These images are hyperlinked from the University of Memphis Athletic site, who owns full copyright of the logo, artwork, and photo. I do not claim any ownership, and did not save the images to my own computer. You can visit that site by clicking on the images.
For local readers, you already KNOW this, but for those of you outside the Greater Memphis Area, Memphis is Tiger Town. As in basketball. As in men's. As in college. Yes, we have the Grizzlies NBA team, but most of us are fair-weather fans. Here, we are Tiger Basketball Fans.
I reckon it's the same in other cities and towns, but in Memphis we are passionate about our Tigers. Little old ladies become screaming maniacs with blue and silver tinsel wigs (over their blue and silver real hair), tiger paw tattoos on their cheeks, and their cute blue and gray windsuits--that often match their husbands' cute blue and gray windsuits. During basketball season (and often off-season) most business meeting are prefaced with Tiger Talk before we get to the business at hand. We talk about Coach Calipari and the team members like we know them personally. In a town that is often racially divided, the Memphis Tigers bond us. Saying "Go Tigers" will melt an icy stare into a grin of mutual agreement. Tiger talk gives us common ground to start conversations with strangers. "How 'bout those Tigers" = "Me friend. Me come in peace."
After making it to the NCAA National Championship Final game last year, then losing to Kansas in overtime, there was no talk of "we'll get'em next year," because we lost a big and important chunk of our team. We thought this would be a rebuilding year, maybe couple of years, before we would see the finals again. We kept our spirits high and our expectations low. But Coach Cal assembled Memphis a new power team that went further than we might have expected (at least originally), but not further than we had hoped. They played beautifully together, and made the opponent teams look clumsy and oafish in the process.
Last night we played Missouri, aka, Mizzou--also Tigers. They outplayed us, and we didn't win for the first time in 28 games. (L-word too hard to type.) We got a big taste of our own medicine and it was a hard pill to swallow. We are still choking on it this morning. Personally, seeing them actually lose a game was tougher than the thought that we wern't going any further in the finals. They didn't really look like themselves until the last 13 or so minutes of the game, when they starting playing better than Mizzou (at least that's the way I saw it). But, alas, it was too late. When Shawn Taggert fouled out and sprung tears, I did too.
This year, though, we can say, "We'll get 'em next year!"
Thanks, Coach Cal! I loved your passion last night, including the technicals that passion earned you. Some of those ref calls were BS, and worse were the lack of calls against Mizzou.
Thanks, Tyreke Evans (we know how to say your name, even if the commentators don't). Won't you stay another year before going pro? How are you going to manage all that money if you can't do math? Think about it...Thanks, Shawn Taggert, and Happy Birthday! Thanks, Robert Dozier! We are going to miss you! Congratulations to you, Antonio Anderson, and Chance McGrady for most wins in any senior class in NCAA history! Roburt Sallie, we are glad you are here! Thanks, Doneal Mack, Willie Kemp, and Wesley Witherspoon. Stay real, study hard the rest of the semester, and we will see you next year!
Love,
Cristie
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