John Calipari confirmed today that he is taking the basketball position at Kentucky. He did a great job while he was here and while no one wants to see him go, we should all wish him the best at his next stop.
The ripple effect associated with his departure has already begun. It appears that he is taking his entire staff with him to Lexington and Tyreke Evans has told several media outlets that he is going pro. The next announcements will most likely be player transfers and de-commitments from key recruits.
So, what's next? Memphis needs to quickly find a top-notch coach that can stop the bleeding. Missouri has re-signed Mike Anderson, so he is out. Who does that leave? Early lists include USC's Tim Floyd, Mississippi's Andy Kennedy and possibly UTEP's Tony Barbee. This may be R.C. Johnson's most important hire at Memphis. It will be interesting to see who gets the job.
Ladies and gentlemen, Matthew Wilder
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Memphis Coaching Change?
As expected, John Calipari's has become the leading candidate for the Kentucky basketball job. Most national and some local media outlets are reporting that Cal will accept the job with the Wildcats.
So that leaves a big question - who will be the next Memphis basketball coach? A popular name that keeps coming up is Missouri's Mike Anderson. Anderson has a good thing going in Columbia, so he will most likely stay his Tigers. Memphis does have the cash to steal Anderson, so this will be interesting to watch.
Another good fit would be UTEP's Tony Barbee. Before heading to El Paso, Barbee was an assistant under Calipari and he is very familiar with Memphis, its boosters, players and fans. Barbee hiring may also prevent key players from leaving the program.
One also has to think that the longer that Calipari draws this out, the chance that he leaves for Lexington will decrease.
To keep your mind off of the looming decision, the Soul Train dancers.
So that leaves a big question - who will be the next Memphis basketball coach? A popular name that keeps coming up is Missouri's Mike Anderson. Anderson has a good thing going in Columbia, so he will most likely stay his Tigers. Memphis does have the cash to steal Anderson, so this will be interesting to watch.
Another good fit would be UTEP's Tony Barbee. Before heading to El Paso, Barbee was an assistant under Calipari and he is very familiar with Memphis, its boosters, players and fans. Barbee hiring may also prevent key players from leaving the program.
One also has to think that the longer that Calipari draws this out, the chance that he leaves for Lexington will decrease.
To keep your mind off of the looming decision, the Soul Train dancers.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Basketball; Regional Update
Memphis did great job hosting the South Regional. Visiting teams brought lots of fans, especially North Carolina. The city beefed up security throughout Downtown as well as Beale Street. Overall, local clubs and restaurants hosts and everyone seemed to have fun.
Only one disappointment on the weekend. One establishment named after a legendary blues guitarist marked up their cover charge by 100%. Sure, they had a lot of people, but several people (locals and tourists) walked away when they heard the charge. Other clubs on Beale that kept normal cover charges in place had larger crowds and probably made more cash.
With the Memphis loss on Thursday night, many locals have completely tuned out of basketball for the remainder of the season. This could be the perfect time to focus on baseball. The Memphis Redbirds will bring exhibition play to Autozone Field this weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals and tickets are still available. Opening day for the Redbirds in April 9.
Only one disappointment on the weekend. One establishment named after a legendary blues guitarist marked up their cover charge by 100%. Sure, they had a lot of people, but several people (locals and tourists) walked away when they heard the charge. Other clubs on Beale that kept normal cover charges in place had larger crowds and probably made more cash.
With the Memphis loss on Thursday night, many locals have completely tuned out of basketball for the remainder of the season. This could be the perfect time to focus on baseball. The Memphis Redbirds will bring exhibition play to Autozone Field this weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals and tickets are still available. Opening day for the Redbirds in April 9.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Grizzlies All-You-Can-Eat Extravaganza, Redbirds Like Fans, Waste Of An Hourd
For those of you that forgot that Memphis has a NBA team (based on attendance numbers, there is an awful lot of you), the Grizzlies are trying to lure in fans with new promotions. Per an email that was blasted out today, on Friday, April 3, you can satisfy your craving for great b-ball and great food--for one low price! For only $30 through this online-only promotion, get a Terrace Level ticket and unlimited hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, and 16 oz. Pepsi fountain drinks! If they would add all you can drink beer for another $10-15 a ticket, the game would be a guaranteed sell out.
The Memphis Redbirds will kick off the 2009 Season with a free Fan Appreciation Lunch, Wednesday March 25th from 11:30 to 1pm at AutoZone Park. This your chance to get some of your favorite ballpark snacks...free hotdogs, nachos and Coca-Cola products. This will also be a chance to hang with Rockey and, more importantly, the RedHots, win Redbirds prizes, and choose your seats for the upcoming Cardinals exhibition games and Redbirds regular season.
Many Americans tuned in to watch the President's prime time presser. What a waste of time. This will act as a formal request to ask Congress to create a stimulus package to get this hour back for all Americans. For future reference, if you are going to take time from the busy network schedules and our lives, be sure to have something important to say, be more prepared and do not dodge questions from big publications like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. Are there Vegas odds on when the United States will be a truly socialist nation?
The Memphis Redbirds will kick off the 2009 Season with a free Fan Appreciation Lunch, Wednesday March 25th from 11:30 to 1pm at AutoZone Park. This your chance to get some of your favorite ballpark snacks...free hotdogs, nachos and Coca-Cola products. This will also be a chance to hang with Rockey and, more importantly, the RedHots, win Redbirds prizes, and choose your seats for the upcoming Cardinals exhibition games and Redbirds regular season.
Many Americans tuned in to watch the President's prime time presser. What a waste of time. This will act as a formal request to ask Congress to create a stimulus package to get this hour back for all Americans. For future reference, if you are going to take time from the busy network schedules and our lives, be sure to have something important to say, be more prepared and do not dodge questions from big publications like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. Are there Vegas odds on when the United States will be a truly socialist nation?
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Random Stuff: Basketball and Crawfish
The first two rounds of the NCAA tournament are complete and the Memphis Tigers have made it to the Sweet 16. The Tigers will travel to Arizona play Mizzou on Thursday night.
Tickets are still available for the South region final being held in Memphis. This region lucked out with the top four seeds surviving the first two rounds. The matchups include UNC-Chapel Hill vs Gonzaga and Syracuse vs Oklahoma with the winners of each game meeting later in the weekend. Be sure to be nice to the visiting media and fans.
Speaking of visiting media, what are the odds that Gus Johnson starts another bar room brawl on Beale Street? In the spirit of Bill Rafferty....MAN TO MAN.
Crawfish season is fully underway in Memphis. Several establishments, including Newby's and Orleans on Front are having crawfish boils. This also means that two of the better festivals in Memphis are coming soon. The Overton Square crawfish festival (not sure of the official name) will be held on Saturday, April 11. It has been rumored that the location has been moved to the Bayou's new parking lot on the other side of Madison.
The Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival will be held the following weekend (Sunday, April 19) and its usual Donwtown location. Can someone start a petition to move this festival to Saturday? It's always a great time, but it would be even better if it was held on a Saturday or all weekend.
Tickets are still available for the South region final being held in Memphis. This region lucked out with the top four seeds surviving the first two rounds. The matchups include UNC-Chapel Hill vs Gonzaga and Syracuse vs Oklahoma with the winners of each game meeting later in the weekend. Be sure to be nice to the visiting media and fans.
Speaking of visiting media, what are the odds that Gus Johnson starts another bar room brawl on Beale Street? In the spirit of Bill Rafferty....MAN TO MAN.
Crawfish season is fully underway in Memphis. Several establishments, including Newby's and Orleans on Front are having crawfish boils. This also means that two of the better festivals in Memphis are coming soon. The Overton Square crawfish festival (not sure of the official name) will be held on Saturday, April 11. It has been rumored that the location has been moved to the Bayou's new parking lot on the other side of Madison.
The Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival will be held the following weekend (Sunday, April 19) and its usual Donwtown location. Can someone start a petition to move this festival to Saturday? It's always a great time, but it would be even better if it was held on a Saturday or all weekend.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Baseball, Primetime Sports, Free Arby's
Baseball season has finally arrived. If you are looking for some local action before the Redbirds start in April, check out one the local college teams. They all have competitive teams and the games are usually entertaining.
The World Baseball Classic kicked off this week. The U.S. beat Canada today in a play-off type game. Hopefully, the U.S. can step up and win some of these international tournaments. Memphis baseball fans will be excited to see that Stubby Clapp is on the Canadian roster. Is he still doing back flips?
It appears that Primetime Sports has opened its Downtown location in the space formerly used by Jillian's. For a while now, Calhoun's has been the only true sports bar in the Downtown area. Primetime may give them a run for the money, being closer to other Downtown attractions and having a much larger location.
Arby's is giving away free Roast Burger sandwiches. Use this coupon to get your free sandwich with a soft drink purchase.
The World Baseball Classic kicked off this week. The U.S. beat Canada today in a play-off type game. Hopefully, the U.S. can step up and win some of these international tournaments. Memphis baseball fans will be excited to see that Stubby Clapp is on the Canadian roster. Is he still doing back flips?
It appears that Primetime Sports has opened its Downtown location in the space formerly used by Jillian's. For a while now, Calhoun's has been the only true sports bar in the Downtown area. Primetime may give them a run for the money, being closer to other Downtown attractions and having a much larger location.
Arby's is giving away free Roast Burger sandwiches. Use this coupon to get your free sandwich with a soft drink purchase.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Tigers Rolling, Downtown Flight, Donuts...
The Memphis Tigers continue to impress poll voters. This week they are ranked 3 and 5 in the big polls. If they keep this up, along with key losses by the rest of the top 5, the Tigers may sneak in to the big dance as a #1 seed. As we get deeper into March Madness, its going to be interesting to see which teams make it Memphis for the South regional.
A new restaurant will open in the space formerly occupied by Stella this April. Flight will focus on flights of wine, liquor and cuisines from across the U.S. and the world. This is another great addition to Downtown Memphis.
Dunkin’ Donuts will open its first Memphis location next week. Their doors will open at 5am on March 11 at the 1674 Whitten Road location. Sure, the donuts are good, but DD has very good and affordable coffee. There are 17 planned locations for the Memphis area, including a Downtown location at the Radio Center Flats building on the corner of Main and Union.
A new restaurant will open in the space formerly occupied by Stella this April. Flight will focus on flights of wine, liquor and cuisines from across the U.S. and the world. This is another great addition to Downtown Memphis.
Dunkin’ Donuts will open its first Memphis location next week. Their doors will open at 5am on March 11 at the 1674 Whitten Road location. Sure, the donuts are good, but DD has very good and affordable coffee. There are 17 planned locations for the Memphis area, including a Downtown location at the Radio Center Flats building on the corner of Main and Union.
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