Author: paulryburn

The Harlem Globetrotters make their 2017 return to the FedExForum for a fun-filled evening of basketball antics tonight. Show time is 7 PM and tickets are $43-185.

Belle Tavern has announced the addition of several new small plates on its bar menu. These include lobster, crab and shrimp bruschetta; blackened tomatoes with a crab and Creole remoulade; and a plate of three beef sliders. Sounds yummy! Belle is becoming one of my favorite places and I look forward to trying the new small plates soon.

Coffee, clothes and pastries: Today at The 101, the pop-up shop at 101 S. Main, Emmy Sprinkles will sell pastries while Dr. Bean sells coffee. Also, Brook Threads will be there selling clothes. 9 AM-2 PM.

The Chippendales have announced a show at the New Daisy for Wednesday, February 1.

Mulberry Jam featuring Alice Hasen will perform tonight at the Center for Southern Folklore at 7.

Tomorrow would have been Elvis’ 82nd birthday, or tomorrow is Elvis’ 82nd birthday if you’re one of those people who believes he’s still alive. To celebrate, tonight at 7:30 Terry Mike Jeffrey and his band and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra will perform hits from Elvis’ movies at the Cannon Center for Performing Arts.

South Side Supper Club perform at Loflin Yard tomorrow, Sunday, January 8, from 2 to 5 PM in the Safe House. This is going to be a weekly gig.

Canadian comedienne Hannah Hogan will do a free show at the High Cotton taproom on January 31, co-sponsored by Canadian-themed restaurant Kooky Canuck. She’s known up in Canada as ‘the lady in the commercials’ and ‘the writing credit on that comedy show.’ She has performed at comedy festivals and clubs across the country. The show will feature Jennifer McAuliffe, also from Canada, and local Gayle Murray.

Scenarios have emerged to keep The Booksellers at Laurelwood open. Last week the store’s owner announced that it would close, probably next month.

From StyleBlueprint: Cheap eats recommended by Memphis foodies. None of the cheap eats are Downtown unfortunately but there is some good stuff on here. I will contribute my own recommendation: The chorizo huarache from Maciel’s Tortas and Tacos. It’s only about $7 and it will fill you up. Also, I don’t know if I have any readers who are vegetarians, but if I do, I will mention that I prefer the bean nachos ($5 the last time I had them) over the meat-topped version, and they too are a meal in themselves.

Last night was the Blind Bear’s 5th birthday party. I have mentioned the Hotsy-Totsy on here before, their baked potato topped with butter, sour cream, bacon and chives. I have had the potato in its basic format before, as well as topped with Colin’s chili. However, until yesterday I had not tried the “loaded” option, where you can top the potato with any or all of a long list of toppings. I added ranch, grilled onions, mushrooms, jalapenos, peppers, and pepper jack cheese to my potato. Here’s what it looked like when it came out:

And here’s what it looked like after I smooshed it all up:

Now that’s a meal! Please note that the troll is not included with the purchase of potato. There were four more “loaded” toppings I left off my potato but any or all of which can be included for the extra $2: salsa, blue cheese, Jager BBQ sauce, and tomatoes.

All week long weatherpeople were saying Memphis would get a “dusting” of snow Friday but it would be nothing to worry about. However, mid-afternoon Thursday MemphisWeather.net posted that the models were now converging on a thin band of snow from Tipton County. TN to Tate County, MS that could drop 1 to 3 inches on the area. Erik from MWN is the meteorologist I trust the most, because he uses a lot of different models to arrive at his conclusions about the weather, rather than relying solely on one model. 1 to 3 inches would mean a possible snow day off work; as I posted yesterday, Memphis drivers are such idiots that even 1 inch can shut the city down.

However, I have learned not to take snow days for granted. I got up at 6 yesterday and shaved and showered, assuming I would be going to work. I typed up yesterday’s blog post and published it. I looked out the window, and there was more than a dusting on the roads, but less than an inch. I doubted that would be enough for the office to close.

Then I looked at Twitter. One of the news people I follow posted a photo taken at I-55 and State Line Road. “Heavy snow in North Mississippi,” she reported. YES!!!! State Line Road is the exit right before mine on the way to the office. Things were starting to look promising. I called our office’s inclement weather hotline, and heard a recording saying “headquarters will be closed today.”

SNOW DAY! Woooooooo!

Now, when I was younger, I would have jumped back in bed and slept for a few more hours. These days, though, once I’m up, I’m up. So I was snowed in with nothing to do but hang around the apartment, right?

Wrong! I live around the corner from a bar that opens at 8 AM on weekdays. Since I was dressed for work already, all I had to do was put on my jacket and do the penguin walk three quarters of a block to Bardog. As Bloom handed me a PBR, I asked “Do you have any……… specials?”

“Oh, shut your mouth,” Bloom said. “You know good and damn well what the special is.” Anytime snow is falling, Fireball is $2 at Bardog.

Now this is what I call WINNING AT LIFE. Photo taken at 8:13 AM. By the way, there were already 7 customers when I walked in. There were five third-shifters who had just got off work at a hospital, and two other regulars who know about the $2 deal.

Now, I knew I was going to have to pace myself, with a 5th anniversary party 13 hours in the future. I also knew I was going to need to eat lunch and dinner. When I saw that Rizzo’s by Michael Patrick was jumping on the $2 Fireball train for snow days, I thought that would be my plan for lunch. Also, Max’s Sports Bar made the SMART business decision to open 4 1/2 hours early at noon, so I could see my friends on the south side. I tabbed out about 11:30 and began my walk south.

However, it took me less than a block to realize the South Main district was too damn far and it was too damn cold. I revised my plan to the Majestic for lunch. Friday they have seafood specials, and I got a cup of New England clam chowder and a seafood flatbread. Perfect to warm me up and that food hit the spot. Never a bad experience at the Majestic Grille.

From there I hit the Silly Goose next, then over to the Blind Bear for dinner and their anniversary party. I thought about dressing in ’20s attire and getting another photo on the dining room wall, but it was too cold to consider wearing anything other than layers of thick warm clothes. Great party, great day.

Okay, gotta hit Publish and get to my project for today, which is rigging up a fan outside Bardog’s front window, to make the snow on the ground blow around and make Bloom think it’s another $2 Fireball day. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

Lots of folks we’ve seen sliding around are just taking corners and driving too damn fast. SLOW DOWN. Roads are OK if you do thst.

— John Maddox (@TigerJohnM) January 6, 2017

This nicely sums up why driving in Memphis when there’s less than an inch of snow on the ground is such a headache. It’s not that driving in snow is a problem; people up North do it all the time. However, driving in snow with IDIOTS all over the road is a big problem. And I’d be willing to venture a guess that Memphis has more idiots per mile of interstate highway than any other large town in America.

If you must drive in this weather:

• Headlights on
• If the prevailing speed of traffic is, say, 30, accept it and go with the flow. Yes it sucks going that slow but don’t get impatient. It won’t help.
• Watch for patches of black ice
• Don’t tailgate
• Look an extra time before changing lanes. That thing on the left of your steering wheel is called a turn signal and you need to be using it.
• And for goodness sake, put your damn phone away!

All right, let’s get on with the news. The Commercial Appeal has a report on boutique hotels gaining steam Downtown. Hotel Napoleon and several others either have recently opened or will soon open. Nice options for people who want something more cozy and intimate than big hotels like the Peabody and the Sheraton.

Grant Hill, Steve Smith and Lisa Leslie will be the recipients of the National Civil Rights Museum’s Sports Legacy award at the January 15 Grizzlies game at FedExForum. It will be the annual MLK game but this one will be played on Sunday, the day before MLK Day. The Grizz host the Chicago Bulls at 8 that night. On MLK Day itself the players and coaches will participate in a day of service, working with the Union Mission to feed 200 homeless.

The decision by Booksellers at Laurelwood to close meant that they could not host my friend Angela Copeland’s book signing for her book Breaking the Rules & Getting the Job. A Downtown independent bookseller came to the rescue. The signing will be Tuesday, January 12 6:30-8:30 PM at South Main Book Juggler, just south of the Arcade restaurant on Main. Come talk to Angela and hear why hiring a career coach could be just the right move to get your career on the fast track. Be sure to talk to owners Jean and Clayton too and check out the many books on the shelves. The owners are two of my Max’s Sports Bar buddies.

This is pretty cool – Memphis Skyline Fire Pit!

Custom made Memphis Skyline Firepit
Give a shout if you want in your backyard
We can also produce with any custom image you have in mind pic.twitter.com/44qpbbftWq

— Memphis Flavor (@MemphisFlavor) January 5, 2017

There was a new bear in the Blind Bear’s dining room last night. My troll decided she wanted to make a new friend.

Don’t forget that the Bear’s 5th birthday celebration is tonight starting at 9. $3 Moonshine & Cinnamon Whiskey shots, $5 Well Drinks, $6 Bootlegger Mule, Moscow Mule, Dark & Stormy, Manhattans, Old Fashioned, Moonshine Tea & Irish Smash.

One more reminder: If you’re off work today, snow falling means $2 Fireball at Bardog. They open at 8 AM on weekdays, so if you were already up and dressed and then found out your office was closed, go to Bardog instead!

Great news for Downtown convention business: There is a plan to build a new 600-room hotel on a plot of land at Front and Poplar, adjacent to the Cook Convention Center. Hotel rooms near the convention center are badly needed and may help attract additional conventions to Memphis. In addition to the rooms, the hotel will offer 120,000 square feet of meeting space.

Done deal: The building at 363 Mulberry and the adjacent lot have been sold to a group including Aldo from Bardog, Slider Inn, and Aldo’s Pizza Pies. The location has been rumored to become a second Slider Inn this year.

The January 15 concert by the Bar-Kays and ConFunkShun at the Cannon Center has unfortunately been canceled. If you already bought a ticket, please return to your point of purchase for a refund.

Names have been announced for the Cardinals Caravan program coming to the Home Plate Club at AutoZone Park on Friday, January 13. Current players Randal Grichuk, Luke Weaver, Sam Tuivailala and Austin Gomber will be there, as will Redbirds manager Stubby Clapp and Cardinal alumnus Danny Cox. Cardinals broadcaster Mike Claiborne will emcee the event, which is free to attend. A ticket system will be implemented for autographs. Doors will open at 5:30, first come first served, program at 6:30.

If you’re a huge fan of fresh produce like I am, you probably miss having the Memphis Farmers Market as a shopping resource on Saturdays during the winter months. Here’s an option for you: the deep winter subscription from Bring It Food Hub. For $20 a week, you can get a bag of local produce and grains for 8 weeks (January 10-March 3). The produce is planned to include onion scallions, kale, collards, parsley, cilantro, swiss chard, carrots, radishes, beets, head lettuce, salad mix, arugula, bok choi, turnips, cauliflower, celery, spinach, and broccoli. You can also get add-ons like eggs, bread, cheese and coffee, and you can purchase Pay It Forward bags to help get fresh produce to people experiencing food insecurity in Memphis.

The Daily News has an article on Mutt Island Doggie Daycare, a 10,000 square foot space that opened in The Edge recently at 320 Monroe. The space allows dogs to have a yard to play in while their owners are at work, and there are separate areas for large and small dogs. They also offer overnight boarding with doggie suites that do not involve crates or cages. They have full grooming services as well.

The Daily News also has a chat with Penelope Huston, the new vice president of marketing for the Downtown Memphis Commission.

A food truck selling cereal will hit the streets of Memphis in early 2017.

The Blind Bear is having its 5 year anniversary party Friday night. If you’re a fan of those Prohibition Era-style photos on the dining room wall, you can be in one – photographer Joey Warner will be back to take pictures.

A few people have reported flurries in Memphis this morning, causing people to go “BREAD AND MILK AND MILK AND BREAD…” (suburbanites) and “$2 Fireball at Bardog!” (Downtowners)

Gotta agree with the CA’s Michael Donahue at his Best Bet for dining this week: The duck fried rice at South of Beale. That is some good stuff.

That’s it for now. Probably I’ll be out at Silly Goose happy hour after work.

Soup Sunday comes early this year, on January 29, at FedExForum. This is the first time I can ever remember it being in January. For those who are not familiar with this event, it is the annual fundraiser for Youth Villages, a nonprofit that helps emotionally and behaviorally troubled children live successfully. Many of Memphis’ best restaurants prepare soup and other goodies in support of Youth Villages.

Soup Sunday works like this: The restaurants have booths all along the concourse at FedExForum. You get a cup holder that can hold four cups of soup (although some people modify it to hold more than four). You can sample all the soups you want, and vote on which was your favorite. Lines can get long, so you will often find yourself eating one cup of soup as you stand in line for the next.

I will give the same advice I give every year: Get there early. The event is 11 to 2, but this is not an event where you want to show up at 12:45. The best restaurants will have run out of soup well before then. Best bet is to be standing in line outside the arena at 10:55. Once you get in, seek out the restaurants you think will have the best soup. Insider tip: Bardog Tavern is a repeat winner with their Chicken Velvet soup.

Passes are now available for sale for the International Blues Challenge, which will return to Beale Street January 31-February 4. This is your chance to hear the best blues in the world, as bands come from many countries to compete in the challenge. Here’s the 2017 IBC schedule.

Small Shop Saturday returns to the Ghost River taproom this Saturday, January 7, from 1 to 4 in the afternoon. Every Saturday the brewery invites a vendor to set up shop in the taproom. Phillip Ashley Chocolates will be the vendor this week. These chocolates are hand-crafted in a local studio, using fair trade chocolate and the finest ingredients. At least one flavor of chocolate will be paired with one of the brewery’s offerings.

The following day, Sunday, January 8, the brewery will host Songwriter Sessions from noon to 3, this week featuring Crockett Hall and Graham Winchester. Bloody Beers made with Nikki’s Hot Products and Vice-Mosas will be the drink specials, and the Flying Sobies food truck will be back with their Cornish hens and waffles. Football will be on TV and there will be board games to play.

For those of you who live out of town, Thursday will be your best chance of the season to catch your Memphis Tigers on TV. The Tigers will host UConn at FedExForum at 6 PM that night with the game nationally televised on ESPN2.

Phil Gagliano, a Memphian who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1960s, passed away last week.

Sad to hear that Memphis’ largest independent book store, The Booksellers at Laurelwood, will close next month. A liquidation sale will get underway Friday.

100 S’mores are going to be given away at Fourth Bluff Ice Rink starting tonight at 5.

Sorry if the updates are a bit infrequent this week. Not feeling too well. Back tomorrow, hopefully.

by Perjorie T. Roll

Hi there! Paul had one too many PBRs and passed out in the back room. I’m his troll, Perjorie. You have seen me in a few of his posts. I will be filling in for him tonight.

I have news about Paul’s friend, the Nuh-Uh Girl, who is vacationing in Park City, Utah. She is on a ski trip and she reports that she got six inches last night. I hope those inches were extremely pleasurable and satisfying for the Nuh-Uh Girl.

I met Aldo Saturday!

Paul brought me to Bardog Tavern, where they were decorating for New Year’s Eve.

Starring Panda

Me and B-RAD at Blind Bear

Da Bears

Advertising

This guy stalks Paul relentlessly all over Downtown. Blind Bear, Silly Goose, wherever. If Paul is there he’s there.

He just won’t leave Paul alone!

I’m glad I don’t drink rum.

Hanin makin dat monay mane

Don’tcha just love those crazy trolls?

Selfie!

Double rainbow. 13200. I hope the guy who sold Paul his car gets that.

Erica

I had to wake Paul up to get a picture of these girls from Miami.  I was in the middle of my guest post and everything.

That’s it. Back Tuesday with more news.

Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don’t know what to do. Love!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2016

I had to work yesterday, so I didn’t go to the Liberty Bowl. After I got off work, I went to the Blind Bear, where there were several local Georgia fans celebrating their school’s victory. My favorite pair of librarian glasses had all her Georgia gear on. “We were a patch of maroon sitting in a sea of purple,” indicating that their tickets had been in the TCU section. “They were SO nice. We were all getting along, high-fiving each other.”

Even the Frog Daddy stopped to pose for photos with a Georgia fan!

Due to work, I really didn’t get to interact with Georgia fans (non-locals) or TCU fans much this year. I miss that. I think starting next year, I’m going to take the day before the Liberty Bowl parade and the day of the Liberty Bowl parade off. Those are the days when out-of-towners are getting their bearings down here and I can help them a lot.

Two years ago, I went to Bardog as usual on a Saturday. The Liberty Bowl that year was the following Monday, Texas A&M vs. West Virginia. I expected to see some Aggie fans in the bar. Wrong! Within 20 minutes of opening, the bar was a sea of blue and gold. These were older West Virginia fans, age 50s mostly, who’d built up the financial resources to travel well, even far from home. When they found out I was a local, they asked if I would mind answering a few questions, and I said sure. “We want to know where YOU go. We’ve been told what the tourists do. But we want to live like a local while we are here.”

“Well, the two things you’ve been told about that tourists do, that are worth going to, are the National Civil Rights Museum and Gus’s,” I told them. “The locals don’t spend a lot of time on Beale Street but there is a place down there called Dyer’s that has great burgers. As for the Rendezvous, if you want to go there for the experience that’s fine, but you’ll get better BBQ at Central down on the south side. If you want somewhere to eat that’s a little more elegant, try the Majestic.”

I continued, “The locals tend to hang out at bars mostly on Main or within a block walk of Main. You found one of my favorites right here (Bardog). Down a couple of blocks south on Main you’ll see the Blind Bear. That’s another of my favorites. If you go today, the bartender B-RAD (still working Saturdays at the time) can give you a lot of good information on what to do. About a mile south on Main there’s a place called Earnestine & Hazel’s that you’ve got to check out. It used to be a brothel. Down G.E. Patterson from Earnestine’s is Max’s Sports Bar. It’s small but there are a lot of TVs and it’s a locals’ bar. People are really friendly there. I don’t know if you’re night owls, but at 10 PM the best nightclub in the world, Paula & Raiford’s Disco, opens over on Second. There is no place like this in the world.” I gave them the address to my blog, too.

The next day I once again led off at Bardog. About 5 minutes after I got there the sea of blue and gold returned. “PAUL!” they shouted. “We had an awesome day yesterday because of what you told us. We’re buying you shots!”

Anyway, I’m posting that conversation for the benefit of any TCU or Georgia fans who may have stumbled upon my blog. All of what I said still applies, except B-RAD works Sundays now. The Saturday day bartender (11-6) is my favorite pair of librarian glasses, pictured above, a Georgia fan. Go see her!

I will also note that Liberty Bowl coaches have been known to pop up at Max’s Sports Bar in the day or two following the bowl, so you might want to set up camp there.

For Liberty Bowl fans remaining in town tonight for New Year’s Eve, Bardog and Max’s are two places to consider if you want to avoid amateurs, overpriced drinks, and expensive cover charges. Don’t get me wrong, those places will be packed to the gills, but you will have the minimum amount of BS associated with Amateur Night at those places.

For those with kids, Trolley Stop Market at 704 Madison is hosting a New Year’s Eve party just for kids tonight. There will be pizza specials, kids crafts, kids movies, dancing, sweet treats, and a balloon drop at 8:30pm. They are asking people to make reservations. 901-526-1361 or trolleystopmarket.com.

Add Brass Door to the list of places open daytime on New Year’s Day. Day drinking with Dave and Seamus commences at 10 AM. For those from out of town, Brass Door is a fine little Irish bar across Madison from the First Tennessee Bank building.

Orange for the orange: The University of Tennessee marching band will perform at President Cheeto’s inauguration. I thought my respect level for UT had already hit the bottom of the barrel. I guess I’m drilling into the earth’s core underneath the barrel now (no doubt Rex Tillerson will be pleased to hear about the drilling). For those of you not on Twitter, the cheeto commented that he knew Vladimir Putin was a very smart man yesterday.

(Edited to add: Memphis 70, South Carolina 54 in NCAA men’s basketball. Well, at least there’s ONE team in this state capable of beating South Carolina. I guess this disqualifies the Tigers from becoming Life Champions of basketball though.)

Well, this is pretty cool: If you have an Amaazon Echo, it can now read cooking instructions to you through a partnership with the AllRecipes website.

From Gizmodo: Why trolls won in 2016. Facebook, Twitter, and other social media channels went down the crapper this year. Don’tcha just hate those crazy trolls?

I want to give a shout-out to my friends the Pirtles for another excellent meal. I had to make an impromptu trip to the car dealership to extend my drive-out tags for another month. On the way back to work, I stopped at the Jack Pirtle’s Chicken on Elvis Presley and got a livers and rice with gravy bowl. That was a Pirtle’s menu item I had never had before and it is excellent. If you don’t like livers they have a chicken and rice bowl as well. Many people don’t realize this, but Pirtle’s is locally, family-owned restaurant chain by people who are a vibrant part of the Memphis community.

I have plans for avoiding the amateurs tonight, but I am not going to list them here. I will say that I will be at Bardog at 11 as usual, then over to the Blind Bear as usual around 1. Not much has changed since 2014.

 

I made an unexpected visit to Belle Tavern after work, after seeing that my friends in the South Main crew had parked themselves there after the Liberty Bowl parade. Got a tip for a drink to try that I wanted to pass on to my readers. One of my former students who is from Brazil was at the bar. She advised me to order a caipirinha, Brazil’s national drink, from Chris sometime. She personally taught him how to make it many years ago. I believe Chris is there Wednesday-Saturday and the hours are 4 to 1 those days.

She also advised ordering mixed drinks from Chris in general. “Every time he makes me something different, and it’s always good.”

I got a blast from the past last night, with my friends Stacey and Kelly in town. Way back in the day, they hung out with my friends Shane and Leigh and me at the King’s Palace tap room. Fun times.

Daisyland presents New Year’s Eve Blackout at the New Daisy 9 PM to 5 AM, with lights out at midnight. It will feature music by Lookas, along with Tree, Dude Called Rob, Nyce Lyfe and Scotty-B. Up on the second floor in the Future-Everything Room, there will be music by WEALTH, Strooly, and MarceauxMarceaux. Several DaisyLUX VIP packages are available.

FedExForum has announced that they will have secured parking available for New Year’s Eve at the Toyota Garage for $10 a space. The garage will open at 4 PM and will stay open until 2 AM.

Cerrito Bingo has announced a new location: Starting Sunday, January 8 at 5 PM, there will be bingo every Sunday at Loflin Yard. No RSVP is needed, it is free to play, and you will have the chance to win prizes. See cerritotrivia.com for more info.

Operation Restart is the final recipient of Beale Gives Back, donations from a pool of money generated by unredeemed Beale Bucks. The organization, which will receive $5000, is a collaboration between several agencies to help teens work during the summer, earn and manage money, and help fight blight in Memphis.

Lifehacker has good advice from bartenders on how to stock your home bar.

High Cotton is trying something different with their taproom, hosting a free metal show on Saturday, January 7. Epoch of Unlight, Whiskey for Destruction, and Hellthrasher will perform. It is an 18+ show. The hours are 8 to 11 PM. That’s relatively early by Memphis metal standards, but it will allow those who maintain a grandma-type bedtime schedule to catch the show without having to stay out until the crack of dawn.

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

Have you ever made reservations at a small restaurant, then no-showed without bothering to call and cancel? Here’s an article on the ripple effect that has. It takes one minute to have the courtesy of looking up the phone number and calling in the cancellation. Even if you have to cancel at the last minute, it should still be done, because then the restaurant can accommodate walk-ins at the table(s) you had reserved.

Congratulations to my fellow Memphis blogger Holly Whitfield of I Love Memphis. She was recently named by Southern Living as a Southerner of the Year for 2016. The magazine selected 50 people who are doing good in the South.

First 10,000 people in the gate for the Grizzlies-Thunder game this evening at FedExForum get a Grizzlies rally flag presented by FOX Sports Southeast. Game time is 7 PM.

Running late for your Megabus departing Downtown’s North End Terminal for Dallas? No problem, just call in a false police report. Concerned he and his girlfriend would miss their bus, Kirk Stuart of Austin called the Memphis police and warned that his brother was going to do a “Muslim thing for Allah” on the bus. By the time MPD arrived, the bus had already departed, and the Arkansas State Police were notified. The bus was stopped and searched and no threat was found, and the FBI later developed Stuart as a suspect. He faces up to five years and a $250,000 fine. Oh, and because that bus crossed a state line, that makes it a federal offense.

For some reason I want to wad up a paper napkin and throw it at Mr. Stuart…

Got an addition to the list of places that will be open during the day on New Year’s Day. Last night I paid a quick visit to Max’s Sports Bar, and Bjarni told me they will open at 11 on New Year’s. There will be a full slate of NFL action as well as many college basketball and NBA games. No shortage of sports to watch at Max’s to kick off 2017!

The Belk Bowl is on ESPN at 4:30 today. The Hogs vs. The Hokies. Bret Bielema vs. Justin Fuente. I kind of hate to root against the man who restored Memphis football to prominence, but Arkansas is my team. It’s time to CALL THOSE HOGS!

2016 claims one more victim: The inventor of the red Solo cup has died.

That’s it for now. Undecided as of yet where to watch the Arkansas game.