Spirit of Memphis
Journalism helps you know your community
It’s hard to imagine many places of Memphis’ size with history and culture so rich and a sense of place so profound.
Chris Herrington
Columnist
Chris Herrington has covered the Memphis Grizzlies, in one way or another, since the franchise’s second season in Memphis, while also writing about music, movies, food and civic life.
There are 1914 articles by Chris Herrington :
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May 2020
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Herrington
Spirit of Memphis -
Memphis Grizzlies Grizzlies reopen practice facility for voluntary, individual player workouts
This week, the Memphis Grizzlies joined the growing list of NBA teams who have reopened their practice facility to voluntary, individual player workouts. League-wide, practice facilities were closed on March 19 because of coronavirus concerns.
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Chris Herrington Herrington: Thoughts on ‘Phase 2’ and the great mask debate
The operational difference between “Phase 1” and “Phase 2” was always fairly narrow and has grown more so via “phase creep.”
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Memphis GrizzliesGrizzlies ‘Rewind’ weekend preview: A first second-round win and Conley mask redux
This weekend's Grizzlies "Rewind” broadcasts — featuring fresh commentary from broadcaster Chris Vernon and former Grizz great Tony Allen — hit two more notable entries in the franchise’s playoff back pages.
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Chris Herrington Herrington: Forrest saga on path to surprisingly amicable end
The Forrest statue made the park unusable space for most Memphians. The Sons of Confederate Veterans lost the battle for the hearts and minds of Memphis, thank goodness, long before they lost the legal battle over moving the monuments to Forrest and Jefferson Davis.
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Memphis Grizzlies Will the NBA finish the 2019-2020 season? Ja Morant votes yes
With hints of restarting the NBA season, questions still remain on how to get the league up and going after the hiatus from the coronavirus pandemic.
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Chris Herrington Herrington: The Memphis Zoo takes a cautious step forward with reopening
Before the pandemic, the Memphis Zoo was a choose-your-own-adventure endeavor, but for the time being, visitors will be guided in one direction around the exhibits. “If you’re just here to see the giraffes it’s going to take you awhile, because you’re going to have to walk the walk,” says zoo CEO Jim Dean.
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Memphis GrizzliesGrizzlies ‘Rewind’ weekend preview: The most chaotic game in franchise history
In the 2013 playoffs against the Clippers, the Grizz dropped the first two games, but won the next four. The last game featured 7 technicals, 2 ejections, a floor brawl and the crowd chanting "Finish them."
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Herrington
Chris HerringtonAcquiring masks has been too much of a community adventure
The diversity of masks and their origins would be charming if it wasn’t yet another sign of official dysfunction in our collective approach to controlling a pandemic.
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Opinion
Chris HerringtonHerrington: Reopening? We’ll wait and see
The city and county can loosen restrictions, but a tour of Midtown and Downtown neighborhoods shows businesses and potential customers still have decisions to make.
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Memphis GrizzliesGrizzlies ‘Rewind’ weekend preview: Z-Bo becomes a legend, Grizz-OKC goes to 3OT
“Grizzlies Rewind: Playoff Edition” broadcasts remind us of the thrills of days and players gone by — especially the heroics of Z-Bo.
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April 2020
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CoronavirusQuarantine Cuisine: Lucky Cat Ramen
The Lucky Cat takeout menu offers family meals for four or six. The ramen, with ingredients packaged separately, travels surprisingly well.
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OPINION
Chris HerringtonHerrington: When will Memphis reopen? Memphis never closed
The past month has meant navigating a matrix of official restrictions and individual decisions, and so will the many months — maybe years — to come.
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Opinion
Chris HerringtonHerrington: First thoughts on Shelby County’s ‘back-to-business’ framework
Shelby County's path through coronavirus is a faucet not a switch: We'll gradually loosen the local economy, but will be prepared to restrict the flow of activity again if and when the virus spikes.
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Chris Herrington Herrington: When it comes to coronavirus in Memphis, ‘Tennessee’ only means so much
A constant factor of Memphis life seems more pressing now than usual: To paraphrase Texas songwriter Joe Ely, we may walk the streets of Memphis, but we’ll have you understand, Tennessee is not entirely the state we’re in.
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Memphis GrizzliesGrizzlies ‘Rewind’ weekend preview: Conley dons the mask, Battier buries the past
The Grizzlies and Fox Sports Southeast begin an eight-game, four-weekend trip through the team's playoff past, with new commentary from Tony Allen. Up first: Mike Conley's "mask game" and the franchise's first playoff win.
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Coronavirus The Extra Podcast: Inside the ICU
What Chris Herrington saw and learned in his exclusive tour of Baptist’s COVID fighting efforts.
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Memphis Grizzlies Grizzlies Notebook: Jaren Jackson Jr. Zooms, Niele Ivey jets and throwback games on tap
Jaren Jackson Jr. talks about training at home and what he's watching and the impact of now-former assistant coach Niele Ivey, who became Notre Dame's head coach on Wednesday.
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Opinion
Chris HerringtonHerrington: Lee’s decision is no green light; now we all live in the flashing yellow
Impatience was always going to be part of this matrix: There’s a natural urge to get past bad situations without fully dealing with them. But a governmental failure has fed this impatience, and it didn’t come from Nashville.
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Food Destination: Delicious Podcast: Isolated with takeout and TV
Jennifer Biggs, Chris Herrington and Natalie Van Gundy talk takeout and what they’re watching on the tube.
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Business Herrington: Local book, record shops ‘essential’ to the city we want to keep
These are not just places to go to find a thing you know you want. They are places to be. To share space with people who share your affinities. They are at their best when you go in just to browse and a book or record finds you.
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ReviewsQuarantine Cuisine: Hog & Hominy
Take-and-bake “pizza kits” of three of Hog & Hominy’s most elemental pies are available as part of the curbside takeout program at Catherine & Mary’s on South Main.
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Food Destination: Delicious Podcast: Keeping it in the house
What do you do when the cupboard's kinda bare and you're not supposed to go shopping and even if you do the stores are nearly empty?
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Opinion
Chris HerringtonHerrington: There’s too much we don’t – but should – know about coronavirus in Memphis
Shelby County has had deaths in 2.25% of coronavirus cases, compared to 1.61% in the rest of the state and 0.84% in Nashville’s Davidson County. Does this suggest that racial disparities are spiking higher rates locally? For now we can only guess.
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Memphis GrizzliesThe 50 best moments of the 2019-2020 Memphis Grizzlies season (Nos. 25-1)
From game-winning layups to buzzer-beating setups, Ja-dropping dunks landed or just missed, Ja Morant's personal highlight reel dominates our list of the best moments of the Grizzlies' season.
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