Last night I made the mistake of watching WSMV's nightly news, and was reminded exactly why when sports director Rudy Kalis actually led off his story about the Thrashers move with "hey, remember when Winnipeg tried to buy the Predators a few years ago?" It was a groan-inducing moment for anyone who recalls the days during 2007 when it seemed like the Preds might indeed leave town. Anyone with a clue will remember that it was Hamilton, Ontario which was the likely destination (or perhaps Kansas City if Boots Del Biaggio's plans came to fruition), not Winnipeg. And this was no slip of the tongue, it was his lead-in to the story; apparently, thought actually went into it!
Sadly, that kind of vapid reporting is about the norm when it comes to Nashville's two highest-rated local news crews (WSMV and WTVF), who wouldn't recognize most of the Predators if they came up and cross-checked them in the face. So Preds fans took to Twitter this morning to lampoon Kalis' "creative" memory, using the hashtag #RudyKalisRemembers. Here's a sampling:
#RudyKalisRemembers when George Brett hit the homerum with the bat containing too much Pine Tar. Boy, Greer stadium went NUTS, I tell ya.
#RudyKalisRemembers When the Dixie Flyers , led by Vince Young, beat the Hamilton Tigers in a 3-2 Shootout, clinching Lord Stanley's cup.
#RudyKalisRemembers when the Nashville Knights defeated the Red Wings for the Super Stanley Bowl led by Captain Brett Lemieux
#rudykalisremembers when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.
#RudyKalisRemembers when I held up that sign at the Save the Sounds rally that said "Keep your darn hands off my hockey."
You gotta love Twitter, don't ya?
Personally, I heartily endorse WKRN's coverage of the Preds (and sports in general). Joe Dubin, Cory Curtis, and Dawn Davenport blow the competition away on a nightly basis, and deserve your support. And no, my vote has not been bought in any way...