Philanthropy (The Picks), new audio loaded

Philanthropy is 11-4 (73%) so far this year. Jump on this train or get run over by it. Here are the picks this week...

Alabama -9 over Arkansas (Arkansas is one of the worst teams in D1, they prove it this weekend)

Troy +21.5 over Ohio St (love this game, love this game. Troy could shock em. We will absolutely take more than 3 tds though)

Air Force +9.5 over Utah (I don't care if Utah is ranked, this game is ALWAYS close. Air Force 9-1 ATS in last 10, we will gladly take the 9.5)

Wake Forest +4 over Florida St. (I will believe it when I see it from the Noles, until then I will take the better football team as a road dog)

MTSU +6 over Arkansas St (I could not believe this line. MTSU pounds these guys every year. I like that Blue Raiders team because they covered for us last week. Take MTSU. Easy pickins)

The NFL goofy parlay is the Chalk Parlay of the Year!
Bills -9
New England -12
Giants -13
Denver -5.5

Bert Sugars picks (to cover)-- Fresno, Rutgers, Utah, Purdue, LSU

I loaded up Denunzio, Wallace, Mumme on the player if you missed them...

Micheal Heisley: 215th richest man in America

The Grizzlies owner has a net worth of 2.1 billion dollars, good enough to put him in the Forbes 400 List. Forgive me when I don't feel bad when he loses money with the Grizzlies. I have always been puzzled with contingent of fans that defend the consistent cutting back in spending on the team that has hurt the product from all angles. Grizzlies losses for him is like me losing 10 bucks. The facts are not that Heisley is a great owner that is willing to spend, the facts are that Heisley was an owner that was willing to spend. There is no debate that both the basketball and business sides have been downsized financially drastically in the last few years. Now we are at a point where there are less season ticket holders for the Grizzlies than any other team in the league. He did spend money, he did not make money back and so now he is gonna limit losses until he can get rid of the team. Listen to him talk about when the team was in the playoffs. He talks about them like they won a damn championship, or even 1 game. All you have to do is hear him and you get the sense that he sits behind a closed door and says, "We made the playoffs three straight years and these people still would not support this team enough, so screw it." The dude is so out of touch with Memphis and the fans it is amazing. "I will be around more, I will be more involved, blah blah blah." He comes in one time a year and says it, and we will hear it again this year. There is apathy from the fans and the team on the business side and basketball side is run on the cheap. Don't listen to me or any other media member (esp. the ones in Heisleys pocket), just ask any Grizzlies employee or former employee what they think about the franchise. The local owners had enough and they rolled out, and the only hope is that one day the team will be sold to someone that wants to have the team survive and thrive in Memphis (which is admittedly wishful thinking). I love the last line of the Forbes write-up:

Computer salesman became turnaround whiz. Used $150,000 profit from selling home and $10 million in bank loans to acquire Conco, maker of sewer and drain equipment. Expanded holdings; bought several near-bankrupt Rust Belt manufacturers. Today Heico operates 40 companies. Earnings generated through steel, construction, equipment. Founded private equity firm Stony Land Partners 2007; returned investors' money 2008 after credit crunch hit. Owns pro basketball's Memphis Grizzlies despite several efforts to sell team.

The team I care about, the team some of you care about, is a throw away line at the end of the profile. That seems about right.

The Article: http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/54/400list08_Michael-Heisley-Sr_93KG.html

Gary Pinkel, Jim Grobe, and Terry Bowden (the audio)

#5 Missouri coach Gary Pinkel joined us on the show and talked about his team so far, building a program, Chase Daniel, etc.

#18 Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe talked about what he thought about Ole Miss, the extremely rare philosophy they used when building Wake, the Florida St. game coming up, etc.

College football analyst Terry Bowden talked about the season so far, whether coaches know what the point spread is in a game, why the spread offense is trending down, if Matthew Stafford is elite, the game he lost because he was trying not to "show to much" because of who his opponent was the next week (great story), etc.

I thought all three of them were really interesting today. If you missed any of them, they are loaded in the player...

Scheduled for this week (so far)

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel
Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe
College football analyst Terry Bowden
New Mexico St. coach Hal Mumme
New York Jets (and former Vol) Shaun Ellis

Another winning weekend (what's new?)

The Go To the Bank Week 2 NFL parlay of the year was 3-oh, 3-oh, 3-oh

The college games were 3-2. UAB could not get us one stupid touchdown. New Mexico St was on the Nebraska 2 yd line as the clock ran out, almost the backdoor. Oh well, we caught a break with Iowa taking a safety at the end.

Mental note: Kirk Ferentz has no regard for the point spread.

Kansas still covers like they were born to do it.

USC might be the Patriots this year in college. (no point spread too big)

Philanthropy record goes to 11-4 (73%)

You should easily be a bazillionaire by now.

Philanthropy (The Picks) w/ audio

Never doubt the great Vinny Verno. Comin off a blazin 5-0 last week. If you do not live in a mansion and drive a luxury car, blame yourself. I am trying to help you here.
Philanthropy Record is (8-2, 80%) this year

UAB +30 over Tennessee (if UAB can get me one TD, Tenn has to get me by more than 5tds. no way)

MTSU +17 over Kentucky (I could not believe this. Kentucky has a totally garbage offense. This is insulting)

Iowa St +13.5 over Iowa (again, totally insulting. Iowa St. always covers in this game, and now it is almost a 2td, give me a break)

N Mex St. +25 over Nebraska (I am ridin with my boy Hal Mumme and Joe Lee Dunn on this one. Nebraska struggled with San Jose till the end, 25 is too many)

Western Michigan -8 over Idaho (Idaho is the worst team in D1, and injured. This line should have been 20, we get it at 8)

The goofy NFL Parlay is the Go To the Bank Week 2 Parlay of the Year!
G- Giants -9 over Rams
T- Titans +1 over Bengals
B- Buffalo +5.5 over Jags

bert sugars picks (all against spread)---
Cal, Michigan, Virginia, Vandy, Georgia

My new favorite college football player, Sylvester Croom and John Chavis (Audio)

There is the very real possibility that my favorite player in college football this year is Karlin Brown, and I have never seen him play. When the middle linebacker at Miss. St. went down and they needed a replacement... they will now turn to Karlin Brown.
Brown will start in the Auburn game on Saturday night for the Bullies and I cannot wait. Why? Because Karlin Brown is my size. Wait until you see him. He is 5'8" 195lbs. It seems impossible. I looked up his videos on Rivals just to see if this is for real. This dude is starting at middle linebacker in the SEC against Auburn. I cannot remember the last time I anticipated watching a player more. Karlin Brown, do your thing, mangle and destroy.

I asked Sylvester Croom about Karlin Brown, his team losing to La. Tech, minority coach hires, etc. I have loaded the audio if you missed it.

I also loaded the audio of Tenn. Def. Coor. John Chavis joining us on the show.

Chris Wallace segment, Linda Cohn (The Audio), todays show

Scheduled for the show today...
Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom
Tennessee Defensive Coor. John Chavis
ESPN.Com's Ivan Maisel
Herrington and Movies

The Chris Wallace weekly segment is loaded in three parts. We busted his chops about a possible Zach Randolph deal, etc. Linda Cohn from ESPN joined us on the show to talk about her new incredibly revealing book about her life. Cohn is loaded in the player also.

What rhymes with Vinny Verno? 5 and ohhhh

And Vinny Verno is.............. 5 and oh, 5 and oh, 5 and ohhhhhhhhhh! That photo is actually of me. I burst into friggin flames, authorities had to come and put me out.

I give picks, they win, everyone becomes millionaires. The picks are always posted on Friday and if you slept on this, boo to you. Roser just told me he is drivin a Bentley to work on Monday. Philanthropy. I am a philanthropist. Woooo hoooooooo!!!!!! Updated Philanthropy record... (8-2, 80%)

Philanthropy (The Picks), Denunzio returns (Audio)

Here are the games this week, Roll with Vinny Verno or don't roll...

Kansas -20.5 over La. Tech (this will be known as the Kansas blood bath for yrs to come)

Southern Miss +17.5 over Auburn (too many points for a non-crappy team to get)

Air Force +3 over Wyoming (hard to defend team against a team we always win against)

La Monroe +12.5 over Arkansas (La Monroe could be favored in this, Arkansas is total crap)

Arizona St -14 over Stanford (last year combined score...79-6.. come on)

The goofy parlay is... The Not walking through that door Week 1 PARLAY OF THE YEAR!

Cincy -1 over Baltimore (Johnathan Ogden is not walking through that door)

Dallas -5.5 over Cleveland (Bernie Kosar is not walking through that door)

Jacksonville -3 over Titans (Steve McNair is not walking through that door)

Bert Sugars Picks

UConn -7 over Temple

Northwestern -6.5 over Duke

G Tech +7 over BC

Texas Tech -10 over Nevada

Denunzio Picks-- Dolphins, Bengals, 49ers, Saints (against spread)

You are welcome degenerates

Vandy ssssssssssstttttttttttttttttttrrrrrrrraight up! How bout that? Bravo Bobby J. I had your back. Home teams catchin points on a Thursday, we love ya at the Verno household.
Giants hit too. What a beautiful Thursday night.

Just wait till tomorrow when I drop some more winners on that head. You should just go ahead a make reservations to your restaurant of choice. Philanthropy is too easy this week.

Welcome to the NBA Darrell Arthur

Nice. He and Chalmers got caught smokin some weed in their room. Hey, that rookie symposium is stressful.

Mangino tried

We were one yard away from 4-1 on the picks, ended up 3-2 instead. One yard away because my man Mangino was trying for us. The dude is up 40-10 and refuses to run out the clock. He has got his starter in behind center, and he is trying to score to get it to 47-10. Kneeling is for the weak. The RB got tackled at the friggin one yard line with the clock running out. I can't get mad about that. I still love this guy, he tried for us, even if they should have hung 70 on FIU. I could not help but laugh. Mangino has always respected Philanthropy.

Philanthropy, Bobby Bowden and Bradie James (The audio)

Audio of Bobby Bowden on the show and Bradie James on the show is loaded below.

Philanthropy (the picks)
never say that we don't give back to the community...

Kansas -35.5 over Fl. International (Kansas might score a hundy)
Pitt-13 over Bowling Green (McCoy goes over 2 bills)
Utah St +12.5 over UNLV (both these teams suck, so I take points)
Tulsa -14 over UAB (UAB is horrid, Tulsa is good, who needs more analysis?)
Ohio +11 over Wyoming (Come on Solich, come through, Wyoming is crap)

Philanthropy Record (0-0)

and as always, the goofy parlay is the...

Louisiana Losers Parlay of the Year!
Auburn -26 over La Monroe
S. Miss -10.5 over La Laffer
Miss St -8.5 over La. Tech

Bert Sugar's Picks
Temple -7 over Army
Clemson -4.5 over Bama
V Tech -9.5 over ECU
Louisville -4 over Kentucky
Fresno +5.5 over Rutgers

Excuses, Excuses

3-3 on the degenerate games. Troy, Vandy, and Wake come through
now to the losers...
--Utep is an absolute piece of crap. Almost 500 yds of offense to Buffalo? That is ridiculous and embarrasing at the same time. I hate Utep now.
--Oregon State, how about you throw a backwards pass in the endzone again with the game in the balance? Or fumble with the game on the line? Boooooooo.
--NC State was in that thing and then their QB was on a stretcher. Can't plan for that one, but geez, Troy Aikman played through 5 million concussions and he still talks well. Come on dude. Just kidding.

So we were 3-3 on degenerate games, but it is clear that the games we lost were fixed. If we lose, the game was fixed. Period.

Darrell Arthur has to pick up his mom from the airport because her flight was moved to today, so he moved him to next week. Never mess with mama.
The rest of the show for today is the same as scheduled.

The picks, the Friday show, new audio

The 6 Degenerate Game picks for the games tonight given on the show were (if you wanna keep up with my brilliance)...
Utep +3.5 over Buffalo, NC State +14.5 over S.Carolina, Troy -7 over MTSU, Vandy +3.5 over Miami (ohio), Wake -12 over Baylor, Oregon St. -3 over Stanford

The show tomorrow will feature Bobby Bowden, Darrell Arthur, etc. The rundown is below...
Friday Show:
3pm- Grizzlies draft pick Darrell Arthur comes in studio
3:40- Philanthropy (season debut)
4:20-5- Commercial Appeal's Jason Smith preps preview
5- Florida State coach Bobby Bowden
5:20- Memphis D Coor Tim Walton
5:40-- Weekly Cigar with Bert Sugar (lovable losers debut)

New audio includes the Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace weekly segment (broken into 3 parts)

Next two days on the show...

(scheduled to join us on Thurs, Fri)...

Florida State coach Bobby Bowden (Roser hit trifecta- all 3 Bowden's in a week)
Memphis D Coor Tim Walton
Tenn O Coor Dave Clawson
Grizzlies draft pick Darrell Arthur swings by the studio

The predictions from the show (SEC 2008)

SEC East
Florida wins it
Georgia
Tenn
S Carolina
Kentucky
Vandy

SEC West
Auburn wins it
Bama
Ole Miss
LSU
Miss St
Arkansas

Surprise team is Ole Miss, Disappointment is LSU, Les Miles downfall begins now Saban's players are all in NFL and he is gone within 3 years

Florida wins the SEC, Tebow wins another Heisman

Terry Bowden and Fantasy football expert Dave Richard (The Audio)

College football analyst Terry Bowden joined us on the show to talk about the upcoming season, his dad and his future plans, his brother and the Clemson/Bama game, the spread offense, etc.

CBSSports.com Fantasy Expert Dave Richard gave fantasy football tips on the upcoming season including sleepers, busts, strategies, etc.
Both Bowden and Richard are loaded in the player.

Cardinals All-Star Ryan Ludwick, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden (The Audio)

The show tomorrow, concert tomorrow night

We are scheduled to be joined on the show by Ryan Ludwick from the Cardinals and Clemson coach Tommy Bowden.

Now, to the concert...

Rock For Love 2 is a concert that is going on Friday night (and Saturday) with a ton of great local music acts and it is all for a great cause. The show is at the Hi-Tone. I was asked to emcee and I was really honored. I am gonna be the emcee for the Friday night show (Lord T and Eloise, Al Kapone, etc., this is gonna be awesome). Come check this thing out if you can, it should be great. The show benefits the Church Health Center. They provide medical care for those that are uninsured or cannot afford it. I hope to see you there. Here is the release...

SunTrust Rock for Love 2 benefit for Church Health Center
planned for August 22-23 at the Hi Tone
Lord T and Eloise, Snowglobe to headline respective nights

SunTrust Rock for Love 2, the second-annual concert to benefit the Church
Health Center, is set for Aug. 22-23 at the Hi-Tone, 1913 Poplar Ave.

The concert – actually two back-to-back nights of music – will not only raise vital
funds for the Center, but it will also celebrate the diversity of Memphis music with
performances by some of the city’s best bands.

Friday, Aug. 22 – Lord T and Eloise, Al Kapone, Two Way Radio, J.D. Reager
and the Cold Blooded Three and Vending Machine. Emcee: Chris Vernon, host
of “The Chris Vernon Show” on 730 Fox.

Saturday, Aug. 23 – Snowglobe, the Coach and Four, Antenna Shoes, Oh No!
Oh My! and Royal Bangs. Emcee: Janet Wilson, host “Janet’s Planet” on WEVL,
FM 89.9.

Tickets are on sale at Goner Records and Shangri-La in midtown and online at
HiToneMemphis.com. Tickets for each night are $10, or tickets for both nights
can be purchased together for $18. Cost to get in each show will be $10 at the
door if tickets are available.

Chris Wallace (Audio), Memphis announcement

The University of Memphis is having a "major" press conference tomorrow at 3 to make an announcement they say will gain national attention. My guess was maybe there was gonna be a ESPN College Gameday game against Kansas, or something like that. Now I have heard that it might be about a deal with Nike, and I have also heard that it is about a major donation. I don't know what to think, but I will imagine that it will be extremely good news for Memphis and the athletic dept.

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace was in studio for the weekly segment and we talked about marriage, the Iranian guy the Grizzlies were said to be signing, the Olympics, Marc Gasol, etc. Audio is below, broken in two parts.

Houston Nutt and Rick Neuheisel (The Audio)

Houston Nutt was on the show and we talked about his introductory press conference (my favorite ever), Kent Austin, J. Snead, J. Powe, the injuries they have sustained, what shape he left Arkansas in, what shape Ole Miss is in, etc.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel was on the show and we talked about taking over at his "dream job", what the last 5 years has been like for him, getting caught up in the fame of being a high profile coach, playing Tennessee the first game of the season, how UCLA stacks up with USC in the city and the state, etc.

I thought both of these guys were really interesting and entertaining. If you missed them.. audio is below.

Some Memphis Tigers schedule notes

Here is what I have been told regarding some dates and times for the upcoming season...

November 17th the Tigers will play UMass. 11pm tip so they can play on national TV following Monday Night Football.

December 20th is the Syracuse game at FedEx Forum.

December 22nd is a Monday. The Tigers are scheduled to play Drexel at noon-- Grizzlies play the Lakers that night. Monday double-header, huh?

I was also told that another non-conference home game will be added when it is worked out. Might be an ESPN gameday game. Names for that include possibly Ohio State, Florida, or Kansas.

Houston Nutt and Rick Neuheisel

On the show today. New coach day. Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt and UCLA coach Rick Nueheisel joining us on the show. Check it.

Mercy Killing, 119-82, muahahahah!

CVERNON.COM EXCLUSIVE: Spain is garbage.
What a beautiful day! That's what I am talking about. Defecation on the head style. That Spanish team wanted no part of the physical game the US team employed from the jump. Nice body language Spain. Muuahahhahaaha. So much for that "best in the world" talk. That's 0-9 in Olympic play vs. the USA for Spain. They didn't even put up a fight. Even Angola put up a fight. Angola! Thank you Team USA for embarrassing that team. Where was the MVP of the world, Pau Gasol? Did he play? Muhahahahahaha.

Quick reactions...
I still like that kid Ricky Rubio. He has some fight in him. He would be awesome if he played American college basketball.
Marc Gasol is not athletic enough, too slow, and too slow with the ball. Is that a Euro thing, that it takes forever to make a move? Pau always did that. You have to get the ball and make a quick, decisive move in the NBA. Big lugs are not difference makers in the league.
Spain does not have a run-stopper. Not surprising when Pau is supposed to be your best player. Geez, where have I seen that before for 7 years?
Dwayne Wade looks better than ever.
Kobe Bryant has not even been one of the top 5 players for the US in this competition.

Maybe next time we can spot Spain 40 before the game starts, so it can be a game. Talk about being worth the wait.

Here we come Spain...

I have got the American flag draped over me.
I have the Hacksaw Jim Duggan 2x4 on my shoulder.
If you read this site, you will remember all of the crap we had to endure from Spain when the Pau song came out. "Spain is best in world. Pau is MVP of world. USA is loser. Spain is blah blah blah..."
It's about time that Spanish fans get put back in their place. Had to wait a long time... but tomorrow morning is the day of reckoning. Can't wait to see that weak-ass national hero let them down.
Here we come Spain. I cannot wait. Maybe you can give each other some more fruity hugs while you console each other... just like your hero. Muuuuhaahahaha.

Today on the show

Former NBA and celibacy ironman AC Green joins us on the show. Also, longtime Chicago sports radio host Mike North will be on, and we will try to catch up with Chris Wallace when he returns from Europe.
Update: The audio is below

Just imagine if Team USA did this...

The Spanish Olympic team had an ad in their newspaper in Spain where they all slanted their eyes. I am sure it was "in honor" of the games being in Bejing. Just imagine if the Team USA had done this. It must be the culture difference, right? This is an advertisement? For what, racism?

The changing feeling about USA Basketball

Nike has put out one of the best sports commercials ever in preparation for the Olympic games in Bejing. We always talk about how winning International competition is so much more important to players from other countries and residents of other countries. I don't know if our players will ever feel the pressure or responsibility to win like the players from overseas, but this year certainly feels different. Listening to them talk, watching them play, this year feels different. USA Basketball seems fun and exciting again, at least to me. Maybe for me it is different because if you read this blog, you recall how many threats and other insane crap that was written by residents of Spain (when we had Pau and the song came out). You may remember how much trash they talk about being the "best players in the world." I hope we beat the ever-loving crap out of them, and everyone else. Only a communist could not like the new Nike commercial...

Good grief...

The problem with drinking the kool aid...

I have long been a proponent of spending money to improve this team. What happens to all of the fans that have drank the "3 year plan" kool aid and say that the team should not spend money? You are upset about this Josh Smith offer sheet stuff right? This is not what the Grizzlies said they were gonna do so you are against it? Or is it that the Grizzlies are now doing this, and so you are for it? Geez, this is gonna be funny. So now what? Is it the right decision to spend the cap space?
That is the trouble with drinking the kool aid. I say bravo to the Grizzlies. It is a smart PR move even when Smith does not sign here.
This should be a lesson to all of the fans that don't have their own opinion and just support whatever bologna is said. Now you have to change positions. Thank you Mr. Heisley, you have exposed your sheep. And you at least have made the effort.

Grizzlies going after Josh Smith?

The Commercial Appeal is reporting that the Grizzlies have signed an offer sheet with Josh Smith. The contract is worth 58 million dollars. I would be shocked if the Hawks don't match, but huge credit to the Grizzlies for taking a run at the guy. To say I am shocked would be an understatement. I would bet we never see the guy in a Grizzlies uniform, but the effort counts. As you know, I have been very wary of a 3-year plan and the idea that Memphis can survive 2 more really bad seasons. If Smith were in a Grizzlies uni, that team looks a whole lot better immediately. Please let there be an act of God that lets this happen. There are 82 games, and this team looks a lot more exciting and promising with Josh Smith on the front line.

Grizzlies sign Hawks' Smith to offer sheet

In the article, the Grizz are also reportedly signing the big center of Iran. Dude had 20 rebounds in a game against Serbia? I'm down with that. Memphis hasn't had a guy that could get 20 rebounds against air. The Grizzlies are gonna have the "foreign nightmare" front line. Darko, Marc Gasol, and this dude. Watch out. hahahaha.

The audio from the Thursday show

Memphis Tiger beat writer Dan Wolken had taken exception to some of the things that I said about the homerism in Memphis. Dan was invited to come on the show and we talked about the comments that I had made. It was quite evident from the response I have gotten that all different types of people viewed our discussion all different ways. The only one that bothers me is the idea that I hate Memphis or want more negative coverage of Memphis. There is no question that some took my comments in that way. Again, when this all began, my point was never that there needed to be more negative coverage, but rather that there is a reason that negatives about a home team are written more often by an outsider (this is not exclusive to Memphis either). I have no problem with a home team slant, my problem is with those that try to deny it exists. The home team slant is prevalent in nearly every city across the nation, so let's just not act as if it cannot be a neccessary evil of being a local reporter. Dan took exception to that assumption. I gave examples of things that I thought were slanted or ignored, and Dan responded. Who knows what was accomplished, but maybe, at worst, it was compelling radio. Here is the audio if you missed it...

The new website for the station

The new station website is www.730foxsports.com. It is already up, but is also a work in progress. They are adding new features everyday. One of the new features is a webcam installed in the studio so that you can watch the show being broadcast if you like. I was against this camera, but whatever, I guess it is kinda cool. To watch the show, click on Verno TV while we are on the air from 3-6. I have gotten tremendous response on the new lineup. Thanks to all of you that listen and support the station, the positive feedback has been awesome. People are always adverse to change, but the vast majority of response that I have gotten has been positive regarding the new lineup. Check out the new website and let us know what you would like to be added or changed.

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace (The audio)

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace joined us from Italy (where he is on vacation) to talk about the release of the Grizzlies schedule, how it works, if the Grizzlies are gonna be making a move soon, etc. The audio is loaded below...

Clearing some things up...

Yesterday I addressed the idea of Memphis media not wanting to report negative things about John Calipari and the Tigers. Somehow (as evidence by my email) this had been twisted to where I said that reporters know about things and do not report them. This is not what I said, and in fact the audio is below. What I did say is that it is very hard to criticize, or report the negative, and still maintain the access you need to do your job.

Let me give you an example (and let's make this about USC so nobody accuses me of anything)...

Player A pulls up to practice in a brand new, shiny Mercedes. He is wearing diamond stud earrings and a Rolex and is counting hundred dollar bills when he walks in the door. As a reporter, do you look into how this player could possibly have that much money at his disposal? Do you really want to know?

Do you see where I am going with this? Now somebody from out of town might be shocked and say "gee, how is this happening?" But if you are local and your job is riding on a program and your readers are fans of the program, do you really want to know? What is the end game? You bust someone and bring down a program? You better be ready for death threats (that is not a joke) and you better be ready to find another job. That is reality. This is what I am talking about from the point of view of someone who covers sports for a living. I was not trying to be trying to be a jerk, or trash anyone, I was trying to bring a broader understanding of the media and how it can work.

What I brought up above may be an extreme example, but one that brings up the legitimate point as to why negative things are more likely to be written from the outside and out-of-towners are more likely to dig into things. They do not have to deal directly with the repercussions of their stories. Again, I understand.

I know that every reporter fancies themselves as objective beacons of journalism. I actually defended the non-criticism of local teams on the level that you have to be able to do your job and most fans don't care if the coverage is balanced.

So let me be clear... everything that I said regarding Dan Wolken and the coverage of the Tigers was all in reference to the above explanation. When my thoughts were met with "he is full of it" "that is garbage", the hilarious- "I write negative things like the riot and Robert Dozier" -it was the pinnacle of defensiveness. My initial diatribe was not even about Dan Wolken, it was about the Memphis media and the landscape as a whole, he took it personally.

Outside of Geoff Calkins, find me criticism levied against John Calipari from the Commercial Appeal (on court, or off court) in the last 2 years. Balanced coverage would be criticism and praise, right? There is only praise and the staff spin on every topic printed in our paper here (or at least 99% of the time). If that is what is considered balanced and objective coverage, then I am wrong about this.

I was not trying to make anyone upset, I was simply giving my view on Memphis and the media and the challenges covering the local teams can present. Initially, I was not even critical, I just said that this is the way things are.

So just for clarification.. the audio of what I actually said is loaded below...

Dan Patrick on the show, Goodman takes some calls (The Audio)

Dan Patrick can now be heard from 8-11 am every morning on 730 Fox Sports. Dan came on the show this afternoon to talk about his show, his decision to make his move, the gig on Sunday Night football, the Olympics, etc. He was great, and I am thrilled that his show is on the station (he also talks about being on 730 at the end). It is loaded in the player.

Jeff Goodman came on the show to take calls from listeners about the story he reported about a Memphis recruiting violation. There have been a lot of speculation about the fact that Jeff was the one that reported the story. He attempted to explain his role and refute some of the rumors and speculation. Tiger Steve took a run at him with some good questions. The audio is also loaded below.

CLINK ON LINK BELOW TO STREAM

I know the streaming has been a mess today, but it should be fine now. If you stream the shows on a regular basis.... Copy this exact link to your favorites and it will take you to the stream...
CLICK HERE TO STREAM

Jeff Goodman, 2 Live Stews (The Audio)

After Jeff Goodman reported that Memphis was going to be investigated by the NCAA, he came on the show. The audio is loaded.

Also, The 2 Live Stews came on the show to introduce themselves and let listeners in Memphis know what to expect from their show. The begin on the station Monday and will be on from 12-3.

The change to 730 Fox Sports...

You may have heard me mention on the show earlier this week that starting Monday, August 5th, you will notice some major differences with our station. In fact, we become 730 Fox Sports. Monday will mark the beginning of our third year as a station, so I guess the timing worked out well. I am thrilled about this, because this gave us the opportunity to pick out a new lineup that we thought our listeners would like the most. I am one of those listeners when I am not on the air.
So here is how this shakes out with our new lineup starting Monday...

6-8am-- "The First Team on Fox with Steve Czaban"
8-11am-- "The Dan Patrick Show"
11-12am-- 730 Fox Sports Rewind, Specialty
12-3pm-- "The 2 Live Stews"
3-6pm-- "The Chris Vernon Show"

Overnights and weekends will be Fox Sports Radio (JT the Brick, etc.)
We have also signed a deal with Westwood One to become the home for Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, SEC football, and we will cherry pick other college and NFL games throughout the season.

I am thrilled with the move, because in the end, I wanted us to have the best lineup for our listeners that we can provide... regardless of affiliation. We have always wanted this station to be younger, cooler, more passionate, and more current than any other sports station in Memphis. We have accomplished that, and we needed to keep that going. All you have to do is come to one of our big remotes (like the draft party or the NCAA tournament party) and look around at the people there. The younger generation of sports fans (under 55) are listening to us.

With that said, we have a better lineup now. I have been convinced for a long time that the 2 Live Stews show needed to be on in Memphis and that people would dig it here.
Our listeners always loved the Dan Patrick Show when he was on our station and now we get him back with his syndicated show. JT the Brick (late night) had great influence on me when I sat down with him years ago, and I have always been a big fan of him and his show, so I am thrilled he will be on the station.

So those are the changes, and that will be the lineup for 730 Fox Sports starting on Monday. A big thank you to all of you that listen to the station and support the show. You will never know the debt of gratitude I feel towards all of you that have helped make this station and my show a success. Monday we become 730 Fox Sports.

Allow me to explain myself...

I have gotten more than a few emails about a comment I made on the show yesterday. I was alerted that the comment is being discussed on the Grizzlies message board under the heading... "Verno: Mayo trade was just a smokescreen."

There are always going to be people that disagree with me whenever I say something that they do not want to hear. Let me say, as a fan of the team, I hate to think about reality too. I am not going to write a novel on the subject, but just consider the following...
In the last few years we have had 3 extremely important assets that could be used to improve the team.

What happened with the Eddie Jones expiring deal? What was attained by trading Pau Gasol? Why would salary cap space this summer not be used? Why has every job in the organization that has come open been filled with a cheaper alternative?
I have been talking about all of this for a long time. Still, I am amazed that some cannot accept the cruel truth of the situation. The Grizzlies priority is not basketball. Nobody with a sane mind could argue that.

Remember, on my very show it was sold to us that there we were going to be one of the few teams going into this summer with significant salary cap space. We were going to be able to "be a major player." What changed?
You can come up with your bologna answer, but then you have to go find legitimate answers for the other questions I have posed. Suddenly you realize that my explanation for the transactions of the past few years fits across the board.

I hate the truth about this situation. The "plan" is to be awful and save money. I hope in three years that we will look up and the Grizzlies are competing in the playoffs. I hope this "plan" works out. But the "plan" is based on finances and sold to us on a basketball level, like everything else that has happened. (Let me give you an example of how a financial move is made and then sold on a basketball level... Kinsey is waived so that they don't have to pay him, his roster spot is never replaced for the sake of "flexibility.") The truth is that they carried the minimum on the roster so that they would only have to pay the minimum, not because they needed roster flexibility... but the move is sold as a basketball move, not a financial move.
What I am saying is that every move with this organization is a financial move and then it is the job of Chris Wallace and everyone else to sell it as a basketball move.
The Grizzlies motto this year, and next year should be "Finances First!"

I typed longer than I intended, but let me finish with this... the truth is found in the actions, not in the words. Pretty poetic, huh?

The bet that got Roser escorted by security

On Friday I mentioned that we were getting a little tired and delirious with SEC Media Days. To set this up... everyday there are fans in the lobby of the Wynfrey Hotel waiting to possibly get an autograph from their favorite player or coach. These are typically not children, they are adults. In fact, some of them can look like Kid Rock wearing old Auburn jerseys (you will see him in all his glory). Long story short, Auburn Kid Rock was in the lobby for a good portion of the day and we bet Roser that he would not jump in front of him and yell our favorite Kid Rock lyrics "Now get in the pit and try to love someone!" Auburn Kid Rock was not amused. I apologize for the video-- you can fast foward to the end if you like. You will see Roser yell it, and then the security guards follow...

SEC Media Days (Day 2) Nick Saban and Phil Fulmer on the show, etc

Alabama coach Nick Saban was on with us at Media Days and was more likeable than he has ever been before. Saban was making an obvious effort to be more personable. Is it an act? I really don't care. He was a lot more interesting to talk to and easier to talk to than he has ever been before. We did not talk much at all about football. Check it out below if you missed it.

Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer was on with us also. Fulmer is always good on the show and this year was no exception. He talks about the off-the-field stuff, the new OC, being at UT for 16 years, etc.

I have also loaded the Chris Wallace interview from yesterday.

Tomorrow 1pm WJOX in Bham

I am hosting an hour on WJOX in Birmingham on Thursday at 1pm because I lost a bet on their show. The show is called The Roundtable. The station is a 100,000 watt flame-thrower. This is gonna be awesome. If I get assasinated before my show tomorrow, I loved you all and thanks for listening. If you want to listen, you can listen online at http://wjox1005fm.com/ and just click on listen live.

Urban Meyer was thrilled to see Roser

SEC Media days cont. (Ok, Tebow's fans are showin up now)

SEC Media Days, Day 1 in Bham (so far)

Day one will include the inspirational Sylvester Croom, the cyborg sent to earth to coach football known as Urban Meyer, the pompous (i won with Nick Saban's talent) Les Miles, and the lovable Bobby Johnson. Roser found an Alabama football fan that offered him $50 for a Bama media guide, I don't know if he has gotten the money yet. Tim Tebow will be here today and I cannot believe there are not more girls in the lobby. In fact, the majority of the lobby residents when I walked through looked like old perverts holding footballs that they want to get signed. Can you sign it "to pervert" Tim?

Anyways, Roser and I ran up on that Heisman and struck the pose...

A big thank you...

To all of you that voted for the Memphis Sport M Awards. They sent me a new logo that you can see on the right side of the page saying that we had won the awards for a second year in a row. We can never express the debt of gratitude we feel. Thank you. Back-to-back homey.

Joey Dorsey gets his first ejection (in the friggin Summer League?)

...and he is in street clothes. Who gets ejected from a summer league game? And one that they are not even playing in?
Joey can contribute to a team and have an NBA career, but when you are a bench guy the rope is very, very short in terms of putting up with antics. This could not have worked out worse for Joey... he tries to intimidate Dee Brown, runs his mouth at the ref, gets ejected, Dee Brown hits game-tying shot, Wizards win in OT.

The Professor (Grayson Boucher) in studio, on the road this week

This week Grayson Boucher (The Professor) was in studio. The Professor had a great story to tell about how he became a streetball legend and internationally famous for being such. If you live under a rock and are unfamiliar with his exploits, type it in on youtube. This guy was as humble and accommodating as any guest that we have had in studio. No ego whatsoever. Straight scissor-clippin in the pic. Tough spot for me, I look at him and he is doing the scissors.. so I went for it.

This week the show is on the road. On Monday we will be live from the Liberty Bowl golf tournament at Ridgeway CC, on Tuesday the Buffalo Wild Wings tour continues at the Hacks Cross location, and Wed-Fri we will be live in Birmingham for SEC media days.

Off Monday and Tuesday

Monday and Tuesday we will be running "The Best of The Chris Vernon Show" shows. They will be 5 minutes long. Ha. No, they will be 3 hours each. Memorable interviews and segments from the first half of the year will be in my place. I will be back live on Wednesday from Poplar/ Highland Buffalo Wild Wings and the Cornhole tournament will follow the show.

Hilton Armstrong = First Victim

MLB All-Star George Sherrill, Former NFL player Jason Peter (The Audio)

If you missed the Jason Peter (Former Nebraska All-American, Carolina Panther) interview today on the show, listen to it below. Jason Peter has a new book out where he is extremely candid about his career and his battles with severe addiction to heavy drugs. It was beyond captivating to listen to a man tell the stories that Peter did on the show, and to understand what he has gone through without dying. The response we got to this interview was overwhelming. Check it out if you missed it, you will not regret it.

Memphian George Sherrill is now an MLB All-Star at the age of 31. He came on the show and we talked about playing in the Independent Leagues, becoming an All-Star, who he has trouble facing, etc. Sherrill is loaded in the player also.

MLB All-Star George Sherrill, Jason Peter on show today

George Sherrill is a Memphian. His family lives in their same house in Midtown and he played at ECS. He is now, at 31 yrs of age, an All-Star closer for the Baltimore Orioles. He will be on in the first hour.

Jason Peter is a former All-American at Nebraska and Carolina Panther. Peter now has an extremely candid autobiography about his downward spiral of addiction to painkillers, cocaine, and heroin. The book is called Hero of the Underground.

Marc Gasol and Chris Wallace (The Audio)

The Grizzlies had a press conference today announcing the signing of Marc Gasol. Marc joined us on the show today before flying back to Spain. We talked about the decision to come and play in Memphis, what type of player he is now, etc.

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace was on the show for his weekly segment and we talked about free agency, NBA players playing for their country in the Olympics, the roster, summer league practice, etc. Both Gasol and Wallace are loaded in the player.

Newest Grizzly Marc Gasol on the show today

It will happen in the first hour. This should be interesting.

Mic Check from this week

It is on Wednesday nights @ 9:45 on CW 30. This week was about the Grizzlies getting Mayo.
Mic Check

USC Coach Tim Floyd and CBS Columnist Gregg Doyel on O.J. Mayo (The Audio)

USC basketball coach Tim Floyd was on the show to talk about everything O.J. Mayo.
Coach Floyd will get you excited about the deal the Grizzlies swung on draft day to attain Mayo.

cbssports.com columnist Gregg Doyel wrote the following article about Mayo being the best player in the draft... Just watch: O.J. will mash rest of draft class into a pulp. He joined us to talk about the article, and other crap.

Audio from both is loaded.

Buffalo Wild Wings tour continues today, Love Train contest

Buffalo Wild Wings tour continues today @ the Hacks Cross location. The 2nd annual Cornhole Tournament will continue.

The Love Train photoshop contest will be something that goes down in the archives as something we were never fully able to enjoy. We will have to do one for Mayo in the future. The winner of the contest was the following entry by Tim. Congrats to Tim...

Mike Conley on Grizzlies draft, Duff McKagan, and Fred Willard (The Audio)

Grizzlies PG Mike Conley joined us on Monday to give his thoughts on the Grizzlies draft, his view of last season and the upcoming season, playing with and against Mayo in high school, etc.
The audio is loaded below.

Also loaded in the audio player are two non-sports interviews from the past few days...

Actor Fred Willard was on the show on Friday. I think Willard is one of the funniest guys in the world. Willard talked about the new movie Wal-E (box office smash) he is in, delivering hilarious lines without laughing, etc.

Former Guns n Roses (and current Velvet Revolver) bass player Duff McKagan was on show to talk about a new music website he is involved with, being a rocker, Axl Rose and Scott Weiland, etc.

O.J. Mayo and Darrell Arthur in studio today

The two newest Grizzlies draft picks are scheduled to be in studio with us sometime in the first hour. Check it. UPDATE: They came in studio, took calls and questions
Here is the audio...

Face of the Franchise: O.J. Mayo

And just so you know...

D. Arthur was ranked #11 on the Grizzlies draft board. I think this was a steal, so do they.

Grizzlies land the greatest draft pick of all time...

Forget about O.J. Mayo...

In the deal with Love and Mayo comes the biggest draft pick in Grizzlies history, Adrina Lima

Lima is the fiance of Jaric.

If Coach Cal could have gotten Negedu, we would have Marisa Miller and Lima. Geez.

This, ladies and gentleman, becomes the best Grizzlies fan ever... (Adriana Lima)

Pass the Mayo?

So it seems. OJ Mayo, Marco Jaric, Antoine Walker, and Greg Buckner
for Miller, Love, Collins, and Cardinal. Oh well. Love Train dies but Pass the Mayo begins.
D. Arthur was acquired for Dante Greene and a future 2nd. I like Arthur and think that is an absolute steal.
Jaric is engaged to Adriana Lima so I am ok with that even though I am not in love with his contract. If Lima is at FedEx Forum or becomes a Memphis resident, I love the deal. Ha!
Mayo better ball till he falls. I hate not having Love but I am down with it.
Is Beasley stayin with Miami? Somethin has to give right?

I am hearing that Conley could be moved to Portland. Who knows?

Choooooooooo Chooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, have mercy. The one man crusade known as the Love Train has become a reality. My cup runneth over. LOVE TRAIN BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOO CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love it.

Kevin Love baby. The Fedex Forum is changin it's name to the Love Shack.

Choooooooooooooooooooooo Choooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOVE TRAIN!!!!!!!! GET ON OR GET RUN OVER!!!!

Chris Wallace and Sonny Vaccaro Audio, photoshop contest, Draft Bash

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace joined us for his weekly segment with the draft coming up tomorrow. We talked about the draft, what he thinks will happen, trades, etc.

Sonny Vaccaro joined us live from NYC to talk about the players in this draft, who the Grizzlies should take, Brandon Jennings possibly playing overseas with him being a facilitator, etc. Sonny is radio gold. If you missed it, you have to check this out. The audio of both Wallace and Vaccaro are below.


Here are some more of the Love Train photoshop entries. Some were just not good enough, but these clearly tried to put something good together...
First from Tim, who used the movie theme. I love this one...

From Andy came the O'Jays album cover theme. Dig this too. Nice Calkins implementation...

DON'T FORGET THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE PLACE TO WATCH THE NBA DRAFT ON THURSDAY NIGHT-- JASON'S DELI AT POPLAR/HIGHLAND. FREE BEER, FREE FOOD FOR CHRIS VERNON SHOW LISTENERS. THE CHRIS VERNON SHOW DRAFT BASH. BE THERE.

Buffalo Wild Wings, the Draft Bash, the contest

I am doing the show live from Buffalo Wild Wings @ Wolfchase on Wednesday. The 2nd Annual Cornhole tournament begins and there will be a prize given away at the end of the night and a grand prize at the end of the tourney. Bring a friend and get in the tournament starting Wed night.

The Chris Vernon Show Draft Bash-- I talked to the guys at Jason's Deli today and Thursday night is going to be awesome. My listeners are all invited to come to Jason's (we have a huge conference room all to ourselves) where we will have a huge projector screen showing the draft. We will have free food and free beer and it is required that you are there.

I have been getting a bunch of entries for the Love Train photoshop contest. They are great, keep them coming as the contest is still going. I am also getting some other Grizzlies photoshop ads. Dwayne dropped this one...

The Love Train photoshop contest continues...

If you send me a photoshop ad for the Love Train you can win $20 in gift cards to Jason's Deli. I am pretty sure that the one below is the one to beat so far. Trip submitted the following, which was so ridiculous I spit my drink on my keyboard (esp. with Calkins on it) even if it does use a boat theme. The more submissions, the better. Send them my way at verno@730espn.com and win the free meals.

Love Train running out of seats...

If you know how to use photoshop and can come up with a better Love Train ad than this, send it my way. verno@730espn.com. Geoff sent this first one along. Best submission will win $20 in gift certificates to Jason's Deli.

On the road this week...

We are taking the show on the road this week all over town...

Monday- We are live from Southland Park Gaming and Racing

Wednesday- Buffalo Wild Wings (Wolfchase) 2nd annual cornhole tournament begins. Cornhole is that game where you throw beanbags in the holes on a wood plank (like horseshoes). Last year was a massive success. The prizes are awesome and the tourney is an absolute blast every week. Come get in the tournament (it's free).

Thursday- Live from Jason's Deli at Poplar and Highland for the NBA draft. Free food, free beer. There is a huge conference room that we will have all to ourselves with all of the free stuff for my listeners and a huge projector screen on the wall for the draft. You have to be there, it is required.

Mic Check (6-18-08)

The TV bit (Mic Check) this week was about the Fakers losing and Pau Gasol. You can check out the tv bit every Wed night @ 9:45 on CW30 as part of Eyewitness Sports.

Bruce Pearl beats John Calipari for most important recruit ever

Bruce Pearl has defeated John Calipari for the most important recruit ever.

Emmanuel Negedu was being recruited by the Memphis Tigers. He was also being recruited by the Tennessee Vols. He commited to Tennessee this week. On the surface, this is just a top 50 player deciding to go to one school instead of the other. In reality, it is so much more than that.

Gary Parrish broke this story and after talking to him I now understand that Negedu went to the same school as the husband of Marisa Miller and Negedu is very close with Marisa and her husband. In fact, Negedu is in California right now surfing with Marisa. (luckiest kid)

Wost recruting battle to lose. Ever.

Imagine the implications. I don't care if the kid can play dead, Marisa Miller would be a Memphis fan. Now she is a Vols fan. Tennessee now destroys Kentucky in terms of best fan. Ashley Judd has got nothing on Miller. Miller would be in Memphis gear, Miller in FedEx Forum. She was just named #1 on Maxim's Hot 100 List. That is a #1 recruit.

John Calipari just got smoked by Bruce Pearl for the most important recruit ever... Marisa Miller. If the kid becomes a big time player that is just a bonus. Step your game up Cal. I thought you were supposed to be some great recruiter. Yeah right. This one will take a long time to get over.

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace weekly segment

The new audio is loaded below. We talked about the Celtics winning the championship, the draft, if Juan Carlos Navarro signed with FC Barcelona, we took your calls, etc. The 3 segments are below if you missed it.

No Refunds

Did the Fakers just lose by 40? Hahahahahahaha!
Victory is mine.

NO REFUNDS!
No you cannot have Kwame Brown's expiring contract back Fakers. And oh yeah, Pau's salary goes up next year, and the year after that, and...


Hahahahahaha. What a joke. Atta boy to former fav James Posey. Nice season-on-the-line performance Fakers. Go present the Celtics their trophy Jerry West.

Kobe needs a better supporting cast starts in 3...2...1

Jeff Goodman on the Roburt Sallie commitment

Jeff Goodman from foxsports.com broke the news of the Tigers getting a commitment from new PG Roburt Sallie. He was on for his weekly segment and talked about the Sallie commitment, etc. The audio is loaded below.

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Seems like a good time for a song

What a great day. The world has seen the light. This could not have worked out any better. Memphis Pau fans are in the closet forever. The total realization that he is not even a good enough second fiddle is evident. Total vindication is mine.

Ode to Pau (Who wants a crying Spaniard?)

Grizzlies will workout Lopez and Gallinari

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace was on for his weekly segment and mentioned that the Grizzlies will have workouts with Danilo Gallinari and Brooke Lopez in Los Angeles. Gallinari intrigues me, esp. if he really is the best prospect in Europe at his age. Lopez is terrible. He is working out against a chair, and I would not be surprised if the chair takes him.
The Wallace segments, along with the Bill Romanowski interview are loaded in the player below.

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A few thoughts

For all the Kevin Love detractors, find me a guy with a 35 inch vertical leap (almost 3 feet) that is not athletic. I will have a longer Love post later in the week, but get started on that and get back to me.

Why is Beasley not considered undersized for his position and not athletic enough?

So the deal being mentioned is Beasley and trash from Miami for Mayo (that is who Miami would want at 5 if avail), Miller, and Lowry. That is what we call a no-brainer deal? Not in my book. And that would be the deal unless Miami, Minn, and Seattle all cooperate (and I highly doubt that could happen).

As long as the Finals games are played in the 80-95 pt range, Boston is fine. Pierce was awful, doubt that happens again. Looks like they will end this thing in 6. That is what I would bet on if I were Tim Donaghy.

Curt Schilling blog about Pau

God bless you Curt Schilling...

“4) I don’t know much about the NBA beyond some of the star players and the famous teams. I heard that the Lakers got Gasol in a horrible steal of a deal and that the league should have investigated the trade for some sort of punishable crime :) I saw a 7 footer last night who grabbed like 4 rebounds and spent the entire game whining about getting fouled.”

http://38pitches.com/2008/06/09/manny-jd-papi-lester-and-the-nba-finals/
Thanks to Rick for the tip

Kevin Love has an invitation for you

Below in the audio player (named Get on the Love Train)

Kevin Love from the workout

Here is the audio from the Love Train hitting Memphis. He talks about everything from the workout, what people say about him that bothers him, what he was heard about where he is getting drafted, getting dunked on by CDR, etc. Check it.

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All aboard the Love Train...

I went to the workout this morning that featured Kevin Love, Joey Dorsey, JaVale McGee, DeAndre Jordan, Jeremy Pargo, and Kyle Weaver. Given my strong opinions on players, and the fact that things can spread like wildfire on the internet (and agents could read things and get mad) I have been asked to reserve my opinions for my little radio show. I have audio from the Love Train and others and I will talk about what I saw today on the show. I am pretty sure that Herrington and 3 Shades of Blue will post their less harsh thoughts, so check them out.

Make sure I don't have it in print...

This is the moment where I smush the cold bologna sandwich known as fact in the face of the local columnist.

When I was on with Calkins and Parrish this morning, Geoff said that during the Brian Davis bid to get the franchise that I said that ownership did not matter. Could not be less true (2006). Harvard is a ripoff. Maybe next time Geoff. I have probably been wrong about something. I cannot remember, but I think might have happened. The lesson here is that if you are going to ravage me, ravage me about something I don't have in print.

The exposure of Pau Gasol continues

Honestly, could this be going any better? Pau Gasol in the second halves so far... 4 qtrs played, 7 pts scored. Not to mention he is absolutely killing them defensively. I mean, how many posters am I going to get to buy when the Finals are over? This is great. Get back in the closet where you belong Memphis Pau fans. You wanted him to win so you could say that he never got the respect in Memphis, didn't you? Does he have good enough players around him now? Please tell me again how that is all he needed. He just needed to be the second fiddle, right? Yeah, the second fiddle that watches the Leon Powe show. The Grizzlies did not deliver the Fakers a championship, they delivered them the ultimate dissapointment. O'Doyle rules.

Mic Check, Memphis Sport, and the Love Train

Memphis Sport Magazine is conducting thier second annual M Awards. I have not mentioned it up until now, but it was brought to my attention that the voting closes on Tuesday. I like this magazine and they were really great to the show last year. If you have not voted for the show yet...Vote here.

Mic Check on CW3o was about Michael Heisley and the yahoo article. Here is the bit if you missed it. Mic Check with Chris Vernon on CW30

The Love Train hits Memphis on Monday morning as Kevin Love will have his Grizzlies workout. He will be up against JaVale McGee, Joey Dorsey, and DeAndre Jordan. I cannot wait. This guy is clearly not scared to workout against anyone, while guys like Brooke Lopez will workout against a friggin chair. We will see if the strategy works for Love. I am betting it does, and he comes away looking like clearly the best prospect. Here is the video of what happened to Oregon when they played on the tracks of the Love Train...

One of the great moments in NBA history

Kevin Garnett With the Huge Put-Back Slam

Brent Musburger and Kevin Nash on the show

How is that for a combo? The two men in the title were on the Thursday show. Musburger talked about the Belmont, the Finals, and covering the 80's Lakers and Celtics. Kevin Nash talked about beating up his UT college bball coach (Don DeVoe), wrestling and the TNA event this weekend, etc. Nash is one hilarious dude. I loved him.

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Heisley captures another, draft workouts

He already had the CA pumping out his PR, but now he has the best Grizzlies blog doing the same thing. Who says the guy is bad at public relations? 3 Shades of Blue was called by Heisley this morning from Asia to defend what he said to Adrian Wojnarowski from Yahoo. I am mentioned as giving Adrian a forum so that he could get his "fifteen minutes." Adrian is an award-winning journalist who has worked for a lot of newspapers, espn.com, etc. He is also the author of one of the greatest sports books ever "The Miracle at St. Anthony." At 3 Shades of Blue they assume that Adrian is some blogger trying to make a name for himself and by misquoting Heisley it makes it hard for other legit bloggers. Hahahahahahhahaa. Oh for goodness sakes. The guy has been on the NY Times Bestsellers list and he is trying to make a name for himself talking about the freaking Grizzlies? Come on. 3 Shades trash Adrian and stick up for Heisley.

I am not writing anything that I have not already talked to Chip from 3 Shades about. Do I believe that Adrian misquoted Heisley or took him out of context? No. Do I agree with all of the opinions Adrien had in the article? No. Do I think that Heisley regrets what he said? Yes. Do I know that the CA will soon come out and defend him too? I would be shocked if they did not. What I told Chip is that just because Heisley says something does not mean that it is true and that you have to stick up for him. In fairness, maybe they believe him (Lord, I hope not). You may not get the access if you call him out, I get that. I understand not biting the hand that feeds you. It is a legimate concern for anyone that reports on things. You have to weigh what is more important, access or objectivity? I struggle with it too. Now Heisley has the best Grizzlies blog and the local paper pumping his PR and sticking up for him. I am a big fan of the 3 Shades blog and have mentioned that many times, not to mention that I have met most of the authors and they all seem like nice guys (and they have been pretty nice and fair with me). Sad day I say. Heisley is killing the franchise, Adrian Wojnarowski isn't.

The Monday workout for the Grizz will be awesome: Kevin Love, Joey Dorsey, JaVale McGee, DeAndre Jordan, Kyle Weaver, and Jeremy Pargo.

I will talk about the other workouts on the show.

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace on the show

Wallace was in studio on Wednesday for his weekly segment and stayed the whole hour. We talked about the yahoo article where he was thrown under the bus by Heisley, we talked about prospects (get on the Love Train), the Kevin O'neill hiring, etc. Check it (in 3 parts below)

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Audio from the show

Jeff Goodman from foxports.com joined us for the weekly segment and had some Memphis Tigers basketball recruiting nuggets about players that might end up on the roster next year (including one name I have never heard mentioned before... Roburt Sallie. We also talked about what he heard at the pre-draft.

Adrien Wojnarowski from Yahoo came on to talk about this article that came out today that had Michael Heisley throwing Chris Wallace under the bus. Adrien told us his impressions of the Grizz after talking to the owner. I personally cannot believe anyone would defend this guy anymore and the mockery he has made of this organization with crap like this.

Kevin Frazier from ET called in Monday from NY after spending the day with Janet Jackson. We talked about that, a party at Prince's house, if Rhianna is hotter than Ashanti in person, the Lakers, etc.

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Anthony Randolph hits the trash bin with Brooke Lopez

I have now put Randolph in the "do not draft" class with Brooke Lopez. I listened to John Brady (his coach at LSU) on the Geoff and Gary show on Friday and that was all I needed to hear. Here is a brief look at what he said about Randolph (he did say a lot of good things about the guy, but I was listening for the negatives because I know how these prospects get blown up and all we talk about is how great they could be). Anyway, I gathered from Brady...

- Randolph will be a 3 in the league (in fact the name he used to compare him with was Tayshaun Prince). Everybody throws around Bosh as a comparison, so this was interesting. The Grizzlies have one guy they have to keep, his name is Rudy Gay, he is a 3.

- He is going to need a coach that encourages him and supports him. (uh-oh) I don't need another one of these guys. We need some A-type personalities. I am so tired of the Grizzlies having a bunch of sissies on the team.

- His motor needs to be better at times. (NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!) You say that about a guy and I am deathly scared. I gotta worry about another guy not playing hard? I have zero respect for guys that don't play hard.

This is what I heard from the college coach of Anthony Randolph. Coaches typically make their players seem like 10 time NBA all-stars on the court, and Mother Theresa off the court. Maybe Brady just does not do that. I don't know, but I know what the guy said.

I will go watch the Randolph workout, but for now I am against drafting this guy. He is in the trash bin with Lopez. I have no time for soft 7 footers and I have no time for guys that will have potential they do not realize because they don't give maximum effort.

I used the TV segment, MIC CHECK with Chris Vernon, begging the Grizzlies not to consider Lopez. Here is the bit if you missed it...
MIC CHECK with Chris Vernon on CW30

Wallace and The Haters audio

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace joined us from the Orlando pre-draft camp for his weekly segment. We talked about Orlando, the prospects, the Grizzlies roster, and the report that the Grizzlies are trying to move Mike Miller.
That interview and the Haters segment from this week are in the new splashcast below. (I tried to add some of the old stuff from the old splashcast that was the most downloaded)

Add The Chris Vernon Show 2 to your page

Doyel understands Gasol, audio

Call Gasol a star? Not in this space. by Gregg Doyel. The LA and local media continues to echo what I always said about the guy. People are now actually seeing the guy play now. Weird, huh?

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace was on the show and talked about being in the room during the lottery, who he thinks will go with the picks before the Grizzlies pick, etc.
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace weekly segment (5-21-08)

Kevin Frazier from Entertainment Tonight sneak attacked the show on Tuesday to rub the Lakers win over Utah in my face and talk about some Hollywood stuff.
Kevin Frazier calls into the show

Jeff Goodman from Foxsports ran down the Tigers recruiting class, the NBA playoffs, and what Anderson and Dozier are going to do. Jeff Goodman weekly segment (5-20-08)

5

I will talk about having the 5th pick later. Totally depressing. Thanks to all of you that came out to the event last night. It proves how badly people want to care... only to be let down.

Praying for relevance

A prayer for relevance... for the following argument, and for the Grizzlies. Quickly... We will be doing the show from 3-6 tomorrow live at the Flying Saucer downtown in conjunction with the Grizzlies Lottery Party. Press Release Here.

I am praying that what I am about to write becomes applicable after tomorrow night. I talked today on the show about how there are many people that I talk to about the Grizzlies that think the team should take Michael Beasley with the first pick if given the chance. I disagree. You take Derrick Rose if you get that spot.

The reason Rose should be the number one pick is that great PG's are not on bad teams. Before you say what you are thinking, ask yourself if you really consider whoever you are thinking of to be a great player. You don't. Great PG's consistently are on winning teams. There is a reason for that. You can have a great power forward and be terrible or have a low playoff ceiling. Ask Garnett, or Bosh, or Brand, or Gasol, or Al Jefferson, and on and on and on. It is insanely rare to have a great PG and have a losing team.

Derrick Rose is going to be a great NBA PG and when given the chance to take a great PG or great PF, you take the great PG when you don't have an elite player that dominates the ball. (IE that point-forward thing that LeBron, Kobe, Wade, McGrady have going on where they control the ball). There is only one Tim Duncan, and really Manu dominates the ball in crunch time. (So don't bring that up).

Beyond the fact that it would sell more tickets, and sell more jerseys, and get more local support... you take Rose with the number one pick because it is the best basketball decision. Great PG's win... consistently.

Let's just pray the Grizzlies have a chance to make that choice.

Some links from the last few days

The TV bit from this week... Mic Check with Chris Vernon on CW30 video

Gene Hackman was on The Chris Vernon Show to talk about his new book, the movies he has been in, and what he is doing now

Gene Hackman on The Chris Vernon Show

We made a bet with our buddy Kevin Frazier from Entertainment Tonight on the Jazz/ Lakers series, he also talks about his new website and some of the hot girls in Hollywood that are cool

Kevin Frazier on The Chris Vernon Show part 1 part 2

Eric Hasseltine (voice of the Grizzlies) is filling in for me on Friday, he will be live at the Fox and Hound on Sanderlin, take care of him.

Gene Hackman on the show Wednesday

Yes, that Gene Hackman... the actor Gene Hackman. He is scheduled for the show on Wednesday. Are you freaking kidding me? Gene Hackman on The Chris Vernon Show. Check it.