Bianca Phillips reports on a meeting held by the Crosstown Developers team with neighborhood leaders.
Month: April 2013
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Marc Gasol: The League Pass DPOY
![The Grizzlies once drafted center Hasheem Thabeet [left] for defense. They already had a future Defensive Player of the Year on their roster.](https://altnuxt-wp-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/sites/4/the-grizzlies-once-drafted-center-hasheem-thabeet-left-for-defense-they/u/original/3398423/1366819445-dsc_5914.jpeg "The Grizzlies once drafted center Hasheem Thabeet [left] for defense. They already had a future Defensive Player of the Year on their roster.")
- LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
- The Grizzlies once drafted center Hasheem Thabeet [left] for defense. They already had a future Defensive Player of the Year on their roster.
I didn’t fully believe Marc Gasol was going to win this year’s Defensive Player of the Year Award until it happened. But the Grizzlies appear set to make this announcement official with a public press conference at 2:30 p.m. today.
Gasol fits the profile of the award only in that he’s a frontcourt player: Since Michael Jordan took it in 1988, 23 of 25 winners have been big men, the only exceptions being Gary Payton and Ron Artest.
But the big-man winners have tended to be overwhelming rebounders and shot-blockers. Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, Ben Wallace, and Dwight Howard are multi-time winners. “Athletic” shot-blockers — quick off the floor and quick to send shot attempts into the stands — are the norm.
Gasol, by contrast, will become the first big man in more than 20 years — ever? — to win the award without finishing among the league’s Top Ten in blocks or rebounds per game. (He’s 12th and 23rd, respectively, in those categories.)
How has Gasol, with such an atypical profile, broken through? It’s tempting to compare Gasol’s victory here to Felix Hernandez winning the 2010 American League Cy Young award with a 13-12 record: It’s a triumph of “advanced” stats over more conventional — and often more limited or even misleading — measures.
The Crosstown Development Team and Crosstown Collaborative (the neighborhood’s new association) held a public forum on Tuesday night at the Crosstown Arts office on Cleveland to fill neighbors in on plans for the Sears building.
Todd Richardson, project leader for the Crosstown Development Team, gave a presentation on plans to turn the 1.4-million square foot building into a “vertical urban village” complete with healthcare from the Church Health Center, Methodist Hospital, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, shared art-making facilities and artist residency programs run by Crosstown Arts, and an education component with Gestalt Community Schools and Memphis Teacher Residency. The plans also include a mix of market rate and affordably priced apartments, retail, and possibly a restaurant space.
Construction is expected to begin by early 2014 with a completion goal of 2016. The development team is asking the Memphis City Council to budget $15 million to cover some infrastructure costs for the $175 million project.
Neighbors — many of them from the nearby Evergreen Historic District, the Vollintine-Evergreen Historic District, and the Speedway Terrace Historic District — asked questions about the current condition of the building, the importance of city funding, and parking issues.
Richardson said parking for the building’s new tenants and employees could mostly be accommodated by the existing parking garage. As for increased neighborhood traffic, Richardson said the streets around the Crosstown building were designed to be wide to accommodate Sears traffic in its heyday and that the project is just bringing the neighborhood’s capacity back to where it used to be.
One resident asked Richardson how the developers would prevent gentrification that may come with rising rents and property values of existing neighborhood homes and businesses. Richardson said protecting the ethnically diverse neighborhood’s population is a goal of the development team, and while he expects rents to rise a little, he said the team is making an effort to communicate with business and property owners in the area to ensure that they are prepared for any changes.
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Spray Paint at Murphy’s
Chris Shaw says you should check out rising Austin band, Spray Paint, at Murphy’s this week.
This Friday, Austin, Texas natives Spray Paint play Murphy’s in support of their first full-length record. Featuring members of Austin punk bands Dikes of Holland and When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, Spray Paint has been gaining steady attention for their debut album on California’s SS Records that was released at the beginning of 2013 and fans of off-kilter garage punk a la Britain’s Hygiene, or perhaps Memphis’ own Sharp Balloons should make plans to attend. Stream a track from Spray Paint’s first album below.
Flagstaff’s Custody Battle, also on tour, were a last minute addition to the show, according to promoter Mikey Bibbs. Melding typical hardcore punk songwriting with fuzzed out garage rock; Custody Battle should have no trouble fitting in with the overall theme of the night. Stream Custody Battle’s entire self-titled 10″ below.
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Time Stands Still
The Tony Award-winning drama by Donald Margulies, Time Stands Still, is at Playhouse on the Square through May 12.
Madewell opened its first Memphis store yesterday at the Shops of Saddle Creek and — quelle surprise! — it is the glorious mix of urbane-tomboyish-cool you expected.
This Memphis location marks the 50th store for the company, which opened its first in Dallas in 2006. The younger sister of the preppy color splash that is J. Crew, Madewell is more subdued, a little more casual, and a lot more pared down.
There are pops of color, to be sure, but denim is the dominant hue of this chic store modeled after its 1937 manufacturing namesake. Chambray, dark wash, distressed: The denim bar features every cut and color you can imagine, and for an $8 fee, any pair can be sent off to be hemmed by the nearby Webb’s Tailor Shop.
This nod to local businesses in the area was evident at yesterday’s celebrations. Donuts from Gibson’s were set out mid-afternoon, followed by cupcakes from Muddy’s Bake Shop, and the official party, from 5 to 8 p.m. last night featured catering by Another Roadside Attraction, music from a local D.J., and a special appearance by Nashville style blogger Pennyweight.
The first 25 customers yesterday were treated to Madewell gift cards, but if you missed that giveaway, pop into the store this week and get a free polka dot clutch with any purchase.
Madewell, The Shops of Saddle Creek, 7509 Poplar Ave., 309-4759, www.madewell.com
My picture doesn’t do it justice, but the Rainbow Panang Curry ($11) at Mosa is one of the prettiest things I’ve ever eaten.
This is a slightly sweet curry made with snow peas, mushrooms, and zucchini and your choice of beef, chicken, or tofu, and spiced to your preference.
The Tennessee Equality Project is selling “We Say Gay” T-shirts to mark General Assembly’s decision not to pass Stacey Campfield’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Bianca Phillips reports.
Senator Stacey Campfield’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill failed to pass in the Tennessee General Assembly before the legislative session ended on Friday. To celebrate, the Tennessee Equality Project is selling “We Say Gay” t-shirts.
For years, Campfield has been pushing “Don’t Say Gay,” which would prevent any discussion of homosexuality in kindergarten through the 8th grade in Tennessee’s public schools. The bill has become the butt of jokes in the national media, including this funny dissection of the bill by Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report.
In Campfield’s most recent version of the bill, teachers and counselors would be required to tell a student’s parents if they suspected that student to be gay.
Overall, the Tennessee Equality Project is declaring a legislative victory at the close of this session. Not only did “Don’t Say Gay” get defeated again, but a bill aimed at eliminating Vanderbilt University’s non-discrimination policy also failed to pass. A bill that would have prevented public universities from hiring or designating a diversity officer failed to gain a House sponsor.
One pro-LGBT bill, the “Dignity for All Students” Act, a bill that would add sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to the state’s school bullying policy, was sent to summer study.
To order a “We Say Gay” t-shirt, click here.