Pirates, Blues and Barbecue - Day 3
December 30, 2009 | Football
Dec. 30, 2009
Dec. 30, 2009 - Mercer St. Jude Interview | Dec. 30, 2009 - Baity St. Jude Interview | Dec. 30, 2009 - Fitch Press Conference | Dec. 30, 2009 - Allen Interview | Dec. 30, 2009 - Harris Interview | Dec. 30, 2009 - Pinkney Interview | Dec. 30, 2009 - Lindsay Interview
AutoZone Liberty Bowl Photos - Day 3 | AutoZone Liberty Bowl Photos - Day 2 | AutoZone Liberty Bowl Photos - Day 1
Pirate Nation:
We just finished a rainy and cold Wednesday in Memphis. The temperatures outside were miserable, but some of the events the players went through today were heartwarming to say the least.
This morning, Ben Hartman, Matt Dodge, T.J. Harper, T.C. Baity, Taylor Mazzone, Maurice Mercer, Jay Ross, Alex Taylor, Rob Kass, Sean Allen, Terence Campbell, Jeremy Bullock, Chris Mattocks and Reyn Willis traveled to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to spread holiday cheer, sign autographs and allow some of the patients to meet collegiate athletes.
In the early afternoon, East Carolina offensive coordinator Todd Fitch along with players Allen, Dwayne Harris, Dominique Lindsay and Patrick Pinkney attended the scheduled press conference and spoke with numerous media members.
The team then headed to the University of Memphis' practice facility for a 2:30 p.m. workout in the rain and low-40s temperatures.
After practice, the players had an opportunity to check out the AutoZone Liberty Bowl Rodeo that was in town at the Shelby/Agricenter Show Place Arena, or to have another night on Beale Street taking in the sights and sounds of the city.
St. Jude Visit
Generally when I think of hospitals, I think of bad smells, gloom and a generally depressing atmosphere. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital could not be further from my mental picture.
The hospital is one of premier pediatric cancer research centers in the world. It was founded by entertainer Danny Thomas and opened in 1962. Thomas' goal for his hospital was to accept all patients regardless of race, creed, religion, etc. His other main focus was to make treatments free of charge. Both visions have become a reality today at the Memphis hospital.
Patients and their families are flown in from all around the world and do not have to pay anything during their stay. The hospital is 85 percent funded through public donations with the average gift being just 30 dollars.
St. Jude also shares all of its research with other doctors and facilities around the world. Due to this sharing of information, it is said that for every patient treated at St. Jude, 1,000 more can be treated abroad. The hospital keeps DNA from every patient to enhance its research capabilities. For more on the hospital and Danny Thomas' vision, click here.
When walking around St. Jude this morning, what hit me first was the bright colors. The building came to life as every wall had a mural painted on it. The players were given a short tour of the hospital and the guide explained how the goal is to keep life for the patients as normal as possible. Teachers are around so the children can keep up with school. Last year, the hospital saw its first student receive a high school diploma while being a patient. In another effort to keep life as normal as possible, kindergarten graduation and high school proms are common occurrences.
Everybody got a good laugh when we were on the tour and an announcement came over the intercom telling everybody at the hospital that football players from Eastern Carolina would be around today to sign autographs. The guide immediately apologized for the mix-up and promised that we would be East Carolina for the rest of the trip.
When the players arrived at the area where they would be signing autographs, a long line that stretched around the corner was already waiting for them. The signing session was scheduled for 30 minutes, but patients and their families kept coming up to the tables, extending the event to nearly 45 minutes. The whole time smiles were on the faces of the Pirate players as they visited with the patients.
In turn, the players said that the time with the children was one of the best parts of the trip to Memphis. Mazzone said, "Just coming here and seeing smiles on the kids' faces makes your day. It's so beautiful. It also makes you realize how fortunate you are to be healthy."
Mercer even said, "Honestly, out of all the things we've done with the basketball game and seeing the [Memphis] Grizzlies play, this is by far the best thing our team has done. This really just brings a tear to my eye."
To hear interviews with Mercer and Baity, click on the links at the top of the page.
Fitch And Offensive Players Press Conference
Fitch went to this afternoon's press conference and discussed the focus of the team, the changes his offense has gone through this season and how ECU`s offense will have to help its defense going against a quick-strike Arkansas offense.
Fitch noted that playing against teams in the West Division of Conference USA, with their high-powered offenses, has allowed his offense to know occupying the clock is important and that it cannot go three-and-out and give the ball right back to the other team.
Allen, Harris, Lindsay and Pinkney all conducted one-on-one interviews with numerous Arkansas and East Carolina media members. Most of the Greenville media arrived today, so the conference was full.
To hear interviews from all five, click on the links at the top of the page.
Afternoon Practice
When arriving for this afternoon's workout, it was sprinkling and chilly. As it got closer and closer to the workout's start time, the rain started falling a little harder, making it feel even colder. About 10 minutes in, the skies opened up and let the rain fall steadily.
Despite the less-than-ideal conditions, the players had high spirits and good focus. Head Coach Skip Holtz has said all week he has felt that when the players have crossed the line onto the practice fields, they have been very focused on the task at hand and preparing for Arkansas.
After an hour-and-a-half of drill and team work, Holtz blew the whistle to end practice about five minutes early. He pointed the team to the sideline to line up for some conditioning. After the players got to the sideline, Holtz blew the whistle again and surprised the players by bringing them to the middle of the field and not making them run. Shouts of joy went up from all the players.
A Night On Beale Street
After focusing on football during the day, the players were given a chance to experience downtown Memphis and Beale Street at night. One of my personal requirements of the trip to Memphis was to have some of the city's famous barbecue ribs. I did eat a good meal at the Blues City Café downtown, but Uncle Yammy's in Greenville remains my preference for barbecue.
Walking down Beale Street, I saw many nylon signs hanging outside restaurants welcoming East Carolina and Arkansas fans to the city for Saturday's AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
The neon signs that restaurants and shops had hanging above their doors lit up the street and provided a fun environment. Each night, the street is blocked off on both ends to provide a safe walking area for all individuals, which is especially important this week given the high traffic that's in the area.
Tomorrow there is no afternoon press conference as both teams have an awards luncheon to attend. The team will go through a late afternoon practice and have one final night to visit downtown Memphis.
AutoZone Liberty Bowl Announcement
Due to the sellout of Saturday's AutoZone Liberty Bowl, officials are asking fans to plan ahead to try and avoid parking problems.
Get There Early
The Liberty Bowl/Fairground parking lots will open at 8:00 a.m., Saturday January 2nd. Parking spaces will be $10.00 per space. Gates to the stadium for seating will open at 2:30 p.m. and kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. It is suggested that visitors planning to park on site, arrive early as parking is expected to be full by 12.00 noon due to pre-game events and limited parking. Liberty Bowl/Fairground parking can be accessed from Central Avenue, East Parkway South (former Libertyland entrance).
Additional paid parking can also be found in the surrounding area on private lots and at Tobey Park (2599 Avery Avenue).
Memphis Police Department is prepared for overflow parking in the nearby residential areas with additional patrols in the area. Patrons are reminded to observe parking ordinances.
As patrons near the stadium, please be on the look out for electronic traffic information message boards. These message boards will let you know when fairgrounds/ general parking lots are full.
Make It Easy, Take The Shuttle
To help relieve some of the parking challenges of this game, the Memphis Area Transit Authority will provide a "Football Parking Shuttle" leaving from 6 locations in the Memphis area with two downtown locations. These shuttles will depart from the pick up locations at 3:00 p.m. The cost of the shuttle is $5.00 per person, round trip.
Area, Pick-up Locations, Departure
East, Germantown Village Square/7700 Poplar Ave, 3:00 p.m.
Northeast, Wal-Mart/Bartlett Wolfchase/Wal-Mart parking lot, 3:00 p.m.
Southeast, Halle Stadium/Mt. Moriah @American Way, 3:00 p.m.
South, Southland Mall,Whitehaven/Shelby Dr. @ Elvis Presley, 3:00 p.m.
Downtown Marriott & Crown Plaza Hotels/Marriott Driveway, 3:00 p.m.
Downtown Peabody & Doubletree Hotels/Union & Third, 3:00 p.m.
Suggested Driving Routes To Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
For those patrons using GPS systems, the official address of the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is 335 South Hollywood, Memphis, TN 38104, but please be advised that due to a high volume of traffic, all routes may not be accessible.
From the South:
From Hwy 78/Lamar go westbound to Airways, turn right (north) on Airways to Fairgrounds parking.
From Hwy 78/Lamar, go westbound to Pendleton, turn right (north) on Pendleton to Southern, turn left (west) on Southern to Fairgrounds parking.
From I-240 take Airways north to Fairgrounds parking.
From the East:
From I-240, go north on Getwell, turn left (west) on Park, turn right (north) on Highland, turn left (west) on Southern to Hollywood to Stadium.
From I-240, go north on Getwell, turn right (east) on Park, turn left (north) on Goodlett, turn left (west) on Central to Hollywood and Stadium parking.
From I-240, go north on Perkins, turn left (west) on Poplar, turn left (south) on Hollywood to Stadium.
From the North:
Coming from the North, take I-240 or I-40 to Sam Cooper Blvd., go west on Sam Cooper to Hollywood, turn left (south) on Hollywood to the Stadium. Continue west on Sam Cooper to East Parkway, turn left (south) on East Parkway to Central, turn left (east) on Central to Stadium parking.
From the West:
From I-55-S; take I-240- N to Lamar (Midtown), turn right (east) on Lamar to Central, turn left on Central and continue eastbound to Hollywood and Stadium parking.
From I-40 (Miss. River Bridge), take I-240 S to Madison St. exit, go east (turn left) on Madison to East Parkway, turn right (south) on East Parkway to Fairgrounds parking.
Pirates, Blues and Barbecue - Day 2
Pirates, Blues and Barbecue - Day 1
