When I last wrote, it was a joyous occasion: Turning off the computer and phone, allowing myself some time to really absorb the peace and beauty that is the Santa Ana Pueblo.

First things first: A nap. It had been a long day by 3 pm Memphis time; a 6 am flight, changeover in Houston, and then arrival at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort just outside Albuquerque -- with a bit of work thrown in.  Hard to call it work when the view from the desk is that of the Sandia range, and a road runner scampers to and fro on the grounds directkly ahead.

The bed was calling my name, and I decided a nap was a good idea, especially as I had an appointment with a quarter horse later in the afternoon.

The resort sits on about 500 acres of the huge pueblo; the elders allow use of some of the lands for the resort's recreational activities, but the majority is reserved strictly for the pueblo's residents.

The trail ride, led by a darling wrangler named Christine, took us through a beautiful grove of cottonwood trees which were such a pretty color of yellow as to almost defy description.

In true John Wayne fashion, we rode into the Rio Grande, which runs through the pueblo -- and for the first time I felt like a true cow girl. It was an awesome experience.

Christine took us by one of the many petroglyphs on the pueblo, most of which are not open to the public. It was a small cross with what looked almost like two smiley faces; it was amazing, even at a distance, to see such a simple yet stunning piece of history.

After the ride, a glass of wine was in order. I sat on the wide stone patio of the hotel bar, watching as the sun's rays moved along the Sandia Peak, and was almost disappointed when the show was over.

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John Calipari admitted to me after Tuesday’s practice that he’s still irritated with the Tigers’ effort in the scrimmage Saturday against Saint Louis. But he’s as irritated with himself as much as he is with the team, because as he said to the players Tuesday, he might have let them get a little bit soft.

In other words, country club time is over. It’s so over that after practice, when I asked Andre Allen for a few minutes to chat, Andre insisted that he talk while sitting down. And I don’t blame him, because I watched a 2 hour, 40 minute practice that was as physically and mentally demanding as anything the Tigers have been through all year. From here on out, Calipari is going to concentrate on building his team’s toughness because that’s what he feels they need. That means a portion of practice every day will be devoted to nothing but football-style drills where they just try to beat each other up. Memphis got better last season when Calipari went to more physical, less cerebral practices. We’ll see how they respond leading up to Monday’s opener against UT-Martin.

Of some concern was Joey Dorsey sitting out Tuesday with what they’re calling a right shoulder sprain. Head athletic trainer Chris Simmons said Dorsey is still day-to-day. My gut feeling is that Dorsey will be ready to play Monday, but the progress he makes from now until Friday will be crucial. Shawn Taggart played center with the first team in Dorsey’s absence.

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Republican presidential candidate and former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson probably wouldn’t mind if voters in next year’s election associated him closely with the tough-talking prosecutor he played on television.

But according to a story that ran in the Los Angeles Times Sunday, Thompson’s stint as a U.S. attorney from 1969 to 1972 was more "The Dukes of Hazzard" than "Law and Order."

According to the Times story, 27 of the 88 cases Thompson handled involved moonshiners - more than any other type of crime he prosecuted.

If Thompson is in the market for a nickname, I bet "The Still Killer" is still available.

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A blonde calls her boyfriend and says, “Please come over here and help me. I have a really hard jigsaw puzzle, and I can’t figure out how to get it started.” Her boyfriend asks, “What is it supposed to be when it’s finished?” The blonde says, “Well, according to the picture on the box, it’s a tiger.” Her [...]Continue Reading »

Regular pencil sharpeners just aren’t enough.  I need more.  More gore, that is!  Now I can get a Living Dead Dolls Sadie Pencil Sharpener so I can stick my pencil in her hollowed out bloody eye socket and have her regurgitate my pencil shavings.  And just when I thought Halloween couldn’t get any sweeter! Continue Reading »

Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni revealed that captains had been made official at practice. No surprises here. The obvious choices were Damon Stoudamire, Mike Miller and Pau Gasol.

Those are the captains mainly because of their tenure with the team and/or NBA experience.

Also, I wouldn’t read too much in Brian Cardinal and Tarence Kinsey starting the season on the inactive list. Cardinal is battling the flu, and just because Kinsey will be inactive against San Antonio doesn’t mean he’s not in the plans. Remember, the active/inactive list can change from game to game. Cardinal and Kinsey don’t have to sit on the shelf for at least five games like the “injured list” days.

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