Saturday update

It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Living Downtown, there are so many options to go out and party during the day Saturday, especially this time of year. If we burn out our daily supply of fuel early and crash into bed before 9 PM, no problem, there’s another Saturday in 7 days.

That mindset won’t cut it today, though. The Grizzlies tip off vs. Minnesota in Game 4 at 9:00 on ESPN. We’re all going to be up until 11:30. Midnight if the game goes into overtime.

I have a good feeling about this one. This series is winnable in 5. The T’wolves are a “just happy to be in the playoffs at all” kind of team and I think their low ceiling is going to be evident tonight and Tuesday.

Elsewhere around the Western Conference:

  • 3 seed Golden State has a 3-0 lead against 6 seed Denver. So Memphis will almost certainly play Steph, Klay, Dray, and former Memphis Grizzly (snicker) Andre Iguodala in the second round if they win the series vs. Minnesota.
  • 1 seed Phoenix has a 2-1 lead against the 8 seed New Orleans Pelicans. It’s fun to hate on NOLA because of the Zion/Ja thing, but we need to pull for the Pels in this series. Phoenix is the one team in the entire NBA that would hold a home-court advantage over Memphis. We don’t want to face the Suns in the Western Conference Finals.

The Memphis Tigers basketball team has added a quality opponent to their schedule. The university announced a home-and-home vs. Texas A&M for the next two seasons. The Aggies will play at FedExForum in the coming season and Memphis will travel to College Station in 2023-24.

Cynthia Plaster Caster, an artist and member of the ’60s-’70s rock scene, died Thursday. She was known for making casts of the erect penises of rock stars.

Yesterday on Earth Day, the first of the 1000 trees Valero has promised to plant in and around Tom Lee Park were installed. Specifically, they were planted on the section of the bluff walk between Union Avenue and Vance Park.

Action News 5 reports that the renovations of Tom Lee Park are moving very quickly.

Muggin Coffeehouse, which has enjoyed success in Whitehaven for the past two years, will open a second location in Uptown. It will be in the Malone Park Commons complex.

Fox 13 has a list of places to take the best selfies in Memphis, and not surprisingly, many of them are Downtown.

An encore performance of Married to a Cheater, In Love with a Husband happens tonight at the Halloran Centre. This show was rescheduled from April 9 and all tickets for that date will be honored.

Memphis comedian Oscar P puts on a show at the Orpheum tonight with special guest Poundcake.

South Main Sounds is ramping up its music schedule and the Memphis Flyer sat down for a talk with venue manager/booker Mark Parsell. Tonight at South Main Sounds: The Glass Half-Full Tour with Paige Renee Berry, Creekbed Carter Hogan, and McKain Lakey. Tickets

Today is German Beer Day. A look at the Flying Saucer’s beer finder shows that the Downtown location carries Ayinger Celebrator and Weizen Bock, Benediktiner Weissbier, Hofbrau Kindi Hefe, and Paulaner Hefe-weizen.

Expect gusty winds today, MemphisWeather.net tweeted, due to a storm system to our west. Rain is unlikely today, though. 84/64.

Worth a Lyft or Uber to Broad Avenue. Taste the Rarity, Wiseacre’s biggest party of the year, is today

Music fans, don’t forget that today is Record Store Day at River City Records, 101 S. Main. Lots of giveaways and gift card raffles every hour.

The Redbirds throw the first pitch vs. the Omaha Storm Chasers this afternoon at 3:05 at AutoZone Park. There’s a Bark in the Park specialty ticket available that gets you and your dog in the game and you also get a dog item. Use promo code BARKINTHEPARK if you purchase your tickets online. After today’s game, the Renegades of Rhythm drumline will perform in the plaza.

Sunday’s game will be the final in the homestand vs. Omaha with a 2:05 first pitch. The first 500 kids 12 and under will get a free ice cream bowl from Prairie Farms. All kids will receive a free ice cream sandwich and can run the bases after the game. A $52 specialty ticket gets you brunch with mimosas and poinsettias in the Budweiser Bowtie Bar.

There’s a crawfish boil at Loflin Yard today at noon hosted by Memphis Rotary Club. Tickets are $25. Neither the Facebook nor the Eventbrite listing says whether you get a set amount of crawfish for that price, and if so, what that amount is, or whether it’s all-you-can-eat.

It’s Health, Wellness & Community Day at Africa in April all day today in Robert Church Park on Beale just east of Fourth. Insider tip: I can’t find a vendor list for this festival, but in the past Uncle Lou’s has been a vendor. This may be your chance to get some Sweet Spicy Love chicken without leaving Downtown.

There’s an event called The Curvy Social Brunch at 200 Madison Sunday at 3 PM. The event celebrates body positivity and attendees will get to chat with several plus-size social media influencers.

Mario Monterosso plays Loflin Yard Sunday at noon.

Crawfish Shack will host a crawfish boil at Loflin Yard Sunday at noon. No pricing info is available. That is most definitely a weird move, for a Downtown brewery to schedule a crawfish boil the same afternoon as Rajun Cajun Crawfish Fest on the river.

Programming note: Due to the late Grizzlies game, I expect it to be 9 or even 10 AM when I wake up tomorrow, and I want to get out to Rajun Cajun right at 11. Therefore, the usual long news post probably will not happen tomorrow.

… BUT, there may still be a post for you to read. I want to do a little speculation on what Memphis will be like next weekend with Music Fest at Tiger Lane. I have 2 hours to kill before I go out this morning, so I’ll possibly publish that tomorrow morning if I get it done.