Author: paulryburn

(If you’re a web developer, you understand the title. Otherwise, don’t worry about it)

Since a lot of entrepreneurs read my blog, I thought I’d start today with an idea I had for an app or a website that maybe someone can pick up and run with. This morning I was looking forward to tomorrow, my usual Saturday at Bardog. Oftentimes on Saturday, Panda will decide “It’s too quiet in here” and take out a few dollars and hand them to customers to put in the jukebox. I never take Panda up on her offer of jukebox dollars – I don’t feel like flipping through 100 CDs to find 8 or 10 songs I’d like to play. That would take me away from my PBR for 15 or 20 minutes, an unacceptably long time.

Then I thought about what I do when I know I will be dining at a particular restaurant. I pull up the restaurant’s menu, either on its website or a third-party website that aggregates menus. I figure out what I want before I go. That way, I don’t waste a lot of time looking over the menu when I get there, and it lets me get excited in advance about the food. What if there were an app or website that aggregates what’s on the jukebox? If I could sit there in my desk chair at home and spend some time looking over what’s in Bardog’s jukebox, I’d be more likely to accept Panda’s money, or put my own in, and play some songs.

So there you go. If anyone wants to take that idea and run with it, be my guest. And now, on with the news.

The Grizzlies host the Denver Nuggets tonight at 6:00, and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN. If you can, get there early so the arena will be full at the start of the broadcast. This is a must-win game for the Grizzlies, who are locked in a tight struggle with Dallas and Phoenix for 7th, 8th, and 9th places in the Western Conference. At the end of the regular season, 7th and 8th places get seeds in the playoffs, while 9th place stays home. The Grizzlies must beat teams like Denver that they are expected to beat if they are to stay out of 9th.

Neighbors are worried that the building that once housed Prince Mongo’s nightclub could come crumbling down soon. The building is on Front Street and backs up to Center Lane, known to locals as Scratchy’s Alley. It is already leaning. Police have put up barricades in the alley but those only block vehicles from going through. Pedestrians use that alley as a shortcut all the time, and at least one homeless person (Jimmy AKA “Scratchy”) is known to sleep there.

New post on the Flyer’s Hungry Memphis blog: A visit to Cake Gallery Baketique, which has many more sweets than just cakes. It’s on Madison just east of the Brass Door. How could I have had no idea that place was there, when it’s so close to home?

Moody Ques BBQ teammates: An email just went out to the team. If you didn’t get it let me know and I’ll make sure the team has your address. Last day to pay is April 15. Our pitmaster Chef David Scott Walker and his team have decided to enter all the ancillary events: beef, poultry, seafood, exotic, sauces, and hot wings.

Last night I attended the second Thursday poker night at Cafe Keough. Several players who had not been in the cafe yet came with me, and one commented, “You weren’t kidding, Paul, this place is really cool.” Poker players, if you haven’t made it to Cafe Keough yet, you’re missing out on a good time.

That’s all for today. Just a few more hours until the weekend. I wish the 80-degree weather from yesterday had stuck around, but I’ll take whatever weekend I can get.

Tennessee Brewery Untapped, the project of putting community-driven events in the Tennessee Brewery in April and May in hopes of raising awareness and finding a permanent buyer, has scheduled its first event. There will be live music the weekend of April 25-26, with Caleb Sweazy at 6 PM Friday the 25th, Apollo Mighty at 4 PM Saturday the 24th, and Josh Crosby and Jeremy Stanfill at 6 PM Saturday the 26th. The event series was granted a license to serve beer yesterday, and will serve only locally-made craft beers, including beers from High Cotton, Ghost River, Wiseacre, and Memphis Made.

Volunteer “community build” sessions will be held in the brewery Saturday, April 5, 12, and 19 at 10 AM. At these times the furniture, tables and seating for Untapped will be constructed. They have hit capacity for volunteers this Saturday, but still need people for the 12th and 19th. If you want to volunteer, email BreweryUntapped901@gmail.com.

Memphis in May is hiring for a variety of seasonal jobs that will run through April and May.

Brackets have been posted for the April 10 bocce tournament on South Main. My vote for best team name: “Bocce Told Me She Was 18 Officer”

That’s it for now. Short post today. I hate it that I am going to miss the Memphis Made beer dinner (7 PM) at the Flying Saucer but I want to support the second week of my friends’ Thursday poker night at Cafe Keough. First deal is 8 PM.

Yesterday I posted about an April 10 bocce tournament on South Main. It has since filled up, so a tournament for April 17 was opened up. That one has filled up too, so they’ve set up another tournament for April 24. Sign up here. I had no idea bocce had so much appeal in Memphis.

Here’s an article about the bocce court from this week’s High Ground News.

If you want to learn more about what our BBQ team sponsor Start Co. does, this article listing the top 5 reasons to intern at Start Co. is a good read.

The Memphis Made beer dinner is tomorrow night at 7 at the Flying Saucer. In March the brewery rolled out Junt, Bent Note IPA, Oaked Plaid Attack and Cocoa Reverberation. Tomorrow night they will be paired with locally-sourced food. Tickets are $30 for UFO Club members and $35 for non-members.

Amazon Local has a deal for tickets to the Cotton Museum, a $20 value, for $8.

Memphis Farmers Market has announced its live music schedule for its opening day on Saturday:

7:00-9:00: Paul Waits
9:00-11:00: Andrew Cabiago
11:00-noon: Opera Memphis

That’ll do it for now. I’ll be out at the Silly Goose for some $1.50 happy hour PBR after work.

Just to make it clear: Everything in today’s post is REAL NEWS, not April Fool’s Day jokes. I’ve done April Fool’s on the blog in the past, but decided not to this year. It seems that in recent years, we’ve been bombarded with fake news on websites and Twitter to the point that it’s irritating. So I’m keeping it real this year.

I’m going to start off with a caution to my friends who sell liquor in any form to be careful this week. Word on the street is that the Alcoholic Beverage Commission was Downtown last night and issued citations to at least two restaurants and one retail store. The ABC is known to use 20-year-olds who look much older to bust people who sell liquor, so best advice is to card everyone. Midtown and East Memphis, I would not be surprised to see them in your area sometime this week.

I want to say thanks to the reps from Founder’s Brewery out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. They were in Memphis for their product rollout yesterday. After work I was at Bardog with a couple of friends, and Melissa the bartender told us, “They would like to buy you a Founder’s All Day IPA.” Being a big fan of free beer, I accepted. It was very good, with lots of flavor but with out the extreme bitter hoppiness found in many IPAs. When in the mood for an IPA in the future, Founder’s All Day will be one I will consider ordering.

Congratulations to Downtown restaurant Kooky Canuck on winning Choose 901’s Burger Bracket. The win was well-deserved. All the burgers at Kooky are good but my favorite is the Four Cheese Burger to which I add either mushrooms or bacon.

Bocce is coming to South Main and there will be a tournament Thursday, April 10. Details here.

Joe Jackson has been selected to play in the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) All-Star Game, the Memphis Tiger Network reports. The game will be played Friday in Arlington, Texas, and will air Saturday at 11 AM on CBS.

The MBJ has a preview of the new taproom High Cotton Brewery is building on Monroe.

Also in the MBJ: Golfer Jack Nicklaus has announced a partnership with St. Jude.

The Memphis Kings scooter club hosts its seventh annual Dead Elvis Scooter Rally here in Memphis April 25-27. There will be several rides, including one to the original Gus’s in Mason, Tennessee during the weekend, as well as Kinghkana, scooter judging, and a scooter raffle.

That’s the news for today. Sorry to disappoint those who came here looking for an April Fool. As usual for a Tuesday, I will be at the Blind Bear tonight for some poker.

Our BBQ team sponsor Start Co. got hooked up with lunch from Ultimate Foods today. Ultimate Foods is a healthy subscription meal service that has both meat and vegetarian options. They are located inside WellWorx at the northwest corner of Madison and Main.

If you want to get the scoop on what will be happening at BBQ Fest and the other Memphis in May events this year, put Tuesday, April 8 on your calendar. That is the date for April’s South Main Association meeting. Memphis in May representatives will speak about the music, the BBQ, host country Panama, and more. The meeting will be held at the Leadership Memphis Gallery at 365 S. Main. It is free for SMA members to attend, $10 for non-members.

There will be a spring cleaning of Downtown Saturday, April 12. If you want to volunteer, meet at Court Square at 9 AM that day. You’ll be given a cleaning assignment, then you’ll return to Court Square at noon to celebrate.

I found something interesting in this article on whether UT should match Marquette’s offer for Cuonzo Martin. It’s not that I care what UT does, but there is a list of the top 25 highest-paid college basketball coaches. Coming in at number 9 is our own Josh Pastner, at $2.65 million.

That’s it for now. Busy day at work, got to get back to it.

Take your tickets to the AutoZone Park box office starting Monday, or mail them. Since last night’s game was cancelled due to weather, you will receive a voucher for a ticket to a 2014 Cardinals game at Busch Stadium, as well as credit to 2014 Redbirds games equal to the value of your ticket. Holders of VIP packages will receive credit equal to the value of their exhibition game tickets. You have 30 days to make this exchange. Credits cannot be used for July 4 game.

Mudbugs in March happens in Court Square this afternoon 2:30-7:30. Details here. Seems like a lot of people are excited about this festival. My regular Saturday bartender Panda is taking the day off from Bardog to go, and my favorite blogger/MILF tweeted that she will be there.

Dayton vs. Florida tips off at the FedExForum at 5:09 PM. It will be broadcast on TBS.

Harrah’s gave the River Rat Rounders poker club a nice gift: A $70 comp to Harrah’s poker room will be up for grabs at ever 7 PM RRR game. That would include the Monday game at the Mad Earl, so come play and you might get to play some real cash poker compliments of Harrah’s. Just make sure you use your comp before June 2 when the casino closes.

Holly has posted a no-frills guide to brunch in Downtown Memphis that is well worth a bookmark.

Panda may be taking the day off from Bardog, but I’m not. I’ll be at Bloom’s bar for PBR and Fireball in about 40 minutes. I’ll probably drop by the festival later today.

Last night I went to Cafe Keough and took down the first-place prize in the cafe’s first-ever Thursday poker night. They pay out two places with $35 and $15 gift cards. The cafe also has sandwich specials for poker players. What a beautiful space to play in. I look forward to trying some of Keough’s food, which I’ve heard is outstanding, as I spend my gift certificate winnings.

While there, I picked up a couple of pieces of news. First of all, there is going to be a Frisbee golf tournament on Main Street on Saturday, April 12. Here are the details:

Also, I got additional information about the new Monday trivia night at Cafe Keough: Happy hour will be extended to 9 PM that night.

More news about the SOFO center I posted about yesterday, to be located at Third and Butler: Both the CVB and Ticketmaster have disavowed involvement in the project.

The Brass Door will close at 2 PM today for a private event and will re-open tomorrow at 11 AM for lunch.

The Battle of the Birds, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Memphis Redbirds, happens today at AutoZone Park, and that’s not the only reason today is significant in Memphis baseball history: Today the Cardinals take ownership of the Redbirds, and the city takes ownership of AutoZone Park.

For the ballgame tonight, gates open at 4:30, and there will be a block party in the plaza until 6 with live music and face painting. The Cards will have batting practice at 4:45. At 6:10 pre-game ceremonies will begin. There will be a first pitch by United States Navy Petty Officer First Class Laura Guthridge, colors will be presented by United States Marine Corps Civil Air Patrol Composite Squadron, and St. Jude patient Adrianna will sing the National Anthem. First pitch is at 6:35. For the 7th inning stretch, a member of Navy Band Mid-South will sing “God Bless America.” Keep an eye on the weather. Storms are expected tonight. The MemphisWeather.net blog has the details.

The Dance Theatre of Harlem performs at the Cannon Center tonight. Tickets are $27-52.

The two teams that sent the most fans to Memphis for the Sweet Sixteen, Dayton and Florida, advanced last night in the NCAA tournament. That’s good news for Downtown Memphis, because those fans will stick around and spend money and local businesses while their teams have the day off today. Should be a fun night out tonight with Gator and Flyer fans partying on Beale and nearby.

The Memphis Business Blog has news of a $3 million retail and entertainment center to be built south of the FedExForum at Third and Butler. It will have room for a yogurt shop, office suites, a convenience store, a welcome center and ticket hub, a cyber cafe and a beverage cafe. The center will be called SOFO and will have a 68-space parking lot.

This isn’t Downtown news, but it affects some Downtowners so I’ll mention it. Harrah’s casino in Tunica is closing on June 2. That means that the Smokin’ Aces BBQ festival that takes place on Harrah’s grounds the third week of every September is likely not going to happen this year. My friends on Squeal Street BBQ will have one less festival to attend. I guess it will allow them to focus more on the Best Memphis Burger Festival, which is around the same time.

The Daily News has an excellent article on Dishcrawl. If you’re a foodie you should check it out.

Interesting article on stat site FiveThirtyEight: The hidden value of the NBA steal. Although he isn’t mentioned specifically in the article, it does a nice job explaining why a player like Tony Allen is so valuable to the Grizzlies, despite never having been a major scoring weapon.

From time to time I get asked why locally-owned bars like Max’s Sports Bar don’t show UFC pay-per-views, while chains like Hooters do. Yesterday I was on one of my pro wrestling sites, reading the Ask 411 Wrestling column, and a little more than halfway down the page someone asks about this. The column’s author gives a very good explanation.

There’s a new weekly poker game Downtown tonight that is free to play, with a prize for the winner. It will be in the back of Cafe Keough, the new cafe at 12 S. Main in the Number 10 Main building, at 8 PM. It will be hosted by Muruako who directs the Monday game at the Silly Goose.

I just got some more news about Cafe Keough. Starting next week, they will have trivia night at 7 PM on Mondays. The trivia host will be Charles, who calls the Tuesday game at Double J and the Wednesday game at Blind Bear.

From the MBJ: The Redbirds plan to wear Egyptian-themed uniforms on June 7.

Bell Biv Devoe will perform at the Cannon Center Sunday. Call 525-1515 for tickets. Tickets are $45-75. I had no idea they were still together.

Welcome to those in town for the NCAA South Regional. Accomplished burger blogger Seth has a good post about best Memphis burgers for the NCAA tournament.

As usual on Thursday, I’ll lead off at Silly Goose after work. I’ll be at Cafe Keough at 8 for the poker game, with maybe a quick Saucer stop in between. Outta here for now.

Look what I won at the Blind Bear poker league final table last night!

I’ll have more to say about poker at the end of the post, but first, the news.

Paula Raiford posted a new event happening at her club. Tomorrow night, Thursday, March 27, Paula & Raiford’s Disco will host Disco Yoga with Rosalynn Ross. The schedule:

6:00: Doors open
6:30-7:30: Yoga
7:30: Let’s go disco!

A limited number of session tickets for the NCAA South Regional will go on sale at 1 PM today. Session tickets are $160. Games are Dayton vs. Stanford at 6:15 PM, and Florida vs. UCLA 30 minutes after conclusion of the first game. Winners will play Saturday, time TBD. These games will be held at FedExForum. More info here.

There are practice sessions for the NCAA South Regional teams this afternoon at the FedExForum that are free to attend. Schedule .

It’s official: The Milwaukee Bucks have signed D.J. Stephens to a 10-day contract.

From this week’s High Ground News: Downtown brewery High Cotton adds brewing capacity, employees

From Mashable: Men in North Korea are now required to get the same haircut as their leader Kim Jong-un. This is a crackdown from a list published last year of 10 approved hairstyles for men and 18 for women.

All right, back to poker. The 10 people who scored the most points in the Blind Bear’s poker league were invited to the final table to play for some nice prizes. There were $600 in $100 gift cards from six different restaurants. First place got to pick three of the cards, second place got to pick two of what was left, and third got the remaining card. Fourth through seventh got to pick from two grills, a Jack Daniels fold-up chair, and a gong.

With two people eliminated, I was desperately short on chips, with the blinds to hit me and reduce my stack by about half in two hands. I went all-in, and because I hadn’t played many hands everyone respected my raise and folded. Even winning just the small and big blind increased my stack by about 25%. Next hand, I went all-in again, and again everyone folded and I picked up the blinds. From the looks of the players’ faces, I could tell some of them were questioning whether I really had two good hands in a row, or even one good hand of the two. I knew the next time I went all-in I had better expect to get called.

Two hands later, I looked down to find A♣A♥. Nice to have the best starting hand in Texas Hold’em when you know people will call you! I was able to more than double my chip stack and get out of the danger zone for a while. I ended up in fourth place, and got the gong as my prize. Congratulations to Jon, Randi, and Craig, who finished top three.

I changed my Facebook profile pic to the one above with the gong. It’s the first time I’ve changed my profile pic since I joined Facebook.

That’s it for now. I’ll lead off at the Silly Goose after I get home from work. Should be a fun night with lots of Florida and Dayton folks arriving in town.