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Showing results for tags 'Tennessee'.
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I was in Nashville for a business meeting earlier this month--staying at Opryland, a sprawling, artificial environment to the city's northeast. However, I managed to find my way downtown one evening. Jack's Bar-B-Que at 416 Broadway in Nashville absolutely hit the spot. I feasted on the pork shoulder platter with cornbread and sides of mac 'n' cheese and cole slaw. Jack's is very laid back. You go up to the counter, order what you want, get your sauces, and find a seat. I'm certainly no barbeque expert, but it was delicious food, a very generous portion of pork, and stellar cole slaw--more of a vinegar base than a traditional milk base. This is food I can't get in Wisconsin--and all y'all probably can't find in DC either. Broadway in Nashville is lined with various music clubs--some famous, some not--featuring country, bluegrass, hillbilly, honky-tonk and other musical varieties. It's a little bit touristy, but there are plenty of locals about as well.
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The Dodgers got Mookie Betts, the best outfielder in baseball not named Trout or Bellinger. They also get David Price for half price. They send a pitcher who is unhappy and won't go to the bullpen and a player with questionable injury history in Verdugo. What a deal. -
You often hear - generally derisively - when someone scores a "triple-double" (10+ points, rebounds, and assists) in the NBA these days, an old-timer (like me!) say, "Big deal. Oscar Robertson averaged a triple-double for an *entire season*!" Well, that's true, he did, in the 1961-1962 season, but while looking at his statistics, I noticed something else: he averaged a triple-double for his first FIVE seasons. All it took was a little simple arithmetic - click here and you can see for yourself. And, he came a gnat's eyelash away from averaging a triple-double for his first SIX seasons (after his sixth season, his rebounds per game average went down to 9.95+ ... if he had gotten just 4 more rebounds per season, he would have done it for six years). All this, *and* he averaged over 30 points per game during those seasons - his first six in the NBA! That's unbelievable. "The Big O" has got to be on the short list of greatest basketball players ever, with serious consideration as *the best* guard in history. People talk about how tall Magic was, but Robertson was 6'5" fully fifty-five years ago and playing point guard! "Kareem Says Oscar Robertson Better Than Jordan Or LeBron" by Kurt Helin on nba.nbcsports.com Google "How good was Oscar Robertson?" There's a lot of interesting reading. You know, even I've gotten sucked into thinking "Jordan's the greatest ever," but you can't say that if you didn't see Robertson, Chamberlain, Russell, Baylor, and Abdul-Jabbar in their primes. You just can't! -
A good read. New Yorker: The Family Business That Put Nashville Hot Chicken on the Map -
Aretha Franklin is an incredible American institution: the Queen of Soul. Her music blended soul and gospel with a powerful emotive voice. I believe she had over 100 top hits. Her voice was dominant in the 1960's and 70's. She literally helped create an incredibly popular music genre. Her voice was beautiful and powerful. She transcended Soul. Currently she is terribly ill and in hospice care. Bless you Aretha. So many examples of her music: I'm often grabbed by scenes from film. Here are a couple of examples: From the Blues Brothers, 1980. Aretha puts the Song Think, from 1968, into a wonderful scene: Chain of Fools Came out in 1967. Below is a rendition from the mid '90's movie Michael in a dance scene I found mesmerizing: And from 2015, not soul, not a film, but Aretha magnificently performing You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman
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You had a senior moment (with which I'm becoming familiar ) with Bernard King (Albert was a star for the Maryland Terrapins - he and Gene Banks (from Philadelphia - played college ball at Duke) were the best two high school players in the country his senior year - rated higher than even Magic Johnson (I was lucky enough to see all three play in the McDonald's Capital Classic (*))); Bernard (his big brother) was half of the "Bernie and Ernie Show" at University of Tennessee, along with Ernie Grunfeld. I thought sure Albert would be better than Bernard, but it didn't pan out that way - he was a star at Maryland, and, I believe, First Team All-ACC, but he just never hit that mega-stardom I was so sure he'd achieve. (*) I distinctly remember the Program from the Capital Classic that year (though I think my brother absconded with it!) - Earvin Johnson (a 6'9" center from Lansing, MI) had a bio-sketch that I remember the beginning of word-for-word: "Great enthusiasm - cheerleader type. Says he would love to play guard one day ...."
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I leave for Memphis tomorrow very early in the morning. Another work trip. I expect to have a solo lunch before my colleague arrives, and will have dinner with a local either Monday or Tuesday. This leaves me with at least two meals I can influence. I'm aware of Rendezvous, but what else should I seek out or avoid. I'll be staying downtown at the Marriott, and will have a rental car (although I'd prefer to avoid traveling too much).
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I saw these guys open for Trombone Shorty at the 930 Club a year or two ago. They're fun and interesting. This is my favorite (mostly instrumental) piece by them. "Tehuacana" from "Quartz" (2014): -
"Glen Campbell, 'Rhinestone Cowboy' Singer, Dead at 81" on cbsnews.com I preferred Glen Campbell's country music (as did my mom) to his performance in "True Grit."
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That final sentence is very tough. 2011 to spring 2012, Pat Summitt was all there, visible, courageous, and still coaching. Now the impact of Alzheimer's has set in. In any case that 31 year record of excellence is mostly attributable to one courageous person. A very moving story. This is a fantastic post, and Pat Summitt deserves her own thread (as does Title IX). Every time I question humanity, I'm reminded of people like Pat Summitt, who I suppose can be compared to John Wooden in pure basketball terms, but Summitt had other obstacles that Wooden never had. Thank you for posting this - it makes you wonder what the Lady Vols would have been like without Summitt. And it also makes Mickey Dearstone sound like one heck of a great person. It should also be noted that in addition to her coaching, Summitt was an All-American player for the University of Tennessee - Martin, and played in several *major* international competitions including co-captaining the first-ever U.S. Women's National Team at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, winning a silver medal As the "Summitt summit," she was a 2012 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award there is. Even more impressive: look at the company she keeps in winning this medal due to her achievement in sports - the *only* other female on the list is Billie Jean King. although since the award is generally given to people who transcend sports, the number of females on the list will surely grow going forward - before 2000, only 9 medals total were given out to athletes, so this is a relatively new trend. Still, Pat Summitt is only the *second* female athlete in history to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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I almost posted this in "Who are you drinking to", but it's probably better here. Maurice White, founder and presiding genius of the group Earth Wind & Fire, died yesterday. They were among the great musical acts of the 1970s. Here's one of their greatest recordings: -
Should you find yourself in Johnson City TN some late morning*, I can't think of a more comforting meal than at Jane's Lunch Box (1109 W Market St), a meat-and-three joint that I plucked off a list, but which turned out to be a bit more. "Dumpling Diva" Jane Myron turns out to also be the current mayor of Johnson City, but her kitchen puts out some solidly tasty fare including a "stagecoach chicken", a moist and juicy chicken breast which appeared to be stuffed with grits(?), then panko-breaded and baked; and the local favorite "chicken and dumplings". Pretty good creamed spinach too. I washed mine down with a "sweet vanilla spice tea", which I suspect is what happens if you crossed Southern sweet tea with chai spices. Despite Myron's notoriety for a recent traffic stop, the restaurant is just bursting with charm. Open for lunch only, 10:30 to 3 PM M-F. Bonus points for the Charley Harper prints that share the walls with local knick-knacks. * as we did following an expedition to Chilhowie VA, where the overnight forecast called for falling "ice chunks" -
Finding myself only one and a half hours from Benton's Smokehouse, I convinced two of my friends to make a road trip. We left Fontana Village bright and early on a Tuesday morning and took some really nice roads (The Moonshiner 28 and The Dragon) to Madisonville. Fifteen minutes later (and $100 lighter) we headed back to Fontana Village. Now, some people might think a three hour round-trip to spend 15 minutes (to say nothing of $100) sounds like a waste of time, but you weren't there. My two friends aren't foodies of any sort, but after visiting Benton's and then sampling the thick-cut bacon, I think they're ready to start some serious food exploration. (actually, I know they are, three days later we had a great four-course dinner with paired wines at Cucina 24 in Asheville and we all left extremely satisfied and happy).
