TALK AROUND TOWN

**** Lorenzen Wright - The Memphis Sports community is shocked by the death of Lorenzen Wright . Ren was a good guy & a favorite of Memphis fans .

To solve a case like this, a good rule is Follow the Money . Rumor has it that Wright carried large amounts of cash . Most likely Ren knew his killer . No one leaves home at 2 am with a stranger .

There will be some shocking developments as the Police unravel the case .

**** Jeremiah Masoli - Once again college football reveals its true face . And it is ugly . Exposed as hypocrites one more time .

There is no doubt that Masoli is much better than any QB Ole Miss has .He could add 3 to 5 wins to what appears to be a down year for the Rebels .

Masoli also comes with some issues . He likes to smoke weed & steal things . But Ole Miss is willing to overlook these shortcomings if they can win a few more games .

Masoli will only be there for the length of the football season . I guess Oxford can keep a close watch on their things for that short spell .

How can you call him a student - athlete ? Masoli looks like a hired gun to me . Oh and Masoli will be a non scholarship player . If you believe that then you believe Buster Nutt was calling Donna Bragg to chat about the weather .

Sad thing is , almost all the other SEC schools would have taken Masoli .
**** Lane Kiffin - Insane Lane has stepped in it this time . He has ticked off Titans Coach Jeff Fisher . Lane was stealing a coach from Jeff .

Fisher happens to be a major BIG DOG at USC where Lane is employed . Ole Jeff could cause Lane major pain down the road .

I think Lane did a great on the field coaching job at Tennessee . I understand why he bolted to USC .

But Kiffin has got to stop being Eddie Haskell . Football coaches tend to have long memories & you know what they say about Payback .

THANK YOU FOR READING !!!

DEMYSTIFYING THE SPREAD

***** College & High School teams all over the nation are playing the Spread offense . They think they can win with less players . Not so fast .

The Spread is football's latest trend or fad . All trends are successful at first but then defenses catch up . The Spread is the latest fad .

A Spread offense has a QB taking the snap from 5 yards behind the center . The QB will have from Zero to three backs in the backfield with him . The Spread will have from 2 to 5 wide receivers . A Spread formation with all 4 backs in the backfield is called the Power Gun .

Most Spread offenses will have one back & 3 wide outs plus the QB lined up shotgun . This is not new . I have a book called Spread Formation Football written in 1950 which is what today's teams are doing .

To win in the Spread you must have
1. Receivers that can beat single coverage
2. A dual threat Quarterback .

If your wide- outs cannot beat one on one coverage the Spread is dead . The defense will just play you man - up & out number you on the run .

If your QB is not a threat to run & pass the Spread will not work . NFL teams don't run the Spread because they don't want those high priced QBs running & taking hits .

Now. You are not required to have a powerful O - line to be successful in the Spread . You can isolate small fast players in space . Stretch the area the defense must cover .

To put it in the most simple terms , you can be as good as your QB in the Spread . If you do not have an outstanding trigger-man you will not have a great team .

As the QB goes so goes the Spread . Texas with Vince Young & Florida with Tim Tebow are examples of great Qb = great Spread team .

If your QB is average you will be an average Spread team . The Spread is a most intensive QB offense . The Wing - T or the Double Wing are the least QB intensive offenses .

***** Another way to classify offenses is to count the number of players in the core { players lined up tight }.

10 - 11 are tight heavy run power offenses . Wing -T , Power I , Wishbone & Double Wing are examples of this .

8 - 9 are more balanced offenses . The Pro - I , the Veer , & the Georgia Tech Flexbone are some of these.

6 - 7 are more wide open passing & option offenses . The Spread , the Run & Shoot & the Miami offense are some of these .

If you have less than 6 in the core you are dealing with a gimmick offense like the Polecat .

***** Don't know why this kept changing fonts & size but forgive me .

THANK YOU FOR READING !!!!

TRICKY TRICKY

**** In the course of her business dealings Chilli Pepper ended up with a new stove, dishwasher, & micro - wave . Chilli Pepper had no need of these but they came in the deal .So she decided to sell them .

This wasn't Chilli Pepper 's first rodeo in the sales market . She has sold lots of things during our partnership . Like our house twice & my car once . You never know what she is bringing home or where we might be moving .

Since these things were still in the box new , CP listed them on one of the sales bulletin boards . I thought they would go quick since Chilli Pepper listed them at about a 20 % discount . Within the hour a sweet girl named Amanda e - mailed to buy the appliances .

Amanda said she would pay full price & wanted them shipped . We said it was pick-up only . Amanda said she would say for the shipping . We thought this was odd ,as well as the fact that Amanda would never give us an address or phone number . On & on we went. Back & Forth .

Finally Amanda said she would sent us a check for the appliances ,shipping costs & a 250 dollar bonus for our trouble . Amanda said cash the check , take out our part , & wire the rest to the shipping company .

Now Chilli Pepper & I have a very balanced relationship . She thinks the very best of everyone while I think the very worst . Both of us thought this failed the smell test .

Two weeks later Amanda sends a check for $3,500 dollars . I am supposed to keep a thousand & wire 2,500 to the shipping company .

We did a little checking & found the check was on a computer company that did not exist in that location . The address for the bank was also incorrect . As we suspected little Amanda was dirty dealing .

About a week later Amanda sends another check for $3,800 . Same company ,same bank . If I am honest I wire the shipping company $6,300 .

The scam works like this . I cash the check & wire the difference to the shipper . My money is gone , the check bounces to Montana & back , I'm stuck in this case for $ 6,300 .

We e - mailed Amanda , told her the appliances had sold . We needed her address to return the checks or we would turn the checks over to the authorities for their safe return .

Almost instantly we received a message from a government official overseas informing us that Amanda had passed away .

But she had willed us 2.8 million dollars in her estate . All we had to do to get the money was BLAH BLAH on & on .

We stopped laughing & e - mailed 'em back . Told em they were unbelievable . Show up with the cash & we'll drink a cold Pepsi in memory of Amanda .

I hope Chilli Pepper doesn't have anything else to sell .

THANK YOU FOR READING !!!!

QUICK OUTS & HOT SLANTS

**** Harry Coleman Trial - The jury returned the correct verdict in the Coleman trial . No way was the shooting self - defense .

The Colemans had multiple chances to walk away but they chose to escalate the conflict . Really sad that three 50+ year - olds have that poor judgment .

Stupidity cost one man his life , the other his freedom . Goes to show that Fools , Alcohol, & Guns are a bad mix .

**** Lou Who - Way to go Louis Oosthuizen . Who is that ? The guy that won the British Open Dude .

A complete unknown ,like a rollin stone , Bobby Dylan would say . Will we ever hear of Lou again ? Or will he be a one time comet flashing across the sky ?

**** Don't Worry Tiger Fans - Tiger Woods will play well again someday . I just don't know when .

Tiger is still distracted at the moment . Woods will never be as great as he was but he will return to really good .

Woods will break Big Jack's record . He only needs five more Majors . The Tiger - man will have about 30 chances to get five . Smart Money says he does .

**** John Daly - Don't you just love Big John ? He wears the most awful pants . If he makes the cut he might play the rest of the way ,might not .
If he doesn't make the cut he sells t - shirts & trinkets out of the trunk of his car . Gotta love him !

**** Just following orders - Did you hear about the man in Medina that showed up for work naked ?

His co - workers asked "What are you doing Dude ?"

He replied " Just following orders "

They said " What ?"

He said " Mr. Charles said he wanted to see my butt in the office at 8 this morning "

THANK YOU FOR READING !!

AN R.C.& A MOONPIE

$$$ Just some quick takes on events

*** Cohen vs Herendon - I am shocked at the number of black leaders endorsing Steve Cohen . Harold Ford , Maxine Smith ,& Barak Obama to name a few .

It appears that Sick Willie is toast . I will not believe it until it happens . Willie always finds a way . The more the voters in the 9th are told not to vote for Willie the more they vote for Willie .

I agree this is the highest hill Willie has faced . But the 9th district voters have always produced for Herendon . We will see August 5th .

*** Bobby Johnson - I think Bobby Johnson did as well as one can at Vandy . Coaching Vandy in the SEC is like riding the family farm mule in the Kentucky Derby .

The only question is " whose the bigger Jackass ? You or your ride ".

Some of the boosters wanted Johnson to change his offense & his staff . Bobby figured it was already too hard to climb Shinola Hill , so BJ just took a hike.

Vandy can now turn to a has - been with bagage or an up & comer with no scalpes on his belt .

*** George Steinbrenner - The Boss is dead .

Shakespear said " The good that men do lives after them
the evil is oft interred with their bones
so let it be with Ceasar ".

The same must be true for Steinbrenner . Since his death all you have heard is how wonderful George was .

He was a great owner who just wanted to win so badly . That's all Adolf Hitler wanted , just to win .

Not a word about the lives George ruined or the people he made miserabal . Nothing about the stress he caused by being a bully .

In his first 16 years Steinbrenner fired 16 managers . Ask Billy
Martin , Joe Torre , or Don Zimmer about life with George .

Truth is Steinbrenner did a great job of getting players & building a dynasty but harmed a lot of people by being a narcissist bully .

*** Did you hear Tiger Woods was working on the grounds crew at the British Open ? They said Tiger was spotted with a hoe at # 16 .

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THEY AIN'T COMING

**** Some fans think you can sign some free agents & then get ready for the parade . It is not quite that easy .

Some teams can sign free agents & some teams cannot . The money is not the only issue . The cash is just a part of it . With max money contracts several teams can offer the same money . What makes the difference ?

Free Agents have questions in three areas :
1. Climate
2. State & Local Taxes
3. Championship Possibility

Climate - Where am I going to be living? Is this someplace I want to live. Warm weather locals like Florida & California have a big advantage in the free agent market .

No one wants to freeze the fruit crop living in Buffalo or Cleveland. Cold bad weather cities are behind from the start .

A good test is to ask " Is this somewhere people go on vacation?" People don't go to Detroit when they have a week off . They don't come to Memphis either unless they are Elvis Nuts.

Location - Location is a big factor in the Free Agent Market.

State & Local Taxes - States with no state income taxes have a huge edge . Texas , Florida , & Tennessee have no state income tax . This is the only attraction Memphis has . Most NBA players don't appear to be in the Elvis fan base .

If you play in New York , you are making 40 cents on the dollar . California is about the same . These guys aren't math majors but they understand " Hey Dude you're taking 60 cents out of my dollar ."

Your tax structure can determine who you can sign .

Championship Possibility - " Can I win it all playing here ?" "Who am I going to be playing with ?" LeBron left Cleveland because they couldn't get any other players to come play with LBJ ." Who wants to live in Cleveland ?"

Great players want as much help as they can get . Too many stars have no rings because they spent a career with no help .

Now you see , only a few teams are players for the Big Fish in the Free Agent Pond !

**** ONE MORE THING - People say "Whose team is it ? LeBron or Wade ? "Some say LBJ should have proved he could win it by himself .

Those are stupid statements . To the best of my knowledge no one has won a championship by himself .

They all had teammates . You can debate who had the better teammates but they all had some .

Micheal , Magic , Larry ,Kobe , or Shaq , none of them played alone . Come on Y'all even the Lone Ranger had Tonto .

THANK YOU FOR READING !!!!

QUICK SHOTS

$$$$ Cleveland fans made a mistake .They fell in love with a sports hero . The fans forgot that the NBA & all sports are a business ,not a love affair .

All players & coaches are mercenaries . They go where they can make money or win championships .

A player or coach has a small window of opportunity . You have to get it when you can . Your time of opportunity is very limited .

LeBron James just made a business decision . LBJ thought he could win a championship in Miami , maybe not in Cleveland .

Would you change jobs if you felt you could get a better job elsewhere ? That is all LBJ did . Just made a career move .

That Tall Guys can make millions running around in public in their underwear is disturbing .

$$$$ Dan Gilbert showed what happens when very rich boys don't get their way . He pitched a hissy fit .

Owner Dan said LBJ was disloyal , a bum ,& a quitter . Dan sounded like a 15 year old boy who lost his 14 year old girlfriend to a 17 year old guy with a car . Pitiful !

How loyal was Owner Dan when he fired Mike Brown who won more games the last two years than any NBA coach ? How about GM Danny Ferry ? Why was not loyalty important then ?

Put on your big boy drawers & deal with it Dan !

$$$$ Have you ever thought how unfair baseball is ?

First , all of the parks are different . Some places a 400 foot fly ball is a long out ,in others a 300 foot pop up is a dinger .

Some places have tall walls some small . The infields are different .

Second, the rules are different . The Al has the DH rule while the NL does not . The AL pitchers have to get 27 outs versus real hitters ,while the NL pitchers only face 24 real deal outs .

Also each umpire has a slightly different strike zone .

Third , There is no salary cap . Rich teams [ Yankees } can buy all the players they need to win pennants .

The Yanks pay A - Rod more than the Pirates pay their whole team . It is hard for the small market teams to beat the rich boys .

The baseball field is most unleveled of all

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ONE MORE YESTERDAY

***** I have not been Joe David Graves in more than 40 years . In 1969 Joe David morphed into Rocky Graves & has been ever since . Check my April post, A STRANGE THING HAPPENED for the details on the transformation .

So if you hear me referred to as Joe David , you know you are dealing with old time Medina folks . Most of my childhood friends have not made the jump to Rocky .

I have greatly enjoyed my controversial & tumultuous years as Rocky Graves . About 20 of those years were a real blast , could not have been any better . And the other 20 were pretty good too .

That being said , I would like to go back to being Joe David Graves for one night . Why ? I would like to have a get together of my first grade class .A 55 year 1st Grade Reunion if you will .

What would be so special about that ? The fact that our teacher could attend would. How many 55 year reunions have teachers present ? Not many I bet .

Our class in 1956 was not Miss Virgie's first rodeo . She was almost 50 & had been teaching about 25 years when we arrived .

Miss Virgie is 102 years old , still lives in Medina , & until just a few years ago was a substitute teacher .

One of the most fascinating parts of life is watching it unfold . We started out life's journey with around 25 travelers filled with hopes & dreams . Now that our little bunch has entered life's final turn it is interesting to see .

I guess our class was bland & average . There is no one famous & one one in prison that I know of . No one who cured cancer or became a Hollywood star.

There was not a single doctor or lawyer in our class & only one teacher . We did have two pharmacists & some businessmen . A few owned their own business . One was a high school & college coach .

About 2/3 of the class live within 25 miles of Medina . Three are in the Nashville Metro area , another three in the Memphis Metro area. There is one in Indiana & one in Oklahoma .

Only two have passed away but six or seven have serious medical concerns .

There have been some divorces & some drinking problems scattered through the group . Many are very involved in church , some surprises there .

Most have raised their kids & are grandparents now . There is a lot those kids & grandkids don't need to know .

I guess our band was just another drop in the river of life flowing into eternity. But I wish I could be Joe David Graves one more time . I would love to see them all .

I would laugh , hug their necks ,& tell them Goodbye !

THANK YOU FOR READING !!

ABILITY - EFFORT - OPPORTUNITY

**** It was Tuesday morning I saw him . He was crossing the street at Tillman & Hale . He was heading across the street to the Lester Community Center .

He was about 9 or 10 . He was wearing a tee shirt & basketball shoes . I figured he was going to the center to spend the day shooting hoops. Also to take advantage of the free lunch & drinks provided .

He could spend the day inside shooting hoops or on the street shooting up or shooting at . I thought he pulled a bad ticket in Life's Lottery . It is hard to overcome starting in Binghamton .

Now , some of you will say he has the same opportunity as anyone else . 24 hours in a day & all that .

And I say to you Buffalo Chips . I think your starting point in Life makes a big difference . It is hard to win the race when you start way behind & run uphill,against the wind .

Malcom Gladwell says as much in all those books he writes . Gladwell says your success is determined by factors mostly beyond your control . OOO! we don't like to hear that . We would like to think it was all us .Afraid Not !

Let's ,look at three factors ;

$$$ ABILITY - Now I could work 24 hours a day & have opportunity galore & I still could not play in the NBA . I am not tall enough .

You can only be successful in the areas where you have the required amount of ability . You can't overcome lack of ability with work or anything else . That fact ended my hopes of a singing career . First Question - Do I have enough ability for what I am Trying ?

$$$ EFFORT - Am I willing to work hard enough? There are many with talent & ability but they are not willing to work .

Gladwell estimates it takes at least ten thousand hours of intense practice to be good .For example , the Beatles playing nonstop at those clubs in Hamburg . Alabama did the same thing playing in the Myrtle Beach club .

Whatever your field , you have to prepare for when the opportunity arrives .

$$$ OPPORTUNITY - It makes no difference how talented you are or how hard you work unless you get an opportunity .

Go to Nashville & wander around the nightclubs . You will marvel at how good the performers are . They are talented & hard working but have had no opportunity .

The most cruel thing you can do to a person is to deny them opportunity .

Opportunity is hard to come by so make the most of each one you have .
So there you have the three factors of success & we are in control of only one . It seems Gladwell is right .

THANK YOU FOR READING !!!!