The Mailbag, pres. by Whitney McNutt/Tommy Morgan Inc Realtors: Edition 119
It's time for The Mailbag, presented by Whitney McNutt of Tommy Morgan Inc. Realtors, Edition 119.
I asked for your questions. You delivered. So here we go...
From nas5108: When did you become a basketball fan? What was your favorite team growing up?
Since I was a little kid. I remember the Michigan State-Indiana State championship game in 1979. I was nine. I remember the Seattle SuperSonics beating the Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals around the same time.
That was a different time. College players stuck around for a while and were already an entity when they got to the NBA. But the NBA of the 1980s was incredible, with Magic's Lakers and Bird's Celtics and then the Bad Boy Pistons and Dr. J's Sixers and George Gervin's Spurs and on and on.
I was a Lakers fan. I loved Magic and Byron Scott and Jamaal Wilkes and Kurt Rambis and James Worthy and those guys.
From nas5108: Do you think it is an advantage that OM has 17-18 early enrollees for football? Who are a few of the early enrollees you think will make an impact right away next season?
Sure, though everyone has early enrollees now. It's just the way it works. The two junior college defensive tackles, Isaiah Iton and Jamond Gordon, better make an impact early. Otherwise, defense is going to once again be a real disaster. All of the young receivers are going to have a chance to contribute quickly and people are very high on tight end Hudson Wolfe.
From nas5108: How is everyone in the McCready house holding up with everything still kind of strange because of Covid?
We don't talk about Covid here. Campbell is back at school, taking a couple of in-person classes and working a lot. Caroline only has two classes this semester. She's dancing every day and getting ready for competitions with her dance company as well as college tryouts. Carson is back in the club soccer routine. We just don't talk about all of that stuff. It's not normal, I don't guess, but I suppose the abnormal has become normal.
From walnutreb: You probably have been asked this but,You get one current day politician for an hour, they have to tell the truth to the best of their ability and you can ask anything.Who is it?What do you ask?Why?
You know what's crazy? I have no idea. Nothing comes to mind. I guess it would be Harris. I'd love to know what the plan is. How long is Biden going to stay in office? How far to the left do you really want to go? Is the goal to make a big strike early and make change while you have power or is it a slow play with an eye on 2024 and 2028? But again, honestly, I don't care that much anymore.
I think the events of the past few weeks and the prevailing cancel culture that has followed it has turned my focus even more sharply on my children. I'll fight like hell to protect and provide for mine. I doubt I watch the news or keep up with events for a while.
From North Tampa Rebel: Top 5 nfl qbs from 1980 on?
My opinion:
1. Tom Brady
2. Peyton Manning
3. Joe Montana
4. Dan Marino
5. Drew Brees
6. John Elway
7. Mitch Trubisky
From OneStopReb: what do you think Billy Brewer could have done if he had the resources Ole Miss had vs what he had back in the 80’s and early 90’s (IPF, no need to play games in Jackson, etc) - could the NCAA problems could have been avoided, since the need to be “creative” in recruiting wouldn’t have been so easy to resort to?
Here's my problem with Brewer: He knew about Peyton Manning very early on and still hired an option-oriented offensive coordinator to run the Rebels' offense while Manning was entering his senior year at Newman High School. I'm shocked how many of you guys overlook that and forgive it so quickly. He got Ole Miss on probation twice, including the aforementioned period when Manning was on his way.
I get your question and he was a very good coach -- keep in mind I saw him at Louisiana Tech as a kid and lived next door to Mickey Merritt for years in Ruston -- but I always have a hard time getting past that.
From Levi275: How many more years does Tom Brady have left? Could LeBron replicate this longevity and play well into his early-mid 40’s ?
I have no idea how much longer he wants to play, but he looks incredible and his skills haven't eroded much at all. He looks like he has another three years left, and that's simply amazing.
From DeuceMccluster22: Most intimidating sports movie villain and Ivan Drago can't be your answer bc that's too easy....?
It has to be Jack Parkman from Major League and Major League II, right? You just know he's going deep every time. They set it up remarkably well.
From $WithARebelYell$: Who would be the most likely recruit we could snag from TN?
I mean, I guess, Byron Young. But really, I don't think there's anything to look for there.
From docz786: Did Tennessee do today what OM should have done with Freeze after the infamous draft day? Does this “bloody Monday on rocky top” affect penalties in any way?Also, is there ANY momentum for a new SEC commissioner? You guys have said on more than one occasion the impressive feat by Slive to keep programs out of NCAA trouble. Doesn’t seem Sankey is capable? Or doesn’t care? Or everyone is cheating so much more aggressively these days?
We addressed the first question at length here:
As for Sankey, that's his job as long as he wants it, in my opinion. There have been a lot of NCAA issues. The kids, if you will, are really unruly. Frankly, I don't know what he could do to truly curtail it.
From Little Mike Strojny: Would it be possible to start a pinned thread just for Chase, Zac, and you have to keep up with staff coaching changes?
Yeah, it's something we should probably do.
From larryjoe1979: Neal, be real. I mean be real real. Nothing better than an Tennessee coaching search, right?
I'm just thankful I don't have to cover it. I came really, really close to applying for a job in Knoxville I was asked to apply for about one month after I'd moved to Oxford. My family was still in Spanish Fort, I was really questioning my decision to come here and I thought Knoxville (traditional media, a radio gig included) made more sense. I was too tired and beaten down to do it. Unanswered prayers and all that.
From HaysMoreland: What do you and Carson think about Ja Morant’s game? Does he have the ability to be a superstar?
I'll ask Carson on Chasing The Ring. As for me, I think he's potentially a more talented Russell Westbrook. Yes, I think he will be a superstar.
From RebYell: Why do you think LSU is not going to be penalized for all of their alleged transgressions?
I don't know. Just a gut feeling that they've been able to successfully maneuver their way around the bomb. They'll get hit, but I think it will be manageable. We'll see.
From DgreenReb: if you could put truth serum in these three guys and ask them an honest question “on the record” what would you ask each one Hugh Freeze, Barney Farrar and Urban Meyer
Meyer.
I'd ask about Aaron Hernandez. What did he know? When did he know it? Why did he stay quiet? How many regrets, if any, does he harbor?
From petervenkman: Others have speculated that the mystery TE transfer has recently entered the NFL draft... is this the case or have you heard anything different?
I hate the word "mystery" in this context. I don't have the player's name on the record. I looked at his social media and there's nothing about the NFL there. I don't know if anything has changed. It was my expectation he wasn't coming until summer. To my knowledge, that hasn't changed. Perhaps Finley leaving for Oklahoma will change things. I'll ask around some this week.
From Hannitized: With Fulmer's retirement(lol) do you think he first stop is The Apple Barn(hear they have a mean breakfast...#applebutter) or Captain D's?
He looks like a big breakfast guy. Here's my thing with big breakfasts: You feel nasty the rest of the day. You're sluggish, bloated, etc. Also, it makes you hungry the rest of the day. Fulmer looks like a guy who chows down on a big breakfast every day, so I'll guess on The Apple Barn and Cider Mill place.
From DSU_REB_12: Which would you rather have Tuna or any other fish, a ribeye or flatiron steak, New York strip or fillet?
There's nothing better than fresh grilled tuna. Nothing.
Crazy answer here: I love flatiron steak. It's lean and very versatile. Also it's easier to manage portion control. As a fat guy, that's critical. Ribeyes are very good, but they're really fatty and probably not something one should eat too often.
And I'm a strip guy. I think fillets are often flavorless.
I'll prepare for the beatdown now.
From Ignatius9: How many of his sheep will Steve Robertson send over to try to get pictures of Tywon Malone “bumping” into coaches?
It's sad, certainly, but I wouldn't rule something along those lines out. I know for a fact Ole Miss officials know that is something that must be kept front of mind moving forward.
From Levi275: What does Tiger Woods' back surgery today mean for his season / career / etc. ?Feel free to bring in @Chase Parham insight
I had no idea. As you know, I just don't keep up with golf. It's not a game that resonates with me. I've tried to get Carson to play more, but the pandemic made that difficult this summer. Maybe he'll pick it up some more in the coming years.
I simply don't have the time to play.
As for Tiger Woods, that's too bad.
From larryjoe1979: Is there anyway Ole Miss could hypnotize Kermit and make him think every game is against Mississippi State? I mean if they could pull that off, Ole Miss might be a final four team, right?
It's a hell of a good idea. His teams play well versus Mississippi State. The Rebels were excellent Tuesday night in Starkville.
From Grovin1551: Who is going to be the beneficiary of your fandom now that it has entered the transfer portal? Are you going to release it on the notes app when you’re ready to announce?
I'm hoping to make an announcement later today. I'll release it on Twitter. Maybe Zach can bring it here.
It's been a very, very, very difficult decision to cut ties with ULM. After the events of 2016 and 2017 and Ole Miss' cutting of ties with me as an alumnus, ULM was my alma mater of note. But Terry Bowden? Rich Rodriguez? After I lobbied for the job and never even got a call? That is more than one man can bear.
I have chosen a new school. Maybe I'll take an online course or something. I do plan to go to a game there at some random time just for the sheer hell of it. Maybe it will lead to something fun.
