Breaking News: Memphis Grizzlies Fire Fratello

From the Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis, Tennessee - December 28, 2006 - Memphis Grizzlies President of Basketball Operations Jerry West announced today that Mike Fratello has been relieved of his head coaching duties.

Fratello led Memphis to a 95-83 record after he was hired on December 2, 2004 as the Grizzlies' seventh head coach in team history. He led the Grizzlies to two postseason appearances, and became the franchise's all-time winningest head coach in April. This season, Fratello led the Grizzlies to a 6-24 record.

"I'd like to thank Mike for the contributions he made to the Grizzlies organization," said West. "He is a great coach and friend, and he did an outstanding job guiding this team to two playoff appearances in Memphis. We just felt it was time to make a change and move in a different direction based on our record and future goals. We wish Mike the best in his future endeavors."

"I would like to thank Michael Heisley and Jerry West for the opportunity to come to Memphis and be a part of the Grizzlies organization," said Fratello. "I came here a little more than two years ago, and in my first season inherited a 5-11 team that we turned around to win 45 games and advance to the playoffs. We built on that record the following year to win 49 games and return to the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Unfortunately, this season has been one of disarray starting this past summer. I am sorry I have not been able to find a way up to this point to turn things around, and I understand why a change needs to be made. Things will get better with both an abundance of home games coming up and the eventual return of Lawrence Roberts and Kyle Lowry from their injuries."

"I would like to thank the many wonderful people I have met while in Memphis, both in basketball and around the community," continued Fratello. "I'd like to thank my staff and players for their hard work over the last two seasons. I wish them nothing but the best."

Fratello came to the Grizzlies as one of the NBA's most successful coaches in history, ranking 19th on the all-time wins list and 21st on the all-time games coached list when he joined the team. A 16-year coaching veteran, his teams have qualified for the NBA playoffs in 11 of his 16 seasons as a head coach. He earned his 600th career win as a head coach on March 4, 2005, only the 19th coach all-time to reach the 600-win plateau.

A search for an interim head coach will begin immediately.

Jerry West will meet with the media tomorrow at 11 a.m. in the press conference room at FedExForum.

Fund For The Dixon 2006

This is a good way to boost your tax returns in early 2007.

Restaurant Commentary: Nuvolari's - Mandeville, LA

For Christmas Eve dinner, my family went to Nuvolari's in Mandeville, LA. This was my first visit to this Italian restaurant in over five years. As always, the atmosphere and staff were excellent.

For appetizers, the table enjoyed crab cakes and potato gnocchi with a gorganzola cream sauce. Both were splendid. My main course was a pork osso bucco. The braised pork was tender and falling of the bone. I highly recommend it. Others at the table had pecan crusted chicken pasta, genoa shrimp and beef tornedos. All were very happy with the meal.

Although we had a wonderful bottle of 2002 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon with dinner, I was not impressed with the wine list. There were a couple of nice bottles on the list, but that was it. Otherwise, it was filled with a good bit of average wines.

Don't let the wine list keep you away, I still recommended Nuvolari's in Mandeville, LA. Located just minutes from the Northshore Lakefront, it would be a perfect place to enjoy a meal with your family or your significant other.

If you go, ask for Albert as your server.

It's Holiday Time

Christmas is only a couple of days a way. One of the best parts about the time of year is going to holiday parties. Time spent with co-workers, friends, free booze and food...what's not to love?

Over the past couple of weeks I made it to a few company holiday parties, the best being at Napa Cafe with NL's company. Great food and good wine. With her "Pass The Trash" gift exchange, I think we she came away with a wonderful knife set.

My office had an okay party, but it was hard to let loose on a Wednsday night. If held on a "school night," companies parties should come with an arrive late at work card for the next day. Otherwise, move the parties to a Friday night. I have no problems getting sauced up for free with co-workers on a Friday night and then going out after. Anyway, we had decent finger foods, an open bar and a Dirty Santa gift exchange. After my original gift was stolen (a back massager), I wound up with a glassware set of 6 pint glasses and 6 shot glasses. I'm fairly confident that these will come into use.

Christmas time wouldn't be complete without a holiday dinner party at a friend's house. I contributed 4 bottles of wine and some home made Italian rice balls to the gathering. The seven of us shared 6 bottles of wine and 5 bottle of champagne along with a tremendous meal of beef tenderloin and several side items. Needless to say, I was dying the next morning. Champagne is evil.

I'm glad this year's holiday parties were some what low key. I'm sure my body appreciates it. Little does my body know, I'm saving the best party for New Year's Eve.

Football is almost over...

With college football season coming to an end in a couple of weeks and the hectic planning period at work wrapping up, I will have more time to contribute random stuff to this so-called blog.

There is nothing too different going on in Memphis. The bar and club scene is relatively unchanged and there haven't been too many new restaurants that have opened lately. In other typical Memphis news, a member of the Ford family is under federal investigation, Rickey Peete is once again accepting bribes and Platinum Plus has temporarlily shut its doors.

Over the next couple of weeks look for commentaries on local eateries like Pita Wraps, Molly's, Hooters (Downtown vs Mt. Moriah) and New Orleans' Jackson. Plus its holiday time. I can't wait to share holiday office party stories.

More later...

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 12/4/06 (Final)

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show a possible college football playoff format. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at-large bids.

Round 1 games would be hosted by the higher ranked seeds. Rounds 2 - 4 would incorporate the bowl system with host cities/bowls bidding to host the games. The "Big 4" BCS bowls would be permanent playoff hosts on a round-rotating basis (Championship, semi-finals and 1 round 2 game).

The playoff field for the week of 12/4/06 (Final):

1. Ohio State (Big 10 Champion)
2. Florida (SEC Champion)
3. Michigan (At Large Big 10)
4. Louisville (Big East Champion)
5. LSU (At Large SEC)
6. Oklahoma (Big 12 Champion)
7. Wisconsin (At Large Big 10)
8. USC (Pac 10 Champion)
9. Boise State (WAC Champion)
10. West Virginia (At Large Big East)
11. Arkansas (At Large SEC)
12. Wake Forest (ACC Champion)
13. BYU (MWC Champion)
14. Houston (CUSA Champion)
15. Central Michigan (MAC Champion)
16. Troy (Sunbelt Champion)

Dropped out: Rutgers (#11, At Large Big East)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
Big 10 (3), SEC (3), Big East (2), ACC (1), Big 12 (1), CUSA (1), MAC (1), MWC (1), Pac 10 (1), Sunbelt (1), WAC (1), Independent (0)

Match ups round by round assuming higher seeds win.

Round 1
(16) Troy vs (1) Ohio State
(9) Boise State vs (8) USC
(12) Wake Forest vs (5) LSU
(13) BYU vs (4) Louisville
(11) Arkansas vs (6) Oklahoma
(14) Houston vs (3) Michigan
(10 West Virginia vs (7) Wisconsin
(15) Central Michigan vs (2) Florida

Round 2
(8) USC vs (1) Ohio State
(5) LSU vs (4) Louisville
(6) Oklahoma vs (3) Michigan
(7) Wisconsin vs (2) Florida

Round 3
(4) Louisville vs (1) Ohio State
(3) Michigan vs (2) Florida

Championship Game
(2) Florida vs (1) Ohio State

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 11/27/06

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show a possible college football playoff format. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at-large bids.

Round 1 games would be hosted by the higher ranked seeds. Rounds 2 - 4 would incorporate the bowl system with host cities/bowls bidding to host the games. The "Big 4" BCS bowls would be permanent playoff hosts on a round-rotating basis (Championship, semi-finals and 1 round 2 game).

The playoff field for the week of 11/27/06:

1. Ohio State (Big 10 Champion)
2. USC (Pac 10 Champion)
3. Michigan (At Large Big 10)
4. Florida (SEC Champion)
5. Louisville (Big East Champion)
6. LSU (At Large SEC)
7. Wisconsin (At Large Big 10)
8. Oklahoma (Big 12 Champion)
9. Arkansas (At Large SEC)
10. Boise State (WAC Champion)
11. Rutgers (At Large Big East)
12. Wake Forest (ACC Champion)
13. BYU (MWC Champion)
14. Houston (CUSA Champion)
15. Central Michigan (MAC Champion)
16. Troy (Sunbelt Champion)

Dropped out: West Virginia (#6, At Large Big East), Notre Dame (#7, At Large Independent), Texas (#10, Big 12 Champion), Georgia Tech (#12, ACC Champion), Middle Tennessee State (#16, Sunbelt Champion)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
Big 10 (3), SEC (3), Big East (2), ACC (1), Big 12 (1), CUSA (1), MAC (1), MWC (1), Pac 10 (1), Sunbelt (1), WAC (1), Independent (0),

Thanksgiving Week

Its that time of year again...cooler weather, turkey, wine, football, horse racing, family and friends. What more could anyone want?

Turkey day will be spent in the blossoming metropolis of Slidell. The standard Thanksgiving menu will be in place, along with family favorites. While getting fatter and drinking good wine, I will watch at least 2 NFL games featuring Dallas and Detroit. My evening hours will be spent with friends at homes or at one of Slidell many watering holes.

A some what new family tradition will be renewed on Friday. I'm not talking about waking up at the wee hours of the morning to save $5 on a Tickle Me Elmo or to get a free spatula with the purchase of a $500 blender. You will find me and my family at the New Orleans Fair Grounds for day two of the 2006-2007 horse racing season. I can't wait to suck down a Bloody Mary or two, while going big with my $2 across the board bets. Heck, I might even hit a quinella.

On a sad note, my Saturday trip to Hattiesburg will require me to miss the Bayou Classic. In honor of DJ Jubilee, I'm going with Grambling in a clean sweep over Southern. The Tigers will win the game and the battle of the bands. Ya heard me.

I will make my last trip of the year to Hattiesburg Saturday evening. The Golden Eagles will take on the Thundering Herd of Marshall. This game is big for both teams. If Marshall wins, they will be come bowl eligible. If Southern Miss wins, USM will win the Eastern division of C-USA and play in the championship game on Dec 1 in Houston.

This game will be a war, with lots of big plays and hard hits. With a big, loud crowd at the Rock it will be hard for Marshall to win. Unless the Herd brings Jesco White, the Golden Eagles will win 27-24.

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 11/20/06

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show a possible college football playoff format. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at-large bids.

Round 1 games would be hosted by the higher ranked seeds. Rounds 2 - 4 would incorporate the bowl system with host cities/bowls bidding to host the games. The "Big 4" BCS bowls would be permanent playoff hosts on a round-rotating basis (Championship, semi-finals and 1 round 2 game).

The playoff field for the week of 11/20/06:

1. Ohio State (Big 10 Champion)
2. Michigan (At large Big 10)
3. USC (Pac 10 Champion)
4. Arkansas (At Large SEC)
5. Florida (SEC Champion)
6. West Virginia (At Large Big East)
7. Notre Dame (At Large Independent)
8. Louisville (Big East Champion)
9. Wisconsin (At Large Big 10)
10. Texas (Big 12 Champion)
11. Boise State (WAC Champion)
12. Georgia Tech (ACC Champion)
13. BYU (MWC Champion)
14. Houston (CUSA Champion)
15. Central Michigan (MAC Champion)
16. Middle Tennessee State (Sunbelt Champion)

Dropped out: Rutgers (#6, Big East Champion), LSU (#9, At Large SEC), Wake Forest (#11, ACC Champion)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
Big 10 (3), Big East (2), SEC (2), ACC (1), Big 12 (1), CUSA (1), Independent (1), MAC (1), MWC (1), Pac 10 (1), Sunbelt (1), WAC (1)

Dream Job: Chief Beer Officer

This is no BS, Starwood Hotels and Resorts is conducting an executive search for a knowledgeable beer drinker as part of its Best Brew program. The CBO's compensation package will include Starwood Guest points, a travel and expense account to travel around to world to sample beers for hotel menus.

How kick ass would this be? I think I'm going to apply for this jobby job.

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 11/13/06

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show a possible college football playoff format. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at-large bids.

Round 1 games would be hosted by the higher ranked seeds. Rounds 2 - 4 would incorporate the bowl system with host cities/bowls bidding to host the games. The "Big 4" BCS bowls would be permanent playoff hosts on a round-rotating basis (Championship, semi-finals and 1 round 2 game).

The playoff field for the week of 11/13/06:

1. Ohio State (Big 10 Champion)
2. Michigan (At large Big 10)
3. Arkansas (At Large SEC)
4. Florida (SEC Champion)
5. USC (PAC 10 Champion)
6. Rutgers (Big East Champion)
7. Louisville (At Large Big East)
8. West Virginia (At Large Big East)
9. LSU (At Large SEC)
10. Texas (Big 12 Champion)
11. Wake Forest (ACC Champion)
12. Boise State (WAC Champion)
13. BYU (MWC Champion)
14. Houston (CUSA Champion)
15. Central Michigan (MAC Champion)
16. Middle Tennessee State (Sunbelt Champion)

Dropped out: California (#6, PAC 10 Champion), Auburn (#9, At Large SEC)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
Big East (3), SEC (3), Big 10 (2), ACC (1), Big 12 (1), CUSA (1), MAC (1), MWC (1), Pac 10 (1), Sunbelt (1), WAC (1), Independent (0)

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 11/6/06

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show a possible college football playoff format. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at-large bids.

Round 1 games would be hosted by the higher ranked seeds. Rounds 2 - 4 would incorporate the bowl system with host cities/bowls bidding to host the games. The "Big 4" BCS bowls would be permanent playoff hosts on a round-rotating basis (Championship, semi-finals and 1 round 2 game).

The playoff field for the week of 11/6/06:

1. Ohio State (Big 10 Champion)
2. Michigan (At large Big 10)
3. Louisville (Big East Champion)
4. Texas (Big 12 Champion)
5. Florida (SEC Champion)
6. California (PAC 10 Champion)
7. Arkansas (At Large SEC)
8. West Virginia (At Large Big East)
9. Auburn (At Large SEC)
10. USC (At Large PAC 10)
11. Boise State (WAC Champion)
12. Wake Forest (ACC Champion)
13. BYU (MWC Champion)
14. Houston (CUSA Champion)
15. Central Michigan (MAC Champion)
16. Middle Tennessee State (Sunbelt Champion)

Dropped out: Tennessee (#5, At Large SEC), Boston College (#11, ACC Champion), Tulsa (#14, CUSA Champion)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
SEC (3), Big 10 (2), Big East (2), Pac 10 (2), ACC (1), Big 12 (1), CUSA (1), MAC (1), MWC (1), Sunbelt (1), WAC (1), Independent (0)

An Evening At Brookhaven Pub and Possible Weekend Fun

My return to mid-week drinking continued last night at Brookhaven Pub in East Memphis. Tired of the same old Midtown establishments and the desire to watch West Virginia and Louisville play at the Oven inspired us to take the trip out East. We contemplated going to the Downtown Saucer, but everyone agreed that its not a good place to watch games.

Brookhaven had a great crowd going for a Thursday night, including a bachelorette party and a cameo appearance by the Swingers. The bachelorette party had potential to be big fun for us, but they seemed to only want to talk about work. One benefit from the party is that A Friend To Be Named Later (AFTBNL) snagged a free beer for threatening to show his junk to members of the group. Luckily for us, he kept it in his pants. Props go out to NL for providing AFTBNL the line to get in with the party. Simple, but effective..."Do you want me to take your picture?"

We knew the bar would be fun when the Swingers walked through the door. The line of the night was from Swinger Man. All we heard was "I get belligerent and competitive." I'm not sure what that has to do with the swinging lifestyle, but it doesn't sound like fun.

There was a push to change venues and go the Windjammer, but I went home since I had to work the next day.

So what's on tap for the weekend?

I'm pondering heading to Newby's tonight to see the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. These guys are a great jazz/blues/jam band from New Orleans. I've listening to them for years and I know this will be a good time.

Saturday will be reserved for much needed house cleaning, yard work and college football. Not sure about Saturday night plans just yet.

Sunday evening will be the 57th Black and Blue Bowl. The game will be played in Memphis at Liberty Bowl Stadium. This is a series dominated by Southern Miss, but Memphis has had the Golden Eagles' number the past few seasons. The Tigers have struggled this season and are sporting zero wins against 1-A competition. USM has struggled this year as well, but I look for the boys in Black and Gold to have breakout game after suffering an overtime loss to East Carolina last week. Southern Miss 28 - Memphis 10

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 10/30/06

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show a possible college football playoff format. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at-large bids.

Round 1 games would be hosted by the higher ranked seeds. Rounds 2 - 4 would incorporate the bowl system with host cities/bowls bidding to host the games. The "Big 4" BCS bowls would be permanent playoff hosts on a round-rotating basis (Championship, semi-finals and 1 round 2 game).

The playoff field for the week of 10/30/06:

1. Ohio State (Big 10 Champion)
2. Michigan (At large Big 10)
3. West Virginia (Big East Champion)
4. Florida (SEC Champion)
5. Tennessee (At Large SEC)
6. Texas (Big 12 Champion)
7. California (Pac 10 Champion)
8. Arkansas (At Large SEC)
9. Auburn (At Large SEC)
10. Louisville (At Large Big East)
11. Boston College (ACC Champion)
12. Boise State (WAC Champion)
13. BYU (MWC Champion)
14. Tulsa (CUSA Champion)
15. Central Michigan (MAC Champion)
16. Middle Tennessee State (Sunbelt Champion)

Dropped out: USC (#6, Pac 10 Champion), Clemson (#9, ACC Champion), Kent State (#15, MAC Champion)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
SEC (4), Big 10 (2), Big East (2), ACC (1), Big 12 (1), CUSA (1), MAC (1), MWC (1), Pac 10 (1), Sunbelt (1), WAC (1), Independent (0)

Weekend Review: Costumes, football and more football

Friday night started out the #10 Main Street party. I had a good time dressed up as a redneck trucker. The beer was flowing nicely and I even danced a little. NL looked great in her country bumpkin costume. I'll post pictures as I receive them.

After the party we stopped at the Blue Monkey in Midtown for a couple of beers. There were only a handful of people dressed up at the Monkey, so we received a few glares and a couple of laughs. A female at the bar thought my redneck greasy hair was real. She questioned NL about it and I had to remove my hat to show her it was wig.

Saturday was spent watching football. It was good to USC lose to Oregon State, unfortunately is was bad to see Southern Miss lose to East Carolina. In a series that has historically been dominated by USM, ECU held the Golden Eagles to less than 200 yards of total offense. USM hasn't looked good all year, yet they have a 4-4 record. Go figure.

This week USM takes on Memphis on Sunday at the Liberty Bowl. The game will be televised by one of the ESPN networks. Memphis has won 2 in a row against Southern Miss and has taken 3 out of the last 4. USM needs to win this game. If not, Bower should be fired.

Awww Snap!: A Memphis Radio Format Change

After a weekend of airing a non-stop countdown, Entercom has changed 94.1 The Buzz to Snap! 94.1 The Rhythm of Memphis. According to the new website, the station will play hits from artists like Beyonce, The Bee Gees, and Barry White.

A format change was expected due to Entercom's agreement to buy WMC-FM (99.7) from CBS Radio. The Buzz and FM100 had similar formats and were competing for the same advertisers and audience. This also gets Entercom into the Memphis urban radio segment, long dominated by Clear Channel owned stations.

I give it 18 months.

Halloween Weekend Fun

For the first time in a long while, I've decided to dress up this year. Going along with NL's trashy girl ensemble, I'll be a redneck trucker. I might even sport a mustache for this special occasion. We'll be heading to a party at #10 Main Street this evening and possibly replicating the costumes tomorrow night at various locations in Memphis. Heck, I might even bust out the trucker gear on Tuesday too. I'll post pictures as they become available.

Before the big fun gets started tomorrow night, East Carolina takes on Southern Miss at 6:30pm on CSTV. ECU is 0-5 in the last five meetings against USM. Lets hope the streak continues.

Last note: What the hell is a manatee doing in Memphis? It must have picked up the heavy fish smell from a certain establishment on Mt. Moriah.

Boat drinks!

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 10/23/06

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show a possible college football playoff format. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at-large bids.

Round 1 games would be hosted by the higher ranked seeds. Rounds 2 - 4 would incorporate the bowl system with host cities/bowls bidding to host the games. The "Big 4" BCS bowls would be permanent playoff hosts on a round-rotating basis (Championship, semi-finals and 1 round 2 game).

The playoff field for the week of 10/23/06:

1. Ohio State (Big 10 Champion)
2. Michigan (At large Big 10)
3. West Virginia (Big East Champion)
4. Florida (SEC Champion)
5. Texas (Big 12 Champion)
6. USC (PAC 10 Champion)
7. Tennessee (At Large SEC)
8. Auburn (At Large SEC)
9. Clemson (ACC Champion)
10. Arkansas (At Large SEC)
11. California (At Large Pac 10)
12. Boise State (WAC Champion)
13. BYU (MWC Champion)
14. Tulsa (CUSA Champion)
15. Kent State (MAC Champion)
16. Middle Tennessee State (Sunbelt Champion)

Dropped out: Louisville (#10, At Large Big East), Georgia Tech (#12, ACC Champion)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
SEC (4), Big 10 (2), Pac 10 (2), ACC (1), Big 12 (1), Big East (1), CUSA (1), MAC (1), MWC (1), Sunbelt (1), WAC (1), Independent (0)

Something I don't want for Christmas

Is it just me or is it a problem when people are paying $20 or more for bottled water? I couldn't imagine paying this much for Dasani or Aquafina. Apparently a new company has found people that are willing to shell out at least a Jefferson to buy something you can get for free. Bling H20 is now selling designer bottled water for $20.00 (375ml bottle) and $34.95 for a (750ml package - about the size of wine bottle). Apparently the bottles are "limited edition, corked 750ml recyclable frosted glass bottles, exquisitely handcrafted with Swarovski crystals."

What will they think of next?

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 10/16/06

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show a possible college football playoff format. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at-large bids.

Round 1 games would be hosted by the higher ranked seeds. Rounds 2 - 4 would incorporate the bowl system with host cities/bowls bidding to host the games. The "Big 4" BCS bowls would be permanent playoff hosts on a round-rotating basis (Championship, semi-finals and 1 round 2 game).

The playoff field for the week of 10/16/06:

1. Ohio State (Big 10 Champion)
2. Michigan (At large Big 10)
3. West Virginia (Big East Champion)
4. Florida (SEC Champion)
5. Texas (Big 12 Champion)
6. USC (PAC 10 Champion)
7. Tennessee (At Large SEC)
8. Auburn (At Large SEC)
9. California (At Large Pac 10)
10. Louisville (At Large Big East)
11. Georgia Tech (ACC Champion)
12. Boise State (WAC Champion)
13. BYU (MWC Champion)
14. Tulsa (CUSA Champion)
15. Kent State (MAC Champion)
16. Middle Tennessee State (Sunbelt Champion)

Dropped out: Notre Dame (#10, At Large Independent), Houston (#14, CUSA Champion)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
SEC (3), Big 10 (2), Big East (2), Pac 10 (2), ACC (1), Big 12 (1), CUSA (1), MAC (1), MWC (1), Sunbelt (1), WAC (1), Independent (0)

Weekly Court Square Concert Series: The Memphis Allstars

Due to the fires in Downtown Memphis last week, the series has moved to Jefferson Davis Park.

Join Bravo Memphis for an evening at the opera!

Thursday October 12 at the Orpheum. The event begins at 6pm.

Porgy and Bess tells the story of Porgy, a crippled black man living in the slums of Charleston, South Carolina, and his attempts to rescue Bess from the clutches of Crown, her pimp, and Sportin' Life, the drug dealer. George Gershwin wrote the music to Porgy and Bess with libretto by DuBose Heyward and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Heyward. It was based on Heyward's novel Porgy and the play of the same name that he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy.

Bravo memberships are still available. Single memberships are $95 and double memberships are $145. Tell your friends not to miss out on the hottest arts ticket in town.

Preview Night
Do you have a friend considering a BRAVO membership? Invite them to join us at Porgy and Bess where we will offer a special non-member ticket for $10.

Win, Win, Win
Bring your business cards for our Bravo drawing. This month we will offer a signed print of "Porgy and Bess" from local artists Jerry and Terry Lynn. The pair are known in the art world as Twin.

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 10/9/06

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show a possible college football playoff format. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at-large bids.

Round 1 games would be hosted by the higher ranked seeds. Rounds 2 - 4 would incorporate the bowl system with host cities/bowls bidding to host the games. The "Big 4" BCS bowls would be permanent playoff hosts on a round-rotating basis (Championship, semi-finals and 1 round 2 game).

The playoff field for the week of 10/9/06:

1. Ohio State (Big 10 Champion)
2. Florida (SEC Champion)
3. Michigan (At Large Big 10)
4. USC (PAC 10 Champion)
5. West Virginia (Big East Champion)
6. Texas (Big 12 Champion)
7. Tennessee (At Large SEC)
8. Louisville (At Large Big East)
9. California (At Large Pac 10)
10. Notre Dame (At Large Independent)
11. Georgia Tech (ACC Champion)
12. Boise State (WAC Champion)
13. BYU (MWC Champion)
14. Houston (CUSA Champion)
15. Kent State (MAC Champion)
16. Middle Tennessee State (Sunbelt Champion)

Dropped out: Auburn (#2, SEC Champion), LSU (#7, At Large SEC), Oregon (#9, At Large Pac 10)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
Big 10 (2), Big East (2), Pac 10 (2), SEC (2), ACC (1), Big 12 (1), CUSA (1), Independent (1), MAC (1), MWC (1), Sunbelt (1), WAC (1)

This week at the Court Square Concert Series

Blues and jazz courtesy of the Billy Gibson Band. Admission is FREE

ML's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 10/2/06

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show what the possible college football playoff field would like. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at-large bids. Seeding is determined by the CNNSI top 119 until the BCS polls come out.

For more information about the bracket style playoff, click here

For the week of 10/2/06

1. Ohio State (Big 10 Champion)
2. Auburn (SEC Champion)
3. Michigan (At Large Big 10)
4. USC (PAC 10 Champion)
5. West Virginia (Big East Champion)
6. Florida (At Large SEC)
7. Texas (Big 12 Champion)
8. LSU (At Large SEC)
9. Oregon (At Large PAC 10)
10. Louisville (At Large Big East)
11. Georgia Tech (ACC Champion)
12. Boise State (WAC Champion)
13. BYU (MWC Champion)
14. Houston (CUSA Champion)
15. Kent State (MAC Champion)
16. Middle Tennessee State (Sunbelt Champion)

Dropped out: TCU (#11 MWC Champion), Virginia Tech (#12 ACC Champion), Central Michigan (#15 MAC Champion)

Memphis Area Southern Miss Watch Party Tuesday October 3

Memphis area Southern Miss fans are meeting at the Fox and Hound in Cordova on Tuesday October 3rd to watch the Golden Eagles take on the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa. Game time is scheduled for 6:30pm.

This is dedicated to Shrek..err Coach O

A Mississippi Rebels fan sent me the wonderful song about their head football coach.

http://dataweb2.datacompanies.com/cv/coach-o.mp3

ML's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 9/25/06

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show what the possible college football playoff field would like. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at-large bids. Seeding is determined by the CNNSI top 119 until the BCS polls come out.

For more information about the bracket style playoff, click here

For the week of 9/25/06

1. Ohio State (Big 10 Champion)
2. Auburn (SEC Champion)
3. USC (Pac 10 Champion)
4. Michigan (At Large Big 10)
5. West Virginia (Big East Champion)
6. Florida (At Large SEC)
7. Texas (Big 12 Champion)
8. LSU (At Large SEC)
9. Oregon (At Large PAC 10)
10. Louisville (At Large Big East)
11. TCU (Mountain West Champion)
12. Virginia Tech (ACC Champion)
13. Boise State (WAC Champion)
14. Houston (CUSA Champion)
15. Central Michigan (MAC Champion)
16. Middle Tennessee State (Sunbelt Champion)

Dropped out: Georgia (#10, At Large SEC), Bowling Green (#15, MAC Champion)

Young At Art Wine Tasting: Friday, October 6

Young At Art will host a wine tasting with Buster's Liquors on Friday, October 6, 2006 at the Dixon.

Event Details:
6:30 - 8:30 pm
YAA members: Free
YAA Guests: $15 per person

Memphis Area Southern Miss Watch Party Tuesday September 26

Memphis area Southern Miss fans are meeting at the Fox and Hound in Cordova on Tuesday September 26th to watch the Golden Eagles take on the Knights of Central Florida. Game time is scheduled for 6:30pm.

Seattle Day 3: Breakfast of Champions, Otters, Baseball and Dining

This the last in the installment of the Seattle visit series. All apologies for the delay.

On our final day in Seattle, we slept in a little late and joined other members of the group for a pre-game meal. Later in the day, we were going to Safeco Field to see the Mariners host the Red Sox. We arrived in the dining area to find a breakfast of hot dogs and chilli, hamburgers, etc. Surprisingly, at 10:30am a hot dog hit the spot.

After snacking on a frankfurter, NL and I went to the Seattle Aquarium. It was located right on the Sound and featured sea lions, otters and other wildlife found in the Northwest. I had a good time there. There are several interactive activities to participate in. Definitely something that both younger and older visitors can enjoy.

We then walked to Safeco Field for the baseball game. We took the long route along the Puget Sound. Along the way, we came across one of my favorite Seattle treats...mini-donuts. I can't explain why I get so excited about mini-donuts, they are just that damn good!














I was very impressed with the baseball facility. Lately, I've only been going to college and minor league games. The lower level games made me forget how big baseballs stadiums are at the Major League level. The Red Sox Nation was in full force on this Saturday. I would estimate the crowd was comprised of at least 50% Boston fans.

We left the game early and went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner with some of my friends that live in Snoqualmie. Mark picked us up took us to the Salish Lodge for dinner. The restaurant is located in Snoqualmie with an incredible view of the mountains. The eatery also sits on top of waterfall. It was definitely a site to see.

I was craving a steak for dinner, but quickly changed my mind when I noticed the only steak on the menu was $75. I opted for the duck, which was excellent. I think everyone else had the salmon. We also shared a tastey bottle of wine. I would share the details, but I can't remember much about the name.

After dinner, Mark brought us back to our Downtown Seattle hotel. I figured we would go out, but we were bums and called it a night. The next day, we flew back to Memphis.

Seattle is wonderful place to visit. I hope to go back again soon.

Upcoming Posts Update

Future Memphis Lagniappe posts include: the long-awaited Seattle Day 3 With Pictures, 3 Days at Copper Mountain and College Football Roadtrip to Hattiesburg.

Thursday September 21: Bravo Memphis Event

Memphis - Bravo Memphis kicks off Thursday September 21 at 6:00pm with the Hip Hop Immortals exhibit at the Stax Museum. I attached a cool promo video featuring the break dancers who will be performing that night at the event – Check it out! There will also be a spoken word performance and a drawing for free iTunes music.

Let your friends know that there’s still time to get their Bravo membership! (Single membership $95 & double memberships $145) The Bravo season is filled with great arts performances and exhibits from the opera to independent Memphis movies. Each event includes a social hour with complimentary appetizers, wine and beer. Even if they don’t join Bravo, they can always attend individual events for just $20. RSVP by September 19 to bravomemphis@hotmail.com. See you at Stax!

ML's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 9/18/06

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show what the possible college football playoff field would like. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at-large bids. Seeding is determined by the CNNSI top 119 until the BCS polls come out.

For more information about the bracket style playoff, click here

For the week of 9/18/06

1. Ohio State (Big 10 Champion)
2. Auburn (SEC Champion)
3. USC (Pac 10 Champion)
4. Michigan (At Large Big 10)
5. West Virginia (Big East Champion)
6. Florida (At Large SEC)
7. Texas (Big 12 Champion)
8. LSU (At Large SEC)
9. Oregon (At Large PAC 10)
10. Georgia (At Large SEC)
11. TCU (Mountain West Champion)
12. Virginia Tech (ACC Champion)
13. Boise State (WAC Champion)
14. Houston (CUSA Champion)
15. Bowling Green (MAC Champion)
16. Middle Tennessee State (Sunbelt Champion)

Dropped out: Notre Dame (#2 At Large Independent), Florida State (#11, ACC Champion), Central Florida (#14, CUSA Champion), Northern Illinois (#15, MAC Champion), Louisiana-Lafayette (#16, Sunbelt Champion)

ML's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 9/11/06

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Predictions are published weekly to show what the possible college football playoff field would like. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at-large bids. Seeding is determined by the CNNSI top 119 until the BCS polls come out.

For more information about the bracket style playoff, click here

For the week of 9/11/06

1. Ohio State (Big 10 Champion)
2. Notre Dame (At Large Independent)
3. USC (Pac 10 Champion)
4. Auburn (At Large SEC)
5. West Virginia (Big East Champion)
6. LSU (SEC Champion)
7. Texas (Big 12 Champion)
8. Florida (At Large SEC)
9. Michigan (At Large Big 10)
10. Oregon (At Large Pac 10)
11. Florida State (ACC Champion)
12. TCU (Mountain West Champion)
13. Boise State (WAC Champion)
14. Central Florida (CUSA Champion)
15. Northern Illinois (MAC Champion)
16. Louisiana-Lafayette (Sunbelt Champion)

Dropped out: Georgia (#11, At Large SEC)

ML's Fabled Football Playoff Predictions Week of 9/5

In a previous post I pushed for a college football play off and provided my pre-season playoff predictions. I've decided to have weekly updates for my out of reach playoff system.

11 conference champions will make the field, plus 5 at large bids. Seeding is determined by the CNNSI top 119 until the BCS polls come out.

For the week of 9/5/06

1. Ohio State (Big 10 Champion)
2. Texas (Big 12 Champion)
3. USC (Pac 10 Champion)
4. Auburn (At Large SEC)
5. Notre Dame (At Large Independent)
6. West Virginia (Big East Champion)
7. Florida (At Large SEC)
8. LSU (SEC Champion)
9. Florida State (ACC Champion)
10. Michigan (At Large Big 10)
11. Georgia (At Large SEC)
12. TCU (Mountain West Champion)
13. Boise State (WAC Champion)
14. Northern Illinios (MAC Champion)
15. Central Florida (CUSA Champion)
16. Louisiana-Lafayette (Sunbelt Champion)

Weekend Wrap Up: Art On Tap, Cafe Ole, Celtic Crossing and Recovery

My weekend started Friday night at Art on Tap at the Dixon. The is a great event. For $20, you get to taste around 100 beers, eat food from places like Central BBQ and mingle with Memphis' up and comers. I couldn't tell you how many beers I had, but I know it was too many. My only complaint is that there were too many people. Organizers should have closed the entrance gates after they ran out of the commemorative glasses. All in all the event was great and I can't wait for next year to come along.

Once we were "Tapped Out" we went to Cafe Ole for snacks and beverages. It was slow, but the 3 pitchers of margaritas made our stay go by quicker. We then made our way over to Celtic Crossing. As usual Celtic was packed. I had a quick beer and went home with NL. Feeling bad for one of my buddies, I dropped NL off at home and forced my friend to go back out. He needed wing man support and I was just the friend to do it.

By the time we made it back to Celtic, the pub had cleared out significantly. The saucy mid-4o's gal on the bar that was the target of evening was gone as well. So we stayed and drank too many beers and then went to Alex's for a night cap.

Saturday was spent recovering from my Friday antics. I did convince NL to join me in a Popeye's dinner while we watched the Texas football game. Other than that it was spent doing laundry and what not.

Weekend Wrap Up: Happy Hour, Golf, Downtown Afternoon, and Football

My Labor Day weekend kicked off on Thursday night at a happy hour gathering at the Fox & Hound on Sanderlin. We had a good turnout that enjoyed beverages, snacks and college football. I had several Colorado Kool-Aids and some billiard sticks. Good stuff!!! The next happy hour gathering should be September 14th. Check out this site for details. I went home early, because I was playing golf on Friday morning.

We arrived at Big Creek in Millington for our 10am tee time and played a quick round of golf. I was crappy as usual, but I was happy to bust out my $12 driver that I bought on eBay. For $12 I couldn't complain. For what its worth, my tee shots were straighter and longer, but my iron play and putting were piss-poor at best.

After golf we made our way to Downtown Memphis for lunch and cocktails. For lunch, we went to South Philly. South Philly specializes in cheese steaks , so I went with their special of the day, a triple cheese steak. It had American, provolone and cheese whiz on it. It came with chips and a drink for $8, not a bad deal. The best deal at South Philly is their all day - everyday beer special, 2 to 1 beers. We would have had several beers, but there was no one in the restaurant but us and the employees. So we headed to the Flying Saucer.

The Saucer was sort of busy, but it could have used a few more people. I had several Shiner Bocks while we were there. The people watching was great, especially with the American Idol auditions being in towns. We saw several interesting Idol people. We were hoping more people would be out for the holiday weekend, but we were wrong.

Saturday and Sunday were pretty much dedicated to college football. Unfortunately, most of the games were blowouts, including my Golden Eagles loss to the Gators.

I did manage to escape football for a few brief moments. Saturday night we went to Golden India for dinner. I had the Tandoori Mixed Grill, a wonderful sampler of tandoori-style lamb, chicken, shrimp and beef. We had wine with dinner and at Bari after, but I couldn't tell you much about it. All of my beer drinking during the day had made my taste buds worthless.

After a lazy Labor Day, I'm plugging and chugging waiting for the new weekend.

Southern Miss over the hapless Lions of SLU 45 - 10.

Downtown Memphis: Court Square Concert Series

Check out this free event in Downtown Memphis. The Court Square Concert Series run through October.

Upcoming Event: Art on Tap

Well Shiver Me Timbers, A Political Endorsement

I'm not one to endorse candidates, but for the 1st District Congressional race in Iowa (yeah, I know its not Memphis) I have to give the nod to James Hill. He's more than your average candidate, he's a PIRATE!

Check out his site and learn why this guy needs to go to Washington.

Chain whip me if I...

Hair Removal and Happy Hour

Interesting combination?

I was informed today that there is a product called Nad's Hair Removal Products available in stores. The product name pretty much tells it all. And there's some exciting news for the fast growing population of body hair haters, an expanded product line will be available in all Target locations this fall.

Here are some interesting tidbits from their press release:

“All Nad's Hair Removal Essentials Kits contain products for each step of the Nad's Hair Removal Cycle, a complete hair removal process that has become wildly popular in Australia.” Ummm...what's going on in Australia?

“With the addition of the facial products in the Target variation, the Nad's user is provided with everything needed for a full-body hair removal regime.” My quest is complete, I now have something fun and exciting to do on rainy days.

In other news, the start up Memphis Happy Hour group is having their second gathering tomorrow night. Fun-filled details are just a click away.

Saturday Fun: Wine and Hot Dogs by Wanger

I went to a birthday party Saturday night for a close friend in Midtown. On the menu, endless drinks and hot dogs. This was a tough call for me...grilled hot dogs or Kenny Loggins?

Before going to the party I had a few friends over for cocktails. Suprisingly we all chose to go with white wine, so I opened a bottle of 2004 Hedges CMS White (Columbia Valley). Everyone seemed to enjoy the blend of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and marsanne. I noticed pear and grapefruit flavors. It was a good wine and for $15, it was worth the price.

We made our way over to the Wanger party around 7:30, just in time for the first round of dogs to come off of the grill. Wanger did a great job on the grill. He offered beer soaked brats, Hebrew Nationals, Nathan's and chicken andouille. The glutton in me forced me to have everything but the brats.

There were several beverage options at the party, but I stuck with wine. I can't tell you how many wines were available, but I do remember at least one. The 2004 Groth Sauvignon Blanc (Napa) hit the spot with its grapefruit and lemon flavors.

After way too many glasses of wine, we went to Bari for a night cap. We all started out with martinis. Some had two and others three. I played it some what smart and had one plus a glass of wine.

All in all it was a good night.

Nothing says class like a motorized scooter.

The Cruzin Cooler is the perfect invention for the hard core partier. I can easily see this being used at tailgates, progressive parties, festivals and Mardi Gras.

I should add this to my Happy Holiday list.

Friday Fun: Mantia's and Bowling For Bears

I visited Mantia's for lunch on Friday. For those who haven't been, Mantia's is a locally owned and operated restaurant and market located on Poplar and St. Nick. I had the California BLT, the standard BLT with advacado and sprouts. It's one of my favorite sandwiches in Memphis.

NL was going to buy some of Mantia's pickles, but forgot. On Sunday I received an email from Mantias announcing that they do not sell their pickles. However, they did provide the recipe to make them yourself. I think I've found a fun project for the weekend.

Friday I night I went to Billy Hardwick lanes for the Jaycee's Bowling For Bears fundraiser. Teams of 4 competed for bragging rights and prizes from 7-9pm. Our team came in third place. Not bad for a 4 non-bowlers. Hardwick's seems to be a cool place to bowl. I might have to go there next time a get the urge to earn a few gutter balls.

Thursday Night: The Grove and Belmont

Thursday after work, I met a few people at The Grove Grill in East Memphis. The bar area was more crowded that unusual, especially for 8pm. We managed to find a space on the bar and ordered some drinks. NL had 2004 La Crema Pinot Noir. What can I say, she has good tastes.

I went with the 2003 Chateau Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley). It was a supple wine with hints of plum, cedar and herbs. I liked it, but I'm not sure if it was worth $10 a glass.

After a while, our stomachs started craving food, so we tried to order a few appetizers. We were quickly informed that the kitchen closed at 9pm. No food for us.

I'm not sure if I've ever been to a restaurant with a kitchen closing before 10pm.

NL and I were still hungry, so we went to the Belmont Grill on Poplar. For the first time ever, I didn't get a burger. Instead, I ordered a chicken tenders basket. No rave reviews here, it tasted like chicken. We also ordered a sausage and cheese plate. I wasn't impressed with the sausauge, but there was a large portion of cheddar and swiss on the plate.

I knew Friday was going to be a long day, so I called it quits after finishing off the chicken basket.

College Football Play Off

The 2006 football season starts-next week. All the talk in Memphis is geared around Memphis at Mississippi. My eyes will be glued to the Southern Miss - Florida game.

I know its early to be talking about it, but with all of the recent flaws in the BCS I think the NCAA should adapt a playoff system for Division 1 football. The system already works perfectly at other levels, why not D1?

For year's I have proposed a simple playoff plan, similar to the basketball tournament. Each conference champion would have at least one team represented in the playoffs and there would be 5 at-large bids. For those who can't add quickly, its a 16 team playoff that would last 4 weeks. Seeding would be determined by current BCS poll. At-large teams would be selected from the highest ranked non-conference champions.

Locations would be tough, but definitely something that could be managed. Round 1 would be played on the home field of the highest seeded team. The remaining 7 games (round 2 -4) would be played at bowl sites (Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, Orange, Cotton, Holiday and Liberty). The semi-finals and championship games could only be played at the Big 4 bowl stadiums.

Using this format, I put together this year's playoff based on the CNNSI pre-season rankings. The field would be:
#16 Louisiana-Lafayette (Sunbelt Champion)
#15 Northern Illinois (MAC Champion)
#14 Central Florida (CUSA Champion)
#13 Boise State (WAC Champion)
#12 TCU (MWC Champion)
#11 Floridat State (ACC Champion)
#10 Michigan (At-large - Big 10)
# 9 Florida (At-large - SEC)
# 8 California (At-large - Pac 10)
# 7 Auburn (At-large - SEC)
# 6 West Virginia (Big East Champion)
# 5 USC (PAC 10 Champion)
# 4 LSU (SEC Champion)
# 3 Texas (Big 12 Champion)
# 2 Notre Dame (At-large - Independent)
# 1 Ohio State (Big 10 Champion)

If all of the higher seeds win round 1,round 2 would be loaded with some great games. Ohio State vs Cal, USC vs LSU, WVU vs Texas, Auburn vs Notre Dame...who wouldn't want to watch these games and the following weeks?

I know there are some flaws here, but I don't claim to be an expert. I'm happy with or without the playoff.

Sept. 2: Southern Miss vs Florida Viewing Party

Southern Miss fans (and Gator haters) in the Memphis area are invited to come to the Fox & Hound in Cordova to watch the Southern Miss Golden Eagles open the 2006 season against the Florida Gators. The game starts at 5:00pm on Saturday September 2nd. The room to the left side as you walk in the front door has been reserved.

Weekend Wrap Up: Midtown, Steak Overdose and Wine

This weekend was the annual Boone's Classic celebration. Classic particpants made their way to Memphis on Friday for a weekend of alcohol consumption and dining.

Friday night started out with burgers and beers at Huey's Midtown location followed by visits to the Blue Monkey and Celtic Crossing. It was my first visit to the Monkey in a long time. There was a decent crowd, but the crowd was a little too "mature" for me. So we headed over to Celtic.
Celtic was packed. There was barely room to move inside and the patio was standing room only. The only bad thing was the lack of cool air. Sure it was hot outside, but the weak AC and large crowd made it unbearable inside. Luckily the crowd started to thin out and the place cooled off. At this point a change of venue was requested and we headed to the Mt. Moriah Performing Arts Center. MMPAC activities are prohibited from discussion, so use your imagination.

Tunica was the first activity of the day on Saturday. We spent 3-4 hours at The Grand Casino and everyone left winners. I left Tunica up almost 800%. Definitely a good thing.

For dinner we made it to Texas de Brazil for the all you can eat steak marathon. I'm not sure how we pulled it off, but we each had the salad bar, a ton of assorted cuts of beef and dessert. We were all feeling a little sick after dinner.

Our meal didn't hold us back from enjoying several good beverages. At dinner we shared two bottles of wine. The first was a 2002 Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon Starmont (Napa). It very heavy with tannins and had a extremely dry finish. It was not my favorite. Round 2 was a 2002 William Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (Napa). This was a much better wine. We also shared a 10-20-40 year flight of port with dessert. Port is very high on my list right now. I guess I should pick some up.

Later in the evening at the Williford house, I opened up three bottles of wines. The first was a 2001 Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa). It was a very smooth wine with plum and berry flavors. I highly recommend it if you can still find it in stores.

We didn't need to open the other wines, but good decisions are rarely made while drinking. The second bottle was a 2001 Columbia Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley). This was high tannin, chewy wine with berry and herb flavors. Not bad for the $10 I paid for it in Seattle. The final bottle was a Queen of Hearts Pinot Noir.

The Classic participants left Memphis on Sunday with slight hangovers and bigger waist lines. All signs of a good trip.

College football starts next week...FINALLY!

Fooie

I joined a few co-workers for lunch today. We had every intent of going to Mama Fu's on Poplar near Massey. Upon our arrival we were informed that Mama Fu's is no longer in business at this location. We were kinda surprised to hear this, since the restaurant was always packed. I wonder what the story is here.

Saturday and Sunday Wrap Up:Soul Fish, Bryant's and Lawn Care

For the most part, my weekend was very low key with lots of laundry and relaxation. However, I did manage to get out a little. On Saturday night, I made my first trip to Soul Fish in the Cooper-Young area. This is basically a high end (in appearance only) catfish house in Midtown Memphis. Menu items included salads, po-boys, catfish (fried and blackened) and smoked chicken. Everything seemed to be reasonably priced (under $10), so I was happy. Not being a fish fan, I went with the smoked chicken. For $8.95, I couldn't complain. The half chicken was served with mashed potatoes and corn bread. The sides were okay, but the tender chicken kept my stomach pleased. NL had the small catfish platter. For $6.95, she got 3 good-sized catfish filets, fries, hush puppies and cole slaw. She said the fish was good. I'll have to take her word on it. Soul Fish also serves beer and wine. Neither one of us was in a drinking mood, so we opted for the sweet tea.

Our weekend snacking continued Sunday morning at Bryant's on Summer. This country style eatery is an underrated Memphis favorite. We both had the breakfast special: two eggs cooked to order, grits, 3 buscuits, gravy and your choice of ham, sausage or bacon. All this for $5 each. What a deal! I'm not sure if I could eat this all the time. The food was good, but very heavy.

Later in the day, I borrowed NL's lawn mower and mowed my lawn for this first time this season. No, the weeds weren't above my head. I've been using a mowing service this year, since my mower was stolen last fall. After shelling out several bucks every couple of weeks, I decided to do it myself. Sure it was hot, but I realized that I actually like getting out on my lawn for thirty minutes or so. Its like a stress reliever. Go figure!

Friday Night Fun: Talledega Nights

Friday night I went to the Paradiso Theater and caught the 7:30 showing of Talledega Nights starring Will Ferrell. Unlike drinking milk in the hot sun, the Ballad of Ricky Bobby was a smart choice. This movie is funny and the cast does a great job.

Like Anchorman, this movie will not get the props it deserves until it comes out on video and/or HBO.

I don't want to give too much away about the movie, but I do want to ask one question - How do you like your Jesus?

Definitely shell out the $8 and watch this movie if you have the time.

Thursday Fun: River Oaks and Happy Hour

Thursday was a good day for me. Sure I had to go to work, but I had a free lunch and was able to help start what we hope becomes a monthly or bi-weekly happy hour group. Lets start with the free food.

A vendor treated myself and a co-worker to lunch at River Oaks on Poplar near I-240. Some might remember this location as the Cock-Eyed Camel, which is now located on Primacy Parkway. From the moment I walked in the restaurant I was impressed. A nice bar, great service and it was much bigger that I thought. There was nice wine display at the bar. I checked the wine list and can't wait to go back when I can have a drink.

I was the only person that didn't order the prime rib sandwich. Instead, I went with the kobe beef burger with white Vermont cheddar. It was seasoned just right and was served with parmesan french fries. It was good, but I'm not sure if I like paying $13 bucks for a burger (luckily I didn't have to). Belmont still has the best burger in Memphis.

After work I met some friends for happy hour. As previously posted, there seems to be a lack of a happy hour in East Memphis. So we started out own. We met up at the Brookhaven Pub and consumed adult beverages for a few hours. I didn't know how many people would show up, but was pleased with the turnout (15-20 people). Everyone seemed to have a good time and is looking forward to the next outing. Where should we do it next? The Bobcat?

Later in the evening we made our way to Grissanti's on Poplar for a nightcap. Like the last time I visited this Italian eatery, it was fairly slow at the bar. I'm thinking it will pick up once the rooftop season is over.

Italian Night, Flying Fish and Thursday Happy Hour

Last night I had some friends over for dinner. I prepared my own version of Baked Ziti with beef and hot Italian sausage. My friends contributed several courses, including bruschetta, a wonderful romaine and flash fried gorgonzola salad and cannoli for dessert. NL chipped in a bottle of 2004 Benton Lane Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley).

Over all the meal went very well. For me, the surprise of the night was the cannoli. Good stuff! The Pinot was light with raspberry and strawberry flavors with a slight peppery finish. At $22, I highly recommend it.

In other news, it has been confirmed that the owners of the Flying Saucer will open a Flying Fish restaurant later this year near the Downtown Saucer location. I’ve been to the Fish location in Little Rock left quite pleased.

Memphis Happy Hour Search Update

Some friends and I were talking this weekend about the serious absence of a scheduled happy hour. So here is what we are thinking...

1. Start easy, once a month (the second Thursday of each month)
2. Pick a location in East Memphis for easy access
a. We will try a new place each month
b. or we can find a favorite and stick to it
3. Get the word out and let it grow

With that being said here is this months plan:

• Brookhaven Pub
• Start showing up around 5:30
• Invite those that you think would enjoy

So now you have the word hope you can be there... also pass the word on!

Greater Memphis Arts Council’s Bravo Memphis Announces New Season and Kick Off Party

This Arts Council program for young professionals opens its 2006-2007 season with a sampling of cultural events for 21 to 40-somethings interested in the arts

MEMPHIS-August 2, 2006— For young professionals age 21 to 40 who are looking for a fun way to experience the city’s cultural scene, Bravo Memphis’ season kickoff is the place to be.
The 2006-2007 membership kickoff party will be held Thursday, August 17 at 6:00 pm at Downtown’s Zanzibar (412 South Main), giving culturally-minded individuals the opportunity to sign up for an arts sampler package that provides everything from dance and drama to independent film and visual arts.

Membership fees will be discounted the night of the kickoff to $80 per single or $125 per double (any two people). This season subscription covers the ticket price to seven arts events this season (see list below), plus complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at a social hour before each event. Members also have the chance to meet the leaders and performers at local arts organizations and get a “backstage talk” before every event.

In existence for more than 15 years, the program is part of the Greater Memphis Arts Council and now boasts more than 200 members. “Bravo Memphis is a wonderful program—it provides an easy and affordable way to enjoy a wide sampling of some of the city’s best cultural offerings, in a setting where you can network with peers and learn a little something special about the arts at the same time,” said Alice Donohoe, Bravo Memphis Leadership Council President.
“If you were buying tickets individually to all of the events on our schedule it would cost much more than our subscription fee, so we know we are offering our members a great return on their investment in the arts,” added Bravo Memphis Coordinator Pat Mitchell Worley. “Plus, it’s a lot of fun!”

2006-2007 Bravo Memphis Season (dates to be announced at kickoff)
Hip Hop Immortals Exhibit Stax Museum
Porgy and Bess Opera Memphis
Folk and Outsider Art Exhibit Center for Southern Folklore
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Playhouse on the Square
Trey Bien! Ballet Memphis
Alvin Ailey Dance Demonstration Cultural Development Foundation of Memphis
Indie Memphis Film Indie Memphis

FAST FACTS
What: Bravo Memphis Season Kickoff Party
When: Thursday, August 17, 6:00-9:00 pm
Where: Zanzibar, 412 South Main St.
For What Group: Young professionals, 21 to 40-something.
Free admission, performance by New Ballet Ensemble, season subscriber discounts, arts ticket giveaways, and much more! Visit www.memphisartscouncil.org for more info.

Monday Night Update: Cafe Med Revisted, Bravo Memphis & Costa Vida

Today was a more hectic than usual day at work, so I decided to take a much needed lunch break at Cafe Med. As usual, the food was very good. I had the Rhodus Gyro with spicy feta cheese. NL made her first visit the Cafe and seemed to enjoy the classic basic gyro.

After work I met with a fellow member of Bravo Memphis to put together a PR plan for the organization. This year's line up looks to be fun. Look for more details in a seperate post.

In other news, Costa Vida has opened on the corner of Poplar and Tillman. The Memphis locations are the first for Costa Vida east of the Mississippi. From what I could gather, the restaurant is a fresh Mexican grill, similar to east Memphis favorite Swanky's. I'll stop by in a couple of weeks to see what its like.

Major decision: Kenny Loggins or Poison/Cinderella? This is a tough call.

Coming soon: Seattle Day 3 (sorry for the delay) and my Southern Miss football preview.

Weekend Wrap Up: Off Site Meeting, Blown Tires, Tax-Free Shopping and Golf

The weekend started early on Friday with an “off site” meeting at Cordova Lanes. After a few games of bowling and a few pitchers of Coors Light, we made our way to the Flying Saucer on Germantown Road.

For those who haven’t made their way to the new Saucer location, you can rest assured that the same quality beverages and staffing are available for your drinking and viewing enjoyment. I continued to observe my “fire sale only “rule and sipped on Shiner Bock for the duration of our visit. Lucky for me, Shiner is one of my favorite beers.

After several rounds of assorted beers, several members of the group started to wear down. At this point we decided to head back to home-base in Midtown. On the way, our goal was to stop at an East Memphis watering hole. While en route to Dan McGuiness, NL had a tire blowout, so I assumed the good boyfriend role and helped her change the tire. The blowout changed our super-party attitude to something a little more somber, so we skipped the East Memphis stop and headed to Bari.

Bari was a good way to end the evening. I’ve always found that the bartender makes great drinks and Friday was another fine example. The Ketel and tonics were going down way too easy and I was getting tired, so we called it quits for the night.

Saturday was spent at Oak Court Mall taking advantage of Tennessee’s Tax Free shopping weekend. Of course I spent too much money on new clothes, but they were much needed. Shopping is not my thing, as I can only endure an hour or so. I think we were at the mall for 3 hours. I was very happy to leave before I could do anymore damage. Surprisingly, NL didn’t buy anything. How about that?

I cooked dinner for NL and myself after our shopping spree. The menu included stuffed pork chops and blue cheese mashed potatoes. The chops were stuffed with a sautéed blend of leeks, prosciutto and sage, grilled and then topped with a Dijon cream sauce. This was my first attempt at this recipe and I was quite pleased. The chops were very tasty.

We also drank a bottle of 2000 Yalumba Barrossa. This blend was 90% shiraz and 10% viognier. This wine was rich with berry and plum flavor. If you can still find this wine, I highly recommend it.

Sunday was spent on the golf course at Big Creek in Millington. As previously mentioned, I’m a horrible golfer. For some reason, I never seem to improve my game. Maybe the 100 degree temperatures had something to do with it.

We headed Downtown after golf to grab a beverage, but found all of the bars to be dead. The Saucer only had a handful of people and the other bars near Peabody Place looked equally “ghost town-ish.” We settled on Sleep Out Louie’s. We had heard that Sunday’s and S.O.L.’s can be quite festive. Apparently this Sunday was not scheduled to be festive. There were 10 or so people at the bar and they were all focused on NTN style trivia. Not a bad thing, but this wasn’t the fun we were looking for. One cool thing was the $1 PBR draft.

Sunday evening was spent at Los Comprades. After a day in the sun, I couldn’t handle any more alcohol, so I stuck with old reliable Coca-Cola with my enchilada dinner. After dinner I went back home and fell as sleep watching the Hall of Fame football game. I'm so happy the football season is upon us.

Looking forward to a great week. More later….

Monday Update: Sent Home Early, Jambalaya, Old Vine Zin & Animal House

Monday's are always interesting at my office and yesterday was no different. At 11am our building lost power. It was lunch time, so we went to grab a bite to eat. While we were out, we were notified that we shouldn't come back until 1:30. No problem, its not that hard to kill time and stay away from work.

We returned at the requested time to find the office fully operational. Then about 15 minutes later, the power went out again. After waiting around for 45 minutes or so, company officials sent us home for the day.

I could have had a productive afternoon at my house, but I elected to take a nap instead.

NL called me around 5:15 and we agreed to have dinner at my house. I prepared a sausage jambalaya dinner that was pretty darn good. We also shared a bottle of 2003 Seghesio Old Vines Zinfandel (Sonoma County). It was a rich, savory wine with hints of rasberry, cherry and clove flavors...one of my favorites.

Later in the night, I watched Animal House on HBO. This is a classic movie that I can't seem to turn off when I catch it on TV. I laugh as much now as I did when I first saw the movie roughly 20 years ago. The Blues Brothers and Drumline (yep, Drumline) are just a couple examples of movies that just suck me in.

I wonder what Fawn Lebowitz actually looked like?

Lea's Woods Neighborhood Picnic

The 2nd annual Lea's Woods Neighborhood Picnic was held on Sunday night at the corner of Katie and Williford. This year's turnout was much stronger than last year. There were several new faces enjoying the pot luck style event. Hopefully a stronger, more close knit neighborhood will help to eliminate crime in the neighborhood.

Weekend Wrap Up: Downtown Thursday, Redbirds and more

My arm was twisted and I joined a couple of friends Downtown for drinks Thursday night. We started out at the Flying Saucer and we were surprised to see how busy it was. We had a couple of beers and decided to go to Country On Beale, a weekly free country concert held at Handy Park.

Country On Beale was packed. The only problem is that an easy 80% of the attendees were under 18. Not good for my single friends. So we went back to the Saucer for more beers.

We then headed to Atlas. Word on the street is that this place is cool on Thursday nights. Apparently we were misinformed. It was pretty lame and the crowd was a bit old for me.

On Friday we went to the Redbirds game. Baseball is one of my favorite sports, so I was excited to go. The hapless Rebdirds managed to pull out a win against Salt Lake City. After the game they had a nice fireworks display that we all enjoyed. My only comment about Autozone Park is that they need to upgrade the payment options the concession stands. Many people, including myself, were surprised to see they did not accept credit cards. Luckily, I had cash. Others did not.

On Saturday, we went to the Memphis Farmer's Market. There has been lots of hoopla about the latest South Main activity, but I cannot justify why. It was very overrated. There were only a few vendors and their offerings were very limited. I'll try it again in the future, maybe it will get better.

Saturday night I made dinner at my house. The menu included a grilled chicken spinach salad with a honey mustard vinegarette dressing and deep fried corn with spicy honey butter (I had to try and recreate the Seattle delicacy). Both were excellent. I poured a 2004 Sterling Vinter's Collection Pinot Noir (Central Coast) with the meal. It was a simple wine with cherry flavors and it adequately complimented the meal. For dessert we enjoyed some fresh berries and the remainder of the wine.

I planned for Sunday to be a relaxing day, but it was far from it. We went to the teapot exhibit at the Dixon. I was expecting basic painted teapots, instead the teapots were decorative, outrageous pieces of art. I definitely recommend this exhibit. I think it runs through September.

For lunch I took NL on her first visit to Gus' Fried Chicken on Front Street. As always, the folks at Gus' did a wonderful job. NL enjoyed the chicken and mentioned that we should visit at least once per month. Not a bad idea!

After a some quick shopping, we headed back to my neighorhood for the 2nd annual Lea's Woods picnic. I'll have more details on the picnic in tomorrow's post.

Time for bed. Have a happy Monday!

Seattle Day 2: Pike's Market, Palace Kitchen, Pioneer Park

This is the second of four installments about my recent trip to Seattle.

Friday morning started bright and early in with a 6:15 breakfast with co-workers. The business agenda called for meetings from 7a-6p. The plan was for NL to sleep in and enjoy a few Seattle sites on her own.

The morning session of meetings ended around 11:30a. At this point I called NL to see where she was and perhaps meet for lunch. When I got in touch with her she was on the way back to the hotel after a morning of exploring. I met her in the lobby and we headed over to Pike Place Market, famous for the flying fish market.

This place was really cool. There were hundreds of vendors with fresh seafood, meat, fruits, vegetables, baked goods, flowers and pretty much anything you can think of. We walked around sampling whatever we could. We purchased some fresh peaches and a few packages of jerky from a vendor. Other nearby vendors included restaurants, wine shops and the original Starbucks.

After roaming around the market, we found Kells Irish Pub tucked in an alley. Since I had to go back to the meetings, I had a Pepsi and some Dungeness crab cakes. They were light and crispy with a lemon caper sauce. A perfect lunch for a warm and busy day. NL had the crab sandwich, a crab salad served open face with melted cheese. It looked very good.

After lunch, I headed back to the business portion of the trip for a few more hours. After the meeting, NL and I walked down to the Palace Kitchen for dinner. I visited this restaurant on my last visit and I was looking forward to enjoying it again. The restaurant was kind of busy, but we were immediately seated at a cozy table near the window.

We started our dinner with cocktails and a couple of appetizers - fried corn on the cob and bacon wrapped quail. The quail was okay, it was very flavorful and melted in your mouth. The corn was everything I remember from the year before. 2-3 inch wide pieces of corn on the cob were seasoned and deep fried and served with honey butter and a chipotle style butter. I recommend this to anyone.

For the main course I had the Washington chicken and NL enjoyed the salmon. Both were well-received and were complimented nicely with a bottle of 2004 A to Z Pinot Noir.

After dinner we walked to the Pioneer Park area of Downtown and stopped at a local bar for cocktails. They had a great Cult coverband playing and strong drinks. Not a bad combination.

It was getting late, so we made our way back to the hotel for a full day of Saturday fun.

Thursday Update: S.O.R. Revisited and Weekend Plans

Apparently the "Statue of Religity" project on Kirby and Winchester is not yet complete. Still in the works in a replica of Jesus' tomb in the base of the statue and a visitor parking lot. To quote the church pastor, "I feel that it is money well spent." This church is quickly becoming a legtimate contender for the Memphis area "Six Flags Over Jesus" award. This is currently held by another church located off of I-40.

Tomorrow night I'm heading over to my first Redbirds game of the year. Sure they are a horrible team, but its hard to turn down suite tickets. This could be followed up by a visit to a Downtown watering hole.

Saturday is currently wide open, except for a some home maintence. Cleaning is fun!

Sunday should be a relaxing day, with a neighborhood pot luck picnic in the evening. I wonder what I should bring?

Looking forward to football season! The Golden Eagles kick off in 36 days.

Wednesday Update: Concert News and Bye Bye Gibson Fridays

The Court Square Concert Series is set to begin next week in Downtown Memphis. The shows are free and food/drink is available for purchase. The first band will be Memphis' own Free Sol. The series will end on October 25.

In a previous post I mentioned going to a Friday night roof top party at the Gibson Guitar Factory. The attendance was poor and I left disappointed. I was informed today that the Friday night parties at the Gibson have been cancelled. Apparently the attendance numbers never improved. Based on the people running the show, I'm not surprised

Tuesday Update: The New Bottomline and Brookhaven Pub

In an attempt to find a fun happy hour, I accompanied some co-workers for an adult beverage after work. We have a belief that happy hour is a long forgotten tradition in Memphis, especially in East Memphis. Tonight was no different.

Our first stop was at the New Bottomline on Kirby and Poplar. It was dead when we walked in, but we opted to stay. Heck, we were already there. We had a few beers and a couple of snacks. We also had the opportunity to watch some exciting sports on ESPNU and ESPN.

ESPNU was featuring the collegiate version of the lumberjack championships. This was hard to believe, but then my favorite TV sport appeared on ESPN. The one, the only, World Series of Darts. That's right kids, we sat and watched professional dart players fight it in heart wrenching games of 501.

After a while we changed venues and made our way to the Brookhaven Pub. The crowd was younger and more vibrant than the New Bottomline crowd. We knew it was a good place to be when we saw the Swingers. After a couple of drinks and some trivia questions, I headed home to get some rest.

The quest for a good happy hour spot in East Memphis continues, but for right now Brookhaven is the leader.

Seattle Day 1: 4 Hour Flight, Scavenger's Guide, Red Lion, Elephant & Castle and EMP

As mentioned yesterday, I spent a few days in Seattle on business. Over the next couple of days I'll provide some highlights of the trip.

When I woke up on Thursday, I knew it was going to be a long day. NL picked me up at 7:30 to head to the airport for my 8:45 flight. While checking in my luggage, I received a First Class upgrade. Its good to be a kinda sort of frequent flyer. The flight was on time and before I knew it we were in the air on our 4 hour journey.

I packed several items to keep me busy on the flight. A laptop, my iPod, a portable DVD player and a book. I chose the last option, The Scavenger's Guide To Haute Cuisine by Steven Rinella. It is a well written, easy to read book about a Rinella's desire to prepare a 3-day 45 course meal. The catch is that none of the ingredients are store bought. The book explains Rinella's adventures around the States hunting down the fish, elk, etc for his extravagant feast. I was able to read about half of the book during the flight.

After landing, we headed to our hotel in Downtown Seattle. The Red Lion Hotel was a nice hotel, with an even better location. It was minutes away from several Seattle attractions.

For lunch I went to a close pub/eatery called the Elephant & Castle. It was okay. The food was your standard pub grub. I had a burger with a Pilsner Urquel.

After lunch I walked down to the Experience Music Project, Seattle's music museum. I'm not sure if it was worth $20, but it did have some cool stuff like the history of music in the Northwest Passage and a Jimi Hendrix exhibit.

I had a work function to attend at 6, so I returned to the hotel. After eating dinner, I joined a few co-workers at the Elephant & Castle for a couple of beers and Washington Apple shots (a combination of Crown Royal and Apple Pucker). I was back in my room by 11pm.

NL arrived at the hotel at 11:45. I wanted to go out and have more fun, but I had to save my engergy for the next day's meetings.

Back In Memphis

I'm back in Memphis after a visit to Seattle. Overall the trip was fun. Look for more details over the next couple of days.

Discouraging News In Lea's Woods

No less than a week after I praised the upcoming improvements to the Lea's Woods neighborhood, discouraging news was delivered to my doorstep yesterday. A concerned neighbor was going door-to-door to let everyone know about the recent crime spree in the area. Completely obliviously to this sort of activity, I was shocked to hear that there were at least six homes broken into on near by streets in the past week. That's right...6!!!

It sounds like its time to reorganize the Neighborhood Watch program in the area. We also need to increase the police presence in the area. The crimes haven't been violent, but this kind of behavior should be stopped before things get out of hand. Residents in nearby neighborhoods like Cooper-Young and Downtown have noticed a reduction in crime with the more officers on patrol and more community involvement.

A recent movement that I've been impressed with is Residents For A Safer Downtown Memphis. Fed up with the increased criminal activity (one of the founder's was mugged), they formed this group to heighten awareness and to push Memphis Police to patrol their Downtown neighborhoods. From all accounts, this has been a success so far.

I'm not saying that we have to go as far as having a neighborhood website, but a daily e-mail blast or blog posting with neighborhood updates wouldn't be a bad thing. Combined with a watch program and more police patrols, this could help push the criminal activity out.

Weekend Wrap Up: Thai Food + Irish Pub = Saturday Hangover

On Friday night I joined a group of friends at Bhan Thai for dinner and drinks. I've been to Bhan Thai a couple of times, but never had the opportunity to sit outside. They have a nice patio-style set up with umbrella covered tables and an outside bar. To beat the heat, they also have large fans circulating cool air.

We claimed our table and enjoyed the Thai food and several bottles of 2004 Lockwood Sauvignon Blanc (Monterey). The dry wine had flavors of apricot and apples and came at reasonable price ($25). I had the spicey basil chicken. The wine nicely complimented the blend of vegetables, chicken and spices.

This was supposed to be a low-key night, but that quickly changed when we headed over to Celtic Crossing. We were hoping to enjoy the outside seating, but several other people had the same idea, so we claimed our spot at the bar. After a while the inside became just as crowded with patrons.

When it first opened last year, I had my doubts about an Irish pub in the Cooper-Young area, but every time I go the place it's packed. It has replaced the Blue Monkey as my favorite bar in Mid-town.

Later, we decided to participate in Celtic's Friday night trivia contest. 10 questions with the winner getting a bar gift card. We answered all of the questions correctly and finished tied for 1st place. Our reward a $25 gift card. It will come in handy later this summer.

Throughout the night I consumed too many Ketel and tonics, which for some reason go down like water. The end result was a not so pleasant hangover Saturday morning. This dictated my activities for the remainder of the weekend...rest and relaxation.

Why are weekends so short?

Katrina Reconstruction And Good News In Lea's Woods

A friend informed me of a humorous, true situation today. Like many others, a New Orleans area man returned home after Hurricane Katrina to find his home with severe flood damage. A couple of months later, he signed up to have his house gutted for free by a church group. On Tuesday, the group finally began tearing down his house.

The guy received a call today from the leader of the church group saying the house was not finished and they would no longer be gutting the house. Why do you ask? Because the church group found the homeowners porn collection. Whatever happened to he who is without sin should cast the first stone?

It appears that the Lea's Woods Historic Conservation District is getting a small face lift. Forum Investments LLC has purchased several dwellings on Williford Street with the intent to demolish the existing structures and build new SFDU's. They have already started the process with three new homes currently being constructed. Forum currently has nine Certificates of Appropriateness (COAs)applications for demolition of structure under review with the Memphis Landmarks Commission (MLC). The properties in question are in poor condition and need to be demolished. The MLC should approve the COAs without any hesitation.

Poker News

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday forbidding the use of credit cards to settle online bets. Elected officials need to remember that prohibition is most likely the wrong answer, because it doesn't work. Die-hards will find a way to play. The smart thing to do would have been to regulate the $12 billion industry and collect taxes. It will be interesting to see if the bill gains Senate approval.

Speaking of online poker, Interpoker.com's latest gimmick is basically an extreme poker challenge on July 26th called Loser’s Leap. Qualifying tournament winners will play in the championship round in a plane flying at 10,000 feet. As players lose all of their chips, they have to exit the plane while still in the air. I'm guessing parachutes will be provided. I wonder which network will pick this up for a tape-delayed airing.

Lyric Jeans, Pee Wee's Playhouse and Tax Relief

Lyric Jeans is a new clothing line that prints music lyrics on its jeans. According to Lyric, they have partnered with EMI Music to get permission to use select songs on your leg, pocket or butt. I haven't had time to check, but I wonder what songs you can choose from. Hopefully the list includes "Big Butts", "I'm Too Sexy", "I Touch Myself" and the American classic "Move Bitch."

While channel surfing tonight, I came across Pee Wee's Playhouse on The Cartoon Network. It looks like they are going to air the classic Saturday morning show Monday-Thursday at 10pm CST in the Adult Swim block. Kudos to CN for bringing Pee Wee back in our lives.

Did I just use the word kudos?

Special thanks need to be extended to Shelby County for not raising property taxes. I believe the City of Memphis is holding back as well. With inflation on the rise and energy costs climbing daily, this was much needed relief.

Relaxation, Bowling and Free Stuff

Every now and then people need to take a break from going out all the time and chill at home. I took one of those breaks this weekend. Instead of bar hopping or dining out, we relaxed on the comfort of our couches drinking wine and watching movies. The only time we ventured out was to go bowling.

Friday night was extremely low-key, just lots of sleep.

After an errand-filled Saturday morning, we decided to go bowling later in the afternoon at Jillian’s. I hadn’t bowled in couple of years and my impressive 99 in the first game showed it. I did follow it up with a respectable 158. Not too shabby. We actually wanted to bowl another game or two, but we opted to leave for a couple of reasons.

First, it was hot in there. They needed to crank up the AC a little more.

Second, the family bowling next to us was obnoxious. It looked like a nice family outing. There were about 10 people bowling on the lane. A little much, however they appeared to be managing the situation nicely. This quickly changed when they began celebrating their gutters, spares and strikes in our lane and loitering in our area between their shots. There was plenty of space to gather in their own lane, but for some reason they insisted on venturing into our area. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for family fun, but this group needed to brush up on their manners and bowling etiquette. It wasn’t worth the hassle to keep them out of our space, so we packed it up.

After two quick games, we headed back to Midtown for dinner. We were thinking about heading to En Tour, but we changed our minds and decided to fire up the old charcoal grill. New York strips, potatoes, asparagus and wine would be on the menu this night. The food was good and the wine complimented it very well.

Quickly on the wine, we had a 2003 Concha y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon (Puente Alto). An underrated wine, it was solid with blackberry and cherry flavors with notes of vanilla and chocolate with a long finish. At $16-$20, it’s definitely worth the price.

Sunday wasn’t much different from the previous two days, yet I was still exhausted on Monday morning. How does that work?

Starting tomorrow, the first one million people to try on a pair of American Eagle jeans will get a pass for admission to a AMC theater. To quote NL: “Yeah, too bad there aren’t any AMC theaters here…and too bad their jeans are so incredibly low riding that half my crack sticks out. The underwear above the jeans, prison-style look isn’t really for me. Or any one else for that matter.”

Indeed.

Thursday Snacking: Cafe Med, Fleming's and Free Wine

I’ve finally grown sick of the restaurant choices near my office. We always go to the same old place’s like Lenny’s, Jason’s, Swanky’s etc. On Thursday, we decided to try something different and went to the Café Med on Kirby and Poplar (in between Danver’s and the New Bottom Line).

The restaurant was clean and the service was prompt and friendly. The menu included a variety of appetizers, Greek Gyros, grilled pita sandwiches, Italian pannini sandwiches and salads. Prices ranged from $4.95 to $7.95.

I had the chicken pesto panino, a grilled fococcia sandwich with basil pesto, provolone cheese, baby spinach, chicken breast, sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts. The sandwich was above average in size, light yet filling, and seemed to have the perfect blend of ingredients. I would rate the experience an A. I look forward to going back to Café Med.

The only thing that was missing was a nice glass of white wine, so later in the day I met NL at Fleming’s for cocktails and appetizers. My craving for white wine quickly changed to red. We ordered a bottle of 2002 Ortman Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley). It is an inviting wine, with blueberry, plum and vanilla flavors. The restaurant price of$64 was not unreasonable, but far from cheap. I continue to be impressed with the overall experience at Fleming’s.

Free Wine

A free wine tasting is being held Saturday from 1-3p at Salsa on Poplar. Sponsored by Great Wines, it will be a blind tasting of Italian wines. Good stuff!

Check please!

After an intense post-4th of July morning work session, I went to the Blue Plate Cafe on Poplar for lunch with a couple of co-workers. Known for serving breakfast all day and plate lunches, we figured we could grab a quick bite to eat and head back to the office.

After we were done with our meals (I had the burger with bacon and cheese - no fries), I noticed something on the wall near my co-worker. I quickly glanced over and there it was, a nice-sized cock roach loitering near the beverage and condiments station. My stomach quickly began to turn. Our bill arleady paid, we hurried out of the restaurant.

On the way out, I noticed the restaurant scored an 84 on the health inspection. Based on the cameo appearance by our crawling friend, I think the score should be significantly lower. Is this something I should report to the Department of Health?

Needless to say, I won't be going back to the Blue Plate Cafe (all locations) any time soon.

What's that on Winchester?

A Memphis area church is set to unveil a new monument on July 4th. The 72-foot tall statue is a Statue of Liberty look-a-like. The trademark torch has been replaced with a cross and the tablet is now the Ten Commandments. The church is calling it “The Statue of Liberation Through Christ.” NL and LL have named it “The Statue of Religity.”

I’m all for a person’s freedom of religion, but is a $260,000 statue the best way to renew someone’s faith? The price tag is not a typo. In most cases, the purpose of contributing to the donation plate it assist the poor, fund church programs and to cover other expenses. In this case, it purchased a big green statue. Sources close to the church have said several members opted to switch churches after hearing of the plans and then seeing the construction of the monster statue.

Maybe something better would have been traditional religious symbols. A cross or a statue of Jesus. This is too easy and would limit merchandising opportunities. Merchandising? That’s right. The church website has established a store to sell Lord knows what commemorating the statue.

With all of the issues in Memphis today, I would think the money could be better spent in the community. The city is in dire need of youth programs. Why not enhance the current church programs? Or start new ones like drug prevention or helping the homeless. The 260K could feed approximately 450 seniors every day for the remainder of the year via M.I.FA. This seems like the Christian thing to do.

Unfortunately, the Christian thing to do might get you great PR, but at the end of the day it can’t guarantee you financial wealth.

Lazy Sunday

What’s to do on the Sunday of a 4-5 day weekend? I think I’m one of the only people around who didn’t strategically plan a super long 4th of July weekend. I’d rather save my vacation days for the holidays and football season. It’s a pretty day, perhaps an outside brunch is in the cards or some kind of grill action later in the day.

I’ve always enjoyed the 4th of July. We typically went on vacations to the Redneck Riviera or held some kind of cook out at home or a relative’s houses. Getting sunburned, drinking and eating are some of my favorite things.

Independence Day wouldn’t be complete with out fireworks. We always went to Wild Bill’s Fireworks in Slidell and loaded up on bottle rockets, jumping jacks, M-80’s and what ever else would be colorful and make loud noises. Unfortunately, I read the other day that many cities (including Slidell) are having fireworks bans due to drought conditions. Bring on the rain!!!

Last Friday: South Main to Overton Square

One of the more underrated activities in Memphis is the South Main Art Trolley Tour. A majority of the galleries and businesses on South Main basically have an open house. We went door to door exploring galleries, shops and condo developments. Each location has complimentary adult beverages and snack. There was lots of people watching and free beverages...what's not to like?

Thanks to NL, I had the opportunity to meet George Hunt outside one of the galleries. Mr. Hunt is a Louisiana native and is considered America's foremost blues artist. His work goes well beyond making music-inspired pictures. He is a super nice guy and agreed to sign my 2005 Congo Square print of the late "Gatemouth" Brown. That pretty much made my night. Now I need to find a time to get down there and have him sign it.

After the Tour, we went to Le Chardonnay for more cocktails and snacks. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, but as usual I was busy with the wine. We had a couple of bottles of 2004 La Crema Pinot Noir. As expected, La Crema has done wonderful job with this vintage. The wine had cherry and plum flavors with balanced tannins. I need to keep some of this at my house.

Looking forward to a low-key Saturday night.

UCP Fundraiser At Firebirds

Firebirds Rocky Mountain Grill's new Collierville location held is pre-grand opening party Thursday night. Admission was $25 with all proceeds going UCP of the Mid-South. The sold out event included a generous sampling of Firebirds menu items, wine, beer and a silent auction.

Overall the heavy hor's doerves were pleasing. My favorites were the kobe beef spears and the creme broulee cheesecake. Other items included crab cakes, sliced beef, pork and several other items.

At the end of the night, UCP was able to reel in over $10,000.

After Firebirds, we made our way closer to home base and had a couple of cocktails and Grisanti's on Poplar. Thursday nights have been to know to be crowded at the bar, but not on this Thursday. After a couple of drinks, we headed over the Blue Monkey. The crowd was better than Grisanti's and the band was pretty good. There even was a "swingers" siting.

Summer Sports Slumps, Reading and Wine

Someone mentioned the other day that this is the worst time of year for serious sports fans, because there is no football or basketball to be found on TV. I would agree with this statement. The only sports on TV right now are soccer, golf, auto racing and baseball. Most of these sports are fun to watch in person, but their only use on TV is to help you fall asleep on the couch after a day working in the yard. Other exciting “sporting events” on TV during this time of year include: poker, Scrabble, cheerleading, dancing, karate, and a bevy of other irrelevant events.

For me, this slump actually started in early April as the college basketball season ended and it officially game to an end last week with the completion of the college baseball season. ESPN needs to get on the ball and start televising more college baseball, at least on a regional level. A few select conferences have contracts with regional cable networks like CSS and FSN. I would think that the demand exists, especially in the South, to have at least a game of the week on a broadcast station. This would be no different that the JP/Lincoln financial game of the week during football and basketball seasons. The sponsors are there, they should give it a try. I know I would tune in.

The slump isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It gives me the opportunity to pick up a book or two. I recently completed Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J Dubner. It is a well written book that takes a interesting look at crack gangs, crime, abortion, the Ku Klux Klan, school teachers, real estate agents, baby names and sumo wrestlers. If you are up for a good read, go to your local book store and purchase Freakonomics.

Next on the reading list: The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman.

Earlier this week, I popped open a bottle of 2004 Blackstone Sauvignon Blanc. It has a citrus (lemon-lime) flavor with a spicy note on the finish. It wasn’t my favorite, but not bad for $10-$12.