Apologies for the SBNation Slowness
The network went out drinking last night. He didn't wanna go, mostly because Bleacher Report was there buying Jaeger shots and wearing a shirt that was the exact same color as his unpatterned tie. He also had highlights in his hair and talked way too loudly for the setting. SBNation drank for the sake of it and to make the evening more tolerable, and wound up calling in sick this morning with an "upset stomach" as a result. Forgive SBNation. He does this sometimes.

Rebs Stress Board Play | ClarionLedger
Tomorrow night the Ole Miss Rebel mens basketball team makes the oft-traveled yet rarely-enjoyed trek to Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, to take on the archrival Mississippi State Fightin' Sidneys (Get it? Because he got in a fistfight with his own teammate last year? Remember?). The key to the game will be down low, both offensively and defensively, and particularly against the glass. In this piece, Rebel assistant coach Al Pinkins discusses how he has tried to make Ole Miss a dominant team down low which, to his credit, he's done a good job of with the talent available.

Bracketology: Ole Miss Edition | TheDMOnline
The Daily Mississippian's Austin Miller talked bracketology with ESPN's Joe Lunardi and where he saw Ole Miss in the field of potential tournament teams. According to Lunardi, we're on the bubble, per the usual under Andy Kennedy, and would have to win 10-11 SEC games (tournament included) to make the dance. That's a tall order for a team which has shown that it's wholly incapable of winning an SEC game on the road.

Rebs land top Louisiana right-hander | RebelGrove.com
Ryan Leone, a pitcher with a reportedly excellent curve and better-than-average fastball out of Shreveport, has committed to Ole Miss over Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Texas A&M, and Stanford. New coaches Carl Lafferty and Cliff Godwin are, again, proving themselvesto be two of the best college baseball recruiters in the business.

Godwin Brings Energy and Confidence | TheDMOnline
Speaking of Coach Godwin, the Daily Mississippian's David Collier had a chance to speak with the Rebel hitting coach as to his coaching philosophy and style. What he plans to instill in this team is a "confidence" at the plate, something which he feels our program has been lacking as of late.

Baseball America's SEC Preview
Ole Miss is ranked #22 and picked third in the West behind Arkansas and LSU. We're also projected to return to the postseason. Baseball America also lists two Ole Miss Rebels among the top-10 newcomers, Hawtin Buchanan and Senquez Golson.

Rivals.com Top-100 for 2013
Robert Nkemdiche is #1. Antonio Connor and Kailo Moore, two Mississippians who are being heavily pursued by Ole Miss, are also on the list.

Mannings Follow Father, But Not in His Footsteps | NYTimes
Archie was the Cam Newton of his day. Eli and Peyton Manning, though, are practically statues in the pocket and can win games on their arms. The New York Times writes about this. Read it.

While completely unintended by the author Michael Lewis, The Blind Side seems to have become a guide to major athletics hires at Ole Miss. Sean Tuohy, the adoptive father of Michael Oher who enrolled the then 16-year-old offensive tackle at Briarcrest Christian School, allowing him to play high school football under new Rebel head coach Hugh Freeze, has seemingly thrown his own hat in the ring for the vacant Ole Miss Athletics Director position.

Yes, you read that right; he is lobbying for himself via the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Hey, at least he's a guy who wants the job, right?

In perusing Facebook, Twitter, and various Rebel-related message boards, the reactions to the idea of Tuohy as AD have been rather mixed thus far. Many fans find the idea a good one, citing Tuohy's business exeperience (Somebody help me out here with this, because I don't know what business experience he has outside of his Memphis-area miniature fast food feifdom.), desire for the job, and deep Ole Miss connections and loyalty. Others find the possibility yet another in a long line of examples of Ole Miss' rather insular approach to governance and ideas. And others seem to be really excited about the possibilities of free Taco Bell at any and all sporting events.

So what, exactly, are Tuohy's qualifications for the job?

Continue reading this post »

Eli Manning Does it Again
Remember when Eli was widely scoffed before the start of this NFL season for his answer to a question as to whether or not he felt he was a "top-10" NFL quarterback? If you'll recall, he answered the question in the affirmative - as if any NFL quarterback would answer such a question otherwise - much to the astonishment of the questioner and the football punditry. Well, you can deride his confidence all you'd like, because Eli Manning proved again that he truly is one of the NFL's elite.

Why it is that people aren't so willing to accept this, I don't know. Perhaps it has to do with the Mannings Draft Day shenanigans; perhaps it's the cherubic yet aloof look he seems to perpetually sport across his mug; or perhaps it's this (false) idea that Eli's fame is the result of cronyism and entitlement. Yeah, the NFL Giants won 9 regular season games, which pretty accurately reflects their talent level across the board. Sure, Eli doesn't have the obsessive, perfectionist work ethic or nearly flawless football mechanics of his older breather. But, when you and you're team are put up against the modern-day 1970's Steelers, 1980's 49ers, or 1990's Cowboys on the biggest stage the NFL has to offer twice in four years, and win both times, you're a damn fine footballer.

Eli showed the NFL watching world, again, something we at Ole Miss have known for years, and that's his ability to elevate the level of play of his teammates and expose the vulnerabilities of far more talented squads.*

Alabama beats Ole Miss in double OT | Dothan Eagle
In what was as much of a must win for this team as any thus far, Ole Miss blew it, again, on the road to a team from Alabama, again, in double overtime, again. This is a talented basketball team, something which I don't for one second doubt in my mind, but they don't have the elite talent, identity, or cohesion to get to the NCAA Tournament. Not yet.

Bartley leads Florida women's basketball to blowout home win over Ole Miss | The Independent Florida Alligator
Don't worry, the Lady Rebs lost as well.

Sean Tuohy campaigns for Ole Miss athletic director's job |The Commercial Appeal
I'm sure there are lots of people who absolutely love the thought of Sean Tuohy as our AD. I am also sure that there are a lot of people who are prone to violent fits of vomiting at the thought of Sean Tuohy as AD. To say that such a move would take place with some controversy is quite an understatement.

*Along with that, we learned, again, that the Giants have a really good defensive line. We also learned that Madonna is way too old for this shit.