Congrats to Memphis on Spring Fling

[OSHSman]

Yes the district championship is meaningless, it only determines the host of the regional semis. But why add another meaningless game into the post season when you don't have to?

[Opperman]

Why not take out the meaningless district championship game?

 

The 8 teams to state method works for every other sport, it will work for baseball too. If nothing else, it lets more kids have the experience of playing in the state tournament, which is something they will remember for a long time.

[sourone]

Funny thing Opperman I went to Mud Island this past weekend cost $10.00 to park and $2.00 for monorail got forgot something in car and had to pay again for monorail.If is $3.00 rest of time Memphis must raise prices on things then when they are having a special event.

[Opperman]

Umm...this past weekend...as in Tyson-Lewis parking rates? You parked just down the street from the Pyramid? $10 parking on Tyson-Lewis weekend roughly two blocks from the Pyramid and you're COMPLAINING? That's special event prices for sure. I don't know what garage you parked in, but the one at Front and Adams, just south of the entrance to Mud Island, is $3.50 for all-day parking under the roof and $3.00 on top of the roof, except for special events, which are $5-10. The garages aren't run by the city, they're run by companies...and you're darn right they're going to charge as much as they can charge when there's special events at the Pyramid. It's just good business on their part.

 

And while I'm on that, special event parking rates aren't bad in Memphis. Try parking within a 20-minute walk of Wrigley Field sometime and then complain about $10 to park. I think it cost us $40 to park a 15-minute walk from Wrigley. Pantherbert can verify that, as he was with me when we went to Wrigley. (I would have taken the train, but it was a church trip and they wouldn't listen to me).

 

Last time I went to Mud Island, the monorail was optional...you could walk across above the monorail for free if you wanted to. That said, it's been a while since I've gone to Mud Island (not quite sure why, either), so they may have changed that.

 

I think the fact that you were here for fight weekend has something to do with your comments on traffic...trust me, traffic is nowhere near that bad normally.

[Pantherbert]

Sourone..Opperman is quite right about Wrigley. Not only did it cost us $40 to park. It cost us $40 to park in an alley. And,yes, the companies who own those parking spots downtown do rate up for special events...(as I found out when my dad and I went to see UM play in the NIT) but for goodness sake..it was nothing like the Chicago experiance. On that note...the traffic while bad...is not as horrible as it was when you were here. Most of my frustration driving in Memphis comes from a few idiots who have seen " The Fast and the Furious" one too many times.But trust me...it's not near as bad as you described it all the time. Pantherbert is good...Pantherbert is wise

[Opperman]

Oh yeah...coacht...I asked my dad to make sure I was right about it still being there, and I found out there's also another one, on Germantown Road by the Agricenter. It's about 10 mins from the track and field site and about 5 mins from CBHS for baseball...why do I get the feeling I know where you'll be eating at least one meal next year if you come over for the Spring Fling?

[sourone]

Parking at the Mud Island lot located at the end of Poplar Ave is $10.00. Am I hearing you right when you are saying to expect the fine establishments of Memphis to raise their prices for the Spring fling. Thats about as big a special occasion as you will get.City and county shouldn't allow that to happen.Tssaa probably gets a cut of the inflated prices. Last time I went to a state tournament in Jackson special rates were made available for us.Must be the cities.

As for it being fight weekend traffic better than usual. Everybody was parked trying to see celebrities.Of course you can get aroung in the traffic you should know back ways to every where you go .Visitors don't have that luxery. They are stuck in traffic on Union, Poplar or 240 bypass trying to creep along to anywhere they go.It doesn't matter the TSSAA got their money and propably some pockets are getting lined also.

[TheEgoHasLanded]

CoachT and Opperman

 

Have any of you guy's ever heard of Gus' World Famous Fried Chicken?

 

Opperman it was out over there way past Covington...look on the internet, it was rated the 9th best restaurant in the WORLD!

 

Unfortunately it burned down about a year ago, but there is still a Gus' in downtown Memphis...look it up on the internet if yall dont believe me...haha it's like 3 or 4 french restaurants and then some Italian restaurants...and then Gus'...The old restaurant was about the size of a trailor, and it didn't have anything over 4.35 (3 piece dark, slaw, and bread)...that's the best secret there is...

 

CoachT...Butcher shop is good, but Opperman might agree that The Side Porch on Stage is well worth it as well.

[swamp]

Opperman, I'm dropping out of this after this post, but 24% of the total is a HUGE percentage for just one county. I doubt there were 11 yes votes from Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville combined(although I'm not going to try to count again).

[TheEgoHasLanded]

Parking downtown is for the most part free or cheap.

 

You can park on Front, Second, Third, or Lindon for free...

 

Especially at night, you can park in one of the Catholic churches down there in their parking lot, I'm not going to see its the most secured parking, but it beats the heck out of paying 10 dollars...

 

If you park at Peabody Place, and go downtown to eat, get your ticket comped, and then it is free to.

 

I eat at many upscale restaurants in Shelby County...some of the best are Paulettes, Jim's Place East, Jarrett's, and Ruth Chris' Steakhouse...all are around 35 or 37 dollars for one...but well worth it.

[Opperman]

Sourone, the parking lots and garages downtown raise their prices when something big is going on, like a world heavyweight championship fight at the Pyramid, a U of M game at the Pyramid, a Grizzlies game at the Pyramid, etc. The only event going on downtown in the Spring Fling is baseball at AutoZone Park. There are numerous garages around the ballpark, and while I don't know for sure how they will handle it, most of those garages are about $4-5 for Redbirds games. The Spring Fling won't command special events rates where parking is more limited, in the north part of downtown.

 

The Spring Fling is a special event, yes. Most of the events in the spring fling are in east Memphis or in the suburbs, where there is plenty of free parking. The only venue where parking will definitely not be free is AutoZone Park, and $4-5 isn't much to park a block or two from the stadium...even around there, there's places you can park for free, but technically you're not supposed to.

 

And I should point out, last time I went to the state basketball tournament in Murfreesboro, we had to pay for parking there...it's just something you have to do sometimes.

 

Traffic is not that bad normally! How much more dense can you be? Try driving around downtown Nashville at 10:30 when the Titans have a noon kickoff. Try driving around Neyland Stadium an hour before gametime. You caught one of the single busiest days traffic-wise the city of Memphis has had in 6 or 7 years. What else can I say but that traffic is normally not that bad? Everyone who comes here for the Spring Fling is more than welcome to ask me for directions, I can help you get around the mess...it's not that hard, really, there's just certain parts of town you want to try to avoid. (And there are certain parts of town in EVERY decent-sized metropolitan area that you want to avoid.)

 

Traffic was not better than usual on fight weekend...it just wasn't! I've been living here 18 years, I think I have a better grasp of normality in Memphis traffic patterns than you do!

 

Ego, sad to say that I live about 3/4 of a mile from the Side Porch and I've never eaten there. (I guess I tend to go for quantity over quality, since I'm not particularly wealthy or anything)

 

Swamp, the word "most" denotes a majority. 24% is not even close to a majority. Yes, about half of the yes votes came from the west, but that's not saying most of it came from Memphis.

[sourone]

Opperman you can blow that smoke all you want. After the people get a dose of Memphis during the spring fling next year you can try to convince them then what an easy place Memphis is to get around in.$$$$$$$$$$$$ is all the TSSAA wants anyway!!!!