On No. 65

If you're not into college sports, you might not know tonight is a big night for the Memphis Tigers. They are facing UTEP (8pm EST, CBS College Sports) in what could become the Tigers' 65th straight conference win. That would break Kentucky's 64 conference wins between 1945 and 1950.

Being tied with Kentucky at 64 wins is a big deal — and a point of pride for Tigers fans. It's something we're not likely to see again in our lifetimes. But that one extra win that pushes the team (and its fans) past Kentucky ... well, that's important, too. Especially now. And especially because it's Kentucky's record.

I never thought I'd say this, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Tennessee Vols fans stung by Lane Kiffin. Memphis feels your pain. We were stung by John Calipari. And, for what it's worth, I hope Knoxville approves that plan to name a wastewater treatment plant the Lane Kiffin Sewage Center. He deserves the recognition.

I was reading Geoff Calkins' column today (an aside: his "floating head" headshot under the embedded video is very distracting), and was struck by these grafs:

Never mind if this is the week that Kentucky finally ascends to No. 1 in the polls. Never mind that the NCAA might take away the Memphis winning streak because Derrick Rose didn't take his standardized test.

People in Memphis will always know about the wins. They were there for all 64.

Memphis is a city of fickle fans. Just ask the Redbirds or the RiverKings. Or ask the Memphis Grizzlies — an NBA team that regularly sees fewer fans at its games than the Tigers do. (That says a lot about both the Grizzlies and the Tigers.)

Or use your time machine and ask the Memphis Blues — the defunct baseball team, not the rugby team (but I bet you've never heard of them either). Or the Showboats, the Chicks, the Mad Dogs or the Maniax. Raise your hand if you remember the Maniax. Keep your hand raised if you ever went to one of their games. Yeah. That's what I thought.

And Tigers fans have been fickle, too. I admit that I didn't go to a single game during my college years. I worked a lot, and the team wasn't ... well ... it wasn't 2007-08 caliber. The Blue Crew didn't exist. We weren't "Dreamers. Thinkers. Doers." (Nor were we the real motto — did you know there was a real motto? — "Imaginari. Cogitare. Facere.")

But over the course of several seasons and 64 conference wins, the team has garnered a strong following — even after Cal left, even after the NCAA issued sanctions — and hopefully that's something that doesn't rest on the shoulders of one player or one coach or one season.

Paying attention is a lot harder from 700 miles away. Because most games are only televised regionally, I'm reduced to following games via Twitter and ESPN box scores. I hope Paul and I move back to Memphis one day so I can show my Tiger Pride in person. If I had to guess, we'd probably buy season tickets next to our families.

But for now, I'll hunch over my netbook and hit F5 repeatedly. If 65 doesn't come, I'll be proud of 64. And if 65 does come, it'll be something Kentucky can't pack in a moving van — with the secretary and the house plants — and take away from us.