I’d like to know who got to Willie Kemp’s Cheerios on Tuesday and what they were spiked with. Because from where I sat, my best guess was jet fuel. The typically reserved sophomore point guard from Bolivar was on a roll, making threes, talking smack and even dunking, which very well might have been a first since he’s been at Memphis. It was a stunning performance, a 180-degree turn from the timid Kemp of last season whose body language signaled that he lacked confidence.

“Willie was the best player on the floor today,” coach John Calipari said.

Once the Tigers got into their offensive breakdown drills — which are always competitive since the team is divided in two and the “losers” have to complete 10-second runs — Kemp caught fire. Playing with Andre Allen in the backcourt, Kemp at one point made at least five or six straight threes, yelling “Bang bang!” as the ball hit the net. Calipari even got on Shawn Taggart for not getting Kemp the ball, stressing to the newcomer that Memphis will always feed the hot player until he misses.

Other observations:

– ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes watched the Tigers practice and spoke to the team.

– Freshman Jeff Robinson strained his left hamstring, and the staff shut him down as a precautionary measure. When he went out, Calipari toyed with Antonio Anderson at the 4 position. Calipari thinks that might be a solution to the logjam at the guard/wing positions. If Anderson can get a few minutes at the 4 — and believe me, he’s strong enough — some of the other guys can rotate in more often. That would allow him to try a lineup of Andre Allen/Derrick Rose at the point, Doneal Mack at the 2, Chris Douglas-Roberts at the 3, Antonio Anderson at the 4 and then pick any of the big guys to play the 5. Against some teams, that might be the Tigers’ best lineup.

– Shawn Taggart had a better practice than he’s been having; for the most part, Taggart is trying, but for the first time in his life, somebody is really demanding maximum effort from him at all times.

– It wasn’t a particularly great day for Pierre Niles. Lots of missed layups.

– I don’t think Robert Dozier has missed a 3-pointer in three days. He gets that shot a lot — the open three from the wing/corner — and needs to bury it more than he did last year.

Make sure you watch the Houston game tonight on NBA League Pass if you have it and tomorrow night I am joining the Shades of Blue bloggers at Jack Daniels Old #7 around 6:00 pm before the Grizzlies game for those who want to come out and party. We will be talking Grizzlies and having fun. I hope to see you there.

According to the Morning Rush with Ron Tillery and Peter Edmiston, the starting rotation for the team is all but set now. Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay and Mike Miller were always on everyone’s expected starter list and Stromile Swift (right) is beating out Darko, who Tillery described as a disappointment so far. The only battle left is at the point where all three players are still in contention. This makes the back to back games with Houston this week that much more interesting to watch. My personal bet is that whoever looks best in those two games will win the job (and I expect that to be the veteran Damon Stoudamire).

MVN.com has posted a few blogs of interest to Grizzlies fans. Some on target and some…well let’s just say I don’t agree with their position. First off is the blog about teams that will surprise this season titled “Which Team Will Surprise the Season”. Memphis is among the list of teams the author believes will surprise. Then you have “Time is Now for Conley in Memphis”. Mr. Weinman makes the arguement that Mike Conley should be given the starting job because the Grizzlies have a chance to compete for the playoffs. Seems to me if the Grizzlies are competing for the playoffs this season the best man should start. Once we are eliminated from serious consideration then play the rookie but that is just me. Finally there was a blog about the expected finish of the entire league from Amar Panchmatia. Apparently Amar didn’t read his co-authors blogs since he has the team winning only 18 games. On second thought, you can skip this blog.

For a more optomistic view of the upcoming season try reading the Memphis Grizzlies 2007-08 Season Preview by Warren Blatt. This guy writes like he has actually seen the team play instead of just looking at the team’s record. Very good depth on the team in the blog as well.

Indy Cornrows (I am not making that name up) ran a quick note last week that Mike Conley Jr wants to be known as Michael Conley now. I hope to get the facts on this report soon.

Finally Hoopsblogging.com did an interesting take on the traditional pros and cons type of preseason post with his 3 Reasons blog.

THE BIG STORY

Auburn defensive end Quentin Groves got a sack at LSU on Saturday, his 26th career sack, tying the all-time Auburn record set by Gerald Robinson in 1985.

The sack had been a long time coming after Groves was injured on the final play of the third quarter Sept. 29 at Florida. He said when a Florida lineman stepped on his foot, he immediately heard a crackle and assumed a bone or bones had broken. Instead, three toes had been bent back and dislocated — a less serious, but equally painful outcome.

“I heard it crack, and I was like, ‘Oh, no,’” Groves told the Mobile Register. “I was just thanking God that my foot wasn’t broke.” Groves, a senior defensive end, returned to action in Baton Rouge after missing two games with three painfully dislocated toes.

“I’ve never missed a game before, aside from these two games, my whole career here,” Groves said. “You never want to be on the sideline. You feel like you’re a loser, basically.”

He played largely in pass-rushing downs, but expects to have a larger role this week when Auburn plays Ole Miss. A native of Greenville, Miss., Groves is playing in his last game against a team from his home state. But he’s also trying to re-energize a senior season that’s been plagued by frustrations since his two-sack performance in the opener against Kansas State. Groves said he’s now about 90 percent, but the two-week recovery hasn’t been easy.

“Yeah, I promise you, after those first two games (this season), I was like, ‘Oh man, I think I can set a benchmark record here,’” Groves said. “But things don’t go as you plan. God does a great job of humbling you. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself and just stay focused. I kind of lost focus during that stretch where I didn’t have any sacks — South Florida, Miss. State, all of those. It took me getting injured to realize, ‘OK, I needed to come back down to earth a little bit.’”

A look at the league: Read the rest of this entry »

With many fisheries already suffering mightily due to the accidental introduction of non-native silver carp and bighead carp, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has banned yet another carp species from the United States.

Black carp have recently been added to the list of “injurious fish” under the Lacey Act, meaning it is now illegal for the fish to imported into or transported inside the United States. The prohibition applies to live black carp, gametes, viable eggs and hybrid breeds of the fish.

H. Dale Hall, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service., said the move is an attempt to head off potential problems – like the ones we’ve had in lakes all over the Mid-South.

“Black carp have the potential to cause major damage to America’s native mussel populations, and we want to get out in front of the issue now,” said Hall in a press release by the Service last week. “Stopping the transport of these fish is crucial to the future of our native aquatic species.”

Black carp, also known as snail carp, black amur, or Chinese roaches, can grow to more than three feet in length and often reach weights of 30 pounds or more.

Adult black carp are bottom feeders that almost exclusively eat mollusks (mussels and snails) when available. They can also eat insects, shrimp, commercial fish feeds and aquatic plants.