For those following the ilovememphisblog.com‘s Breakfast Bracket, the results of the first round are in.
And in other breakfast news, former Memphian and Flyer contributor Paul Gerald has a new online radio show based on his book Breakfast in Bridgetown, covering the most important meal of the day in Portland, Oregon. Get more info on the show here.
Paul is considering doing breakfast books for other cities. Perhaps a Breakfast in M-Town?
The Grizzlies snapped a seven-game losing streak Saturday night with a win over a depleted Minnesota Timberwolves team:
1. Finally, a Win: Okay, so it wasn’t an impressive win: The Timberwolves are one of only three teams with a worse record than the Grizzlies (also: Knicks, Nets) and heading into tonight were the only team with a worse point differential. The Wolves, already missing their second best player, Kevin Love, all season, were playing tonight without their best, Al Jefferson. They were also coming into Memphis on the second night of a back-to-back set against a Grizzlies team coming off two days rest. And the Wolves threw out potentially one of the worst starting lineups you will ever see in a regulation NBA game: Jonny Flynn, Corey Brewer, Ryan Gomes, Nathan Jawai, and Ryan Hollins.
Despite all this, the Grizzlies had trouble shaking the Wolves, going into halftime with a 45-45 tie before turning up the defensive intensity and pulling away. But, hey, with all the losses and upheaval the Grizzlies have been dealing with lately, they’ll take it: “It’s a big win for us from that perspective,” coach Lionel Hollins said of breaking the seven-game losing streak. “You have to get some wins so [the players] will believe in the system and believe in themselves.”
Will Barton — ranked 11th among the 2010 recruiting class by Rivals.com — is on his way to Memphis. So is native son Joe Jackson (12th). Now we learn Atlanta swingman Jelan Kendrick — ranked 8th, for crying out loud — is committing to the Tiger program.
What’s Young Josh putting in his cupcakes? And will there be any playing time for Chris Crawford? Elliot Williams?
I just arrived at FedExForum where the 1-8 Grizzlies will play what should be the most winnable game of the year against a 1-9 Minnesota Timberwolves team. More on this in a minute.
First, there’s a new Griz player in town in the form of former Indiana Pacers point guard Jamal Tinsley, who the team signed today. Tinsley is on the roster but will not be with the team for tonight’s game. He’s expected to rejoin the team for the next practice and, potentially, make his debut Wednesday against the Clippers.
I’ve been doing family stuff all day until just now so I haven’t had time to talk to many people about the Tinsley signing, but I have been told — for whatever it’s worth — that the signing is unrelated to Allen Iverson’s status with the team. There’s been some scuttle that Iverson could be back with the team before Thanksgiving, but team officials would not put a timetable on his potential return.
I’ll have more to say on the Tinsley signing in the post-game report.
As for tonight, the Grizzlies are facing a team that’s been even worse (in terms of both record and point differential) and is missing its two best players in post tandem Al Jefferson and Kevin Love. Further, the Wolves come to FedExForum on the second night of a back-to-back with the Grizzlies coming off two das of rest. No excuse not to win this one.
As will be the norm this season, no live-blogging tonight. I will throw out the occasional tweet as seems warranted but will focus on the game and working on my post-game “three-pointer.” Look for that later tonight.
Let’s do this.
It wasn’t a happy farewell to the Liberty Bowl for the Tiger seniors or Tommy West. Frank Murtaugh has the gory details.
Senior Day at the Liberty Bowl is always about goodbyes, but today’s pregame ceremony before the Tigers’ Battle for the Bones with UAB had an extra dollop of remorse. With last Monday’s announcement of coach Tommy West’s dismissal, each hug he delivered to his 25 seniors seemed to be a goodbye embrace to the program — and greater football community — he commanded for the last nine years.
Had the script held, West would have walked off Rex Dockery Field as a winner, the third Memphis coach to reach the 50-win plateau. Instead, a visiting senior — UAB quarterback Joe Webb — took over and led his Blazers to a 31-21 win and possession of the world’s most famous bronze rack of ribs.
The Rumba Room, best known as a downtown salsa club at 303 South Main, is now open for lunch.
Friday afternoon, the dance floor was empty but the tables by the bar were busy with customers ordering a Cuban sandwich or Veracruz shrimp. The Cuban sandwich looked delicious: ham, pernil (Cuban roast pork), mustard, Swiss cheese, and pickle on a French baguette. It costs $8 and comes with fries.
• Consider this ironic twist on the last decade of Tiger football. National footage of any of the 6,000 yards DeAngelo Williams rushed for with Memphis was a gold nugget — and just as rare — for Tiger fans. But when his former coach unleashed a five-minute rant on what is needed to improve the program . . . SportsCenter! Now!
Those five minutes will live a long time in reflections of West’s time atop the U of M program. What’s regrettable is that his message — a sound one — gets lost in the volume and emotion with which it was delivered. Consider the words minus that volume and emotion (like, say, reading them): “History will repeat itself, folks, if [the administration doesn’t] do something about it. But our fans have to demand that the new guy be given a level playing field. Stobart stood here and he was a bad coach . . . but good enough to beat Southern Cal. Rip became a bad coach . . . but he beat Peyton Manning and Tennessee. At some point, we have to do the things necessary to make this program what we want, or do away with it. It’s too painful, for coaches, players, and people. Every day I’ve been here has been a fist fight.”
Had West chosen to deliver this precise message in an interview format, perhaps sitting down, the content would have been just as powerful for the Memphis community, particularly for its football boosters. And it would not have been picked up by national TV producers aiming to titillate, aggravate, and agitate. A great lesson for parents (and office managers) to pass along: It’s not so much what you say, but how you say it.
Hungry Memphis has news you can use!