Lexus of Memphis buys the show, Dan Hawkins on Tuesday

You may have noticed that as of today the show has a title sponsor. Thank you to all of you that have been so loyal to the show, have told your friends about the show, and have supported our sponsors. We are thrilled to have Lexus of Memphis as the sponsor of the show. I would have never imagined the great things that have happened for us over the course of the last year. Again, thank you.

Colorado HC Dan Hawkins is scheduled to be on the show on Tuesday.

Hawkins and the Buffs are coming off a huge upset win over Oklahoma.

Philanthropy (The Picks)

Verno's pay the memphis canidates debt parlay of the year
Kentucky -22
Cincinatti -14
Troy -13
Ball State -16

Verno's lock of the quarter century (infinity times infinity stars)
Cowboys -13 over the Rams and their white running back

Gary Parrish's Mississippi schools not as good as they think they are parlay of the year
Georgia -15
S Carolina -13.5

Gary's if you can only beat Memphis by 50, how are you gonna beat Lafayette by 3 td's game of the year
La Lafayette +21.5

Bert Sugars Picks (says he is very confident)
Penn State -3
Louisville -8.5
Cal +6
Texas -14.5
UCLA +2.5

How totally unacceptable, and audio from the week

29 unanswered points in the second half? Losing to Arkansas State after being up by 25 at the half? What a freaking joke. Memphis football is in a bad way and there is no more being somewhat nice about it. There is absolutely no excuse for what has happened with this program. They got waxed by UCF, and they cannot hold a 25 pt. halftime lead against Arkansas State. They cannot beat D1 opponents anymore for goodness sakes. What can you even say anymore? I don't know if Duke Calhoun can throw the ball at all, but I would put him at QB. He is the best player on that team, and I would just put the ball in his hands. That is what you would do if you were a high school team and, at this point, that is what Memphis is... a high school team. Actually, Memphis has less future NFL players than a lot of high school teams.

Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt joined us on the show this week and talked about the win last weekend against Bama, what has changed for him at Georgia, why he is 23-3 in SEC road games, and why he adopted two kids from the Ukraine. He was fantastic, check it if you missed it.

I have also loaded up the Chris Wallace weekly segment, and the Keith Easterwood weekly segment. Wallace and I talked a lot about European basketball, and Easterwood talked about Memphis not even contacting his son and other local prep football players, and the fact that SEC and many other schools have. He says, "I am the only one recruiting him to Memphis." And we wonder why Memphis is in such bad shape?


Grizzlies Media Day is today and we will have the audio from it on the show today. Also, Bert Sugar and Jimmy Denunzio on the show. Thanks for listening.

John Saunders and new Grizzlies player Casey Jacobsen audio

John Saunders is the host of the Sports Reporters and the ABC College Football studio show. Saunders was on the show today and talked about the studio show, college football and the polls, the reason the Sports Reporters has still remained relevant and successful, and what Lupica is really like.

New Grizzly Casey Jacobsen was incredibly refreshing in his interview. He talked about his career up to this point, playing overseas (being the German Finals MVP), Coach Iavaroni and signing with Memphis, and the team that the Grizzlies have compiled. We have an honest, great talker on our hands with this guy. Both of the interviews are below if you missed them.

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace and Georgia HC Mark Richt are on the show Wednesday.

New Grizzly Casey Jacobsen on the show today, Mike Conley workout video

Casey Jacobsen will be on the show today at 3:40. I was sent the following video from yardbarker (where Mike Conley hosts his blog). It is a video of the drills that Conley does while working with former Memphis assistant Ed Schilling. Conley has some serious handles.

My weekend in Tuscaloosa (The Visual History)

Alabama loses to Georgia 26-23 in OT

The day started out with us taking an Escalade stretch limo to Tuscaloosa from where were staying in Birmingham. There is nothing like having a limo pick you up from a Ramada. My buddy from WJOX, Lance Taylor, set the whole thing up. My wife and I rode in this limo to T-town with Lance and a group of guys ranging from big-time boosters to out-of-towners. Our first stop was Bob Baumhower's "Wings". Lance and Ian Fitzsimmons do a pregame show there every time there is a game in town. There is Bama memorabilia and tributes all over the place.

Here are some of the pics from that place...

It was great to see basketball coach Mark Gottfried at the bar
This is the place where the most boring radio show in the history of western civilization takes place

Lance and Ian hosted the show while a big group of us watched all of the games that were going on. They were hosting a show touted as "the longest running pregame show in the state of Alabama." Take that Mobile.

After we left Wings, we went to a place next to the stadium named Gallettes. This was the most crowded place in America on Saturday. As we made our way through this fire hazard, we were handed Yellow Hammer's. We were told that we had to try it while we were there. I wanted to find a sauna so that I could cool off. Yes, that is my wife.We left Gallettes because I had a meeting with the Bear. He was kind of mad that I was a little late. After my meeting with the Bear, we walked across the street to check out the Gameday bus.
As we walked to the stadium, I stopped to pay tribute to Gene Stallings. I love Gene Stallings. He was the first football coach that I ever knew personally. When I was a little kid, my family went to church with Gene in St. Louis (he was coaching the Cardinals) and my sister was friends with his daughter. Our tickets were unreal. We were at the 45 yd line, about 50 rows from the field. I am pretty sure that Alabama has the best pregame in America. The videos, the band, the pageantry... it was spectacular.

The game was great. It was insanely loud when John Parker Wilson ran the TD in to tie the game at 20. I did not get any pictures of OT because I was standing there in complete disbelief. It was sad to see the fans throw all of the crap that they did on the Georgia players. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth after what was an incredible SEC game. I left the stadium so that I could go cry with the Bear. In the end, it was a great experience. The stadium is not as cool as Knoxville, the tailgating is better in Oxford, it is not as loud and crazy as LSU, but being in Tuscaloosa on Saturday is like watching the Muslims going to Mecca. They kill everyone in the tradition department. Alabama has so much tradition that I think any football fan would enjoy the trip. If you are a big college football fan, you need to check it out at least once.

Philanthropy (The Picks)

Verno's Shirley Raines Can't Stop this Parlay
Kansas -32 over Fl. International House of Pancakes
Florida -22.5 over Ole Miss
G Tech -3.5 over Virginia
Wake -3 over Maryland

School from the ACC week 3 playing a service academy GAME OF THE YEAR (INFINITY STARS)
Boston College -27.5 over Army

Verno's season record -- (6-2) (2-0 in infinity stars game of years)

Gary's Local teams suck parlay
Florida -22.5 over Ole Miss
Kentucky +7 over Arkansas
Ark St +24.5 over UT
UCF -7 over Memphis

Gary's don't support the troops in this game of the year
Duke +10 over navy

Bert Sugar's Picks:
Illinois -2.5 over Indiana
Troy -10.5 over La Laff.
Wake -3 over Maryland
G Tech -4 over Virginia
Wisconsin -7.5 over Iowa

I am going to be in Tuscaloosa this weekend for the Bama/ Georgia game and will have a complete visual history of the trip at the first of the week. Thanks for listening.

Grizzlies HC Marc Iavaroni (More Audio)...

Grizzlies HC Marc Iavaroni called into the show on Thursday and we talked about the league meetings he just attended, having a portion of training camp in Spain, and all things Grizzlies. You can check it out below. Central Florida coach George O'Leary is on the show on Friday, as well as Bert Sugar and the Friday regulars.

Audio from this week (Zook, Brooks, Wallace)

Here is some of the audio from this week if you missed the show. Illinois HC Ron Zook joined us talking about his team, Florida winning the National Championship last year, andthe difference in recruiting and coaching in the Big Ten and the SEC. Kentucky HC Rich Brooks talked about the win against Louisville, why he did not go for 2 at the end of the game, being on the hot seat in the SEC, and Andre Woodson. I have also loaded up the Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace weekly segment. Would he still take Oden over Durant now? Were there red flags about Oden?

Mike Tirico will take Dan Patrick's spot

Tirico will be doing the noon-2 spot. Stephen A. Smith will be on from 2-3.

Kentucky HC Rich Brooks and Illinois HC Ron Zook

on the show today. check it.

Please disregard my philanthropy picks

ha. guess i should have told you it was reverse week.

Check out TrueHoop (Chris Wallace Story)

Big thanks to Zach for the heads-up, and to Henry Abbott for the love. ESPN.COM's True Hoop has this post today... Chris Wallace: Treating Memphis Right. Wallace evidently got together with a group of guys that started a Grizzlies blog. For him to do that is both incredibly rare, and stunningly refreshing. I have thoroughly enjoyed the weekly segment that he has been doing on the show, and his willingness and effort to connect to the fans is now getting national attention. Props to Wallace and the fans that invited him, and thanks to Henry for the love.

A new blog has been started by these Grizzlies fans, and there is a rundown of their meeting with Chris Wallace. The blog is http://3shadesofblue.blogspot.com/. Great story.

Philanthropy (The Picks) ...updated with audio

Verno's Free Wade Wilson Parlay
Kansas -24 over Toledo
UCLA -14 over Utah
Minnesota-7.5 over Florida Atlantic

Verno's Lock of the Century forever Infinity Stars Pick
Boston College +7 over G. Tech

Gary Parrish BAB Parlay
BYU -7 over Tulsa
Alabama or Arkansas 3 pt line (take either one, feel bet)
Boston College +7

Bert Sugar Picks
Wake -19.5 over Army
USC -9.5 over Nebraska
La Tech +33.5 over Cal
Ark St -3 over SMU
BYU -6.5 over Tulsa

Below you will find the audio of the Philanthropy segment and Jimmy Denunzio (World's Greatest handicapper) audio

Shady Brady and Bill Bellicheat

There is a new sports parody song out about the Patriots situation by a guy named Ryan Parker and it is a true masterpiece. Bravo, Ryan.

Demarcus Ware and Spencer Tillman audio

On Thursday, Cowboys DE Demarcus Ware and CBS college football analyst Spencer Tillman were both on the show. Demarcus talked about his life, Wade Phillips, the Dolphins game this weekend, etc. Tillman talked about how the CBS studio show works, and the games coming up this weekend. The audio is below if you missed either of the interviews. Today we will have Bert Sugar, the Philanthropy segment, Jimmy Denunzio, and David Cutcliffe. Check it.

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace in studio @ 5 pm

check it. Our weekly segment with Chris Wallace update: the audio is below. We talked about Darko's outburst, what Jerry West's role with the team is now, what is going on from day to day, the salary cap, etc.

You probably should not call out Keith Easterwood

The Memphis Edge is the Commercial Appeal's blog. The blog had a post the other day that called Keith Easterwood (regular on the show as our local bball insider) a "supposed insider." Obviously, this was of interest to me because Keith is a friend and comes on my show as an insider. Keith has been a huge help to me, a huge help to Gary Parrish, and consistently knows more about what is going on with local basketball than anyone on the radio. Anyway, here is the exact quote... "In surfing various message boards, supposed insiders have forwarded the idea that this development is linked to the Sept. 2 incident on Beale Street and other various off-court issues from past years. That assertion is laughable." We had to know that Keith would come out swinging after reading this, and he did. Here is how it went down...

p.s. read the post below for Wilco tickets

Free Concert Tickets (Wilco)

TCB concerts is bringing Wilco to Snowden Grove amphitheatre tomorrow night. If you are a fan of Wilco, and can make it to the concert, the first two people to email me and tell me that they want tickets will each get a pair. Thanks for coming to the site and listening to the show. Email me at verno@730espn.com for the tix. Check out www.tcbconcerts.com. I got a lot of emails when I gave you a chance to win the White Stripes tickets on the blog asking if it was a joke. This is not a joke. Wilco, tomorrow night, Snowden Grove Amphitheatre. Again, thanks for being bored enough at work to check the site.

You should all be millionaires

Week 1 of Philanthropy 4-0

There are people that claim that they pick games for a living. I pick games to make a living for you. I am 4-0 because I care about my listeners. My motives are pure. By the end of this season, none of you should still have a job. We are all going to retire. I swear, the mentally handicapped must make these lines. It is so simple.

Today on the show we will rundown all of the college and NFL games from the weekend. I got up from the couch twice this weekend. I also plan on saying the smartest thing ever uttered by human tongue.

The Picks (Philanthropy) with audio

We give you picks with no charge as our form of philanthropy. We care about you. You are welcome.

Bert Sugar's Picks
Temple -3.5 over Buffalo
Kentucky -10.5 over Kent St
Northwestern -10 over Nevada
East Carolina -5.5 over UNC
Oklahoma -10.5 over Miami

Verno's Joey Dorsey Make it Rain Parlay
Boston College -13 over NC State
West Virginia -24 over Marshall
Kentucky -12 over Kent St.

Infinity Stars Lock of the Century --Missouri -6 over Ole Miss

Gary Parrish's Rick Ankiel HGH Performance Enhanced Parlay
Hawaii -28 over La Tech
Georgia -3.5 over S. Carolina
Houston Texans -3 over KC

Here is the Jimmy Denunzio (The Worlds Greatest Handicapper) audio...
I have also added the Chan Gailey interview if you missed it, the four questions portion at the end of the interview is one of the most memorable and shocking moments in show history

So much for the perfect sports story...

I wanted to vomit when I saw the news about Rick Ankiel last night. This was my favorite sports story in a long, long time... and what a story it was. We get so wrapped up in a story so amazing and pure, only to be crushed by the news that this story is not all it seemed. The Ankiel story has embodied everything with love about sports. In the midst of bad stories and disappointments associated with baseball, we had this incredible tale of redemption and perseverance. I am just sick. I know that you cannot always believe in fairy tales, but I wanted to believe and feel great about this fairy tale. The innocence and purity of the story is gone. What a shame.

Today on the show we are loaded with guests. Comedian and author Alan Donnes will be in studio the first hour. Bert Sugar will be with his picks, Parrish is in Oklahoma and will join us from there, Eric Moulds of the Titans will be on the show, and we have the return of the Philanthropy segment and Jimmy Denunzio (The World's Greatest Handicapper). I will have the audio up tonight. Thanks for still coming to the site though I have been gone. I'll probably put up some pics from the wedding for you to see and I am back updating the site regularly. Thanks for listening and if you have not picked up the current issue of RSVP Magazine, go grab one, there is a nice article about the show.

Gone all week

Eric Hasseltine (voice of the Grizzlies) will be filling in all week. Take care of him. I will be on my honeymoon and I will be back for our Tiger Tailgate before the Memphis/ Ole Miss game. See you there. Thank you for listening.

Mike Miller on the show Thursday (The Audio)

Miller joined us from Vegas today and talked about looking like he got banged up at the end of the Team USA game last night, playing for the team, and some of the Grizzlies off-season moves.

Mike Miller on the show

Grizzlies and Team USA shooting guard Mike Miller is on the show today. It will be in the first hour.

Ingram Hill in studio Tuesday (Cover of "Rehab" audio)

Lead singer Justin Moore and lead guitarist Phil Bogard came in studio today in conjunction with the release of their second cd "Cold in California" which came out this morning. These guys have always been great to the show. I think they could have some big hits on the album. 2 of their singles off the first album broke the Billboard top 25, and I would bet they will out-do that with this album. Go buy a copy. While in studio they did a cover of the Amy Winehouse hit song "Rehab".

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

I like to scan message boards to see what the fans of teams are talking about. I understand that there are a lot of media members that would never acknowledge that they regularly check them. We live in a new age where rabid fans are always collecting new information from various places about their favorite team, and a message board regularly provides an easy place for it all to collect. Fans keep up with info on their favorite team more than any media member possibly could. If someone is not aware of message boards and the valuable resource they can provide, they are behind the times. Media members read message boards. They know the exact address. They know what people say. If they claim they don't, they are lying and their ego has made them unable to admit it.

With all of that being said, message boards can be littered with people that are absolutely insane. That is the part I love. I was reading the Tigers message board (memphistigers.org) this morning and ran across a thread that was called "Down with Schnucks!" The premise was that Tiger fans should be outraged that there is an orange Fanta display in the shape of UT. What follows is people saying that they will no longer shop at Schnucks, they will voice their displeasure, and other fans should call and email to voice their displeasure. What ensues is absolute hilarity to any sane person. Let me say that this type of thing is not exclusive to the memphis message board, it just happened to be the one I was reading this morning.

I love the Tigers, and I would also propose that Schnucks get rid of all carrots, orange peppers, ole el paso taco seasoning packages, basketballs, and orange juice. Why is blue juice not as prominently displayed?

This was my favorite quote in the thread... "That is exactly what needs to be done, in a polite, but firm manner. This is MEMPHIS, not Knoxville, and such disrespect is both outrageous and intolerable."
Remember, this is regarding an orange Fanta display. Those are some pretty strong words. If I worked at the store and someone came up to me and told me that the stupid Fanta UT display that we had was disrespectful, outrageous, and intolerable... I would probably pee on myself with laughter.

Boycotting a store because there is display for another school? I saw that Rocky Top News was being carried at Kroger and Tiger fans should boycott them too. Outrage! Where should I shop? There is only one Piggly Wiggly in town and it's gutter.
Here is the thread for your entertainment. DOWN WITH SCHNUCKS!!!!!! Message boards are the best.

Chris Daughtry and Chris Wallace audio

Rock star Chris Daughtry joined us on the show on Monday before his concert at the Forum. Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace joined us in studio in the 5 oclock hour and the audio is broken into two parts. I have also added Kevin Frazier from Entertainment Tonight audio if you missed him at the end of last week.

Daughtry and Chris Wallace on the show today

Chris Daughtry is going to be part of the concert going on tonight at FedEx Forum. His album became the fastest selling rock debut in history when it sold 1 million copies in 5 weeks. He will be on the show today.

In addition to that, Grizzlies fans will love to hear that Chris Wallace (New GM of Grizz) will be in studio today from 5-5:30 and will take callso on the Grizzlies off-season. I am thrilled to announce that he will be on the show with a weekly segment throughout the season. We will have more great news regarding our Grizzlies coverage as the season gets closer, but this should be big.

The Elvis Night Experience (A visual history)

Me, my buddy Price, and my buddy Andy set out on Thursday night to experience the madness that is Elvis week. Here are the pictures of the different Elvi that we met downtown. Instead of posting every picture from the night, I tried to narrow them down a little to ones from different cities or countries. Finland Elvis and some pimp...Virgina Beach Elvis
The Sydney, Australia Elvi
Birmingham, Alabama Elvis England Elvis Scotland Elvis North Carolina and El Paso Elvi Salt Lake City trucker Elvis Next Best Thing Elvis (from NBC TV show The Next Best Thing)

German Elvis was like 7 ft. tall and was the only jerk we met all night, everyone else could not have been cooler and happier to be down there. Italian Elvis Wales Elvis might have been a tranny Iceland Elvis Last but not least, this guy did not have anything to do with Elvis, but he had by far the best outfit of the night and it was not even close...

I have lived in Memphis for 7 years now, but this year was the first time I ever went to anything going on with Elvis week. You really should check it out next year if you get the chance. We met people from at least 25 different countries that were in town just for vigil and concert. Elvis fans (outside the Germans) might be the nicest people I have met. I have a new respect for the magnitude of this event to say the least. Thanks for listening to the show and reading the blog.

Oh what a night (The Elvis week experience)

Last night me and a couple of my friends, Price and Andy, went down to Beale Street to see the madness that was Elvis week. The huge Elvis concert was going on at the Forum and so we took my camera and tried to get our picture taken with every Elvis that we could. The final count had us in pictures with Elvis from 25 different countries. It was a riot. I will post the pictures when I get a chance this weekend.

Here was the Elvis from Iceland as a sample.

p.s. Nice to see the Navarro deal and its particulars were reported in the papers in Washington and Memphis. We reported it on this very blog 2 weeks ago. How many stories we will have to break before we are "credible"?

Kevin Frazier on the show today

Kevin Frazier from Entertainment Tonight is gonna be on the show today. Kevin was previously with Fox Sports Net and ESPN. He is always one of the best guys we bring on. I promise you that he will be great and he'll have some great stories. He will be on at 5:30.

Former Grizzly employee bringing suit against the team

I am unfamiliar with the parties involved, but I saw this come across the wire and channel 5 had a story about it. The whole story is here. Not good PR. The suit is for 3M.

Buffalo Wild Wings today, Ingram Hill

Today we continue the tour of BWW locations, and we are at the one at Poplar and Highland. This will be a bash. Joining us at the location will be Justin Moore (lead singer of Ingram Hill). Justin and the band have a slight problem. This should be an incredibly exciting time for them. Their album drops next week, and they will be going on to do publicity nationwide and on tour. So what is the problem? Well, their bass player quit. They don't have a bass player and they need one pretty quickly. That being said, I will do my part to help them if I can. This is not a joke. Ingram Hill needs a bass player and they are feverishly trying people out for the gig. If you play bass, or know somebody that does, this could be a big break. Come out to BBW today, hang with the crew, win a trip to Vegas tonight in the cornhole tourney, and rep yo hood.

A few things from the weekend...

Today I will be down at the Horseshoe for the Grizzlies dance team tryouts. I have been asked to be a judge for the competition and though I do not know anything really about dancing, I do know what an attractive girl looks like. The dance team needed to upgrade, I will do my best to help that happen. Eric Hasseltine will be there and is hosting the event, so he will be down there with me for the show. The competition is open to the public, so come on down if you can.

If Tiger Woods got injured, or died, tomorrow, would we say that he was the best ever? Of course we would, because we would believe that he would have gotten 5 more majors easily. So why do so many say that he is not the best ever until he breaks the Nicklaus record?

Rick Ankiel's return is probably my favorite sports story of the year so far.

A few weeks ago Sonny Vacarro was on the show, and he was great. The interview is still in the archives below if you missed it. Regardless of your opinion of Vacarro, he is one of the most important basketball figures ever. Thus, there is going to be an HBO movie focused on him with James Gandofini (Tony Soprano) playing Sonny in a feature called ABCD Camp. I wonder if anyone will buy Gandolfini as anything other than Tony Soprano.

Vince Young got suspended for the preseason opener. Your QB should be an example for the rest of the team. I guess it doesn't matter because he will get hurt anyway. He is on the cover of Madden, he's cursed.

Rob Neyer from ESPN is on the show today.

Dog the Bounty Hunter on the show, and new audio

Dog the Bounty Hunter was on the show on Friday and now holds the record for the longest answer to a question ever. Check out the first question and the following answer for clarification on that. Dog was great and it was a thrill to get him on the show. I have also loaded up the Carrot Top interview if you want to check that out, as well as the Taco Meat montage commemorating his tragic fall from grace. They are all in the player below. If you are going to email me this weekend, send them to chris@cvernon.com, my other email address is jacked. Thanks for listening and coming to the site.

Dog the Bounty Hunter on the show today

Today is the day that Dog the Bounty Hunter makes his appearance on the show. His show has been the top-rated show on A&E for quite some time. Best mullet ever. The Dog is on the Chris Vernon Show today. Check it out. I think today is the last day to vote for the Flyer awards. Scroll down to rock the vote if you have not.

R.I.P.

R.I.P. Taco Meat (unknown-8/8/07)

He was a good man and a great caller. He was the victim of verbal homicide. His killer, Fred, is still at large. God rest his soul.

The death of a legend...

There was an on-air assassination on "The Haters" segment today. The always mysterious Fred demoralized and defamed the great Taco Meat. It was a stunning day. A dominant performance by Fred left the legend known as Taco Meat completely dead in the water. Here is the call and the reaction by Taco that followed. Parrish and I could not believe what we just heard. I have had to put an asterisk by Taco's link on the side of the page. The Bill Bellamy interview is also loaded up in the player. I have now figured out how to make it easier to find the audio.

Bill Bellamy on the show Wednesday

One of the only TV shows I am watching currently is "Last Comic Standing." Bill Bellamy is the host of the show this season. Carrot Top is gonna be on the show on Thursday (is he funny without props?), and Dog the Bounty Hunter is on the show on Friday.

We are on remote at Buffalo Wild Wings (Southaven), continuing the tour of the different locations giving away trips to Vegas. Get there if you can. Also, time is running out to vote for the show for the Flyer awards. Take a few seconds and vote for the show if you will. Fight the power and VOTE HERE

So just how good is Juan Carlos Navarro?

International and college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla from ESPN was on the show on Monday to tell us about Navarro, as well as giving his thoughts on Darko, Conley, and the Tigers. Really informative, good stuff if you want to better understand evaluating international players. Here is the audio.

Full screen view

THE DREADED CVERNON.COM EXCLUSIVE: THE PARTICULARS OF THE JUAN CARLOS NAVARRO TRADE

I have been told that this is how the Navarro deal shakes out...

Memphis receives J.C. Navarro

Washington will receive a first round pick from the Grizzlies (contrary to what has been reported, I am told that this is how it will break down)
I will try to make this as simple as I can, but it is a little tricky

'08 if the Grizzlies select 20 or further down, it goes to the Wizards (top 19 protected)
'09 if the Grizzlies select 17 or further down, it goes to the Wizards (top 16 protected)
'10- '12 the Grizzlies pick is lottery protected
'13 - the pick is top 12 protected and if it has not been given, cash considerations will be given to the Wizards.

I love the way this shakes out for the Grizzlies and it is much more comforting than the reports that it is simply a lottery protected pick that they are giving up, etc.

Time to fight the power (Best of Memphis Awards)...

We are coming to get what is rightfully ours Memphis Flyer. As listeners of the show, and readers of the blog, I ask you for a favor. It has been fairly well documented here that we were robbed in the Best of Memphis poll last year when we were placed in a phony tie for third (A tie? what are the chances of that, unless you didn't want to make some certain people upset?). A positive article about the show was not allowed to run in the issue, and for reasons that I was made aware of later it is not necessarily in the best interest of the publication to have us win. It was the full blown manifestation of the good-ole-boy network and personal relationships affecting an award. When the listeners of the show voted for M awards, it was so overwhelming that the show ended up on the cover of the magazine. That cover and awards have been an incredible benefit. This one will not be easy, but we have a chance because you can vote on-line. We will have to make it virtually impossible to be denied, and then we still may not get our just desserts (Don King reference), but let's take a shot at it. CLICK HERE TO VOTE NOW. A lot of people do not vote for these things, therefore, if you vote it will be impossible to deny us. Please take a moment to change the way things are done around here. Thank you for listening to the show, coming to the blog, and voting.

Navarro is gonna be a Grizzly?

Great. Welcome back to the blog Spain. Great. I love you Spain.

TODAY AT BROOKHAVEN

I am going to be doing the show live at Brookhaven Pub @ Brookhaven and Poplar today. Today is the day of our Don't Break the Ice Tournament. We have been out on the road a lot lately and the support has been overwhelming. If you come to Brookhaven tonight and win the single-elimination tournament, you are going to Vegas. Airfare and your hotel stay at the Stratosphere are all taken care of by Custom Travel. Get to Brookhaven today, win the Don't Break the Ice tourney, and get a completely comped trip to Vegas. Honestly, thank you for coming out to these shows on the road. Business at Buffalo Wild Wings has gone up over 30% on Wednesdays, and that is because of you. It's Friday night... get off work, get to Brookhaven, win a free trip to Vegas. Thanks again, and I hope to see you there.

Grizzlies schedule is out...

Hasseltine and I will be talking about it in the first hour of the show. My first reaction is that January is superstar month @ the Forum. This is who will be in the Forum in Jan. --- Miami, Lakers, Cleveland, Seattle, Orlando, Chicago, the Clippers, the Mavs, and the Nuggets. The will set the single month attendance record by an incredible margin. Crazy January. Here is the entire schedule. Crazy number of back-to-backs, and 1 national TV game.

Criss Angel Interview

The Mindfreak Criss Angel was on the show yesterday. My prediction was that he was gonna be a really weird dude. That could not have been more wrong. He was really cool and he was a great radio guest. Who knew? Here is the interview if you missed it...

Full screen view

Criss Angel (Mindfreak) is on the show today...

Criss Angel is scheduled to be on the show today. I love watching this guy's show on A&E. The new season starts soon. If you have a question you want me to get in, email it to me and if it is good I will use it. I think this guy might be the devil or something.

The White Stripes tix are gone, don't bother emailing for them.

(White Stripes Concert) The first 2 people to read this...

That can go to the White Stripes concert tonight at Snowden Grove Ampitheatre.. email me at chris@cvernon.com and I will get you a pair of tix courtesy of TCB Concerts. Reading the blog can pay. I need your first and last name.

Phil Fulmer and Nick Saban on the show (Audio)

Here are the interviews if you missed them at the end of the week. Fulmer was great. We primarily talked to him about his playing days and his entire coaching career, but I asked a couple of questions about the current team. Have you ever heard Fulmer talk about him dating cheerleaders as a young coach? You can here. I must admit, I have always really liked the guy. The Saban interview is also on the player. He loves the phrase "positive self-gratification." The story of that interview is below in a previous post. Click on the top left corner on "channel guide" to find any interview you want to hear.

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Got a mention in the Sunday Commercial Appeal

Scott Cacciola had an article today in the paper about Orgeron. Here is the excerpt...

Orgeron has faced obstacles during his tenure in Oxford. Critics questioned his readiness when he was hired-- he had never been a head coach -- and he has been easy fodder for satirists who poke fun at his thick Louisiana accent. To wit, "Colonel Reb Is Crying," the popular product of Memphis-based sports-radio host Chris Vernon, has been viewed 285,434 times on YouTube.com. Orgeron's gruff image has been hard to shake.

That vid has gotten over 2 thousand hits since this was published this morning (up over 287,000 now). Thanks for the pub Scott.

Quentin Groves (Auburn), my favorite SEC player ever

Last year after Colonel Reb is Crying was released, there was an article that was written by Scott Cacciola of the Commercial Appeal that got picked up by Scripps and ran in papers throughout the south. In the article it mentioned a quick story about Quentin Groves from Auburn singing the song on the field against Ole Miss. Here was the quote...

For example, Auburn defensive lineman Quentin Groves roamed near the Ole Miss sideline during a timeout last Saturday and actually yelped the chorus at Orgeron.
"I could hear him," said Ole Miss punter Rob Park, shaking his head in disbelief.

So at media days I was able to get Groves to come on the show and talk about it. We also talked about why he is coming back to school when he could have been highly drafted, being married, movies, agents and runners, etc. This guy has a great personality in addition to being a great player. The guy is a trip. The interview is below. Groves was my favorite player interview we have ever done at media days.

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Kenny Stabler and Phil Fulmer on the show today

These two guys were great. I talked to both of them about old war stories more so than current events. Stabler talked about his days at Bama and with the Raiders and Fulmer talked about his entire coaching history (including going out with all of the cheerleaders as a G.A. at Witchita State. Fulmer will be in the second segment. Stabler is at 5. Check it.

No dice

Langston Rogers (the SID for Ole Miss) just said that Coach O will not be able to do come on the show. They have to leave he says. We tried. That is pretty lame. Everyone was waiting to see if he would come on with us and I must tell you that it is a little dissapointing that it won't happen. Oh well. I think the song hurt our chances to say the least.

SEC Media Days: Post 4

Last night we went to an italian joint named Petrucelli's with my friends from WJOX. After dinner we went to some place named the Superior Grill. We were told that it was the spot. I must admit it was a cool place, despite the fact that they had the worst band playing that I have ever heard in my life. Today is wild. Everyone is waiting to see if Coach O is gonna do the show. We have put in our request, but who knows. I am told that he is telling everyone that he thinks the song is funny. I am also told that there is a possibility that he will rip off his tie, strangle me, and set fire to my brains and eat them. Who knows. I will let you know what happens.

SEC Media Days: Post 3 Nick Saban on the show today

I thought I would be more likely to see a ghost than to see Nick Saban on radio row. The story of how I got him on the show is completely crazy. Here it goes... there are fans everywhere and they have blocked off radio row so that you have to have a credential to get near it. I see Nick Saban sitting down doing a radio interview down the hall. There are a ton of TV cameras surrounding Saban while he is sitting there. There are radio producers and writers and TV people in a huge pack walking along with Saban when he moves. Every radio station here is trying to get him on there station. Roser is sleeping in the room and I am just working on getting stuff together for the show. I don't even go near the fray and I figure that he is not gonna be doing a ton of radio and his probably booked. Anyway, out of nowhere, a couple of people from the SEC come over to me (keep in mind that I am sitting at my table minding my own business) and they say that Coach Saban will be coming down to join you. He's coming to you next. I never said a word to anyone but there was no way I was gonna question anything. It was really funny, I get done interviewing him and all of these media guys were asking me how I got him to come on the show. I really don't know why he came down to talk to me. Anyway, long story short, Nick Saban is on the show today.

SEC Media Days: Post 2

We are down in the lobby this morning after what became a long night. We went to a restaurant to meet some of my friends that work for WJOX in Birmingham and we hung out with them for a while. Unfortunately, that is not where our night ended. I had been to a place called Bell Bottoms when I had been in Bham before, and I had told Roser that he needed to see this place when we came here. The place is hysterical. A few years ago, former Bama player George Teague had told us about this thing they have called "fight night." Basically, the place is about the same size as a place like Alfred's, except it has two decks and a huge boxing ring in the middle of what I suppose would normally be a dance floor. Patrons then can register and box each other, and there is really no other way to describe it but to say that it is completely hilarious. Roser lost his cell phone somewhere and we still have no idea where it could be. I thought that the lobby of the hotel this morning would be complete pandemonium because Saban is going to be here, but there are a lot less people than I expected so far. I suppose that every Bama fan in the world has already seen the guy and been snubbed in attempt to get his autograph. Jay Barker is doing his show across the way and Bama fans are swarming him to have him sign crap. I have to wonder what that stuff will go for on ebay. Today we have Miss. St., Bama, Vandy, and Florida.

Quoted on True Hoop (Ref Scandal)

True Hoop on espn.com used a quote from me today on the site. Big thanks to Henry Abbott for the plug. Here it is. http://myespn.go.com/nba/truehoop thanks to mario for the heads up.

SEC Media Days: Post 1

Roser and I rolled into town at about 11 pm last night. This morning we got up so that we could come downstairs to radio row, set up the equipment, and watch people act important. I am loving this place. 90% of the guys here look like the "before" picture of a diet advertisement. I feel like Johnny Fitness here. It is hard to describe how unhealthy a group of people could be. I cannot believe that nobody has ever died of a heart attack here. Surely somebody will this year. Elastic waistbands are in at media days, in fact, I feel weird that I have a belt on. A conservative estimate would put the combined weight of most radio teams at 550-650 lbs. My favorite part of this is watching the guys that walk around slowly by the different stations as if they are waiting for you to ask them to come on for an interview. Media guys that act like celebrities amongst each other are the best. The other thing is that anyone in the world can get credentialed for this thing. I could say that I have a magazine called Gamecock Peck magazine and I could be interviewing anyone. Today we have Arkansas, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Auburn. Thanks for reading post 1.

Birmingham AL: Big city of dreams

Tonight Roser and I take off tonight for B-ham for SEC Media Days. We are rollin in a Lexus RX350 because Lexus of Memphis is sponsoring our coverage. I will have updates throughout the week of what is going on, both on and off the mic. Roser will not be allowed to share drinks.

E's "The Soup" Host Joel McHale Interview

This guy is hilarious. He was great on the show and we will be sure to get him back on. All other interviews, including Kevin James, Chris Wallace, George Foreman, Dana White, etc., are in the player also. You can get to them by clicking the top left corner of the player under "guide."

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Joel McHale on the show today

Joel McHale, from E's "The Soup" is on the show today. "The Soup" is the show that goofs on all of the talk shows and reality shows. This guy is funny, and I like the show so I am glad Roser booked him.

Also, Bert Sugar will join us live from the Mandalay Bay in Vegas. He is there for the most boring fight ever... Winky Wright v. Bernard Hopkins.

Andre Brown in town visiting with Grizzlies

CVERNON.COM EXCLUSIVE: Prospective F.A. Andre Brown (former Sonic) is in town and is expected to be signed by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Kevin James on the show, Roser falls short (A visual history)

Kevin James came on the show yesterday. His new movie "I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry" with Adam Sandler and Jessica Biel opens tomorrow. I still can't believe he came on with us in the midst of the national promotion he is doing. Cool guy. We talked about how he got into comedy, the King of Queens, Jessica Biel, and the movie. Here is the interview.

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My producer, Jon Roser, had his chance to vindicate himself yesterday at Buffalo Wild Wings. He had made the bold claim that he could eat 40 chicken wings in 12 minutes. He failed. Here is a visual history of the event...

Roser poses with 40 mild wings, filled with total confidence...

Roser begins his quest at an incredibly fast pace. This was a decision that would prove costly as the challenge went on...It becomes clear that my prediction of vomit has an amazing chance at happening as the contest is coming to an end... The contest came to an end with Roser eating a total of 33 chicken wings in 12 minutes. He claims that he could have accomplished his goal, which begs the question... why didn't he? He wants a rematch with the wings. We hope that this has taught him a valuable lesson... don't run your mouth if you cannot back it up.

On a side note... THANK YOU to all of you that came out to Buffalo Wild Wings. The turnout was amazing and the cornhole contest was slammed with teams. We will resume our Wednesday BWW tour in 2 weeks, as next week Roser and I will be in Birmingham for SEC Media Days.

Former Memphis star and current Florida Marlin Daniel Uggla is on the show today.

Breaking news I think (Joe Lee Dunn) aka The most famous High School football coach in Memphis, and Kevin James is on the show

If this is breaking news, it is the dreaded cvernon.com exclusive. I have not seen or read about it anywhere, so it just might be, who knows? UPDATE: I am told that it was on the Tiger message board a while back. Joe Lee Dunn was the defensive coordinator at Memphis for the past few seasons. Joe Lee Dunn has been a college football coach all over the south forever. Joe Lee is now the head coach of the Ridgeway Roadrunners High School football team. He replaced Coach Cooley. Great hire for Ridgeway. I predict a state championship.

also: Kevin James is on the show on Wednesday. He is the King of Queens, a great comedian, and co-star of the new movie, "I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry" with Adam Sandler and Jessica Biel. Kevin James is a huge star, so obviously it is awesome to get him on the show this week considering the movie opens on Friday. He is on Good Morning America in the morning, and The Chris Vernon Show in the afternoon? Ha! We have our fingers crossed.

We are at the Buffalo Wild Wings at Hacks Cross and Winchester for the show Wednesday. We have the cornhole tournament at 7, registration at 6. Another trip to Vegas is on the line. Roser will attempt to eat 40 chicken wings in 12 minutes at 5:20 segment. Get there for the carnage.

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace Interview (7-17-07)

Chris Wallace joined us on the show immediately following the Darko presser. We talked about Darko, how things went down in free agency with other names, how the roster spots will be filled, etc. Wallace has been money on the show.

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Herrington calls his shot on the show (Grizzlies sign Darko), George Foreman on Thursday

Well, well, well. Chris Herrington from the Flyer was on the show today and talked a lot about Darko Milicic being the best option for the Grizzlies. In fact, he almost called the contract they ended up giving him. The CA broke the story, and ESPN is reporting a 3yr, 21Million deal with the Grizzlies and Darko. I don't love Darko, or the signing, but it is a short contract and he obviously ended up getting less than what I first thought he would get. The fact of the matter is that there were not teams left to throw around a ton of cash, and the Grizz were able to make the best offer. The guy should be entering the prime of his career. I hated him at 9 or 10M, 7M and only 3 years is worth a shot, I guess. I do like that the guy thinks Pau is a wuss. Darko and Pau in the front court is not exactly daunting, but it could be good offensively in an up-tempo system. But in terms of getting a bruiser, a tough guy that does "dirty work", Darko is not that guy. Everyone always says that the Grizzlies need a rebounder, and Darko has not been a great rebounder. Everyone that says the Grizzlies need a bruiser next to Pau, he's not that. I like bulldogs. I like guys that will chuck you in the third row to get a rebound. Could Darko work though? I guess we will wait and see. I don't love the signing, but I am willing to be won over. We know that Iavaroni can work with big men and heck, he is better than anything thing else they could roll out there. Oh, who am I kidding? My first reaction was "oh great, now we officially have the biggest weenie frontcourt in league history" but I am trying to be nice.

George Foreman will be on the show on Thursday. The guy is one of the greatest boxers of all-time and is more famous for his grills. Check it out.

UFC President Dana White interview (7-10-07)

The president of UFC, Dana White, joined us on the show to talk about all things UFC. The interview ranges from how he got involved with UFC, to the growth of mixed martial arts, to how much money these guys make and why it is not reported. The guy is a great face for the sport. I was impressed. Joe Rogan, and now Dana, have both been fantastic representatives for
UFC on the show.

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UFC President Dana White on the show today

Dana White is scheduled to join us at 5:40. He is the President of UFC and the producer of the wildly popular "Ultimate Fighter" show on Spike TV.

Rudy Gay posterizes Yi (summer league game 1)

Grizzlies summer league Game 1

I just watched the first summer league game on NBA TV. A couple of quick observations...
I was on the phone with Herrington during the game, so I would expect that some of our thoughts will be the same. I would also expect that he will be smarter and more in-depth with his observations. Mine are simply instant, unfiltered reactions.
- Kyle Lowry, Kinsey, and Rudy all were impressive.
- I could see the shades of the Phoenix system when the Grizzlies played. In the half court the ball goes from the corner, swing to the top, swing to the opposite corner... three. That was a common set. And obviously, the idea of getting a shot early in the clock was evident.
- It does not matter that it is summer league and that they are not playing outstanding competition when I say that Kinsey was impressive. I was impressed esp. with his ability to stop on a dime in transition and knock down shots. I think he will be getting some real clock this year.
- Conley looked timid, which was to be expected. Lowry looked really good. The guy is a lock as a fan favorite.
- Johnny Davis seemed cool in his interview. He said he would not be surprised if Mike Miller was an all-star this year. I always said I thought he could possibly be an easy 20-25 ppg in Phoenix. Miller= all star? The assistant coach said he would not be surprised...
- Rudy was spectacular. The highlights that he is gonna be on this year, in this offense, are gonna be sick. Yi was better than I thought.
- Alexander Johnson is a mess. Sorry. I would give anything if you could put Roberts bball sense with Johnson's athleticism. I thought he looked brutal.
- My first impression is that this team is going to be the most fun version of the Grizzlies to watch since the Hubie era. I am confident that that will be the case.

By the way... for those of you that watched the end of the game and the announcers talking about the team and interviewing Rudy... what was that? I know that you have heard it happen on my show and it is so embarrasing. You can hear "he's gotta go" or "last question" being yelled in the background. It happened today, this time on NBA TV for goodness sakes. Rudy is in the middle of an interview on national TV after the game and he has his headset ripped of his head by media relations in the middle of answering a question? Joel Meyers said, "Live television doesn't make any difference to the Memphis Grizzlies." Rudy seemed totally uncomfortable, and who knows why there was such a rush, but I cannot imagine it was worth looking like that on national TV. I have honestly never seen a headset taken off a guys head in the middle of an interview in my life. That was weird and uncomfortable.

UPDATE: regarding the previous part of the post, Stacy Mitch (director of media relations) contacted me this afternoon to let me know her side of the story. NBA tv was not supposed to do the interview and Stacy had to pull Rudy for coach. She said that she tried to get them to end but they would not, so she pulled him. Teams were waiting for the locker area and coach was trying to meet. Stacy had told NBA Tv to wait until after the meeting for the interview, so it was unfair to Rudy. It created quite the awkward TV moment to say the least, but now you why it played out the way it did. NBA TV apologized for what happened. I appreciate Stacy for clearing the whole thing up. Wow, I guess somebody does read this crap I write after all.

Needing your help, make a difference (Please read this)

Friend of the show Wright Thompson from espn.com sent me the following email this morning. Wright had written an article in ESPN the Magazine about this soldier when he was coaching his kids little league team at Ft. Hood. This guy is a bonafide war hero and his crew needs our help. He lists all of the different things that you could send, and I know that all of have things that can be sent. Here is your chance. I am putting a box together this weekend, and I am asking you to do the same if you can. We can make a big difference in the lives of the men that fight for us. The email from the soldier is below (please take the time to read it and consider the request). Thank you for taking the time. Wright Thompson will be on today at 3:20 to talk about the story of this guy and the request for help.

From: john.n.davis@us.army.mil < john.n.davis@us.army.mil>

To all...
As you all know, I am serving in Afghanistan as a Brigade Staff junky...LOL. I have taken the responsibility of building an MWR facility for all our Soldiers, young and old (like me!)

Yesterday I walked into what the KBR folks called an MWR (morale, welfare, and recreation) tent. It was in a sad state. A bare wooden floor with a half dozen metal foldout chairs and a large screen TV. (that was the only nice thing in there) It also had a broken ping pong table and hundreds of novels printed in the 60's and 70's...our young soldiers just can't stop reading them...LOL!!! It also had a popcorn popper that apparently hasn't worked in over a year, according to the outgoing unit.

I am writting to you all in an effort that some of you may know of businesses or individuals that may be willing to donate to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team's MWR. The list of what I could use is endless. Fans, books, magazines, game systems (XBox, XBox 360, Playstations, etc), games, board games, Movie DVDs, DVD player, music CDs, footballs, basketballs, baseballs, gloves, bats, volleyballs...BASICALLY ANYTHING THAT CAN LIFT THE MORALE OF OUR SOLDIERS. As you can see, my list of needs is endless. If there is anyone out there willing, please let me know and I will send you our unit address.

As an appreciation for donations I will insure that the individual or company will receive a Brigade Certificate of Appreciation signed by our Brigade Commander. I know its not much, but its all about the soldiers risking their lives everyday.
I sent this to everyone once already but I forgot to include the address....

Davis, John HHC
173d ABCT (JAF)
TF Bayonet
APO AE 09354

...if you could pass this along to everyone you know that would be great!! Thank you for your support.

sincerely,SFC John Davis

What the Grizzlies would have to pay Nocioni

The Chicago Tribune has a story about the Grizzlies and them taking a run at Nocioni. I took from the story that it looks as if the Grizz would have to pay Nocioni 8M for Paxon not to match. 8M is a lot, but I think it is probably worth it. I do worry about the foot problem he has had. I do like that if we are talking about a five-year deal (as the Tribune mentions) that he would be 32 at the end of the deal. I hope there is not a 6 or 7 year deal. As I said, 8M is a good chunk of change, but I could see him living up to that. Here is the Tribune story, which is very informative.

In other news... OH NO! Lebron is gonna be a rapper? Album drops in the fall? NOOOOOOOO. Not reportedly, the first track is "Never give the ball to Varajeo with the game on the line" Other tracks include "My teammates suck" and "I could buy you"

Dan Patrick to leave ESPN?

If you have been listening to the Dan Patrick show this week you know that he has been saying that he was going to make a big announcement. He originally said that he would make the announcement on Tuesday, but then he was not there on Tuesday. The Chicago Tribune says that there is a 90% chance that Patrick will announce his farewell today.
Here is the link.

Can a brother get some credit?

Forgive me for not getting to this earlier, but I just read today's paper. There is an article about the Grizzlies and free agency and in the article it says that Chris Wallace went to Argentina to meet Andres Nocioni. According to who? There are no sources given, no "sources told the Commercial Appeal", nothing. The story is just presented as fact. This is so blatant that it is undeniable. JUST SAY IT COMMERCIAL APPEAL.... "CHRIS VERNON REPORTED" OR "ACCORDING TO CHRIS VERNON" OR "VERNO'S BLOG REPORTED." IF YOU DON'T WANNA USE MY NAME, THEN SAY "730 ESPN REPORTED." YOU KNOW WHAT, JUST B.S. AND SAY "SOURCES TOLD THE C.A." But no credit for the story coming from anywhere when many people already know that the story broke right here? It is all over the Grizzlies message board for goodness sakes. The story just happened? Nobody reported or confirmed it? I am no journalist, but I did pay a little attention when I took Journalism 101. For there to be no attribution for the story in the article is truly amazing. Can a brother get some credit?

8th Grader wants to play for Memphis already?

check it out...http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-26-9/Young-Players-Who-Want-to-be-Good-Teammates.html

Grizz coverage today (from camp)

We got some good audio today from the Grizzlies camp before they head out to Vegas for summer league. I will play it all on the show. Coach Iavaroni and the players will be included. Check it out.

Thank you, Thank you (The M Awards)

Big thanks to all of the listeners that voted for the M Awards in Memphis Sport Magazine. The show was nominated for favorite sports radio show and I was nominated for favorite sports radio personality and was 1st in both. In addition to that, because we won the two awards, I am on the cover of the magazine. Gary Parrish also took home the best hair award. You can find Memphis Sport at Kroger, almost every sports bar, and Sports Clips. I am confident that you will run across it somewhere. Anyway, thank you very much for voting for the show, and for me, and making this happen. I am immensely indebted to the listeners. Thank you! We have built this show through word of mouth, a pretty grassroots effort with very little promotion on a station that we started just 2 years ago. Now, because of you, we have the cover of a magazine and billboards up around town. As far as I know, there has never been a sports talk show with billboards in this town. Many of you have been with me through the transition to the new station that we built from literally nothing but a trailer and a tower. Some of you have caught on more recently, but either way, I want to let all of you know how appreciative I am of you for listening to the show and telling your friends about it. This is all happening because of you. Thank you.

CVERNON.COM Exclusive: Grizzlies GM Wallace in Argentina meeting Nocioni

Wow, I called my shot. Today I posted on the blog that the Grizzlies needed to go after Andres Nocioni in free agency. I was told tonight that Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace is, in fact, in Argentina and is meeting with a free agent... Andres Nocioni. Great idea Mr. Wallace. Great idea.
cvernon.com= where news breaks every once in a while (and too often lately) beatin the breaks off cats.

Who could the free agent be? I have my guess.

I have been reading everything that has been written about the Grizzlies for the last few days regarding their potential dealings in free agency. I read the names of possible targets for the Grizzlies in the paper and none of them make much sense besides Varajeo, and some of the names listed are insane. The problem with Varajeo is the amount of money he is going to command, and most likely, will get. His agent, Dan Fegan, will get him more than he is worth. I have been on record as saying that I really like Varajeo and how he would fit with the Grizzlies, but no way do I pay him the kind of money I think he will get. I think that if you are going to have to really overpay to get him out of Cleveland. The other names mentioned as possible targets seem totally absurd to me. So, I went to a list of the free agents and wanted to see who might not have been mentioned, and more importantly, who makes sense.

We must remember that in the system that Iavaroni is planning on running with the Grizzlies (which was totally solidified in the Conley pick) that the conventional wisdom of a guy and his position are, in good part, thrown out the window.

The Grizzlies need a guy that can grab boards and bang a little. They need a guy that can do the "little things." They need a guy that can score. They need a big (not too big) that can run the floor and clean up for Pau. They do not need to break the bank to get this guy.

I understand that this all seems very difficult to accomplish, yet I feel like it could with one guy that is a free agent that has not even really been mentioned.

The player is... Andres Nocioni. I have to believe that after the Bulls drafted Noah that they are gonna let Nocioni go. He is a great fit for the style of play that will be run here and you can probably get him without breaking the bank. I know that the Grizzlies liked him when he was coming into the league. The guy balled out in the playoffs a few years ago. He can score the ball and the Grizzlies need more guys that can shoot. More importantly, they need a player with his demeanor.

That is my contribution to the topic of the Grizzlies and free agency. For this team, and this style of play, at a reasonable cost, the guy to get is Andres Nocioni.

Grizzlies add new assistant

Andy Greer, who was an assistant with the Rockets, has been added to Marc Iavaroni's staff.

Back in town, show live at Brookhaven Pub today

I am doing to the show live today at Brookhaven Pub on Poplar. Gary Parrish will be out there with me and Memphis Sport magazine will be announcing the winners of the M Awards. Get to Brookhaven today. Here is the release that says what is going on...

Celebrate Memphis Sport's one year anniversary with The M Awards - Live from Brookhaven PubJoin us at Brookhaven Pub on Monday, July 2, as we celebrate the release of our anniversary issue and announce the winners of The M Awards live on The Chris Vernon Show.

Chris Vernon and Memphis Sport will recap all the awards and announce the winners from 3PM to 6PM live at the East Memphis bar and on AM 730 ESPN. Stop by and pick up a fresh, new copy of the latest issue of Memphis Sport featuring the M Awards. Stick around and party with Memphis Sport until 7:30.

While you are there, test your skills and win big in our newly added dart, poker, and Golden Tee tournaments. Plus, everyone who shows up has a chance to win great prizes from Memphis Sport and our loyal advertisers.We will be giving away another one of those beautiful custom poker tables built by MidSouthPoker.com. The Miller Lite Girls will be there... We will be there... You should be there... None of our previous parties have been this big. If you have enjoyed the magazine so far; if you haven't yet seen the publication; if you have ideas for us; if you are just curious; please come out and tell us all about it!

Beer. Wings. Prizes. Games. Fun. Memphis Sport.