It's Monday morning & as far as I know Memphis still has a basketball coach. However, the Calipari-to-N.C. State rumors are out there. Here's the latest:

David Glenn, David Glenn's ACC Journal - NCSU Offer "Overwhelms" Calipari
"He (Cal) used the word 'overwhelming,'" the source said. "He said, going into the meeting, he was just going to listen. He came out and said he doesn't think there's any way Memphis can afford to pay the kind of money N.C. State is offering."

Jim Young, Greensboro News-Record - N.C. State pursues Calipari
Unless N.C. State athletics director Lee Fowler and university Chancellor James Oblinger suddenly decided to visit Graceland or Beale Street, it became clear Sunday that the Wolfpack is very interested in University of Memphis basketball coach John Calipari.

John DeLong, Winston-Salem Journal - Wolfpack officials are waiting for Calipari's decision on job offer

---

N.C. State started heavy pursuit of Cal after being turned down by Texas coach Rick Barnes last week. It's reported Barnes will receive a raise in his new contract with the Longhorns, taking him from $1.3 million to $1.8 million.

---

If I was Tennessee Titans QB Steve McNair, my bags would already be packed & my house for sale... I can think of at least six teams right off the top of my head that could use him at quarterback.

---

Larry Woody of The Tennessean writes today of later start times for NASCAR races, thanks to TV. I see I am not the only one who has noticed that just a couple or three seasons ago I could walk in & watch the pre-race show right after church. Thanks to TV, I can come home, eat lunch, put my two-year old down for a nap & just about slip into a napping state myself before the green flag drops.

But I am not complaining. It's the price of success. TV dictating what a sports leagues does or does not do is nothing new. That comes with mult-million dollar contracts.

There was one fact by Woody that was very revealing at the end of his column: NASCAR's TV ratings trail only the NFL's among pro sports. The telecast of the Nextel Cup race at Bristol last month went up against the UConn-George Mason NCAA Tourney thriller and the race drew one million more viewers nationally. Fox's 2½ hours of coverage of a rainout at Atlanta (driver interviews, taped segments, commentary, etc.) drew higher ratings that day than the NBA game on ABC and PGA tournament on NBC.

I used to upset folks when I would say on my old show that NASCAR was now the no. 2 sport in the country. Guess I was pretty close.

---

Remember how we all used to make fun of Phil Mickelson? Lefty picked up his second Masters title in three years yesterday. And some folks are predicting a golf grand slam this season. Stay tuned...

---