It's time for The Mailbag, presented by The Westin Jackson, where I answer your questions from RebelGrove.com and Twitter.
I asked for questions. You delivered. So here we go...
From Hill Rebs: Neal, other than blind hatred for Trump how do sane normal people justify voting for a Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden?
I catch myself wondering how we got into this mess. I have theories, but I hate our options are what they are. I will say this: I've long believed that it really doesn't matter who is in the White House as long as he/she isn't some radical with a like-minded Congress. I know that's too much of a sweeping statement, but I no longer get worked up about much, so qué será, será. However, I do question how anyone who understands money and taxes and the like could advocate for Sanders. I simply can't fathom it.
From North Tampa Rebel: When the food hoarding begins (*sarcasm*) what are the essentials you are loading up on? Do you send a pallet of Ramen to your daughter in Fayetteville?
I just keep buying extra bottles of wine. As long as Campbell's gym stays open, she'll be OK.
In all seriousness, I do catch myself keeping up with the coronavirus more than I did with MERS or H1N1 or the like. Maybe it's a media-driven scare; I don't know. But I'm paying attention.
From Baldwyn Reb 2019: Give me a FLAMING hot take for the 2020 football season... mine is Grant Tisdale starts against Baylor
I can't beat that one.
Seriously, who knows? It's a new staff, with the exception of Derrick Nix (and he's coaching a new position) and new systems. I have no idea what to expect.
From mrmcbeath45: They didn't have Junior Days back in my day, what was the itinerary like for the recruits this past weekend? With over 50 recruits on campus, I figure it's pretty hard for the coaches to get much one-on-one time!
It's what you'd expect. They began around 11 a.m., heard from Kiffin, had lunch, met with position coaches, got a tour of the campus/facilities, did the social media/picture thing, hung out some more and departed. Throw in support staff and it's not one-on-one, but it's not far from it. No one left Sunday feeling neglected.
From Grovin1551: How many times did you cover your eyes watching Love Is Blind, out of sheer embarrassment for the people on the show?
Almost the entire time. The whole premise is just ripe for a disaster. I was never good at dating. That's an understatement. I'd get so nervous that I just wanted it to end. However, I knew enough to know Dates Nos. 1, 2 and 3 were not for discussing marriage and commitment. That's all these people talked about it, and they did it drunk as well. What a train wreck.
When is Season 2? I can't wait.
From IrishRebels: Do you think CLK should/will attempt to recruit St. Louis harder than previous staffs? Large student population from there and a lot of talent in STL with no school having a firm grip on the city. I liked having East side players down this past weekend. It's always been weird to me that OM does not recruit the area harder.
Here's what I think: I think they just want players, regardless of where they're from. I don't think they care one bit about geography. It's more of a mercenary approach, and frankly, I think now's the time to try it. Like one prospect said, "They told me they need ballers." In other words, they're not overthinking it. Will it work? We'll see. They're right, though; you need ballers to win in this league.
From DgreenReb: Started Love is Blind and these people are insane. In your professional dating show opinion do you think this is staged?Who if you had to guess has the biggest impact at WR next year not named Elijah Moore?
To a degree, yes, it's staged. To get those shots, there almost certainly have to be some re-takes, which means, by definition, it's staged.
As for the impact wide receiver, Braylon Sanders is the easy answer. I'll throw Jadon Jackson in as a wildcard. There's talent in that room. They just have to figure out how to utilize it.
From larryjoe1979: As a fan, what makes/would make you madder: Russell Westbrook going bananas with Houston(finally seems to stop taking stupid shots and is getting efficient) and are now a legit title contender or Anthony Rizzo getting traded to the St. Louis Cardinals and putting up MVP numbers as they win the World Series(hypothetically)?
I think much of Westbrook's improved shot selection is a result of playing in a system that doesn't clog the paint. The Rockets space the floor, and there still aren't many players in the NBA capable of stopping Westbrook off the dribble.
As for Anthony Rizzo to St. Louis, don't you dare put that on me. I'd quit sports entirely.
From ArmyReb12: I binge watched the entire first season of "Love is Blind" this weekend with my girlfriend. Who, in your opinion, is the worst person on the show? If you had asked me before the finale, I would have said Amber mainly because she's terrible white trash, and the worst kind of veteran. How the hell does she have 20k in school loan debt when she should've been eligible for the G.I. Bill? Something doesn't add up, but I digress... After the finale, I now firmly believe Kelly is the worst. She friendzoned Kenny (the best of the male contestants) and deserves a life of sadness and misery.
Worst person? Where to start? Where. To. Start.
Mark deserves a life of misery. He would have done anything to marry Messica. He lost me when she asked him if he'd hang out in the bathroom with her while she moved her bowels. I know everyone poops and all that, but I'm not hanging out in a bathroom with someone above the age of 3 while they take care of business and I damn sure don't want anyone in there with me when I have to. She checked him off the list right there.
Yes, Kelly is awful, but she did basically admit out loud that she didn't find him attractive and was never, ever going to sleep with him. He stayed around for the exposure and got emasculated in the process.
By the end, I kind of liked Amber. She's kind of nuts, but she owned that from the very beginning. I respect that, at the very least.
From M.O.B. Rebel: Look into your crystal ball - for discussion only - we know full well you aren't "reporting" this, but please number each basketball scholarship for next season 1-13.1. Shuler (or maybe not)2. Murrell3. transfer4. additional HS/Juco signeeETCNames would be great, but if you don't feel good about naming them, we understand.
I'll take a stab at it.
In no order, necessarily:
1. Shuler
2. Buffen
3. Hinson
4. Sy
5. Hunter
6. Rodriguez
7. Robinson
8. Joiner
9. Crowley
10. Murrell
11. Grad transfer forward/center
12. Grad transfer guard or high school guard
13. High school wing
From Cahamil: Would you be a man of the people if there was a RebelGrove tent and mingle with us peasants?
I've tailgated once in 10 years. The problem for us is if we're going to cover the game, the walk to and from the Grove leaves us nasty. Now that we're doing a post-game show from our podcast studio, I guess it's more conceivable.
From nas5108: What is your expectation for the baseball team after I very hot start to the year?
I've watched one-half of one inning, so I don't know what in the world I could add from an analytical bent. They're winning. The numbers say they're pitching well and they're hitting the long ball with regularity. Now, I don't keep up with college baseball enough to put any real context on it, but they've beaten good teams and seem, based on social media, to be having fun in the process. But I don't know that I know enough to have expectations.
From napuckett14: Matt Lindsey is named “first football general manager.” Any idea what we can expect his role to be?
Great question. My guess is he will be the primary liaison between Kiffin and his staff, Kiffin and players, Kiffin and recruits. My guess is he'll have his hands on all facets of the program, including quality control over recruiting. It's a question that will be posed to Kiffin at the next media opportunity.
From randle4: Is Trevor Bauer the greatest character in baseball?
Probably. However, wouldn't it be nice if MLB allowed fans to get to know more players? Then we'd truly know just how many personalities the game has.
From randle4: Opinion of NASCAR moving to a single lug-nut tire in the nex-gen car.
It looks cool. It sort of makes me wonder why we can't all have single-lugnut tires. Wouldn't that make changing a tire a much simpler process?
From DeuceMccluster22: Considering the narcissists Hugh Freeze is/ was.... hypothetically...had he coached the 2019 team and what happen in Starkville that night still occurred, would Freeze take the blameOr would he throw Moore and Logan under the bus? I'm simpler terms, how would he had handled that night w the media and days after?
He would have excoriated Moore and subtly blamed Logan, I'm guessing. I've said this before but there's no bigger shame than Freeze not having to coach that 2017 team. Everyone would have seen what was happening. That narrative would've died long before now.
Blake said the shrimp cocktail was basically good, though it was overpriced and very heavy on the horseradish.
He also said he told the waiter that Dan Wolken and Dennis Dodd sent him, and they immediately went into crisis-management mode. Suddenly, there was fear in the eyes of the staff at St. Elmo's. They knew they were in the presence of delusion but delusion with an audience. Blake left scarred and wandering the streets of Indianapolis, ranting to strangers about the paramount importance of "protecting the game."
Maybe it is the beard. I haven't seen it but I've heard it's nice. I can't handle more than four days' worth of growth before I'm clawing at my face. Perhaps Bianco overcame that stage and found his comfort zone and it's led to a more laid-back approach.
From Rogertheshrubber: It's easy to understand why colleges have so many misses on recruits (some in far flung places, no media, endless number of players, 18-yr olds not through growing, etc.) But why do you think the pros blow it so often by drafting someone real high who is way overrated or someone real low who is much better than they thought? With all of their money, organization, college media galore, and verifiable college results, how can they miss so often?
Oh, this one is easy.
Why do some 5-stars bust? Who do the pros make massive draft mistakes? Because they're evaluating human beings. To go one step further, they're evaluating young human beings. It's an inexact science. How will they handle pressure? Money? Fame? Distractions? Will they be disciplined? Will they overcome adversity? There are so many variables. Frankly, it's surprising they don't miss more than they do.
From Fabius: Neal, I saw a recent interview with former Colombo capo Michael Franzese in which he said the mob was involved in the JFK assassination. I agree that Gerald Posner has proven Oswald was the shooter but he had an uncle in his hometown of New Orleans who was both a father figure to him and an associate of the Marcello family. What are your thoughts as to possible involvement of the Mafia in that seminal tragedy?
Here's a quote from G. Robert Blakely, who was on the 1977 House Select Committee on Assassinations:
"It's an easy case. The prosecution case against Oswald is open and shut. If he'd shot his brother-in-law in the back seat of a convertible, and not the President of the United States, he would have been tried, convicted and forgotten in three days. I'm a former federal prosecutor, I've been involved in the investigation and prosecution of criminal cases for better than 30 years. To be sure, a defense counsel could have raised issues. But the jury would have been convinced beyond a reasonable doubt. His rifle did it, to the exclusion of all others. He was in the Book Depository with the rifle. He fled the scene. He killed a police officer. His statements to the police are false. His palm print is on the gun."
My opinion is we all want to believe there was more to the Kennedy assassination. We want to believe there was a conspiracy, whether it included the Mafia, the Cubans, the Soviets or some combination thereof. Here's more from Blakely:
"Saying that Oswald is unstable is not the same thing as saying that he was insane. He was not. But to say that he's unstable is to say that he does not have the kind of personality that includes dependability, loyalty, bonding to others etc., all of which are characteristics of someone who you would want to use in a high risk venture, and all intelligence work is a high risk venture.
"Lee Harvey Oswald was a loner. He was volatile. He was violent in dealing with his wife and with other people. He had gone through enormous personality changes in his life. Raised an American, he becomes a Marxist; he leaves to go to the Soviet Union. He could not hold a job well, he did not interact with other people, his wife, all of these characteristics indicate that he would not be trustworthy, loyal, honest, all the 'boy scout' attributes that government agencies, whether they're in the Soviet Union or the United States, look for in people in whom they put great trust."
He acted alone. He was scorned by his wife. He wanted to do something to get her attention. He wanted fame. Happenstance put him in history's path and a failure of historic proportions on the part of the Secret Service led to Oswald killing Kennedy. It's really that simple.
