Tennessee
Chicago Bears interview former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel for head coaching job

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears interviewed former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel for their head coaching job on Wednesday.
The 49-year-old Vrabel led Tennessee to a 54-45 record and three playoff appearances from 2018 to 2023. The 2019 team advanced to the AFC championship game, losing to Patrick Mahomes and the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Tennessee combined to go 23-10 the next two seasons while capturing back-to-back AFC South championships, only to finish 7-10 in 2022 and 6-11 in 2023.
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Vrabel was a hard-nosed linebacker who played on three Super Bowl championship teams during a 14-year career with Pittsburgh, New England and Kansas City from 1997 to 2010. He was All-Pro with the Patriots in 2007.
The Bears are counting on the next coach to help Caleb Williams develop into a franchise quarterback and lift a team that finished last in the NFC North at 5-12. Chicago fired a head coach during a season for the first time when Matt Eberflus was let go on Nov. 29 with the team in the middle of a 10-game losing streak.
Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson figures to be at the top of the Bears’ wish list. Former Seattle coach Pete Carroll, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady and even Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy figure to get looks.
The Bears have requested permission to interview Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Interim Bears coach Thomas Brown also is in the mix, and general manager Ryan Poles said he is open to the idea of trading draft picks for the right candidate.
Chicago has just three playoff appearances since the 2006 team won the NFC. The Bears’ lone Super Bowl title came during the 1985 season. The team is 15-36 in three seasons under Poles.
The Bears thought they were poised to challenge for a postseason spot after a busy offseason, highlighted by drafting Williams with the No. 1 pick. They also acquired six-time Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers. But instead of making a playoff push, they went into a freefall after a 4-2 start.
Besides firing Eberflus, the Bears have let two offensive coordinators go in the past year. Shane Waldron lasted just nine games after replacing Luke Getsy in the offseason.
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Tennessee
Obituary for Hazel Gillespie at Woodfin Funeral Chapel
Tennessee
What To Know About Pitching Matchup For Tennessee vs. Cincinnati In Knoxville Regional | Rocky Top Insider


Tennessee baseball earned its 10th straight home regional win Friday night, knocking off Miami (Ohio) 9-2 in a drama free win at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Vols’ win sets the stage for a matchup against three-seed Cincinnati, who defeated Wake Forest 11-6 in Friday’s opener.
Right-handed pitcher Marcus Phillips is getting the ball for Tennessee after serving as a weekend starter his entire junior season. Phillips has posted a 3-4 record, 3.74 ERA and 1.27 WHIP entering the first NCAA Tournament start of his career.
The issue for Phillips has been managing the run game. SEC teams exploited Phillips’ slow delivery in the regular season with Kentucky stealing eight bases against him, Ole Miss stealing seven and two others stealing four.
Vitello wanted Phillips to be more persistent throwing over to first base while also varying his timing with runners on base. The junior has been much better with it his last two outings with neither Arkansas nor Alabama swiping a bag against him in a total of 8.1 innings pitched.
But that challenge gets much greater against Cincinnati. Arkansas and Alabama are two of the least aggressive teams on the base paths in the SEC. The Bearcats entered the weekend ranked 14th nationally in stolen bases this season.
Tennessee’s bullpen sits in a great spot behind Phillips. The Vols needed only seldom used relievers Austin Breedlove and Andrew Behnke against Miami (Ohio) and has top arms AJ Russell, Nate Snead and Brandon Arvidson fully ready to roll.
More From RTI: Everything Tennessee HC Tony Vitello Said Following NCAA Tournament Win Over Miami (Ohio)
Ace Liam Doyle helped preserve the Vols’ bullpen by tossing 6.2 innings against Miami (Ohio) Friday night. The Redhawks made him work early with the SEC Pitcher of the Year throwing 66 pitches to record his first nine outs and 38 pitches to record the next 11 outs.
“It was huge,” Vitello said. “It is about tonight, or at least was, but you do have a tournament, again, you’re in the middle of. For him to do that, not only—I’m sure he feels good about and it helped capitalize on the runs we were scoring in the middle of the game—but put us in a good position with our bullpen.”
Like Tennessee, Cincinnati has an easy decision to role with its second most used starter this season in the critical regional matchup.
“Yeah, Kellen O’Connor for sure tomorrow,” Cincinnati head coach Jordan Bischel said. ”You can put that one in stone, outside of a bus accident or something.”
O’Connor has started 11 games for the Bearcats this season, posting a 3-2 record, 4.61 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 66.1 innings pitched. A 5-foot-10 lefty, O’Connor has done a little bit of everything for Cincinnati this season.
The Cal State Bakersfield transfer came out of the bullpen three times last week in the Big 12 Tournament allowing a total of two runs in four innings pitched. His best outing of the year came in a complete game against Texas Tech back in April.
Right-handed reliever Michael Conte (2.14 ERA in 21 innings pitched) threw 34 pitches on Friday while right-handed pitcher Adam Buczkowski (5.68 ERA in 31.2 innings) threw 12 pitches.
Tennessee
Tennessee's Free Fishing Day is Saturday, June 7 – WBBJ TV

JACKSON, Tenn. — Get ready to reel one in: Tennessee’s annual Free Fishing Day is Saturday, June 7.
According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, on June 7, all state residents and visitors of any age may fish without a license in Tennessee’s public waters.
TWRA’s website states that additionally, youth ages 15 or younger may fish for free the entire week, beginning on June 7 and continuing through the following Friday, June 13.
TWRA says this free fishing opportunity has been ongoing in the state since 1991.
FROM TWRA:
Bobby Wilson Free Fishing Day and Free Fishing Week applies to Tennessee’s public waters, TWRA owned and operated lakes, and state park facilities. Some privately owned pay lakes continue to charge during this special day and week. Anglers will need to consult with those operators if there are any questions about a facility.
The day is named in honor of Bobby Wilson, who retired in 2022 after more than 40 years of service to the TWRA.
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