Going to do two updates today. The first is going to be my normal news post, and the second is going to be an update about what is going on in my world and in my mind.
Yesterday’s photo of my cornbread breakfast sandwich from River Time Market & Deli on Court Square, as of the time I type this, has 137 “Likes”/reactions on the Memphis Sandwich Clique Facebook group. You remember when I first tried Maciel’s Tortas and Tacos a few days after it opened? I wrote on here that Maciel’s was not an “I’ll get around to trying it in two or three months” place. It was a GO THERE NOW place. River Time is the first restaurant that has opened Downtown since then for which I feel the same way. I know, some of you are thinking, “C’mon, Paul, it’s a sandwich. How good could a sandwich be?” but trust me on this one.
Tennessee 45, Chattanooga 0: Wow, the Vols are not the worst team in the state of Tennessee! I can imagine the conversation in Knoxville today: “I TELL YOU WUT, BOY, THAT THAR PLAYOFF COMMITTEE HAS PICKED 2-LOSS TEAMS IN THE PAST. ALL WE GOT TO DO IS WIN OUT AND IT’S GONNN BEEE ARRR YEARRR.” Yeah let’s revisit that after you play Florida next week, and again after Bama drops 62 on you in October. But hey, the chance to play in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl is still a (probably unattainable) dream for you!
Let’s look at the Vols’ remaining games and their ESPN estimated chance of winning and see how likely it is they win 6 games and get to a bowl:
- Florida: 13.9% chance of winning. Oh this game is going to be a joy to watch. I really love Bardog on Saturdays but I’m going to be tempted to go to Max’s Sports Bar and watch the corner table clique drown their sorrow in chocolate salty ball shots and buckets of Miller Lite. Maybe they’ll ask Bjarni to change the channel to cricket or water polo.
- Georgia: 11.7% chance of winning
- Mississippi State: 37.6% chance of winning
- Alabama: 3.1% chance of winning, which seems awfully generous to me. Maybe a piano will fall on Saban as he’s walking down the street. Otherwise I don’t see how the chance is anything other than 0%.
- South Carolina: 42.6% chance of winning
- UAB: 92.2% chance of winning. I didn’t check, but I bet that’s approximately the chance ESPN gave Tennessee of beating Georgia State in week 1.
- Kentucky: 29.5% chance of winning
- Missouri: 26.8% chance of winning
- Vanderbilt: 74,9% chance of winning
So if ESPN’s predictions hold true, Tennessee is going to go 3-9 this season. That’s not going to sit well on Rocky Top, but what can you do? The aura of losing lingers on the hills of east Tennessee like a thick fog. Tennessee ranks 10th in total spending on athletics, and yet its football team can’t even make it to a bowl game.
Arkansas 55, Colorado State 34: The Hogs avenge their nasty loss to the Rams last year. This week on social media, I have seen several people say that the Razorbacks would be a better fit for the Big 12 than the SEC. I cannot disagree. They’d be back in the mix with former Southwest Conference rivals Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, and TCU. Arkansas has had some classic bowl games with Oklahoma. The Hogs’ basketball program has strong ties to Oklahoma State via Eddie Sutton. And Arkansas would be out of the brutal SEC West, where they have zero chance of winning as long as Nick Saban is coaching. Kansas would be an easy football win, as would good ole West Virginny whose football program has really fallen off a cliff this year.
Memphis 42, South Alabama 6: Well that result was never really in question. The Tigers have a bye week this coming Saturday, then have a nationally-televised (ESPN) game vs. Navy the following Thursday. The Tigers are listed as an 81.8% favorite in that one, but Navy is a team you never, ever want to underestimate.
Kooky Canuck’s Double Your Dollars gift card sale returns Wednesday, September 25 from 10 AM until they run out of gift cards or 10 PM. For every dollar you spend on your card, they’ll match it. If you’re a fan of Kooky food this is a chance to get twice as much for your money. Minimum purchase is $10 and you can buy the cards in any increments you like.
It’s Chicken Sandwich Bingo at Loflin Yard this afternoon (4-6 PM). The winner of every round gets one of Loflin’s famous hot chicken sandwiches. Dress up as a chicken and get an extra card.
Loflin Yard will host a Wild West Nerf Battle on Saturday the 28th.
It looks like B-RAD will be the regular Saturday bartender at Silly Goose, day shift from 2 to 8. I am going to have to figure that one out because Bardog is my regular Saturday spot, and I have friends I like to see who don’t get to Bardog until about 3. I guess there’s plenty of time to do both.
Since I have a time-sensitive event (the chicken bingo) I’m going to go ahead and hit Publish. Back in a bit with a post about me.