DESTIN, Fla. — SEC executive associate commissioner Mark Womack said on Friday that Memphis and the FedEx Forum is a place where the conference is interested in holding a men’s basketball tournament.
Memphis has hosted two men’s and one women’s SEC tournament, all in The Pyramid.
“Craig Mattox of our office is in charge of the tournament sites and I know he’s had some conversations with someone in Memphis about interest in holding the tournament there,” said Womack on the last day of the SEC’s annual spring business meetings at the Sandestin Beach Hilton.
The first available SEC men’s tourney date is 2013. The conference is booked next season at Tampa, followed by Nashville in 2010, Atlanta in 2011 and New Orleans (in the New Orleans Arena) in 2012. The women’s tourney, which is in Little Rock next season, is not scheduled beyond 2010 at Duluth, Ga.
No one from Memphis, besides AutoZone Liberty Bowl executive director Steve Ehrhart, attended the league meetings to find out the bid process to obtain the tournament, or press the flesh with athletic directors.
The Polk Amendment: When Mississippi State baseball coach Ron Polk retired a couple of weeks ago, he said basically he was driven out of the business because the NCAA kept passing legislation that hurt Polk’s sport.
One of Polk’s objections for many years was that baseball only has 11.7 scholarships to divvy among all his players.
On Friday on the last day of the SEC business meetings here in Destin, SEC commissioner Mike Slive announced that the league would sponsor national legislation calling for an increase to 14 scholarships for each baseball program.
“This was in response to the good faith made by the baseball community to work towards improving baseball academic performance,” Slive said. “The presidents and chancellors felt baseball has taken giant steps in that area, and deserved the scholarship increase.
“As a tribute to Ron (Polk), we should call it ‘The Polk Amendment.’ ”
SEC Channel: If the SEC decides to start its own TV channel next August — the league will make a decision in the next couple of months — the channel won’t just be filled of the sports you often don’t see on TV.
“There’s no question that if you have a channel, it will include a significant inventory if football and basketball,” Slive said, “along with the Olympic sports.
“The public has more interest than in the past in some of the Olympic sports, such as softball and gymnastics.”
One of the hurdles Slive is facing in starting a channel is incorporating the fact that seven to eight SEC schools already have pay-per-view options for some of its athletic events.
Academic Bleeding: Former Ole Miss football coach Ed Orgeron had 21 players quit from his last two recruiting classes in 2005 and ’06.
All those players not graduating should begin to ruin Ole Miss’ APR in a year or two down the line with possible scholarship reductions. New Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt is well aware of the situation.
“We knew coming here that there was a two-year period where a lot of players left or flunked out,” Nutt said. “We now have to do a good job that we’re improving our APR. We have to show we’re graduating players. I’m hoping we can kick this back up, but where you get in trouble is your seniors getting ready for the NFL quit before in their final spring semester.
“We’ve got to coach those guys to finish school. The air is going to go out of that ball one day. There are no guarantees, so finish school while it’s being paid for.”
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Comments » 28
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Say it ain't so. Mugged in Memphis.
Get to meet some of those good posters.
IndianOutlaw writes:
Memphis is not that bad a place. I've spent some time there and if you are packing you most likely can survive a mugging. Remember in Tennessee you can get a HCP. I do recommend one if you decide to visit the banks of the Mississippi.
gohawks1 writes:
No problem, as long as the games are over before dark.
lpelleg1#634551 writes:
Lived in Memphis for more than 21 years. I have never been mugged, never seen someone get mugged, or know anyone who was mugged. Every city has dangerous areas to stay out of, Nashville and Knoxville included. The Memphis bashing is beyond absurd. Now feel free to tell me about all the people you "know" who came to Memphis and barely made it out alive.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
I visited Overton Square years ago and had a strawberry daquri. Lived to tell about it. Cheated fate. Hadn't been back to spend the night.
Stayed at high-rise hotel overlooking the Mighty M. Name escapes me. Geezer moment.
rpowell#1351102 writes:
I just got mugged!
LadyVolsEighTimes writes:
Elvis didn't make it outta Memphis!
Got some of them drugs off a Memphis Street Corner and died in the Chitter, which could pretty muych be anywhere in Memphis.
gohawks1 writes:
lpelleg1, I was at the football game a few years ago when UT lost to Memphis. I have never in my life been to a sporting event where I feared more for my safety than after that game. I witnessed Memphis fans shouting obscene profanities at UT fans to such a degree that I was embarrassed. Threats, foul language, and obscene gestures were the norm on the way out. Memphis fans were nasty and confrontational instead of happy for their victory. I've been to many, many sporting events, but have not seen anything that bad anywhere else.
gohawks1 writes:
pd, could that have been the Peabody?
LadyVolsEighTimes writes:
I fail to understand why they want to have the Tourney in Places that no SEC Team Plays in. Allow the local merchants to make some of hte bucks back that so many contribute to the Local Schools.
LadyVolsEighTimes writes:
IPOrange,
Gainesville is just as bad when the Vols beat the Gators.
IndianOutlaw writes:
lpelleg1, My wife graduated from the ut med units in 72. Not a great time to be in downtown Memphis. But i'm 6'4" and then hit the scales at 210. Today it's about 230. Most people choose not to pick on me but with several freinds and a brother in law that live in Memphis today they know where to pick and choose to go, like any other city. The Beal Street area, where the FedEx Forum is located, is safe because of crowds at major events and police presense on the strip during tourist season but it would not be wise to wander off too far from the main strip. Downtown is a long way from Germantown in distance and lifestyle. It can be safe but like they say "Be Careful out their today".
gohawks1 writes:
LadyVolsEighTimes -
Maybe I was just near the wrong crowd, but it was nasty. I went to that game with my brother-in-law, who is a big tigers fan. In a spirit of good will, I wore an orange UT shirt with a Tigers ball cap to the game. It probably saved my life.
Hunter writes:
Any excuse to go to Charlie Vergo's Rendezvous is good enough for me. Plus, BP can small talk with recruits in Coach Cal's backyard between games. If this becomes serious talk, EXPECT Johnnie Cal to pitch a fit about "keeping conferences separated" or something asinine like that.
Titan writes:
Hunter - good point on Cal - he would phooey. But other than that, I see no earthly reaon at all to hold the SEC tourney in Memphis. Arkansas and Ole Miss would be relatively close but they dislike Tiger High as much or more than we do. Probably be a strong anti-Vol, Hog, and Rebel vibe just from the Tiger High folks that show up to cheer for someone else. Of course they might enjoy seeing some a quality conference tournament instead of the joke of a conference they play in.
newtonrail writes:
Gas will be $15 or $20 a gallon by then, so none of us on fixed income can drive to Memphis or Tampa just for Tourney. The rich will go.
LadyVolsEighTimes writes:
Coach Cal would have a Chit Hemorrage, might be worth it after all.
Good Point Hunter!
rccheek#205272 writes:
Baton Rouge is worse than Memphis after a game
budrhon writes:
I agree with lpelleg1, being a former Memphian anyone can be assaulted anywhere. Crime in any major City is usually high. Welcome to America. When I lived in Knoxville during the 80's it was highly known for car theft. Park it at Westown Mall and it might be gone. But that didn't stop me from driving around town. Having the SEC Tourney still within our State is the more important factor. Besides, the Fed-Ex Forum is a nice arena and I am sure Coach Pearl (if he is still at UT then) would love the opportunity to display the Vols in the Bluff City before area recruits. Something Coach Cal doesn't really want.
budrhon writes:
Hunter when you're in the Bluff City try A&R Bar-b-que, ten times better than Neely's, Vargas or Corky's.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
IPOrange 9:44 - Don't remember the ducks being there. Is there a Riverfront, now older Holiday Inn or Sheraton along the banks? Was pretty nice, there for a banking convention, others were banking and I was convening.
Dangerous for a pig or honest politician to be near Memphis...
gohawks1 writes:
pd - not sure about that area myself, as I don't usually get that far west in Shelby Co. I only get to Memphis to visit the inlaws on occasion.
I would recommend The Commissary in Germantown for really good barbeque. Mighty fine.....
mempuss writes:
Memphis is trash!
pdhuff#552644 writes:
volindothan 9:31- couldn't agree more about Atlanta.
It is the most self-grandizing covering-up city I've ever seen. Worked 35 miles north near Lawrenceville for many years.
Example, when the Olympic Games neared, all mention of crime left the front page and was buried. Freaknik (boy howdy) ran rampart, looted stores, froze traffic, you name it.
All was well according to the Ajc.com.
I-85 N & S I-20- E & W in the afternoon looked like WPA workers going to dinner or lemmings headed for the cliff. Went to 5-7 Braves games and ONE Falcon game. Endured ONE HALF of a Hawks game where the entertainment was who could pee higher on the stall in the restroom. 3 or 4 Mayors in a row, I believe, have gone to prison.
ETC, etc,.......
And on and on......
pdhuff#552644 writes:
rovols, otay.
LOL
tvinney#234411 writes:
Haha... Orange Mound would be a good place to host the tourney. Melrose High Gym is quite a venue.
LongtimeVol writes:
pd, sounds like you might mean the old Holiday Inn Rivermont, located right on the river near the old bridge. It has been converted to condos.
The Shelby County UT Alumni Chapter is the second largest in the state. Why would some of you not think there would be tremendous local support for the Vols?
cwisenhower#637741 writes:
Being a Vol fan in Memphis, I am REALLY excited about this news. Also, you don't get mugged on Beale St.; it is patrolled by cops and undercovers 24 hours a day. You get mugged everywhere else in this city.
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