Do I even need to say any more after the title of this post?
It’s Adam West as Batman…sounding like he just woke up from a night of Beale Street fun.
It’s Jerry “The King” Lawler dressed as a tubby superhero.
It’s a very 70’s Dave Brown moderating the discussion.
What more do you want from me?
You’re welcome.
I’m always finding links I want to share…it’s about time I compiled a few and put them here for you. It’s the least I can do.
The Super Bowl took a lot out of me, so sorry about the layoff. But I’m back, baby.
I saw a Swedish movie over the weekend called Let the Right One In. It’s about a very disturbed boy who falls in love with a vampire. The boy’s name is Oskar. As I was watching Duke and Wake Forest on Sunday night, it struck me that Oskar looks a whole lot like Kyle Singler. You be the judge.
I think the resemblance is quite striking, actually. Hopefully, Kyle Singler’s life turns out a bit different from Oskar’s…I can imagine romancing a vampire is quite odd and off-putting. Although I imagine Singler already has some dealings with the undead:
The other guy in the Singler photo above is Kevin Love in high school, who is a dead ringer for my friend Paul in that picture. Very strange.
–Memphis travels to UAB tonight, and a lot of people are picking them to lose. Umm…why? It’s not like any conference team has beaten them in 3 years, so why now? I understand that if they are going to lose a game in conference this year, this would be the one, but my goodness. How can you pick anyone to beat Memphis in conference until someone actually does it? Memphis 76, UAB 72
–There are some women in the world that I find really attractive and don’t really know why. It’s not like these women are ugly or anything like that at all…it’s just that I seem to find them better looking than most people do. A couple of examples…Meg White from The White Stripes.
I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that a)her band effing rocks and is my favorite in the world at the moment and b) the middle of the picture (ahem), but I have a massive crush on this girl. Another example–Lily Allen.
For some reason, I also am taken with pink hair and tattoos. I can’t explain it, and if you’ve ever seen me, you know that I am the preppiest person ever. I don’t get it. But there you go.
–I am quite baffled by this whole Andre Smith saga. In case you missed it, Andre Smith basically just walked out of the combine this past weekend in Indianapolis, saying that he felt out of shape and wanting to wait until pro day March 11th to show scouts what he could do. Granted, since the beginning of the calendar year, you haven’t heard too much good about Mr. Smith, but the man did dominate for three years at the top level of football in the country. He won the Outland Trophy for Pete’s sake. He handled the situation at the combine about as badly as you could handle it, but some people have him slipping out of the first round. I can’t understand that. If the man was a brick wall blocking the best defenders in the country week after week, I’m taking him in the first round. Period.
–Just in case you missed it buried deep in the bowels of the paper, the Memphis Tigers aren’t the only school in the city ranked as high as 4th in the country…Verties Sales has Southwest Tennessee Community College ranked 4th this week at 21-1. Just thought you might like to know.
–Will’s Five Movies You Probably Haven’t SeenBut Should Put on Netflix
1. Stranger Than Fiction: An all-star cast (Dustin Hoffman, Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Queen Latifah, Maggie Gylenhall, the two guys from the Sonic commercials), plus Will Ferrell actually acts! One of the few movies you can say that about.
2. In Bruges: This movie made me like Colin Farrell. That’s more difficult than you might think.
3. Miller’s Crossing: A Coen brothers movie that was made before they were the Coen brothers.
4. Big Fish: One of my favorite movies. Ever.
5. Evil Dead 2: Bruce Campbell is one of my favorite actors, and he is awesome in this B-movie. If it’s a bit low-budget for you, check out the sequel, Army of Darkness.
–Quick thought…if Scott Boras advises Manny Ramirez to turn down the Dodgers 2 year, $45 million offer, Ramirez should fire him.
–And finally, congratulations to the Memphis Grizzlies’ Marko Jaric, who last week became the coolest player on the team. Since you’re going to have a wedding in Brazil this summer, Marko, how can I get an invitation? I would imagine that would be the best. wedding. ever. if Adriana invites her friends.
For those of you that listen to the show, you may remember the conversation we had right after the Olympics about how big of a head start I’d need to beat Usain Bolt in the 100 m dash. I went out and timed myself running 50 meters and came to the conclusion that I thought I could come close to Bolt with a 50 meter head start. Well, if I only had the NFL Network’s Technology to help it would have made things easier. This clip gives you an idea of how much faster great athletes are than average slow white guys like Rich Eisen and myself. Every year at the NFL Draft Combine, Eisen, of the NFL Network, runs the 40 yard dash and this year they superimposed him against some of the athletes to show how much faster they are. After watching this, I kind of feel like I would need more than 50 meters to beat a world-class sprinter like Bolt. This is good stuff.
The Tigers meet UAB Thursday night in Birmingham with plenty on the line. The two programs have a rich history between them and frankly don’t care much for one another. The two schools are separated by a mere 4 hours (3.5 if you don’t make a stop). They also can both claim Gene Bartow as one of their all-time great coaches.
The difference today is that the Tigers under John Calipari have established themselves as one of the nation’s elite programs while the Blazers under Mike Davis have basically underachieved. Now the Blazers have a chance to take a major step in narrowing the gap between the two programs.
So with all that said here are my keys for a Tigers Win………
1) Just like their first meeting with UAB, the Tigers must WEAR THEM DOWN. The Blazers will make some shots, but eventually their lack of depth will come back to haunt them. If the Tigers continue to play smothering Defense it will pay major dividends.
2) Match the Blazers INTENSITY. Any bit less will result an early defecit. And unlike last year’s miracle in B-Ham or this season’s win at FedExForum, the Tigers won’t be able to play catch up if they fall behind big. There’s just too much on the line for the Blazers.
3) HIT SOME SHOTS EARLY. If Doneal Mack can drop a few long ones on UAB early in the contest, the Tigers will be in position to grab the early lead. The Tigers with an early lead are capable of turning things into a rout.
How do the Blazers win….
1) RIDE THE MOMENTUM OF THE CROWD. This is “it” for the Blazers. A win will mean so much. It will not only get the Gorilla off their back and the backs of everyone else in C-USA, but it will likely vault them into the Dance. (Assuming they win out and get to the finals of the C-USA Tournament).
2) REBOUND THE BASKETBALL. The tigers are a much better team on the boards, but if the Blazers can keep the Tigers off the Offensive Boards than they give themselves a great chance to outscore Memphis because their a better shooting team.
3) FORGET ABOUT HISTORY. If the Blazers get to a point where they are saying “Oh no, not again”, the Tigers win the Cerebral battle and eventually the game. The Mental part of this rivalry is extremely important.
Don Poier would have been 58 years old today. Don was the original Voice of the Memphis Grizzlies, and despite his untimely death just over four years ago, he remains in the hearts and minds of so many who were touched by his kindness and generosity. Don was always willing to give advice, always kind and gracious with fans, and always quick to compliment those around him. And he loved his family so very much.
In his honor, Don’s family opened the Don Poier Scholarship Fund not long after his death. Each year, the scholarship goes to the most deserving Memphis City Schools student who wants to go to college in order to study journalism/broadcasting. The fund is starting to diminish a bit, so it’s important that we give as much as we can to help build it back up. It’s a great way to honor Don’s memory and support a young man or woman who wants to make something of themselves. And check this out – for those that donate after reading this or hearing about it on the Morning Rush, my radio partner Ron Tillery has pledged to match the contributions up to $1000. So your $20 becomes $40, your $50 becomes $100, and so on. Send your checks here:
Community Foundation of Greater Memphis
1900 Union Ave.
Memphis, TN 38134
Write “Don Poier Scholarship Fund” on the memo line of your checks.
If we can make this happen, it would be fantastic. What better way to honor a truly generous man than being generous ourselves? Do it for Don.
Hey, I’m back after a little layoff, it takes a little while to recover from Super Bowl Week.
The Memphis Tigers are playing extremely well right now. If they are not the best defensive team in the country, they are certainly one of the top 3. Their performance at Gonzaga certainly showed me, and many others, a lot about this team. I think they will go undefeated again in CUSA and end up with a two seed in the NCAA Tournament. Many people have asked about the possibility of the Tigers getting a #1 seed, but I don’t see it happening. I think Oklahoma has all but wrapped up one, and the ACC and Big East champs, unless they come out of nowhere, will each get one, and the final one will likely be a second place team from one of those two conferences. They are clearly the two best conferences in America and will be rewarded for that. In the end, the Tigers will not have enough quality wins to slide into a #1 spot.
There have been some people saying that not only can the Tigers not play in the Memphis regional because it’s on their home court, but they also can not go to Indianapolis because it’s played on the same days as the Memphis regional. That is untrue. Jerry Palm, of http://www.collegerpi.com/, told us on the show yesterday that the NCAA got rid of that rule about 5 years ago. So while the Tigers can’t play here, they can go to Indy and I think there is a good chance they end up there or in Phoenix.
The Grizzlies have been much more fun to watch under Lionel Hollins so far, but let’s not get carried away. Any time a team switches coaches there is a period of renewed energy etc. that goes with it. I still don’t understand the hire, and don’t think anyone can logically defend the decision other than saying it was the cheap solution, but I’m willing to see how he does. So far, there have been definite improvements as a team and in the use of certain players, but we’ll have to see how things play out over the long haul.
Anyone who saw Tracy McGrady when the Rockets were in town a couple weeks ago or saw the video below, knew it was time for T Mac to call it a year and get his knee taken care of via surgery. Thankfully, McGrady has decided to do just that. I’m really starting to think that McGrady will never win a playoff series in his NBA career.
Yesterday was an interesting day in Memphis sports as the offices of Stanford Financial were raided by Federal Agents and all of the company’s assets frozen, as they’re accused of fraud. Most people know that Stanford is the title sponsor of the PGA Tour stop in Memphis, but don’t worry, the tournament isn’t going anywhere. If I had to guess, FedEx will step up to bail the tournament out this year, and then they will find a new sponsor by next year. The bottom line is, FedEx has too much invested in the tour with the FedEx Cup to allow the Memphis stop to go away, and the tour owns the course here so they will fight to insure a stop here also. So don’t worry, while the tournament will in all likelihood no longer be sponsored by Stanford, it will continue to be a big part of the Memphis sports scene.
Also yesterday, came news that Liberty Bowl Stadium must be brought up to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act by September of 2010. The mayor and other officials have said the timeline is troubling and unfair, what? The Justice Department originally notified the city that the stadium would have to be renovated in order to meet the ADA standards 10 years ago. Whether you thought an absolute deadline is coming or not, you certainly can’t be surprised that they set a deadline for these things to get done when you’ve done nothing for 10 years after you were originally notified.
DeJuan Blair’s 22 point, 23 rebound performance against Hasheem Thabeet and UConn the other night was one of the best performances I’ve seen all year. After doubting them all year, I’m really starting to believe in Pitt now.
The whole Kobe-Shaq co-mvps deal at the All-Star game was a joke. Shaq in no way deserved the award. We get it NBA, it was the big reunion between the two, so what?
I love the fact that everyone is praising the NBA for adding the Horse contest to all-star weekend. I think it was 2006 when I first said on the air that they should do this. Great idea NBA, too bad you didn’t listen to me back then.
Danny Gokey is clearly the front runner in my mind to be this year’s “American Idol.”
I’m glad the “Amazing Race” is back, it is a great show and the one reality show I’d most like to be on.
This is going to sound a bit apocalyptic, but we’re in strange times right now. Let’s take a look ahead at a potentially serious problem for every NBA franchise, with the Grizzlies no exception. The word on the street is that due to a decrease in revenues across the board for the NBA, the salary cap stands a very good chance of dropping (possibly precipitously) next season. If the cap were to drop, the luxury tax threshold would drop as well, meaning that potentially several teams who are committed to long-term contracts could (through no fault of their own) suddenly find themselves as luxury tax payers next season. A post by Tom Ziller over at NBA Fanhouse explains the situation well, as does an ominous blurb from John Hollinger (look at the very last note) in his weekend column.
Remember that the penalty for being over the luxury tax threshold is a dollar-for-dollar penalty. So the $5 million contract becomes $10 million, $10 million becomes $20, and so on. Remember also that the cap (and the luxury tax threshold) has consistently gone up over the last decade, so many teams have locked into salaries thinking they would always remain under the threshold. Should this happen, it will make the financially motivated attempt to trade All-Star Amare Stoudemire just the tip of the iceberg. Small market teams like San Antonio, Sacramento, and Orlando could be forced into some serious decisions about key talent. It certainly appears that Michael Heisley was on the front end of a growing wave of salary-dumping trades…Amare will be next, followed by several players you probably won’t believe.
For the Grizzlies, it’s a double-edged sword. At the end of this season, the Grizzlies are projected to have around $20 million in cap space at the cuurent cap level. If it goes down, their free agent signing capacity goes down as well. On the other hand, they might become major players for some big-time stars since they are so far under the cap that they would likely not be implicated in any tax problems. Looking into the long-term implications, it’s going to be a fascinating litmus test for Michael Heisley. I’ve written before about the fact that Michael Heisley gets a bad rap for being frugal. He’s spent money consistently when it was needed. He’s said he would be willing to pay superstar salaries for guys like Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo when their contracts come up. But this will be a huge test – if it means he would have to be a luxury tay payer, would he sign Gay and Mayo to big long-term deals? Does anyone really know what the tax levels will be?
We’ve always talked about the salary cap space available to the Grizzlies as if it were a definite. It’s not. Other teams have planned to have massive cap space available in 2010. They may not have nearly the space they thought. The LeBron James sweepstakes could well end up being a giant bust. And the Grizzlies may go from having $20+ million in space to having $10 or less. No one is immune from this economic crisis.
On a completely unrelated note, this little post from my radio partner is extremely funny and just gross.
Rumor had it that the University of Memphis Tigers Men’s Basketball team was going to wear orange and purple uniforms in their game this Wednesday night against SMU, to in essence, promote and honor Federal Express. Big mistake! And evidently the powers at be thought so too because I’m told the idea has been nixed.
Look, I understand the importance of FEDEX. Without them, the U of Memphis Athletics program would likely be in dire straights. I am also quite aware of the importance of Sponsorships. If it were not for corporations and businesses lending their financial support, sports as we know it, would not have evolved. Sure we would love the games for what they are (which for many is all that’s important) but we would not have all the modern amenities that we’ve become accustomed to……such as the new Arenas and Stadiums, Televison packages, etc.
The University of Memphis should do all they can to show their gratitude towards FEDEX, but pimping the players in orange and purple uniforms is crossing the line. ORANGE for goodness sakes! While your at it, throw a little FEDEX logo on the uni’s and maybe we can dress the coaching staff in FEDEX delivery men outfits. After the game the players can do their typical media interviews, but like Nascar Drivers, they can throw in their sponsors. Hey Antonio, you’ve really been working on your jumpshot………Antonio’s response…”Yea, my FEDEX Jumper really was a thing of beauty tonight. I also had the Pepsi Crossover dribble working to perfection”.
Top notch Athletes who play for top notch programs already do enough for their respective schools. They don’t need to be hawking anything. Now you may say, but Greg, don’t the players hawk shoes when they wear them or even uniforms? My response, you need sneakers and you need a uniform to play, but for the love of God, make sure it’s the school colors. The less the players do publicly in acknowledging sponsors, the better it will be.
Things have been busy lately, but I am back On the Couch!
FREE AROD! Why can’t we just let the steroids era be? Everyone was using, and baseball wasn’t banning the drug. Let’s get over it! It happened 6 years ago! The story needs to go away, because we can’t change history and the mistakes that Major League Baseball made in the past. Quit blaming the players. Blame the league office for never admitting their mistake. Maybe Selig just didn’t hear anybody telling him the news for years!
ARod and Bonds are the two best players we’ve seen in 40 years. Let’s try to appreciate what they accomplished instead of trying to tear them down.
NBA Thoughts:
– It’s great having the opportunity to be in the Grizzlies huddle during timeouts this year. Thanks to Marc Iavaroni for letting me in last season and to Lionel for continuing to allow me to observe. So far, Lionel’s timeouts have been fascinating. He’s full of constructive criticism, while teaching at the same time. He’s letting each player contribute and already defining roles. Plus, the players are interested. They’re paying attention and making the adjustments on the floor. It’s been a good start so far. The Grizzlies are playing like we expected them to. They’re working hard, running with their athleticism, scoring points, playing freely, not looking over their shoulder at the coach for a play, exciting, and competitive. From December 16- January 24 they weren’t.
– I met Gheorghe Muresan in Washington D.C. Monday. He really is the closest man to a giant. His hand engulfed mine.
– I miss Charles Barkley. CWebb, The Glove, Magic, and The Mailman just aren’t cutting it. However, it looks as though his return won’t happen before All Star Weekend. That’s great news. The worst of Barkley happens every season during the All Star coverage. He’s always “sick” and loses his voice before Sunday. He has no interest in anything going on the entire weekend except for the parties. He’s bored during every broadcast. It’s actually embarrassing. Get back soon Chuck, just not before next weekend.
– Can’t wait for All Star Weekend: Kevin Harlan is great to listen to on the dunk contest because of his constant excitement. LeBron will be doing analysis. That should be interesting. I hope Rudy brings his best! Plus, the rookie challenge will be great to watch with OJ and Derrick Rose playing together and running the floor. This could be the first time the rookie’s actually beat the sophomore’s. The rook’s have never been within ten points in the challenge.
– Pau for MVP? In the Lakers 6 game road trip, Pau averaged 24.8ppg, and 12rpg. The Lakers went 6-0. Since Bynum went out with the injury, Pau has 26ppg, 13.8rpg, and 4.5apg.
– Kobe is still better than LeBron.
College Football Thoughts:
– Keep yappin Lane Kiffin. That’s what good coaches do. They get hated- Saban, Stoops, Spurrier, Weiss. Next up is winning. I like the attitude in Knoxville. Plus, who doesn’t want another coaching ego in the SEC? There isn’t another conference in football like it.
– Every college football fan should be thrilled to see Timmy Dynamite come back next year. Florida has a schedule and the talent to repeat as national champions. And go ahead and give Tebow his second Heisman.
– Good for Les Miles. Maybe he’ll start getting credit for his success. He’s had one bad year and got screwed by his quarterback. He turns around and gets a top 2 recruiting class in the country.
College Basketball Thoughts:
– Geno Auriemma is a TOOCHE! You know who loves Geno Auriemma? Geno Auriemma!
– 50 straight wins in any conference is pretty amazing. I don’t care how bad the rest of Conference USA sucks. 50 straight is 50 straight. That’s not allowing one slip up. NOT ONE! It’s pretty remarkable.
NFL Thoughts:
– Best Super Bowl Halftime Shows this Decade: 1- U2 (XXXVI) 2- Rolling Stones (XL) 3- Aerosmith and others (XXXV)
4- Prince (XLI), 5- Springsteen (XLIII). Michael Jackson certainly performed the best halftime show with Heal the World in Super Bowl XXVII.
– It was great to see Kurt Warner back in the Super Bowl. I can honestly say he was the best athlete I have ever had to cover in terms of just being a great guy. Everything you ever hear about Kurt is true. He’s the most genuine person I’ve ever met in sports.
– Who could you want to be featured in a reality show more than Michael Irvin? I’m sure he won’t be over the top for this! I’m looking forward to seeing it.
Other Thoughts:
– Top Ten TV Shows of January: 1- 24 (Fox/Jack Bauer is back and better than ever!) 2- Burn Notice (USA/It’s a great show, and it’s informative if you want to do spy stuff) 3- The Mentalist (CBS/Best new show of the year) 4- The Office (NBC/It’s still a must see and it’s still arguably the best sitcom on television) 5- The Big Bang Theory (CBS/The Bang is on the door of The Office. It’s the most improved show on tv) 6- Psych (USA/The Mentalist with a lighter and witty cast. It’s a very funny show) 7- Hell’s Kitchen (Fox/Best reality show on tv. Gordon Ramsey is a beast! I wish it was on HBO) 8- Life (NBC/Good cop show with a twist. Takes a while to warm up to Crews, but Dani is the new DeeDee McCall!) 9- Flight of the Conchords (HBO/Very Creative, yet bizarre in a good way. Pay attention when watching) 10- Chuck (NBC/2nd most improved show)
– Big Love (HBO) was close to cracking the list. There’s a whole lot of stuff going on in this show! My only complaint- Bill Paxton. They certainly could have found someone else. Really? He was a disaster in the biggest flop movie ever. Twister is certainly one of the 10 most overrated movies of all time.
– 30 Rock is probably number 11.
– I leave American Idol off the list because January episodes and early February episodes aren’t a must watch.
– I hate to admit that I never saw Family Guy until last week. Ended up watching a marathon and I’m upset it took me this long to notice.
There’s plenty happening this month in Tunica. For a complete list of events and attractions in Tunica, Mississippi, click on the link below. Get easy access to the casino’s, golf courses, and all other entertainment.
Here’s a sneak peak of what’s coming up in Tunica:
|
February 13 |
Ricky Lynn Gregg |
Resort’s Tunica |
866-676-7070 |
|
February 14 |
The Manhattans |
Sam’s Town |
800-456-0711 |
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February 28 |
Olivia Newton-John |
Sam’s Town |
800-456-0711 |
Olivia Newton John was my first true love. Sandy? Forget about it. Then came her big album, yes ALBUM, Physical. LOVE HER!
Talk to y’all this week.
Sports 56 WHBlog Q 
