The Mailbag, pres. by Art Hays of Sotheby's Int'l Realty: Edition 265
It's time for The Mailbag, presented by Art Hays of Sotheby's International Realty, Edition 265.
I asked for your questions. You delivered. So here we go…
The Mailbag is presented by Art Hays of Sotheby’s International Realty. Are you thinking of making a move? Put the power of Sotheby's International Realty to work for you. As a licensed agent with Sotheby's International Realty and a supporter of all things Ole Miss, Art can help you buy or sell in your home town, or anywhere in the world, at no charge to you (seriously). Call and ask Art how. Call 612-805-5929 or email Art at Art Hays at arthur.hays@lakesmn.com.
From larryjoe1979: How bad is November going to be for the country? I mean no matter who wins the election, half the country is going to lose it's collective minds
I am prepared for total chaos. Neither side will accept defeat. If Trump wins, there will be riots all over the country and the Democrats will fight his certification. If Biden wins, Republicans will accuse the Democrats of ballot stuffing and again refuse to accept the outcome. My concern is at some point vitriol takes another step and becomes violence.
From TupeloReb99: Who is on your Mt. Rushmore of Basketball?
Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Magic Johnson
I thought about Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Nikola Jokic.
From chattreb: I know that you have lived and worked In Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, so I assume (rather confidently) that you have had a lot of interaction with the fans from those three states. My question, which fan base has (in your opinion) has the most unrealistic fan base? Notice I did not say worst, I said the most unrealistic.
Auburn. It's not even close. Alabama and LSU expect greatness and routinely achieve it. I mean, hell, Alabama just dominated the sport for 15 years. I don't think the Mississippi schools have insane expectations. Auburn fans believe they should be routine title contenders even though history doesn't support that expectation.
From robert90: With the NFL draft getting closer and no player for Ole Miss being a lock to get drafted (maybe Prince and Cedric because they had good combine numbers), it made me think how last years Ole Miss team really over achieved. It was not like that roster was full of future NFL players. Was last season the best coaching job Kiffin has done as a head coach in all of his stops. Thank you in advance.
I'd have to study his career more thoroughly to fully answer that, but it was an elite coaching job. He squeezed every drop out of that team and won every single close game.
From REBNUT: Been watching Ted Lasso for the first time and it’s sparked an interest in me in the game . What English football league is worth following, in other words who’s the best? The show makes soccer look like fun .
English Premier League is awesome. Pick a team and follow it. All the games are on TV or streamed. It's a fantastic product. Soccer is fun.
From DeuceMccluster22: W/ his soccer background, what could your son run a mile in? And if he hasn’t ran one for time recently what’s your guess of what he could do? Soccer players make some really good distance runners, if the soccer thing doesn’t work out post High school you think he’d take it up? ( racing 5k, 10k, halfs and marathons?)
I'd guess he could run a 6-minute mile pretty easily. He might be able to do better than that. He has no fat and is in great cardiovascular shape (must be nice). He's going to really miss the game, so I could see him taking up some distance running. He could easily go log a few miles right now. Maybe he'd catch the bug.
From Levi275: Rank the best One bar flavors from 1-5. I know there are more flavor options, but your top 5 will suffice.
OK, I'm a peanut butter guy, so keep that in mind.
1. Peanut butter pie/peanut butter cup (Both are excellent)
2. Cinnamon roll
3. Smores
4. Glazed doughnut
5. Lemon cake
6. Almond bliss
7. Cookies and cream
Extra: The Marshmallow Hot Cocoa One Bar, when available, is delightful.
I love One bars. I'm back on my fasting diet as it's obvious I can't eat food while I'm waiting to get back to a place physically where I can run and bike hard and all of that stuff and burn some serious calories. The One Bar people should advertise with me. I'm a huge fan. Carson eats two a day, sometimes more. Knowing that One Bar is going to be ready for me at 3 p.m. each day makes me very happy.
From Choctaws: Who should be starting catcher?
I'm a big fan of Yan Gomes, but given that the Cubs aren't contenders this year, I'd like to see Miguel Amaya get more opportunities.
From jchmcl09: If College Football and Basketball continue the "professionalization" route and lose all pretense of the separation and differences between college and pro sports, won't they eventually "kill the golden goose" and be recognized as Minor Leagues.Trent Dilfer said today that he could see the top colleges become similar to franchises owned by the zillionaires who couldn't buy an NFL or NBA team but now get to be Owners and sit in their plush boxes.I enjoy going to a Memphis Redbirds game every so often but there is no doubt that I am watching a "watered down" product. Are college sports about to be relegated to that status?Will the Philadelphia Eagles in need of a healthy running back mid season just call up a guy from their Penn State Farm Club?
I've learned I'm the wrong person for this question. I keep thinking it's a mistake. Hell, Lane Kiffin said today the present status of the portal is "a disaster." Still, the sport seems to thrive. I don't know that anything can break it.
It's a level of fandom I can't relate to. I'm not an alma mater guy, but I've learned so many others are. They love where they went to school deeply, passionately. It's a huge part of their identities. So, no matter what, they give and support.
I'm not criticizing, mind you. I just can't relate on any level. So my answers on this are proven wrong time after time.
From North Tampa Rebel: Eight months out, give me some political predictions:President and electoral college Control of house Control of senate Biggest surprise no one sees now
Why not?
Based on what we know today -- March 6, 2024 at 12:21 p.m. CST -- I'd say:
President -- Trump in a bit of an electoral college landslide. I think Biden is in political trouble right now.
House -- Democrats regain control, though very narrowly. The map is in their favor in November, but it's close.
Senate -- The map favors Republicans this cycle and I look for the Republicans to add a couple of seats to their slim majority.
Biggest surprise: This is obvious. The Democrats reach a crisis point where they decide Biden can't win and they make a change. I have no idea who they'd throw in the mix. The Republican Party is a mess; that's how they're rolling with Trump yet again. But the Democratic Party is also chaotic. There's no sure-fire candidate waiting in the wings to run this fall.
From jksreb: Any round about guesses on the health of Basketball NIL? I am positive this will be a hot topic in the next few weeks.
I've heard there's about $2.5 million or so in NIL for hoops. No idea if that's accurate or not. People aren't exactly volunteering that information.
From onlyusernameicouldget: Who in your opinion was/is the best sports commentator, John Madden, Howard Cosell or Bob Costas (or a name that I didn't mention) and what quality did they have that makes you feel that way? Shifting gears, assuming that America somehow pulls out of this tailspin we have seen over the last several years without completing imploding, states seceding from the Union, etc., what in your opinion will be the thing that brought us back together? There was a time I used to think that only a major direct conflict with another country causing us to commit young men and women from all across the country to go fight could accomplish that, but I now have reservations that even that would do it. 911 certainly had that impact for a time but we were not nearly as fractured then as we seem to be now. I will just be curious as to your thoughts. Hope your rehab is going well.
I think Vin Scully was the very best. He was amazing, both on television and radio. I grew up with Cosell and Al Michaels and all of those guys. As someone who wanted to go into broadcasting (before it became obvious that I had a face for print), I always paid attention to how people called games and conducted interviews and that kind of thing.
As for the country, I just don't think there's a way we all unify again. I think the damage is done. I know that sounds awful, but it's what I believe. Maybe after this Trump-Biden cycle, there's a reset that unifies the nation a bit.
But I'm skeptical.
From Hannitized: Can the Timberwolves or the Thunder make it past the first round in the playoffs? IMO...two REALLY fun teams to watch. Thx NM!
Can they? Sure.
Minnesota has a superstar in Edwards, an elite defender in Gobert and an enigmatic player who can change a series if he's dialed in (Towns).
OKC has a top-three player in SGA, two future top-30 players in Jalen Williams and Holmgren, a deep bench, a lockdown defender (Dort) and an elite shooter (Joe).
However, I question the Wolves' toughness in a series and I question if the Thunder is ready.
But can they? Absolutely.
From Cobbrebel: Are college teams building into their NILs a contingency that if their team makes the playoff, one has to sign some agreement that they will play in the playoffs and not opt out? I would think that would be pretty important.
I don't think it works that way. They can't be performance-based. They're monthly, so if you want to get paid for December, you have to play in December. Same for January. However, look, the day will come when someone opts out. The NFL might care. It might not. I don't know. If a player feels the risk is too much to play, he's not going to play.
That's going to happen.
From Powder Blues: Given his height, what kind of car is Jamarion Sharp able to fit in and drive?
He should stick with Clark Fords. 662-257-1900. Ask for Corey.
