|
Behind The Scoreboard
By Claude Vinson ‘Shout out’ for Grizzlies Let
me preface this column with the statement that I am aware that the
World Series is going on and that the fourth game was played on Sunday
evening. The Giants had a 2-1 lead at that time. It was noticeable that
a lot of predictors had favored San Francisco early on. However, the
tide seemed to have shifted a little after the Rangers, playing in
their first Series ever, won game number three. Now, the Texas Rangers
are being pegged to take it all in some polls. And
I am not giving the collegiate football ranks short shrift either. The
“boogie man” came a day early for two more unbeatens. Michigan State
had its record muddied by 18th (yeah, 18th) ranked Iowa and Missouri by
number 14 Nebraska. There are just five left with the perfect mark; the
Ducks lead the way followed by Boise State, TCU, Auburn and Utah. Add
to that the fact that yours truly’s K.C. Chiefs, like cream, keep
rising to the top and now lead the AC West. And the winners of Super
Bowl LXIII and LXIV, Pittsburgh and New Orleans, respectively, met on
the “spookiest” night of the year. Granted, all good stories in their
own rights, but this isn’t about them. Nay, my
good people, this is about a different sport entirely. This week we are
going to give a plug for the Memphis Grizzlies and I feel the “shout
out” is completely warranted. First, they won all eight of their
pre-season games. Now, we are all aware of the pits which could befall
victors of the pre-season and that quickly came to light in their first
outing of the regular season which ended in a loss. But
redemption was quick in its coming. The Griz bounced back, growled into
Dallas and took down the Mavericks 91-90, a feat which they hadn’t
accomplished in five years. Then to prove their resilience, they played
a back-to-back game the following night against Minnesota, beating the
Timber Wolves by the hefty margin of 109-89. It should be pointed out
that Memphis is currently without the service of the “Z” man (Zach
Randolph). The Griz’ successful season is going
to depend on other “name” players turning in great performances game
after game. And we will be glad to continue giving a pro basketball
team in such proximity the recognition which it deserves.
|
