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 LM12: Besides using a peloton, what’s the best way to stay fit during #coronapocolypse
Resistance bands, push-ups, planks, lots of core work, mix in some running, jump rope, etc. I'm mixing in some non-biking workouts on the Peloton app as well. I miss my gym. I miss life. What's it been? Two years since this shelter-in-place lockdown began?
From randle4: Is the NCAA Enforcement/Investigation on lockdown too? Can't get out and investigate. But they will have more time to dig in on schools, while sitting at home, without distractions.No recruiting allowed, but what if "Kansas" just happens to send a "family" some resources for their lockdown/missing work. Admirable by "Kansas". Just helping out.
Oh, I fully expect Kansas and LSU and the other basketball programs on the radar to stop contacting recruits, as has been ordered. Bill Self is a rule-follower.
From larryjoe1979: It is 2021 and almost everyone is dead from the ModeloVirus(CoronaVirus mutated), you are one of only one million survivors of the pandemic globally. It turns out that one out of 25000 that got the virus gets one superpower of their choosing. You are one of the those super powered beings. So two questions, what is your superpower, and would you use it for good or ill?
I would want Superman's set of powers. Would that be allowed. Super-human strength, combined with the ability to fly. I would, of course, use my powers for good. Only Houston Nutt and Hugh Freeze think I'm a bad guy.
From nas5108: Besides working out what new shows will you get into with no sports to watch and everybody in panic mode over the Coronavirus and urged to stay home as much as possible?
I am learning how to play MLB The Show 2020 on Carson's PS4. I'm going to read a lot. I'm discovering that I'm not a big TV guy. I might try Better Call Saul. I might try Downton Abbey. I just don't know yet.
Make. This. End.
From nas5108: How did you manage to get Huge Freeze to come on the Podcast? What do you think he should have said in his interview that he did not? Personally I think he should be even more apologetic for the large part he played in everything that transpired.
Chase Parham did it. I had no contact with Freeze whatsoever. I think he owes lots of people a heartfelt apology, but I honestly don't think he fully comprehends some of the damage he did to people and institutions.
From Grovin1551: Is it wrong that I think about St. Leo almost daily and hope they make it through this so I can eat there again?
No, that's not wrong. I do the same. I pray it returns and that it returns soon. On top of being a phenomenal restaurant, it is run by superb people. I have wonderful memories there. I pray it comes back stronger than ever.
From WBurns42: The United States just named you President. Your one and only task is to manage the coronavirus and get it to the point where everything is back to normal. What steps are you taking? Money is no issue.
Well, I'd have to consult some financial people first, but I think I'd be very transparent with the people. I'd tell them everything. No spin. I'd do everything in my power to keep panic down -- delay income tax payments, work with lenders to delay mortgage payments, etc. I'd beg people to stay home for a few months and I'd eliminate all red tape to allow for testing and a vaccine. It is and would be an impossible job.
From josephweubanks: Neal, I’ve heard you talk several times about career paths and things you might would of done differently. If you had made different choices and weren’t covering sports, what would you hope you’d be covering? Why?
I would have loved to cover politics. I would have loved to cover law. I love what I do, but sometimes I feel it serves no real purpose. For example, does it really matter where a 17-year-old boy visits? Does it really matter where Zachary Evans goes to college? Does anyone really care if ULM fails to win a waterskiing national title once every decade or so?
God, I miss the NBA.
From PowderBlues: Who would y’all rank in your top 5 Ole Miss grads who aren’t sports related? Bill Simmons ranked Holy Cross grads on his pod and made me think this could be an interesting exercise for Ole Miss. Law school can count, if John Grisham was on your radar for example.
This is far from my area of expertise, so I had to dig a lot here. In no particular order, here are five that caught my eye:
John Grisham
Greg Iles
Haley Barbour
Thad Cochran
Bill Parsons
Note: Someone with more knowledge of Ole Miss could likely attack this with more expertise than I. I simply don't know that much about the institution outside of the sports I cover.
From randle4: The NFL players voted in favor of their new CBA recently. We get a new 17 game schedule, 1 less preseason game, among other things.It does make the race for the No. 1 seed more interesting. Not only do you get home field advantage, you get the only bye.Wild-card weekend is about to be back-to-back triple headers.To keep the Super Bowl and playoffs on the same schedule, the season will likely start on Labor Day weekend.How does that affect College Football? That's their weekend.17 games will also cause record books to be rewritten. Should new records be kept in a new chapter? A new tab?For Instance, a QB only needs to average 294.2 yards a game to throw for 5,000. A thousand yards rushing used to be a huge accomplishment during the old 14-game season (71.4 per game). It’s currently just 62.5 yards a game. It’ll soon drop to 58.8.
I don't know that it impacts college football. The NFL is always going to beat college football in ratings, but at this point, let's just have games.
As for records, they're made to be broken. Given the current landscape, I can't make myself get worked up over that stuff.
I just hope there's a season.
From RebYell: With sports shut down, what in the hell are you and Chase doing now?
Drinking.
Praying.
Hoping.
Bargaining with the football gods.
In all seriousness, we're just doing the best we can.
From OleMiss1982: I believe that you or Chase or both have stated that you would have loved to know what a Freeze said in the initial meeting with the NCAA that supposedly pissed them off and things went downhill from there. Chase had a great chance to ask him in the podcast interview but didn’t. Or at least y’all didn’t air it. Did he ask it off the record? Would love to know the answer.
No, he didn't ask it off air. I don't think Freeze is willing to discuss that. Again, Chase decided something was better than nothing. It was a good interview. There are questions I wanted to ask, but Chase felt Freeze would end the interview if I did. Chase was probably right. So I stayed out of it. Chase did a good job with it.
From Napuckett14: Congratulations, you are now the new AD of Ole Miss and get to pick the new mascot; what will it be Neal?
This is easy.
I get a fuzzy, cartoon shark.
From CityRebel: Thoughts on how this impacts recruits qualifying? Schools shutting down across the country. Will high schools feel the need to simply pass everyone? Will teachers just give kids whatever grades they need (as if that doesn't already happen a ton)? Will the NCAA lower the minimum ACT/SAT to account for probably every testing session in the country being cancelled for months and kids not being able to take the test?And if so, should we go out and sign a bunch of late grade risks and then push them through the clearinghouse? Are there any out there? Like Chester Graves? I just don't see how NCAA can require a test score this year given how many kids won't be able to take the test. Anyway, let's ignore all the small questions - what changes do you think the NCAA makes with regards to qualifying this year.
My guess is leniency will rule the day as it pertains to grades. I don't know about the SAT/ACT. That's a different animal, I suspect.
I have no idea how this impacts recruiting. I mean, I'm not convinced there's a season. What happens then? It's going to have to play out.
From CityRebel: How do you think the NCAA handles winter sports eligibility? Some kids had their season end. Others were denied the chance to play it out. What about with springs sport - specifically baseball? Seems like a ton of moving parts to that (numbers, scholarships, draft, playing time, etc.), so maybe it's a better question for Chase (and he may have already addressed it and I missed it).
All spring sports seniors are getting another year if they want it. I doubt that happens with winter sports, but I could be wrong. As for numbers, that's something they're going to have to work out.
From Sugarlandreb22: How will the SEC handle baseball scheduling next season? Will we have to play the same teams next season with the same home and road series? Obviously this is far from the biggest concern of the Coronavirus, but I’m just curious about it
I doubt if that's even been considered at this point. I would imagine the SEC eagerly awaits the day that's on the table. That will mean we're back to something resembling normalcy.
I've never seen either movie. My man card is in the mail.
Oh, that's good.
Jay would be the brains of the operation.
Jeffrey would be there to talk our way out of trouble when it came.
I would likely be on the front lines of the actual theft and the one who takes the fall should we get caught.
Chase would hang back and make sure we were successful. He'd call it project oversight. Haha.
Gabe would complain about everything.
That's a new one. I've gotten a few Bruce Willis comparisons and a couple of short Andy Kennedy comparisons, but never Jeremy Strong.
I would highly recommending going to LBs Meat Market and getting Greg to grind you some meat.
In absence of that, pre-season the meat, add a little Worcester sauce just for moisture and patty lightly. Don't overwork the meat.
Get your grill hot, oil the grates and only flip once.
Don't let your liquor stash run out.
Be patient.
Pray for a 2020 football season.
That's all I've got.
That was one of the greatest defensive teams that ever lived. Jordan, Rodman, Pippen, Harper were all elite defenders. They had shooters, too. That team transcends eras.
There is no doubt whatsoever.
People will always debate what could've been, what would've been, etc. I guess it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. Sometimes, timing gets in the way and you're left to wonder what could've happened. In the end, we'll never know.
