Some Advice for Mayor Wharton
The Flyer's editor has some
advice for AC Wharton in the wake of his appearance on the Thaddeus Matthews Show.
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fireworks
There's lots of fireworks -- and pre-fireworks -- action downtown tonight.
Check it out.
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Some Advice for AC Wharton
Dear AC,
If you lie down with dogs, you may wake up with fleas. Similarly, if you go on a radio show hosted by a political opportunist, don't be surprised if he asks you questions designed to embarrass you. I'm speaking, of course, of Thaddeus Matthews, who asked you the following question: "Is it important to you as a black man that blacks stay in control of the mayor's office?"
You fluffed it, Mr. Mayor, stumbling around trying to assuage Matthews and any potential voters who you thought you might displease with the correct answer, which is this:
"What's important, Thaddeus, is that the city of Memphis elect the best possible people to run this city. I happen to be black, and I happen to think I am the best man for this job. I will represent all the citizens of Memphis to the best of my ability, be they black, white, or any other shade of the rainbow. With the election of Barack Obama, this country has shown that we can move beyond racism. It's time for Memphis to do the same. Your question is an insult, Thaddeus. And you are an embarrassment. Good day."
That answer, Mr. Wharton, would have gotten you a real headline — and a lot more votes — than the hemming and hawing you offered to Matthews.
It looks to me as if the next 90 days are going to be a free-for-all. The winner of the mayoral election will likely be the candidate who can create a coalition of voters — black, white, and, yes, brown — rather than relying on a segment of one racial base. Wharton is best positioned — right now — to be a unifier, but performances like the one he offered on Matthews' show can only hurt him.
I think Memphis politicians would be best advised to take their cue from Dr. Martin Luther King, and base their campaigns on the content of their character, not the color of their skin. That's not idealism, by the way. That's practical advice. Also, it's never a good idea to let yourself be interviewed by a loose cannon with an agenda and a microphone.
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Randolph: A Clipper Assessment
The sharp Kevin Arnovitz of ClipperBlog offers a parting assessment of Zach Randolph:
I’ve been rough on Zach Randolph, so I’d like to take this opportunity to offer a more rational critique of him as a player. Is Randolph is a bad guy? I’ve had several conversations with him, but I generally hold the position that a series of locker room encounters tells us precious little about the inner life of athletes. There’s enough evidence to suggest that Randolph has applied lousy judgment throughout his professional life. On the court, he’s a statistical beast, but there’s a body of work that reveals tendencies which aren’t conducive to the formula the NBA demands at this moment for a successful franchise. Randolph was born about a decade too late, and would’ve been a much more helpful pre-2001, before the revisions of the hand-checking rules produced a more perimeter-oriented game more hospitable to face-up 4s. His defense would’ve been less of a liability in an era when “taking up space” was a more essentially defensive quality, and Zach certainly does that. But today’s game presents insurmountable problems for Zach. Defensively, he simply can’t defend the collection of athletic 4s who dominate the league. When his man works his way down low, Zach has a horrible habit of bailing out, leaving a basket defender like Marcus Camby as the last line of defense. That’s an excusable tactic for a perimeter defender who’s gotten beat, but power forwards have certain responsibilities down low and, unlike front line defenders, they can’t hide from those.
Offensively, Randolph is a black hole down low. If we’ve seen nothing else since April 18, the ability of bigs to move the ball can’t be overstated. It’s no longer merely a luxury; it’s a prerequisite for longterm success. On Monday, John Krolik of Cavs the Blog composed this pithy axiom: “Simply put, some guys create shots and plays offensively while other guys finish them.” Randolph is undoubtedly a one-on-one finisher — and a pretty good one. But that’s not what the Clippers needed in 2008-09, or or necessitate going forward. They need guys who can create for others. Even Dwight Howard, he of the so-called (and mischaracterized) one-dimensional game, became an effective post-and-kick man for Orlando. Yet, Clippers fans went days without seeing Randolph make a smart pass to set up a shooter.
That’s our final word here on Randolph. Maybe he’s capable of giving the Grizz a jolt in a frontcourt that needs a productive one-on-one scorer. Who knows?
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Tonight: Ty Segall at the Hi-Tone
Remember how, when you were a kid in the summertime, you'd find that perfect album that became your own personal soundtrack? Maybe it was Van Halen's Diver Down, or the Violent Femmes' Hallowed Ground. You heard it once, and committed each song to your sonic memory so that years later, the opening chords reminded you of pool chlorine and suntan lotion, illicit beers and an extended curfew.
Lately, I've been listening to a lot of bands that reminds me of those summer soundtracks. Songs so good that they sound like you've heard the music before. The Gris Gris' For the Season, for instance, or the Black Lips' "Oh Katrina" or King Khan and BBQ's "Waddling Around." A foundation of old-school rock-and-roll inspiration, ranging from Doug Sahm to Little Richard, with plenty of punk-fueled noise layered atop it to create something new.
Goner Records' latest signee, Bay Area psych/garage rocker Ty Segall, is that kind of discovery.
Tonight, the 21-year old Segall hits Memphis, performing at the Hi-Tone Cafe along with So-Cal group Charlie and the Moonhearts. He'll be premiering tracks from his upcoming sophomore release, Lemons, due on Goner on July 14.
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