Go Tigers Go!

The University of Memphis Tigers basketball team made it to the Final Four in San Antonio, defeating UCLA on Saturday, and will be playing for the NCAA National Championship tonight (televised on the CBS network). Everywhere you look, this is what you see....people showing their spirit, and sporting their Tiger blue. I thought that the little girl above in her cheerleader attire looked especially excited about her Tigers' accomplishments.

There is so much excitement in the city, and everyone you meet is talking about "the game" with high hopes. The Tigers had an NCAA record season this year with only one loss, and spent quite a bit of time at #1 on national polls. They have made three Final Four appearances, in 1973, 1985, and 2008.

The players on this team play unselfishly, seem to really like each other, and under the direction of Coach John Calipari, seem to be really having fun no matter how competitive the game or opponent.

Regardless of the outcome tonight, this season has been an exhilarating one, and a delight to watch. It has been both fun and unifying for the students, fans, and for the citizens of Memphis. We love you, Tigers!

Go Tigers Go!

Graceland Shows Its True Colors....Tiger Blue!!

Today is the day.... (you can click on photos to enlarge them, and the words in color are clickable---and I apologize for the run-on nature of this post, Blogger won't let me separate the paragraphs for some reason).

~The #1 University of Memphis Tigers meet the #2 University of Tennessee Vols in the FedEx Forum! If you're a fan of college basketball, or college or Southern sports in general, you know that this is BIG stuff! Up for grabs are bragging rights as the true #1 team in the nation, and also bragging rights within the state of Tennessee. This is a long-time in-state rivalry, and many here are calling this the biggest sporting event in Memphis history. I only wish that I could post the city's energy in a way that you could feel it.

~Last night, we went to see "Operation Blue Suede Show", which is the lighting of Elvis' home, Graceland,...in blue! Blue, in honor of the University of Memphis Tigers. This is the first and only time that Graceland has been lit in blue outside of the Christmas season, when Graceland presents its yearly Blue Christmas.

~As you can see in the first photo, Priscilla Presley was there for the official lighting ceremony, here standing next to the Tigers' mascot, Pouncer. We missed being able to photograph her during the lighting ceremony, due to the crowd, but did catch a glimpse before she was whisked away. She seems to be a truly nice person, and is a wonderful ambassador for the city of Memphis. In the second photo, you can see one of the famous Graceland Gates, and the UofM Tigers board with the switch to officially light Graceland.

~Tonight, the game will be broadcast at 8pm (US Central Time) on ESPN. In the crowd, you will see Peyton and Eli Manning, Priscilla Presley, Cybill Shepard (another native Memphian--my father dated her mother for a short time before they met their respective spouses), and Justin Timberlake. Also, ESPN's College Game Day will be broadcast all day from the FedEx Forum, so you, too, can have your fill of this fun day!

~Who will we be rooting for, you ask? Well, I'm one of those people who actually attended both schools. I did most of my undergraduate work (and had most of my college fun :) at Memphis, and my professional training and my degree actually came from the U. of TN system. My sister and BIL both graduated from Memphis, and my father has a Memphis degree (he also has degrees from LSU and Mizzou, so he can sometimes be very torn!). I guess you'd have to say that my family's blood runs true Tiger blue!

~Go Tigers!!! (and best wishes to the Vol fans, too...).