It's time for The Mailbag, presented by The Westin Jackson, where I answer your questions from RebelGrove.com and Twitter.
I solicited questions. You delivered.
Here we go...
From Oxonian Reb: Is Bjork’s relationship with the fanbase as a whole salvageable, or have we already reached the point of no return? What does Bjork need to do to gain approval points back? Do you really think town hall meetings will move the dial? Why were they even announced?
I absolutely believe the relationship is salvageable. What does he need? He needs winning programs, first and foremost. He also needs to show some of the emotions fans feel about what happened to the football program over the past three-plus years. As for the town hall meetings, they're in a difficult spot. On one hand, fans want transparency, and the town halls present that. On the other hand, what fans really want is anger and fight, and that's probably not the venue for that.
From Hannitized: Can MLB save itself? How would you do it? I have 17 children on our street....ONE plays baseball...ONE and he is five. Soccer, lacrosse, & basketball are on top of the world in our community.
I think another work stoppage is inevitable. After that, I do wonder what happens to the sport. Young people aren't watching it the way they are watching the NFL, NBA and professional soccer. They're just not. I'd find a way to market players. When we were kids, baseball players were superstars. Now, Mike Trout, arguably the greatest player ever (statistically), could probably walk the streets of Oxford, Memphis or Birmingham and not be recognized. It's a problem.
From TX via TN Rebel: I still think that TW and Charlie Merkel can bitch slap the ncaa simply b/c the ncaa vs OM case didn't require the kind of actual/factual evidence that is required in a court of law. Tell me where I'm wrong...
I'm not as positive as others that Warren really has a strong case. I'll leave it at that. I know many in and around Oxford are trying to turn him into some sort of a cult hero, but I'm not remotely convinced he's been hurt by the NCAA investigation. That's not the extent of my doubts about his case, but I'll stop there.
I do think Merkel is an excellent attorney and I do believe the NCAA investigation was flawed, but I'm not sure Warren should be the poster child for victimization.
From North Tampa Rebel: Will you still cover the draft in Nashville if only one OM player is expected to go first round? Assuming you do go, what spots are you must hits in Nashville?
I haven't really thought about it lately, but I'd guess we'll cover the NFL draft if at least one Ole Miss player is projected to go early. It'll all depend on how many of those guys are invited to the draft. As for places in Nashville, I like the area on West End around Vanderbilt, but I don't really have a series of go-to spots. I just like the city.
From Barndog72: The Saints have just one pick in the first four rounds of the upcoming nfl draft (round 2/62). The saints also have a fifth, sixth and seventh round pick. What will they do?
The window is closing soon. If I'm the Saints, I'm just seeking immediate help right now.
From Reb in SA: This may have been asked before, but how much do the podcast numbers drop following bad losses? It is certainly not directed at you guys, but I get frustrated enough that I don’t want to hear anything about Ole Miss at times. I know my brother does this as well. Was wondering if it was more than just us.
Not much, believe it or not. We've been doing it so long and I think we've been able to become part of people's everyday lives. The only time in recent memory that a loss hurt our numbers noticeably was the Black Monday doubleheader baseball loss to Tennessee Tech. Numbers plummeted for almost a week.
From Levi275: Where will Anthony Davis end up? Do you think that Rich Paul can push Davis towards to Lakers before the trade deadline, despite the Celtics clearly having better assets and trade maneuverability if the Pelicans wait until the offseason?
I'm just not sure Los Angeles has the pieces to make a compelling offer at this point, and the Pelicans seem _ rightfully _ pissed. I think several teams could make better offers, and logically, the Pelicans would be advised to wait until the summer and at least hear the Celtics' offer before making a move.
From Rdowns1983: How likely is Byron Young and Ealy to Ole Miss?
I'm retired from the recruiting prediction business, and given the fact that I've never once spoken to Young or Ealy, I simply have no idea. Russell Johnson believes it's Ole Miss or Alabama for Young and likely Ole Miss or Clemson for Ealy, so I'll go with his picks.
From Grovin1551: How early is too early to start drinking when you’re at Disney World with three kids?
Are you awake? Do you have a pulse?
It's time.
From OleMiss1982: In the last 50 years, only 20 D1 programs out of 299 have won a college World Series. Is it reasonable for any fan base to have a national championship or fire the coach mantra? A OMAHA or fire him mantra?
No, that sort of expectation is simply ridiculous. I judge a coach on his ability to make the NCAA Tournament. After that, there are so many variables that go into what happens in late May and June. Omaha or bust is a terrible mindset.
From kmreb: You have to either work for the Bama beat or the MSU beat...also meaning you have to work around the current people associated with their media for both. Which one do you choose and why?
Easy. Alabama. I have tremendous respect for Cecil Hurt, Tommy Deas, The Tuscaloosa News, Ryan Brown, Jim Dunaway, several television people and others on that beat. It's a hard job and you work your ass off and it's competitive as you know what, but I respect those guys.
Yep, I respect those guys.
Respect.
From $WithARebelYell$: Even with the great coordinator hires can Luke survive a 4-8 season?
I think it would depend on how it looked, but in general, yes, I believe he would survive it.
From Charger Rebel: If 2019 is as bad as you think it might be, and the 2019 ESD is as bad as the 2018 one, can Luke survive that?How long until the honeymoon phase of the world series is over and serious questions about Theo and co start popping up for you?
See, here's a better question, no offense intended to the wealthy RebelYell above. If recruiting doesn't take a step forward and the 2019 season is a struggle, I believe the seat would be very hot in 2020 -- maybe unbearably hot.
Best I can tell, the World Series honeymoon is over. My prediction: Theo is frustrated with ownership and if this season ends sometime before very late October, he's going to walk away.
From Rebels810: How long do you think it'll take for mens soccer to make its way into the SEC?
I know the league is already exploring the idea, even if they won't admit that publicly. My guess: Within 10 years, it's a scholarship sport at the SEC level.
From Fabius: You are on record that Luke did a good job during the 2017 season. Can you expound on that?Also, your thoughts on why he did not make any staff changes right after he got the permanent gig.
I do think Luke did a great job in 2017. Everything was in place for a complete and total meltdown that fall. There was unrest, instability, probation, etc. Still, Luke got a group of kids to play hard all season, despite not having any real idea of what would happen after Thanksgiving. No one on the staff had any reason to believe they'd be in Oxford after the season, schools were recruiting the players, the starting quarterback got hurt, they lost painful games and yet they still kept coming back, week after week. It was a valiant effort.
Luke should've made coaching changes after that season. I believe he knows that. However, I don't think he believed he was getting the job until he actually got it, and I believe he felt he owed those guys loyalty. It was a mistake on his part, but it's one I understand.
I think it's possible they do something small, but I wouldn't call it likely. People talk about Courtney Lee, but is he really an upgrade over Terrance Ferguson? He's certainly more expensive. They could do something big for someone like Jrue Holiday, but it would require a major shakeup, I suspect, and I'm not sure that's something a team building for a title run next season wants to do at this point.
Bald is ugly. However, bald is not as ugly as a combover or as ugly as the ridiculous Bozo the Clown look some men go to. If you've got the horseshoe going up top, it's time to shave it clean. Yes, it's ugly. Yes, it's shiny. No, women don't like it; they'd prefer to run their fingers through a head of hair. However, if it's gone and you embrace it, I do think it sends a message that you understand who you are and you've accepted it.
Again, my advice to bald guys: Lose a lot of weight, get tan and make a lot of money, for you're ugly, and there's no getting around it. Your woman doesn't find you attractive, even if she lies to you about it. She wishes you had hair, but if you're fit, tan and have money, she'll fake it for you.
I don't think so. I think a heavy focus on junior college guys is a recipe for disaster. There are exceptions, but most junior college guys aren't ready to help. I believe a program is better off signing high school kids and developing them than looking for quick fixes among guys who are in junior college for a _usually bad _ reason.
Yes, Ben, he's really alive, hanging out in the Swiss Alps with John F. Kennedy and Roberto Clemente.
From Swag4Heisman: Why do you hate charity and puppies so much?
Puppies are so messy. They bark and chew and use the bathroom. Charity is only good if it involves tattoos, greasy hair and bad basketball. Otherwise it's worthless.
From hottytoddysports: How how can birds really fly ? 5,000 ft ? 10,000 ft ?
I am here to help. The two highest-flying bird species on record are the endangered Ruppell's griffon vulture, which has been spotted flying at 37,000 feet (the same height as a coasting commercial airplane), and the bar-headed goose, which has been seen flying over the Himalayas at heights of nearly 28,000 feet.
