So the family room is full for Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. It’s the third quarter, or maybe early in the fourth, and there’s a moment of quiet.

“Wow, that’s a slow-moving system,” my wife says.

2. Grizz Win With Tony Being Tony - Friday, May 17, 2013

Had things turned out differently, we would know too well Rule 12, Section V, item a, from the NBA rulebook:

“An official may assess a technical foul, without prior warning, at any time. A technical foul (s) may be assessed to any player on the court or anyone seated on the bench for conduct, which in the opinion of the official, is detrimental to the game. The technical foul must be charged to an individual.”

3. Grizz Claw Into Conference Finals - Thursday, May 16, 2013

His team had just overcome a 17-point first-half deficit and beaten Oklahoma City in overtime to win Game 4 and take a commanding 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series. So someone asked Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins if he was impressed.

4. The Daily News Claims 11 Green Eyeshade Awards - Saturday, May 11, 2013

The Daily News and The Memphis News claimed 11 Green Eyeshade Journalism Awards in the annual regional competition whose 2012 winners were announced Wednesday, May 8.

Sports commentary and sports reporting in The Memphis News by Don Wade claimed two first place awards in the 63rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for the 11-state Southeastern region of the Society of Professional Journalists that includes Tennessee.

5. Memphis Means Grizzlies – Got It? - Friday, May 10, 2013

It’s funny the things you take for granted when you’re in the middle of them. Like, well, everything connected to this thrilling Grizzlies playoff run, including the characters and the language that have become part of the city’s core.

6. The Daily News Claims 11 Green Eyeshade Awards - Thursday, May 09, 2013

The Daily News and The Memphis News claimed 11 Green Eyeshade Journalism Awards in the annual regional competition whose 2012 winners were announced Wednesday, May 8.

Sports commentary and sports reporting in The Memphis News by Don Wade claimed two first place awards in the 63rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for the 11-state Southeastern region of the Society of Professional Journalists that includes Tennessee.

7. Grizzlies Trying to Create Season to Remember - Friday, May 03, 2013

Disappointments past can set up unmitigated joy in the present. At its best, that’s how this whole sports fandom thing works.

You invest yourself emotionally (yes, perhaps financially, too) and if you hold the stock (your loyalty) long enough, there’s a nice payoff.

8. ‘Old School’ Gasol Feted As League’s Top Defender - Friday, April 26, 2013

The NBA’s new Defensive Player of the Year was remembering another ceremony, more than a decade ago at The Pyramid.

“I was just a little kid watching my older brother be happy to be recognized,” center Marc Gasol said.

9. Clippers’ Bench Spells Trouble for Grizzlies - Friday, April 19, 2013

The Los Angeles Clippers may or may not prove to be serious Western Conference title contenders. Count TNT analyst Charles Barkley as their No. 1 doubter, having called them “fool’s gold” and compared them to a pretty girl that steals your heart only for you to discover she is “dumb as a box of rocks.”

10. Tigers Prepare for Life After Black, Thomas - Friday, April 12, 2013

Wading in with some thoughts on several topics, starting with Adonis Thomas and Tarik Black leaving the University of Memphis basketball program:

• First off, the Tigers will be fine without them. The No. 2-ranked recruiting class in the country is on the way and while the Tigers still want another big man to replace Black, the truth is that both Thomas and Black were disappointments this past season. This is also why I wish Adonis and Tarik were staying; odds are it would be better for them if they stayed.

11. Vance Albitz: A True Web Gem - Friday, April 05, 2013

Occasionally, the brilliance of an idea is captured in its name. So it is with “Gloves 4 Troops,” the brainchild of Memphis Redbirds infielder Vance Albitz.

Back in November, Albitz read about a deployed solider who said the one thing he really wished he had from back home was a baseball and a glove. Normalcy – always the goal for soldiers in harm’s way – was a game of catch. Albitz understood because as far back as he can remember, holidays at home in Torrance, Calif., meant him, his older brother and father playing catch and having a little informal BP.

12. Troubling Trends Plague Grizzlies’ Recent Play - Friday, March 29, 2013

Maybe, just maybe, this will make you feel a less panicked about the state of the Grizzlies. In beating the Grizzlies, 108-101, the other night at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks led by as many as 30 in the first half yet saw the Grizzlies claw back to within 4 points in the final minute.

13. Time to Burn Brackets - Friday, March 22, 2013

I have one fool-proof method for filling out my NCAA Tournament bracket. I go straight to the 1 vs. 16 games and advance all of the No. 1s into the next round. Seeing as how a No. 1 seed has never lost to a No. 16 seed, this has never failed me.

14. Post-Trade Grizzlies Finding Identity - Friday, March 15, 2013

When Rudy Gay talked to Yahoo Sports about needing a change, about the trade from Memphis to Toronto being good for him, all the focus fell on the following quote about Memphis’s new ownership group:

15. Masson Talks Plan for Merger Work - Monday, March 11, 2013

The special master in the schools merger federal court case says his first order of business is to look at the paperwork and other documents of the case and what has been done so far in the merger.

16. Magic’s Offer a Lesson in Obscenity - Friday, March 08, 2013

Decades ago, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart summed up the definition of obscenity with these words: “I know it when I see it.”

Lately, a lot of national sports observers believe they have seen the definition of obscenity in the NCAA’s flawed investigation into what nevertheless was a rogue athletic program at the University of Miami, and in questions reportedly put to potential draftees at the recent NFL combine including the sinister, “Do you like girls?”

17. Tigers Misstep Under National Spotlight - Friday, March 01, 2013

D.J. Stephens was 1-for-6 from the free-throw line when, at game’s end, he needed to miss a foul shot on purpose to give the Tigers one last desperate chance at a tip-in that would have tied the game at Xavier.

18. Williams Continuing Family’s Tennis Legacy - Friday, February 22, 2013

The other shoppers in the Knoxville grocery store probably don’t know who she is and certainly have no idea what she is doing.

Michelle DePalmer-Williams is, from all appearances, just another mom loading the cart with milk and bread and orange juice, checking her iPhone for text messages and emails.

19. Comments, Victories Becoming Broken Record - Friday, February 15, 2013

So Josh Pastner’s latest post-game conference is just about to start, this one after a 93-71 victory over Central Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 13, a game the Tigers led by as many as 34 points.

20. New Uniform, Same Rudy Gay - Friday, February 08, 2013

Rudy Gay is incognito now – disguised as a genuine star player who had to go north of the border to take his rightful place center stage. In his Toronto Raptors debut, Gay came off the bench and scored 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting, 3-of-6 from 3-point range, in a dominating victory over the L.A. Clippers (albeit, without Chris Paul). In his first start, a loss to the Miami Heat, Rudy scored 29 points on 11-of-23 shooting.

21. Time to Ease Up on PDA With C-USA - Friday, February 01, 2013

Josh Pastner adores Conference USA. If he were to put this sentiment to music, he would pick up a guitar and sing C-USA-inspired tributes such as “Hard to Love” and “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do.” As it is, he will send Valentine’s Day roses and chocolates to the league’s administrative offices in Irving, Texas.

22. Nothing Too Absurd With These Grizz - Friday, January 25, 2013

Trade 40 percent of your bench to Cleveland, play the Lakers the next night, and everything will be just fine. The Fakers are so bad they might not beat El Segundo Middle School at their gym.

But so what? Teams that make trades to avoid the luxury tax – small-market beggars – can’t be choosers. So the Grizzlies graciously accept the 106-93 victory, marvel at the 27-14 record and No. 4 spot in the Western Conference standings, and do all they can do to keep it going.

23. Pre-Grizz Comments Show Change is Coming - Friday, January 18, 2013

Deadspin.com has been getting a lot of publicity for breaking the story about the Manti Te’o girlfriend hoax. But the site also compiled a list that is of far more relevance to local NBA fans:

24. Gay Must be Traded Either Now or Later - Friday, January 11, 2013

The time will come – after this season, if not before the Feb. 21 trade deadline – when moving Rudy Gay will be the only sensible thing for the Grizzlies’ new ownership to do.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave – or The Pyramid – you know that Rudy rumors are rampant. Pick a media outlet – from ESPN to Grantland to USA Today – and you can find any number of possible trade scenarios.

25. McLain Joins Counterpart in Copywriting Role - Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Rebekah McLain has joined Counterpart Communication Design as copywriter. In her new role, McLain will write copy for print and websites, with areas of expertise including higher education, security and disability law, neuropsychology and hospitality.

26. Forecasting 2013 in Sports - Friday, January 04, 2013

2013 Sports Forecast by the numbers: 1. The Grizzlies swing a deal before the trade deadline but are fined by the NBA when, out of habit, they try to trade O.J. Mayo.

2. The Memphis Airport is invited to join the Big East.

27. Financial Industry Plans for Fiscal Cliff Fallout - Monday, December 31, 2012

The media and political leaders may be in full-on freakout, the world-is-ending mode over the apparent inevitability of the country to avoid careening over the fiscal cliff.

But financial professionals like Robert Smithwick III, managing principal of Diversified Trust, still have a job to do.

28. Despite Stats, Some Aren’t Worthy of Cooperstown - Friday, December 28, 2012

The rules state that you have to be a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) for 10 years before you are granted the privilege of voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I could hardly wait.

29. Easy to See Why Fans are Doubting Thomas - Friday, December 21, 2012

His Twitter handle is @AllDayThomas. Yet after the first nine games of this Tigers basketball season, Adonis Thomas is the first to admit his play has not lived up to that reputation.

He has been Half-Day Adonis, neither scoring nor rebounding like a 6-7, 240-pound projected NBA lottery pick should.

30. Local Students Give Back With Literacy Program - Friday, December 14, 2012

A lot of people have good ideas that could change the world, or at a little piece of it. But often those ideas never quite turn into action.

Two Memphis University School seniors – basketball player Jonathan Wilfong and football player and wrestler Andrew Renshaw – had just such a good idea. Inspired by “Caddy for a Cure,” in which an individual makes a donation to a charity and in turn gets to caddy for a PGA golfer, they created “Coaching for Literacy – The Assistant Coach Program for Promoting Literacy.”

31. Z-Bo Bringing Back His ‘Two Years Ago’ Self - Friday, December 07, 2012

His team had been on his back all night long. Now, with 1:50 left in overtime and the Grizzlies up by five points, Zach Randolph was about to score the last of his 38 points.

Phoenix’s Marcin Gortat had Randolph squared up, preventing a drive to the rim. But Randolph, who scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and OT, wasn’t about to give up the ball. So he drop-stepped time and time again until he finally made his move for real – knocking down a 17-foot fade-away jumper over Gortat’s bald head. A few seconds later, Randolph fouled Gortat at the other end of the court and the FedExForum faithful couldn’t hold back the love any longer.

32. A Sports Writer’s Lament Over Losing - Friday, November 30, 2012

I’ve closed my home office to University of Memphis athletics director Tom Bowen, coach Josh Pastner, and the entire Tiger basketball team.

Had to do it. I went to the Bahamas for the Sportswriters Battle 4 Atlantis. Lost my first write-off to some spunky kid from the Commonwealth of Virginia. He pressed me and pretty soon I was trapped in a corner, desperately trying to keep him from stealing my thesaurus.

33. Chaos Reigns as Bowl Championship Series Picture Unfolds - Thursday, November 22, 2012

Chaos. That’s the word, apparently the only word, to describe the current state of the Bowl Championship Series. I know this because last Sunday, after a bloody Saturday in which No. 1 Kansas State and No. 2 Oregon both lost, I performed the ultimate modern-day “scientific” test: I Googled “BCS” and “chaos” and got 3,620,000 results.

34. Tuohy Shares Story at Lipscomb Pitts Event - Monday, November 19, 2012

Some stories are so powerful that they don’t seem to get old, no matter how often they’re repeated.

That’s the effect Sean Tuohy’s remarks seemed to have on a crowd gathered for an evening reception Thursday, Nov. 15, at Independent Bank’s office tower in East Memphis.

35. Tigers Fans: Sit Back, Soak it In - Friday, November 16, 2012

Former Tigers coach John Calipari had a convenient label for fans and media members who dared to question him or worry about less than near-perfect results.

“The Miserables,” Calipari whined on more than one occasion.

36. Challenges Await New Grizzlies Owner - Friday, November 09, 2012

The professional sports clock has its own idea of time. We were reminded of this when NBA Commissioner David Stern came to Memphis for the Grizzlies’ home opener Nov. 5, which also served as a welcoming party for new franchise chairman Robert Pera.

37. Sports Connection - Thursday, November 08, 2012

Between Jon Albright and Don Wade, hosts of the newly launched the “Jon & Don Show” on WHBQ Sports 56 AM 560/87.7 FM, any topic a sports fan could want to talk about is conceivable.

38. Opening Game Not Necessarily Preview Of Grizz Season - Friday, November 02, 2012

So on the first day of their new NBA season, the Grizzlies picked up where they left off – losing an intense, physical game in Los Angeles on Halloween night to the Clippers. It was a game that, quite honestly, did not look or feel like a regular-season game.

39. Time for Memphians to Rejoice Yet Again - Monday, October 29, 2012

Each year, a Chicago firm called Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. publishes a tongue-in-cheek report on the nation’s lost productivity during March Madness.

40. More Than Pujols Can Say - Friday, October 26, 2012

When manager Tony La Russa retired and slugger Albert Pujols went panning for gold in California, there was no reason to expect the St. Louis Cardinals’ 2012 season would stop just a game short of the World Series.

41. Athletes as Frauds: The Fall From Grace - Friday, October 19, 2012

A cycling wreck leaves scars, layers of flesh skinned by rough pavement, a broken bone or two, maybe a concussion.

So maybe that explains why Lance Armstrong’s fall from grace seems so much farther – and the landing so much harder – than the decline and fall of the New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez.

42. Fans Behaving Badly? We’ve Seen Worse - Friday, October 12, 2012

As a sports writer, there are certain obligations. One is to second-guess coaches at every opportunity. Since virtually no coach in the NFL or college football can manage the clock, and some basketball coaches still stubbornly refuse to foul to avoid getting beat by a 3-point shot, that one’s pretty easy.

43. Rudy Gay Promises More; Memphis Waits to See - Friday, October 05, 2012

When is good not good enough?

In the case of the Grizzlies’ Rudy Gay, about to start his seventh season in Memphis, it is the question that echoes, echoes, echoes. It gets phrased different ways and we search for different avenues that might allow Rudy Gay to go to that elusive “next level.”

44. TDN Garners Nine Green Eyeshades - Thursday, June 21, 2012

The Daily News and sister publication The Memphis News won nine honors in the 62nd annual Green Eyeshade Awards.

The regional journalism competition recognizes outstanding journalism in 11 southeastern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.

45. Grizz Get Back To Formula That Worked All Year - Friday, May 11, 2012

Tony Allen has a way of getting to the heart of things. “We went through our All-Star Marc Gasol,” Allen said after the Grizzlies won Game 5 of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Clippers, 92-80, at FedExForum, Gasol scoring 23 points. “He was big for us.”

46. Grizz Back On Track In ‘Fun’ Series - Friday, May 04, 2012

Now that the Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers are tied 1-1 in their first-round playoff series, let’s look at what we know for sure.

Yes, Zach Randolph, we see you with your hand in the air.

47. Nicest AD In the World Steps Down - Friday, April 27, 2012

Sixteen years ago R.C. Johnson became the University of Memphis athletic director and he started the tradition of an annual media appreciation luncheon. John Calipari, among others, would have choked on the idea.

48. Bowen: Cracking The U of M’s Combination - Friday, April 20, 2012

If new University of Memphis athletic director Tom Bowen were a player, we would be debating his “upside.”

49. Loaded Garage Has Grizzlies Revved Up - Friday, April 13, 2012

Just how deep are the Memphis Grizzlies? So deep that Zach Randolph’s second car is a Rolls-Royce.

No kidding. Another driver hit Randolph’s Dodge Challenger on Bill Morris Parkway the other day, so Z-Bo had to go to the automotive bench and drive the Rolls to his office (alias, FedExForum).

50. Grizz Capable, But Must Do More With Less - Friday, April 06, 2012

Going into their Friday, April 6, game at Miami, the Grizzlies were 30-23 with 13 games left in this lockout-shortened season. We’ve seen them win at Oklahoma City, inspiring that “Believe Memphis” sentiment from last season. And we’ve seen them lose at home to Toronto, making us wonder if they’re still capable of finishing ninth or worse in a Western Conference playoff picture with room for only eight teams.

51. Opening Day Turns Back The Clock - Friday, March 30, 2012

If this column had a warning label, it would read as follows: “Do not take on an empty stomach, may cause nostalgia. Do not take if obsessed with Blake Griffin dunking over a car, may cause drowsiness.”

52. Jason Baldwin Part of U of M Law Event - Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Jason Baldwin has been a free man for about seven months. To understand how dramatically the life of Baldwin, of the West Memphis Three, has changed since then, he’s currently planning to go to law school.

53. Grizz Again Seeking New Team Identity - Friday, March 23, 2012

The Grizzlies’ Lionel Hollins might have just made something up. It probably would have been easier. Instead, his answer to the question of how the Grizzlies were adjusting to the return of Zach Randolph was just honest.

54. Heart Same As Head In Picking Games - Friday, March 16, 2012

One of the beauties of the NCAA Tournament is the more you know, the less you know. Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins knows more about the game than most of us could forget and he believes Kentucky will win this time.

55. Will Barton: Best Player America Doesn’t Know - Friday, March 09, 2012

Will Barton scans the college basketball landscape and doesn’t understand his national anonymity.

56. On-the-Job Training for Grizz PGs - Friday, March 02, 2012

Grizzlies Coach Lionel Hollins bravely sent rookie backup point guards Josh Selby and Jeremy Pargo into the game … with 25 seconds left in what would be a 96-85 Grizzlies victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, Feb. 29, at FedExForum.

57. On-the-Job Training for Grizz PGs - Thursday, March 01, 2012

Grizzlies Coach Lionel Hollins bravely sent rookie backup point guards Josh Selby and Jeremy Pargo into the game … with 25 seconds left in what would be a 96-85 Grizzlies victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, Feb. 29, at FedExForum.

58. Pastner Channels Inner Bob Knight - Friday, February 24, 2012

Josh Pastner finally got mad.

Really, really, really mad.

Not enough to cuss. Not enough to throw a chair. But enough to pound on the scorer’s table and knock out the electricity on part of press row – sports writers unplugged.

59. RMKC Brings McEnroe Back To Memphis - Friday, February 17, 2012

Imagine this scene at The Racquet Club of Memphis, say 30-plus years ago:

Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe are in the Stadium Court. Jimmy goes cross-court with a two-handed backhand and the ball just catches the line … or does it?

60. Tigers’ Goal: Try To Sustain Winning Way - Friday, February 10, 2012

Sustainability is a big deal. Corporations talk about it. The federal government has a website for it. And no doubt right this moment, in one or more presidential campaigns, someone is talking about the sustainability of a platform or a poll number.

61. Looking For A Few Hits On Tigers’ Signing Day - Friday, February 03, 2012

Every coach wins National Signing Day. Every year.

It’s how the game before the games is played.

So congratulations are in order for first-year University of Memphis football coach Justin Fuente.

62. Tigers Grow Close in Face of Adversity - Friday, January 27, 2012

Here’s how a family works, at least a highly competitive family: You can say and do things to one another that you would never try on someone else.

So Rice’s Tamir Jackson was clearly in the role of outsider when he made a hard foul against the Tigers’ Joe Jackson late in a game the Tigers would win 73-51. Will Barton, Tarik Black and Trey Draper all came off the Memphis bench and were ejected.

63. ‘Contrarian’ Collins Finds Success in Tough Market - Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Doug Collins has always believed that the greatest opportunities are found in troubled times.

The president of Prudential Collins-Maury Inc. Realtors even classifies himself as “somewhat of a contrarian.”

64. Grizzlies’ PG Mike Conley Finding Groove - Friday, January 20, 2012

He’s not Derrick Rose and he’s not Chris Paul. But you know what? That’s not the right comparison for Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley and it never was.

65. Wins Shouldn’t Be This Hard For Tigers - Friday, January 13, 2012

Let’s start with the positives. The Tigers have a five-game winning streak. They’re 2-0 in Conference USA heading into the Saturday, Jan. 14, game at Houston. Which means they didn’t lose to a horrid UAB team in Birmingham (but they almost did), and they didn’t give away a game at home against Southern Miss (although they gave it the old college try).

66. Wins Shouldn't Be This Hard For Tigers - Thursday, January 12, 2012

Let’s start with the positives. The Tigers have a five-game winning streak. They’re 2-0 in Conference USA heading into the Saturday, Jan. 14, game at Houston. Which means they didn’t lose to a horrid UAB team in Birmingham (but they almost did), and they didn’t give away a game at home against Southern Miss (although they gave it the old college try).

67. Clean Gene: Never Forgotten - Friday, January 06, 2012

In Memphis, the Gene Bartow story is easily told: He’s the only coach to take the Tigers to an untainted Final Four.

“Clean Gene,” indeed.

Bartow, who coached four seasons at Memphis and guided the Tigers to the 1973 NCAA title game, died Tuesday, Jan. 3, in Birmingham, Ala., after a long battle with stomach cancer. He was 81.

68. Vandy Proves That Winning Is Possible - Friday, December 30, 2011

Hope has come to town in the form of the Vanderbilt football team and its first-year head coach James Franklin.

Vanderbilt, where the academic requirements are a bit steeper than at the University of Memphis. Vanderbilt, where competition in the SEC is a tad tougher than in Conference USA. Vanderbilt, often called the hardest college football coaching job in America.

69. Sports on TV Part of Life for This Fan - Friday, December 23, 2011

To write about sports, it only makes sense that you have to spend time watching sports on TV. So there I was, working from my recliner the other day, a cold beverage within reach, and all the drama and pageantry of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl flashing across the screen when my wife interrupted a first-quarter, one-yard, off-tackle run.

70. Grizzlies Hope to Reward City With Parade - Friday, December 16, 2011

If you can’t be a little naïve and overly optimistic before the season starts, then when can you?

Yes, the NBA lockout delayed the start of the season – to Dec. 26 in San Antonio for the Grizzlies – and shortened the schedule to 66 games.

71. New York Singer to Perform at Memphis Law Firm Party - Thursday, December 15, 2011

The Memphis law firm of Glassman, Edwards, Wade & Wyatt PC will host New York singer Gary Russo at its holiday party. Russo is a construction worker who made a name for himself after taking to the Big Apple’s streets during his lunch hour to sing for passersby.

72. Can’t Gripe When Best Teams Reach Title Game - Friday, December 09, 2011

After the final Bowl Championship Series rankings came out and Oklahoma State wasn’t invited to the national title game, the Okie sports columnist did what he had to do.

He railed.

“The BCS mantra – every game counts – has been exposed …” Berry Tramel wrote in The Oklahoman. “But don’t take it personal, Cowboys. No one’s out to get you.

73. Holiday Cheer Has New Meaning in Town - Monday, December 05, 2011

Christmas came early for Memphis sports fans. It arrived the weekend after Thanksgiving.

First, the NBA announced it had resolved its labor dispute and would resume Christmas Day. The next day, the University of Memphis fired football coach Larry Porter, whose two-year tenure included just three victories.

74. Tigers Must Fix Problems Before It’s Too Late - Friday, December 02, 2011

It’s still early. In the case of this Tigers basketball season and a Top 10 ranking that didn’t get off the Hawaiian Islands, those three little words are comforting.

By the way, did you the know the 1972-1973 Memphis State team that went to the NCAA Finals started the season with a 2-3 record?

75. Lockout Denies City Chance to ‘Believe’ - Thursday, November 24, 2011

What’s the cost of anticipation abandoned on the altar of BRI – Basketball-Related Income – and “systems issues” during the NBA lockout?

Because anticipation was the great commodity coming out of the Grizzlies’ breakthrough in the playoffs last season.

76. Giving Thanks For Those Not On SportsCenter - Friday, November 18, 2011

Coach. The word used to carry hard-won reverence. Coach. Not just anyone deserves to hear that word used before their name.

By strict definition, a coach is someone who trains an athlete or a team of athletes. That’s it. Yet for generations, the word has implied so much more.

77. In Sports, Only Count On Surprise - Friday, November 11, 2011

Editor’s Note: This is the debut of “The Press Box,” a weekly column looking at the latest happenings in Memphis sports and sports business.

Partly sunny with scattered clouds, a 30 percent chance of an isolated thunderstorm, a 15 percent chance of an NCAA Final Four, and a remote chance of an invitation to the Big East.

78. MAAR to Hold Southeast Real Estate Forum - Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Memphis Area Association of Realtors continues its community real estate forum tour, with the next one planned for Thursday, Oct. 20, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Hickory Ridge Mall, 6075 Winchester Road.

79. Owners, Brokers Work Harder To Seal Deals - Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Whether it’s a new lease or a renewal, industrial and office deal cycles are taking more time than normal due to fear, indecisiveness, doubt and a higher level of scrutiny in the negotiating process.

80. HopeWorks, Businesses Give Hope Through Internships - Thursday, August 11, 2011

A number of local businesses are offering hope to the city’s chronically unemployed in the form of internships that provide real-world, on-the-job training.

The program is coordinated by HopeWorks, a 22-year-old nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping poor and chronically unemployed Memphians find steady work.

81. Decision Leaves Board Question Unanswered - Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Attorneys for all of the sides in the schools consolidation court case have a Friday, Aug. 12, deadline that will set the stage for the next crucial part of the landmark court case.

What does a new countywide school board look like and when is there a transition to that school board?

82. MCS-City Council Talk Money At 4 PM - Thursday, July 21, 2011

As Memphis City Council members and Memphis City Schools board members prepare to talk for the first time since the school board voted to possibly delay the Aug. 8 start of the school year, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. has offered to put $10 million in city funding on the table.

83. MAAR Trying to Fix Faulty Sales Data - Thursday, July 21, 2011

The Memphis Area Association of Realtors said a software glitch caused flawed housing reports to be released over the last six months but is working to correct it.

In January, the 101-year-old local residential real estate trade organization made a change to its MAARdata monthly home sales market reports. Instead of tracking Memphis-area home sales based on closing dates like it had done for years, MAAR began tracking home sales based on recorded dates.

84. Elmwood Cemetery: Where No One is Forgotten - Tuesday, June 28, 2011

More than 30 visitors braved the sweltering summer heat on a recent Friday evening to immerse themselves in the stories of some of Memphis’ most famous, infamous and influential citizens during Elmwood Cemetery’s Evening Stroll.

85. School Consolidation Attorneys Meet Friday - Friday, May 20, 2011

All sides in the schools consolidation lawsuit meet in Memphis federal court Friday to work out a quicker resolution of the lawsuit filed in February.

The scheduling conference before U.S. District Court Judge Hardy Mays comes a week after Mays heard a day and a half of oral arguments from all sides.

86. Patterson Named Shareholder At Baker Donelson - Thursday, May 19, 2011

Lori Patterson’s career has come full circle. Fresh out of law school in 1997, Patterson began a clerkship with federal appeals court Judge John C. Godbold. In 1999, she settled in at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, where she was mentored by influential professionals in her field.

87. Events - Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The Memphis Rotary Club will meet Tuesday at noon at the University Club of Memphis, 1346 Central Ave. Dr. Manoj Jain will speak about health care costs. Cost is $18 per person. Advanced reservations are required. For reservations, email Taylor Hughes at taylor@memphisrotary.org.

88. Events - Monday, May 16, 2011

Healthy Memphis Common Table will meet Monday from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at The Racquet Club of Memphis, 5111 Sanderlin Ave. Dr. Bonnie L. Zell will speak on the topic “How Collaboration Can Improve the Health and Health Care of Memphis and Shelby County.” For more information, contact Simi Atolagbe at 273-2693 or simi.atolagbe@healthymemphis.org.

89. Schools Consolidation Case Hearing Goes Into Second Day - Friday, May 13, 2011

With a day of coutroom give and take with attorneys representing six sides in the schools consolidation case, U.S. District Court Judge Hardy Mays has begun laying the groundwork for a decision on the federal lawsuit that will determine what a consolidated Shelby County school system looks like.

90. MAAR to Host Germantown Real Estate Forum - Thursday, May 12, 2011

The Memphis Area Association of Realtors is continuing its real estate forum tour, with the next one planned for Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Germantown Municipal Center, 1930 South Germantown Road.

91. Wade Dedicated to Many Facets of Law - Thursday, May 05, 2011

Martin Tate Morrow & Marston PC strives to educate its lawyers with a broad range of legal issues, something that weighed especially on John D. Martin Jr.’s heart when David Wade joined the firm many years ago.

92. Events - Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Center City Development Corp. Board of Directors will meet Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the CCC conference room, 114 N. Main St.

93. Events - Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The Memphis Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction will meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Coletta’s Italian Restaurant, 2850 Appling Road. Dinner costs between $15 and $20. For information, contact Robin Moore at 462-3688 or rhmoore@nawicmemphis.org.

94. National Organization Engineers Without Borders Boosts Memphis Presence - Thursday, April 14, 2011

Starting in June, Memphis will be able to boast a significant addition to its engineering resume, touching on design, education and philanthropy in one fell swoop.

The city is expected to land an official chapter of the Engineers Without Borders-USA – a national organization devoted to helping create a more stable and prosperous world by addressing and providing human necessities such as clean water, power, sanitation and education.

95. MAAR to Host Midtown Real Estate Forum - Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Memphis Area Association of Realtors is continuing its real estate forum tour, with the next one planned for April 20 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Memphis Leadership Foundation, 1548 Poplar Ave.

96. Agricenter Gives Region’s Ag Biz Place to Call Home - Tuesday, March 29, 2011

In the daily hustle and bustle of city life, it’s easy for Memphians to forget that the urban pocket they call home sits amid one of the nation’s richest agricultural regions.

And the world’s largest urban farm, nonprofit Agricenter International at 7777 Walnut Grove Road, is continually working to create more awareness about farming through educational programs and to advance agricultural technologies through research and trials.

97. Game-Changer - Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The first in a series about how the iPad is revolutionizing local business.

It only weighs about a pound, it’s sleek and thin and, from a distance, could almost be mistaken for some kind of clipboard.

98. Market Factors Give Caution to Younger Homebuyers - Monday, March 21, 2011

When Jonathan Lyons, 25, went looking to buy a home, he planned each step carefully – he found a good job, enlisted the help of a Realtor, educated himself on the various costs, and got pre-approval from a bank.

99. Events - Thursday, February 24, 2011

Westminster Academy will host a mini open house for parents of prospective students Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at its campus, 2500 Ridgeway Road. For more information, call 380-9192 or visit www.wamemphis.com.

100. Lighting the Fuse - Monday, February 21, 2011

Memphis voters have 22 words to weigh as they decide what is to become of Shelby County’s two public school systems.
“Shall the administration of the Memphis City School System, a special school district, be transferred to the Shelby County Board of Education?”
The words seem inadequate to cover what a “yes” or a “no” vote means after a state law and other factors changed the terms of a vote already scheduled for March 8.
Voters for schools consolidation may be against special schools district status but for letting some of the six suburban towns and cities try to go with their own municipal school system.
Voters may be against school consolidation and against special school district status if it includes taxing authority for the county school board, albeit with tax approval required by the Tennessee Legislature.
Some voters may see it as a way of ending reforms driven by MCS superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash. Others may see it as a way of ending Shelby County Schools board chairman David Pickler’s dominance of that school system.
School consolidation advocates are still urging citizens to vote “yes” and school consolidation opponents are still urging citizens to vote “no.”
“The lay of the land has changed, so will people consider the lay of the land or what? That statement stands. It’s on the ballot and everyone knows what it’s designed to do,” said Memphis City Council chairman Myron Lowery. “This occurred after the question was put on the ballot. If someone wants to make that stretch, they’re jumping over a lot of hurdles. This was not in place when this was put on the ballot.”
Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr., along with Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, sought a transition period even as political positions began to harden. He doesn’t see what’s in the law as a transition period.
“The way it’s structured, there’s every incentive not to reach an agreement. It looks to me like it falls off the face of the earth,” Wharton said. “There was nothing in there that states where do you go if at the end of this (the planning process) there is nothing resolved.”
State Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, disagrees.
“The state has a compelling interest in assuring that the administration of schools is properly discharged,” Norris wrote in an op-ed piece for The Memphis News last week. “To do otherwise defies common sense and common decency.”
Pickler said if voters approve the question, he will quickly move to assemble a team to work on the transition. It’s a transition that Pickler has always emphasized will be controlled by the county school system. That is one point on which the attorneys seem to agree.
“Clearly we understand that this issue is not about educational outcomes,” he said during a WKNO forum last week. “We still do not believe that creating a mega district … doesn’t do anything to improve education.”
MCS board member Tomeka Hart, at the same forum, countered “We do here as an economic issue,” a reference to the University of Memphis study showing special schools district status could cost MCS half of the county property tax base it relies on for funding. “It’s time to rewrite all of this,” Hart concluded.
Here is the timeline – to date – of the ongoing schools showdown: