Danton Barto, Memphis football’s all-time leading tackler, is in the hospital fighting COVID-19. He sent his wife, Shelly Beth, a text: “Get that shot for me.”

Maybe it was time for Buster Kelso to end his remarkable career as baseball coach. But he deserved one final year. 

Related story: Buster Kelso forced out as Christian Brothers High coach

Bryson DeChambeau and Harris English collapsed. Abraham Ancer won in a playoff. And the last WGC in Memphis ended in stunning fashion. 

Penny Hardaway has the No. 1 recruit in the country, the golf tournament has never been better, the Tigers football team has been to seven straight bowl games and Ja Morant calls FedExForum home. Has there ever been a more promising moment for Memphis sports?

Yes, Penny Hardaway has landed big recruits before. But getting Jalen Duren is different. It could be the start of a glorious new era of Tigers basketball.

Isaac Bruce will become the first Memphis player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. He says his time at Memphis — a place he still loves — “helped make me who I am.”

At 5 p.m. Friday, a gifted center named Jalen Duren will announce his destination. If he picks Memphis, it could be the start of something big.

Isn’t Bryson DeChambeau supposed to be smart? Then why is it, when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine, he sounds like such a dummy? 

For 46 years, Bob Winn has volunteered in the media center at the Memphis golf tournament. This year, heart damage and a brain bleed will keep him away. What about the event inspires such loyalty? Hint: It’s not the golf. 

‘Memphis deserves better than to be fretting about conference realignment again. It needs the Big 12 to implode once and for all.’

The Milwaukee Bucks proved you don’t have to be in a major market to win a title. So Grizzlies fans are free to dream.

Calkins: “The only thing SEC states do better than football is ignorance. Why you should be rooting for forfeits — and fully vaccinated Vanderbilt — this season.”

Penny Hardaway is 50! And he’s spending his birthday at an AAU tournament in North Augusta, South Carolina, because he is working to bring a title to his hometown. 

Can we please stop with the nationally televised whodunits in the Lorenzen Wright case? We already know who done it. Which is why Sherra Wright, his ex-wife, is sitting in prison.

Larry Brown said his hearing aids gave him trouble at his first Memphis practice. But listen up, people. This is a basketball story to appreciate.

For decades, Memphians have crossed over to Arkansas to get their fireworks. That will be considerably harder with the bridge out. A report from the West Memphis fireworks tents. Will business be a dud?

On the same day Penny Hardaway confirmed he won’t be leaving for the Orlando Magic, it was reported that Larry Brown will be joining him on the Memphis bench. Say this about Tigers basketball. It is rarely dull. 

It appears increasingly unlikely Penny Hardaway will be offered the Orlando job. But either way, Memphis basketball will endure.

Penny Hardaway has emerged as a ‘serious candidate’ to become the next coach of the Orlando Magic. He is closer to being the former coach of the Memphis Tigers than he has ever been.

When George Cates died in a plane crash Monday, Memphis lost a leader with vision and enthusiasm — and who was determined to bring everyone along.

The University of Memphis may yet get whacked in the case before the NCAA. But if and when that happens, you can take solace in knowing there is no American institution with less credibility than the NCAA.