McCready: 10 Weekend Thoughts presented by Harry Alexander
It's a rainy Sunday in Oxford as I sit down to endeavor on this weekly enterprise.
I'm feeling a bit melancholy, so hopefully, this won't be just an exercise in self-pity.
It's been a reflective weekend. My oldest, Campbell, and I left for her first college visit on Thursday afternoon. If you have teenagers, you know it's hard to find quality time with them. We left Thursday afternoon around 3 and arrived in Ruston, La., around 7:30. We talked the entire time, either to each other or to my younger brothers, who were together in Houston and eagerly awaiting to hear Campbell's thoughts on our hometown.
I doubt Campbell ends up attending Louisiana Tech, but we had a great trip. We had dinner at Ponchatoula's in Ruston, drove around the town where she spent her first Christmas back in 2001, toured Louisiana Tech, met the daughter of one of my dearest friends from high school and generally spent a lot of quality time together. Yeah, I got nostalgic.
During the time at Tech, we learned she's going to have to make this college decision soon. We've both done our research, but I think we were both taken aback by the imminence of what's to come. Even at Tech, dorm deposits are due in mid-October. Hearing those dates, it hit me: Even if she stays home for college (quite unlikely, I'd guess), my baby is leaving soon.
Oh, sure, we'll still see here a lot, and we'll text and FaceTime and email and talk and tweet and Instagram and Facebook chat and all of that, but she won't be upstairs in her room every night or stumbling downstairs for coffee every morning. I'm oh so proud of her and so very excited for the adventures to come in her life, but it hit me on Friday morning in Ruston just how much I'm going to miss her presence in my every-day life.
This morning, my cousin, Jay McCready, texted from England to tell me his mother, Connie, had died in Plano, Texas. I haven't seen Connie in years; we've only corresponded some on Facebook, but I certainly vividly remember her from my childhood and beyond. She was married to my dad's older brother, Alton, and when I was a kid, Alton was bigger than life.
He was a head honcho at Schlumberger, the world's leading provider of technology for reservoir characterization, drilling, production, and processing to the oil and gas industry, and while I didn't and still don't really know exactly what he did, I knew he was powerful and when he spoke, I knew to listen. The last time I saw him was when he gave the commencement address when I received my Master of Arts from what is now Louisiana-Monroe in December 1993.
When he died in 1994, my father delivered his eulogy. I wasn't at the funeral (I couldn't get away from work, which, in hindsight, is a major life regret), but I read it. It was the most beautiful tribute anyone's ever written; I'm convinced of that. I'm a decent sportswriter; my father is an amazing writer and story-teller about topics of so much more import than games.
Connie's passing further cemented what was already on my mind this weekend. Time doesn't stand still. It marches on. We all move to different phases in our lives, whether we're ready or not.
I don't do a lot of ruminating on Facebook, and I don't keep a journal, so this is my forum more often than not. Thanks for listening. I'll try to put some thoughts you might actually be interested in together now.
1. Ole Miss swept Georgia in a doubleheader on Saturday, claiming a series that got off on the wrong foot for the Rebels Friday night.
With the two wins, Ole Miss improved to 10-8 in Southeastern Conference play, tied with Arkansas for first place in the SEC West and tied with the Hogs, Arkansas and Vanderbilt for second place in the overall league standings behind first-place Florida (14-4 in the SEC).
Yes, Ole Miss' bullpen has struggled in recent weekends, likely costing the Rebels series wins at Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. Yes, Friday night's loss was one that should've been frustrating for Ole Miss fans. Yes, it's fair to question some of Mike Bianco's pitching decisions Friday night.
However, if one is going to pick the losses apart, one must in turn recognize a team's toughness and resilience on Saturday. Make no mistake, Georgia is good enough and entered Oxford hot enough to have won two or three games at Swayze Field. Bouncing back from Friday's disappointment to win two on Saturday showed off Ole Miss' collective mettle.
There is one great team in the SEC -- Florida. Only two teams _ Alabama and Tennessee _ don't have at least eight SEC wins. In other words, there is plenty of parity and the margin for error is typically razor-thin.
With four weeks of regular season play remaining, Ole Miss has positioned itself to do big things. Given the state of the SEC, that's generally a positive thing.
2. LSU heads to Ole Miss on Thursday for a big three-game series in Oxford.
One of the more interested observers in the stadium, assuming he can squeeze a game into his high school schedule, should be Oxford infielder Drew Bianco.
Bianco, a senior at OHS, is committed to LSU and is on pace to play against his dad next spring. Mike Bianco, you remember, played at LSU. Mike's wife and Drew's mom, Camie, also graduated from LSU.
It shouldn't be a big story, and hopefully, it won't be. Drew is good enough to play wherever he'd like, and Mike and Camie apparently made a decision early in their marriage their boys wouldn't play for their dad's employer.
That should suffice for anyone. No one owes his or her child to his or her employer, no matter what position one might hold.
I wasn't an athlete (well, not a good one) in high school, but I grew up in a college town and my dad taught there. Did he owe it to Louisiana Tech to send his children there? No. The answer is always no.
No one owes one's employer or alma mater or anything else his children. Frankly, it's no one's business. In fairness, that appears to be the majority opinion. However, there are some who want to make Drew Bianco's college choice their business, and they couldn't be more wrong.
2b. Before anyone thinks this is me criticizing message boarders, I'm not. Obviously, some made it an issue this weekend, and I responded with my opinions, but I do respect the opinions of others.
Further, as I learned last week on more than one occasion, the power of this community is an incredible thing. Truly, it's amazing. There are some very talented, intelligent, compassionate and awesome people at RebelGrove.com. I have more respect and admiration for and pride in this community today than I've had in a long time.
3. The NFL draft begins Thursday evening in Arlington, Texas.
The Cleveland Browns, as usual, are on the clock. NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah believes the Browns will take USC quarterback Sam Darnold No. 1. He projects the New York Giants, with Eli Manning still very much under contract, will take Penn State running back Saquon Barkley with the second overall pick. Jeremiah has Josh Rosen, the enigmatic UCLA quarterback, going No. 12 overall to Buffalo, after Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield and Wyoming quarterback Josh Rosen.
As of this writing, the top of the draft is chock full of drama. It should be a fun watch.
4. No Ole Miss players will hear their names called on Thursday.
As the weekend progresses, however, look for defensive end Marquis Haynes, defensive tackle Breeland Speaks, offensive lineman Rod Taylor, linebacker DeMarquis Gates and running back Jordan Wilkins to at least cross the minds of NFL personnel in war rooms across the country.
Haynes' ability to get to the quarterback should make him a valuable asset. Speaks was inconsistent at Ole Miss, but he's a force when his motor is running. Taylor has high-level athleticism for a big man. Gates made a ton of tackles in the SEC, and it's no secret I'm a big fan of Wilkins' work ethic, intensity and versatility.
5. A year from now, Ole Miss could have a big first night of the NFL draft.
Offensive tackle Greg Little and wide receiver A.J. Brown are projected as first-rounders in 2019, and fellow wide receiver D.K. Metcalf could play himself into that rarefied air.
Those will be difficult losses for Ole Miss, but it represents a chance to have a reset of sorts. As well all _ trust me, I remember quite vividly _ recall, Ole Miss put three third-year players into the first round of the 2016 NFL draft. However, due to the aforementioned draft shenanigans, the program never really had an opportunity to cash in on that momentum.
A year from now, if Little, Brown and/or Metcalf leave a year early to cash in on NFL millions, Ole Miss should be able to finally reap the rewards of the ultimate draft success.
6. When Demarcus Cousins tore his Achilles in January, lots of NBA observers _ hand raised _ believed that was the end for the New Orleans Pelicans' playoff hopes.
We were all wrong. Instead, Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday have carried the Pelicans into the playoffs and to a series sweep of the Portland Trailblazers, one that was clinched with Saturday's 131-123 win in New Orleans.
The Pelicans will face Golden State next, and they'll be prohibitive underdogs when that series begins. However, the Pelicans' close to the season, combined with the sweep of Portland, has perhaps changed the trajectory of the franchise in New Orleans.
Davis hinted at as much on Sunday, saying he wanted to "build a legacy" in New Orleans. The Pelicans could also bring Cousins back and use him as a complementary piece _ albeit an expensive one _ with Davis and Holiday. In January, many were wondering if that injury to Cousins marked the turning point of Davis' stay in New Orleans. A player that great, after all, is eventually going to want to win. No one is wondering that now.
7. Several SEC teams held their spring games on Saturday. Alabama's Jalen Hurts, who may or may not be issuing an ultimatum to the Crimson Tide this summer, wasn't very sharp. New Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt called out the portion of the Tennessee fan base that actually had things to do and couldn't go to a scrimmage. Georgia once again turned its spring game into "What Alabama Does, Just East of There."
Here are some links from around the league:
Fromm, Fields have their moments in Athens
Quarterback, running back situations clear up a bit at LSU
Deja vu for the Big Orange Nation
Three Mississippi State players who helped themselves this spring and three with work to do
8. I don't have a ton of thoughts this week. I thought about expressing frustration at those who had the gall to take pleasure in the death of former First Lady Barbara Bush. I thought about making some Major League Baseball observations or maybe even opine on what I sometimes see during my observations of youth sports.
Then I heard about the heroics of James Shaw Jr., who saved lives and prevented more injuries early Sunday at a Waffle House in Antioch, Tenn.
Shaw said Sunday at a press conference that he isn't a hero. With all due respect, sir, I'd have to disagree. I'd have to argue that you're one hell of a hero.
"I made up my mind that he was going to have to work to hurt me," Shaw said Sunday. "He was going to have to work to kill me. I'm not a hero. I'm just a regular person," he continued. "And I think anybody could have done what I did."
"I didn't really fight that man to save everybody else. That might not be a popular thing, but I have to be honest. I took the gun so I could get myself out."
These things seem to happen so often that we all have thought about how we'd react if we found ourselves in Shaw's position. I'd like to think I'd react similarly, but I pray I never find out. What I know is Shaw showed courage and bravery beyond what I can truly fathom.
No matter how much he might humbly protest, he's a hero of the highest order.
9. I got carded ordering a beer in a restaurant in Memphis on Saturday afternoon between games of Carson's soccer tournament. I can't decide if that was the highlight of my weekend or if it just sort of ticked me off. While I contemplate, here's Jonathan Howard with the drink of the week:
It is time for World Class again, and this time is the last time. After a top-four finish last year, I look forward to my opportunity to compete again, and hopefully get to represent our country at the Global final this fall in Berlin. I head to Washington, D.C., the second week of May to begin my journey, and lucky for me, one of the challenges is based around something I may know a thing or two about -- bourbon. So, with that being said, my original cocktail The Port of Orleans is your drink of the week.
As the story goes, somewhere between 1830-1860, Louisville store owner and whiskey maker Augustus Bulliet loaded up a skiff full of his hooch and headed down the Mississippi River to New Orleans to sell his product, which was the last time he was ever seen. The Bulliet bourbon we all know today was inspired by the lost family recipe when Louisville lawyer Tom Bulliet found his great grandfather's recipe and took the dive into whiskey, creating the Bulliet Distilling Company in 1987.
The whiskey of today is not exactly what Augustus was making, but it was high rye and on the sweeter side of the spectrum. We were all tasked with creating a drink that Augustus would have enjoyed in New Orleans during the time of his disappearance, as well as drink we would serve him were he to show back up today in Louisville.
So, for part one of the challenge. I made the assumption that good ole Augustus made it to New Orleans, and landed at the Port of New Orleans, which was the center of commerce for the city at the time. It was also the home to most of the city's fine hotels, which housed the city's best bars. At this time, the hotel bars of New Orleans were creating drinks we now all know like the Sazarac and Vieux Carré. So, I also assumed that he sold all of his whiskey and headed for one of the bars in a hotel to get a drink unlike anything he could get in Louisville at the time.
I started with the idea of what drinks were like in the 1830-1860s. Drinks were softer, complex, yet simple to make. Most really great bars only had about 30-40 bottles behind them, so a wild variety just wasn’t a thing. We were required to use Bulliet bourbon, so pairing something with it was the task at hand. I immediately went for a Manhattan-style drink, as it is something I am comfortable with and can easily make really well.
So, I went with a 1 1/2-ounce pour of the bourbon. I then grabbed for a sweet vermouth, electing to use Cocchi Torino. It has a really great floral quality but also some hints of sassafras as it smells like a flat Coke in a way. Now to head in a new direction. To go for that softer drink, I needed another fortified wine, but I wanted something a little bitter that not many other contestants would use that would have also been around make then, and so I went with China China. China China has been made since 1875 and is created from a blend of sweet and bitter orange peels macerated in a beet neutral alcohol and then re-distilled with plants, seeds and spices, including gentian, which gives it a bitter quality.
Now we are talking. To finish it off, a really New Orleans move on my part -- a couple dashes of Peychauds bitters and a couple dashes of absinthe. Stir and strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with an orange peel. It’s a vintage drink that goes down way too easily.
TO BE CONTINUED….
Port of Orleans
1 1/2 ounces Bulliet bourbon
1 ounce Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
½ ounce China China
2 dashes Peychauds bitters
2 dashes absinthe
Directions: In a mixing glass full of ice, add dashes first, followed by remaining ingredients. Stir until chilled and properly diluted. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an orange peel.
10. We'll have coverage of Ole Miss baseball and both football and basketball recruiting this week on RebelGrove.com. Until then, here are some links of interest to me _ and hopefully, to you _ for your reading pleasure:
Note: There's a decent chance I'll be driving all day next Sunday. If that's the case, I'll take the week off from 10 Weekend Thoughts.
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