Longhorns Ex Opens First-Of-Its-Kind Restaurant

The former first-round pick is partnering with Nashville's Slim and Husky's as the first Black-owned restaurant on the city's famed 'Strip.'

Former Texas Longhorns safety Kenny Vaccaro is a partner in the first Black-owned restaurant on The Strip in Nashville.

The restaurant, called Slim and Husky’s Pizza Beeria, has several locations in Nashville. Vaccaro, who now plays for the Tennessee Titans, entered the partnership with business owners and founders Clint Gray, EJ Reed, and Derrick Moore in the location located on Broadway, known by locals as ‘The Strip.’

#Titans DB @kennyvaccaro
with TSU alumni EJ Reed, Derrick Moore along with other partners at the grand opening of @slimandhuskys on Broadway in Nashville. They made history today. The first black-owned restaurant on the strip. pic.twitter.com/OmRotzu7bG

— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) March 4, 2021

According to the restaurant’s Web site, Slim and Husky’s serves ‘signature artisan pizzas,’ five types of cinnamon rolls, and a range of local beer and wine.

Founded in 2015 in Nashville, the trio of Gray, Reed, and Moore opened its first restaurant in north Nashville in 2017 in a neighborhood filled with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). All three went to Tennessee State, based in Nashville. Thedailymeal.com ranked Slim and Husky’s No. 5 on its lists of the 101 best pizzas in America. Now, Slim and Husky’s can be found in Memphis, Atlanta, and Sacramento.

Vaccaro has been with Tennessee since the 2018 season and was an integral part of the Titans’ run to the 2019 AFC Championship game. He is signed with the Titans through the 2022 season. Pro Football Focus listed Vaccaro as a potential salary-cap casualty for the 2021 offseason.

With Texas, Vaccaro was a two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection and a First-Team All-American in 2012. He was a first-round pick (No. 15 overall) in 2013.

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Kevin Durant Drafts his NBA All-Star Team

The NBA All-Star Game is on Sunday and Kevin Durant was the leading vote-getter for the Eastern Conference, which meant he was allowed to select his team, along with top Western Conference vote-getter LeBron James.

Durant, a former Texas forward, won’t be able to play due to an injury, but he and James alternated selections on Thursday. Durant’s starters will be Kyrie Irving, Joel Embiid, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal, and Jayson Tatum. His reserves will be James Harden, Devin Booker, Zion Williamson, Zach LaVine, Julius Randle, Nikola Vucevic, and Donovan Mitchell.

Hoby Milner fights for roster spot in Milwaukee

Former Texas pitcher Hoby Milner is in Brewers camp looking for a job.

Milner was a non-roster invitee who signed a minor-league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers in February. The Brewers are coming off a Wild Card series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Milner is one of 31 pitchers in Brewers camp and fighting for what is likely the final two or three spots on the Brewers’ Opening Day pitching staff. Milner threw one inning of scoreless relief in his first Spring Training appearance this week, giving up one hit and one walk, along with striking out one.

Milner made the Angels’ Opening Day roster last season, but after giving up a grand slam on one pitch to Oakland in the season’s first game, he threw just 13 and 1/3rd innings, giving up 13 hits and finishing with an 8.10 earned run average. The Angels released him in December.

The former seventh-round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies made his Major League debut in 2017 with the Phillies and played with Philly and the Tampa Bay Rays before joining the Angels last season. For his MLB career, Milner has made 74 appearances, throwing 55 2/3rds innings, giving up 56 hits and 28 walks, while striking out 46 and fashioning a 4.53 ERA.

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Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Longhorns in the Pros for Longhorn Country on FanNation.com and SINow. He also writes for CowboyMaven and DallasBasketball.com, covers the Big 12 for HeartlandCollegeSports.com, and is the Editor of the College Football America Yearbook. Have a story idea about a former Longhorn now in the professional ranks? Contact Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.