The guests from the Monday show

Jim Nantz from CBS talked to us about his new book, his career, if he rehearses the lines that he says at the end of events, and he even tells us what he would have said if Memphis would have beaten Kansas.

Jim Nantz on The Chris Vernon Show 5-12-08

Utah Jazz SG Ronnie Brewer was on the show to talk about the series with the Lakers, living in Salt Lake City, playing for Jerry Sloan, guarding McGrady and Kobe, etc.

Ronnie Brewer on The Chris Vernon Show 5-12-08

Jeff Goodman from Foxsports.com was on for his weekly spot and talked about the OJ Mayo situation, if Ebanks is coming to Memphis, who will be the next Memphis assistant coach, etc.

Jeff Goodman on The Chris Vernon Show 5-12-08

They have found out about Pau...

The name of the column in the LA Times today is... wait for it...

Pau Gasol is the incredible shrinking Laker

hahahahahahahaa!!!!! I love this. Welcome to the big city Pau. In 7 years nobody ever dared write something so critical about the play of the big fraud in Memphis. All you would ever read here when he played like crap was bologna like... Pau Gasol did not play his best game, which is not to say he is not a great player blah blah blah blah. LA knows better already. Last night was like Christmas eve and today is like Christmas. Welcome to the spanish death threats you will get Plaschke. Thanks to Dutch for the tip.

Mic Check from this week

Here is the TV bit from this week if you missed it...

Mic Check with Chris Vernon on CW30 (5-7-08)

Wallace talks about the prospects, other guests

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace no longer had to stay silent about draft prospects. We talked about the players that will go in the top 10, some guys outside the lottery, and who could be available with the Grizzlies late first round pick.
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace part 1
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace part 2
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace part 3

Some other audio from the week so far...

Rick Kamla from NBA TV talks about the NBA playoffs and the coaching carousel

Henry Abbott from truehoop.com talks about the playoffs and the daily routine for a blogger

Will Carroll from baseballprospectus.com talked about Mulder, Volquez, Arod's injury, what happened to Travis Hafner, and why Bob Costas called him.

Jeff Goodman talked about Tiger recruits, the Tigers getting a new assistant, UT getting rid of two players, and some players that are transferring.

ESCAPA

here is the game we were talking about-- let me know what your record is
http://www.iol.ie/~dluby/escape.htm

The interviews from the last 2 days (The Audio)

Grizzlies Head Coach Marc Iavaroni was on the show to talk about the meeting with Michael Heisley, being retained for next season, what he learned about coaching in the NBA in his rookie effort, etc. Marc Iavaroni on The Chris Vernon Show 5-2-08

Jimmy Denunzio (The World's Greatest Handicapper) made a huge return to the show and joined us live from Lexington to breakdown every horse in the Derby and who you should pick and look out for this weekend. Jimmy Denunzio and The Kentucky Derby 5-2-08

Bert Sugar was on the show for his weekly segment and talked about a bit he did on Sugar Ray Robinson on the internet and he gave us his Derby picks. Bert Sugar on The Chris Vernon Show 5-2-08

Chris Low from espn.com joined us to talk about the tremendous story of Chris Lofton dealing with cancer that was mentioned yesterday. Chris Low on The Chris Vernon Show 5-2-08

And from yesterday...

Music sensation Colbie Calliat was on the show and talked about becoming a star through her myspace page, touring, what she was like in high school, playing at musicfest this weekend, etc.
Colbie Calliat on The Chris Vernon Show 5-1-08

Wright Thompson from ESPN the Magazine and espn.com came on the show to talk about the Costas Now program and the changes and challenges of the sports media. Wright Thompson on The Chris Vernon Show 5-1-08.

This week's Mic Check

Here is the tv bit from last night if you missed it. A bit out of date already given the news about Iavaroni. Iavaroni was on the show today and I will post it tonight. Anyway, here it is...
MIC CHECK ON UPN 30 (5-1-08)

Iavaroni coming back for another year

NBA sources have confirmed to cvernon.com that Iavaroni will get another year. Heisley has decided the guy will be back. I am surprised, but glad they are giving the guy a chance. I thought Iavaroni would be fired. This in some small way marks a commitment to a guy that deserves a real chance. Good call by a franchise that has not made many of them. Let's try stability on for size.

The incredible Chris Lofton story

Remember last summer and the beginning of last season where everyone was asking "what's wrong with Chris Lofton?" It was not that he was having trouble dealing with expectations, it was cancer. Chris Low has the story (Tennessee's Lofton quietly faced and beat cancer). Many of you will remember that Lofton was my co-host in San Antonio during the Final Four for one of the shows. I loved the guy. It is interesting that we even talked about how he did not play well at the beginning of the season. Wow. I guess you sometimes have no idea what a guy may be going through.

Colbie Calliat on the show today

This is a little off the beaten path, but here is something your girlfriend won't make you switch the channel during. I think you will like this girl's story. Colbie Calliat is on the show today and she is living the American dream. She is one of the performers at musicfest this weekend, she has sold over a million albums, and it all started on her myspace page. Colbie will be on the show today at 4:30 and will perform at musicfest on Saturday at 5:30 on the Budweiser stage.

Just watched Costas Now

I just watched the entire program (Costas Now) on sports media. I was clearly most interested in this particular show because my job encompasses almost all of the subjects that they explored. Let me start by saying that I thought the program was really good.

A few thoughts...
I am continually baffled by the level of misunderstanding and/or ignorance that many older media members have concerning blogs. There is such an incredible amount of insecurity and fear regarding the changes in sports media from an older generation of media members. I wish that Buzz Bissinger (who I am a fan of by the way) was the exception, but I know better. Bissinger's vitriol for the changes in the way sports are being covered is unfortunately extremely common amongst his peers.

In the end, we are talking about covering sports. Sports. Many in the sports media would like to believe that they are more important than they really are. I enjoy reading "real journalists" and I also enjoy reading opinions from just the average guy. Blogs are great because they have given that average guy a voice and I can decide if I care about his opinion or not.

I do believe that insecurity is far worse amongst sports media members than it is with the average media member. You do get the feeling that the opinion of many older sports media members is that everyone should not have a voice. I understand that point to some degree. They went to school for it, or they have a editor that monitors what they do, or they are better at communicating, so why is some loser in a basement got more people paying attention to what they say rather than what they have to say?

In the end, if you are good at what you do people will listen to, or read, what you have to say, no matter the format (radio, tv, blog). This idea that everyone should have credentials to have a respected opinion seemed totally silly and insecure.

I thought the best part of the Costas Now program was the open discussion of the coverage of race issues in the sports media. I do wish they would have had a white media member on the panel, except for Costas (who played the role), so that they could discuss the fear of dealing with the race issue from the white journalists perspective. Costas did a good job presenting some of the challenges, but I think it is something to really be discussed in greater length. White media members are typically so terrified of being called a racist that they avoid the subject, and being that most media members are white it becomes extremely difficult to really tackle a tough subject like race in sports.

Anyway, the show was really good and thought provoking. If you did not see it, I would recommend trying to catch a repeat showing.

Free subscription to baseballprospectus.com

send in your email question to verno@730espn.com and if it is used during the Will Carroll segment, you win the subscription. Wednesday, Will is on in the 3:40 segment, Gary in the 4oclock hour with Haters segment, Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace segment at 5.

2008 NFL Draft Recap, and the first Verno NFL playoff picks (get out the chisel)

If you listen to the show, you know how I feel about running backs and how they fit into team building. With that being said, three of the teams that screwed up in the first round did so by taking a RB. How can Mel Kiper give every team a B or a C? (Except KC who he gave an A) Some of these teams should fire people today.

These teams get an F- on my draft grades

Oakland took Darren McFadden 4th. I will never understand how a crappy team takes a RB and sinks an insane amount of money into such an overrated position. I don't care how "dynamic" a back is, you never sink crazy money into that position. Teams are not crappy because they don't have a good enough back. This is just an outrageous pick for a team that has no clue.

Speaking of no clue... Carolina took Jonathan Stewart at 13, and then traded what amounts to three top 100 picks to get the 19th pick. Thank goodness another team has those picks, because Carolina should not even be able to draft they are so out of it.

The Titans are the last team with a horrendous grade. Chris Johnson? I guess they looped the Memphis game and the bowl game and watched it over and over. This is dumb anyway, but compound it with them taking a RB with a top 50 pick the last three years and it is downright brain dead.

On to other matters...

The Ravens taking Delaware QB Joe Flacco was hilarious. I love when the analysts are breaking down the tape and they talked about he struggled with the zone blitz of Villanova (to which everyone in America said, "Villanova has a football team?" This pick has trendy bust all over it.

Andre Woodson lasting until the 6th round is criminal. This guy had 40 td's and 11 picks in the SEC and elevated an entire program. He had 71 tds and 18 picks over his last 2 years. He didn't do that because of some gimmick system. I don't care about a hitch in his throw, or how he looks down recievers, or whatever. The guy is awesome. Colt Brenan is total trash and went before him. 12 QB's went before him. This was the biggest joke of the entire draft. I also like the picks of Thomas Brown to Atlanta and Mike Hart to Indy in the 6th. Both are underrated.

Matt Forte (RB Tulane) was the Bears pick in the second round. How do you take Forte when Kevin Smith from UCF is on the board? I saw both, and Smith is better. Bad Pick.

I hate the Eagles, but I love the pick of DeSean Jackson with the 49th. This guy looks like something from playstation when he gets going.

I like the 2 Arkansas guys picked in the 7th Rd. Peyton Hillis and Marcus Monk. Both were fantastic picks at that point in the draft.

Ali Highsmith (LB LSU) is the favorite undrafted player. I think Dorien Bryant from Purdue could get a job and stick too, and nobody took him either.

What you start to realize is that there is more a case of bad franchises than just bad drafts. Some teams have no clue, and the teams that are smart continue to thrive by understanding what it takes to win in the league and how to spend their money to do so.

After the draft and from what I have seen from free agency, here are my playoff teams for next year...
AFC-- Indy, Pats, Jax, Cleveland, San Diego, Jets (the surprise team this year)
NFC-- Cowboys, Giants, Minn, New Orleans, Seattle, Tampa

Disappointing team will be Pittsburgh.

Mic Check segment tonight...

check it. the tv bit will be on UPN 30 tonight at 9:45.

UPDATE: Here is MIC CHECK from this week if you missed it and want to check it out.

The Wednesday Show...

Today we will be joined by Charley Rosen from foxsports.com, Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace, and of course Gary Parrish and the Haters. Also, we will have our weekly segment with Will Carroll from baseball prospectus. Send in your baseball questions to verno@730espn.com and if we use the question during the segment, you will win a subscription to baseballprospectus.com. Thank you and have a nice day. Will somebody please guard Pau tonight?

The Week in Review (The Guests)

I am going to try to post a week in review on the weekends. If you missed any of the guests from the week, here they are...

Author and radio host Michael Holley on his new book about Terry Francona and the Red Sox. I could care less about the Red Sox, and I thought the book was great.

Michael Holley on The Chris Vernon Show

Sonny Vaccaro and Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace were in studio for the entire 5 oclock hour on Wednesday. Sonny was speaking at the Universtity of Memphis the next morning. He talked about what he is fighting for, summer basketball, the story of signing Michael Jordan to his first shoe deal, how he and Wallace became close, the new movie coming out on HBO about him, etc.

Vaccaro and Wallace in studio Part 1

Vaccaro and Wallace in studio Part 2
Vaccaro and Wallace in studio Part3

Scott Ferrall from Sirius Sattellite Channel Howard 101 joined us to break down this weekends UFC Pay-Per-View, his move to Sirius, his website, fighting an Asian guy in Toronto, and his wife punching him. If you missed this, check it out. Ferrall is intant offense.

Scott Farrell on The Chris Vernon Show

Bert Sugar was on the show Friday live from Vegas to talk about the Hopkins/ Calzaghe fight this weekend. Bert Sugar on The Chris Vernon Show

Kevin Frazier from Entertainment Tonight talked about the NBA Playoffs, what is going on in entertainment, if Fergie is hot in person, etc. Kevin Frazier on The Chris Vernon Show.

David Thorpe from IMG and espn.com evaluated the young players on the Grizzlies roster and talked about the upcoming draft. He talks about a ton of the prospects and who should be picked #1 if the Grizzlies get the pick. David Thorpe on The Chris Vernon Show.

One more loss for the Grizzlies...

I have just been informed that the Grizzlies lost the coin flip to Minnesota and will have the 4th most ping pong balls in the lottery. Loss #63. The Knicks won the flip for the 5th most chances (over the Clippers).

Mike Kahn does not do his research

Mike Kahn from foxsports.com has an article up today with the best/worst of the NBA season. It is well known that Chris Wallace is a regular guest on the show, so it might be my nature to defend him on things, but that would not even matter with the following article. If you wanna call Chris Wallace the worst GM, maybe you could make that argument, but this is not the way to do it...

Worst executive: Chris Wallace, Memphis Grizzlies
He obviously didn't make a great choice with his pick of the flavor of the year assistant coach, Marc Iavaroni, to coach the team this season, nor was it worthwhile to hand out that $21 million contract to 7-foot bust Darko Milicic. Topping it off was dealing Gasol to the Lakers for little more than a couple of doughnuts and bad coffee.

This is priceless. How lazy can you be to make the first reason for Chris Wallace being the worst GM that he hired Iavaroni, when the coach was hired before the GM? If you hate the Darko deal and think it was a bad signing, I can see that, but it is not horrific. The last reason he gives is that he traded Pau for nothing. No problem with that, except the owner himself said that he was the one that made the decision to trade Pau to the Lakers. In fact, this is an exact quote from Heisley that ran in the CA... "I'm the guy who is making the decisions," Heisley said Saturday. "If people want to (complain) don't get on (general manager) Chris Wallace about the trade -- get on me."

Just do a little research Mike Kahn. Is that too much to ask? The argument might be able to be made, but this was quite the horrible attempt.

Will Carroll from Baseball Prospectus

Today is the day that Will joins us on the show. Email your baseball question in and if it is used, you will win a subscription to baseballprospectus.com. email your question to verno@730espn.com. Will is on the show at 3:40. Gary Parrish and the Haters segment in the 4 hour, Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace in studio in the 5oclock hour.

She's poor, she can't sue me

I found the old clip of Andy Kaufman wrestling a woman to intimidate Jerry Lawler. I never knew it was up on youtube, but I have mentioned it many times. Hysterical.
I wish I would have lived in Memphis then.

Made my day

I have no idea who this kid is, or who the parents are, but somebody posted a video of a kid learning "Colonel Reb is Crying." How flattering. Made my day.

The Biggest Loser and the website that has consumed me

Tomorrow on the show we will be joined by Roger Schultz. Roger is the former Alabama player that is in the finals on the show "The Biggest Loser." You are gonna love this guy. Roger will talk about his days at Bama, being on the reality show with a chance to win, and everything else funny. This guy is hilarious. We have to vote for him to win this thing. The guy he is going up against has lost so much weight that he looks diseased. It is ridiculous. Roger will be on at 3:40.

Today I mentioned a website that I came across that consumed most of my morning. The website was http://www.songmeanings.net/ and it features songs and their lyrics, followed by a discussion of what the song is talking about. I am fanatical about this kind of stuff and if you are a huge music fan, I apologize in advance, this will take up way too much of your time.

Will Carroll from Baseball Prospectus and free stuff...

Last week we hegan our weekly baseball segment with Will Carroll from Baseball Prospectus. Every week we will give one of our listeners a free subscription to baseballprospectus.com. The way to get a free subscription is for us to use your question on the show. Email your baseball question to verno@730espn.com. Listen at 3:40 every Wednesday to see if your question is used.

Up 3 with 10 seconds to go..

You foul. What an incredibly frustrating way to lose a national championship. Coach Cal said that they were trying to foul. All you have to do is watch it back. Cal is not yelling anything, for once. Rose could have just run up and fouled as soon as the kid caught the ball. Cal said he knocked the kid down and they did not call it. Nope. Rose had no idea he was supposed to foul, and nobody that watches that back will see any differently. More tomorrow, I have to go puke.

When a possibility becomes a reality...

Note: Today's show will be live from Buffalo Wild Wings (Wolfchase, on 64)

Tonight a possibility becomes a reality. The Tigers are playing for the National Championship. There have been a ton of great teams in the history of college basketball that never had this chance, that never created this chance for themselves.

John Calipari has always talked about "the city." The players have talked about "the city." Coach Cal always talked about how much this team can mean to the city, and he was absolutely right. It is impossible to not feel a sense of pride for our city when you see this team, and the Memphis on their chest.

It is a bit strange, but this has turned into much more than a basketball game. This has turned into an event symbolic of the pride that this city can have, and should have. It means something different to everyone that will watch it. When I go to big events or meet people from other markets, I am always asked why I am in Memphis. My dad went to Memphis and my family was all from West Tennessee, but I grew up in New York and St. Louis. After college I decided to move to Memphis and get a job, and I have never wanted to leave. I always feel like I constantly have to defend Memphis and talk it up to people that do not understand.

And then something strange happened while I was in San Antonio...
I met an insane number of coaches and media members from all over the nation, and I was never once asked why I was in Memphis. The fact that I live in Memphis and work in Memphis was looked at in a completely different light than it had been in the past. To others, living in Memphis was a great place to be. It always has been.

I think Memphis is going to win the National Championship tonight. If they do, it would be the greatest sports moment in the history of the city. If they don't, nothing can be taken away from what they have accomplished.

Of all of the things that this team has accomplished, the one that will stand out to me is that they changed the perception of this city, at least for a while.

Living in Memphis is a great place to be... a possibility has become a reality.

The Heisley Email Exchange, Vecsey audio

Below is the email exchange that we read yesterday on the show. One of our listeners, Chris, is a big grizzlies fan that decided to rip off an email to the Grizzlies owner regarding the stories of Marc Iavaroni being fired. He then received a return email from the owner of the Grizzlies which gave us some interesting insight. Thanks to Chris for sending me the exchange.

FAN EMAIL TO HEISLEY

Mr. Heisley,
I'm sitting here at my desk, not believing what I'm hearing. It
is being reported in Memphis that you are going to fire Coach Iavaroni,
and hire Larry Brown. Tell me it isn't so. You had a chance to hire
him last summer and you chose not to. I'm afraid you are going to set
yourself up as having a reputation that coaches can't succeed here. I
don't know if Coach Iavaroni is good or not, but considering everything
that has happened this year, most of which came from YOU, it is not fair
to him. Let him finish what he started. If you want to fire him
after next year, then so be it, but firing someone with this roster
after what happened this year, after just one year is just wrong. And
me being a Grizzlies fan, and there are not many of us, I don't want to
see you make yet another mistake. Coach Brown is a great coach, but he
would be HORRIBLE for this team. Coach Brown takes teams that are good
and makes them great. He doesn't make horrible teams better. He likes
veterans, and we don't have any. He doesn't like young players and
that's all we have. If you hire him, we will be right back here again
in 2 to 3 years hiring another coach, when he quits. I had hoped you
would have learned that this city will not support a coach that
micromanages his team. Coach Fratello proved that, so why hire another
guy like that. Plus every move you have made points to us cutting cost,
so why fire a coach you still have to pay and then hire a high priced
guy. It just makes no sense. If you don't enjoy this, then PLEASE,
sell the team and sell it quickly because after you are gone, I'll still
be here and will have to deal with your mistakes. I would love to hear
from YOU, not your assistant. I know you are busy man, but you are not
too busy to take my money, so if Mark Cuban can return emails, then so
can you. I appreciate what you have done here. I have been hard on you
and if none of this is true, I'm sorry for bothering you, but I CARE Mr.
Heisley and I don't want to take any more steps back. Hopefully you can
appreciate that. Thank you for your time.

Thanks,
Chris

HEISLEY EMAIL TO FAN
Dear Chris:

First, let me say thanks for your support of the Grizzlies. I know that when a team is losing, it is a difficult time for fans to support their sports team.

Let me assure you that I have not made a decision on Mark Iavaroni as coach, but will make a decision at the end of the year. I have not interviewed any other coaching candidate. Since Jerry West joined the team, he hired Hubie Brown, who won 50 games and Coach of the Year honors. Hubie retired and we hired a coach similar to Hubie, Mike Fratello, who won over 45 games both years he coached.

Jerry West decided the fans wanted an up-tempo coach, so we let Fratello go and made Tony Barone interim coach.

Jerry then recommended Mark Iavaroni from Phoenix, who took over at the beginning of the season. The team was expected to win 30+ games by most professionals including Jerry West. Before we traded Gasol, the team's performance was very poor, and is not the reason for our poor record this year.

You are so right that I do not normally answer e-mails, because I am responsible for over 15,000 employees and 45 companies with sales of about $2.5 billion.

I agree with you that Mark Cuban is a much better owner than me, and I hope the next owner is similar to Mark.

I hope you can appreciate that the Grizzlies have lost over $140 million dollars since I moved the team to Memphis, and during that 7-year period we made the Playoffs 3 times (a much better record over the last 7 years than a significant number of NBA teams).

I assure that I intend to do my best to make the right decisions. I also agree that we have made some bad decisions. I can only hope you choose to stay a fan until I or my successor is able to meet your expectations.

Thanks for your e-mail.

Sincerely,

Mike Heisley


Peter Vecsey from the New York Post was on the show yesterday to talk about the coaching situation in Memphis. VECSEY INTERVIEW Did you read the whole column? Ha!

Memphis is in the Final Four

Congrats to the Tigers. Forever this team will be remembered for this tremendous achievement, no matter what happens from here. They absolutely mangled Michigan State and Texas this weekend, and in the process punched their ticket to big show. Whoever gets the #1 pick in the draft now has a serious decision on his hands. How can you pass on Rose?
There is no taking away from anything about what the Tiger's have done. They looked the best they ever have in the games that mattered the most, they demolished big conference teams, and they killed Texas in Texas. I will be doing the show from San Antonio on Thursday and Friday.

Calkins explains the Grizz ownership situation on the show

Geoff Calkins came on the show today to talk about the local owners and why they are out of the mix with the Grizzlies. Here it if you are interested and missed it... Calkins Part1 Calkins Part 2

Jeffrey Ma and the new movie "21"

"21" is out in theatres today. The movie is based on the MIT blackjack team that took Vegas by storm. The movie is based on the story of Jeffrey Ma. Ma was on the show yesterday to talk about the movie and everything about his story. This story has always facinated me. The interview and the trailer for the movie are below.

Jeffrey Ma on The Chris Vernon Show 3-27-08

Embarassing white people everywhere

As you may have heard on the show, this past weekend was a disaster. My producer (Roser) and I were asked to play in a celebrity basketball game hosted by Branches of Life. We were honored and thrilled to participate, but knew nothing about the event. As it turned out, Roser and I went to the game and instantly realized that we were 2 of the 4 white guys in the entire arena. So here we are in the gym playing in what amounts to a black celebrity all-star game, featuring the likes of comedian Joe Torry, rapper Chingy, etc. This is now the funniest thing ever. The guy that put together the event, Greg Motley (who runs Branches of Life) is thrilled that we showed up to play, and knows how funny this is. It should be mentioned the stands are packed and there are no white people. We are now the "white boys." So here we are at this game and the goal becomes not to act overtly white... and that goal could not be accomplished.

We are in a layup line before the game and here comes Roser trying to be Tracy McGrady. This within itself is unacceptable. He is going to throw the ball off the backboard and catch it and then lay it up. Roser throws the ball off the board, jumps up (if you want to call it jumping), the ball goes way over his head, and he lands on a girl and breaks his foot. I cannot believe this is happening. The whitest thing to ever happen before human eyes. He broke his freakin foot in the layup line? All we need to do is to not to highlight our whiteness, and Roser pulls this. I was just beside myself. Many of you have asked if this story was made up. Unfortunately the story is true and the proof is below. My producer now sits on the other side of the glass with his foot in the air. Roser would like to apologize to white people everywhere. Talk about representin'...

Tom Izzo and Rick Barnes on 730 ESPN tomorrow morning

Our morning show with Geoff Calkins and Gary Parrish will have Michigan State coach Tom Izzo on at 8:20, and Texas coach Rick Barnes on the show at 8:40. That is absolutely insane. Parrish is pullin the heavy hitters. You have no idea how crazy it is to either of these guys on a local show at this point in the year. There is no way that any other show in this town could pull it off. Check it out. Izzo and Barnes back-to-back tomorrow morning.

The Jason's Deli Remote

A huge thank you to all of you that came out to the remote on Thursday. We raised a ton of money for the Church Health Center and the turnout was totally overwhelming. It was a thrill getting to meet so many of you that listen to the show. Here are some pics from the event...

The place got packed three different times on Thursday

Chris Herrington tries to convince Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace that he needs to draft...

The winner of the tix to Little Rock, Mickey, gets on his phone to tell everyone

We are going to be doing another remote at Jason's Deli this week. I will know which day very soon and will talk about it on the show. If you did not make it to the first one, make it to the next one.

Again, thank you to all of you that came out, and thanks to Jason's Deli for being an incredible host.

The Verno Bracket

I can't figure out how to link the bracket without everyone having to use a password. Here is what the Verno Bracket looks like (top to bottom, left to right)...

THE 32
East- UNC, Indiana, NDame, Wash St, Okla, Louisville, S Alabama, Tenn
Midwest-- Kansas, UNLV, Clemson, Vandy, USC, Wisc, Davidson, GTown
South-- Memphis ,Miss St, Mich St, Pitt ,Marquette ,Stanford ,Miami ,Texas
West-- UCLA ,BYU ,Western Ken, UCONN ,Purdue, Xavier ,WVU ,Duke

The 16
East-- UNC ,Wash St, Louisville ,Tenn
Midwest-- Kansas ,Vandy, Wisc, Gtown
South-- Memphis, Pitt, Marquette ,Tex
West-- UCLA, UCONN, Xavier ,Duke

The 8
East-- UNC ,Tenn
Mid-- Kansas ,Wisc
South-- Pitt ,Tex
West- UCLA, Duke

Final Four is UNC, Kansas, Texas, and Duke
UNC and Texas in the National Championship -- UNC is my national champ

Here we go again...

From the Commercial Appeal today, in case you don't read it I will summarize for you...
-everyone hates Memphis
-everyone picked against Memphis
-some website that nobody has even heard of insulted Memphis
-the Tigers' resume offers the least indication of an early exit from this tournament
-the Tigers like being in the position of nobody picking them

The Tigers played the 107th ranked schedule in the nation according to the Sagarin ratings. I can't believe that people would be more skeptical about them than the other #1's! How could analysts not have had everything proven to them by playing the non-conference games! Come on, Memphis plays in Conference USA and so it is harder to judge them because you have less of a pool of games to construct an opinion of them. It is not their fault, but they played less top 50 teams than any of the 1 seeds and they played most of the big games at home. Memphis did not play one good team in a true road game this season. Again, not their fault but it is the truth. The point is that there is less to draw from when you look at Memphis. I can take a lot more from watching North Carolina play Maryland than from watching Memphis play Tulane because at least the level of athlete is comparable.

This disrespect crap is so tired. Everything today in the paper reads as an indictment of anyone that has not picked Memphis to go to the Final Four. Are the national analysts misinformed? I suppose we will find out very soon. I watched every game this season and have Pittsburgh beating Memphis in the Sweet 16 game. Memphis will prove one way or another if anyone that has doubted them (including me) is right or wrong.

Wanna go to the NCAA tournament? (Part 2) and homerism

Thursday the show will be live at Jason's Deli at Poplar and Highland. There is a room that we will have all to ourselves and we will have drinks, food (unlimited for 5 bucks), giveaways, etc.

The big giveaway is going to be tickets to all of the sessions in Little Rock, which will feature the Memphis Tigers. We will raise some money in the process for the Church Health Center. 2 bucks per entry, enter as many times as you like, and if you win you get the book of tix for the Little Rock pod.

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace will be live on site, so you can come meet and chat with him. Herrington, Easterwood, and others that you hear on the show will be there also. Call your buddies or whoever you call, and come on out for the first day of the tournament. The Beasley/ Mayo game comes on right after the show.

Jason's Deli, the side room, Poplar and Highland.

Now to homerism...

I read the article in the CA this morning about Calipari as a salesman and bench coach (it was well done). There was a portion of the article that I just could not believe. Here it is...

Calipari, however, has no time for the "laymen" who say he should have called timeout while trailing in the final moments last month against Tennessee. In that case, Antonio Anderson missed a wild shot in the lane that represented the Tigers' last real chance in an eventual 66-62 defeat at FedExForum.
"They don't ask why I didn't call timeout against UAB," said Calipari, referring to Chris Douglas-Roberts' game-winning 3-point play in the final seconds of an earlier 79-78 win in Birmingham. "I'm consistent. The players all know what I'm gonna do. We work on that situation in practice. A layman thinks you call timeout. And do what? Draw up a play in the sand that they've never seen before and expect they're gonna perform it?

I am one of the "laymen." I would not even address this, but this is just absurd. There are quite a few media members that have repeated this whole "Cal did not call a timeout at UAB and he did not against UT, so sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't!" Coach Cal is saying it again in this article. IT IS CRAP. THEY DID TAKE A TIMEOUT TO SET UP A PLAY AT UAB, RIGHT BEFORE THE VADEN FREE-THROWS. Go look it up, it takes 2 seconds. I was there, I saw it with my own eyes and then CAL BRAGGED ABOUT CALLING THE PLAY FOR ROSE AND ROSE WANTING CDR TO GET THE BALL INSTEAD.

It is the only blemish on the record and obviously still stings for Coach Cal. He did not call the timeout and instead of having the ball in the hands of CDR or Rose, he had Anderson shooting a shot that would have killed a member of the Blue Crew if it was not stopped by the backboard.

There are so many puppets that just repeat what they hear. You live and die with your best players taking the last shot. Even the "laymen" knows that, and even Cal did at the end of the UAB game.

The next time, if ever, this topic is brought up at least you will know the truth. Unfortunately the homer media and this town care more about Cal liking them than reporting the facts.

-the layman

Wanna go to the NCAA tournament?

We are giving away tickets for the Little Rock bracket tomorrow on the show. The winner of "The Haters" segment will win the tickets. This is your chance. It will happen tomorrow in the 4 o'clock hour. If you are unfamiliar with hatin' and do not know how to construct your call and you want to win, pick your subject and then understand the following definition... HATIN

Also... on Thursday the show will be live on site at Jason's Deli at Poplar/Highland (where the Poplar Quartet used to be). Please come and watch the games with us out there. We are going to be in a huge room on the side of the restaurant and we will have the room to ourselves. They will have a projector screen showing the games and we will have unlimited food, beverages, adult beverages, etc. 5 bucks and you will eat all of the food you want. It is going to be the greatest experience of your life. Call your buddies and bring them with you, leave work and come to Jason's Deli. Thursday. Poplar and Highland. Bedare.

Shooting for San Antonio on CW30

Tonight there is a TV special (Shooting for San Antonio) on channel 30 news at 6:30pm. The special is going to be broadcast live from RP Tracks on Highland. I am going to be on the special in the last segment to talk about the Memphis season, their draw in the tourney, etc. If you are in the area, come check it out and get on live TV. RP Tracks at 6:30pm.

The Memphis road to the Final Four

On Friday I had a list of teams that I did not want to see in the Memphis portion of the bracket. On the top of that list was Pittsburgh. Of course, Memphis draws them in the third game assuming that Pitt can get past Michigan State.

Memphis will play the winner of Oregon and Miss. St and if you are a Tiger fan you should root for Oregon. Memphis should have no problem with either of them, but coaches and scouts have both told me that Miss. St could give Memphis some problems.

I think the third game is THE game. I actually think the match ups get better for Memphis after this game. Pitt is something like 17-1 with Levance Fields in the starting lineup and looked absolutely awesome in the Big East tournament against some serious competition. They have real bruisers in the post and in my opinion are clearly one of the best teams in the nation with Fields healthy and in the lineup. Memphis fans should root for Michigan St. because they are a better match up than Pitt. But...

Here is a crazy stat for you regarding Michigan State (when you hear someone say this, you will know they are reading my blog)...

When Tom Izzo's teams have had less than 10 losses going into the tournament, here is what has happened (5 times)...

1 National Championship
3 Final Fours
1 Elite Eight
1 Sweet Sixteen

yikes

I still would rather see Memphis get to play Michigan State than Pitt this year. In the end, you are looking for the Dorsey match ups and I have no reservations in believing that Pitt could neutralize Dorsey. Memphis has to have him in the game and dominating in order to win a game where a lot of talent on the court. You have the best chance of Dorsey being Dorsey against Oregon and Mich St, rather than Miss. St and Pitt.

Games are about how teams match up, and I think there are a ton of teams I would have rather seen Memphis face than Pitt. I said it last week, so this is no revelation after seeing the bracket. Pitt is a bad, bad match up for Memphis. Memphis could beat them, Memphis could beat any team in the nation, but it could have been a lot easier to move on than it is going to be.

Check out Geoff and Gary in the morning

Parrish was in New York with CBS and had the goods before the bracket was even released. I am sure they will talk about it. 7-9am on 730 ESPN, tune it in on your way to work (assuming you have a job).

Update: Check this... G Peezy is a tv star, breakin down the games with Clark Kellogg. Watch out Seth Nepotism, I mean, Seth Davis. Here are the vids on cbs. Click here.

The Chris Wallace Segment

The GM of the Grizzlies joined us live from the Pac-10 tournament. This week we used the Wallace segment to talk to him about how he got his start in basketball. The guy is living the American dream for sure. He gave us the story of the Blue Ribbon magazine that he started, how he got on ESPN to promote the magazine, etc. I got a ton of response from this, so if you missed it you may want to check it out. It is a facinating story to say the least.

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace on The Chris Vernon Show segment 1

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace on The Chris Vernon Show segment 2

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace on The Chris Vernon Show segment 3

The TV segment

Below is the TV bit from this week if you missed it. The subject was the on-campus stadium being shot down. The bit is on every Wednesday on CW30 at 9:45.

MIC CHECK

The video you will not stop sending me

The listeners continue to send me this video and asking if I have seen it. I have seen the video, it is classic, and I think it first surfaced on deadspin. The guy clearly is not a fan of Tennessee.

Gerald Green on the market

Gerald Green, the former Celtic draft pick, was released by the Houston Rockets recently. So would the Grizzlies take a shot at signing Green? You may remember that Jerry West was interested in Green the year that he came out. It also stands to reason that Chris Wallace was a fan of Green at one point, but what about now?

I am told that the Grizzlies are not interested in Green at this point and that getting playing time for Gay, Miller, Navarro, and Crittenton makes it difficult to add another perimeter player. That is an exact quote.

The Grizzlies are not adding payroll this year. They cut 10-day guys so that they could save the money, not because they didn't think they could play. When I tell you that everything is done with cost-cutting in mind, would you believe me?

Taking a flyer on Gerald Green would cost money, so it will not happen.

Pat Summitt on the show

Pat Summitt has 7 National Championships and 14 SEC championships. Every time she is on the show it always strikes me that she is so incredibly down-to-earth considering the success that she has had, and how that quality is in stark contrast to coaches that have had much less success yet act like they have a resume like Pat Summitt. We talked about her team this year, Candace Parker leaving school and how that may affect women's bball going forward, winning championships, what she would be doing if she were not coaching, etc.

Pat Summitt on The Chris Vernon Show 2-6-08

The all important audio (Banowky, Wallace, Bucher)

The commish of CUSA, Britton Banowsky, joined us on the show to talk about what, if any, punishments were thrown down from the UAB/Memphis game, the conference landscape, where the CUSA tournament will be going forward, the CUSA TV deal, etc.

Britton Banowsky on The Chris Vernon Show 3-5-08

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace was on for his regular spot to talk about my rants about the direction that the Grizzlies are going and what they have done, and are going to do.

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace on The Chris Vernon Show 3-5-08

ESPN NBA Reporter Ric Bucher (who's report was commented on during the show) joined us to talk about Michael Heisley making the calls for the Grizzlies and what all he knows about the moves the Grizzlies have made and have not made.

Ric Bucher on The Chris Vernon Show 3-5-08

I think I am going to throw up

I am so furious it is unreal. Though I have been tough on the Grizzlies, anyone that listens to me knows that I am a fan of the team and want them desperately to succeed. I had a gag reflex tonight when Ric Bucher came on ESPN and said that fans should not jump on Chris Wallace because it was Michael Heisley that pulled the deal to send Pau to the Lakers for an underwhelming return.

Heisley himself said that to the CA, so that is not news. What is news is that Bucher said that sources have told him that Wallace was ready to swing a deal with Chicago that would net the Grizzlies Andres Noccioni, Joakim Noah, and Joe Smith... only for Heisley to instruct him to make the Lakers deal so that it would cut costs.

Knowing that the Grizzlies could have Noah, Noccioni, and the lottery pick this year, to pair up with Conley and Rudy is enough to make me throw up.

Let somebody try to defend Heisley now. (Awaiting the CA article that will cover for Heisley that will say that Bucher was inaccurate)

IF YOU ARE FILTHY RICH AND LOVE BASKETBALL, AND HAVE HAPPENED TO STUMBLE UPON MY BLOG... PLEASE BUY THE GRIZZLIES.

A video for the anthem

One of our listeners, Dwayne, put together a video for "My Brain." Nice work Dwayne.

Wednesday audio and video

CBS College basketball analyst Clark Kellogg joined us on the show to talk about Memphis, Tenn, and the landscape of college basketball. Clark Kellogg on The Chris Vernon Show 2-27-08

John Heyman from SI.COM came on the show from spring training to talk about how nobody wants to sign Barry Bonds, the trouble Roger Clemens is in now, Mark McGwire in Cardinals camp, and the upcoming season. John Heyman on The Chris Vernon Show 2-27-08

The Mic Check segment on CW30 runs on Wednesday nights in the 9:45 block. This week the segment was about a Memphis run for the national championship.

MIC CHECK WITH CHRIS VERNON ON CW30 (2-27-08)

Well that did not last very long

Vandy knocked off Tennessee at Memorial Gym tonight. I don't think anyone is really surprised that they dropped this game. Vandy has won 18 in a row and 31 of 32 at home, and I think they said on the broadcast that the Dores have knocked off the last three number 1 teams that have come into their building. The man in the picture was THE MAN for Vandy, Shan Foster. He was fantastic for Vandy and I think he became their all-time leading scorer in this game (it did not say in the first game story, but I think that is right). Tennessee will probably drop one or two more games before the tourney and it is very difficult for any team in a big conference to win every game from this point forward. I would expect that Memphis will again be at the number 1 spot and when they get there, they probably will end the regular season in that slot. What is hilarious is the emails that I have already gotten that are of the ha-ha variety from Memphis fans as if I really care, or that this proves something. I am sorry I picked against your team and I was dead on in my prediction. Hopefully Vandy made you feel better about losing to Tennessee. Congrats to Shan Foster and Vandy on a big time win. This is the best state in the nation for college basketball this year.

Songs of the day

1. "My Brain" by The Chris Vernon Show (The anthem)

2. JP Prince "What's my name?" by The Chris Vernon Show

Why I am the smartest member of the Memphis media

Who else in the Memphis media told you that the Vols were going to win that game? I am expecting 3 straight hours of apologies on Monday. The number is 525-ESPN. Go ahead and program that into your phone and set an alert... "remember to apologize to Chris Vernon and admit he is smarter than me." I go on TV and say it, I go on radio and say it, and took all of the punishment that goes with being the only one willing to tell you the truth. Tennessee is one of three teams that I would pick to beat Memphis, and they did. I wanted to see an undefeated season, but I have to keep it real instead of pandering to the masses. I only take satisfaction in knowing that so many of you that called, emailed, and texted the show immediately had the realization that my brain cannot be denied. I am Mental Hercules. The apology line will be open.

Why I picked Tennessee to win, and the show today

We are scheduled to be joined on the show today by... Rece Davis from Gameday (now dependent on flight delay), Briarcrest standout and Tiger/Vol recruit Leslie McDonald, Jason Smith from CA, Grant Wahl from SI, and former voice of the Tigers Big Jack Eaton. Check it.

Why I picked Tennessee...

You can disagree, and many of you have. You can call me names, and many of you have. You can get upset or claim that I am just trying to get a rise out of people, but I have my reasons for the pick.

Both of these teams play at an extremely fast pace when they are at their best. Neither of these teams are very good half-court teams. In fact, that is exactly why both of them got beat by Ohio State in the tournament last year. It is also why both of them would be vulnerable to a UCLA or UNC in the tournament. These teams have to be playing in space for them to be at their best. Memphis has an real advantage over almost every team in the country when the game speeds up, but not against Tennessee. UT is the one team that does not become overwhelmed when the game gets to be played at a rapid pace, and in fact they get better.

So we have two teams that I am convinced will play at a fast pace. Give me the team that fully commits to that style of play.

You can say I have some sort of axe to grind against Memphis
You can say I am a UT fan
You can say that I just want to get a rise out of people

Examine the message, not the messenger. I guess I could have just been a total homer because I think that is what people would want to hear, or I could tell you what I believe and why. Sane people respect the latter, even if they disagree.

Former Memphis coach Dana Kirk on the show

The last coach to take Memphis to the Final Four was Dana Kirk. Dana talked about his '85 team, managing the egos, win streaks, and what the time period was like in Memphis. He also told us who would win if his '85 team played against the current Tiger team, and who will win the game on Saturday. He was fantastic on the show.

Dana Kirk on The Chris Vernon Show 2-21-08

Grizz GM Chris Wallace in studio after trade deadline

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace was in studio right after the deadline for the entire first hour and took a bunch of calls from the fans. I give the guy massive credit for taking the calls and engaging with the fans. It is truly unprecedented. Here are the segments if you missed them...
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace on The Chris Vernon Show 2-21-08 Part 1

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace on The Chris Vernon Show 2-21-08 Part 2

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace on The Chris Vernon Show 2-21-08 Part 3

Mic Check on CW30, Audio from yesterday

Mic Check aired last night on CW30 and I made the prediction for the Memphis/ Tennessee. Here is the bit if you missed it (I got the "straight up" in)...


The Haters segment on Wednesday was the best one in a long while.... THE HATERS 2-20-08

Rick Kamla from NBA TV joined us to talk about the trade deadline and everything gong on in the league. Rick Kamla on The Chris Vernon Show 2-20-08

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace and Chris Rose from Best Damn Sports Show will be on the show today.

Mem/ UT Prediction, Miller to be traded?

The tv spot that I do on channel 30 (CW30) airs tonight at 9:45 during Eyewitness Sports. I will make my prediction for the game this weekend on the bit if you are interested.

Chris Wallace could not make it in for the weekly segment because he got caught up with the boss (good reason). I would not blow off the guy that signs my checks either. What I do know is that the Grizzlies were not in the process of making a move when Wallace missed the show. He will be on tomorrow after the deadline (scheduled to be on show @ 3).

I am told that a betting man would bet the Grizzlies would stand pat, but anything can happen.

Now, on to Miller... the Grizzlies point of view is that they will not trade Miller in a simply financial deal. Any deal for Miller would have to make basketball sense (this was a nice thing to hear). They are worried that if they move Miller they will lose real outside shooting and virtually any veteran presence (from a guy that plays). The thought is that if you keep Miller that you could put something good together within a few years, whereas if you move him for what you would get in many of the deals you could quickly become 4-5 yrs from being really competitive (like the Bulls did). The other thought is that at the top of the draft (where the Grizz pick will be) there are pg's and bigs, but really only one outside scorer (Gordon). So let's say that you more than likely get an interior guy (Beasley, Love, Arthur, whoever) in the draft, then you want to have Miller and you could be something other than an abomination in the near future. Again, Miller's outside shooting and the fact that he is a vet make them very skeptical of moving him. I understand the value that they see in keeping Miller if teams are not bowling them over with the offers.

I would bet that Miller is not dealt, but again, anything can happen. Wallace will be on the show tomorrow.

The Fanta Feud

I wanted something to call this game this weekend because I thought it needed a name, rather than just saying "the biggest game ever in the history of the state, blahblahblah." After a ton of good entries it became clear that "The Fanta Feud" was the best for us. I wish I knew who coined it, but it was one of the text message responses so I don't know. It is clearly someone that has been a dedicated listener (explanation below).

The Fanta reference comes from a blog post and a conversation the Gary Parrish and I had on the show about my favorite message board thread ever.

HERE IS THE ORIGINAL BLOG ENTRY ON THE ENTIRE SUBJECT...

Why I love message boards (DOWN WITH SCHNUCKS!!!)

Audio from the Monday show

Pat Forde from ESPN.COM on Memphis, Kelvin Sampson, etc.

Ole Miss HC Andy Kennedy on the recent struggles, etc (I'm not jumpin off yet, soon though)

Jeff Goodman from Foxsports.com weekly segment

Glad I went to that one...

I guess I got more than I bargained for at the Memphis/ UAB game. The environment was unbelievable, the comeback was crazy, and the post-game near riot was something I had never seen before.

I will obviously talk about this on the show on Monday, but here are a couple of quick thoughts....


- heck of a photo by Mark Weber of the CA, the misspelling of Memphis is hysterical

- there were not many Memphis media members there. There was the radio team, Fox had a few guys down there, Wolken from the CA, and me. I think that was it.

- the trip is way easier since they opened up the highways that take you to Bham.

- Robert Vaden is absolutely awesome. He lived up to expectations.
Terrible last shot, but other than that, the kid proved he is a player. He will be a pro.

- I have no idea how Douglas-Roberts hits the shots he hits. He was spectacular.

- Antonio Anderson played the best game I have ever seen him play. He was having to chase Vaden around on one end, and dropping off shots on the other end. He was better last night than he was in the Cincy game a few years back.

- UAB had an incredible game plan and executed it about as well as they could have. Memphis players were looking for calls and getting frustrated. They always had a body on a body on the defensive glass. Memphis kills teams on the boards and with second chance points typically. They took Dorsey completely out of the game by bullying the bully.

- I will talk at length about the aftermath of the game on the show, but quickly... I was taken out of my media seat under the goal so that the fans could rush the court, and so I was actually on the court in the corner at the end of the game. Upon winning the game Pierre Niles was right in front of me getting in peoples faces and just being completely ridiculous. I know what it looks like when a guy is looking for trouble, and there was about to be a riot on the court right in front of me with some UAB football players because Pierre is out there poppin his jersey, cussin, and bowin' up on anyone around (nevermind that he was on the end of the bench the whole game). When you see the team coming to that end of the court on the video, it is because Pierre is out there jawing at everyone. The UAB fans were completely out of line for throwing crap at the team, but the team should have gone to the locker room. If you are gonna yell at fans, and pop your jersey, and get in faces as you are walking to the tunnel good things will typically not come from that. You have nothing to gain by being in the tunnel arguing with a fan, and you might get hurt in the process. You gotta just keep on walking. I will bet anything Coach Cal is telling them the same thing. You gotta just keep on walking.

Goin to Bham

I am going to Birmingham for the Memphis/ UAB game this weekend, so I don't know if I will update the blog this weekend. I will try to take pictures of the events of the weekend.

Today (Friday) on the show... Bert Sugar from Vegas (Pavlik, Taylor fight), UAB coach Mike Davis, Xavier coach Sean Miller, Jason Smith and Craig Wack from CA

A few notes

If you missed Stephen A. Smith on the show yesterday, CLICK HERE. He had comments on the NBA and the recent trades, the Clemens trial, and he had a message for Chris Wallace.

The TV gig I am doing on CW30 will be regular on Wednesday nights. It will air every Wednesday from now on at 9:45 as a part of Eyewitness Sports. So, it will be on tonight. Check it.

A Single Roser tomorrow

The final episode of "A Single Roser" will be on Wednesday at 4:20. We have interviewed the girls, we have had the trivia portion of the contest, and on Wednesday the listeners will get to ask the girls questions in our final portion of the screening process. If you want to email a question you can do that too. One of the following lovely ladies will win the Valentines Day date with my producer, the incomporable Jon Roser. We are down to 2 girls, Cindy and Michelle. If you have not seen them, here they are...

Cindy, the one with the already incredibly famous answers...

And Michelle, who said that she would like to be a dolphin but it is not an animal

You can help us with the screening process (the listener portion) in the final episode on Wednesday at 4:20.

When Miller gets traded...

I talked about the Grizzlies trading Mike Miller last week on the show. Today, Hoopsworld has an entry about the topic. I was under the impression that they would wait a little while after the Pau trade, which it seems like what they are going to do. Maybe they will do it at the trade deadline and hope it blends in with other deals. The Pau trade was not a tremendous local PR hit, but moving Miller at the same time would make any spin they could have put on a deal totally ridiculous. If they trade Miller and get money and picks in return, instead of players that will help this team, then the fire sale will be completely undeniable. And what is sad is that there will still be people that will believe the justification.

Robert Dozier suspension over

Coach Cal said today that Dozier was going to be playing against UCF on Sat. He said that Dozier is now on a short leash, just like Jeremy Hunt was. He said nothing about the assault charge, but did say that Dozier was suspended for being in a club after midnight. A reporter followed that statement up by asking if Dozier was out alone at the club, to which Cal said "from what I understand." I would think that if Robert Dozier never slapped that girl and cut her face that either Cal or Dozier himself would just say that reports were not true and he was falsely accused in this situation. Wouldn't you? It was on the front page of the sports section of the USA Today that he was accused of assault. If someone accused me of hitting a girl and I had not, I would be screaming from the rooftops that it was a lie. Anyway, it is another regrettable situation to say the least. I get tired of hearing about guys getting in trouble every year and I wish more Tiger fans felt the same way. Instead, they get mad at the media or anyone else they can blame.

Mic Check with Chris Vernon on CW30

The tv gig began tonight on CW 30. Man, I wish the screen would have frozen with my face lookin different. ha! If you missed it, here it is...

Chris Wallace was not happy...

about other GM's "pillow talking like high school cheerleaders with Chad Ford"

Here is the weekly segment...

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace on The Chris Vernon Show 2-6-08

ESPN.COM'S DAVID THORPE WAS ALSO ON THE SHOW AND HAD SOME INTERESTING THOUGHTS ON RUDY AND THE YOUNG GUYS ON THE TEAM

DAVID THORPE on The Chris Vernon Show 2-6-08

The Chris Vernon Show coming to your TV screen tonight (for a few minutes)

The TV gig begins tonight. ABC 24/ UPN 30 came to me and asked me to be a part of their local sports coverage and bring the radio show to tv for a segment once a week. It will be a part of the news broadcast that begins at 9 oclock on UPN 30, and my bit "Mic Check" will be on in the 9:45 to 10 pm block. They even break it up on Tivo as 9:45-10pm where it is listed as a different program.. "Eyewitness Sports". Make it a point to tune in and check it out if you will. Thank you to all of you that listen to the show. Again, good things keep happening because of you. Tonight, 9:45, UPN 30, the tv gig begins.

Here we go again

MEMPHIS HEAD COACH JOHN CALIPARI COMMENT

“Late Tuesday evening, I learned of an incident concerning one of our players, Robert Dozier. We are finding out all the facts, and if University or team policy was violated, I will deal with it in a fair and firm manner like I always have.”

All of the details of this will be out soon. This is totally predictable, and sad. The "fair and firm" manner in which things are dealt with have always continued to create an environment where players can do anything. I asked after the riot at the club this summer.. when will it end? When somebody gets shot? At some point, a different standard must be set, or these type of problems will continue and put Memphis basketball in the news for the wrong reasons... as this will.

Update:

Tiger facing possible assault charge

Is he a leader now Tiki? (Eli the giant slayer)

The Pau Trade (a few days later)

Did I tell you that the Grizzlies would convince the Commercial Appeal that this was not a fire sale and a deal intended to strip this team down? I told you on Thursday night to look for the Kwame trade and I gave you the reasoning. Do not doubt me now. The spin was insanely predictable and exactly what I said it would be. Calkins had the following as the lead to his column this morning...

In publications all across this land, intelligent people looking for an explanation for the Grizzlies-Lakers trade hit on the same explanation: Salary dump.

The article goes on to say, much like the other article in the paper, that this explanation is false. False because some people have said it is false.

So let me get this right... all of the facts of the recent past will lead you to believe that this was another move to help cut costs, intelligent people all over the nation can see this, but Heisley and some other source said that it was not a fire sale. Hmmmmm. Honestly, anyone with a brain can see the truth. If you believe this crap, you are simply naive.

With that being said, the outcome of this trade is not that bad. The by-product of cutting costs could help the Grizzlies build a significantly better team in the future. In the end, this team has to get lucky and be better in the draft than they have been.

The trade is what it is, but I cannot help but laugh at the people killing it. It could not be more obvious that much of the national media has rarely seen Pau play. This was clearly more of a business deal than a basketball deal, but allow me to quickly address it from the basketball angle. WHY WAS THE TEAM ALWAYS AS GOOD WITH PAU AS THEY WERE WITHOUT HIM RECORD-WISE? WHY? Over the course of the last few years the Grizzlies have won 28% of their games with Pau, and 27% without him. How is that possible if the guy is so great? I defy anyone to give me a good reason. The suck with him, and now they will suck without him, but at least they will have some flexibility to improve (if they care).

The toughest part to swallow for me is that I was screaming from the rooftops a few years ago that this team should not be making Pau a max player. If that is what you had to pay, you had to let him walk. This franchise should have never given the guy the deal, and now we all pay for it.

Memories of Pau Gasol

Ode to Pau

Exclusive Chris Wallace Interview (before press conference)

Wallace called in to give the Grizzlies angle to the Pau Gasol trade that went down today.

GRIZZLIES GM CHRIS WALLACE ON THE CHRIS VERNON SHOW 2-1-08

CVERNON.COM EXCLUSIVE: THE PAU GASOL TRADE (COMPLETE DETAILS)

Sorry for being so cryptic before. Here is the deal....

THERE IS MORE TO IT THAN WHAT THE CA IS REPORTING...

Pau Gasol and a second round pick will be sent to Los Angeles for Kwame Brown (and his expiring contract), a first rounder in '08 and '10, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie and rights to Marc Gasol

It was what I thought it was.

CVERNON.COM: WHERE ACCURACY MATTERS. JUST KIDDING, IT DOESN'T REALLY.

Big changes coming for the Grizzlies?

According to the CA and cbssports.com, the Grizzlies and the Nets are talking about a deal that would send Stromile Swift to the Nets for Jason Collins. I believe this to be completely true. I don't know if the deal will take place for sure, but I would think there is a really good chance. I don't even give a crap about that deal to be honest.

What I do care about is the deal that also may come in the next few days. I don't think that we are going to be as happy as we once thought we would be about a Pau deal. I have pontificated on the fact that a fire sale could be coming so that Heisley can save money and position the team to sell it. I think he wants to be able to sell to someone and be able to pitch that they will takeover a product with quite a bit of flexibility that they can do whatever they want with. Unfortunately I think that Wallace was hired to carry out this plan. I hope I am wrong.

There is nothing that Heisley has done in the past 2 years to indicate that he is doing anything but cutting back on all costs. Saving money is what this franchise is about now.

With that being said, look for Pau to be part of a deal that brings back a big expiring contract. If what I think may go down, goes down, people are going to be really pissed. Have you ever considered what Kwame Brown would look like in a Grizzlies uni? I am just asking.