The Mailbag, presented by The Westin Jackson, Edition 78
it's time for The Mailbag, presented by The Westin Jackson, where I answer your questions from RebelGrove.com and Twitter.
I asked for your questions. You delivered. So here we go...
From Hannitized: Please give me ANY reason why an NFL team would sign Jameis Winston for any contract much less millions. There are reasons why Saban did not want to sign him.
I'm not a big fan of Winston's. I'm not sure he's got the leadership and commitment required to be a successful NFL quarterback. There's a lot of talent there, so if there's a reason, that's it.
From BroWallace: Neal McCready is dictator. What does your Coronavirus bill look like?
Something very similar to this:
From DeuceMccluster22: Watched a lot of 80s and early 90s NBA stuff during this time of isolation. Their physical builds are NOTHING like that of NBA players today, do u attribute to that just being during an era that the players just placed no emphasis on weights or u willing to possibly admit guys today are on somewhat on something...?I mean compare a NBA big such as Jabbar trying to guard or post up on someone like Shaq.And do u think Larry Bird could play in today's NBA?
Yeah, I just think it's a different time. That's why comparing eras is so difficult. I do think the greats would be great in any era. It's the way they're wired. It would be interesting to see what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would do in today's game, as it's skewed away from centers. As for Bird, yes, dear God, he'd be a star in today's game. He was so skilled offensively, so incredible as a passer and such an intuitive player.
From MarvMerchants: How did y’all come up with the name greatest pod in the south?
We were just brainstorming names and Jay came up with it. I loved it immediately and we were done.
From Colonel3491: Would you quarantine for a year if it meant you’re guaranteed 2 titles in the next 5 years for your favorite sports teams?
No. That would mean not getting to go see Campbell at Arkansas. That would mean not going to see Caroline dance her senior year. It would mean missing Carson's soccer games. I like the Cubs. A lot. But I'm not sure I like them that much.
All that being said, the quarantine hasn't changed my day-to-day life much at all. I'm not sure what that says about me.
From PinewoodReb: If the steps taken to combat the spread of coronavirus cause 25% of Americans to lose their job and cost every remaining working American, on average, 25% of their annual income and 25% of their net worth then, in your opinion, what will need to have been saved, or have been accomplished, in order to justify that?
This is way over my pay grade. I don't know how to put a value on a human life. I do know several medical professionals who are very scared about happens when the American medical system gets overrun. I can't answer your questions. I'm simply not qualified. I do believe, however, the economy can't recover if the medical system is completely overwhelmed in our nation's large cities.
From BigRouse: I think I had my first anxiety attack ever last night. How do you avoid getting too down in times like these?
I exercise. I watch something funny. I go for a walk. I read a book. I remind myself that I can't control the uncontrollable and I try to think of something else. Take a melatonin and try to get your rest. Remember you aren't in this alone.
From nas5108: Do you think Ta’amu will stick in the NFL after being signed by the Chiefs today?
I'm biased here, as I'm a big fan of Jordan Ta'amu the human being. I certainly hope he makes it. I think his XFL performance helped him very much.
From nas5108: What are a few movies that you really want to take the time to watch through this COVID scare we are in currently?
Toy Story 4, JoJo Rabbit, 1917, Apollo 11, Richard Jewell, to name a few. How many will I get to? Not many.
From nas5108: What would be your All time starting 5 in the NBA from the 1980s to now?
G Magic Johnson
G Michael Jordan
C Hakeem Olajuwon
F LeBron James
F Kevin Durant
From Patrick C Timony: Rank the fast food breakfastsTudor’sWendy’sBurger KingMcDonaldsSubwayHardee’sChick-fil-aBojanglesTaco BellSonic
I'm not a big breakfast guy. I've had Chick-fil-A breakfast and it's fine. I've had a Burger King croissant ages ago, and I guess it's fine, too.
My answer, however, is the Oxford Krystal. Best breakfast in the world.
From luckydogg23: Did LSU start COVID-19 to cover up the basketball scandal? Just kidding, but how does this whole ordeal affect all of the so called scandals that the NCAA was supposedly looking in to?
I suspect it just slows things down. We're all, even the NCAA, in something of a holding pattern these days.
From Rogertheshrubber: I was bittersweet glad for the long suffering Cubs' fans when you finally broke through. My team is Cleveland and they have not won it in my lifetime. So, if they should ever make it to the Series again and their opponents are not the Cubs, could you find it in your heart to pull for them if they were playing, say, the Cardinals?
Absolutely. I have so much respect for the Indians after that World Series. It was so close. I've caught myself cheering for them the past couple of years. If they were in the World Series again, I'd definitely cheer for them, unless they were playing the Cubs.
From Levi275: How do you define leadership and who are the strongest leaders that you've interacted with in your life?
I think leadership is the ability and willingness to make unpopular decisions. It's an ability to go against the crowd. Sometimes, it's vocal. Often, it's silent.
Oh, and Houston Nutt. :-)
From SaladThunder: If there are no sports in the Fall, will you and Chase grab a side gig?
I'll be very concerned. It might, at that point, be time to re-evaluate. If it comes to that, I won't be alone.
I will say that, as of today, I'm not all that confident regarding the timely return of sports.
From Rogertheshrubber: As a journalist, are there certain writing errors that drive you crazy? I can't get over how often I see the possessive used incorrectly. "He sells an awful lot of sock's" for example. When I see an article with a slew of writing errors, I begin to think that if the author was that careless, maybe he or she was also putting forth "facts" haphazardly. What say you?
Yes, the misuse of possessives drives me insane. Merry Christmas from the Parker's, for example. I always just lose it, wondering, "Merry Christmas from the Parker's what? Just one Parker?"
How hard is to see that it should be Merry Christmas from the Parkers, as in, more than one member of the Parker family. Plural. No possessive. Drives me crazy.
I've seen writers make mistakes with to/too and lose/loose. I immediately discount their work.
Yes, I make some mistakes. When I do, I typically lose sleep. Grammar matters. Spelling matters.
From VibinReb45: Between the NSD issues and Colten Gauthier committing to South Carolina it just seems like Kiffin is getting off to a slow start in recruiting. Do you think they just need a domino or two to start falling?
I'm sure they'd love to land a commitment or two, but almost all programs, Ole Miss included, have lost recruiting momentum to the COVID-19 pandemic. When (and if, I suppose) things get back to normal, the Rebels will be on the clock. Right now, there's no way to really judge how recruiting is or isn't going.
We discussed this on the Oxford Exxon Podcast Tuesday. Chase felt things would go back to how they were prior to COVID-19. I disagreed. That said, I've avoided crowds of people for years, so I'm not sure I'm the person to ask. Again, my life hasn't changed all that much.
I love it. I'll wear any team's gear on the show if someone will send it to me. That would be fun.
Here's a funny list:
https://www.parent24.com/Pregnant/Baby-names/61-of-the-worst-names-parents-actually-gave-their-kids-20180815
There was a man in Ruston when we were growing up named Harry Dick. We never didn't find that funny. I did a Google search, worrying as I hit the return button, but I saw where there was a former hockey player with the same name.