounded by water.

Due to the May floods that devastated Opry Mills, we knew we had to find a new venue for Coach Fisher’s weekly TV show.  I had done some Sunday Titans radio work at the Wildhorse years ago and always enjoyed the vibe of the place.
It’s big.
It’s clean.
It’s cool.
It’s country.
It’s distinctly downtown Nashville.
It’s well run.
It’s historic.
It’s perfect for the show.

I’ve been lucky to host and produce the show (with help from many) for 12 of the last 13 years.

The show will still take place Tuesdays during the regular season but News-2 is forced to find a creative way to wedge it into the early evening TV schedule.  (Quick back story:  When the Oilers moved to Nashville in 1997, we aired the show on Mondays right before Monday Night Football.  When MNF shifted to ESPN in 2006 and began the games 20 minutes earlier, NFL broadcast rules state that no NFL-based programming on another TV channel can aired at the same time as game.  We were forced to find another night and another time slot.  News-2′s experiment of taping the show on Thursday nights and airing it on Friday nights lasted one year.  In 2007, News-2 moved the show back to a live format on Tuesday nights from 7-8pm.  It stayed that way for the last three seasons.)

Enter the 2010 NFL season.  The short story is the NFL has never been thrilled with us blowing out its Tuesday night primetime programming and is now putting its foot down. 
So what to do? 
Here’s the plan for “Titans On 2″ for the 2010 season:

Tuesdays during the regular season beginning September 14th:

“Titans On 2″ will be recorded in front of a live audience at the Wildhorse Saloon from 7:15-8:15pm.

The first half-hour of the recorded show, “Bridgestone Titans On 2 With Jeff Fisher” will air Wednesdays at 6:30pm.

The second half-hour of the show, billed as “Bridgestone Titans On 2 Final Countdown” will air Saturdays at 6:30pm.

It’s not a perfect solution but there simply isn’t one ever since the show was forced off Monday nights before MNF.

View from the stage during site survey. Note all the room and various levels.

Here’s what has me so fired up.
For the first time in the show’s 14-year history, the general public will be able to come to the show.  In fact, we encourage it.  C’mon down!
In going through a site survey with some News-2 folks Wednesday, it became quickly apparent that the Wildhorse Saloon venue is perfectly suited for a show like this. I had a “duh” moment this morning, realizing, this is what these people do for a living.  They put on shows every night of the week. Every question our folks had, their folks had an answer for it. We will still have a VIP section for clients and guests of the show but the place can hold more than a thousand people. Anyone that wants to come and watch the show can do it. In fact, I’m hoping that those who frequented Opry Mills as regulars will join us and all those that have been intrigued about checking the show but haven’t, will. I’ve tried to anticipate some of your questions so I put together a “Frequently Asked Questions” list.

FAQ’S
——

Q. Can anyone come to the show?

Yes, by all means. While it’s named a saloon, all ages are allowed.

Q. Is it free?

There is a cover charge. 4-dollars for adults. 6-dollars for anyone under 21.
This is standard procedure for the Wildhorse saloon. It has live entertainment
every night (including after our Tuesday night taping) and it’s simply to recoup
some of the cost. That money goes exclusively to the Wildhorse Saloon.  There
is no drink or food minimum.

Q. Since I paid the cover charge, can I stay for the music afterwards?

Yes.  Enjoy yourself all evening.

Q. Will I have a good view of the show and be guaranteed a table for 2, 4 or more of my family or friends?

There really isn’t a bad seat. Along side the VIP seating area are tables on both
sides, extending all the way to the back. I’m told the second floor balcony
area is actually some of the best seating.  There are flat screen TV’s all through
the place so finding a table or seat to watch the show live and on TV is not going
to be a problem. That’s unless 1,500 people show up when the Titans begin the season 11-0.

Q. If I go as a general admission spectator, can I eat?

This is where it get’s really cool. The Wildhorse Saloon is a full-service restaurant.
You can eat and drink before, during and after the show. Perfect timing would be to
get there around 6:30pm and grab some dinner and then hang out for the show taping.
The Wildhorse takes all major credit cards and even cash.
You can be back your car by 8:30pm.

Q. Speaking of parking, you have to help me here.  Just where do I park?

There’s a covered public parking garage about a half-block away at 3rd and
Commerce with the enterance on the Commerce Street side. The closest outside
parking is a lot on 2nd Avenue, on the same side of the street, just north of Hooters
Restuarant. I will track down the prices and let you know as I post these FAQ’S
periodically leading up to the first show.

Q. Can We bring signs or paint our faces for the show?

Do you think that’s a way to get on TV?  Of course it is!
We encourage it.

Q. What about getting autographs from Coach Fisher and the player guest?

This is where things get sticky. Neither Coach Fisher nor the player is obligated
to sign autographs.  This is not a public appearance, but rather a taping of a TV show
in a public venue. For you regulars, you know Coach Fisher has been overly accommodating
in the past. So have many of the players.  I stress that coming to the show simply for
autographs could set yourself up for a letdown. Coach Fisher usually signs while walking
out and bolts back to the office to meet up with the other coaches in preparing Sunday’s
gameplan and Tuesday is the only player’s full day off and most have plans after the show.
I can tell you in seeing the Wildhorse set up, Coach Fisher and the player will not have to exit
through the crowd.  I guess what I’m saying is, if it happens, great, but please, please don’t count on it.

Q. I go to the show, the camera guy likes my enthuiasm and I’m on TV four times.
How can I get a copy of the show?

Here’s the cool thing. You can tape it yourself because you now know it airs Tuesdays and
Saturdays at 6:30pm.  Fair warning:  If you sneak down to the show and you end up on TV
but told your boss or wife that you were at the office working late, I will not, no matter how
much the bribe, edit you out of the finished product before it airs.

I hope these answer most of your questions. If you have any others, please email them johndwyer@wkrn.com and I will get back to you.  So many of you have been incredible supporters of the show and I hope that you’ll plan to spend a Tuesday (or two or three) with us at our new home of “Titans On 2″, the Wildhorse Saloon.

It should be a blast.