Sports
‘RoboUmp?’ Not exactly
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.
Don Wade
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 584 articles by Don Wade :
-
May 2023
-
Premium
Sports -
Premium
SportsTop Cardinals prospect Jordan Walker in Memphis to ‘work on things’
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.
-
-
April 2023
-
Premium
Criminal JusticeWade: Journalist undergoes sheriff’s training, finds it’s not as easy as it looks
“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.”
-
Premium
Criminal JusticeAmid nationwide recruiting crisis, every good law enforcement candidate is vital
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.
-
Premium
City of MemphisMFD’s Bluff City Combat team takes training to another level
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.
-
Sports Now playing at AutoZone Park: Masyn Winn, the St. Louis Cardinals’ No. 2 prospect
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.
-
Premium
MetroFrom Columbine to Uvalde to Nashville, school shootings impact all
The recent Nashville school shooting provided yet another reminder that “presumptive safe places” might now always be safe.
-
-
March 2023
-
Premium
SportsRedbirds Notebook: New eats, new rules at AutoZone Park this year
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.
-
Home Again: Memphis Redbirds manager Ben Johnson back where it all began
He went to his first St. Louis Cardinals game at age 2, was drafted by the Cardinals out of high school, and Monday night Ben Johnson will manage against them at AutoZone Park as skipper of their Triple-A team, the Memphis Redbirds.
-
Former Redbirds manager Stubby Clapp learning on the job as Cardinals coach
Former Memphis Redbirds manager Stubby Clapp had proved all there was to prove at Triple-A. His reward: a promotion to St. Louis to be first base and infield coach.
-
Premium
Memphis GrizzliesWherever it goes from here, Ja Morant’s story is only beginning
While Ja Morant’s image has taken a hit, experts say a forgiving public when it comes to sports figures gives him plenty of opportunity to change the narrative.
Related story;
-
Premium
Criminal JusticeViolence intervention must be a ‘team sport,’ crime researcher says
Violence intervention, several national experts said at a conference Monday in Memphis, requires much communication and collaboration if success is to be achieved and sustained.
-
Premium
Criminal JusticeNo time to wait: SWITCH Youth is trying to stop juvenile gun violence
Intervening early can be the key to success, and Memphis Allies’ SWITCH Youth program seeks to do just that.
-
Premium
Criminal JusticeWorking in a world where ‘being a shooter is cool’
The Memphis Allies initiative offers a way out, for those living in a violent culture where shooting helps establish credibility.
-
Premium
Criminal Justice‘To save lives, you’ve got to try to intervene.’
Youth Villages’ Memphis Allies outreach program officials “lost sleep” over Ezekiel Kelly, who was indicted for charges connected to the September 2022 shooting spree. Now, they hope to rescue others like him while they still can.
-
Premium
Criminal JusticeMemphis Allies’ mission to reduce gun violence will take time and patience
It’s difficult to measure success when there’s no way to quantify violence that doesn’t occur, but those behind the Memphis Allies initiative believe their lofty goals are worth the effort.
-
Premium
ArlingtonFamily Affair: A passion for coffee is in her DNA
Not long after Ashleigh Weaver moved from Nashville to Memphis, she turned her passion for coffee into a start-up business. “One thing I really like about Memphis is they are very big on locally made,” she said. “Nashville isn’t like that as much.”
-
-
February 2023
-
Premium
SportsFull circle: Tim McCarver back home after living a life full of dreams
Tim McCarver, who died Thursday at age 81, was a three-sport star at Christian Brothers, a World Series hero for the St. Louis Cardinals, and a Baseball Hall-of-Fame inductee as a broadcaster.
-
Premium
Criminal JusticeGPS darts can make police pursuits safer, but they’re no silver bullet
New GPS technology can be expensive, but it’s one way police are reducing the need for high-speed chases.
-
Premium
Criminal JusticeRisk of car accidents handcuffs police pursuits
Restrictive police pursuit policies are becoming the norm nationally and in the Memphis area. This means fewer crashes, fewer injuries and deaths. But some criminals know police probably won’t chase, so they get away.
-
Premium
Criminal JusticeAnd Danger for All: Police pursuits, even when necessary, inherently risky
“No pursuit is worth the loss of innocent life,” Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said.
-
Premium
Memphis Tigers FootballFormer Tiger goes from O-Line to ESPN radio
“As foolish as this sounds, there was never really a second thought when I was playing football, ‘What am I gonna do if football doesn’t work out?’” said Gabe Kuhn.
-
Premium
Criminal JusticeLocal response after Tyre Nichols’ death was relatively quick, but challenges remain
It took five years — five years — for New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo to be fired after Eric Garner’s death in 2014. In Memphis, in 2023, it took 13 days for five officers to be fired for their roles in Tyre Nichols’ death.
-
-
January 2023
-
Sports Cardinals Caravan rolls into Memphis with top prospects
If all goes as St. Louis would like, outfielder Jordan Walker won’t be back to Memphis but pitcher Tink Hence could be in a Redbirds uniform before the 2023 season is done.
-
Premium
Criminal JusticeKevin Ritz: Eagle Scout, rock band lead singer and now United States Attorney
After 17 years as an assistant U.S. Attorney here, Memphis native Kevin Ritz now has the top job. He is more than prepared, but it is also a different challenge: “It’s hard to be in this chair. But you put the facts and the law together, and you do the right thing.”
-