Spring practices at the University of Memphis routinely end with a brief scrimmage period of roughly 25 plays.

Wednesday at the Murphy Athletic Complex was no different, except for the revelation the Tigers may have yet another tall receiver adept at running the fade route and winning `jump balls’ in the end zone.

Junior college transfer Steven Joachim (6-4, 205) had two touchdown receptions in Wednesday’s scrimmage, doing a credible impersonation of 6-9 Tiger wideout Carlos Singleton. Like Singleton, Joachim simply used his height and strong hands to outleap defenders for touchdown receptions of 14 yards (from QB Dallas Walker) and 11 yards (from QB Arkelon Hall).

It’s a deep position for the Tigers, who are going through the spring without their top receiver, 6-4 Duke Calhoun. Calhoun is recovering from offseason knee surgery.

I know Coach Cal is tired of hearing about free throws. I am also tired of hearing about it so I thought I’d look into the actual impact they may or may not have on a game.

This season the Tigers have gone to the line 878 times in their 36 games. They have made 520 of them. That means that they average right at 24 FT attempts and 14 makes per game. Opponents have gone 454 of 671 from the line. That number is skewed as Southern Miss went 24 of 26 in the C-USA semis and UAB went 20-22 in the game at Birmingham but stats are what they are. That numbers shows that opponents average right at 12 ppg from the line. Therefore the Tigers have scored two more points every game from the line that their opponents. Considering only five of the Tigers games were closer than 10 points it has had little relevance to the Tigers winning or losing games.
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…or at least the area.

Remember the story a few weeks back on the swans that were relocated from Iowa to Arkansas in hopes they will begin naturally migrating between the two states?

Well, they have left the areas where they were released, and Arkansas conservation officials are asking people to report sightings.

There were 13 swans released on Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge near Dardanelle. Five more were released in Boxley Valley in western Newton County, but two of those swans fell victim to predators just days later.

Officials from the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission are asking anyone who sees the swans to report the sighting on the Commission web site or by calling (877) 873-4561.

They need to know where they are, so they can keep track of them.

Hopefully, they’ll go back to Iowa, mate and then fly back to Arkansas next fall.

It would be pretty cool to have a regular migration of swans into the Mid-South every year.