It's time for The Mailbag, presented by Whitney McNutt of Tommy Morgan Inc. Realtors, Edition 184.
I asked for your questions. You delivered. So here we go..
From FireFighterReb: When did your life change for the better?
Oh, gosh, that's complicated and really, really personal -- probably far more personal than anyone really wants to read.
I'll say this: Life obviously has phases. My life got better when I stopped identifying myself through my work and put more value in being a father. My life got better when I at least began actively trying to give myself some grace, something I still fail at fairly routinely.
From chattreb: Three quick questions. Who will win the Saban Jimbo PR battle and or war? How long will take Lane to make a cryptic tweet about Sankey’s gag order about the dispute? When Sankey most likely called Spurrier ( and I would bet a lot he did) to ask him to remain silent about the controversy, do you think SOS even took the call?
1. Saban
2. I don't think Lane is going to be cryptic. He's more likely to become one of the voices of this iteration of the sport.
3. I doubt Sankey tried to silence Spurrier. I don't think he was trying to silence Kiffin. I think he just wanted things to cool off for a minute before anyone poured gas on a still burning fire.
From randle4: Wouldn't the SEC like to add more than just USC from the West Coast for logistical purposes? Kind of keep travel down for the majority of their games (home & away).
Yes, but realignment will be a dual decision that includes the SEC and ESPN/Disney. What schools other than USC make sense? UCLA? Maybe. Arizona State? Possibly. Arizona? I don't know.
From FairviewReb: Why do you think such an “educated” organization such as the NCAA lacks any apparent grasp of the “real world”? They’ve come across as absolutely clueless on multiple occasions. Do you think they’re really THAT STUPID?Frankly…I think they’re corrupt to the core.
I think, in many cases, they are true believers. They run in very segregated circles, and they live in a bubble of sorts. They basically just provide each other with affirmation.
And yes, I share your belief that there is a ton of corruption. I'm not a fan of the organization.
From BruceReb: Do you have any suggestions for finding good coverage of specific teams?Growing up in Mississippi, I never had a rooting interest in a professional team and thus never followed any team very closely. With Matt Corral going to the Panthers, I'd like to start following them. I'm also in the process of moving to Northwest Arkansas and considering adopting the Thunder as an NBA team.Do you have a go-to outlet or resource for coverage of specific teams, or is it just a matter of getting to know who covers the beat and finding who you enjoy? You and Chase do a great job of covering Ole Miss, but I'm finding that style and quality varies widely in sports reporting.
There are some excellent outlets providing coverage of the Thunder. The Oklahoman is very good, though I no longer subscribe. I subscribe to the OKC Dream Team podcast and it's excellent.
I subscribe to The Athletic for a myriad of reasons and it's a work resource, but their coverage of the NBA and NFL is excellent, and the guys covering the Cubs are the best on the beat.
Yes, style and quality varies widely in sports reporting. I enjoy objective coverage. I don't really like the fan-boy stuff. However, that is the direction the field is going, so guys like me are becoming dinosaurs, I suspect.
From Hannitized: Curious how Charles Schwab Stadium in Omaha could affect Tennessee's bats since Lindsey Stadium is very small stadium....game changer?Do they have the pitching?One more...any chance Carey Murdock - @soonerscoop can make a repeat pod guest appearance in the near future? Man he was really good.
Tennessee definitely has the pitching. Their collection of arms is strong. The bats get a ton of attention, sure, but the Vols are a very balanced team.
And yes, I'll try to get Carey back on soon. He's fantastic.
From North Tampa Rebel: Have you been keeping up with the Depp-Heard trial? Thoughts on the legal teams involved. How will the jury find?
I really haven't followed it. I've listened to Reasonable Doubt and The Joe Rogan Experience talk about it some, and it sounds like Heard is a horrible person and her representation is struggling. However, for some reason, I have not found that to be very compelling. Perhaps it's my lack of interest in and fascination with pop culture. I really didn't know much about Depp before this and I'm embarrassed to admit I knew nothing about Heard.
From TX via TN Rebel: If you could truth serum one historical figure and get a full, truthful reckoning of your line of questioning, who would it be and what are you attempting to expose?
This is a great question. There are so many. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln all come to mind immediately. What did Lincoln plan to do after the Civil War ended? What did he really believe would happen?
Obviously, Jesus. I wouldn't be attempting to expose anything but there are things we'd all love to know.
But here's one, especially in light of the Sussman trial. Hillary Clinton. Wouldn't you love to inject her with truth serum and find out how much she has been involved in -- or not involved in -- over the years. I mean, there's a ton there. Maybe it's all coincidence. Maybe it's not. I'd love to know.
From robert90: With Ole Miss' lack of experienced #1 type receivers currently on the roster, do you see a situation where early in the season Kiffin goes double TE's with Trigg and Kelly? Establish the run with Evans and company. short quick passes to Bentley etc.. Play action to Trigg and Kelly against mismatches. Then maybe the defenses will stack the box and create some one on ones on the outside?
Sure, I could see that, though I'm not sure how good of a blocker Trigg is at this point in his career. Kelly is just good enough of a receiver to make playing both at the same time viable, so I suspect it's something we'll see. The problem is the lack of depth at that position. Keeping Trigg and Kelly healthy is going to be important this fall.
From Kylethehoss: Have you read any good books lately? What is the best way to cook a Boston butt?
I read The Judge's List by John Grisham recently. I enjoyed it. It was a Christmas gift, and I enjoyed it.
As for a Boston butt, I do it on the Big Green Egg on indirect heat, using some apple or cherry wood for smoke. I haven't done one in ages, primarily because they're so fatty and I'm trying hard to not be fatty, but I try to keep the heat between 250 and 275 degrees and cook it until it gets to the desired internal temperature.
As for rubs and whatnot, use what you like.
From BAUER1: Assuming that Kiffin is here a few more years, do you think he'll keep recruiting the portal with the same focus as he has thus far, or will he just rebuild the talent level to a certain point, cut loose of some of the fat, and then concentrate more on high school recruiting? I don't see how you can have this much change over annually without having some real team chemistry issues at some point.
I think it's obvious he views the portal as his primary talent-acquisition mechanism. I think they're going to try to thread the needle with high schoolers, knowing they can't afford the elite recruits and only wanting to sign guys they believe can contribute fairly quickly.
The new rule, the one that throws out the 25 NLIs in a year limit, is going to lead to even more turnover. Guys are going to get processed, making room for more portal acquisitions.
I agree with you about team chemistry, by the way, but I think they view that as something that can be worked out over time.
From walnutreb: Going to New Orleans for the first time this week (also my girlfriend's first go and our first vacation together for added context)Do's and don'ts of the city and food/activity recs
I haven't been since the 2016 Sugar Bowl. I'm the wrong guy to ask. I honestly have no idea. However, this is Rebel Grove, and it has been my experience that getting New Orleans restaurant recommendations is not difficult.
From randle4: When will Texas and Oklahoma be invited to Destin? Some of the things being discussed will involve the SEC2025, (divisions,pods, schedules, SEC playoff (Thamel)), shouldn't they be in the room?
At this point, it'll be 2025 before they're there physically. I have no doubt they're all but there next week. They'll be dialed in, if you will. There's no doubt about that.
From pinntrust: Love GPITS. You and Jay G are a great team. Why not a YouTube of the podcast?
I don't know. In the past, we've had a hard time making that work technologically. I'm not sure why. Also, which feed to we put it on? Our biggest issue is getting our schedules to mesh.
From cctrey5: What's the scariest species of fish in the world (sharks not included)?
The easy answer is piranhas or barracudas, but I did some research. Check this out.
From cap_hill_reb: ESPN continued losing cable subscribers, with another 8M lost in 2021.How does ESPN/Disney “make more pie” in future SEC TV rights deals when considering the continued loss of customers? It seems like the impact would be felt somewhere, no?
Live sports is the only thing keeping ESPN afloat. Frankly, deals with the SEC are likely worth their weight in gold to the network and its owners. Anything that adds to its menu of live sports is worth making more pie.
From MilneW: Have we gone past the point of no return with the NIL/Transfer Portal for the NCAA to enforce any regulation in an effort to limit the chaos, or is this the new norm, do you think?
I think this is the new norm. Several people in college athletics have disagreed with me about that. I just don't think the NCAA has teeth and I don't think Congress has fixing college athletics on top of its list these days, nor should it.
From MilneW: As a literary guru in Oxford, do you have any favorites from John Grisham or William Faulkner?
I know people like to rip on Grisham for some reason, but I like his work. I read Sooley at the beach last summer and it was very good. Faulkner isn't my cup of tea. Perhaps I need to try it again. Any my man, I'm anything but a literary guru here. I would be thrown out of those meetings if I strolled into the upstairs at City Grocery and tried to hang with the Oxford journalistic elites (or any of Oxford's other elites). I'm an outsider in both of those circles; I can assure you.
From jmbonelli: What were your thoughts on relegation Sunday and Man City winning the EPL again? Do you think Pep was smoking a Cuban cigar?? And don’t you think it is time we imported Cuban cigars into the US?
I really didn't keep up with it much. I heard about Liverpool and Man City being really close and I knew Chelsea finished third. I kept up with Tottenham a bit as they tried -- successfully -- to qualify for the Champion's League. I know who Pep is but I don't know about this cigar habits.
And yes, we should import Cuban cigars to the U.S. Why not? I'm not sure I've ever had a Cuban cigar. I've had a couple of cigars, but I'm not sure I've ever had one that was anything special.
Man, every week, when I do this Mailbag, I realize what a phenomenally boring person I am. It's pathetic. I don't go anywhere. I don't have any hobbies. I wonder how I pass the time.
From RDM44: You mentioned on a recent podcast having a beer with some coaches. What coaches would you look forward to doing that with and from whom would you ask for a rain check.
So this is a double-edged sword. Are there coaches I'd probably enjoy hanging with? Sure. Would they want to hang with me? Probably not. I think I'd like Mark Stoops, Shane Beamer, Sam Pittman and guys like that. I think Mike Leach would be interesting. I'm told I'd really like Kirby Smart. I was told I would not like Eliah Drinkwitz. I think Lane Kiffin would rather drink cyanide out of a bleach bottle than hang out with a local team site reporter. Media and football coaches don't socialize much. Well, I take that back, but let's not go there. Let's end on a happy note.
