Sunday update

Memphis is hosting a regional for TBT – The Basketball Tournament this weekend. It’s at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse on the University of Memphis’ campus. The winners of the 8 regionals will advance to a championship round August 4-6 in Chicago. It is winner-take-all with the team that earns the championship getting $2 million. Also, the teams that win the regional championships get a percent of ticket sales for that regional.

The Memphis regional championship is today, pitting #8 seed Jackson TN against #6 seed Louisiana Untd. The game will be on ESPN3 at 2:00 this afternoon.

TBT is different in that it uses something known as the Elam Ending. On the first stoppage of play with 4 minutes or less to go in the 4th quarter, the game clock is turned off and a target score is set. The target score is always the score of the team in the lead at the time plus 8. So if play stops with 3:48 to go and a team leads 72-67, first team to 80 wins.

(Wonder what happens if there is no stoppage in play the final 4 minutes, and time expires? That would be extremely rare but theoretically it could happen. I consulted Wikipedia, but no help there.)

When I first saw the Elam Ending, I thought it was stupid, but I have to agree there are two real advantages:

  • There are no overtimes. That means if a TV network schedules 2 hours for a game, they’re virtually guaranteed the game won’t run over into the next program.
  • Teams play real basketball up to the very end. Contrast this to the NBA and college, where the last few minutes of a game often drag on with intentional fouls and free throws.

Some of these teams have obviously not thought much about Elam Ending strategy. In a game yesterday, the score was tied 78-78 with a target score of 80. The team in green (I don’t remember their names) ran the ball down the court. When he got to the three-point line, a player attempted a shot and missed. The team in white then ran the ball down the court and dunked for the win. Why would you ever shoot a three when the target score is 2 away?

On to the rest of the news, where I’ll start off with a brunch alert: As of this weekend, 3rd and Court diner is now doing brunch until 3 on Saturdays and Sundays. You know, it amazes me… after I had lunch there back in June, I had several conversations about 3rd and Court, and people asked “Where is it?” Now, if the person asking has lived here less than three years, I can understand it because they might not know that the section of Third and runs through Downtown was renamed B.B. King a few years ago. But lifelong Memphians? Sheesh.

Renovations have started on the historic marine hospital near the Metal Museum. It’s being converted into apartments, more than half of which will offer river views. Work should be complete by next summer.

It’s National Ice Cream Day, and Makeda’s Cookies Downtown location (488 S. Second) is offering a free cup of ice cream with any purchase. Free ice cream? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

The Accessories play The Dirty Crow Inn today 5 to 8.

Take the kids out for a swim with Santa this afternoon at Hotel Indigo.

The Jerry & Jerry Show is today at 7 PM at Jerry Lawler’s Bar and Grill on Beale Street. This will feature never-before-heard stories about Memphis wrestling from The King and longtime referee Jerry Calhoun. You know, these days, thanks to podcasts, there are plenty of opportunities to hear wrestlers tell their story about famous matches… but how often do you get the chance to hear those stories from a referee’s perspective? There will be a Q&A as well. The event will be emceed by Dustin and Maria Starr, hosts of Championship Wrestling.

If you install software on your computer, this article is an important read: How to spot and install fake download buttons. I hate those things! They often appear on software download pages, green buttons that say “DOWNLOAD” in big, bold letters… but they’re not legit software links. Instead of the program you wanted, you will get spyware, malware, ransomware, key loggers, viruses… all kinds of bad stuff.

I want to make a plea to my readers. Those of you who use cocaine recreationally, please stop for the time being. Drug dealers are cutting cocaine with fentanyl, an opioid that is lethal in even tiny doses, more and more these days. There’s no way to tell it’s in there, turning what’s meant to be a good time into robbing the people who care about you of many, many years with you. Next time you’re about to snort a line, take a moment to think of your family, your friends, and know that if you take that line, they could be attending your funeral in three or four days.

Tomorrow I will be back with news on how you can win a bar tab for a year at one of Downtown’s favorite establishments. See you then.