The Mailbag, pres. by Art Hays of Sotheby's Int'l Realty: Edition 268
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It's time for The Mailbag, presented by Art Hays of Sotheby's International Realty, Edition 268.
I asked for your questions. You delivered. So here we go…
From chattreb: Irregardless of what happens in the final four to NC State and DJ Burns, don’t you think that his game and personality have been quite good for the NCAA tournament and quite frankly men’s college basketball?
Yes, he's a lot of fun, putting a fun face on a Cinderella team. It's brought up memories of 1983 and Jim Valvano. Sports are about people and personalities, and his is magnetic. He's got people watching him and cheering for his team, and that's great for the sport.
From BeijingReb: Is Biden’s strategy with the visibility day just to have one group of people who will look back at his administration favorably? He’s successfully upset just about everyone else, including the core group of voters who gave the poor guy the job. Otherwise I guess it was just pointless virtue signaling.
It's not him. He's a vegetable, for all intents and purposes. It's his people, and all they care about is signaling virtue. They live in a bubble. They have no real understanding of how sick of that crap every-day Americans are.
From MarkVols: What if I told you… that in todays college basketball: a team held its opponent (who was the number one three point shooting team in the country) to 3 made threes, outscored them by 24 at the 3 point line, won the assist, turnover, fast break point battles and lost by multiple possessions in an Elite 8 game? (I may get over it by June)
You have every reason to be upset. Officiating decided the game and cost Tennessee a trip to the Final Four. College officials simply can't figure out how to officiate Zach Edey.
From Kylethehoss: What is the best cut of steak for the value? What is the best way to cook the steak in a cast iron skillet?
In my opinion, it's tri-tip or flank. So versatile, much cheaper and you get a lot of beef for your buck.
In a cast iron skillet, doing a filet or a strip or a ribeye, the best method is to sear it on all sides and then remove it. Then add some butter and shallot. Then add some rosemary and thyme and salt and pepper and return the steak to the pan. Then spoon the butter over the steak repeatedly for a few minutes. Let it rest 5-10 minutes and enjoy.
From PaxReb: Have you seen this article? Curious to get yours and @Chase Parhamthoughts on the pod. Unless you think it will put the audience to sleep.
There's a lot there, and I'll get Chase to help me address it sometime. Here's the article for those who want to read it. We use BlueWire as a way to grow and market our podcasts, and they push it out to Apple and Spotify and all the rest. I don't know where the future of podcasts is headed, as they replace mainstream media more and more each month.
From TupeloReb99: Looking back through your career on this Ole Miss beat… what year was your favorite year to cover the team? Doesn’t mean the team was good or bad. But just your favorite football season to cover looking back. And why?
It's a great question and a fun question, but I really don't think about it that way. Some seasons (2010, 2011) were brutal to cover because the people I was covering despised me and yet I still had a job to do. Others (2013, 2015) are fun because you develop such a respect for some people you're covering and you're pleased to see them have success. Usually, however, I just cover it and do my best and look for stories. The favorite team I ever covered was 2000 Auburn. There was a ton of access and a rich variety of storylines. That team went 9-4, lost in the SEC Championship Game.
From DiamondReb1083: Put yourself in ADKC's shoes. Convince me that putting $30M into an already more-than-adequate baseball stadium to add ~400 seats is a good idea in the current climate of college athletics overall, and the current state of Ole Miss baseball.
We talked about this on Wednesday's podcast. I really can't make it make sense, other than it might be the final opportunity for a bit to do anything from a facilities improvement standpoint. If the money is basically there and earmarked, you go ahead and fulfill the project. And it sounds like that's the case.
From Reb Talking18: How many SEC Defensive lines would you for sure take over what the Rebels (as the roster stands today) will run out next year?
I can't say that I've studied the league just yet, but I can't imagine a more talented defensive line than the one Ole Miss will field this fall. I'm sure Georgia, Texas and Alabama are also very talented up front, but Ole Miss, assuming it can stay healthy, should dictate games up front for the first time in years.
From jchmcl09: Are you skeptical of how the Shohei Ohtani saga has been presented? After all, the $4.5 million supposedly stolen by the Interpreter is not exactly "petty cash" even for a superstar like him? Where were the attorneys, accountants, and bankers who were employed/involved in the Ohtani financial empire? Sports betting is actually illegal in California but the bookmaker was based in Los Angeles and reportedly bragged about his ties to Ohtani to attract other clients. This is a crazy story!
Yes, I'm very skeptical. I don't believe the official account. Major League Baseball has to just hope this goes away, and it likely will. There's simply no way Ohtani and his people didn't notice that kind of money moving around without asking questions.
From Levi275: What does Zach Edey’s NBA career look like? It’s not the most fluid athlete, but he does possess some traditional post moves. 20 years ago, he is a #1 pick. I still expect him to be taken fringe lottery / mid-R1 but is he destined to be a bench, role player?
I think he'll get a look just because of his size. He's a good defender, moves well and is adept at the rim, but he won't close NBA games. Teams will play him off the floor by taking him out past the line and getting him exposed in motions. However, it's an 82-game season and sometimes you need a big to come in, eat some minutes, set some screens, rebound the basketball and provide some physicality. He'll be able to check all those boxes.
From JHLCO: How long do you think Keith Carter can tolerate the current state of our baseball program? Not a mid-year dismissal question, but if this season ends like last year, do you think he will make a change?
It's too early to say, but if Ole Miss ends the season with single-digit SEC wins and no postseason, I would expect change. But again, there are seven SEC series left. All of this speculation is very premature.
From tlpierse: What do you think the chances are that Lane Kiffin has a shot at getting back to the NFL? Would he take a coordinator position to get some traction? I ask due to how chaotic the transfer portal is with having to get players to come to your school on top of keeping your own players to stay with your program. Purely speculative, but I would assume it makes college HC (not just Lane) look at the NFL if there is no end in sight with the portal.
That doesn't seem to be the path NFL teams are taking right now. They're hiring NFL coordinators. I don't know Kiffin will enough to know if he's interested in returning to the NFL. He's an offensive genius and he's grown as a CEO. I think he'd do a good job if he inherited/drafted the right quarterback.
In general, yes, a lot of college coaches are growing weary from the portal and would be interested in an NFL gig.
From North Tampa Rebel: What advice would you give to each Trump and Biden if you were advising them on what to do to win 2024?
I'd tell Trump to get off social media and harp on two things:
1. Your taxes are going to skyrocket if Biden is re-elected.
2. A vote for Biden is a vote for President Kamala Harris, and a vote for her is a vote for radical change.
I'd tell Biden to point out every Trump social media post, as they turn off average Americans and make him look unhinged.
From onlyusernameicouldget: Why are Coach Kiffin's press conferences 8-11 min long and yet we see Freeze at Auburn or Pittman at AK, etc. do 25 plus minutes? It seems like Coach Kiffin stands there as long as the questions are coming. Are the OM beat writers just that much quicker or what? Secondly, and I mean no disrespect to the man as a person as I am extremely grateful for what he brought to OM in helping us "get back our swagger" for lack of better words but have you ever seen a coach visibly age more almost in real time as a coach in a program as what Freeze seems to have during his short term at Auburn? I am intrigued by pictures of hour US Presidents age during their 4-8 years in office. Saban didn't seem to age physically a bit. Coach Kiffin hasn't seemed to, in fact he seems to look healthier with loss weight, etc. Pittman it seems to me is looking a bit older. I'm just curious what your experience has been. I'm sure the stress and daily pressure takes a real toll.
It's complicated. It's a small beat. We all know Kiffin isn't going to answer a lot of personnel questions, so for the most part, we've stopped asking them. He likes big-picture questions and will answer them very thoughtfully. He's just not going to work his way through a depth chart and talk about every player.
As for Freeze, that job is too much for him. It's a beast of a job with insane demands. It overwhelms most. I can't really comment on Pittman. I don't know him and really don't know much about the intricacies of the Arkansas job.
Kiffin seems happy and looks healthy. He seems to be in a really good place.
From JasonBurner: Just last week, Angel Reese was seen holding an L over her forehead after LSU defeated their opponent. Why is it that she then played the victim Monday night after their loss? I've noticed over time that those who gloat the most have a tendency to handle losses in a bad manner. Curious to hear your thoughts, is this a Gen Z thing?
I hate trash talk. Despise it. She dished it out but then wants to be a victim when she loses. That whole team was unlikable. She won the national title, taunted Caitlin Clark and was made a media darling of the mainstream media. She got on Sports Illustrated, did all sorts of photo shoots and then complains about being "sexualized." Give me a break.
I don't know if it's a Gen Z thing. I just hate trash talk. Always have. Always will. Win quietly, celebrate with your team and shut up.
