It's once again time for The Mailbag, presented by The Westin Jackson, where I ask for your questions on RebelGrove.com and Twitter. I asked. You delivered. So here we go...
From North Tampa Rebel: Hypothetical: 2019 football season, you need 6 wins to keep your job. You can have either 2019 Matt Corrall or 2012 Bo Wallace. Who you got?
I'd take Corral based on physical talent, but can he lead? We don't know. Wallace could. So to answer your question, give me Corral but I'm hesitant.
From Hannitized: Are DJ Uiagalelei's parents packing their bags and moving to SC? Following the "Tua plan"? Thoughts....PLEASE...?!
Clemson is Auburn with a lake, right? I mean, maybe it's a fabulous lake. And the job market in the Clemson/Anderson area is very dynamic, right? Right?
From wtcarr: Would you rather stand up during a crowded SEC Media Days session and sing out Hotty Toddy in its entirety while on your own (during an LSU or MSU session), or spend an afternoon in a closed room with a couple pythons?
Have the snakes been fed recently? How big is the room? Can you just shoot me?
From MrSunglasses: Growing up, I’ve known about wealthy kids but now that I’m grown, I’m meeting and becoming friends with wealthy adults. Way different, obviously.One close friend tells me that he and his wife never worry about emergencies because they know they can withstand almost anything barring a major lawsuit.They aren’t big spenders but recently they encountered a tense situation and on a whim, hired a high-dollar private investigator. I won’t go into details. Point being: he told me he has hired them at least 5-7 times. Has resulted in thousands and thousands of dollars in fees. Doesn’t matter; felt it was worth it.Neal, if you had millions of dollars, would you hire a PI to investigate somebody your kids were dating?
That is a very long, fascinating and intriguing question where the preamble has me asking questions. Anyway, yes, if I suspected something horrible and I couldn't get my girls to listen to me, yes, as a last resort, I'd hire a PI. And we're not the overprotective type, a strategy that has, knock on wood, worked out so far,
From Deucemccluster22: What does your wife think of Jay G. Tate's fascination of her? Most importantly does it offend you... even a little? and be honest
I asked Laura and she said, "I have honestly never given it any thought."
I think she knows Jay is just crazy. Am I offended? No. Laura is a beautiful, kind, sweet woman. I go way back with Jay. He's innocent, and if he weren't, Courtney would kill him. He's harmless.
From davidwil: Does Maximum Security get over his disqualification or does he totally break down and become a local bar drunk or a heroin abuser strung out on the back streets of West Hollywood?
No, he's never getting over it. He's snorting coke and eating grass these days, his mind already shot after the bitter disappointment of Saturday. One day he might lament what happened, channel it for the good and give speeches to young horses everywhere about the dangers of drifting. For now, however, he's taking out his frustration on fillies and letting himself go.
From REBNUT: How much longer do you think it will be before a new Chancellor is named ? Will he be an outsider or an Ole Miss person ? How big is the task does he or she have when taking the reins ?
My prediction has always been early next spring. I think they'll choose someone with Ole Miss ties, and yes, that person will have a difficult job ahead. They'll have to raise money, improve morale and address some academic recruiting issues that have emerged in the past couple of years. Again, all my opinion. I don't have any sources on the academic end of Ole Miss. I am not connected outside of athletics and really know very few people at the university.
From Levi275: I believe you recently mentioned that you're lifting weights early in the AM. Was the implementing early non-cardio workouts difficult for you? Are you a natural "morning person" or was it simply the best time to lift within the context of your day to day schedule?OT, but I'm genuinely curious. Thanks!
It wasn't difficult. Once I make up my mind that I have to do something, I typically do it. The 6 a.m. time slot was out of necessity. I get up at 5, feed the dogs, have a cup of coffee, unload the dishwasher, make the bed, sweep the floor in our bedroom, put in my contacts, brush my teeth, grab a protein bar and a cup of skim milk and head to the gym. I actually like the routine.
I walk in and hit it until 7. I do cardio later in the day. I've had success. I've lost weight, gotten stronger, etc. I've cut out all bad foods over the past seven weeks. I've allowed myself an occasional beer, but I don't eat badly at all. We smoked some wings Sunday. I had a few, immediately felt immense guilt and stopped. I did an extra Peloton ride Monday as punishment. It's the only food-related cheating I've done in 6-7 weeks.
I don't mind mornings. I miss sleeping until 6, but the results have made it worth it for me.
From J-REEZY23: If you, Jay Tate, and Gabe DeArmond ever started an 80s rock cover band what would the name be? I’m thinking Mud Wrestling with Soccer Moms would be a solid name.
We came up with several options:
The Slutbangers
6.9 (as in six point nine)
Areola Dream
Cycle Slut
Virtual High
We're All Going To Hell (that can either be a name or a declarative sentence)
From Fabius: I heard you say on a podcast a few months ago that you think Luke did a “hell of a job“ during the 2017 season. Can you expound on that? ( I happen to agree with you.)
That team was fractured before Freeze was fired. He had lost them. It was open season on players as well. I remember being in the parking lot and I overheard a player on the phone with another program. That was constant, night and day, every day. There was no bowl to play for. There was no stability and given the assumption that the staff wouldn't last past the Egg Bowl, it would've been easy to lose that team. Luke didn't. They played hard for him. It was a very good coaching job.
The rest of the story is more complicated than that, but in a vacuum, that was a strong coaching job. It's my opinion that team goes 4-8 with Freeze at the helm.
From OleMiss1982: Do race horses actually know if they won or lost, if they were disqualified, or won because another horse was disqualified? Or, are they just having fun running as fast as they can?
Yes, they know. Did you not see the look on Maximum Security's face. He was crushed, devastated, so bitter. The other horses were laughing at him, talking trash back in the stables. War of Wills was pissed. He told Maximum Security he wins if he hadn't had his progress impeded. So yeah, they know.
From $WithARebelYell$: What do you think the football teams record will be if we lose to Memphis.Same question if we dominate Memphis.
If Ole Miss loses to Memphis, it's hard to see more that four or five wins on the slate. So, to answer your question, a loss to Memphis equates to a 3-9 or 4-8 record. A dominant win over Memphis would have me entertaining the prospect of 6-6.
From TX via TN Rebel: Will you please ask ADRB's secretary to add the softball umping travesty to the agenda for Ross's meeting with Sankey? I'm assuming (unless you have an update) that the meeting has been delayed until Festivus so there can be a true airing of grievances.
Yes, I'll have that added to the weekly agenda. Bjork and I meet each week to strategize and such. I play the role of Sankey in his preparations for the big summit with MSU officials in Sankey's office as well. I'm going to get right on this.
From Grovin1551: Are you excited for the Bachelorette? How long before she goes absolutely insane on one of these guys?
I'm pumped. Hannah B. is cute, but she's recently burned and naturally crazy. I expect chaos, and I'm here for it. I find it amusing. There are 20-plus guys, in the best shape of their lives, a stone's throw from the L.A. night scene, supposedly pining away at the castle waiting for a moment with Hannah. I have to believe the stories behind the story are far more interesting than her scripted, made-for-TV dates. Oh, and she'll snap by Week 4.
From OleMiss1982: For the conspiracy theorists, was Drew Bianco hit by a pitch on Saturday on orders by Mike? Was it in retaliation for the bat flip or did he want his son to get on base?
Yes, my sources indicate Bianco wanted his son beaned for the bat flip. I'm told he's very upset that Drew was still walking on Sunday. I suspect Doug Nikhazy won't pitch this weekend as punishment for his failure to carry out orders. Also, when Drew celebrated during LSU's comeback Sunday, Mike was, per sources, livid. He told Cami, "He's not welcome in our home this summer!" Cami agreed, yelling, "Hotty Toddy!" at her son, canceling his credit card and telling him not to ever come home again. Drew, I'm told, is heartbroken. He plans to find Maximum Security and team up with him, sort of like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and all of the misfit toys.
I don't twitch. I'm not sure about video feeds other than I'm terrified of them. As for new podcasts, funny you should ask. We are going to be starting a new financial-based podcast in the coming weeks. I think you'll enjoy it.
I have no idea. I have, however, been very consistent on this. No one owes his or her employer or alma mater his or her children. I don't believe Ole Miss fans have any justification to be upset that their baseball coach's son plays for a rival. I know that's a stance that angers some, but it's how I feel. Mike will be Drew's dad long after his days at Ole Miss are over. Drew had every right to go where he wanted to go, and Mike is a good dad to support that decision. That's my opinion. Many disagree.
"If they lose this, this is the end. He won't survive this."
Those were my exact thoughts.
From mrtroy: Over your career, you have gotten to know a large number of college athletes, at several schools. Watched them go through the system. I like to think there is more emphasis now in graduation rates, class attendance, etc. than was the case in the past. Broadly speaking, can you sense any improvement in educational achievement in today's student athletes over what you sensed in the past.
I'm a skeptic and a cynic. As a rule, I'm cynical as it pertains to big-time college athletics. Some players take advantage of the opportunities presented them. Others take useless classes to stay eligible and ultimately graduate with degrees that are difficult to market. So I don't know. That happens with the general student population as well. I'm just not sure being a college football or basketball player, for example, meshes well with getting a degree in engineering or architecture or pre-med.
From OrangeBeachReb: Swami, McCready.....The Athletic. Is it around in the year of our Lord, 2024?SI. Is it around in the year of our Lord, 2024?What does the ESPN network look like in the year of our Lord, 2024?The SEC Network. When the contract is up at ESPN, does the network increase what it’s paying or does it go down? Or, is it more likely there are other serious non-traditional bidders... ie: Google, Amazon, etc
I think The Athletic makes it. I don't share the same optimism for Sports Illustrated. I do believe people will pay for content, and there's enough interest in college sports to support the SEC Network, though I'm sure they're worried about cord cutting and a la carte consumers. Your question is one every administrator thinks about, probably on a daily basis.
From ccbarnett: How do I pick an MLB team to follow? Mainly a college sports guy but love the game of baseball. What’s the best way to get plugged in with a team?
Obviously, you should choose the Cubs. They're broke and need support.
From RickyTReb: What do you think of Tuberville running for the Senate in Alabama? Think he has a chance? I personally don’t think the Bamers will forgive him for taunting them with “the thumb” and victory cigars, much like many Rebels not forgiving him for how he left Ole Miss. And speaking of Tuberville and Ole Miss, think he might have stayed in Oxford with a different AD?
Tommy was always very dialed into politics, so I'm not all that surprised. I don't think he can win. The football rivalry in that state is too all-consuming. As for his time at Ole Miss, I think he would've stayed had there been a different chancellor. His issues were more with Robert Khayat than they were with Pete Boone.
God, that's a fantastic idea.
Come on. Seriously? Chad Kelly was good. He wasn't in Eli Manning's league.
Sure. However, would Harden have stayed? I believe Harden wanted to be the big superstar on his team. That wouldn't have happened sharing the stage with Durant.
Ah, hello again, young Benjamin. I love your inquisitive nature. You're going places, young man.
First, no, Tupac didn't die. He is in Cuba, raising race horses.
Yes, Wyoming is a state. Wyoming is where the untamed spirit of the West and majestic natural beauty open your mind and invigorate your senses to release your own inner freedom and sense of adventure. For some, adventure may mean taking the kids camping in Yellowstone National Park or visiting a rodeo for the first time. Your love of the outdoors would be satisfied in Wyoming, Benjamin.
As for Pokeman Go, I'm not sure about North Korea, but Pokemon Go has quickly become a global phenomenon, the latest viral sensation boosted by social media and our ubiquitous smartphones. The app is all over the news, as are stories of foolish players getting in trouble, lost, or accidents. While elsewhere these events have been shrugged off as frivolous or ultimately harmless, Pokemon Go is no laughing matter in the Middle East.
A host of governments in the Middle East are treating Pokemon Go as a potentially serious destabilizing force. Said regimes have cited religious, cultural, and national security reasons to support their calls for action against Pokemon Go.
From fatwa to farce, Pokemon Go has been on the receiving end of a range of government responses in the Middle East. For instance, Egypt has renewed a 15 year old fatwa against the Pokemon franchise which was issued by the then Grand Mufti in 2001. Similarly, Saudi Arabia has renewed a similar fatwa, characterizing Pokemon as un-Islamic.
Specifically, religious authorities are concerned about the app’s references to mutation and evolution, ideas which run counter to Islamic tenets concerning creation and God. Moreover, the game has been labelled as an addiction (a point not helped by similar statements from players), and likened to gambling – a sin in the Islamic tradition. The various symbols in the game are also allegedly linked to Christianity, Shintoism, Zionism and Freemasonry, thus drawing accusations of promoting apostasy and polytheism.
While these claims will amuse foreigners, they are not specific to the Middle East, as many fundamentalist Christians in the West view Pokemon in a similar manner. What is disconcerting is the fact these pronouncements carry greater socio-political weight in the Middle East, especially among the theocratic Gulf state regimes. The narrow, and at times non-existent divide between religion and government in the region gives added impetus to any government efforts to counter Pokemon Go.
What is important to realize, is that these religious pronouncements conveniently align with government concerns over subversion and security, brought about by the app. In the wake of the Twitter revolt in Iran, and the social media driven Arab Spring, governments in the region are naturally extremely wary of any new popular digital trend, especially one they do not understand, nor can, as of yet, contain.
Your final question is confusing. Are you trying to trick me and ruin my credibility on RebelGrove.com? You are, aren't you? I'm sad thinking of that. Let's have some boiled peanuts and soothe things over soon.
