Reporter
Don Wade has been a Memphis journalist since 1998 and he has won awards for both his sports and news/feature writing. He is originally from Kansas City and is married with three sons.
There are 589 articles by Don Wade :
When fans return to AutoZone Park for baseball this season, they will see a new grass field and a “bright as ever” video board, according to Memphis Redbirds President Craig Unger, along with a menu with many new choices.
The recent Nashville school shooting provided yet another reminder that “presumptive safe places” might now always be safe.
Notebook: The Memphis Redbirds’ home-opener gave fans their first look at top prospect Masyn Winn and scorekeeper John Guinozzo, 74, was at his usual post and recalling a 40-year-old run-in with Nashville manager Stump Merrill.
On Friday and Saturday, April 14-15, these firefighters who are part of the department’s Bluff City Combat team, were to compete in the Pensacola Beach Firefighters Challenge, the first event in a six-month season that will include national and world competitions.
The narrative around policing has changed in recent years, adding to the challenge of recruiting and retaining officers here and across the country. But Jhyunn Armstrong, soon to become a Shelby County Sheriff’s deputy, is following his dream.
“Shoot or don’t shoot? Every potentially dangerous situation a cop encounters is different. And even when it’s just a simulation in training, there’s nothing easy about it.”
The beginning of 20-year-old rookie Jordan Walker’s career with the St. Louis Cardinals was so successful he tied an MLB record that had him eclipsing the likes of Roberto Clemente and Ted Williams. Even so, the Cardinals recently demoted him to Triple-A Memphis.
Baseball’s automated ball-strike (ABS) system is getting a long look from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. The Memphis Redbirds and other Triple-A teams are now playing all games with one of two ABS versions.
Marvin was the entertainer. Leslie is the legal technician and smooth operator. Blake is a hybrid of the two. The firm known as Ballin, Ballin & Fishman has a reputation as defense attorneys. Dream Team: Leslie Ballin and Steve Farese made mark with Mullins and Winkler casesRelated content:
Leslie Ballin says he’s a “little bit city” and criminal defense partner Steve Farese is a “little bit country.” Together, they’ve won verdicts that seemed impossible. “We sell ourselves because the merchandise we’re trying to sell, our clients, is not sellable.” ‘Formidable Opponents’: Three generations of Ballins carry the torchRelated content:
Pine Hill, which has five new holes and two new lakes among its improvements, is scheduled to open in early June. Audubon, which is also undergoing major renovations, is slated to open in June 2024.
Memphis Inner City Rugby has offered a lot more than rugby to those who become a part of it.
What causes long COVID in some people and not others?
Right-handed pitcher Michael McGreevy, a 2021 first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals, is having success at Triple-A Memphis by being true to his self: trying to get “early, weak contact” from hitters, so he can eventually change his work address from AutoZone Park to Busch Stadium.
For first baseman Luken Baker to take the step from Triple-A to the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals or some other team, he’s going to have to “knock the door down,” said Memphis manager Ben Johnson.
The Youth Villages program has partnered with Renardo Baker, who was already embedded in the community, to reach out to the neighborhood’s most high-risk residents.
Once The King, always The King. Pro wrestler Jerry Lawler might be 73 years old, just months removed from a second stroke, and living with some heartache, but he still commands an audience, and The King is still gathering crowns.
From that first game of catch between father and son, they have grown closer. “Everybody thinks they’ve got the greatest dad in the world, and I do, too,” says Memphis Redbirds pitcher Tommy Parsons.
After decades of decline, Downtown started to rebound — and perhaps nothing spurred the comeback quite like the 2000 opening of AutoZone Park at Third and Union. The whole atmosphere changed. Or as now-retired AutoZone executive Ray Pohlman remembers: “Downtown was cool ... it just flourished.”
His mother, Kim Mulkey, knows a thing or two about sports. She just won her fourth national championship as a women’s college basketball head coach, this time at LSU.
The problem with common sense, as the saying goes, is that it’s so uncommon. Memphis businessman Bill Courtney is trying to change that with his new podcast, “An Army of Normal Folks.”
What lessons do Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota have for Ja Morant? “Quarterback” on Netflix has the answers for Ja Morant, Don Wade says.
For 29 years, Tim Simpson has been on News Channel 3 telling Memphis viewers about the weather, advising them when a storm is headed their way and when to seek shelter. Now he’s retiring.
It is not your regular job — climbing inside a costume and playing the part of NBA mascot Grizz, Memphis Tigers mascot Pouncer or becoming Rockey the Rockin’ Redbird. In fact, it can be all-consuming.
They may have a few years on the guys in the big leagues, but the game still means as much as ever to those in senior league baseball.