Dec. 27, 2007

Back from Memphis (It's Not March Yet!!): Merry Christmas!!

Thanks to a patient wife (Linda Morgan, L '76) and a daughter, (Meredith, C '07) who loves the Hoyas as much as I do, my family spent last weekend in Memphis, Tennessee, home of Elvis, and the birthplace of rock, soul, and rhythm and blues! And, oh yes, the Memphis Tigers, but more about them later. A traveling Hoya road show is a real treat and a great way to see the country. For example, visiting Memphis, we spent Friday afternoon touring Graceland, then returned to downtown Memphis that evening for ribs at Rendezvous, where we learned that Coach and the team had eaten the prior evening. At dinner, over ribs recently proclaimed by Southern Living as the "best in the South," we saw Steve Alleva, B '05, Jim Gilroy, C '72, G '79, Mex Carey, and Bill Shapland, C '77. arrive to enjoy the cuisine. The ribs were GREAT - - the best that I have ever eaten!

Sauntering back to our hotel, we stopped at Memphis's world renowned Peabody Hotel, where, looking for a table in the lobby, we saw Mel Drozen, C '71 and Rich Hluchan, F '71, sitting at the Bar, waiting for Mark Siskin, F '71, and his party to arrive from Atlanta, so that they all could enjoy ribs at Rendezvous! While we were talking with Mel and Rich, the golden-tongued voice of the Hoyas (and fellow blogger), Rich Chvotkin, came by for a chat after his dinner at Rendezvous! (Can you see where this is going about a Memphis barbecue recommendation?)

Over the course of the weekend, we wandered up, down and around Beale Street, took an extensive walk along the banks of the Mississippi, saw the Christmas tree in the Peabody lobby and the "March of the Ducks" through the lobby of the Peabody on Saturday afternoon. Finally, we topped off our trip with cheeseburgers and fries from Huey's!

We met some of the friendliest people in Memphis, who when they saw us in our Georgetown gear in their fair city, greeted us with the refrain, "We look forward to seeing you in the Final Four!" (I thought that this was a pleasant way to avoid having to say "And I hope that we beat the living daylights out of you in our game today!" In fact, I used it myself a few times.) But enough about the weekend fun. Let's turn to the game experience.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal termed this game the largest regular season game in the history of Memphis basketball. (This is quite a tribute to Coach JTIII, his staff, and team for having resurrected our basketball program in three short years.) Tickets were so scarce that the Washington Post reported that "Doc" Rivers, father of Jeremiah Rivers and coach of the Boston Celtics, had to ask Memphis Coach John (You ain't nothin' but a hound dog!) Calipari for tickets. And "Hound Dog" Calipari also correctly told the Commercial Appeal that, as of Friday morning, there were no tickets available on StubHub! The overflow attendance amounted to 18,864. Of that amount only about 200 tickets were allotted to the Hoyas and those seats were in the upper reaches of the FedEx Forum! Fortunately, for Georgetown, Michael Heisley, B `60, the owner of the Memphis Grizzlies, extended the use of his private suite at FedEx to the Athletic Department, so that at least some of the Hoya faithful who made the trip, including the three of us, could see the contest in relative comfort. (Many thanks to Athletic Department personnel Steve Alleva, Kyle Ragsdale, and Blanton Jones for their courtesies and kindnesses to us this weekend! And, as always, it was great to see and speak with hoyasaxa.com guru John Reagan, B '84.) Fortunately, this is a home and home series, so, next year, we will remember!! (Or, in the words of the first Kurt shirt: "Some have forgotten. We will remind them!")

As we now all know, Memphis spanked us last Saturday by the score of 85-71. To beat Memphis, a very good team, we had to play Georgetown basketball, and we did not. For a substantial portion of the first half, we did play Georgetown basketball, and the score reflected that as we built an eight-point lead and appeared to be in control of the game. Then, to his credit, Coach Hound Dog made some adjustments, his team began to fill the nets with threes, find open interior shots and dominate the boards. We also helped our downfall with another poor shooting performance from the free throw line (barely 50% on 12 for 23 shooting). Oh well, December isn't March, so we live to fight another day!

I would like to extend my warmest Christmas and Holiday greetings to all who follow the Hoyas and invite you to take a Hoya road trip some day to fuel that passion! I have written elsewhere that my passion for Georgetown Men's basketball is exceeded only by my passion for my family and my church. This week, I was able to nourish all three of my passions! A lucky man and a wonderful Christmas!!

WE ARE GEORGETOWN!!

Respectfully submitted,

Michael E. Karam, F '72, L '76, L `81 Proud Member of Generation Laughna