Thursday update

The Memphis Grizzlies will enter the All-Star break 2 games above .500, at 28-26, having beaten the Portland Trail Blazers last night. A look at the standings reveals that the Grizzlies are now in 8th place in the West by 4 games over Portland, giving themselves a nice, comfortable pad as they push for the playoffs. In addition, the Grizzlies are only 4 games away from catching Oklahoma City to move up to 7th place.

Memphis in May finalized its lineup for Beale Street Music Fest 2020 this week. Have a look and see what you think. The festival is Friday-Sunday, May 1-3.

Cordelia’s Market invites everyone to come sample their Scratch Hot Bar. Starting next week, they will make small batch meals every day, using fresh ingredients from the market.

Max’s Sports Bar will host another crawfish boil this Saturday. Glaze will be cooking them up in Cajun spice, along with sides of taters, corn, and sausage. Cost is $9.50 for one pound of crawfish or $17 for two pounds. The bar opens at 11 and the first batch will come out shortly after 12.

ESPN Bubble Watch says the Memphis Tigers are “now shown as a borderline case that will be sweating out Selection Sunday if present trends continue.” Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology currently has Memphis in the second four out. The Tigers could get back on the right side of the bubble with a road win over fellow bubble team Cincinnati. The game will be nationally televised tonight at 6 on ESPN.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater comes to the Orpheum for three performances tomorrow through Sunday. Tickets are $39-88.

Today is the Wiseacre Xanadu Hazy IPA release and paper airplane battle at Bardog from 5 to 7. Xanadu is part of the brewery’s MEMFRESH IPA series and Bardog will be the only bar Downtown debuting Hazy IPA. Prizes will be awarded for performance and aesthetics in the paper airplane competition.

Loflin Yard celebrates Galentine’s Day tonight from 7 to 10. Ladies get half price cheese boards and wine, and there will be karaoke.

Here’s a reason to cross the bridge: Edible Memphis reports that the West Memphis Applebee’s has $1 PBR all day, every day.

Two Degrees of Trump: I can now say I personally know someone attacked in the media by Donald Trump. He bashed Tomeka Hart, the jury forewoman in the Roger Stone case, after she stated her opinion on the DOJ interfering in the case’s sentencing. I served with Tomeka on the board of MPACT Memphis in the early ’00s. She’s now the senior program officer of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. That’s a great place to work, I bet!

Here’s another reason I’m not feeling the Bern this year:

Four years of a president with things to hide are enough. That said, if he wins the nomination, I will vote for Bernie in November. I won’t stay home or entertain the idea of voting for a third-party candidate.

That’s all for now. Back tomorrow.