Showtime Sports Academy recently hosted its 4th annual Pro-Players Night. The night was filled with entertainment. At  3p.m.,104.5 The Zone broadcasted live from one of the turf fields. All-pro Titan Blaine Bishop led his regular radio broadcast. By the time the broadcast ended, many of the players and lots of fans had arrived. The players included Ben Zobrist(Tampa Bay Rays), Joe Blanton(Philadelphia Phillies), Russell Branyan(Los Angeles Angels), Andy Simunic(Houston Astros), Matt Williams(St. Louis Cardinals), Corban Joseph(New York Yankees), Chris Jakubauskas(Baltimore Orioles), Tim Dillard(Milwaukee Brewers), Tim Smalling(Colorado Rockies), Joe Boever(St. Louis Cardinals), Caleb Joseph(Baltimore Orioles), Shay Crawford(Tampa Bay Rays), and Brandon Hynick(Cincinnati Reds). There were also multiple scouts and agents including Earl Wynn, Kevin Jarvis, and Ty York. There were also some former players including Jerry Bell(Milwaukee Brewers), John  Riedling(Cincinnati Reds), Tony Naile(St. Louis Cardinals), Erich Butler(Texas Rangers), Steve Hughes(Cincinnati Reds), Reggie Whittemore(Boston Red Sox), Tom Bolton(Boston Red Sox), and Franklin High School baseball coach Frank Glover. Door prizes were given away and some lucky kids got to ask questions. After all the prizes were given and questions were answered, the autographs started. There were  7 tables set up with  2 players at each ready to sign. The line of people wanting autographs wrapped almost all the way around the field. A big thanks to Sonic and Brixx Wood Fired Pizza for providing food. Everyone had a lot of fun and enjoyed meeting some of their favorite players. We hope all the players have a great season this year!

Tont Naile talking with Blaine Bishop Fans listening and watching

Ben Zobrist answering questions John Riedling sent in a replacement!

Tim Smalling and Andy Simunic signing autographs.   Joe Blanton signing autographs.

Some of the players signing.            

Former Franklin High School kicker and Showtime Sports Academy member Matt Moseley was named the National Punter of the Week. Moseley is a freshman at Tennessee State University setting school records like crazy. On September 24, he kicked a 69-yard punt to set the school record against Air Force. Later, against Eastern Kentucky, he broke his own school record with a 73-yarder. This punt was out of the end-zone so the Colonels didn’t have as good of field position as they were expecting. Moseley averages 39.5 yards per punt on the season, ranking fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference. Let’s hope he can keep this going! Being only a freshman, Moseley has a lot of potential to be an amazing kicker. Congratulation, Matt, on all you have accomplished so far. We look forward to seeing what you do the rest of the season!

Moseley is not the only athletic one in the family! His mother is a trainer for the Atlanta Dream, his father is a trainer with the Tennessee Titans, and his sister, also a Showtime Sports Academy member, pitches for Franklin High! There sure have been some athletic genes passed down in that family! Or maybe it’s just the cooking? I may need to go to their house for dinner!

Coming up in a couple weeks is another terrific baseball camp at Showtime Sports Academy! Winter Workout Camp will be starting October 18th. Anyone ages 6-14 is able to join. It will be twice a week for five weeks, on Tuesday and Thursday nights. The camp is designed to help players with the fundamentals of the game, such as: sliding, hitting, throwing, fielding, baserunning, and pitching. One unique aspect of this camp is that all the instructors are either former or current professional players.  Camp will last from 5:30-7:30 PM. If you are a member, the cost is $245.  If you are not a member it will be $295. Not a bad price for such a helpful camp!

If you have questions or would like to sign up for camp, you can print of a registration form at http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1101545875545-187/2011+Winter+Workout+Camp.pdf and either fax it to 615-373-1299, email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , bring it to 119 Seaboard Lane Suite 402, or even call 615-373-1105! Hope to see you at camp!

Showtime Sports Academy is proud to announce its newest addition! Kelley Cash will be the new instructor for softball players. From Ohio, she started all four years at Hudson High School. She then studied and played softball at Belmont University where she graduated this spring. At Belmont, she played second base, center field, and left field.  Her expertise is in hitting,  especially bunting and slapping. She hit in the ninth spot at Belmont and was even captain as a senior. Since slapping has recently become a very large part of softball, Kelley arrival is much anticipated. She is currently pursuing her Masters degree at Belmont in Sports Administration. She will be a great addition to Showtime's staff and cannot wait to start!

If you would like to schedule lessons, email Kelley at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call her at 615-364-1984!

I remember back when birthday parties used to be all about running around playing without a care in the world.  When you could surround yourself with your best friends and just play. That is exactly what Andy Nunn did at Showtime Sports Academy. He celebrated his seventh birthday party with his closest friends and family. They played an intense game of soccer and finished with the best part about any party: the food. The cake was decorated  to look  like a soccer ball and field. The party was a big hit.  The kids had so much fun, it wouldn't be surprising to see some of them back for birthday parties of their own.

If you would like to schedule a birthday party at Showtime Sports Academy, email them at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , visit them at 119 Seaboard Lane Suite 401, or even call at 615-373-1105!

The Nunn family The cake!

The boys get ready to play some soccer Some of the little sisters run around

The group just after the game More of the little sisters!

The group getting ready to eat Andy and his friend are very excited about the cake

A few weeks ago, my family and I ventured up north and made our way to Boston, Massachusetts. All we heard about were "lobstahs" the "Hahvahd Yahd" and of course, "Fenway Pahk." My parents and I were curious as to the obsessions with these. We ate lobster rolls, visited the Harvard yard, and then, Fenway Park. Apparently, if there is not a game going on in Boston that day, you can get a tour of Fenway Park. Lucky for us they had just finished playing the Cleveland Indians in Cleveland. So we decided to check out Drew Sutton, an instructor at SHowtime Sports Academy.

The tour actually starts on the outside of the park. The group met at the team store just across the street.We all made our way over to see banners flying in red and blue. Red to identify the American League pennant, and blue to identify a World Series win. We all proceeded to Gate B. We saw countless concession stands, who knows how many thousands of people have bought food from here. The tour went on the stands right behind the first base dugout. People were "ooh"-ing and "aww"-ing at the sight of this old field. People were working tirelessly at the infield keeping the clay in perfect shape for tomorrow's game. They were watering the infield and the outfield, and making sure the grass was in perfect condition.

After this, we went up what felt like a million stairs to the right field bleachers. They are supposedly some of the best seats. There is a restaurant up there with waiters, tables, and bar stools. Sounds like the place to be on game day! Then, we were on our way to the nosebleeds above first base. The view was marvelous. You could see the entire field from here. The men on the field looked like little ants crawling in the grass. But I feel like watching a game from up there would be a blast.

Then we were on our way to the coolest part of the tour (and by cool I mean there was air-conditioning). The press box. The view was incredible. It was a little up, just above home plate. The whole field was in plain view. It was a beautiful sight. These press-folk can see all the action on the field and in the stands. My favorite thing to see from there was the lone red seat in the right field stands. Every seat was green, all except for one. This seat symbolizes the longest home-run ever hit by Ted Williams. Now that was a sight to see.

To me, the most interesting thing about Fenway Park is the history. It is the oldest park in Major League Baseball. What goes along with this are some of the greatest players in the game's history, such as: Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Carlton Fisk, Carl Yastrzemski, and so many others. One of the most interesting things about the park were the old seats. Going all around the infield, somewhat in the back, were the oldest seats in the Majors. They were the old navy-blue painted wood. They were gorgeous. And to think I actually got to sit in one! They even have a name for just about everything. Even the foul poles. The right field foul pole is called the Peski Pole. Named after Johnny Peski, it is the shortest distance in the Majors. Johnny Peski only had 17 home-runs in his whole career, and eight of them somehow wrapped around this pole. The left field foul pole is called the Fisk Pole. Carlton Fisk hit a home-run in game 6 of the World Series in 1975 to tie it up. The hit nearly went foul. The play is famous because as Fisk ran down the first base line, he was waving the ball fair and yelling at it. The ball went fair and the Sox won the game.

How many ball parks do you know of that still have a manual score board? Cause Fenway does. It is the oldest working manual score board in the Majors. There are little slots between the "ball," "strike," and "hit" signs for the score keepers to keep track of the game. There is also a memorial for the original owners of the team. In the white lines separating the teams stats, there are little black dots and lines. This is the memorial. Those little black dots and lines are the original owner's and his wife's initials in Morse Code. That's creative isn't it?

Then it was on to the most infamous wall. The Green Monster. Standing 37-feet high is how it got the name. Pretty self explanatory: it's green and it's the size of a monster. These seats were amazing. You could see everything from up here. There were stools and a little place to lean forward against. They supposedly sell out for the whole season in minutes. Doesn't surprise me a bit!

By now the tour was over but it sure was one heck of an experience. If you happen to ever make your way up to Boston, I highly recommend going to Fenway Park. There were even a few Yankees fans there! So even if you go for the pinstripes, this park is beautiful and will always be a part of baseball history, and earned it too.