Author: paulryburn

After the DM’s Geoff Calkins reported that unrestricted free agents Kyle Anderson and Tyus Jones probably won’t return to the Grizzlies next season, I decided to do a little research on where those players might end up. I found this article by Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes on players NBA teams need to chase in free agency.

Hughes thinks Kyle Anderson should end up on the team that eliminated Memphis from the playoffs, the Golden State Warriors. He noted Anderson’s high basketball IQ, defensive skills, and ability to play small-ball center as good fits for Golden State. Hughes thinks the Warriors will be able to get Anderson for the taxpayer’s mid-level exception, projected to be around $6 million.

As for Tyus Jones, Hughes believes he could provide a lot of help to the New York Knicks, who can’t rely on Derrick Rose and Kemba Walker to cover point-guard duties all on their own. Hughes projects that the Knicks will give Jones the full mid-level exception, projected around $10 million, about a $2M raise over what he was making in Memphis. I must say I have to disagree a bit about New York being Jones’ destination. He’s good enough to be a starting PG and I think he may seek out a team where he can have that role.

The Daily Memphian polled people on whether BBQ Fest should stay in Liberty Park next year or come back to Tom Lee Park on the river. Tom Lee was the favorite, and that is where Memphis in May president Jim Holt says the festival will be next year. Good! I didn’t go to BBQ Fest at Liberty Park but from the photos I saw, it looked like it was considerably less fun than usual.

Today is Pinot Grigio Day. I’m sure my friend Ashleigh will enjoy a few “Prince Georgios” on a patio somewhere today.

There will be a pop-up vendors’ shop featuring local artists and makers at Ghost River’s location at Main and Crump Saturday.

That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more news.

The DM’s Geoff Calkins wrote a subscribers-only article summarizing what could be gleaned from the Grizzlies’ season-end media interviews. Here are a few highlights:

• Ja will be offered a max extension ASAP. Calkins didn’t touch on this, but if Ja is named to an All-NBA team this season and next, he’d be eligible for a supermax, netting him about $36 million a year rather than the $30 or so he’d get for just a max.
• Tyus Jones, an unrestricted free agent, is likely gone to a team that will start him as point guard
• Kyle Anderson, an unrestricted free agent, is likely gone to a team that will offer him a bigger role
• Dillon Brooks and Steven Adams will be unrestricted free agents after next season

I will say it once again: If you are a Memphis sports fan (especially basketball) and you are not a Daily Memphian subscriber, you are missing out. Calkins’ and Chris Herrington’s and the other top writers’ analyses are absolutely top-notch.

Also from the DM: Downtown ride-share service Groove on Demand has seen ridership spike this year as gasoline prices have set new record highs.

An art and poetry celebration entitled Prominence of West Africa: The Beauty of Mental Grapple is coming to the gallery at 350 S. Main Saturday, May 28 from noon to 5 PM. This exhibit will tie in with Ghana being Memphis in May’s honored country this year. Refreshments and beverages will be served, and entry is free.

It’s a rare occasion when the Redbirds are out of town two full weeks in a row. Last week they were in Norfolk, Virginia; this week they are in Atlanta suburb Gwinnett, Georgia.

Today is National Mimosa Day. I notice that Sunrise has a couple of fun and unique flavors – strawberry and lemon blueberry – in addition to the usual orange, cranberry, and pineapple.

From WREG: South Bluff tenants outraged over 30-vehicle burglary. Tenants of the apartments at South Bluffs plan to hold a protest this week to raise management’s awareness of the need for more security.

MemphisWeather.net forecast today: Morning clouds, afternoon sunshine, light north wind, clear sky tonight, 0% chance of rain, 82/61. PERFECTION.

Singer/songwriter Ray LaMontagne plays the Orpheum this Friday.

Next door at the Halloran Centre on Friday, Hayden Childress will provide an evening of magic and comedy.

There’s a Saved Singles Mixer at 516 Tennessee Street Friday at 6 PM. For $25 you can find your soulmate and Jesus all in one night. Food, dancing, speed dating.

There’s a Metro Fire Chiefs conference happening at the Peabody this week.

From Food & Wine: NYC airport bars can’t charge you $27 for a beer anymore thanks to new pricing rules

I have a favor to ask all of my readers this morning. Put your phone on the other side of the room and say, “Hey Siri/Alexa, call (whoever is your contact in case of an emergency),” and make sure your phone obeys your instructions while it is out of your reach. You never know when you might need to do this.

That’s the news for now. Back tomorrow with more.

The complete list of BBQ Fest 2022 winners is up. Congratulations to my friend Heath Riles whose team took first in the Ribs category.

From Lifehacker: How long does liquor last after you open a bottle?

Memphis 901 FC earned 3 important points in league standings with a 2-1 win over Indy Eleven last night.

Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and tonight.

There’s a Full Moon Market tonight at Carolina Watershed. Local artist vendors, Cosmic Coyotes at 5, Driftwood Ramblers at 7. There will be a total lunar eclipse later in the evening.

The Trunk Monkeys play Ghost River on Beale tonight starting at 6.

A crowd of 200 marched Downtown yesterday to keep abortion rights legal and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen spoke. A leaked SCOTUS opinion indicated that the Court’s justices may overturn landmark case Roe v. Wade this summer.

That’ll do it. Short post today. Back tomorrow with more.

The ancillary category winners and Best T-shirt, Best Booth, and Ms. Piggie Idol winners for BBQ Fest 2022 have been posted to Memphis in May’s website. Two exceptions: Announcement of the winners in Seafood and Exotic have been delayed until today due to yesterday’s inclement weather.

That inclement weather caused Memphis in May to evacuate Liberty Park for a while yesterday, with guests who did not have cars parked nearby sheltering in the Liberty Bowl concourse.

Today’s the day the teams have been waiting for: The judges will come around to the booths to score teams in the Big Three categories: Ribs, Shoulder, and Whole Hog. Judges will also visit the smaller Patio Porker teams. Good luck to everyone who is competing today.

The Memphis Grizzlies’ playoff run has come to an end as they lost at Golden State last night 110-96. Congratulations to all the Grizzlies players and staff on a phenomenal year that could best be described in two words: Exceeded expectations. Very few people expected a 56-26 record and a 2 seed in the West from this team. The future is indeed bright.

There are some good things happening at breweries around town today. At Soul & Spirits at 845 N. Main, the Manes on Main Festival will happen from noon to 10 PM. There will be hair, beard, and mustache competitions (hence, “Manes”) with local celebrity judges. There will also be a new festival beer release along with refillable, collectible ceramic mugs. There will be a Shop Made in Memphis vendor area and three food trucks: Albees, New Wing Order, and Yippie Trippie.

Wiseacre will host a Karaoke Jam at its Downtown location with DJ Lil’ Egg Roll tonight 7 to 10.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. has its annual Hopped festival this weekend. HEELS and Church Bros. will supply the live music. Lady Guava, a Double IPA with guava flavor, will make its debut.

You can now pick up bottles of STIX’s ginger dressing and yum yum sauce at Cordelia’s Market.

Pro tip for bar managers: When selecting new furniture for your patio, keep in mind that there are quite a few people in this town who tip the scales on the far side of 300. If you choose fashionable over durable, you might find yourself making a second trip to the furniture store.

From Lifehacker: How to sleep in the heat when you don’t have air conditioning. I could have used this a couple of weeks ago.

Also from Lifehacker: How to fight a goose and win (just kidding, you won’t win)

Rootstock Wine Merchants opens Monday at 644 Madison in The Edge. They offer small-scale, family-owned wines that express the spirit of the region that produced them. They’ll be open 10 AM-8 PM Monday-Saturday. Follow them on Facebook and look for info about a grand opening next month.

From GRAMMY.com: How the return of the Blues Hall of Fame and Blues Music Awards in 2022 captured the spirit of the Memphis blues community

From RealClearScience: Why are watches usually set to 10:10 in ads?

Today is Dance Like a Chicken Day.

Apologies to those who have texted me and who I didn’t get back to in a timely manner yesterday. I have incomplete information and don’t want to say anything inaccurate.

Back tomorrow with more news.

Surfing social media reminds me of one aspect of BBQ Fest I am so glad I don’t have to deal with this year since I’m not on a team.

BBQ team member: Here’s a guest wristband. This will get you in my team’s booth at BBQ Fest.

Guest: CAN YOU GET ME IN THE PARK FOR FREE, TOO?????

Invariably, the person asking this question is someone who has no problem running up $60-$70 tabs at Downtown bars on a near-daily basis. But he/she doesn’t want to pay for a $15 park entry ticket.

Why?

It’s not that they can’t afford a park entry ticket. It’s that they want to appear as a big shot and tell all their friends they got in the park for free because they “know someone.”

People who truly are big shots don’t behave like this.

Another day, another record high, and this one was especially hot.

HOT was the word today! After a balmy morning low of 74, our stage was set for record heat this afternoon as we soured to a new record high of 97! This is the hottest May day since it was 99 on May 30, 1977 and the 3rd hottest day in the month of May on record (since 1875). /JW pic.twitter.com/jscWBnu5T8

— MemphisWeather.net (@memphisweather1) May 12, 2022

The Who comes to FedExForum tonight.

The Grizzlies watch party at Fourth Bluff Park opens tonight at 8, with tip-off vs. the Golden State Warriors at 9. If the Grizzlies win, the series comes back to Memphis Monday for Game 7. If they lose, they are eliminated.

The Grizzlies’ vice-president of basketball operations, Zach Kleiman, has been named NBA Executive of the Year. Kleiman has made savvy trades that have produced players like Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke as well as stocking Memphis’ cupboard with first-round picks.

Pam & Terry play Old Dominick tonight from 6 to 9.

Feast & Graze is hiring two positions:

Front-of-house manager: Basic POS skills, excellent customer service, proactive, people person, sales-oriented, loves cheese and charcuterie. Tuesday-Saturday 10:30 AM-5:30 PM

Part-time prep cook/assembler: Basic kitchen and food safety skills, proactive, self-driven, loves cheese and charcuterie. Monday, Thursday, and Saturday 7-11 AM

Email a resume to hi@feastandgraze.com if interested in either position.

Memphis 901 FC will hold its first official pre-match party of the season on Saturday. Meet up at the Hard Rock on Beale at 5:15 and march to AutoZone Park at 6:15. The squad kicks off against Indy Eleven at 7:00.

Insomnia Cookies has brought back their $50 50-pack deal. That’s 40% off.

Kevin Galloway, the frontman of Uncle Lucius, plays a show tonight at 7 at South Main Sounds.

The Falls Building at Front and Court has been purchased for $10 million by a luxury hotel developer.

An antique store will open in the historic residence at 707 Adams.

Today is World Cocktail Day.

WREG has a story on how the rising cost of meat is affecting BBQ teams.

Lots of contract tracers will be laid off by the health department as COVID-19 grant funding ends June 30.

Trunk Monkeys play the Hard Rock tonight at 8.

60% chance of rain today but at least it won’t be 97. Everyone stay dry and safe. Back tomorrow with more news.

With their best player “doubtful” with a bone bruise, no one could have blamed the Memphis Grizzlies if they phoned in their effort last night, took one final loss, and called it a season.

That’s not what happened.

The Grizzlies absolutely stomped Golden State, leading by 52 at the end of the third quarter en route to a 134-95 win. That makes the series 3-2 in Golden State’s favor, with the Grizzlies heading to San Franciso Friday in an attempt to tie it up and force a Game 7 (9 PM, ESPN).

Grizzly Bear Blues has a good recap of last night’s game. I see they agreed with a conclusion I drew earlier this week: “Tyus Jones is going to get PAID.” Memphis is going to have to pay starting-point-guard money if they want to keep their backup point guard. Jones is likely to have multiple offers from around the league, and as an unrestricted free agent, he’s under no obligation to remain in Memphis.

Summer Memphis weather welcomed everyone to the first day of BBQ Fest yesterday:

Another hot day in the metro and another record high temp! The high temp came in at 92° this afternoon, which broke the previous record of 90, set in 2005. Our low also came in above average. /SD pic.twitter.com/90F1mYGfjD

— MemphisWeather.net (@memphisweather1) May 12, 2022

Oh, by the way, they fixed my air conditioner and I slept soundly last night. Yesterday was the first weekday morning I’ve spent at Bardog since December and I was reminded of how much I enjoy that place.

BBQ Fest is open to the public 11 AM to midnight today. Notable items on the schedule:

• Ms. Piggie Idol 6 PM
• Awards for Best T-Shirt, Best Booth 7 PM
• Rob Caudill’s Tribute to Rod Stewart 8 PM
• Almost Elton John 9:30 PM

The Flyer reports that the Greater Memphis Chamber has launched a campaign for a third bridge over the Mississippi River at Memphis called America’s River Crossing.

Be sure to catch Action News 5’s latest 5 Star Story: What it takes to be on the Memphis Grizzlies Grannies and Grandpas dance team

The mayor of Dallas thinks the city could support a second NFL team. He notes that the Dallas Metroplex is about to pass Chicagoland as the nation’s third-largest metro, which would make Dallas the largest metro not to have two teams.

Some Subway locations are running short on meat.

Did you know you could get commute coaching in Memphis? Participants work one-on-one with a coach to develop safe and efficient bike routes around the city.

Longshot has a new drink to celebrate the playoffs. Grizzlies Blue Drank comes with vodka, Blue Curacao, and citrus.

The DMC is taking requests for proposals for two empty spaces on Beale Street, the old Tater Red’s and Black Diamond spaces.

Road trip idea: St. Louis is the Bosnian food capital of the U.S.

Harry Potter will be the free movie shown by the Downtown Neighborhood Association in Court Square tonight. The event opens at 7:30 with the movie starting at 8.

There will be a Shop Black Memphis market with Black-owned vendors in Fourth Bluff Park this Saturday from 1 to 6.

There will be an event called Every Dog Has Its Day Part 2 in Court Square Sunday from 4 to 8. The event’s purpose, according to its permit, is to “showcase beautiful dogs and to bring people together to vibe and celebrate.”

A Hulu ad featuring Ja Morant debuted yesterday.

Memphis Animal Services is in critical need of dog fosters.

Drivers who block intersections to perform stunts say that will stop doing that if the city will work with them to provide a place they can perform legally. This is actually a very cool piece by FOX 13 Investigates. It features the stunt drivers telling their side of the story.

Police say that Infiniti G35 coupes – Fin Fins, as they’re called – are very popular among carjackers in Memphis. Sometimes Nissan Altima coupes are mistaken for the very similar G35s and are carjacked as well.

M-80s headline tonight’s Peabody rooftop party.

Tonight is Back to the ’90s night at Rumba Room.

Programming note: I may stay out late tonight, and if so tomorrow’s blog post may be real late getting published. Back at some point with more news.

Air conditioning in my apartment is out AGAIN!!!!! Evacuating to Bardog when they open at 8.

Go Grizzlies.

Downtown art lovers, I discovered a new gallery on my morning caffeine run just now: Sam Angel Original Arts. It’s at 8 S. Main, between the Fat Tuesday that is said to open this summer and the front entrance to the Number 10 Main apartment building. There’s a website that at this point is just a “Coming Soon” page, but there’s a slideshow of the artist’s work in the background.

Health Department Director Dr. Michelle Taylor reported to the County Commission yesterday that COVID-19 cases in the county are again on the rise, but the risk factor for the community is still considered low because we’re not seeing an increase in hospitalizations. She gave an interesting statistic: If you’re over 65 and unvaccinated against the virus, you run about the same risk of death as a person who has been using heroin for 1.5 years.

The Grizzlies gave up the lead in the last minute of the game vs. Golden State last night, sending the Warriors to the free-throw line so many times that they picked up a 101-98 win. The Grizzlies are now down 3-1 in the series, which returns to Memphis Wednesday. One more loss and they’re out.

Funny: The New York Times, owner of the Wordle word-guessing game, had to apologize when the Wordle of the day turned out to be “fetus.” They quickly replaced it with a new word.

Lifehacker listed the five most freelancer-friendly cities in the U.S., and Memphis came in at number 4.

Former Memphis Tigers guard Tyler Harris is transferring to South Florida.

There will be a rally and march for Roe Saturday 11:15 AM-1:00 PM at Ida B. Wells Park, 379 Beale. This is one of many rallies around the country to protect abortion rights granted to women in the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision. There will be an after-party at Loflin Yard at 1.

Friday, May 20 will be Bike to Work Day 2022, and there will be a party in Health Sciences Park to celebrate. 100 free MemPops, a performance by DJ Daniel Mathis, and food trucks Pok Cha’s Egg Rolls and Taste of D’s will be on site.

The Red Clay Strays will perform a special acoustic set and will do a CD and poster signing at River City Records Thursday, May 19 at 2 PM.

The Memphis Flyer has a look at the Evaluating Essentials exhibit at the Metal Museum.

Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza is getting its own musical with Doja Cat and Dolly Parton.

Brass Door will host Five Fridays of Jazz – well, actually four Fridays, because the first one has already happened. Tickets are $25 and include signature cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Cocktail attire is requested.

• May 13: Joyce Cobb Quartet
• May 20: Le Tumulte Noir
• May 27: Joe Restivo Quartet
• June 3: Christopher Donovan

Today is National Shrimp Day. My recommendation would be to celebrate with a Charleston cheddar grit bowl with blackened shrimp, chicken, and Andouille sausage from Sugar Grits.

Local weatherman Joey Sulipeck is in hot water for a controversial tweet he made about Golden State forward/center Draymond Green.

A missing 15-year-old boy was last seen in the 800 block of Adams in the Medical District.

That’s it. Back tomorrow with more news. Everybody stay cool as today is the onset of the heat wave.

Very, very cool story in the Daily Memphian this morning. If you’ve walked or driven along Madison in the Downtown core lately, you’ve noticed a large (several stories high) new mural on the west side of the Exchange Building. It was created by artist Michael “Birdcap” Roy and it is more than just a mural – it’s an NFT (non-fungible token) that was purchased by Sardor Umarov, the building’s owner.

The gravel lot next to the Exchange has been tied up in court proceedings for years – remember the building that caved in and forced part of Madison to be fenced off for over a year? Umarov received a $100,000 grant to beautify the lot, which funded the creation of the mural. Here’s the super-cool part: If you have a cryptocurrency wallet, you can use an RFID on the mural to make a donation to St. Jude.

When I look at this week’s forecast, I’m happier than ever with my decision to not do BBQ Fest this year. Record or near-record highs in the low or mid-90s are expected Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. If you’re on a team this year, make sure you drink lots and lots of water while in Liberty Park. When temperatures are above 90 for BBQ Fest, it is easy to get dehydrated and sick. Fox 13 has a look at what BBQ teams are doing to prepare for the heat.

I got woken up three times last night by people doing stupid car tricks – donuts, drifting, etc. – at Second and Monroe and later at what sounded like Second and Union. One of these days they’re going to crash into a building.

The Grizzlies badly need a win tonight over the Golden State Warriors tonight in San Francisco. If they don’t get it, their backs will be against the wall and they’ll have to win 3 in a row beginning Wednesday. The game doesn’t start until 9:00, so lots of Grizzlies fans will be falling asleep at their desks tomorrow at work. The game will be nationally broadcast on TNT.

Ja Morant is listed as doubtful for tonight’s game, following an injury in Game 3 when Warriors guard Jordan Poole pulled on his knee. If Ja is ruled out, Tyus Jones will start at point guard.

Lots of NBA front offices will still have reason to watch tonight’s game even if Ja Morant doesn’t play. Although Tyus Jones is the backup point guard for the Grizz, a lot of teams would consider him talented enough to be a starting point guard, and his contract expires at the end of the season. He earns $8,376,286 this season (per ESPN) but there are teams that might be willing to pay Tyus $15M or more to start for them next season. Will the Grizzlies be willing to pay that kind of money for a backup point guard, the same year they can offer a max contract extension to Ja Morant (or a supermax extension, if he makes an All-NBA team this year and next) and also an extension to Brandon Clarke?

Still, though, these are high-class problems to have. A few hundred miles south on the Mississippi River, the New Orleans Pelicans have to decide whether to offer Zion Williamson a max extension. His ceiling is unlimited, but he’s injury-prone and overweight (listed at 284 but looks over 300). $30 million a year is a disaster for a player who spends most of the year on the bench, and a bargain for a future league MVP. The Pels have no idea which they’ll be getting.

Charles Barkley recently joined Jessica Benson and Meghan Triplett on Rise & Grind to talk Grizzlies vs. Warriors. Watch here

StyleBlueprint has a chat with the owners of Grind City Grocer in the Washburn building. About 95% of their products are from local or regional vendors.

Uh oh… I see a problem here…

• The first public night of BBQ Fest is Wednesday
• Many teams have TVs in their booths for NBA playoff watching
• Tip-off time for Grizzlies vs. Warriors Game 5 is Wednesday at 8:30
• The park closes to the public at 10:00 PM Wednesday
• Non-overtime NBA games tend to run about 2 ½ hours

It sure would be nice if Memphis in May extended park closing that night to the end of the game.

Got things to do. Back tomorrow with more news.

Center Steven Adams will be back for the Grizzlies as they play Game 3 vs. the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco this evening. The game will be on ABC at 7:30.

The DM has a look at Nick Barbian, soon to open Big River Market, an upscale convenience store in South Main.

Bad news: The rolling 7-day average for new COVID-19 cases in Shelby County is above 100 for the first time since February 21.

The South Main Association has announced its monthly South Main Social for May. It will happen this Tuesday, May 10 from 6 to 8 PM at Urevbu Gallery at the corner of Main and Huling. There will be charcuterie by Feast & Graze, cookies by Butteriffic Bakery, and complimentary wine and beer. Free for SMA members, $20 for non-members.

Daaaaang… some Miami hotels are charging $100,000 a night for suites as Formula One’s Miami Grand Prix comes to the city this weekend. (credit: Morning Brew)

Downtown’s Crowne Plaza Hotel seeks a bartender.

Today is Brunch for Lunch Day. It’s load-in day for many of the teams at BBQ Fest. And it’s the Kentucky Derby. Post time is 5:57 but NBC’s coverage begins at 1:30.

The University of Memphis’ spring commencement is at FedExForum today. Congratulations to all who are graduating.

The Grizzlies’ official watch party for Game 3 starts at 7:00 tonight at Fourth Bluff Park.

It’s Siete de Mayo at the Blind Bear. Taco & tequila specials, Red Feather on the patio 3-6 PM, FreeWorld 8 PM-midnight.

The first fireworks show of the year happens tonight following the Redbirds’ game vs. the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. First pitch is 6:35.

Go Grizzlies! Back tomorrow with more news.