Raumesh Akbari (Photo: Senator Raumesh Akbari | Facebook)
State Senator Raumesh Akbari (D-29), who has had several star turns since her election to the state House in 2013, including prominent speaking roles at two consecutive national Democratic conventions, begins the new year with two fresh accomplishments.
Early in December, Akbari was elected vice president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. Later in the month, she was elected minority leader by her fellow Senate Democrats to succeed state Sen. Jeff Yarbro of Nashville.
Other Memphis legislators also advanced in both organizations. State representatives Antonio Parkinson (D-98) and Torrey Harris (D-91) were elected to the National Black Caucus executive committee, and London Lamar of Memphis (D-33), a former state representative, was named the Democrats’ caucus chair in the state Senate.
Akbari’s accession to the Democrats’ top state Senate leadership post complements the re-election of Memphis state Rep. Karen Camper (D-87) as the party’s leader in the House, where another Memphian, state Rep. Larry Miller (D-88), was named leader pro tempore for the Democrats.
• An important deadline is looming for the growing cast of hopefuls who aspire to succeed the term-limited Jim Strickland as mayor of Memphis in this year’s city election. January 15th is the prescribed date for candidates to file their first financial reports, and the results will constitute a true test of who is likely to make the long haul to the October election and who is not.
With this in mind, and with their recognition that the holiday season was making its own financial demands of their possible support bases, several of the candidates made it a point to hold fundraisers in the week or so before Christmas.
On the 11th, Van Turner, the former county commissioner and local NAACP head, was the beneficiary of a $100-a-head fundraiser. On the 15th, one was held for state Rep. Karen Camper, the Democrats’ state House leader. The hosts’ invitation specified that all donations were welcome, but $1,000 was more or less pinpointed as the top dollar.
A more ambitious ask of $1,600, the personal max, was suggested for attendees at an affair for Downtown Memphis Commission CEO/President Paul Young on the 18th, and two days later, on the 20th, Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner was the beneficiary of yet another event, with $1,000 as the recommended donation.
Meanwhile, well-heeled businessman and former County Commissioner J.W. Gibson, who brings a pre-existing bankroll of his own, weighed in with the announcement that he would be a likely candidate.
The aforementioned January date will allow all the foregoing and other possible candidates to make an estimate of where each of them stands in the financial sweepstakes. A lot of money will be raised and spent in the mayoral election, but the supply of funding is ultimately limited, and a strong showing early is a good way to shake more dollars loose later on and to discourage one’s rivals.
For purposes of comparison, on January 15, 2015, then incumbent Mayor AC Wharton reported $201,000, and City Councilman Strickland, who would later triumph in a multi-candidate race, was right on Wharton’s heels with reported receipts of $181,000.
• The so-called “3 Gs” schools — Germantown High School, Germantown Elementary, and Germantown Middle School — saw their status transformed again a decade after they became part of the Memphis Shelby County Schools system. A complicated nine-year timeline, returning the elementary and middle schools to the Germantown system and allowing MSCS the right to sell the high school as part of a plan to build a new high school in Cordova, was approved by the four entities involved — Germantown Schools, MSCS, the city of Germantown, and the Shelby County Commission, with the only real dissension occurring on the latter body, which voted 8-5 to approve the arrangement.
“Shame on us,” declared County Commissioner Britney Thornton, a nay-voter.
The real mover in the deal was the Tennessee General Assembly, whose Republican supermajority, in obvious solidarity with Germantown, had passed a law requiring the re-transfer by year’s end.
“Anthropologists are thrice-born,” my old instructor in the discipline, T.O. Beidelman, once asserted in a lecture. He had us all captivated with his tales of fieldwork among the Dinka in the Sudan. “First, we are born into our own culture. Secondly, we enter the cultures we study as children, and gradually are born as social beings in that community. And thirdly, we are reborn when we return to our own culture, seeing it with fresh eyes.”
Those words have echoed in my mind while reading a stunning new collection of field notes from the ’60s by two graduate students — one of anthropology, the other of folklore/ethnomusicology — in the blues communities of Mississippi and Louisiana. Going Up the Country: Adventures in Blues Fieldwork in the 1960s (Univ. Press of Mississippi) evokes all the excitement of discovery, of being reborn into another culture, that only a person putting their life and time on the line can feel as they aim for complete immersion. And it’s especially gripping for Memphis-based music lovers, as one of the authors is David Evans, onetime director (and founder) of the ethnomusicology program at what is now called the University of Memphis.
His time at the university is highly regarded among blues aficionados, for he not only studied the form but also performed it (often with the legendary Jessie Mae Hemphill) and produced it, running the small High Water Records label with Richard Ranta, which released many singles and a few albums by lesser-known artists in the ’70s and ’80s. Now retired, he’s still a performer and an appreciator of the blues. Yet all he accomplished at the University of Memphis is but an afterthought in this work, which focuses on earlier chapters of Evans’ life. But he wasn’t alone then.
“It was co-authored with my friend at the time, Marina Bokelman,” Evans explains, noting that Bokelman passed away in May of last year at the age of 80. This book is a fitting tribute to the magnificent work the two did over a half century ago. “We focus on the fieldwork that we did in 1966-67,” Evans adds. “It’s based on the field notes that we took as we did the work. Each day we’d write the notes, describing what we did, our encounters with artists and others. And then there are some other chapters providing background on that, discussing fieldwork, and a little bit about our lives before and after that period.”
The core of the book is an evocative tour through the lives of blues and gospel singers, with a level of detail and attention to both the music and their lives rivaling any blues study before or since. The co-authors’ notes and photographs take the reader into the midst of memorable encounters with many obscure but no less important musicians, as well as blues legends, including Robert Pete Williams, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Babe Stovall, Reverend Ruben Lacy, and Jack Owens.
It was all part of the authors’ studies in the fledgling folklore and mythology program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where they began dating. There was clearly an intellectual as well as a romantic bond there, and the scholarly standards of the field notes are high. But this is also an adventure story of sorts, as the young couple describes searches for musicians, recording situations, social and family dynamics of musicians, and race relations, not to mention the practical, ethical, and logistical problems of doing fieldwork. The book features over one hundred documentary photographs that depict the field recording sessions and the activities, lives, and living conditions of the artists and their families. As you read along, you’ll want to listen to any recordings of the artists that you can get your hands on.
While the field adventures are gripping, so too is the milieu of the young scholars in Los Angeles at the time, living in Topanga Canyon, and playing host to a young Al Wilson, with whom Evans performed previously in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Evans describes introducing Wilson to Tommy Johnson’s “Canned Heat Blues,” and we read of Wilson founding the famous group named after that 1928 record. With this section, occupying nearly the first hundred pages of the book, and the “after the field” biographical essays detailing the authors’ lives after splitting up and pursuing their respective passions, this book is a glowing portrait of two insatiably curious souls, a fitting memoir of two lives well-lived.
“We had some real adventures,” reflects Evans. “They’re all in the book.”
There’s a whole new Memphis out there. It waits for you just outside your everyday routine, somewhere just a few streets away from those four or five places that comprise a personal rut you might not know even exists.
Routines are fine; humans thrive on them. But their comfort can shield you from having a bigger, fuller Memphis experience. For example, if you’ve ever talked with your bartender about the new-colored urinal cakes at your favorite watering hole’s de-watering hole, it might be time to try that new place you heard about at work.
Memphis is a big place with something for just about anyone. This year (in lieu of piling on with New Year’s health tips and habit breakers), we want to help you — encourage you — to go out and rediscover this amazing city we call home.
Our writers did just that. They opened their eyes a bit wider, went hunting Memphis (and sometimes beyond) for that niche thing they love, tuned into that vibration here, discovered that whole new Memphis, and will carry it with them into 2023. — Toby Sells
Photo: Priscilla DuPreez | Unsplash
Disc Golfin’
College was the last time I laid hands on a disc golf disc. I only bought some discs back then because my buddy was crazy about the sport, he wanted me to go with him, and I wanted to drink beers outside.
I thought it was silly. Grown men throwing Frisbees into a basket. Frrrp. Please. And I was scolded for calling it a “Frisbee” (some copyright dispute, I was told) and for “not taking it seriously.” Well, I played a few times that one summer, drank some beers, quit when I lost two discs ($20!) in a pond, and relegated my other discs to a box in the attic.
Many, many years later, I found myself at a park with a disc golf course last fall in Roanoke, Virginia. I saw folks throwing and it looked more fun than scrolling Reddit while my kids hit the playground. I approached a player, curious to know if I could buy discs somewhere close. The guy opened his bag, pulled out two discs, handed them to me, and said, “It’s a fun game. You should play.”
Of course I told him I couldn’t take them, but he insisted and walked away before I could protest any further. I was and remain gobsmacked. My family and I played, and the afternoon sparkled with this brand-new way to spend time together. Thank you, kind stranger. Sincerely.
Back in Memphis, I immediately dug my old discs out of the attic and started digging on the internet. I was so happy to find that the city is rich with great courses, all of them just waiting for me to explore.
The sport has taken me off my beaten path (work, home, Boscos, Memphis Made) to Kennedy Park in Raleigh, Sea Isle, down in the hollers at the Shelby Forest, Shelby Farms, and to the All Veterans Golfplex tucked away off Airways surrounded by warehouses and factories. It has shown me around a town I’ve lived in for nearly 15 years.
Disc golf has become my cardio, my mental health medicine, my vitamin D source, my cure for doom-scrolling, and my outlet to beat the winter blues. It’s given me a reason to connect more with my buddy from college and to even shop at Outdoors Inc.
Disc golf hasn’t changed my life, but it has made changes to my life. They’re good changes, too, including the way I see and enjoy my city. — TS
M-Town Market (Photo: M-Town Market)
Shopping at M-Town Market
I listen to a lot of old music. We can blame it on my Glee obsession, but you’ll likely hear me listening to Elton John’s take on “Pinball Wizard” on repeat in my car while wearing a shirt featuring the Rocket Man himself (bought brand-new from Urban Outfitters).
Graphic tees have long been a staple in my wardrobe, and while I can usually find what I am looking for online, these are often pieces manufactured this year, which lack the authenticity and nostalgia that make the item worth loving. I had long been a fan of thrift store finds such as Gilmore Girls box sets and old books, but I never had luck finding any cool and curated pieces. However, it turns out that I was just looking in the wrong places. Instead of focusing on big-name thrift stores, I learned that I could shift my focus to local vintage accounts on Instagram.
I found Grind City Vintage on Instagram, late in 2022. The store specializes in vintage clothing and shoes, and uses Instagram and Instagram stories as a way to conduct business. While Grind City Vintage is a business of its own, the owner, Jay Williams, also operates the M-Town Market with Studio 901. The market is hosted at least four times a year by 20-50 vendors, and shoppers can find vintage shoes and clothing.
“Our focus is vintage sneakers, and fashion as well,” said Williams. “Streetwear, stuff like that where it’s a lot of dope brands and local vendors that have done really well at our events but also have their own following.”
Williams also said that he and his team pride themselves on giving local vendors and brands an opportunity to put their brand out there, which he said makes them stand out from other markets. — Kailynn Johnson
Put on Your Pointe Shoes
I took my first ballet class this September — well, not my first ballet class ever. I dabbled in the art form when I was a wee one, before I could tie my own shoelaces or knew how to carry the one when adding big numbers. I also retired from the art form when I was a wee one. (At that point, I could tie my shoelaces and add big numbers.) I couldn’t tell you why I stopped going to class; I just did. I also couldn’t tell you what made me sign up for a beginners’ class this September at Ballet Memphis; I just did. Was it a need to relive my former glory days? A need to move my ever-sedentary body? A need simply to leave the house? All of the above?
Regardless, I went, seemingly just because, sans leotard or tights or ballet shoes, and danced in my socks. And I went back, week after week, in socks. I learned pique and rond de jambe (which I thought was spelled Ron de Jon until now) and tendu (which I’ve been mispronouncing “fondue” in my mind), and surprisingly, I’m nowhere near being en pointe. I kid, I kid; there’s not a chance in this lifetime that I’ll ever be en pointe, but for someone who’s a teensy bit of a perfectionist, being bad or, even worse, mediocre at something is a bit outside of my comfort zone. And boy, oh boy, is it freeing just to have that permission not to be good, to try and to fail, to feel a bit silly. It’s fun and challenging, physically and mentally, and every now and then, I get to feel like a graceful ballerina, and who doesn’t want to feel like a graceful ballerina, just because? — Abigail Morici
Never Too Late to Take a Swing at It
Decades ago — just how many I’m almost ashamed to say — I invested a not inconsiderable portion of a payday in the purchase of a brand-new set of golf clubs: all the irons and woods that one should have, plus a nice leather bag to carry them in. At the time, I had played just enough golf to think that if I ever learned to hit a ball off the ground cleanly, with either iron or wood, I might be halfway good. (I could drive off a tee fairly well.) Beginning at the age of 13, I had played only sporadically over the years, and I assumed that, armed with my new tools, I’d be out on the links fairly often.
For shame! I have never used those clubs, never played another round. The bag, burgeoning with all those shiny, still gleaming implements, has sat in various closets and garages ever since. The bag and clubs have functioned as an ornament of sorts, an aide to wishful thinking about what I still resolved to get out there some day and do.
Twice recently I have called up my friend and former Arkansas Gazette colleague Ernest Dumas over in Little Rock and been informed by his wife Elaine that he was out playing golf. I’ve been around a while, but Dumas is even older. He’s pushing 90, in fact, and when I finally got him on the phone, he informed me that his goal, which he’s managed to achieve once or twice, has been to shoot his age.
Basically, he took up the game upon retirement, and it now fills a fair share of his days. As a sport, golf is famously short on kinetics but long on fresh air and, even if one uses a cart, walking.
As it happens, I was in the hospital for a spell of late, and fresh air and walking would both serve as admirable therapeutics as I seek to regain at least a facsimile of my erstwhile energy and stamina. New year? New me? In a word: Fore! — Jackson Baker
Before his travels, Chris McCoy visits Tommy Kha’s banned self-portrait as Elvis at theMemphis International Airport. (Photo: Laura Jean Hocking)
Get Out!
Remember back in the dark days of 2020, when you were stuck inside your place while diseases ravaged the land? You vowed that, when all this is over, you would visit all the places that you wanted to go, but couldn’t. Well guess what? Now is the time to make good on that vow. Covid is still around, but you’re all vaxxed up and, when necessary, masked up. Gas prices have fallen from their Ukraine War peak. Amtrak just got a big funding boost. And the Memphis International Airport has that new terminal smell. (Don’t forget to take a selfie with Tommy Kha’s banned self-portrait as Elvis.) It’s time to get out of town, if only for a little while.
One of the great things about Memphis is its location in the middle of the continent. A day’s drive can get you to the Great Lakes, the Gulf Coast, Dollywood, or Dallas. Go on a hike at Dismals Canyon in Alabama. Swim and ski on Lake Ouachita in Arkansas. Shop Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. Visit the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.
Go to a New Orleans Saints game in the Superdome. Follow Taylor Swift’s concert tour. Go where you want to go. Stay as long as you can. Have fun. Expand your consciousness. You’ll find things you love about your destination, and things you miss about Memphis. As the old saying goes, it is only through travel that you come to know your home for the first time. — Chris McCoy
MonoNeon, master of many sounds (Photo: Fender)
Contain Multitudes, Music Lovers!
If any sector in Memphis is prone to trap people in self-imposed silos, it’s the music community. Perhaps it’s because we internalize music so deeply that our very identity becomes bound up in it. “And now you find you fit this identikit completely,” sang Elvis Costello many decades ago, and that concept rings true today, as we embrace our respective identikits in dance clubs or concert halls. And that’s fine, as far as it goes; we all need to find our tribe, our people. But don’t sleep on the city’s musical diversity while you’re doing so. Stepping outside of your comfort zone might just be the wake-up call you needed.
Meanwhile, plenty of music creators have been breaking down the boundaries for some time now. Blueshift Ensemble, classical players from the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, have collaborated with artists as diverse as Don Lifted and Mark Edgar Stuart. Recent supergroup Salo Pallini specializes in what they call “Progressive Latin Space Country” on their upcoming album. Al Kapone is forging a new path that combines rap with heavy, heavy blues. The Unapologetic collective, who take pride in their offbeat hip-hop, are just as proud of this year’s Nobody Really Makes Love Anymore by Aaron James, a straight-up emo tour de force. And then there’s MonoNeon, master of funk, jazz, gospel, indie rock … and the kitchen-sink sounds of George Clinton.
As Cory Branan recently told Glide Magazine, “Why limit myself to a certain genre? Whatever a song wants to wear is fine with me.” Maybe fans just need to catch up with the performers. “If I had to stand there and play acoustic singer-songwriter music all the time,” says Branan, “I’d be bored out of my mind.” — Alex Greene
Get hustled at Nerd Alert’s arcade. (Photo: Michael Donahue)
Game Somewhere Else!
Rather than slide into the mind-numbing antics of reality TV or the thinking-person’s prestige series, my preferred method of unwinding after work is to toss down my coat and briefcase and fire up the ol’ Switch, PS5, or PC, and enjoy my evening as anonymous online 13-year-olds scream obscenities into voice chat and teabag my digital avatar’s lifeless, pixelated corpse.
It’s all in good fun, but despite advanced technology that allows players to connect with others from all over the world, gaming — whether it be board, card, or video — is always more fun playing in person. After all, if you can’t look into your friend’s eyes as you crush them piece by piece, and watch as their joy and enthusiasm slowly tilt toward shock, exasperation, and, most sweetly, utter dejection, then what’s the point? Luckily, if you know where to look, there are ready-made communities of gaming aficionados that will help you break out of the hobby’s somewhat solitary shell.
My favorite “discovery” has been Board to Beers, an elusive setup that convinces me to travel beyond the East Parkway line for a social call. Memphis’ first board game bar is a delight, home to owner Taylor Herndon’s collection of 400+ eclectic board games, some of which will leave players both entertained and scratching their heads. We tried out one fan-operated game that involved plucking sushi ingredients out of the air with chopsticks. Another, called Icecool, involved flicking penguins around a little board. That fact that you can curve and jump the penguins led to many out-of-board shenanigans, and some throbbing fingernails.
On the digital side of things, I flock to Nerd Alert in Cooper-Young, where I can almost guarantee some hustler is sitting on the Street Fighter II machine, waiting to grind me into dust before I can even get a hit in, and delivering a beatdown so bad that it feels like I’m actually getting kicked in the face by Chun-Li. But on a friendlier note, there’s always some rando available to help you tag-team the original Mario Bros. and rack up a high score. I may never get their name, but for one night, anyone can make a new friend.
And, of course, a shout-out to Black Lodge, which has its own board game rental plan and plenty of other competitive programming like the armored fight club. (That’s out of the question for me, but it sure is fun to watch.) Gaming doesn’t always have to be a solitary endeavor; in fact, there are plenty of places around town that will welcome new players with open arms. — Samuel X. Cicci
Say Thank You. To Everyone
Not a day shall pass this year without my offering up a heartfelt thank you. I say thanks to scads of people all the time, but it’s often perfunctory, sometimes begrudged, occasionally sarcastic. I’m perfectly happy to maintain my current level of loving snideness, but I find myself now — running heedlessly into 2023 — to be in great need of snark-free gestures.
Just as one utters grace before meals (for those who still perform that quaint ritual), I’m thinking how fulfilling it would be to take a few moments during the day to shine a light when Providence smiles.
Of course, it requires some real thought. It’s never worked for me to make a list a couple of days before Thanksgiving of the nice people and good fortune I’ve encountered. I’m too busy with preparations for holiday stuff and stuffing to add in a few dollops of gratitude for a year’s worth of good deeds.
How much better, then, to make it part of the quotidian routine along with eating, cleaning, meditating, exercising … well, I guess I can target those last two items for future resolutions.
Anyway, my intention will be to think well and truly of the people and institutions and energy going on all about and give them recognition. My list, which was too much ignored over Turkey Day, includes, for example, kudos to the artists who have made Concourse B at MEM a splendid gallery, and to the UrbanArt Commission that wrangled the project. In fact, just in the area of fine arts alone, we can have gratitude for what’s being done at Crosstown Concourse, the Metal Museum, the Dixon Gallery & Gardens, the Brooks (present and future), and in Orange Mound.
We live in a place that deserves all manner of thanks and respect. Great water, thrilling sports, sublime music, perfect water, natural wonders, caring people … well, you get the idea. And amen. — Jon W. Sparks
When Emily Guenther, also known as Reverend Omma to her Wiccan congregation, opened The Broom Closet over 10 years ago, she thought of it as a fantasy coming true. “I had spent six or seven years working in advertising,” she says. “It felt very inconsequential, like anybody could do it. It wasn’t feeding my soul, but it paid the bills. … I had this fantasy that like one day I might actually get to retire. And once I did, I would then spend my retirement working at a little store selling herbs to people — that was just this weird kind of daydream that kind of helped me get through the day sometimes.”
But after a rough year with her mother’s passing and losing that advertising job, her husband Stephen urged her to bring her metaphysical store to fruition, and now 10 years later, that store is going strong, offering solace to its customers and selling spiritual supplies from sage for cleansing to gemstones for manifesting. “We strive to serve the spiritual needs of the community,” Guenther says. “We try to cater to everyone regardless of their beliefs or practices, and just help people, talk to them, answer questions, help them find the thing that they need if they don’t know what they’re looking for.”
As such, one of the services The Broom Closet offers is tarot reading — fortune-telling that uses a deck of 78 pictorial cards. Anyone can read tarot, Guenther says, as long as they understand the meanings of the cards and can embrace their intuition, but having someone else read your tarot can offer insights that you might not have to come otherwise. “The thing about tarot,” she says, “is that because we’re all different … we filter through our life experiences and the way that we live our lives. And so if I needed a reading and let’s say I came to you and I know what the cards mean, you’re going to say it or explain it or filter it through your experience in a way that I needed to hear it.”
In a way, it’s like therapy, with someone guiding you through confronting and coping with the uncontrollable — like love or money, two things Guenther says she gets asked about the most.
To kick off the new year, the Broom Closet is hosting a special night of tarot reading for those looking to check in on specific situations in their life and find guidance. Participants will be able to choose from 15-minute tarot readings for $20, 30-minute readings for $40, and 60-minute readings for $70. Readings will be done on a first-come-first-served basis, with no appointments necessary.
To keep up with other event offerings, like workshops and sound baths, at The Broom Closet, follow them on Facebook (@The Broom Closet – Memphis) or Instagram (@ the_broom_closet).
Twilight Tarot: A Night of Tarot Reading, The Broom Closet, Friday, January 6, 6-8 p.m., $20-$70.
This week, the city mourned the passing of Gangsta Boo, Lola Chantrelle Mitchell. The Memphis rapper was an original member of Three 6 Mafia.
“Everybody in Memphis pulling out their one pic they got with Gangsta Boo,” tweeted Joshua McLane. “What’s beautiful is how many people have one to post.”
Joel and Frances
Posted to Facebook by Burke’s Books
“We were more than a little gobsmacked to have Joel Coen and Frances McDormand wander in yesterday to do a little shopping,” Burke’s Books said on Facebook last week.
Surf and Turf
Posted to Facebook by Millington Tennessee Police Department
With the public’s help online, Millington police nabbed Amanda Rodriguez just before Christmas for shoplifting.
“This woman came to Walmart with the intentions of having a surf and turf Sunday dinner, for free!” reads the post. “She took the items (steaks and crab legs) to the clothing section and bagged them up then proceeded out the door without paying.”
Any day is a good day to start anew. (Photo: Behnam Norouzi | Unsplash)
Happy New Year, all, and welcome to 2023! Did y’all eat your black-eyed peas and greens on New Year’s Day? I made a big pot of collards and cabbage, a pan of cornbread, and a pile of peas in hopes of ushering in some luck and money, although when I think back on literally every other year I’ve done this as an adult, I can’t recall any particular instance where it might have made a measurable difference. “Remember that one time I won $10 on a scratch-off? Had to be those peas!” said no one, ever.
Regardless, each year will have its highs and lows, and luck — good or otherwise. I’m not so sure how much a plate of food will alter that. This go-round, I even followed the “don’t do laundry on January 1st” rule, although I read somewhere a few days ago that it’s actually supposed to be the last Friday of the previous year and the first Friday of the new year that are avoided. Oops, I guess. Will someone I love die because I washed my clothes on the wrong day? Gosh, I hope not. What happens if I don’t eat my greens on the right day? To me, all these superstitions merely add to the stresses and expectations we place on ourselves when we turn the page on our calendars.
“New year, new me!” people proclaim. There’s nothing wrong with setting resolutions and fixing your sights on goals. In fact, data exists to explain why it’s healthy to do so. A quick search shows that, among other things, reflecting on the prior year and aiming for changes and/or planning to drop bad habits and create good ones gives us inspiration, hope, and a sense of responsibility as we face our next rotation around the sun. But I think it’s important to be realistic and honest with ourselves — and not to burden our brains with all the things we think we’ve been doing “wrong” in the last year or so.
In this first issue back after the holiday break, we’ve always done some variation of a “New Year, New Me” cover story — wherein we ponder ways in which we can better ourselves with physical activity, staying hydrated, reading more, drinking less, putting down our cell phones, discarding clutter, all that stuff we say we’re gonna do but often abandon after the first week or two. This time, our staff put a little less emphasis on the “new me” part and focused on ways in which we can more fully embrace our city — by further exploring interests, picking up new hobbies (or dusting off old ones), or stepping a little outside of our comfort zones (or living rooms or favorite bars or zip codes) — and discover parts of Memphis we may not have known existed. And perhaps in the process uncover parts of ourselves that have been hidden or dormant, to reinvigorate and renew our lives in ways large or small.
Now that we’re past the holiday pressures — to buy this, do that, go there — let’s resolve to ease into whatever it is we want to achieve in 2023. (A study done by the University of Scranton says only 8 percent of folks follow through with resolutions anyhow, so why not set the bar a little lower and go up from there?) Of course, I’d like to be in better shape, to lose some of the weight I gained last year, see my friends and family more, etc. But I won’t promise myself that I’ll keep a daily journal or meticulously fill out and follow a weekly planner or count calories at every meal. I will, though, reiterate the suggestion I offered in my last editor’s column of 2022: Be gentle on yourself. Goals are good. Self-discipline is great. But don’t let a lack thereof push you into a state of self-loathing or unrest. Take it one step at a time. There’s no starting gun signaling the beginning of a new race, and there’s no finish line at the end of a certain month. You can be the same “you” you were last year if you want (we actually love you just the way you are). And you can begin anew any day or time you wish.
Ja Morant and Steven Adams slap hands on January 1, 2023 in a match-up against the Sacramento Kings. Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
In a 118-108 victory over the Sacramento Kings on New Year’s Day at FedExForum, the Memphis Grizzlies extended their winning streak to three games. This victory came on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Grizzlies improved to 15-3 at home and marked the first time in team history that a game had been played on New Year’s Day in Memphis.
With the win, Memphis raised their record to 23-13 that has them in a tie for second place in the West with the New Orleans Pelicans, and one game behind the first place Denver Nuggets.
As Kool Moe Dee said, “The Wild, Wild West.”
Ja Doing Ja Things
There were plenty of Ja-dropping plays on Sunday for Ja Morant, who led all scorers with a game-high 35 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
“It’s gotta be a mindset – you got to want it,” Morant said after the game. You just have to come out and be ready to play from top to bottom. It has to be everybody.”
“That’s our message right now to each other as a team,” Morant added. “We got to come out and play, no matter if we play a Western Conference or Eastern Conference team, or if we play on a team who is down main guys. We got to still come out and play and go out and make a statement and win the basketball game.”
Tyus Jones was a man on a mission on Sunday night against the Kings. Jones has been struggling as of late, but he started the new year off with 18 points, eight assists, and six rebounds off the bench. Stones tied his career high with 3-pointers made by going 5-of-7 from the long line.
After the game, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins had high praise for Jones. Jenkins said, “No matter what his role is: Come off the bench, be a starter, play with different lineups, play longer stretches, shorter stretches – when he has an aggressive mentality, it’s usually good for Tyus.”
“I mean, it’s just part of our job as the bigs,” said Adams on his contributions to help his team win in the trenches. “It’s just part of our coverage. We enjoy just getting a stop, so we don’t have to play any more defense. That’s the main thing. The less defense we could play, the better.”
Adams continued, “That’s why we try and emphasize the defensive rebounding, that’s why it is such a demoralizing thing if you give out offensive rebounds, then you have a 14-second shot clock while you have to play defensive again. So, just trying to be active. I think I’m more comfortable in the system, getting more calm. Last year was a bit of a learning curve on how players move and if they were in front or not; it’s kind of weird reads on the body language, but I’m getting used to just reading the players a bit better when they need help and when not to.”
The Block Panther
Jaren Jackson, Jr. finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. Jackson had two blocks on the same possession against the Kings’ Malik Monk. He also had six blocked shots on New Year’s Eve against the Pelicans. The All-Defensive First Team big man is making his case as one of the best rim protectors in the game. Ask Malik Monk; he didn’t dare to try to get a bucket again with The Block Panther lurking at the rim. In 20 games, Jackson Jr. is averaging 3.2 blocks.
“I can tell – I actually saw him during warm up, so I could tell how big of a fan he was,” said Morant on giving the fan his shoes after the game. He was screaming my name, cheering for me making shots from warmup. So, I knew he was a big fan, and I’m actually doing this thing where I give a pair of my shoes out.”
Morant went on to say, “Obviously, I know a lot of people want them right now, and it’s not released yet in stores and online. I read the sign and, from then on, I knew who was getting a pair of shoes, and you can tell how much he wanted it and loved it.”
Morant has a campaign going with the hashtag #Jas12DaysOfChristmas where 12 fans will be selected to receive a pair of Ja 1s on January 12th.
Christmas is 12 days longer this year‼️ For the next 12 days, share your story using #Jas12DaysOfChristmas & tell me why you deserve to be one of the first to receive my @nikebasketball#Ja1 signature shoe. On Jan. 12 I’ll pick 12 fans to send a pair of my new shoes this spring. pic.twitter.com/nGbnJf1N6m
“It’s a great thing to see,” Morant added. “Leaves you speechless when you see somebody is that big a fan of you to burst out and cry, and then there, it was even more crazy to notice his mom crying as well. I know that touched both of their hearts, and that’s something that I’ll never forget.”
Yes, Zander and his mom will never forget the gift and kindness of Morant for his birthday.
Kendric Davis and Penny Hardaway (photo by Larry Kuzniewski)
The Memphis Tigers are competing in their tenth season as members of the American Athletic Conference. They have yet to win a league championship, neither a regular-season title nor the postseason tournament. (The Tigers have twice lost in the tournament final.) What kind of chances do the 2022-23 Tigers have for ending this drought, for earning the program’s first conference crown since they were Conference USA champs in 2013? With mighty Houston setting the pace, Memphis can’t afford more than four losses among their 18 league games. Even three defeats might be too many to top the Cougars, so Sunday’s loss at Tulane didn’t help. But there are three factors that, if blended properly, could result in a first-place finish for Memphis.
• Senior motivation. No fewer than ten Tiger seniors are competing for playing time, for coach Penny Hardaway’s trust as he distributes a total of 200 player minutes each game. Half of these players are fifth-year seniors, now midway through their final college rodeo. For this group of Tigers … this is it. There’s no building for a 2024 run. There’s no more time for development, for learning where they best fit, for establishing rapport with teammates. There’s something to be said for desperation when it comes to chasing a championship.
Hardaway has been starting a pair of point guards: Alex Lomax and Kendric Davis (both fifth-year seniors). It’s intentional, and as much for the leadership intangible as the skill sets Lomax and Davis bring. Memphis is 11-4 and has four SEC notches on its belt, but has yet to crack the Top 25. Lomax and Davis see this, as do each of their senior brethren. The search for national attention — “respect” is the word used in front of cameras — remains a motivator for Hardaway’s leaders. “Add DeAndre [Williams],” says Hardaway, “and that’s three guys who understand time, possession, the moment. They work through adversity. They’re connected, so that makes it even better.”
• Solid jaw. The Tigers have yet to lose consecutive games. Halfway through the season, Memphis has shown it can take a punch. The Tulane loss may reveal more than any other blow the Tigers absorb this winter. Not only do they need to avoid a second loss in a row (Saturday against East Carolina), but they need to build a winning streak if they hope to threaten Houston atop the AAC. The comeback victory over USF last week to open conference play may be the calling card Hardaway utilizes in the weeks ahead as his team hopes to climb in both the standings and the national conversation. “Early in a game, you know you can come back,” says Hardaway. “But late in the game? Can you stay calm enough under the pressure? The best players, they stay firm and calm in chaos. They don’t panic.”
• That guy. Championship teams have “that guy,” the player everyone in the arena knows will have the ball at winning time. Kendric Davis is that player for these Memphis Tigers. Atop the AAC in both scoring (20.4 points per game) and assists (6.1), Davis is well on his way to a second straight league Player of the Year award. With the Tigers down ten with ten minutes to play against USF, Davis took over. He drained a three-pointer, stole the ball in the USF backcourt and converted a layup, then fed a lob to Williams for a thunderous dunk. He was playing in a zone the other nine players couldn’t reach and it was enough for the Tigers to escape an ugly home loss. “He’s a closer,” says Hardaway. “That’s the blessing of having him on your team. You know he has that type of run in him. He puts the work in. He was getting down during the [USF] game, and I told him, ‘You’re a killer. Don’t forget that. It’s what you do.’ He was looking for his moment and it came.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. goes up for a dunk. (Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Happy New Year. The Memphis Grizzlies are one game back from the top of the Western Conference, and to close out the year they just beat the team ahead of them in the standings, Southwest Division rival the New Orleans Pelicans.
The matchup between these two teams is spicy, with two of the most exciting players in the league – Ja Morant and Zion Williamson –battling it out.
Let’s get into it.
Three-point shooting woes continue to plague the Grizzlies, and in Saturday night’s matchup, they shot a season-low 17.2 percent from distance. But Memphis made up for the lack of outside shooting by dominating down low, outscoring New Orleans 74-44 from the paint.
Big man Steven Adams grabbed a season-high 21 rebounds while helping to hold Jonas Valanciunas to 6 points and 6 rebounds. The two centers were traded for each other in 2021, with Memphis sending Valanciunas to New Orleans in exchange for Adams.
There were some technical difficulties midway through the second quarter when all the game clocks in FedEx Forum lost power, causing a stoppage in play for several minutes. Play resumed with the officials using stopwatches until the clock situation was resolved.
The break in play derailed the Grizzlies’ momentum for the rest of the period and helped the Pelicans to cut a 21-point lead to just three at the half. New Orleans briefly managed a two-point lead during the third quarter, but the Grizzlies did not allow them to keep it for long, dominating the fourth quarter 33-22. Memphis now leads the season series against the Pelicans 2-1.
By the Numbers:
Ja Morant led all scorers with 32 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals.
Jaren Jackson Jr finished with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 6 blocks.
Desmond Bane contributed 18 points and 7 rebounds. Bane is still struggling with three-point shooting since his return to play, and was 1 of 6 from beyond the arc.
Steven Adams had a great night with 10 points, 21 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Dillon Brooks had a quiet night offensively, finishing with just 7 points. What he lacked in offense he more than made up for in defense, with his main defensive assignment being Zion Willamson. It was exactly what the Grizzlies needed from him.
Who Got Next?
The gang is back at it tonight with another home game, facing off against the Sacramento Kings to start off the new year. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. CST.
