Andres Bargnani

The lottery for the draft was this week and Toronto has the #1 pick. The one player that could seemingly has a chance at being the first pick, yet no fans really know, is Andres Bargnani.

Here he is... Straight ballin. HE IS PLAYING A TEAM CALLED BOLOGNA. YOU GOTTA BALL AGAINST BOLOGNA.

I talked to a player personnel guy once about this kid and he told me that he was the deal. He said that he saw him go up against Chris Bosh a couple of summers ago, and was very good, and scouts went nuts. I guess you could be Dirk or Tskitishvilli. It is tough because you do not want to miss out on a Nowitzki or a Ginobili, but you do not want to end up with Frederick Weiss with a high pick either.

I am out at Southland on Saturday and Monday from 12-3. Come out this weekend if you get the chance.

Tonight I am going to Sam's Town to see Rodney Carrington. I saw him a few years ago and he was hilarious. Here is a vid of him doin a song in a radio studio.

Verno

The Avenue @ Carriage Crossing

The new mall in Collierville has a store called "College Station". I will be there with Hasseltine today doing the show. Hope some of you can come check it out. Holler.

Good Afternoon

Nice day today. I got some Ipod accessories, washed the car, and got caught up doing crap I never do (i.e. cleaning something). Anyway, here are some thoughts from today...

I really don't care about the Eastern Conf. Finals. I am trying to care, but its tough. I am consumed with the Suns/ Mavs. Or as it is known by me, the best thing to happen to the NBA in 10 years.

The Raptors getting the #1 pick in interesting to me on this front... a Colangelo is now running the show and I will bet you he builds something significant there.

I read the lists and the mocks for this years draft, and the guys that I love are not consummate top 5 guys. Brandon Roy from Washington and Marcus Williams from UConn. Another great pick to me is Shelden Williams. The guy gets the ball, blocks shots, and has good moves. The team that gets that guy gets a great player. Trust me.

People will always talk about "tweeners" but a lot of the time it is crap. Watch the NBA and if you can play, they find a place for you. There is another guy like that, that will get the "tweener" label, and its P.J. Tucker from Texas. He is rated way too low on mocks now. Give me that guy.

God bless Jeff Weinberger. This was my first day off and got to check out my old buddies Fish and Jeff. Holy crap. I have nothing else to say.

Tonight... Taylor Hicks wins American Idol, Randy Johnson gets rocked again, Mavs win Game 1. If any of these are wrong, I will delete this.

In the Ipod...

The Raconteurs..... (Jack White's new band). I love anything with Jack White (White Stripes). This album isn't the White Stripes, but I dig it.

The newest Bruce Springsteen album (Seeger Sessions) ..... still love it, haven't gotten it out yet.

Elton John... Madman Across the Water..... I freely admit that I love this guy and I buy old albums and listen to them and realize that the songs that were not hits are still incredible.

Incubus.... Make Yourself... I listened to this thing too much after college so I revisited it and this CD holds up. One of my favorite songs ever, Consequence, is the third track.

Matisyahu... Youth.... I told you about this guy a long time ago, the Jewish Reggae artist and this is a great BBQ, summer CD. Can't remove it yet. Total chill.

That is enough for now. I have represented my hood, and now I feel whole.

Thanks for listening and I will be on the air tomorrow.

Verno

Throwing out First Pitch

I am throwing out the first pitch at the Redbirds game tonight. We will give tix away on the show today if you wanna go. Updated blog tommorow. No show tommorow, Cards day game.

Verno

730 ESPN IS YOUR HOME FOR CARDINAL BASEBALL

This morning on Live @ 9 on WREG we announced that 730 is now the home of the Cardinals in Memphis. Here it is (Mary Beth shaves her face?). It is around the 30 min mark and I am the one that looks 14 years old. Obviously, you know that I am ecstatic about the announcement. This is the sports entity in this town that I wanted the most. This is big for the station. Thanks for listening to the station and as we continue to grow, things will only continue to get better. I am giving away Cardinal tickets in the 5 o'clock hour today on the show. They are not easy to come by, so listen for your chance to see the new Busch Stadium in July.

Channel 3 Live @ 9 show

I am on the WREG 3 show "Live @ 9" tomorrow morning. Big announcement. Holla holla.

UNREAL! SANDY PICKS THE WINNER!

On the "Ask Sandy" segment this week, someone called in and asked Sandy for a Derby Pick. Sandy said to go with #8. He didn't even know the name, just the number. Absolutely freaking amazing. My email has "Sandy is a genius", "Oh my God, that was Sandy's pick", etc.

This guy has got it. How did I not bet everything on his pick?

Reilly on the show Friday

Rick Reilly tommorow. Sorry, times got swapped around so I had to move it to Friday. He will be on @ 3.

The Grizzlies Media Day, Rick Reilly on the show today

I hope you caught the show yesterday, as I explained what happened with Bonzi Wells last year, and why he was barred from the arena. In the midst of a conversation I was having with someone with knowledge of the situation, it came up. I realized that this covered up extremely well, and it also explained why Bonzi could no longer be here.

Let me say this about the Bonzi deal... He is killing it in the playoffs, but never forget that he is in a contract year. It is a mantra of the show to never trust the guy that plays out of his mind in a contract year. This means he has that ability and only really shows it, or plays at that extremely high level, when motivated by a contract. Besides that, after I gave you the story of him becoming violent last year, it is clear to see that he could no longer be a part of this team, nor those (Stro, Jason) who supported him.

Yesterday you heard the Jerry West audio in its entirety. At the end, it was me and Madani with him and we got some great stuff (the Bonzi deal), etc. There were more than a few interesting things from the interview.

This is what I took from it (my opinion by reading between the lines)

We need to change style of play (surprise, surprise) I was saying they were boring in November.
People blamed fans, mascots, business, concessions, etc. My old blog post reveal what the problem was.... The product (the game) was not entertaining. Period. Funny how people are jumping on that now, and I got ripped for it because they were winning.

West says he supports the coach, yet cannot help himself from talking about not playing young players and a boring style of play. These are short digs at Fratello.

He says he is daring, yet reluctant to start over. One question that I wish I had asked.... "You say that there is a disconnect and that fans do not like this (the current state), yet you say the fans would not accept starting over. What do you think the fans would accept?" Oh well, I will ask next year.

We will TRY to get better. Stars win in this league, and we need someone that everyone follows.

West does not comment on the Bonzi deal, except to say he is happy for him, because he is the one that brought him, and in the end, the one that moved him. He puts it on Fratello.

I am sure we will talk about the rest on the show.

One of my favorite sportswriters, Rick Reilly from Sports Illustrated, on the show today.

The first hour of the show is the Grizzlies Power Hour with Eric Hasseltine.

Bert Sugar and Phillip Rivers regular segments, as well as "Ask Sandy" still to come either today or tomorrow. Jim Drukenmiller called in to "Ask Sandy" last week. What a moment.

The Mattoid (hilarious Sweedish musician) in studio Friday. I cannot wait.

I will try to put audio on here when I figure it out.

Bruce Pearl interviewed Rod Barnes, this would be a great hire.

How does Jamison not cut off the baseline for LeBron?

I got the new Bruce Springsteen (The Seeger Sessions). It is all covers, and it is unreal. Tell me if the new Pearl Jam is good if you have it.

Thanks for listening, tell a friend, thanks for reading the blog.

We are close to a Cardinals deal and the new signal (don't ask) is in the FCC's hands and should be up within two weeks (for real this time, it has been more frustrating and ridiculous than anyone could have expected). A quick explanation... imagine someone builds you a house, it is all done, and you are ready to move in and its all wrong. You make the builder go back and fix everything and make it right, and then you wait while they work to get it perfect. This is what happened with our towers and signal. The signal is great on the new transmitter, I have heard it and everyone is thrilled now, even though it was supposed to be done forever ago.

Thanks for being understanding and sticking with me.

Verno

Make sure to tune in today

Lots of audio from the Grizz media day from Jerry West that you will be extremely interested in.

Audio from Mike Fratello on the season, etc.

One interesting thing that comes up to Jerry is the play of Bonzi Wells in the playoffs and he comments on that, etc.

Also, I have the story that no one has said about why Bonzi was kicked out of the arena last year. You have never heard this and will be surprised. Good Stuff.

Verno

Penske and Beckett Landscaping

There have been two services that I have used over the course of the past week that I wanted to let you know are great. Penske trucking is absolutely the choice if you are moving. I got hooked up with these guys after complaining about Uhaul a few years ago. They are all I have used ever since and I have sent a ton of listeners there with total confidence. If you are moving anything that would require a truck... get Penske.

Also, my landscaper is Beckett Landscaping. They can do anything for you and at an affordable price. You can get a hold of my guy, Tony, at 619-3485. This is who I use for my house and he is great.

Hopefully a couple of tips for you.

Verno

DWash Speculation and The Same Ole Grizz Story

This kid watched the Grizzly game last night. 0-2 and smoked by Dallas last night. That game last night was over in the second quarter. So Eddie Jones took all the players out to eat the other night... did they all get food poisoning?

The whole team stunk. The first quarter they came out and played, and then it all fell apart. I was flipping channels by the 3rd quarter. Herrington and I talked about this on the show yesterday... it is amazing how much more athletic and fast the Mavericks are. They run down loose balls, they beat everyone off the dribble, and it is embarrassing. That shriek I heard from downtown was the Grizzlies business office pondering game 3 ticket sales. At this point I am going to try to be positive... how about the Grizzlies just make this losing streak like Dimaggio's hit streak... unbreakable. How predictable was this. Break out the brooms.

Now to the Dwash speculation... I have heard from people that know that it has at least been talked about that if Darius does not go and play pro basketball, that no matter what, he would not come back to Memphis, but could play college bball again. I would have shrugged this off as total bologna yet it was backed up with an interesting option (and the source is someone close to many involved with DWash). It is no secret that Darius idolizes his father. Those close to the dad will tell you that he and Calipari are hardly good friends, and have had there differences. The option would be this... if it does not work out for him like he thinks, he would move to Florida, work out for a year, and then transfer and play at South Florida. Totally crazy? Maybe. Do people that know the situation much better than I think this is out of the question? No. I could care less either way, but it is intriguing. Maybe there is something to it...

Verno

Grizz/ Mavs game 1 etc.

What a load of crap that was last night. It is a mantra of the program that as a fan, all you can expect is that your team gives it everything they have got. If it is not good enough, so be it. You want to feel like they left it all on the court. The Grizzlies did not. Totally unacceptable.

Pau is Pau. I did not expect much different. He has had a great season and is an excellent player, but you cannot put the burden of carrying a team on him in the postseason. You never will be able to. Some may consider it a knock, but K.G. is the same way, so take it for what it is worth. I take this first part back, his first half was actully worse than I expected, that is usually when he is good.

Dirk was the real All-Star. Big time players come up big.

Atkins is Atkins. He is a decent backup point guard. Awful last night.

I have long said that the guys I want on my team are the guys I would like to take to a street fight (not talent wise, attitude wise). There are two guys I would take off this Grizzly team-- Shane and Eddie.

Miller may be the better 6th man, but the Mavs use theirs better (Stackhouse).

When one team has more talent, you can bridge the gap somewhat with hustle. Dallas was the team that played with more heart, desire, and passion. That is freaking sad.

Verno

Herrington comes up big

Great Grizzlies/ Mavs Preview from Chris Herrington (Show contributor, Memphis Flyer Grizz writer)

You can read it here.

I will be back with my thoughts on Game 1 after the game.

Verno

Todays Show

Former Grizz Assistant (Son of Hubie) Brendan Brown on the show for the first hour to breakdown the playoffs. Sorry for no post on the playoffs yet, having Brendan Brown makes up for it.

Also on the show... Gary Parrish, Phillip Rivers, Bert Sugar, and bologna.

Verno

Grizzlies Playoff Schedule

I will post tommorow on the series and what to look for. Today we have the Grizz Power Hour with Grizz PBP man Eric Hasseltine from 3-4. Who guards Dirk?

Here is the breakdown
Dallas vs. Memphis
Game 1 - Sun April 23 Memphis at Dallas 8:30PM TNT
Game 2 - Wed April 26 Memphis at Dallas 7:00PM TNT
Game 3 - Sat April 29 Dallas at Memphis 4:30PM TNT
Game 4 - Mon May 1 Dallas at Memphis TBD TBD TBD
Game 5 * Wed May 3 Memphis at Dallas TBD TBD TBD
Game 6 * Fri May 5 Dallas at Memphis TBD TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 7 Memphis at Dallas TBD TBD TBD

Ingram Hill on the show yesterday

Justin Moore, the lead singer of Memphis band Ingram Hill, was on the show yesterday and played a couple of songs for everyone. They are playing at Newby's on Friday in a charity event for the Phoenix Club and the Boys and Girls Club of Memphis.

There are a lot of kids here displaced because of Katrina, and the Boys and Girls Club needs your help to be able to maintain their help for all the new children here in Memphis. You can get tickets @ newbysmemphis.com or check out ingamhillmusic.com for more info.

They had 2 top 25 Billboard nationwide hits on the last album, new album out at the end of August. I bet this one blows them up.

I will try to get the clips up soon.

Verno

Thanks Albert

That a boy Pujols. 3 jacks yesterday saved the series for the Cardinals. It would have been brutal to lose 2 of 3 to Cincinnati. The pen still stinks, but Albert made up for it.

I went to the Redbirds game on Friday and they won a game. If William Macy was the Cooler, I am the Heater. They lose 9 straight and I am not there, then I go to the game and they win, you splain it. I really didn't care if they won, and to be honest, I end up talking the whole time and mildly paying attention. I never have a bad time there, ever. Autozone Park is still a jewel. Most arenas get uncool pretty quickly, but not that place.

Over the weekend thoughts...

When is Bonds gonna start hitting? Is ESPN really gonna show me every single ab if he stays a sub .200 hitter?

I spent Easter watching every baseball game I could on that Directv package I bought. I watched the Boston/ Seattle game, and with all the roids talk constantly surrounding baseball I questions pretty much everyone.

Which leads me to this... Adrian Beltre. This guy hit 48 HR's and batted in 121, while hitting .334 two years ago. He was a machine. He was locked and was killing the ball every game. I watched that guy yesterday and he was horrific. He had no chance at the plate. What could it be? You tell me. All I know is that is not the same guy at the plate at all.

Adrian Beltre
AVG. HR RBI SLG
2004 .334 48 121 .629
2005 .255 19 87 .413

This year he is hitting .119 (or less) and has 0 RBI's. And some say they don't help...

Everyone is starting to get really confident the Grizz will win a playoff game this year because the playoffs are close (did they feel this way a month ago?). Hubie's 50 win team was a better team than this team. I saw them get swept. I will be surprised if the Grizz win more than 1 game against Dallas. Just keepin it real.

I hear that if Shawne Williams leaves, he will sign with super-agent Arn Tellum. I have seen Shawne recently and he wasn't hanging with guys that are telling him to stay in school.

When is Chris Shelton gonna stop hitting homeruns? Seriously.

In the Ipod...

Matisyahu (Youth)
David Gray (Lost songs 91-95)
Ben Harper (Both sides of a Loaded Gun)
White Stripes (Elephant)

It's never about the money here.

Verno

WARNING: EMOTIONAL POST Why are you smiling....ever.

We are less than 2 weeks into the season and I already hate you Izzy. Get injured.

Dirk's Second Career

Here is the song that we we played on the show today. I will pray relentlessly that the Grizzlies play the Mavs in the playoffs so we can play this everyday.

dirk_nowitzki-courtside.mp3

Grizzly Power Hour with Eric Hasseltine today @ 3. Holler.

Verno