Tennessee
South Bay meets Southern Hospitality: What Los Gatos baseball team learned from trip to rural Tennessee
Like many baseball teams in the Bay Area, Los Gatos spent a week away from home playing non-league teams.
But instead of taking on other opponents from the West Coast, the Wildcats traveled down to middle Tennessee, playing unfamiliar programs like Friendship Christian and Overton in a small town called Lebanon.
Located around 45 minutes east of the state capitol and a world away from what the South Bay natives were used to, the teenagers grew to appreciate the state that coach Mike Minkel spent his college years.
“They saw a lot of respect for strangers and people you’ve never met before,” said Minkel, who went to school at Cumberland in Lebanon. “A lot of time spent holding doors for people and going out of your way to be kind when you don’t have to be.”
Despite both graduating from the same NAIA program in the 2000’s, both Minkel and his assistant coach Eric Mull still have plenty of friends in the area, making it possible to plan games and put together events with help from locals.
Los Gatos won all three games in the Volunteer state, including a 10-5 victory in Nashville over Mookie Betts’ alma mater Overton High.
They might have been 2,000 miles from temperate Los Gatos, but Brayden Smith and Lucas Carlisle led an offense that looked comfortable in the southeastern humidity. Each junior hit a home run against the Nashville powerhouse, which is 9-1 in league play.
The 18-3 Wildcats stayed focused between the lines, but their coaches made sure they also had fun on their trip.
With several of his players both avid country music and college baseball fans, they also enjoyed a day in the genre’s mecca and caught a Vanderbilt game too.
The Wildcats even got to see the South’s party bus and hot chicken epicenter of Broadway Street, albeit from a distance.
“They got to see what Broadway looked like at night,” Minkel said, who then laughed and added, “Although obviously, we all stayed in the car and drove them around, because there’s not much you can do walking around there at 16.”
But it wasn’t the baseball or the big events that the coach enjoyed the most – It was a quiet team BBQ on the Cumberland river.
“They’re out doing their thing, they’re engaged in nature and off of their phones,” Minkel remembered. “It was refreshing to see and be a part of it. It was an instance where I didn’t really want to leave there and do the next thing.”
He hoped that his team took a new appreciation for that region of the country, and the people who live there, back with them to the South Bay.
“You take all the politics out of everything, and when you come together and sit down, with us from California and them from Tennessee, we’re all just human beings who care about each other,” Minkel said.
2025 four-star tight end Da’Saahn Brame (Derby, Ks.) has set a commitment date, and his four finalists include the Tennessee Volunteers.
Derby High School tight end Da’Saahn Brame is the No. 1 remaining priority at his position for the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols already landed a commitment from Southlake Carroll High School tight end Jack VanDorselaer, and they’ve zeroed in on Brame as the ideal running mate for him.
Brame ranks as the No. 101 prospect in the 2025 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He also checks in as a loaded class’s No. 3 tight end. He’s set official visits with four programs: Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, and Tennessee will get him on campus. The Rebels already hosted Brame on the weekend of April 12, leaving Oklahoma, Oregon, and Tennessee in the month of June.
After Brame sees all four campuses, he’ll turn around and commit shortly after. He announced on his social media channels that his commitment date is June 29, 2024. The Oregon Ducks are the perceived leader in this one, but Tennessee is determined to make up ground before he announces his decision.
Tennessee’s 2025 Recruiting Class
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Oscar Mayer Wienermobile takes the Scruffy Stuff for a ride
Hot dog lovers and Scruffy Stuff podcast hosts Ryan Wilusz and Calvin Mattheis hop aboard the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile to chat frankfurters and more.
Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile will be in several cities in Tennessee over the next month.
The giant hotdog vehicle will be hanging out in four different cities in Tennessee between May 9 and May 19. While you won’t be able to buy hotdogs from the vehicle, you can take pictures and even go inside if you ask.
While you may think driving the Wienermobile is something to hide from your friends, it is actually a coveted spot as only 12 people each year get the opportunity to do so.
Here is what we know about the Wienermobile coming to Tennessee.
Where will the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile be in Tennessee this week?
Jackson, Tennessee: On Thursday, May 9, the Wienermobile will be at the Kroger located at 35 West University Parkway from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Humboldt, Tennessee: On Friday, May 10, the Wienermobile will making its way through the West Tennessee Strawberry Festival Parade from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The parade will be located at the corner of Main Street and 22nd Avenue in Humoldt.
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee: On Thursday, May 16, the Wienermobile will be at the Smoky Mountain Antique Toy & Pedal Car Show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The show will be at 202 Henderson Chapel Road.
Bartlett, Tennessee: On Sunday, May 19, the Wienermobile will make a stop at the Kroger located at 5995 Stage Road. It will be there from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
How many Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles are there?
There are six total Wienermobiles in the United States, and only 12 “Hotdoggers” get to drive them each year. Hotdoggers are the Wienermobiles’ drivers, however, not just anyone can drive them. The only people that can drive the vehicles are college seniors who are about to graduate from school.
When was the first Oscar Mayer Wienermobile invented?
The Wienermobile was first invented by Oscar Mayer’s nephew Carl G. Mayer in 1936. Since its invention, it has gone through a few upgrades to modernize the vehicle.
NASHVILLE, tenn. (WTVF) — People across Middle Tennessee are experiencing power outages due to the severe weather that has rolled through.
Here’s a look at the latest numbers as of 3:45 a.m. These numbers will be updated often.
Cumberland Electric: 4,955
Nashville Electric- 7,068
CDE- 5
Dickson Electric- 727
MTE- 2,891
Pennyrile Electric- 327
Duck River- 3,876
Upper Cumberland- 4,424
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