Oh, yeah, this thing's still here. Let's get the Final Four out of the way and determine which integral element of the STUFF OLE MISS PEOPLE LIKE canon will face off against Archie Manning in the championship match. Here is the Final Four bracket, as you'll recall:
The Grove is the one thing which constantly keeps Ole Miss a national title contendor in her most storied and cherished competitions: partyin', wimmins, and dressing like you give a damn. There truly isn't a place on earth like those ten sylvan acres, where journalists rub elbows with politicians, thinkers wax eloquently alongside drinkers, children say their first Hotty Toddys, sorority pledges stave off the advances of their fraternal counterparts, and alumni keep coming back for more.
You don't need me to say anything else. You know exactly what it is about the Grove that you love.
And, sure, the Grove could be considered a "tradition," but then what can't today? A "tradition," to many a Rebel, is simply something one likes and doesn't take kindly to someone suggesting they feel otherwise. Wearing hats? Tradition. Smoking cigarettes? Tradition. Screaming long strings of vowels at opposing fans? Tradition. Having a c-ish average in a pretty simple liberal arts major? Tradition.
Of course, there are real traditions at Ole Miss which are cherished, traditions like a reverence for the lyceum, a respect for William Faulkner, a disrespect for the Daily Mississippian, and underachieving football teams. But being in such a traditional state and populated by primarily traditional people, Ole Miss is a place which might take a few too many traditions too seriously or, at least, hold them a bit too closely.
I'm not saying anything more, because we've been down that road. Let's just leave it to say that, at Ole Miss, one of our greatest traditions is talking about what makes a "tradition."