Since I didn’t post yesterday, let’s back all the way up to Saturday and recap the weekend. That moment when you realize your team is the worst team in the entire Power Five:
North Texas made a fake fair catch and Arkansas fell for it. North Texas returned the punt for a touchdown en route to a 44-17 win over the Hogs. Might as well go ahead and call the season over. Arkansas has Auburn on the road next Saturday and will probably lose 76-10.
I really have to wonder what Arkansas was thinking with this coaching hire. Chad Morris only had 3 years’ previous head coaching experience, at SMU where he went 14-22. What in the world makes him qualified to lead one of the top 20 (in terms of money spent) college football programs in NCAA D-1? They should have kept Bielema for another year if they had no other options for a top-shelf head coach. That fake fair catch would’ve never happened under him. Hell, he would have thought of it.
So anyway, I watched the game at Max’s Sports Bar, and while I was there I heard some disturbing news: Earnestine & Hazel’s was not open Friday night (neither was 5 Spot), and Saturday morning some of the regulars went by to see Clarence and E&H was not open then either. I hope it’s not closed for good following the death of owner Bud Chittom. I had heard rumblings that it might happen. That place has so much soul. Downtown would be poorer without it.
Sunday morning, I switched things up a bit. Normally I do D-RANKS with B-RAD at Pontotoc but he was out yesterday. His friend Tony wanted to go to New Orleans and check out the drag queens, and so Brad went along. With my regular bartender out, I decided to check out other Sunday brunch options. Silly Goose posted that their Wok’n Memphis Sunday brunch pop-up had a fried rice and Bloody Mary deal, so I decided to go check that out.
$7 for bacon fried rice with a fried egg on top, AND a Bloody Mary! Now that’s one heck of a deal. Joe makes a good Bloody Mary and you can get it mild or spicy. Not sure if this was a one-week deal or if it will be back, but if it comes back, this is a good thing to do on a Sunday.
Wiseacre is having a watch party Wednesday evening for the Memphis episode of The Big Food Truck Tip with Andrew Zimmern. Three Memphis food trucks will be featured.
The University of Memphis athletics department is hiring a Coordinator, Athletics Business and Travel.
There will be a State of Downtown Community Gathering on the Civic Center Plaza Wednesday, October 3 from 5 to 9 PM. Hear from Mayors Strickland and Harris, and hear the announcement of the winners of the 2018 Downtown Vision Awards. There will be food, music, and demo rides by Explore Bike Share and Bird scooters.
Cirque de Soleil will bring its beloved show Corteo to FedExForum from January 31 to February 9. Tickets will be available to the public this Friday at 10 AM.
Memphis Heritage has a historical building tour series called Preservation Posse, and this month’s tour happens this week Downtown. The W.C. Ellis Building at 245 S. Front, soon to become part of One Beale, will open for an after-hours tour this Thursday.
The Triple-A National Championship Game, featuring the Memphis Redbirds and the Durham Bulls, will be broadcast live tomorrow night on NBC Sports Network. I need to do some research this evening on which bar cable packages carry NBCSN so I can decide where to watch tomorrow. This is a one-game, winner-take-all deal, not a playoff series.
That’s it for now. Back tomorrow with more news.