Paul Ryburn's Journal

Yesterday was not a good day to be a Memphis Tigers football fan. The team lost to ECU on a last-minute decision by head coach Ryan Silverfield. Memphis was prepared to kick an extra point to tie the game at 30 and send it into a second overtime. But ECU called a timeout to ice the kicker, and that gave Silverfield time to change his mind and go for a two-point conversion. Memphis didn’t get it.

The DM’s Geoff Calkins made a point (subscriber-only link) I agree with completely: It’s not that Memphis went for 2 at the end of a particular game; it’s that they’re not putting 50 or 60 points on the board in every game as they were a few years ago.

So the Tigers fall to 5-5 and have two games left to get bowl-eligible.

• Friday, November 19 at Houston – ESPN FPI has Houston an 80% favorite to win
• Saturday, November 27 at Tulane – ESPN FPI has Memphis a 72.7% favorite to win. Only 72.9% despite Tulane having only 1 win and 0 conference wins this year.

It wasn’t a good day to be a Grizzlies fan either. The Grizzlies now sport a below .500 record following a loss to New Orleans last night, and they have dropped to 9th place in the NBA’s Western Conference. Next up for the Grizz: At home vs. the Houston Rockets, 7 PM Monday.

In better news for Memphis, the men’s basketball Tigers beat North Carolina Central, 90-51. Next: a home game vs. the Saint Louis Billikens, 7 PM Tuesday.

Cincinnati didn’t get the help it needed to move into the CFP top four. Georgia gave the Tennessee Vols the expected beating, and Alabama, Oregon, and Ohio State won their games.

Top 25 teams who lost: 8 Oklahoma (to 13 Baylor), 11 Texas A&M (to 15 Ole Miss), 16 NC State (to 12 Wake Forest), 17 Auburn (to Mississippi State)

Arkansas beat LSU in overtime, 16-13. The Hogs have Alabama next week. The Crimson Tide are not playing like a national championship team and if the game were in Fayetteville, I’d give Arkansas about a 20% chance. It’s on the road though.

Tug’s Casual Grill is giving away a $10 gift card with the purchase of a $50 gift card, or a $25 gift card with the purchase of a $100 gift card. Cards must be used in January 2022.

Redbird Rants advises fans to keep an eye on a pitcher named Andre Pallante, considered the most underrated prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals system. He spent much of last season at Double-A Springfield, and could be on the Redbirds’ roster on Opening Day.

Chris Gales plays the Memphis Clover Club inside Hotel Indigo Thursday night.

COVID Act Now has the reproduction rate of the virus in Shelby County at 1.11. That is not good. Greater than 1 indicates exponential spread. We had been below 1 for a couple of months and were at 0.74 just weeks ago. James Aycock took a well-deserved week off from his COVID Week-in-Review summaries, so I don’t have a link for that today.

Today is National Pickle Day. For the best possible celebration, get them on a Soul Burger at Earnestine & Hazel’s.

Want to shop local for your Thanksgiving dinner? Next Saturday, the Memphis Farmers Market will hold a special Turkey Day Market under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson. They’ll have all the proteins and veggies you need for your Thanksgiving dinner as well as arts and crafts vendors. The Market will open at 9 AM (not the usual opening time of 8 AM) and will run until 1 PM.

Project Green Fork hosts a dinner called Reharvest Memphis at Comeback Coffee Tuesday evening. Featured chefs will include

• Dory’s Dave Krog and Brandon Burke
• Good Fortune Co.’s Sarah Cai and Arturo Leighton
• Farm & Fig’s Dino Grisanti and Mark Henley
• Salt & Soy’s Brad McCarley

The chefs will serve one-of-a-kind hors d’oeuvres created from surplus food, in order to get people thinking about the connection between sustainability and food. There will also be local beers at the event, as well as cocktails from Old Dominick. Guests will be required to show proof of COVID vaccination or a negative test less than 72 hours old.

Jimmy James Band performs live at the Blues Hall on Beale 7-11 PM Sunday through Thursday of this week.

NutRemix, presented by New Ballet Ensemble and School, comes to the Cannon Center this Saturday. This is a modern remix of The Nutcracker, set on Beale Street.

The next-to-last event of the year at South Main Sounds, Southwriter Night, happens this Friday, November 19. Sarah Spain, Alexis Jade, Adria Hyde, and Laura Lang will provide the live music. Join them, won’t you?

Wow the first half of this work week looks gorgeous. WeatherBug has us at 63 tomorrow, only dropping to a low of 54 tomorrow night. Then we hit 74 Tuesday and 75 Wednesday before rain and cold weather move back in late Wednesday night. Looks like I’ll put the shorts back on tomorrow!

The Office @ Uptown at 594 N. Second Street reopens tomorrow for coffee and connection with your neighbors, and at 8:45 tomorrow morning they will host a Parks Not Parking press conference. They’ll share feedback gathered from the community about St. Jude’s planned 7-story parking garage at the corner of A.W. Willis and Third.

Carolina Watershed hosts a holiday Full Moon Market Friday night. Free entry and in addition to the vendors, there will be fire spinners, an art competition, and live music.

The Peabody hosts a conference for 4-H professionals Tuesday-Thursday of this week.

Have I mentioned lately that I hate my laptop’s trackpad? I’ll have a replacement computer in here Friday. Can’t wait.

Today is the start of my birthday week, and I plan for it to be a fantastic one. Not sure yet what my plan is for the actual day, which is Thursday. There’s a DNA meeting that night, but I see myself starting the celebration well before 5 PM so I might not be in a proper state of mind to mingle with Downtown dignitaries. I have 4 days to figure it out. I’ll be starting off the week with brunch at the Blind Bear today at 11. Posts may be hit-or-miss this week because of this stupid laptop, but hopefully, I’ll be back tomorrow with more news.

 

T… I… G… E… R… S… Both the Memphis Tigers football team and men’s basketball team have home games today. The football Tigers host East Carolina at the Liberty Bowl at 11 AM, and the basketball Tigers host North Carolina Central at FedExForum at 6 PM. ESPN+ is your TV outlet for both games.

The Grizzlies dropped to 6-6, and sole possession of 8th place in the Western Conference, with a home loss to the Phoenix Suns last night. Tonight the Grizzlies hit the road for a 6 PM game at New Orleans. Bally Sports SE will be your TV outlet.

Governor Lee allowed bills to become law yesterday that have several important implications for Shelby County:

• Power is consolidated under the governor during states of emergency. The six local health departments that operate independently of the state are mostly stripped of their autonomy. That means it’ll be harder for the Shelby County Health Department to impose stupid restaurant restrictions like no bar seating and food requirement when purchasing alcohol.
• Governments are banned from imposing mask mandates, except during times of extremely high community transmission. According to the CA, “extremely high” is defined as 1000 new cases per day per 100K. (The highest we saw during our most extreme surge thus far was about 125 new cases per day per 100K. At 1000 cases/day/100K, the wait times to get into a hospital would be a matter of weeks.)
• Private businesses are still allowed to mandate masks. The governor/legislature wanted to ban this too, but eased off on the advice of the business community.
• Governments and private businesses are banned from issuing vaccine mandates for employees and customers. So I guess this will be the end of the CLEAR Health Pass at FedExForum.

Ugh. I mostly don’t like the new rules. The inability to issue a mask mandate could make a fifth surge, if there is one, to spiral out of control. The CDC recommends even fully vaccinated people mask up when there are more than 50 new cases/day/100K in the community, and most likely I will keep an eye on that number and act accordingly. COVID Act Now has us at only 11.1 cases/day/100K this morning, so it’s safe for fully vaccinated people not to mask.

I’m a lot less likely to attend a Grizzlies or Tigers game this season without the protection of the CLEAR Health Pass. It’s a shame because the Grizzlies are a fantastic organization that did everything they could to protect their fans.

For those in the service and hospitality industry: Ben Yay’s has a deal for you on Thursday nights. From 10 PM to 1 AM, you can get $7 green tea shots, $5 Jameson, Jager, and Rumple Minze, and $2 off drafts, wines, and well drinks.

There will be a free Zumba class in the lot next to the Edge Motor Museum today at 1. David Quarles will lead the class. Registration is required and the first 30 registrants get an Edge-themed gift.

There will be a free rumba dance class in Fourth Bluff Park tonight from 6 to 7. It’s part of the Fall Back Dance Series presented by Cat’s Ballroom.

All right. I’ve had all I can stand of this laptop’s trackpad for one morning. Back tomorrow.

The Memphis Grizzlies host the Phoenix Suns tonight at 7 at FedExForum. First 5000 fans in attendance get a Brandon Clarke mini-hoop.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation released its report on its investigation of why a catastrophic crack in the I-40 bridge went unreported by inspectors for years. Two senior engineers were forced into retirement as a result of the findings.

There were 211 new COVID cases reported yesterday. Shelby County had been averaging more like 80-85 per day. Again, still not enough data to make the call for sure, but we need to be on the watch for a fifth surge.

There will be a Texas A&M Yell Practice at Handy Park tonight at 10 PM. The Aggies travel to Oxford to play Ole Miss tomorrow.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association has announced the list of guest speakers for its year-end meeting at the Renasant Convention Center on Thursday, November 18 (my birthday!):

• State Senator Raumesh Akbari
• State Senator Sara Kyle
• Judge Betty Thomas-Moore
• County Commissioner Mickell Lowery
• County Commissioner Van Turner
• Shelby County Trustee Regina Morrison-Newman
• City Councilman J.B. Smiley, Jr.
• Paul Young who runs DMC

There will also be a “State of Downtown” address, some awards will be handed out, and members will elect the 2022-24 board of directors. Social hour starts at 5 PM with a live band, then the meeting and presentation will begin at 6. If you haven’t seen the renovated Renasant Convention Center yet, this is your chance. The event is free for DNA members and $20 for non-members. Join DNA here

Uptown and Greenlaw residents are being asked to attend the BOA meeting on Wednesday, November 17 at 2 PM, 125 N. Main Street, to show their opposition to the planned St. Jude 7-story parking garage between North Third and North Fourth Streets on A.W. Willis.

Has anyone else who frequents the same places I do – meaning, the (adjective) (animal) bars in the Downtown core – had the chip on their debit card stop working? My debit card is only about 2 months old. I know one other person has had this problem and his card is fairly new too. Beginning to wonder if card reading equipment at one of those places is damaging the chips. My card still works, but you have to have it fail to read the chip 3 times and then it’ll allow you to swipe it.

A Memphis mom is in jail because she allegedly fired shots at two teenagers who know her son as they walked down Pontotoc Ave. Downtown.

The CA has a list of where to get Thanksgiving food to-go in Memphis. Among the Downtown options: Cordelia’s Market, Felicia Suzanne’s, LUNCHBOXeats, Memphis Soul, The Peabody Hotel.

Today is Happy Hour Day. My top recommendation for celebrating that day would be Silly Goose, which has happy hour Monday-Friday noon to 7:30, with $2 domestics (including PBR), $5 wells, and $5 house wines.

A truck loaded with grapes overturned at the I-40/I-240 interchange in Midtown this morning. Eastbound traffic was closed at the Danny Thomas exit.

Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis has vowed not to just cite individuals whose reckless driving endangers others, but take their cars away as well. She mentioned a focus on Downtown and the interstates.

The Magic Basement, featuring magic from the 1860s to the 1950s, happens tonight at the Woodruff-Fontaine House. You’ll be so close to the magic that you’ll practically be able to touch it. Tickets are $40 and face coverings are required.

Don’t forget that there’s a pop-up concert featuring Louise Page in The Edge District today at lunchtime.

Broke Tall Folk play The Vault tonight at 8.

Alexis White DJs the Rumba Room tonight at 9.

This laptop trackpad is driving me nuts but I managed to get this post done. Back tomorrow (probably) with more news.

 

 

Programming note: My laptop’s trackpad is clearly going out. Once I finish this post, I’m going to have to get on Amazon and order a new computer. If you don’t hear from me on this blog for a few days, that’s what’s going on.

Never, ever, ever buy an HP laptop. They are trash.

From the CA: 7-story parking garage will hinder essence of Uptown and Greenlaw neighborhoods, written by residents of those neighborhoods. St. Jude is proposing to build a 7-story parking garage on the block of A.W. Willis between North Third and North Fourth, a block residents consider the heart of their community. The plan for Uptown indicates that a park would be desirable in that location. Residents point out that St. Jude owns plenty of land in The Pinch, a more urban area in which a 7-story parking garage would be a better fit.

Holly has started her annual What’s open on Thanksgiving? post on the I Love Memphis blog.

From Food & Wine: Arby’s is releasing two vodkas. One tastes like curly fries, the other like crinkle fries.

Also from Food & Wine: A Mariah Carey menu hits McDonald’s next month with 12 days of free food. From December 13 to 24, the menu gives customers a free item with a minimum $1 purchase through the McDonald’s app. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

All right. This laptop is driving me nuts. I’m gonna call it a day. Back… sometime… with another post.

The Memphis Tigers got a victory over Tennessee Tech last night, 89-65. In case you’re wondering who the starters were, Penny went with Alex Lomax, DeAndre Williams, Lester Quinones, Emoni Bates, and Jalen Duren. Good news for the Tigers – Chandler Lawson’s transfer paperwork from Oregon was completed. He was eligible for last night’s game, and came off the bench.

Attention artists: Real 2 Reel Photography will host an artists’ show and sale on their patio and sidewalk December 3, 4, and 5. If you want to sell some of your art in time for Christmas, this might be just the show for you. Artists can call David at 901-508-7324 to make arrangements.

The CA has a look at the new Makeda’s Cookies bakery at 301 Jefferson. Makeda’s is famous for its butter cookies, and the new location doubles the space of the previous 488 S. Second location. They plan on adding 70 more grocery stores to their distribution in 2022, and their cookies will be available at Kroger.

Slightly disturbing: The 7-day rolling average of new COVID cases in Shelby County was 79 Saturday, 82 Sunday and Monday, and 88 yesterday. That’s far from enough data to suggest the beginning of a fifth surge but we need to keep an eye on that number.

The Grizzlies host the Charlotte Hornets tonight at 7. The game will be on Bally Sports Southeast. Dillon Brooks’ availability for tonight’s game has been upgraded to questionable. He’s been out so far this season recovering from hand surgery.

The Flyer’s Michael Donahue has photos from this past weekend’s Grind City Coffee Xpo at Wiseacre Downtown. He has some Trolley Night pics too.

The Peabody will become a special tourism tax zone to pay for future upgrades over the next 30 years, the DM reports. The current building housing the hotel opened in 1925 and there are a lot of behind-the-scenes upgrades that need to be done.

Renovation work has begun on the DMC’s building at the northeast corner of N. Main and Adams. The DMC is looking for “mission-aligned tenants” for the upper floors. Nonprofits and minority businesses are seen as good fits.

The Canopy Hotel across from AutoZone Park seeks a night auditor.

Now that the new CFP rankings are out, let’s have a look at this weekend’s college football games of interest to those in the Mid-South. All games to be played Saturday unless otherwise noted:

• 5 Cincinnati at South Florida, 5:00 PM Friday, ESPN2
• New Mexico State at 2 Alabama, 11 AM, SEC Network
• 8 Oklahoma at 13 Baylor, 11 AM, FOX
• Mississippi State at 17 Auburn, ESPN
• UCF at SMU, 11 AM, ESPNU
• East Carolina at Memphis, 11 AM, ESPN+
• Houston at Temple, 11 AM, ESPN+
• 1 Georgia at Tennessee, 2:30 PM, CBS
• 19 Purdue at 4 Ohio State, 2:30 PM, ABC
• Arkansas State at UL Monroe, 4:00 PM, ESPN+
• 11 Texas A&M at 15 Ole Miss, 6:00 PM, ESPN
• 16 NC State at 12 Wake Forest, 6:30 PM, ACC Network
• 25 Arkansas at LSU, 6:30 PM, SEC Network
• Washington State at 3 Oregon, 9:30 PM, ESPN

Cincinnati fans better put the TV on ABC at 2:30 and cheer like crazy for the Boilermakers. Purdue is Cincinnati’s ticket to the CFP.

The latest bowl projections have Kansas State and Mississippi State coming here to the Liberty Bowl on December 28. Sounds good. Mississippi State fans are cool and we know from previous Liberty Bowls that K-State fans travel extremely well.

It’s normal for people to complain about Facebook and what it selects to appear in people’s feeds, but I have to compliment Facebook on a recent decision its algorithm made for me. It decided I should be shown videos tagged with #babystabbies, which are of a mother cat and her four adorable kittens. As much arguing over politics as I see as I scroll through my news feed, the kittens are a welcome sight.

I had a few extra hours at home yesterday, so I upgraded my laptop to Windows 11. Not much different from Windows 10 other than the Start menu is not as good. Once this professional writing thing starts bringing in more income, I hope to get another MacBook.

Get outside and enjoy this day, because it will be the nicest one we have for a while. MemphisWeather.net has us at 72/58 with rain not arriving until after midnight. After the cold front moves through, we’re looking at 50s-60s highs and 30s-low 40s lows for a while.

That’ll do it for now. Back tomorrow.

It’s Tiger time! The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team kicks off the regular season with a home game vs. Tennessee Tech tonight at 7. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and 96.9 FM.

The Grizzlies scored an overtime win against the Minnesota Timberwolves last night to improve to 6-4. The Grizz are tied for 5th-7th place in the Western Conference with the Denver Nuggets and the L.A. Clippers. Next up: at home vs. Charlotte Wednesday night.

Bardog is raffling off a Memphis Made Brewing Co. cooler/foosball table combo. To enter, simply order a Memphis Made beer at Bardog. The drawing will be held Saturday, November 27 at 10 PM and you must be present to win.

Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe has posted its Thanksgiving catering menu for 2021. They have a variety of main courses including turkeys, chicken, and hams, and plenty of sides and Southern sweets.

ALSAC, the fundraising arm of St. Jude, will host a community meeting tonight from 5 to 6 PM at the Neighborhood Christian Center, 785 Jackson. The purpose of the meeting is to continue discussion about the proposed 7-story St. Jude parking garage along A.W. Willis Ave. They are asking all who attend to wear a face mask, and they can provide a mask if you need one.

Multi-time BBQ champion Melissa Cookston is opening a BBQ superstore in Southaven.

The Memphis Tigers women’s soccer team will face LSU in the first round of the NCAA tournament Sunday at 1 PM. Memphis earned an automatic bid by winning the AAC championship, while LSU received an at-large bid.

Would you believe that as much as I go to the Blind Bear, there are still menu items I haven’t tried? With some gift card money to burn, I decided to order the Arancini appetizer off the dinner menu last night.

These are panko breaded fried risotto balls with Bolognese sauce and parmesan. Here’s a pic of what they look like on the inside:

So rich and creamy. This would be a good app to split between two people who come to the Bear on date night.

You can get a free flu vaccine today at 814 Jefferson, the Shelby County Health Department’s immunization clinic.

That’s it for this post. Back tomorrow with more news.

We start the week with a few days of above-normal temps for November. MemphisWeather.net’s forecast has us at 72/48 today, 72/50 tomorrow, and low 70s/high 50s on Wednesday. Then rain moves Thursday and we’re back to below normal temperatures. Normal for this time of year is mid 60s/mid 40s.

Commuters, keep in mind that today is Meat Loaf Day. What’s that, you ask? It’s the day when everyone drives like a bat out of hell. For some reason, sunset occurring before people leave work causes Memphis drivers to tailgate 6 inches from the car ahead’s bumper as opposed to the normal 12 inches, drive at least 20 MPH over the posted limit, and check every social media app on their phone while driving.

Red Bones Turkey Legs, the stuffed turkey leg restaurant and caterer that operates out of Carolina Watershed, has started doing to-go orders 7 days a week. Call 901-207-6172 to order. This won’t change the hours Watershed itself is open, which are 4-10 Thursday and Friday, 11-10 Saturday, and 9-11 Sunday. Menu

Silly Goose has completed its training and maintenance and is once again staying open until 3 AM on Sundays. Previously they had been closing at 7 PM for a few weeks.

The Grizzlies host the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at 7. Catch the game on Bally Sports Southeast (Comcast 831). I like it when games start at 7 because it is easier to get them on TVs at bars if Monday Night Football has not already kicked off.

Tennessee Highway Patrol is assigning more cars to the Memphis interstates. This is great news because it will allow Memphis police to focus more on city crime. Thanks to Jerred Price of the DNA for sharing that news on Nextdoor.

Congratulations to the Memphis Tigers women’s soccer team, who defeated South Florida yesterday to win the NCAA championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. You can stream the selection show at ncaa.com this afternoon at 3:30 to be among the first to learn the Tigers’ seed and who they will face in the first round.

Disney’s The Lion King begins an 18-day, 22-show run at the Orpheum this Thursday. That is great news not only for Broadway lovers, but also for nearby restaurants that will see an increase in business. Looking for a place to dine before the show? The Majestic, Pontotoc Lounge, and Rizzo’s would be three of my top recommendations.

That’s it. Slow news day. Back tomorrow.

Today is the last day of Downtown Dining Week, and some of the restaurants have 3-course Sunday brunch specials for $20.21. For those of you who are fans of the extremely popular chicken & waffles at Blind Bear: You can get them with a soup or salad or biscuits & gravy and apple moonshine bread pudding for $20.21 today 11 AM to 3 PM.

It’s also the last day of Fieldaze, celebrating the many things to do outdoors.

Pleased to see Arkansas and Memphis upset ranked teams yesterday: Memphis topped 23 SMU and Arkansas beat 17 Mississippi State. Arkansas became bowl-eligible with that win. Memphis needs one more.

Congratulations to all the kids who participated in the World Junior Barbecue League Championship at AutoZone Park yesterday.

Here’s a link to James Aycock’s COVID Week-in-Review that he posted yesterday. This tweet is the one in the conversation that stands out the most:

The very good news is that kids can now get vax’d.

Finally.

But I don’t understand the strategy here. We’ve had months to plan for this. And yet, per https://t.co/VtdRXZMOy0, this is the map of where vaccine appointments are located.

Wtf, y’all?

Seriously, wtf?

12/ pic.twitter.com/gnKhcm78kV

— James Aycock is vax’d & masked (@firstresponses) November 6, 2021

If you’re a Downtowner with kids aged 5-11, you have to drive for miles and miles to get them vacc’d. Actually, that’s not my biggest concern, because most Downtowners are affluent enough to afford transportation. But what about our friends two miles to the north at KIPP Middle School? What about our friends two miles to the southeast at Larose Elementary? Why don’t they have the same access to vaccines as kids who live near Kirby Parkway or Poplar Pike or Germantown Road? To quote James, seriously, WTF?

Memphis 901 FC’s season has ended. They lost to Charlotte in a road playoff game last night. Congratulations to the Memphis squad on their best season yet.

Urevbu Contemporary, the gallery at 410 S. Main, hosts Art, Cocktails & Conversation for the Art Curious this afternoon at 5:00 (which by the way is sunset today). Participants will receive an introduction to the gallery, a tour, and information on how to get into collecting art.

Rumba Room hosts 90s vs. 2000s karaoke tonight 6 to 11.

Grassfire Bluegrass Band plays Loflin Yard at 12.

Louise Page will perform a pop-up concert Friday at lunchtime at Edge Plaza at Monroe and Marshall. If you get hungry, the Stick’em and Smurfey’s Smokehouse food trucks will be there.

Here’s an event with a name that is so Memphis: Brews, Breakfast, & Bullets. You can grab breakfast, get your concealed carry weapon permit, then celebrate with a beer. It happens at Grind City Brewing at 8:30 AM Saturday.

Veterans, you can receive a free Legendary Burger at Hard Rock Cafe all day long Thursday (Veterans’ Day).

Downtown Local has $3 tacos and live music every Tuesday.

College GameDay will be in Oxford on Saturday for the Texas A&M-Ole Miss game.

ABC 24 has a look at the history of Daylight Time, which ended for 2021 this morning at 3 AM/2 AM.

Please support your local Jack Pirtle’s this week. Its Bellevue store was heavily damaged by fire but its kind, wonderful owners made sure that the Bellevue employees were relocated to other stores and no one was put out of work. The closest Pirtle’s to Downtown Memphis is at 890 Thomas.

That’s it for now. Back tomorrow or possibly Tuesday with more news.

Tonight is the latest possible night on the calendar, November 7, that the clocks can fall back an hour. That means:

• Today’s sunrise, at 7:26 AM, is the absolute latest sunrise Memphis can see
• Today’s sunset, at 6:00 PM, is the absolute earliest Daylight Time sunset Memphis can see

I don’t normally wish for individual players on other teams to have bad seasons, but it’s of note to Memphians that Portland point guard Damian Lillard is in a slump right now. That could allow Ja Morant to jump into the All-Star conversation even more than he already is.

Those of you who frequent bars and restaurants on the southern end of the Downtown core (approximately Union to Beale): Keep an extra close eye on your belongings when you’re out this weekend. We have a homeless guy who has been coming to the restaurants and looking for anything he can take. He mainly looks for cigarettes, but he has been known to pick up and chug a beer a customer left unattended while using the restroom. I don’t know for sure that he’d take a phone or a laptop, but I wouldn’t advise finding out the hard way.

The thing about this guy is, although he asks for cigs/money/beer, I don’t get a “professional panhandler” or “bad guy” vibe from him. I get an “off his meds and doing the best he can under those circumstances” vibe. I’d like to get him information about the Hospitality HUB, but it’s about a mile walk from where I’ve seen him. I get the feeling he wouldn’t remember what I told him, even if I drew him a map. This is a problem a friend of mine was talking about on Facebook last week – how do we safely reach out to people in need, where they are, and get them connected to resources?

The Grizzlies took a bad road loss to the Washington Wizards last night, 115-87. Next up: At home vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Monday at 7.

Memphis Tigers on national TV alert: Tune into EPSNU at 11 AM for the football Tigers’ home game vs. SMU.

Two of the DMC’s programs won awards from the International Downtown Association this week. The programs were the BuildDowntown Master Plan, and the South City Good Neighbor Grant.

New York Times: Will world-class architecture bring civic pride back to Memphis?

Local 24’s Eryn Rodgers visited Cupcake Cutie as part of Downtown Dining Week.

Ditty TV has a tour of Wiseacre Downtown’s brewing facility.

Today is National Wine Tasting Day, although I have one friend who did plenty of celebrating of that holiday Wednesday and Thursday.

Rumba Room celebrates Dia de los Muertos tonight. Authentic decorations, free salsa lessons, photo opportunities, free makeup artist.

Impala with The Turnstyles plays the Harbor Town Amphitheater at Maria Montessori School 2-5 this afternoon.

Bass Pro at the Pyramid kicks off its annual Santa’s Wonderland this weekend. Today’s 5-7 PM event is strictly outdoor with reservations required. Santa starts appearing in the store tomorrow.

Feelin’ Groovy Fest happens today starting at 1 PM at the Ghost River taproom on Beale Street. Jeffrey & The Pacemakers, The Bugaloos, and Pam & Terry play soft rock classics all day.

Black Cream plays a free concert on Wiseacre Downtown’s outdoor beer garden stage tonight 5-7.

The Memphis Youth Symphony Program’s Fall Orchestra Concert happens today at 1 at the Cannon Center.

Nashville country act Lazy Jane plays a free show at Tin Roof at 3:15 this afternoon. Chase Wright, also from Nashville, plays at 7.

7-day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases in Shelby County has dropped to 79. I wonder if the average will rise a bit next week as we begin to see cases that developed after the mask mandate was lifted.

That’s it for now. Heading out to either Bardog or Blind Bear to watch the Memphis-SMU game. Back tomorrow with more news.

Everyone in the Downtown core and South Main areas, please be on the lookout for an English cocker spaniel named Oakley. She was in a car that was stolen earlier this week, and she was dumped out of the car on Pontotoc Avenue Downtown. She’s been seen in the area of the Hyatt Centric and also around the intersection of Tennessee and Huling.

Fieldaze, the festival that introduces you to all there is to do in the great outdoors in Memphis, kicks off today and runs through Sunday. Offerings include half-marathons, 5Ks, bike rides, dance classes, walking tours, kayak races, yoga classes, Zumba classes, a Grizzline performance, scavenger hunts, and much much more.

New business to follow on Facebook: Downtown Hookahs. They sell disposable hookahs that eliminate the need for cleaning and are travel-friendly.

This would never happen at Bardog: A bar in Dallas has banned playing Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” on the jukebox before December 1. After December 1 it is limited to once per day.

Downtown’s federal office building may soon be getting a new name. Rep. Steve Cohen got a bill passed in the House to strip the building of the name of Clifford Davis, who at one point in his life was a klansman.

From the DM: The Brooks Museum, which will move Downtown by 2026, could be the crown jewel of riverfront development

Michael Donahue has a look at the cashew crunch at Dinstuhl’s. Get it at the shop on South Main next door to the Majestic.

Here’s a list of the 5 best fishing spots near Memphis.

Black Violin plays the Orpheum tonight, blending classical music with hip-hop.

Arlo McKinley will have an in-store performance and album signing today at 4 PM at River City Records.

There’s a tree tour of Elmwood Cemetery tomorrow at noon. Learn about the 1400 trees there, many of them older than the cemetery itself. Cost is $20 and comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

Tomorrow is Dollar Dalmatian Day at the Fire Museum on Adams. For only a dollar, you can tour the museum and meet the Memphis Fire and Life Safety Dogs.

If you go to the Memphis-SMU game at the Liberty Bowl tomorrow, stop by the Tennessee Valley Authority’s November 6 tailgate party at Tiger Lane. It’s free and open to the public and there will be food, drinks, and giveaways. November 6 is the only day of the year to have a Memphis street named after it, celebrating the day citizens voted overwhelmingly to receive public power from TVA.

Yesterday was a great day for several reasons. Number one, my friend Jason told me, “I saw something and had to get it for you.” It was a PBR beanie.

Back in 2009, I was given a PBR hoodie. I thought, “I appreciate the gesture, but I’ve never worn a hoodie in my life. I’m not gonna use this thing.” Of course, we all know what happened. I put the hoodie on and immediately loved it, and ever since I’ve worn it half the days between November and March every year. I suspect the beanie is going to be the same way.

The second reason yesterday was a good day was that the beanie brought me good luck… I played Bad Bear Bingo at Blind Bear last night and scored a BINGO in the second round! I got to spin the prize wheel and landed on a gift card for $10 off food. I’ll probably cash that in today toward either the shrimp scampi or the arancini.

Shortly after I bingoed, I overheard a bartender say words that were music to my ears. “We’re not having our Thursday night drag show tonight.” YAAAAAY! I stayed a couple of hours longer than planned after bingo ended. So nice to be able to watch Thursday Night Football without queens wanting to know why I’m looking at the TV and not them.

That’s it for today… hoping for another A-plus kind of day… back tomorrow with more news.