City Hall announced today that Public Services director Ken Moody, public services deputy director Yalanda McFadgon, and deputy library director Michael Gray will retire in July.
Moody and McFadgon were recently criticized for their role in the problems at the Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center, commonly known as MSARC.
At last week’s press conference announcing his retirement, Memphis mayor Willie Herenton said other administration officials also planned to retire.
Just got word from the city administration that the following people are planning to retire:
Kenneth S. Moody,
Director of Public Services and Neighborhoods
Effective July 10, 2009
Yalanda L. McFadgon
Deputy Director of Public Services and Neighborhoods
Effective July 10, 2009
Michael A. Gray
Deputy Director of Library
Effective July 17, 2009
The mayor said members of the city administration would retire during his resignation press conference last week. Don’t believe I called it? Check out my twitter stream from Thursday: https://twitter.com/marycash
Greg Akers watched the new HBO series about a, um, well-endowed but broke basketball coach and thinks it might be big.
If the cosmos suddenly allowed us 27 hours in a day, I’d give my extra three hours to baseball. So says Frank Murtaugh.
If the cosmos suddenly allowed us 27 hours in a day, I’d give my extra three hours to baseball. At the stadium when possible and when not, via literature or the MLB Network. Even with merely 24-hour cycles, I managed to attend four games in four days last week, which only has me dreaming more about that cosmic bonus time.
— June 25: Omaha at Memphis, AutoZone Park.
What a difference six days make in the life of a pitcher. On June 19th, pitching for the Royals in Kansas City, Kyle Davies gave up seven earned runs in less than three innings in taking a loss against the St. Louis Cardinals. On this night, though, facing the Cards’ top farm team, Davies was brilliant: eight innings, three hits, no runs. These Royals had 11 hits before Memphis picked up its first (in the fifth inning). Kila Ka’aihue got things started for Omaha with a home run in the second inning. (I had to write that sentence just to frazzle my spell check.) Memphis never got a runner to third base in the 7-0 loss.
But here’s what caught my eye in this lopsided affair. Playing centerfield for the Royals was Tim Raines Jr. I just spent several weeks putting together a story on the 1979 Memphis Chicks, a team that starred the original Tim Raines. The birthday of this chip off the old Rock? August 31, 1979. Turns out Papa Raines was a little distracted in the ’79 Southern League playoffs (where the Chicks’ season ended with a loss to Nashville).
— June 26: Minnesota at St. Louis, Busch Stadium.
It was downhill for the home crowd Friday night after Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith threw out the first pitch. Someone named Glen Perkins looked like Sandy Koufax in a Twins uniform, holding St. Louis to four hits and a single run over seven innings. Eight former Memphis Redbirds took the field for the Cardinals, but the one player with no experience at AutoZone Park — third-baseman Joe Thurston – made an error that let in a critical run in the first inning. Albert Pujols came up in the ninth representing the tying run, but was struck out by Minnesota closer Joe Nathan.
Hats off to the contingent of Twins fans who made the trip south for an interleague weekend. There were enough hostiles in the crowd of 44,000 to make an audible roar when Rick Ankiel struck out to end the visitors’ 3-1 victory.
— June 27: Minnesota at St. Louis, Busch Stadium.
Pujols hit a two-run homer in the first, and another in the third, accounting for enough to beat the Twins in a Saturday matinee that saw temperatures approach 100 degrees, without a breeze. (The only other Cardinal run scored when Tyler Greene took a pitch off the helmet with the bases loaded.) For the second straight day, St. Louis cut down a runner at the plate, and for the second straight day it was Yadier Molina’s skill at blocking the plate that stood out. If there’s been a tougher Cardinal player over the last 20 years, I haven’t seen him.
This was a game won by the St. Louis bullpen, after starter Todd Wellemeyer walked four batters in less than three innings and coughed up the early 2-0 lead Pujols provided. The winning pitcher was Josh Kinney, who had been pitching out of the Memphis bullpen earlier this month. (Kinney is one of only four pitchers remaining from the Cardinals’ championship club of 2006.) Jason Motte and Ryan Franklin — another pair of pitchers with Memphis experience — handled the eighth and ninth inning, respectively, in the 5-3 Cardinal win.
— June 28: Minnesota at St. Louis, Busch Stadium.
The big news Sunday was the Cardinals’ newest cleanup hitter: Mark DeRosa. Long rumored to be destined for St. Louis, DeRosa was acquired in a Saturday trade with Cleveland that sent former Redbird Chris Perez (a relief pitcher) to the Indians. The fact that DeRosa — a multi-position role player with a career high of 21 home runs a year ago (as a Cub) — debuted as Pujols’ protection says much about the Cardinals’ offensive woes as the All-Star break approaches.
Much like Friday night, the Twins had all the runs they needed in the first inning on a 3-run homer from Justin Morneau. Another lefty — this time Francisco Liriano, who entered the game with a record of 3-8 — stifled the St. Louis hitters and the Minnesota fans left the Mound City smiling with a 6-2 win over a team somehow still tied for the National League Central Division lead.
Four days, four baseball games, and three losses by the home team. To borrow the fisherman’s mantra, a bad weekend at the ballpark beats a good weekend anywhere else.
Hung, the newest show from HBO original programming, premiered Sunday night.
Filmed and set in Detroit, Hung opens with shots of for-sale signs, American flags, and Tiger Stadium coming down. It’s an abandoned-building travelogue. The voiceover by the protagonist Ray Drecker (played by Thomas Jane) explains: “Everything’s falling apart, and it all starts right here in Detroit, the headwaters of a river of failure.”
Ray is a basketball coach and history teacher at West Lakefield High School. Struggling to make ends meet as he raises twin teens, battles an ex (Anne Heche), and watches as his childhood home burns, Ray is feeling the pinch. He used to be on the way to something great: The former sports star and Atlanta Braves signee was “magical, a king, popular,” his ex-wife, Jessica, tells him. An injury derailed his athletic career, and, one suspects, the intervening years have not been rosy before the show starts, right at the nadir.
But, against this backdrop of the dispossessed and the repossessed, Hung is a comedy. The jumping off point is right there in the show’s name: Jessica — a former homecoming cheerleader beauty queen — has to admit that even if Ray used to be magical, he still is hung. (i.e., he’s well-endowed in the swimsuit area, if you catch my drift.)
On the day after the draft, the Grizzlies’ team talking points seemed to be broadcasting the need for a “back-up point guard” and down-playing the still-gaping hole at power forward. But, despite some mixed-messages recently regarding the prospect of tapping significantly into the team’s considerable cap room this summer, there have been indications that the Grizzlies recognize the need and may well be willing to do something about it: The team pursued a trade with the Clippers for Zach Randolph that the Clippers mysteriously turned down, and also made a play for Miami’s Michael Beasley. The Randolph deal, which would have added an additional $20 million to the team’s payroll over the next two seasons, makes it clear that the team will be willing to spend under what it considers the right circumstances.
So assuming that the Grizzlies are going to attempt to bring in a new starter at the four, who are the likely candidates?
This didn’t take long, and I didn’t think it would:
Ira Winderman of the Miami Sun-Sentinel has a story up today refuting the Commercial Appeal‘s account that the Grizzlies turned down offers from the Miami Heat for Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers:
The Heat on Saturday said it was the Grizzlies that contacted it and tried to trade the No. 2 pick for Michael Beasley, not the other way around. A Heat spokesman confirmed that it was the Grizzlies who made the overtures.
In addition, that same report in the Commercial Appeal said that the Heat offered starting point guard Mario Chalmers for the No. 27 pick. Again, a Heat spokesman quickly corrected that it was Memphis that attempted to peddle No. 27 pick for Chalmers.
This version, of course, makes a lot more sense.
“We use the front feet only, not the hind the front. They don’t have too much hair on them.” He looks at his visitors, one of whom is scribbling on a notepad. “Am I giving you too much information?”
No such thing, he’s reassured.