The Train Daddy is back with sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk. Spike the eggnog with rum and be merry all month long. No, that drink sounds disgusting. Here in the hills of Tennessee I like to consider myself a distinguished gentleman; here we keep it simple with a whiskey and Coke for the holiday drink. Red wine is suitable also. Anything else, I shall pass.
Yuletide greetings, Feliz Navidad, let’s Scrooge, Happy Hanukkah, show me those sugar plums, Joyous Kwanzaa, season’s greetings, deck my balls—there’s probably 1,000 ways to say it, but for me it has always been: Merry Christmas!
I love the holiday season. It may be a stressful time for many of us, but if you sit back and relax, it’s beautiful. Time is ticking, it keeps on ticking and time is ticking away. Embrace the insanity of the holidays and smile, spend as much time as possible with family, friends and, of course, watch good sports. Don’t be a Scrooge no matter how bad those teams suck.
Now, let’s do what I have been doing for over 15 years in the Murfreesboro Pulse—give you my annual Merry Christmas article where I spread my Z-Train joy and anger.
Merry Christmas to the Nashville Predators! Can you please turn the season around? I had faith in the return of Barry Trotz, yet here we are with another disastrous start to a season. No exaggerations here, the Preds are the NHL’s worst team right now. Point standings, team defense, goals per game—we are last. Please figure it out right now because having discussions of a fire sale before Christmas has bad vibes all around.
Merry Christmas, Titans fans! Tough times in Tennessee, hopefully brighter days ahead. Nobody has had it tougher than us these last few seasons as we are on the heels of back-to-back seasons with the worst record in the NFL. Doesn’t phase me, though; I will cheer for this team until they put me six feet under. Keep your head up, Titan nation.
Merry Christmas, Cam Ward! The 23-year-old quarterback was thrust into a tough spot and yet he has shown many positives. It isn’t always pretty, but the lessons learned should be invaluable as Ward’s growth continues. The young QB has shown us he can be a star, and his composure in tough situations is key. Get that line fixed, find a proper head coach and let Cam be what he is, a composed gunslinger.
Merry Christmas, Nashville! Some of you may not have wanted a stadium costing over $2 billion for a team playing bad football, but tough turds, that’s exactly what you get. It really is wild realizing this new stadium is about 14 months away from being ready. Now just imagine a year-three Cam Ward ready to break out with a team tailored to him in a brand-new stadium. That sounds far more exciting than fixing potholes or our education system. Titan up!
Merry Christmas, Chimere Dike! This rookie is electric with speed. He’s the league leader in all-purpose yards, the most exciting return man in the NFL. Don’t screw this rookie out of an All-Pro nod. He has earned that Pro Bowl appearance. Not since the days of Pacman Jones has Tennessee had a player that could flip the field that fast in the return game. Dike is getting more involved in the offensive package as well—a very exciting player.
Merry Christmas to Peyton Manning and his son, Marshall! They recently went viral on TV watching Arch Manning versus Georgia. That’s royal blood. Manning DNA! Mannings come out of the womb ready to throw a football. Marshall will be playing high school football next year at Baylor High School in Chattanooga. I wish Marshall well with that and, hopefully, the Vols legend Mr. Peyton Manning has some sway in what college his son attends. Rocky Top Tennessee!
Merry Christmas to Rick Barnes! The Vols are lucky to have this legend still rocking in an ever-changing NIL world. The Vols should ride the Barnes train for as long as the 71-year-old coach is willing. During this last decade, Barnes has delivered some of the best basketball this school has ever seen. This new-look team with players like the star transfer Gillespie and the highly touted freshman Nate Ament look to have so much potential. I am convinced after the recent Houston victory and close Kansas defeat that this might be the most complete team Barnes has ever had—and that’s saying something after back-to-back Elite 8 appearances.
Merry Christmas to Diego Pavia! I don’t really like you, but I can respect the arrogance when it’s backed up. I was hoping you would end the season with another loss to the Vols, and Vanderbilt would be looking at seven consecutive losses to Big Orange. That isn’t what happened. Diego played excellent football in the second half and the Commodores absolutely manhandled the Vols in that season-ending game. It sucks for the Vols, but it’s good for the rivalry. Can’t have one team whooping the other’s ass every season.
Merry Christmas to Coach Heupel! Tough end to the season for the 8-4 Vols, but after the Nico debacle that ended up giving us Joey, the Vols played better football than expected. Many experts had this team projected as a bottom of the barrel SEC team, yet they managed to give us a respectable season (with an ugly ending). The future is bright, though. The fan base remains top-tier, the facilities top-tier and the incoming 2026 class brings some of the most exciting young players in the nation.
Merry Christmas to Faizon Brandon! Standing 6-feet 4-inches, weighing 200 pounds, the five-star QB out of North Carolina was a massive commit for the Vols. This kid has a sturdy base and smooth release. He is the future. He will be joined alongside one of the nation’s most talented classes, led by top-ranked five-star receiver Tristen Keys and a couple four-star receivers in Moa and King. Faizon has a deep ball and will be surrounded by talent. I’d imagine he takes the starting gig at Tennessee sooner rather than later.
Merry Christmas to the Oakland High School Football team! The 1984, ’98, ’08, ’18, ’20, ’21, ’22 and ’24 state champions of 6A football in Tennessee have a dynasty that runs through Murfreesboro. I wrote this article right after the Patriots defeated Blackman High and earned a fourth straight trip to the state championship game. Hopefully as you are reading this, they have added another title to the impressive résumé.
Merry Christmas to the IOC. The International Olympic Committee is reportedly set to ban trans women from competing in all female categories in future games. It’s baffling that it took this long for them to realize that biology matters in sports, but it’s a win for the integrity of female athletics. Better late than never. Just thankful that dudes born with winkies can’t play make-believe any more at the highest level of female athletic competition.
Merry Christmas to Derek Mason (not to be confused with my favorite Derrick Mason)! MTSU will retain Derek Mason for the 2026 season after posting a 6-18 record his first two seasons. I still don’t have much faith in Mason, but I understand why MTSU is keeping him on. There is reason for 2026 excitement, though, winning the final two games of this season with a new QB under center. This freshman quarterback Roman Gagliano looks to be the real deal, and may be the savior this team desperately needs.
Merry Christmas to Brian Callahan! Someone asked me the other day who is a worse coach, Callahan or Mason? That’s a legit tough question. It’s close. I may be upset at Callahan for leading some of the worst football in Titans history, but I’m not a monster. I truly wish him, and his pops, Bill Callahan a very Merry Christmas! It was a tough situation, they both failed, so we move on. Callahan seems like a stand-up man, but was not a good head coach for the Titans.
Merry Christmas to Coach Vrabel! Daggum, the Patriots, not even a full season in, already have 10 victories and a firm grip on the AFC East with the Bills slogging behind, while Titans fans reminisce about the good old days. Vrabel has his pros and cons, but as this Titans team sits around struggling to find its identity, it’s a tough pill to swallow watching the Patriots have so much success under our former Coach of the Year, Vrabel.
Merry Christmas to Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk! I take that back, screw you, Amy! Fix this team. She still has my support, believe it or not, but she doesn’t have my trust. We are just a handful of more bad seasons away, and I really believe she should consider selling this team to someone who wants the challenge of making football great in Nashville. Because she appears to be one of the most clueless owners in the NFL. I hate saying that, but you know it’s true.
Alright, it’s time to wrap this article up. I love the state of Tennessee, and I love sports! This Christmas I will take some time away to purge all these negative thoughts from my brain. I won’t be thinking about the Titans or the Vols or bad Predators hockey. I will be focusing on my family and my friends. Life is good. Then, once Christmas is over, I will start bitching about Tennessee sports again. The Train is rolling into the station. Choo-choo! Yee-yee Tennessee!
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[Titans fans photo by Donald Page; Chimere Dike and Amy Adams Strunk courtesy tennesseetitans.com]
