Category: Uncategorized

Wow. What a College Football Saturday that was.

The biggest news is that 1 Alabama got knocked off its perch by unranked Texas A&M in a 41-38 upset. Jimbo Fisher became the first former assistant to beat Nick Saban. Bama’s loss, combined with 4 Penn State’s loss to 3 Iowa, blows the doors wide open for Cincinnati to step into a playoff spot.

I would have preferred Arkansas to beat Ole Miss, but you can’t argue with 60 minutes of exciting football. I watched the game with friends at Max’s Sports Bar and as early as the first quarter we were saying, “This could go down to the very last minute, the very last play,” and that’s exactly what happened. Arkansas coach Sam Pittman opted to go for 2 following a touchdown with no time left on the clock. Ole Miss’ defense shut the play down to win 52-51.

Then there was the Red River Rivalry, in which Oklahoma looked dead on arrival by the end of the first quarter. Their backup quarterback rallied late in the game to pull out the 55-48 win over Texas. Let me tell you, between that game and Arkansas-Ole Miss, I bet the crowd at Max’s Sports Bar could be heard a few blocks away.

One college football game that was NOT a highlight was the Memphis Tigers’ third straight loss in a row, to Tulsa 35-29. Even worse, this time the Tigers don’t have a full week to identify what went wrong and fix it. The Tigers host Navy in a Thursday night game at 6:30 on ESPN. I’m sure decision-makers in the Big 12 will be watching that game, Tigers, so get it together.

The DM has a preview of the autonomous robots and logistics conference coming to the convention center Tuesday-Thursday of this week. Here’s the official conference website.

The 7-day rolling average of new COVID cases per day in Shelby County continues to fall. Yesterday it was down to 211 and I wouldn’t be surprised to see us drop into the 100s this week. Here’s a link to James Aycock’s always-excellent COVID Week-in-Review.

Memphis 901 FC has an away match against San Antonio FC today. Every point in the standings counts as the club pushes toward the playoffs with 6 matches left in the regular season.

I visited the Farmers Market for the first time since June yesterday. I started to put my mask on, but then saw a “Masks required for the unvaccinated” sign so I took it back off and put it in my pocket. A completely reasonable policy for an outdoor market. I am so happy to see live music back at the Market. There are only 3 Saturdays left in the Market’s regular season.

If you want to drink some beer outside, today’s is the Memphis Zoo’s Zootoberfest. I’ll have news on another beer festival in the coming days as well.

You never know where I might pop up today. Back tomorrow with more news.

Saturday is not normally a day when most people think about jobs, yet it’s the day I find myself with a lot of jobs news to pass on. All of the below were posted to social media yesterday.

From The Gray Canary, the Hudman/Ticer restaurant in Old Dominick:

Are you looking for the next step in your hospitality career? The Gray Canary is looking for an Assistant General Manager. This full time, salaried position is offered a competitive salary, PTO and an opportunity for upward mobility. Join us in serving the downtown community! Email nick@enjoyam.com to apply.

From the Peabody Hotel:

The Peabody Memphis is hiring for all positions, including in Guest Services, Housekeeping, Front Desk, Reservations, Restaurants and Bars. Full-Time, Part-Time and On-Call positions available. Upward mobility to Leadership roles. Excellent benefits, including medical, dental, vision, short/long term disability, life insurance, and 401(k). Apply online at PeabodyMemphis.com.

From the City of Memphis:

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at our latest series, Hot Jobs Roll Call featuring Stan Bell! Every week, we are highlighting a job with the City of Memphis. Check out our latest episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF6FYZfIQdLStVbL8jN8R-CYO8T89w1b0

From New Memphis:

Don’t forget! #NewMemphis is hiring! Apply to be the Leadership Programs Specialist today to be a part of something bigger than yourself while working to activate, develop and retain the talent of our city! NewMemphis.org/Careers

It’s International Beer and Pizza Day. Best places to celebrate are Slim & Husky’s, Silly Goose, Aldo’s Pizza Pies, and Wiseacre Downtown/Little Bettie.

It’s also Submarine/Hoagie/Grinder Day. River Time Market & Deli in Court Square would be my pick to celebrate that holiday.

And it’s National Chess Day and the Memphis Chess Club on Madison will have an all-day-long celebration.

Learn nightclub two-step tonight in Fourth Bluff Park with a free lesson presented by Cat’s Ballroom. Dance to the music of Al Green, The Drifters, and Smokey Robinson. This is part of a Fall Back dance series, with rumba lessons coming to the park in November and push-pull swing in December.

For those of you who love South Main, here’s your chance to get a South Main address for only $355 a month.

A.W. Willis Ave. is back open following a long period of construction.

Paint Memphis hosts a mural festival today, turning an empty building at B.B. King Blvd. and Georgia Ave. into a work of art. An after-party nearby at Carolina Watershed kicks off at 7 PM.

As I’ve said this week, aluminum prices have been affecting the availability of PBR in Downtown Memphis lately. Local 24 reports that your Thanksgiving dinner could be affected too. If canned goods are part of your Turkey Day plan, you better start looking for them now.

On Saturday, the Orpheum will offer a tour in Spanish of the historic theater as well as games and activities with local Teaching Artists. Sign up for the tour here

Man, I’d like to be a fly on the wall tomorrow evening at Silly Goose when the bartender announces last call at 6:30 PM. That crowd is going to be PISSED.

There are three football games I want to watch at the 11:00 hour: Arkansas-Ole Miss, Oklahoma-Texas, and South Carolina-Tennessee. That rules out Bardog because there aren’t enough TVs. It looks like I’ll be pulling up a barstool at Max’s Sports Bar this morning, and if I leave early enough I can squeeze in a stop at the Farmers Market beforehand. Go Hogs, Boomer Sooner, and Go Gamecocks. Back tomorrow.

Well, I tried to upload a photo of my lunch yesterday, but I keep getting an HTTP error. I returned to the Thursday food truck rodeo in Court Square yesterday, my first visit since the pandemic shutdown. Longtime favorites like Smurfey’s Smokehouse, Mr. Frazier’s Fish Fry, and Rice Burner were there. All good options, but I decided to try a truck I had never ordered from before.

The Fry Guy caught my attention. They serve plates of loaded fries, with toppings like buffalo chicken, chili cheese, pulled pork BBQ, and fajita chicken or steak. The one that caught my attention, though, was the South Philly loaded fry plate. It’s Philly chicken or steak topped with mozzarella cheese, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and queso. That’s what I got, selecting steak as my protein choice.

It was very good, although I couldn’t help but think that a dash of A-1 sauce on top would really have set the flavor off. I’ll definitely be back to try some of The Fry Guy’s other offerings. You can choose hand-cut, seasoned, or sweet potato fries as the base of your meal. They do have a vegetarian offering for folks who don’t eat meat. Follow The Fry Guy on Facebook – Instagram

The big news yesterday was that 18 former NBA players have been charged with insurance fraud for chiropractic and dental work that never happened. Caught in the probe were former Grizzly “The Grindfather” Tony Allen and former Tiger Chris Douglas-Roberts. Allen was set to have his jersey retired by the Grizzlies in January. Another former Grizzly, Tony Wroten, was charged too. Remember Wroten? He’s the guy we drafted when Draymond Green was still on the board.

Bardog Tavern has announced they’re now fully back open. They open at 8 AM all five weekdays and 11 AM Saturday and Sunday. They stay open until 3 AM all seven days of the week.

Carolina Watershed will host Suck It Cancer Sunday this Sunday, October 10 starting at 6 PM. dudecalledtob, DJ Kaz, Half Def Tha Chef, and a special surprise guest will provide the entertainment. All donations collected will go toward breast cancer awareness.

A mixed-use development – apartments, retail, and parking – has been approved for the corner of Front and Vance. Apartment residents would be steps away from Gus’s.

Do you keep your bananas in the refrigerator? Stop that.

Random thing I learned on Facebook yesterday: There’s a hot sauce called Shit the Bed.

The DM has video of an unauthorized crew cutting down trees on public land in Martyrs Park on March 10.

Today is World Octopus Day. You can celebrate by getting the octopus at Curfew, the restaurant inside the Canopy Hotel at B.B. King Blvd. and Union. It’s Spanish octopus with celery slaw, crisp potatoes, and n’duja vinaigrette.

Kyrie Irving, one of the Brooklyn Nets’ star players along with Kevin Durant and James Harden, reportedly is refusing to get vaccinated. If he doesn’t, New York regulations state that he will not be able to play home games, nor will he be able to practice with the team at their home facility. The Nets would be heavy favorites to win the 2021-22 NBA title if Durant, Harden, and Irving were all on the floor for every game. Irving appears willing to endanger all of that because of his (to borrow a word from a local activist) “free-dumb.” What a jackass.

The Memphis Greek Festival returns today and tomorrow. It’s at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church at 573 N. Highland. Opa!

Hmmm… you know what? Normally I go to Bardog early in the morning on Labor Day, but this year I couldn’t, because they were closed. So it seems as though I owe myself a Bardog day… now that they’re fully back on a regular schedule, why not today? Back tomorrow with more news.

Happy anniversary to Feelin’ Memphis! The gift shop at 509 S. Main opened October 7, 2020. If you’re looking to pick up some Memphis mementos curated by locals who love our city, there is no better place to shop. They’re open daily 9 AM to 6 PM.

In other anniversary news, Carolina Watershed will celebrate 1 year under current ownership Friday, October 15. DJ MO will be on the deck, Jack Trillmore will perform live with a single release, and Trevor Berryhill will kick off the pre-show at 7:30. Main show opens at 9, and you can get in for a $5 cover before 10. There will be drink deals to celebrate the anniversary. This is a 21 and up show.

Road trip: The World Cheese Dip Championship happens at the River Market Pavilion in Little Rock this Sunday.

Best of Arkansas Sports has an interesting article on what Arkansas coach Sam Pittman and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin need to do to get their teams on par with Georgia and Alabama.

Bardog is once again opening at 8 AM Wednesday through Friday. Not sure if not being open at 8 Monday and Tuesday is temporary or permanent. I’ll try to find out, although it may take a week because I don’t plan on being there Saturday.

The South Main Association has announced its South Main Social for October on the 12th at 6 PM. It’ll be at Longshot, the shuffleboard bar in the basement of the Arrive Hotel at South Main and Butler (entrance is around the corner on Butler). SMA members will enjoy complimentary beer from Wiseacre, and signature cocktails and bites will be available. A representative of the hotel will speak, as will folks from Clean Memphis, Vice & Virtue, and the Downtown Memphis Commission.

Thanks to my friend Jason who shared two extremely yummy varieties of buffalo chicken dip yesterday:

Jennifer Westwood and Dylan Dunbar will be the featured entertainment tonight at Live at the Tracks at the Central Station Hotel.

Premier Rugby Sevens comes to AutoZone Park this Saturday, and they have announced an exciting partnership with Ghost River Brewing Company. Ghost River will host the athletes and fans at their Beale Street taproom Friday 6 to 10. They’ll stream Saturday’s tournament in their taproom and host the official after-party.

There will be a new one-night festival called Memphis Music on Main which will coincide with South Main Trolley Night Friday, October 29. It will happen on two stages, the south stage by the Arcade restaurant and the north stage by the Orpheum. Featured performers will include

• Sourhern Avenue
• North Mississippi Allstars
• Al Kapone
• The Prvlg
• Dottie

This is a free event and Halloween costumes are welcome. The event is part of Memphis Music Month.

The Design Review Board approved the Downtown Mobility Center yesterday. The facility will be immediately north of the Orpheum, bordered by Front, Peabody Place, Main, and Beale, and it is expected to solve a lot of Downtown’s parking problems.

From Lifehacker: How to get free food from Wendy’s every day in October. Wendy’s wants people to try their new hot & crispy fries, and they’re pushing the combo of the fries and a Frosty to dip them in. So, for October, anytime you buy fries, you get a small Frosty for free. You have to use the Wendy’s app to secure the deal. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up. I bet she has a map on her wall with the location of every Wendy’s in her area pinpointed.

Memphis 901 FC plans to Pink Out the Pitch in support of breast cancer awareness for their 6 PM home match against Atlanta United FC on Saturday, October 16. A portion of all ticket sales will be donated to The Cancer Patient Fund at Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation. ​

Memphis’ soccer club continues on a roll, defeating Sporting Kansas City II yesterday 3-1. 901 FC remains in 4th place in the Central Divison in the USL standings, now a full 3 points ahead of Oklahoma City. Memphis is now only one point away from catching Tulsa for 3rd place. Top 4 teams in the division advance to the playoffs when the regular season ends.

Bass Pro will have a national hiring event for seasonal/holiday positions October 13 and 14 from 11 AM to 7 PM.

If you go to the food truck rodeo in Court Square today, you’re in for a treat of the musical variety. As You Were, a rock band with the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, travels the country showing potential soldiers that there’s more to the Army than you might imagine. They’ll perform noon to 1. They will also have a gaming trailer set up in the gazebo. At least 10 food trucks are expected to be in the park. The weather will be beautiful, so come on out!

75 representatives from all 30 teams were in town to check out Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers for pro day yesterday.

Artist Theaster Gates has been commissioned to create a major installation for the renovated Tom Lee Park. The artwork will challenge viewers to put others ahead of themselves, as Tom Lee did in his Mississippi River rescue.

There will be an Autonomous Robots & Logistics Conference happening at the Sheraton Tuesday through Thursday of next week.

I found out this week why there’s a shortage of PBR in cans: There’s a nationwide aluminum shortage, and canners are prioritizing the high-dolla craft beers and seltzers. Going to a bar and being told there’s no PBR is like coming downstairs on Christmas morning to find that Santa had visited but didn’t leave any presents under the tree.

Bring your dog to music bingo at Grind City Brewery tonight 7-9 PM and get an extra bingo card. Hollywood Feed will be there with prizes and treats.

It’s ’90s trivia night at Cordelia’s Market tonight 6:30-8:30.

It’s Memphis House Mafia Weekend with events at Carolina Watershed and Canvas.

The Gene & Gary Duo will play Downtown Huey’s Sunday at 3 PM.

Thinking about getting involved in a neighborhood association again. I was a member of the DNA from the time I moved down here through 2007 and the SMA through 2010. I guess it makes more sense to re-join the DNA since I don’t live in the South Main Arts District (although my address is on South Main).

I’m going to hit the food truck rodeo at 11 and take food home to eat, then come back at 12 to catch a little of the As You Were Band. Following that I’ll go someplace that has 16-ounce PBR. I plan to watch the first half of Thursday Night Football (Seahawks vs. Rams) at Blind Bear and the second half at home. Back tomorrow with more news.

The Memphis Grizzlies-Milwaukee Bucks pre-season game last night was called off by the NBA after three quarters due to a fire alarm that went off at FedExForum. The Grizzlies were declared the winners, 87-77.

The NBA released the results of its annual general manager survey yesterday. When asked which player was most likely to have a breakout season in 2021-22, the most popular GMs’ answer was Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Grizzlies.

Did you know that Downtown is getting another brewery? Soul & Spirits is opening at 845 N. Main, about a half-mile north of A.W. Willis Ave. near the intersection of Main and Henry. Their first two beers are Bring it On Home, a lager, and Hoochie Coochie, an IPA. Their website says that they are hiring. They plan to have a taproom. They will make an appearance at the Cooper-Young Beerfest this Saturday.

Multiple people who work at the Silly Goose have told me the wood-fired pizza and cocktail lounge will start closing at 7 on Sunday evenings. It will still be open until 3 AM the other six nights of the week.

The award-winning New Wing Order food truck will come to the Gayoso House apartments this Thursday from 4:30-7:30.

Central Station Hotel will hold an on-site job fair next Wednesday, October 13, to hire for the following positions:

• Guest Services Agent
• Night Auditor
• Room Attendants
• Public Space Attendants
• Bartenders
• Restaurant Servers
• Cooks
• Host/Hostess
• Banquet Servers
• Banquet Manager

Be prepared to be interviewed on the spot at the job fair.

Dancing with the Stars Live comes to the Orpheum on March 1.

Tickets go on pre-sale tomorrow and on sale to the general public Friday for the December 6 live broadcast of WWE Monday Night Raw at FedExForum. The arena might want to update its banner image for that event – two of the stars featured prominently, Charlotte Flair and Drew McIntyre, got traded to Smackdown this week.

Check out Tennessee’s new license plate design.

Android users: Watch out for apps that send notifications saying you’ve won a gift. These apps are Trojan horses, programs that appear to do something desirable, but actually do malicious things behind the scenes. In particular, these apps ask you for your phone number, and when you give it, they subscribe you to a premium SMS service charging $40 a month.

Twitter is rolling out Twitter for Professionals, for anyone who uses Twitter to do business.

Fine-dining restaurant Flight is hiring a server assistant.

Today is National Noodle Day. My recommendation would be to celebrate it at Good Fortune Co. on South Main, where they cook Asian dishes with handmade noodles.

For the first time in 25 years, the Trumpster fell off the Forbes 400 list of the richest people in the U.S. That’s gotta be quite a blow to his ego.

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

Lots of news about The Edge District to lead off this morning’s post.

This Friday, October 8, there will be a free concert at Edge Plaza (Monroe & Marshall) from noon to 1 PM featuring Iris Orchestra. Food trucks Mr. Frazier’s Fish Fry and Stick’em will be on hand, so come hungry. Also, if you want to take a tour of the Edge Motor Museum down the street, tickets will be discounted to $5.

This year’s Edge Motorfest will be this Saturday, October 9 from 9 AM to 3 PM. The festival is free to attend, but if you want to enter a car in the car show it’s $20. Awards will be handed out in over 20 categories including street rods, motorcycles, muscle cars, tuners, and modifieds. There will be goodie bags for those who enter as well as door prizes.

Next Tuesday, October 12 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM, the Edge Neighborhood Association will partner with Streetdog Foundation for Yappy Hour at the Edge Triangle dog park at the corner of Orleans and Monroe Extended. Bring your dogs for a costume contest, refreshment, and giveaways. See you next Tuesday on The Edge!

Details are yet to come, but Tuesday, November 9 will be the Memphis Medical Center District’s annual Taste of the District.

The Medical Center District recently interviewed Sean Robinson of Cozy Corner BBQ. Sean is the grandson of the original owners who opened the business in 1977.

NOTE: All of the information above came from the latest issue of The Vitals, the Memphis Medical District Collaborative’s monthly email. Sign up to receive The Vitals on the MMDC website.

British Invasion cover band Jeffrey and the Pacemakers will play Ghost River’s Beale Street location Sunday, October 17 from 4 to 7 PM. If you’ve near heard these guys, they are excellent and you should check them out. They play the hits of the Kinks, the Animals, Herman’s Hermits, and other British Invasion bands including the two most well-known of all of them, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

When I went to Rhodes College, my parking decal was a point of pride – it let everyone know I was associated with that fine institution. But now, according to this DM article, Rhodes students are being advised to remove their parking decals from their cars. It seems that the decals are sending the message to criminals that there is nice stuff in the house the car is parked at. Prayers for all who knew Drew Rainier, the Rhodes student killed in a home invasion over the weekend.

Michael Donahue reports for the Memphis Flyer that The Rambler, a boutique apartment hotel at the corner of Main and Huling, is now open for business. An “apartment hotel” is a hotel whose rooms are designed like apartments, which makes them good for longer stays – for example, for someone who’s in town on business for six weeks.

Facebook and Instagram were down for more than 6 hours yesterday. The outage is said to have happened during a routine update to Facebook’s Border Gateway Protocol records. Glad to hear it wasn’t a hack or a denial of service attack.

Windows 11 launches today.

Today is National Get Funky Day.

Tonight is opening night for Come From Away, the first Broadway show at the Orpheum in more than a year and a half.

Memphis Health Center at 277 S. Fourth is holding a job fair today.

That’s the news for this morning. Disappointed that WWE didn’t use the storyline idea I pitched in yesterday’s post. Back tomorrow with more news.

I’m looking at the Memphis 10-day forecast on Weatherbug. Every high is between 75 and 82. Every low is between 64 and 68. PERFECT. We get to have a fall this year. It seems like, in recent years, the highs have stayed around 88 until the middle of October, then dropped like a rock into the 50s.

Cordelia’s Market has announced that beginning today, they will no longer offer their made-to-order sandwich and pizza menus after 4 PM. The reason why is that they’re expanding their line of ready-to-eat dinners, desserts, and sandwiches in their hot box, as well as grab & go offerings in their cooler.

The Daily Memphian has a recap of the Grizzlies’ open practice yesterday, including videos from the rookie dance contest. The first pre-season game is Tuesday at 7 PM, when the Grizzlies will host the 2021 NBA champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, at FedExForum. You can catch the game on TNT.

If you agree with me that the Grizzlies Grannies & Grandpas dance team performances are the best part of attending a game, you’ll want to mark Saturday, October 9 on your calendar. The Grannies and Grandpas will have their first show of the year as the Grizzlies host Atlanta. Come cheer my sweet friend Luanne who is new to the dance team this season!

CBS Sports has updated its bowl projections following week 4 of college football. With Alabama and Georgia both projected for the college football playoff, that clears the way for the number-three team in the SEC, currently Arkansas, to take the spot in the Sugar Bowl. CBS projects a rematch with Texas for the Hogs.

Memphis’ projection is a December 29 appearance at the Fenway Bowl in Boston, playing Louisville. Current projection for Memphis’ Liberty Bowl is Iowa State vs. Mississippi State. Of course, there’s still a lot of football to be played.

Oh, one more… Clemson, a fixture in the playoff since its inception, is now projected to play in the Cheez-it Bowl. Oh how the mighty have fallen. If anyone cares, Kansas State is their projected opponent.

From the CA: City leaders hoped a $30M grant would transform Foote Park at South City. Why it hasn’t worked.

If you’re still on the fence about getting vaccinated, here’s a piece of info that may sway you: If you are identified by the health department as a close contact of someone who has COVID-19, you are required to quarantine – UNLESS you’re fully vaccinated or have had the virus yourself in the last 3 months. Getting those shots is insurance against an unwanted interruption to your routine.

Redbirds fans: Your parent team the St. Louis Cardinals have made it to the National League Wild Card Game. The Cards play the Los Angeles Dodgers at 7:10 PM Wednesday. The game will be televised on TNT, and Wainwright vs. Scherzer is the starting pitcher matchup.

Fun link I found in today’s Morning Brew newsletter: The most counterintuitive facts in all of math, computer science, and physics. Here’s one customers of Aldo’s Pizza Pies should keep in mind: If you order two 12-inch pizzas, you get less pizza than if you order one 18-inch pizza.

It’s National Taco Day, so of course Maciel’s is my lunch recommendation Downtown.

All the times and TV channels have been announced for next Saturday’s college football games, so let’s go ahead and look at games of interest to Memphians:

• 15 Coastal Carolina at Arkansas State, Thursday, October 7, 6:30 PM, ESPNU
• Temple at 5 Cincinnati, Friday, October 8, 6:00 PM, ESPN
• 6 Oklahoma at 21 Texas, 11:00 AM, ABC
• 13 Arkansas at 17 Ole Miss, 11:00 AM, ESPN
• South Carolina at Tennessee, 11:00 AM, ESPN2
• 2 Georgia at 18 Auburn, 2:30 PM, CBS
• 4 Penn State at 3 Iowa, 3:00 PM, FOX
• LSU at 16 Kentucky, 6:30 PM, SEC Network
• 1 Alabama at Texas A&M, 7:00 PM, CBS
• Memphis at Tulsa, 8:00 PM, ESPN2

With that 11 AM lineup, I’m going to have to give some consideration to Max’s Sports Bar as a potential lead-off spot Saturday. Also, the PBR draft at Max’s is $1.25 cheaper than the place I usually go on Saturday.

A 4th-ranked vs. 3rd-ranked showdown? Sounds like that could be Cincy’s ticket into a playoff slot.

The Texas-Oklahoma game might very well determine who takes the Big 12’s spot in the Sugar Bowl.

All right, if you’re not a WWE fan, you’re dismissed. See you tomorrow.

Fantasy booking the second night of the WWE draft: The Usos get drafted to Monday Night Raw, which makes Paul Heyman blow a gasket because Jey and Jimmy have orders to beat the life out of Paul if he can’t get the Usos drafted to Smackdown.

So Paul Heyman proposes a match: The Usos vs. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. Winner gets to pick their brand; loser has to accept their draft assignment.

Kingston and Woods win the match and choose to stay on Raw with their New Day stablemate, WWE Champion Big E. The Usos put a beatdown on Paul Heyman as directed by their Tribal Chief, Universal Champion Roman Reigns. Brock Lesnar comes out to save his former adviser from the Usos, and the two reunite against the Bloodline in advance of the Reigns-Lesnar match in Saudi Arabia later this month.

Just an idea. Back tomorrow with more news, if there’s enough news to report.

The Liberty Bowl, home of Memphis Tigers football, will be renamed Simmons Bank Memorial Stadium. Allowing Simmons to acquire the naming rights will provide money for significant improvements, another move in the right direction for Memphis to get invited to a Power Five conference.

Let’s have a look at college football games of interest to Memphians today:

• Memphis at Temple, 11 AM, ESPNU
• 8 Arkansas at 2 Georgia, 11 AM, ESPN
• Tennessee at Missouri, 11 AM, SEC Network
• 7 Cincinnati at 9 Notre Dame, 1:30 PM, NBC
• 12 Ole Miss at 1 Alabama, 2:30 PM, CBS
• Arkansas State at Georgia Southern, 3 PM, ESPN+
• Mississippi State at 15 Texas A&M, 6 PM, SEC Network
• 21 Baylor at 19 Oklahoma State, 6 PM, ESPN2
• 22 Auburn at LSU, 8 PM, ESPN

I hate it that the Memphis game and the Arkansas game are on at the same time for the second week in a row. The Arkansas-Georgia game is probably the most important college game of the week, because it has CFP implications. However, every game Memphis plays right now is an important one – the better the Tigers’ record, the more likely an invite to a Power Five conference. Memphis deserves to be on the most prominent TV in the bar. I’ll watch Arkansas on the ESPN app if I have to.

Saturday, October 9 is National Chess Day, and the Memphis Chess Club will celebrate by holding tournaments giving away nearly $2000 in prizes.

Deni from the Majestic Grille posted some useful information yesterday: Those of you who work in restaurants and bars who got the Pfizer COVID vaccine are now eligible for a booster shot, due to your high-risk occupational status. It has to be at least 6 months since your last shot. Get your booster free at the Pipkin Building, Tuesday-Friday 9-6, Saturday-Sunday 9-1. You’ll need to bring your vaccination card. No need to make an appointment, just show up.

The New Wing Order food truck has announced their flavor of the month for October: Raspberry Serrano wings. The sauce starts with sauteed onions, garlic, and serrano chiles, and the finish is done with raspberries, smoked paprika, and brown sugar. The truck will be at Memphis Made Brewing Co. on South Cooper today 4-7. I’ll let you know the next time they head Downtown.

Speaking of wings, I tried two flavors of Flying Saucer wings yesterday that I had not had before: Sriracha Gold and Nashville Hot. Both were very good!

Yesterday I posted that Little Bettie, the pizza restaurant inside Wiseacre Downtown, is adding 4 new pies to its menu. Do you want to make those pies? Little Bettie is hiring. Details here

Old Dominick Distillery will host a rooftop workout Thursday, October 21. Here’s the schedule:

• 6:00: Low impact, high-intensity workout with Shred Fitness
• 6:45: Yoga class led by Amy Lenkzus of Sumits Yoga
• 7:30: Cocktail time!

Cost is $23. In case of rain or cold weather the class will be moved indoors.

Let’s have a look at the non-basketball events coming up at FedExForum this month.

• The Lit AF Tour featuring Martin Lawrence along with Rickey Smiley, DeRay Davis, Tommy Davidson, B. Simone, and Benji Brown Friday, October 15
• The Dude Perfect 2021 Tour Saturday, October 16
• Legendz of the Streetz Tour: Rick Ross, Jeezy, Gucci Mane, 2 Chains, Fabolous, Boosie Badazz, with DJ Drama Friday, October 22
• Kane Brown with Jordan Davis and Restless Road Saturday, October 23
• Lil Baby with Gunna, 42 Dugg, and Mooski Friday, October 29

There will be lane closures on the I-55 bridge for routine inspection Monday through Thursday 9 AM-5 PM.

Good news: The rolling 7-day average of new COVID cases in Shelby County fell below 300 yesterday, at 282. It was the first time below 300 since late July.

Anchor Eryn Rogers tried goat for the first time as she ate Panamanian cuisine from Downtown restaurant Curry N Jerk. Check out the Eryn Eats segment on Local 24.

KJ Wild performs at South Main Sounds tonight 6:30-8:00. That’s a duo, although the name sounds like a single performer.

The Memphis Salsa Convention is happening this weekend at Rumba Room.

That’s it for today. I guess I will venture out to Bardog to watch football here in a bit. Back tomorrow with more news.

Broadway returns to the Orpheum next week as the hit musical Come From Away will run 8 shows Tuesday through the following Sunday. Down the street, the Majestic Grille will have a Broadway’s Back on the Bluff celebration on opening night, Tuesday, October 5. From 5 to 7 that night, the Majestic will hold a Red Carpet Happy Hour on the patio. They’ll have Old Dominick drink specials, live music, and a pre-theater menu. Call 901-522-8555 to reserve your spot on the patio for that evening.

Grind City Brewing Co. hosts its Oktoberfest, also its first-anniversary celebration, tomorrow. Here’s a summary of what will happen there:

• Custom Grind City beer steins for sale
• Vendors: Viva La Plant, Queen Styles Boutique, My Cup of Tea
• Food trucks: Diamond Dave’s, Flying Saucer, Arbo’s, Wolf River Popcorn
• Mighty Souls Brass Band 3-5
• Elevation Memphis 6:30-9:30
• Axe throwing 2-5; axe throwing competition at 4
• Inflatable slide
• Cornhole
• Giant Jenga
• Hook and ring game
• Bratwurst toss competition 1 PM
• Bratwurst eating competition 2 PM
• Stein holding competition 6 PM

Riverside Drive between Beale and Union will be closed tomorrow for Wine on the River (sold out).

The annual Memphis holiday parade is set for Saturday, December 11 at 3 PM on Beale Street. Thank you Memphis for not scheduling the parade for the first Saturday in December. There is too much that goes on that day (St. Jude Marathon, AAC and SEC championship games, Stumbling Santa).

I went in the Blind Bear yesterday evening and I noticed the bartenders glancing at each other like, “Who’s going to tell Paul his puppy got run over?” After a minute, Maddie gave me the news: “We’re out of PBR.” That turned out to be okay, though, because I got to try something new and delicious:

Memphis Made FUN is a crisp, refreshing lime seltzer. I could drink this all day long. I wish I had discovered this a few weeks ago when the feels-like temperature outside was 106. I felt like I should be on the patio drinking this, but it was raining and Perjorie T. Roll didn’t want to get her hair wet.

As for the PBR situation at the Bear, never fear… the GM told me they have 3 cases coming in today.

Little Bettie, the pizza restaurant inside Wiseacre Downtown, has announced some new pies on its menu:

• Yabba Dabba Nduja – Corn, nduja, cheesy mayo, mozzarella, shaved garlic (Wondering WTF nduja is? Wikipedia to the rescue)
• Luca Changretta – Tomato sauce, shrimp, lemon conserva, capers, Calabrian chiles, bread crumbs
• Cosmic Trigger – Tomato sauce, mushroom conserva, garlic, thyme, black pepper honey, cheese
• The Mountain – Beer-braised Mississippi pot roast, banana peppers, pickled cabbage, cheese, ricotta cream

The CHF Race for Hope 5K and 10K are tomorrow in Court Square. Proceeds benefit the Chris Hope Foundation, a nonprofit that assists families battling childhood illness.

The McRib returns on November 1.

Tonight is Cosplay and Cocktails at Jerry Lee Lewis’ Cafe on Beale. $15 at the door. Must be 21.

That’ll do it for today. Back tomorrow with more news.

The Memphis Flyer’s Best of Memphis 2021 poll results have been released. There’s a BOM website but my God does it ever suck. You have to click into a category, then click into each individual award, then click the Back button to get back to the category page. Why couldn’t they just list all the Arts & Entertainment winners on one web page, and all the Food & Drink on another, and Goods & Services on another, and so on?

I just about guarantee a marketing person had some say in the way that site was designed. Marketing people screw up everything. Anyway, for an easier-to-read version of the awards, check out the online copy of this week’s print edition of the Flyer. Yeah you’ll have to zoom in and out but that’s preferable to 140 clicks of the Back button.

The annual AutoZone sales meeting happened this week, the first convention to be held in the renovated Renasant Convention Center. Normally the meeting draws 5000 from across the U.S., but to maintain social distancing the number dropped this year. Attendees were required to be vacc’d against COVID and produce a negative test. Thank you AutoZone for doing the right thing and preventing the spread of COVID among your valued employees and in our community!

The Brass Door has added outdoor seating. You can grab a table under their new weather-resistant awning.

FedExForum posted an update on its plan to keep game and event attendees safe from COVID. Most notably, they’re going to implement a CLEAR Health Pass to keep lines moving faster. Attendees will be able to upload their vaccine card and negative test results to the CLEAR app on their phone, and those who do so will receive priority entry into the arena.

Tiger fans, take note: The U of M does not plan to offer refunds for those turned away from Tigers basketball games because they’re not compliant with the vaccine/test rules.

Regina’s Cajun Kitchen in the Lincoln-American Tower at 60 N. Main is back open. Tuesdays through Thursdays they are open for lunch 11 AM-2 PM and for dinner 5 PM-10 PM. Saturdays they are only open for dinner 5 PM-10 PM.

There was a rally on the Civic Center Plaza yesterday, but it was a bunch of kooks, crackpots, and people who think taking a horse de-wormer prevents coronavirus, so I’m not going to provide a link and give them publicity.

There’s a free show by Boombox tonight at Carolina Watershed. The music is described as “A little house, a little blues, a little funk, a little rock, and a whole lot of soul blast” – anything you would hear coming out of a boombox.

Congratulations to Daryl and Ashley of Walking Pants Curiosities. The gift shop and art un-general store celebrated its 5th anniversary yesterday. They say there’s a big announcement coming in the next couple of weeks.

Tug’s Casual Grill will celebrate Oktoberfest every Friday in October, starting tomorrow. They’ll serve a menu of classic German dishes and Oktoberfest biers.

If you’re looking for something fun to do tonight, come check out Bad Bear Bingo at the Blind Bear tonight at 8. They have a variety of games including traditional bingo, four corners, and fill-the-card. If you bingo, you get to spin the wheel for a chance at prizes including $5 or $10 off food at a future visit, a $1 Fireball shot, or you’re the password (e.g. “(Your name) sent me”) on a future weekend night. Sharmin is a fabulous bingo host!

Signups are now open for Memphis in May’s BBQ Fest judging seminar. If you want to be a judge at BBQ Fest – or regional competitions in towns like Atoka, Marion, and Southaven – this is the place to start. Also, many BBQ teams send their cook teams and leadership to the seminar, to get a better idea what judges look for. It’ll be Saturday, November 6 at the Sheraton Hotel Downtown. Cost is $99.

Today is the final day Bardog will be closed all day for repairs and renovations. I talked to one of their bartenders last night and she told me they will return to their normal weekday opening time of EIGHT AM beginning tomorrow (they’d been opening at noon on the weekdays).

I hope they get the downstairs open for weekend brunch, too. As someone who’s normally up there on Saturdays, I can tell you, they have been flushing piles of money away by not having it open. Last Saturday, at least 8 groups came in, found there was a long wait for seating because only upstairs was open, and decided to go somewhere else for brunch.

Up the road in St. Louis, the Rolling Stones performed their first concert without drummer Charlie Watts. Watts died last month after 58 years with the band. Watts wasn’t going to do this tour anyway and gave his personal approval to drummer Steve Jordan, so the band decided to respect his wishes and carry on. Mick is 78, Keith is 77, and Ronnie is 74. Which’ll happen first – final Stones concert ever, or Tom Brady retires?

The Arkansas Razorbacks made my favorite statistical analysis website, FiveThirtyEight! Alex Kirshner discusses how Arkansas revived its football program.

Whaddaya think of this unlikely scenario: Arkansas upsets one of Georgia or Bama and goes on to beat Ole Miss. Cincinnati runs the table. The playoff committee has to decide who gets the 4 seed in the CFP.

Beautiful house for rent if you don’t mind living in a sorta-sketchy area: 309 Hernando

YOGA! There will be a special yoga class in the yard of Slider Inn Downtown Sunday, October 17 at 10:30 AM. Funds raised from the class will go toward participation in the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans race, which benefits St. Jude. $20 gets you a one-hour class instructed by Kandace Stewart and a ticket good for an order of fries or a beer. Bring your own yoga mat. Mask is optional while doing yoga but is required to enter Slider Inn.

Former City Councilperson Barbara Swearengen Ware has died. She was 82.

That’s it for today. I’ve got some maintenance work I plan to do today on my previously-written professional articles – I want to give their SEO a tune-up and add some monetization tools that were not available when I wrote them. I’ll be out for Bad Bear Bingo this evening, so if anyone from the Bear is reading this, time to re-stock your PBR – I drank the last can last night. Back tomorrow with more news.