Friday update: Thank you Marc

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and this year the Grizzlies made moves. The biggest move is that Marc Gasol is off to Toronto where he will chase a ring with Kawhi. Thank you Marc for all you have done for Memphis. I have never had a team in the Eastern Conference to root for. Now I do.

JaMychal Green and Garrett Temple are off to the L.A. Clippers.

Shelvin Mack is off to Atlanta.

Omri Casspi was cut to make room for the players we got back: Jonas Valanciunus, C.J. Miles, and Delon Wright from Toronto; Avery Bradley from the Clippers; and Tyler Dorsey from the Hawks. The Grizzlies also got a 2024 second-rounder from the Clippers.

Meh. I don’t have a strong opinion on whether the trades were good or bad. I think we have to wait and see what happens this summer. I am glad we kept Mike Conley, and that the team is good enough where we’re probably going to convey our first-round draft pick (top 8 protected) to Boston this year.

On to the news… the Memphis Flyer’s annual Beer Bracket Challenge is coming up, and this Monday will be Match-up Monday at the Downtown Aldo’s Pizza Pies. The brackets, featuring 24 beers from 6 local breweries, will be revealed. This is your chance to pick up some swag from the breweries and talk to their representatives about the beers. 4:30 to 6 PM is the time. I plan on being there! I look forward to talking to the brewery representatives as I decide which beers to vote for in the bracket. Note: I can be bribed.

The Memphis Tigers have released their 2019 football schedule. Notable are the season opener vs. Ole Miss, a nationally televised home game vs. Navy, and a Black Friday season finale against Cincinnati.

The MBJ reports that a new fitness service, ClassPass, is now here in Memphis. You join ClassPass for one monthly fee, and then you pick classes from a number of gyms and fitness services. Downtown gym Envision Memphis is available with the pass, as is SpinCult out in The Edge.

Saturday is once again Wrestling Night at the Grizzlies, with the first 5000 in attendance receiving a scarf that doubles as a wrestling championship belt.

Hooters is giving away free wings on Valentine’s Day. Order 10 boneless wings, tear up a picture of your ex, and receive 10 more boneless wings free.

Smurfey’s Smokehouse will be parked outside the 409 S. Main food hall this evening from 5 to 9 PM. Their stuff is seriously good and I recommend them if you’re thinking about BBQ for dinner. Here’s a photo of their pulled pork baked potato I had a couple of months ago at the Court Square food truck rodeo:

Speaking of food trucks, Holly from the I Love Memphis Blog tried a Cornish hen from the Flying Sobies truck recently. You can find the truck at the Court Square rodeo every Thursday and at Ghost River every Sunday. I agree with her, the Memphis Gold Sauce is the best.

Bluff City Coffee has released its Valentine’s Day pastry menu. Stop in and order early.

UCF faculty member Mike Redick was murdered recently and his wife is a suspect. Redick was an executive with the Grizzlies 2001-09 and had a lot to do with introducing the team to Memphis, building key partnerships, and planning FedExForum.

There’s going to be a new project for musicians at the Tin Roof on Beale Tuesday nights starting February 26, from 8 to 11 PM. There will be four acts per night, and they can be bands, songwriters, duos. It will be a mix of local and regional talent as well as bands just passing through. They want to build a fan base and a base of musical acts so that industry reps will make a point of stopping by. Email markmusic@att.net if you would be interested in participating. Include Backline Memphis in the subject field.

The 5th annual Cookies on Tap, pairing craft beer with Girl Scour cookies, will take place at Crosstown Brewing on April 4.

Bass Pro at the Pyramid has Crappie Madness going on right now. There will be speakers, fried fish samples, and kids’ activities. First 100 kids to punch their activity card each day get a free tin fishing box. Seminar attendees can enter to win one of 14 prizes, including a $15,000 fishing boat and a fishing trip for two to Grenada, Mississippi.

I made it a late night at the Blind Bear last night, but there wasn’t any TV to watch because Xfinity had the network down for planned maintenance at 12:30. Seriously? Bars close at 3 here in Memphis.

That’s it for now. The cold weather is back but I’m not going to let that stop me. Back tomorrow with more news.