Dylan Dunn remembers one of his earliest stage performances.
“I had a piano recital when I was 3,” he says. “And I was so enamored by the inner workings of the instrument, I got up in the middle of ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ and excitedly exclaimed, ‘Hammers.’”
Now a veteran stage performer, Dunn, 19, released a new indie pop/rock single, “Sara Lee,” on November 30th. “This song is about worrying if you chose the wrong flavor, whether that be a person or a cake.”
Dunn’s music is currently playing in H&M stores on a sync deal. And Dunn also will play his second “We Found New Music” (WFNM) showcase on Monday, December 5th, at Hotel Ziggy in Los Angeles.
It’s always been music for Dunn.
“I’d hear these songs and make remixes of them in my head. I used a lot of Queen and the Beatles. I grew up on Electric Light Orchestra. I played them in the back of my head and remixed them like I created it. I started doing this when I was 4 or 5.”
Dunn, who turned to guitar, wrote all the singles for his first band at 14. “We got on a couple of radio stations in Memphis.” And, he says, “The moment when I first heard myself on the radio was when I started to get a deeper drive for music than I ever felt previously.”
Dunn was in other bands, but, he says, “I got out of these bands and started writing for myself and for the music rather than just for the band. I felt more at home doing it.”
He sent a demo of his song, “Hopeless Romantic,” to Adam Castilla of The Colourist.
“I heard Adam’s tracks. There was something about them. They had this certain realness I didn’t hear anywhere else. Every time I heard something he had done, it had this magic glimmer.”
Castilla responded. “He said, ‘Hey, Dylan. You’ve got a really cool voice. I’m down to work with you.’”
Dunn, who was 17 at the time, began traveling to Orange County to work on his Blue Like You EP with Castilla. Since then, he’s gone to Orange County about three times a year to work with Castilla.
Dunn, who is also a producer, says, “Basically, Adam and I will take my demo, and we will slowly rebuild it into what will become the main track. And he’ll pitch in so many great ideas along the way.”
Blue Like You is “just about growing pains. Each song kind of delves into a different aspect of growing up, from youth to adulthood.”
“Lemonade Eyes” is “more of an ode to sadness. When writing it, I didn’t want to think about the situation, but to focus on the sadness.”
“I always try to make my lyrics and the way I write abstract. I will close my eyes and listen to what I’ve written and imagine I’m different types of people. I listen to it with all these different perspectives and see if I can resonate with it. And if I can resonate with it, most people will be able to, too.”
(Credit: Michael Donahue)
His band includes drummer Andrew Isbell and bassist Rhyan Tindall. Dunn also performs with singer-songwriter Ava Carrington.
Moreover, Dunn is related to the late bass guitarist, producer, and songwriter Donald “Duck” Dunn. “He was definitely a big influence on me getting into music. I always knew there was someone in the family that got that chance to go pursue their dream. That always made it more real to me. I wanted to follow in his footsteps.”
He never got to hang out with his famous great-uncle. “He was always busy. Always touring. He held me once when I was a baby, and that’s the only time I met him.”
Dylan’s mother played Duck’s music for him. “She used to play Booker T. & the M.G.’s and The Blues Brothers all the time. When I heard that bass line I got this exciting feeling: ‘Wow! He did that!’”
Willie Nelson (Photo: Randy Miramontez | Dreamstime.com)
President Joe Biden turned 80 last week. When asked about it beforehand, he said, “I can’t say the age I’m going to be. I can’t even get it out of my mouth.”
I’m not near 80, but I’m old enough to relate to the president’s sentiment. It’s a weird phenomenon, how our bodies keep changing and our brains (and eyes) are always surprised by it. How the hell did I get wrinkles on my knees, for instance? Jaysus.
The president’s comment brought to mind a conversation I had with my paternal grandmother when I was a considerably younger man. We were having breakfast at her house, when, apropos of nothing, she said, incredulously: “Eighty! Sometimes I think, how can I be 80? I don’t feel any different than I ever did.” She was a woman with a flair for the dramatic, including sighing at some point during each holiday season: “This will probably be my last Christmas.” It usually wasn’t. Until it was. Anyway, for some reason, that conversation has stayed with me through the years, and I get it now, Velma.
Age is front of mind nationally these days because it’s possible — though I don’t think Trump will make it through the gauntlet of indictments awaiting him — that the 2024 presidential campaign could feature an 82-year-old Biden against a 78-year-old Trump. Boy, that’ll stimulate the youth vote!
In 2016, Trump, at 70, was the oldest president ever elected, until Biden set the new age mark of 78, in 2020. By way of comparison, Ronald Reagan, who was 69 when elected in 1980 and addled by dementia by the time he left office eight years later, was previously the oldest elected president and the oldest to ever hold the office. The only reason Biden gets asked about whether he’ll run for re-election is because of his age. Is it a fair question?
Consider this list: Paul McCartney, Judi Dench, Morgan Freeman, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Pope Francis, Nancy Pelosi, Dustin Hoffman, Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams, Bernie Sanders, Anthony Fauci, Ralph Lauren, Martha Stewart, Quincy Jones, George Takei, Al Pacino, and last but not least, at 89, Willie Nelson. All are in their 80s, and all are still working and productive. I could have added dozens more, including many non-celebrities I know personally. But, with the possible exceptions of Bernie, Nancy, and Morgan Freeman (who, after all, has played POTUS three times), none are likely qualified to handle the rigors of the highest office in the land.
Neither is Trump, for that matter. In fact, given the choice, I’d prefer almost anybody on that list above, but that’s another story.
On the occasion of Biden’s birthday, The New York Times published a piece that looked at his health prospects, were he to win in 2024, citing 10 experts on aging: “Mr. Biden, these experts agreed, has a lot going in his favor: He is highly educated, has plenty of social interaction, a stimulating job that requires a lot of thinking, is married, and has a strong family network — all factors that, studies show, are protective against dementia and conducive to healthy aging. He does not smoke or drink alcohol and, according to the White House, he exercises five times a week. He also has top-notch medical care.”
The article also stated: “It is true that older people tend to decline physically, and the brain also undergoes changes. But in people who are active, experts say, the brain continues to evolve and some brain functions can even improve — a phenomenon experts call the ‘neuroplasticity of aging.’”
The conclusion was that Biden’s odds of getting dementia before leaving office in 2028 were about one in 10. By contrast, the public has never gotten a health report from any of Trump’s doctors that Trump didn’t edit, so that’s sort of a crap shoot.
But 2024 is still a ways off, and anything that happens in the next 18 months — from a health crisis for either man to an indictment for Trump — could alter the course of history. I hope both men stay healthy, but I can’t help but think that it’s well past time to turn the page on geriatric candidates for both parties. Unless maybe Willie Nelson is interested.
Indulge me, please, in a brief flashback: It is January 1994, and I am sitting in the audience at Playhouse on the Square, watching Peter Pan in complete awe. It is my first theater experience. I am 3 years old. Fifteen years later, I begin studying theater under the same director of that show, Ken Zimmerman.
It is March 2008. My dear friend and I are driving behind our classmate, slowly, because of the unseasonable snow. We cross a bridge and see his truck begin to fishtail in front of us, then straighten out. We are all on our way to rehearsal for our high school’s first big musical production in years. The show is The Wizard of Oz.
Fourteen years later, my son — days away from his 5th birthday — and I sit in the audience at Playhouse. We are here for his first theater experience. The show we are seeing is The Wizard of Oz.
To say seeing this particular show with my child is a full-circle moment seems redundant. It feels like the sort of childhood trivia that will be repeated to him throughout his life. “You went to a live show before you ever even went to the movies!”
Any anxiety I had about a 4-year-old’s ability to sit still through an entire performance was quelled almost immediately. My son noticed the lights and asked, “When is that [the curtain] going to go up?” I had brought him not only so we could share a special memory, but also to get a child’s perspective of the play. He turned around in his seat when the actors were downstage during the twister scene; he was trying to see what they were reacting to. During “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” he excitedly whispered, “I know this song!”
One thing I knew my son in particular would love was the Wicked Witch of the West. In the program, Caroline Simpson, who plays the Witch, as well as Ms. Gulch, jokes that she “is very excited to have the opportunity to terrify the children of Memphis,” which I read with amusement as I sat beside my child, whose favorite characters in any story are villainous women. A picture of 17-year-old me as the Witch is on our refrigerator, a source of wonder for my macabre-loving son. As soon as Simpson flew offstage after the Witch’s intro in the tornado scene, my son turned to me, grinning under his mask and gave me a thumbs up.
The standout element of this production were the costumes. The Wizard of Oz is such a familiar show that it could easily look and feel rote, but Lindsay Schmeling’s designs were a delight to take in. Munchkinland looked as though the inhabitants had collectively raided a Manic Pixie Dream Girl’s closet, to absolutely fabulous effect. Punk rock crows, glow-in-the-dark jitterbugs, umbrella-canopied trees, and a diaphanous rainbow-clad Glinda lent an innovative, even modern take on the familiar Oz attire. Ms. Gulch, who I would usually think of as drab, strutted onto the stage in balloon-style slacks, totally changing the dynamic of the character.
The only note amiss in the show for me was unfortunately Patsy Detroit’s depiction of Dorothy Gale. It is my personal opinion that playing the “straight man” in any show is always the most difficult, and perhaps the vibrant nature of the other characters made the contrast sharper. Although I found Dorothy to fall a bit flat, especially when compared with the vitality of the rest of the cast, it did not hinder the overall success of the show.
The Wizard of Oz is perfect for a first-time theater-goer, and Playhouse on the Square’s production is an experience all ages can enjoy. My son was not the only young child in attendance, and seeing new Memphis audiences being introduced to the arts was a heartwarming thing. Witnessing the magic of live theater through my child’s eyes was enchanting, and something I hope neither of us will ever forget.
The Wizard of Oz runs at Playhouse on the Square through December 22nd.
Kimberly Bolan, Kurt Kaiser, and Katherine Terry (Photo: Michael Donahue)
Kimberly Bolan and her brother, Kurt Kaiser, own Flipside Asia, a catering company that also sells Asian cuisine to the public.
And they have a mission.
“We’re educating people on what Thai curry should taste like,” says Bolan, 53. “A lot of people don’t know. They assume they hate it.”
“We get all our spices from Dubai and Southeast Asia,” says Kaiser, 43. “We do Indian food, but the focus is more on Thai curry. Just the spices they use. Thai curry is typically a paste. And you use the paste with coconut milk, lemongrass. Indian curry is more cumin, paprika, and chilis. It’s just completely different.”
Bolan and Kaiser, who cook out of the Memphis Kitchen Co-op Marketplace in Cordova, offer 20 dishes via @flipsideasia on Instagram and Facebook.
They do a lot of private parties. “The spring roll class I’ve been doing for girls nights and birthday parties is really fun,” Bolan says. “We show you how to make a Vietnamese fresh spring roll.”
Usually, what they cook during the week, they’ll sell to the public at the co-op at 7942 Fischer Steel Road.
They also sell at Curb Market, Grind City Grocer, and Cordelia’s Market. “Right now we’re just introducing our Thai vegetable curries with jasmine rice. If people like those flavors, they’ll love the others.”
Their food items, cooked fresh every week, include their popular laab namtok, or “lettuce wraps.” Kaiser described it as “a spicy minced pork with fresh herbs.”
They also make an Indian butter chicken, which is popular. “I’ve been making it over 20 years,” Bolan says. “It’s a tomato-based Indian dish served over basmati rice. It is so good.”
“Butter chicken is probably the most ubiquitous Indian dish around the world,” Kaiser says. “One of the things that separates ours is the spice we get directly from the Dubai market.”
They have a travel connection that brings back spices from Dubai, Bolan says.
A native Memphian, Bolan began cooking exotic dishes when she started traveling around the world after high school.
Seeing the different dishes in Peru and the Maldives, where she lived, made her want to learn. “It was fascinating to me that the food was such a huge part of their culture.
“That’s what, I think, spurred me into this whole thing. I’ve always loved to cook for people. And I didn’t want to live the rest of my life not having this food in my life.”
Most of her recipes are family recipes she got from friends living around the world.
Kaiser, who got his master’s in biology, spent about eight months with Bolan in the Philippines after graduation. “We started messing around in the kitchen in the Philippines,” he says. “We always kind of cooked a little bit together.”
He began cooking on his own after he moved to Vietnam in 2018 to open tap rooms for a brewery. But that job ended when the pandemic hit. He moved back to Memphis.
Kaiser recalls the origin of Flipside Asia: “I remember saying, ‘Your recipes are badass and I can’t find that flavor.’”
“Here we are,” Bolan says. “Two white kids from Memphis. And we’re not Asian, clearly. And we’re not really chefs.”
But, she says, “You have these recipes that have been handed to you from generations of people. And you’re interested in this and you want people to taste it. You want them to open their minds.”
Kaiser made a list of what they were making and he began delivering the dishes to a couple of neighborhoods.
“All our curries are notoriously mild,” Kaiser says.
“We want it to be authentic without blowing somebody’s brains out,” Bolan adds. “The general public doesn’t want it spicy in this part of the world. We want you to enjoy it. Like any food, you should taste it first and then decide if you want to add spice.”
They might open a food truck or a restaurant one day, but, Bolan says, “I’m riding this wave of happiness right now. I don’t want to mess anything up. And we’re having fun. If you can’t have fun, don’t do it.”
TVA’s coal ash dumps at the now-defunct Allen Fossil Plant rank as the 10th worst contaminated sites in the country in a report released earlier this month that examined groundwater monitoring data from coal-fired plant operators, including TVA.
TVA’s own monitoring data shows its Memphis dumps are leaking arsenic at levels nearly 300 times safe drinking water limits. Unsafe levels of boron, lead and molybdenum are also being recorded there.
The report, prepared and published by the Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice, shows that coal ash dumps at every TVA coal-fired facility across Tennessee are leaking dangerous contaminants at unsafe levels, including arsenic, cobalt, lithium, molybedenum, boron, lead and sulfate, into groundwater.
Coal plant owners are ignoring the law and avoiding cleanup because they don’t want to pay for it.
– Lisa Evans, senior ttorney at Earthjustice
TVA, the nation’s largest public power company, was ordered in 2015 to investigate the extent of contamination caused by its coal ash dumps, come up with a plan to clean up its coal ash pollution and decide what to do with the dumps to prevent future contamination.
But the utility still hasn’t completed its investigation at all its Tennessee plants or announced final plans for the millions of tons of coal ash — the byproduct from burning coal to produce electricity — TVA has stashed away in unlined, leaky dirt pits across the state.
The utility is not alone in dallying to comply with the 2015 directive, known as the Environmental Protection Agency’s “coal ash rule,” according to the new report — Poisonous Coverup: The Widespread Failure of the Power Industry to Clean Up Coal Ash Dumps.
“Seven years after the EPA imposed the first federal rules requiring the cleanup of coal ash waste dumps, only about half of the power plants that are contaminating groundwater agree that cleanup is necessary, and 96 percent of these power plants are not proposing any groundwater treatment,” the report stated.
Report: Ongoing contamination in Memphis
According to the report, 91 percent of the 292 coal ash dump sites in the nation are leaking dangerous toxins, heavy metals and radioactive material into groundwater at dangerous levels, “often threatening streams, rivers and drinking water aquifers.”
“In every state where coal is burned, power companies are violating federal health protections,” said Lisa Evans, Senior Attorney at Earthjustice. “Coal plant owners are ignoring the law and avoiding cleanup because they don’t want to pay for it.”
TVA officials responded to the report’s claims in a statement:
“It’s important to note that the Earthjustice report is a flawed document. For example, it does not account for state regulations of coal ash sites that either complement the federal coal ash rule or serve the purpose of applying additional, more stringent oversight over coal ash sites.
“This is the case in Tennessee where TVA is under a commissioner’s order to conduct a thorough environmental study of the sites to help determine the closure method.
“According to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), Tennessee is the only state in the nation that has all coal-fired power plants under orders to complete investigation and remediation. Tennessee is the only state in the nation to require an electric utility to conduct an environmental investigation and remediation of coal ash disposal locations that include both active permitted coal ash disposal areas, as well as historical coal ash disposal areas.
“TVA is an industry leader in the safe, secure management of coal ash, implementing best practices years before they were required by the 2015 federal coal ash rule and pioneering new technology to ensure our coal ash sites are safe. For example, six years before the federal coal ash rule was enacted, TVA committed to eliminating wet handling of coal ash at all our facilities. The conversion from wet to dry handling is completed.
“TVA’s robust network of more than 450 groundwater monitoring wells ensures the protection of water resources and the environment. Where groundwater monitoring results indicate corrective action is necessary, TVA is following the corrective action process outlined in the federal coal ash rule and applicable state rules.
“Decisions regarding the closure and long-term storage and management of coal ash sites are based on the unique characteristics of each site. In Tennessee, TVA is under a commissioner’s order to conduct a thorough environmental study of the sites to help determine the closure method. Kentucky and Alabama regulators are similarly exercising their oversight through their state regulations. TVA, with oversight from its regulators, will continue to use science, data, and analysis to inform those decisions and each site will be closed in an environmentally safe manner,” concluded the statement.
The coal ash dumps at TVA’s plant in Memphis had been leaking levels of arsenic as high as 300 times safe drinking water standards for years before the utility publicly acknowledged the contamination in 2017.
“It’s important to note that the Earthjustice report is a flawed document. For example, it does not account for state regulations of coal ash sites that either complement the federal coal ash rule or serve the purpose of applying additional, more stringent oversight over coal ash sites.” — Statement from TVA in response to Earthjustice report.
TVA shut down the Allen plant in 2018 and later announced it would remove 4 million tons of coal ash from leaky dirt pits there and haul it to an above-ground landfill in a black residential neighborhood in south Memphis.
The EIP and Earthjustice report says TVA isn’t doing enough to prevent future contamination at the Allen site. According to the report, TVA “has not posted groundwater monitoring data or otherwise implemented the coal ash rule” at one of the dumps at the Allen plant because the utility “believes the pond is exempt from” the rule.
Aerial of the TVA plant in Kingston Tennessee, on the Clinch River. An ash dam spill on December 22 2008 resulted in a major environmental issue for the area. (Photo: Karen Kasmauski for Getty Images)
“We know that TVA has monitored the groundwater pursuant to state law, and that the data show ongoing contamination with high concentrations of boron, molybdenum, and other pollutants,” the report stated.
“TVA should use these data to immediately confirm exceedances in both detection and assessment monitoring and proceed through the coal ash rule’s corrective action process,” the report continued.
Residents in south Memphis have complained that TVA intentionally targeted a Black community when choosing a landfill site and did not allow them a say in its decision.
Dangerous contaminants at unsafe levels
TVA is not required to monitor groundwater contamination for many of the 26 dangerous ingredients in coal ash, so data on the levels of deadly constituents including radium are not publicly available. But of the handful of contaminants TVA is required to track under the coal ash rule, the utility’s Tennessee coal ash dumps are leaking unsafe levels of most of them, the report stated.
TVA’s coal ash dumps at its Gallatin Fossil Plant are polluting groundwater with lithium at 41 times safe limits as well as dangerous levels of arsenic, boron, cobalt and molybdenum. Dumps at that Middle Tennessee plant rank 80th on the list of 292 worst contaminated sites.
Dumps at TVA’s Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County — the site of the nation’s largest coal ash waste spill in 2008 and the impetus behind the enactment of the federal coal ash rule — are leaking arsenic at levels 16 times higher than safe drinking water limits, the report stated. Dumps there are also leaking cobalt at levels 20 times safe standards, lithium at 10 times safe standards and molybdenum at five times safe standards. Kingston ranks 82nd on the list of worst contaminated sites.
Coal ash dumps at TVA’s Bull Run Fossil Plant in Anderson County are contaminating groundwater with lithium at a rate of 13 times the safe standard, arsenic at a rate of seven times the safe standard, boron at nine times the safe standard and molybdenum at five times the safe standard, according to the report. Bull Run’s dumps rank 101 on the list.
The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Cumberland Fossil Plant. (Photo: Courtesy of TVA)
TVA’s coal ash dumps at its Cumberland Fossil Plant in Stewart County, Tenn., rank 115th on the list, leaking boron at 22 times safe levels, as well as unsafe levels of arsenic, cobalt, lithium and molybdenum, the report showed.
Dumps at TVA’s Johnsonville Fossil Plant in Humphreys County, Tenn., are leaking cobalt at nine times safe levels and boron at four times safe levels, according to the report. Coal ash pits at its long-shuttered John Sevier plant in Hawkins County, Tenn., are leaking lithium at unsafe levels, the report stated.
Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on Facebook and Twitter.
The most severe weather is projected to arrive here tomorrow afternoon and could continue through Wednesday morning.
“Damaging winds and long-track tornadoes will be possible with highly organized storms,” said NWSM. ”Large hail and flash flooding are also possible, though they are secondary threats.”
On Sunday, the threat raised the area to an Enhanced Risk (orange level, level three of five) for severe storms. On Monday, Memphis was raised to a Moderate Risk (four out of five).
“Moderate Risks are used sparingly and should not be taken lightly,” MNSW said in a tweet. “Take the time to plan and prepare now.”
In a tweet Sunday, NWSM said “damaging winds, tornadoes, flooding, and large hail are on the table” for Tuesday. “Long-track tornadoes will be possible, and some could be significant,” said the agency.
Read this tweet thread for detailed information about the storm from MNSW:
🚨Parts of the Mid-South have been upgraded to a MODERATE Risk (level 4 out of 5) of severe weather tomorrow, Tuesday Nov 29🚨
NWSM continued to raise the alarm about the threat on Monday.
🚨Mid-South: The Storm Prediction Center has EXPANDED the Moderate Risk (level 4 of 5) to include more portions of north Mississippi. 🚨 pic.twitter.com/TH2jq45j3M
We know severe weather can cause a lot of anxiety, especially leading up to the event. We are often asked "what can I do now?". It is best for you and your family to have a plan. Here are some graphics that can help you decide where you will take shelter from severe storms. pic.twitter.com/m1BHfBY0Xu
Memphis hip hop duo Idi x Teco are joined by NicoTheGoddess and producer Qemist for their brand new jam “Skin Deep.” Filmmaker Jordan Danelz, who previously collaborated with Idi x Teco for the killer “Buzzsaw Kick” video, and Malik the Martian created some incredible lighting design for this clip. The duo unleashes their formitable stage skills while Nico holds effortlessly holds down the hooks. Take a look:
If you would like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.
Ja Morant goes up for a bucket against the Knicks. (Credit: NBAE via Getty Images)
The Memphis Grizzlies are on the road, and their first stop was Madison Square Garden on Sunday, where they delivered a 127-123 win against the New York Knicks. It was an epic battle that required a concerted effort from the whole team against a scrappy Knicks unit.
Let’s get into it.
First, let me say that this is the best Knicks team Memphis has played in a hot minute. Hat tip to Coach Tom Thibodeau, in general, and Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett, specifically.
Memphis sweeps the season series with this win, having taken the season opener against New York in November.
The Grizzlies starters put up big numbers, with all five scoring in double digits, and every player that took the court for Memphis scored at least once.
By the Numbers:
Ja Morant notched his fifth career triple-double with a team-high 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists.
Dillon Brooks closed out with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Jaren Jackson Jr finished the night with 21 points and 5 rebounds, making it the first time in his career that he has had four consecutive games with 20 points or more.
Steven Adams had a season-high 16 points and 10 rebounds.
John Konchar added 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Brandon Clarke led the bench in scoring with 9 points and 4 rebounds.
Rookies David Roddy and Jake LaRavia each hit two clutch three-pointers.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies are headed to Minnesota where they will face off against the Timberwolves on Wednesday, November 30th. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of my World Cup championship. Watching the daily coverage from Qatar brings happy memories of the summer of 1982, when Italy beat West Germany for what many consider the greatest trophy in all of sports. And yes, that Italian team — the Azzurri — was my team. I’ve carried their iconic blue in my heart for four decades now.
Some backstory: My family spent the 1976-77 academic year in Torino, at the foot of the Alps in northwest Italy. My father was researching an era of Italian economics history as he pursued his Ph.D. I spent second grade in a private school where English was spoken as much as Italian, and I embraced the exotic of it all. I was just old enough for some memories to remain in full color today, including, ironically, those of a soccer team known worldwide for the black and white stripes on its uniform.
Juventus is the New York Yankees of Italian soccer. They’ve won more Serie A championships (36) than any other club and belong with Manchester United and Real Madrid in the pantheon of international soccer titans. And Juventus was my home team during our year in Torino. Before I discovered the likes of Roger Staubach and Ted Simmons, Roberto Bettega and Romeo Benetti were my first sports heroes. I collected soccer cards (they were actually stickers), counting each Juventus player I landed as a jewel, particularly that of Dino Zoff, to this day one of the greatest goaltenders to ever don gloves on the pitch. That ’77 team won the prestigious UEFA Cup (beating Manchester United and Manchester City on the way), and Dad and I were part of a happy riot on the streets of Torino.
Fast-forward five years, and I’m 13 years old, tuning in for what coverage I could find of the World Cup in Spain. And there on my grandmother’s TV screen in east Tennessee, I see … Dino Zoff. Tending goal for Italy! There’s Claudio Gentile. There’s Gaetano Scirea. There’s Marco Tardelli. My Juventus friends, names and faces I hadn’t seen in five years — my cognitive lifetime and from another continent — were beating Argentina, and Brazil, and Poland, and finally the Germans to win the country’s first World Cup in 44 years. It was electrifying, particularly for a boy just entering the world of organized team sports. Three years later, I played in a Vermont state championship for my high school team. We lost, but for one afternoon, I felt like an American Bettega.
I’ve watched the World Cup every four years since 1982, some years more engaged than others. When the U.S. qualified in 1990 (for the first time in 40 years), it felt like a gap had been closed between “world soccer” and the kind I’d grown familiar playing here in the land of baseball, basketball, and tackle football. Italy reached the 1994 World Cup final (played here in the States, a month after I married a former all-state soccer player from Vermont), only to lose to Brazil on penalty kicks. The Azzurri finally won another World Cup in 2006 (this time beating France on PKs). Five members of that team played for Juventus, but we define heroes differently as grown men. There was no Dino Zoff in goal.
You won’t find the Azzurri in Qatar. Italy didn’t qualify for each of the last two World Cups, akin to America not qualifying for the World Baseball Classic. (There are 13 European squads in the 32-team field.) This somehow magnifies the joy I retain from 1982, knowing time, place, and moment seldom converge for the kind of precision I celebrated 40 years ago. A team of precision will win the World Cup on December 18th, just in time for you to include a Brazil jersey (or Spain, or France … ) in the stocking of that favorite fan in your life. Me, I’ll likely have my Juventus scarf nearby for the championship match. No Italy in this year’s field? No problem. I won the World Cup 40 years ago and the thrill lives on.
Dillon Brooks over Jonas Valanciunas (Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
For Ja Morant, it was his first head-to-head win over his former AAU teammate and fellow South Carolinian Zion Williamson, as the Grizzlies cruised past the Pelicans 132-111 at FedexForum Friday night.
The 23-year-old was excited about being on the floor with Williamson. “It’s exciting man, two guys from South Carolina — where most don’t make it out — and live out their dream, playing basketball at the highest level. We’re able to provide, not only for ourselves, but for our families.”
Morant went on to say, “It’s big time. I know we both enjoy it, and being out there on the court together is even better. He’s a special talent, obviously. We’re not used to playing against each other; it’s still good, always room for praying he has a very healthy career, being able to showcase his talent at the highest level, being 100 percent.”
Morant finished with his fourth double-double of the season by tallying 23 points and 11 assists.
Was it the most complete game of the season for Memphis? Grizzlies head Taylor Jenkins thought so. “It’s definitely up there – super proud of the group,” Jenkins said after the game. “The Pelicans are always a tough matchup for us.”
Yes, the Pelicans have been a tough matchup, particularly when Williamson is available. Memphis is now 1-5 against New Orleans when Williamson is on the floor.
Jenkins added, “I thought our first quarter defensive activity, the ball movement, the pace we were playing with … Ja set a tone, Dillon [Brooks] set a tone, Steven [Adams] set a tone. Those guys were great on both sides.”
“I thought our defensive activity was great,” Jenkins concluded. “We held them to 48 points in the first half, knowing that they were going to come out and make a run. We just exploded more in the third quarter. Definitely a really solid win by our group. A lot of guys contributed tonight on both ends.”
That would include Brooks, who had a spectacular night, particularly defending Williamson, who only scored 14 points in 30 minutes of play. Brooks harassed Williamson and had him out of sync most of the game.
“That plays more into my defense and physicality – trying to meet him before the rim,” said Brooks about guarding Williamson. “He finds ways to jump over you, get by you. And I just try to keep him to his right hand mostly … make him finish with his right hand. That’s the matchup.”
Brooks led all scorers with 25 points, going 8-of-15 from the field. He also had four assists.
After being listed as questionable due to a non-Covid illness, Adams was available, made his presence known early, and nabbed his sixth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Jaren Jackson, Jr. was in foul trouble early, but it didn’t stop him from having a productive game. He finished with 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting and three blocks.
Jenkins was pleased with Jackson’s play: “[It’s] more about JJ just doing what he’s great at. Being super active, drives, pick-and-rolls, post-up situations. Just unleashing him to protect our paint with that activity.”
“I thought he did a great job,” Jenkins continued. “Three blocks tonight, but [he] altered a lot with the emphasis of them trying to get to the paint. Whether it was with Zion [Williamson] or Jonas [Valanciunas] … I think he did a great job.”
Up Next
The Grizzlies head to Madison Square Garden to take on the Knicks, looking to take the season series 2-0. Tip-off: Sunday, November 27th at 5 p.m. CT.
