With the Cup on the verge of turning a whopping one year old, we have joined the illustrious SBNation.
Behold, The Red Cup Rebellion begins today. Update your bookmarks (that means you, Gonzohog).
Monday, March 16, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Rebels fall in Game 3 of series
As The Ghost of Jay Cutler has already informed you, the Rebels took the series from Vanderbilt in Nashville. The Rebels again put together a nice offensive performance, and they took the first game of Sunday’s double-header 6-1. Philip Irwin battled hard as he pitched a complete game (7 innings) and only allowed a run. However, game 2 was not as good for the Rebels. Mike Bianco started the third game of the series against Vanderbilt off with a grave error: letting Aaron Barrett pitch. I’m not sure if Mike is watching the same guy pitch that I am, but he is starting a guy in the SEC rotation that has an 11.20 ERA.
The issues of the second game:
First, our starting pitching was atrocious. Secondly, I feel bad for Scott Bittle. He came in to record the final out of the 5th inning, and he accomplished that. He did not allow a hit in 2.1 innings, but he gets the loss due to an unearned run. That drops him to 1-2 on the season, and it isn’t looking like he will have the same impressive stats as last year. We still have 9 weeks to go, but I am worried that he isn’t the same shut-down pitcher from last year.
We scored 6 runs, and that is satisfactory, especially against Vandy pitching. We have to find a way to string it all together.
All in all, we cannot be disappointed with the Rebels showing in Nashville this weekend. I am very impressed with started the season 2-1.
The Rebels return to action on Tuesday in Jonesboro against Arkansas State. Wednesday, the Jort Nation comes to Oxford when the Memphis Tigers make the drive from the Bluff City.
Rebs take the series against 'Dores
Brian Walker's Elbow will bring you more this evening when the doubleheader is complete, but the Rebs have topped the 'Dores in game one of their Sunday doubleheader by a score of 6-1.
In other news: After a poorly officiated game which magnificently spread the misery around (like Socialism!) the Mississippi State Bulldogs have won the SEC Men's basketball title. The game was characterized by a bunch of wacky threes, generally sloppy ball, and something like four turnovers in one second (literally). All of that aside though, the win was legitimate. Y'all know I'm no State fan but a punched ticket to the dance is nothing to make fun of. Also, Jarvis Varnado is the best defensive player the SEC has seen since Shaq, hands down.
We're never going to hear the end of this. "LMAO We Я dAnCiN' and Ole PISS ain't BITCH!!! RATTLERATTLE!!"
In other news: After a poorly officiated game which magnificently spread the misery around (like Socialism!) the Mississippi State Bulldogs have won the SEC Men's basketball title. The game was characterized by a bunch of wacky threes, generally sloppy ball, and something like four turnovers in one second (literally). All of that aside though, the win was legitimate. Y'all know I'm no State fan but a punched ticket to the dance is nothing to make fun of. Also, Jarvis Varnado is the best defensive player the SEC has seen since Shaq, hands down.
We're never going to hear the end of this. "LMAO We Я dAnCiN' and Ole PISS ain't BITCH!!! RATTLERATTLE!!"
Friday, March 13, 2009
Friday the 13th? I mean, we just beat Vandy in Nashville
The Rebels and Commodores got together in Nashville, TN tonight to determine their identities. Really, neither team knows who it is. This is what the teams showed tonight:
Ole Miss:
We've now got a Friday night guy in Drew Pomeranz. He had a solid night tonight going four innings and only giving up two runs. My only concern is the five walks he issued tonight. McKean went three innings and gave up a run. Morgan and Barbeck both worked one inning and only allowed one hit a piece.
So, I'd say our bullpen is solid. We did commit two errors, but I will give the defense a pass due to the awful weather.
As far as our offense is concerned, we are impressive. We got to Mike Minor tonight which is something no team has done this year. He started really strong by only allowing one hit through 19 batters faced, but he lost control and ended up getting the loss. Tyler Hill was impressive in relief, and he had 8k's.
We scored 9 runs on 12 hits, and that production came mostly in bunches. We scored 4 in the 4th, and 3 of those came on a Travis homerun. We scored 3 more in the 6th on a bases loaded, two-out double from Logan Power. This season, Power is batting 1.000 with the bases loaded. CLUTCH
Vanderbilt:
They are a different team from last year. They haven't shown the power they have had in the past without Flaherty and Alvarez in the line-up. The want to play small ball, but they cannot string the hits together.
Their pitching has had a solid season until tonight, but I bet they get it together by the next game.
My thoughts:
Ole Miss showed some guts tonight by getting the first one under the belt against Vandy. I personally think the game tomorrow will be postponed due to weather, and we can expect a double header on Sunday. As someone commented on a earlier, free streaming video is available through the Vanderbilt site. If you feel I left important information out of this post, feel free to comment and add one.
Ole Miss:
We've now got a Friday night guy in Drew Pomeranz. He had a solid night tonight going four innings and only giving up two runs. My only concern is the five walks he issued tonight. McKean went three innings and gave up a run. Morgan and Barbeck both worked one inning and only allowed one hit a piece.
So, I'd say our bullpen is solid. We did commit two errors, but I will give the defense a pass due to the awful weather.
As far as our offense is concerned, we are impressive. We got to Mike Minor tonight which is something no team has done this year. He started really strong by only allowing one hit through 19 batters faced, but he lost control and ended up getting the loss. Tyler Hill was impressive in relief, and he had 8k's.
We scored 9 runs on 12 hits, and that production came mostly in bunches. We scored 4 in the 4th, and 3 of those came on a Travis homerun. We scored 3 more in the 6th on a bases loaded, two-out double from Logan Power. This season, Power is batting 1.000 with the bases loaded. CLUTCH
Vanderbilt:
They are a different team from last year. They haven't shown the power they have had in the past without Flaherty and Alvarez in the line-up. The want to play small ball, but they cannot string the hits together.
Their pitching has had a solid season until tonight, but I bet they get it together by the next game.
My thoughts:
Ole Miss showed some guts tonight by getting the first one under the belt against Vandy. I personally think the game tomorrow will be postponed due to weather, and we can expect a double header on Sunday. As someone commented on a earlier, free streaming video is available through the Vanderbilt site. If you feel I left important information out of this post, feel free to comment and add one.
I'm overstepping my boundaries here...
Though I am not the blogger of choice for anything but baseball (and I'm not even the blogger of choice for that), I stumbled across these stories today on the intra-webs.
We all know how much we loved trouncing Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl. The Rebel fans that attended the aforementioned trouncing probably noticed how weird (but really nice) the Texas Tech fans were. Some were dressed as pirates and wore eye patches, and all of this is part of Mike Leach's ploy to get a role in Pirates of the Caribbean 3: The Quest for the Big XII South. Anyway, the Pirate's Guild recently named Mike Leach as the coach "most likely to be run through with a sword and be fed to the sharks."
The guild is trying to send the same message the Texas Tech administration was trying to send a month ago: we don't want you either.
In other news, the never ending search for the 12th game for THIS fall's football season was thought to have found some new life. Chris Low reported earlier this week that some schedule shuffling had freed up September 12th for Colorado, and that would have been a perfect match for Ole Miss. I was initially writing this post to encourage Pete Boone to book the game because of this article I found that shows the QB position for Colorado is still up for grabs and will be until August.
As I sit writing this post, Lowe has made another report...
Colorado not a likely foe for Ole Miss.
Dang't Pete Boone. Dang't.
We all know how much we loved trouncing Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl. The Rebel fans that attended the aforementioned trouncing probably noticed how weird (but really nice) the Texas Tech fans were. Some were dressed as pirates and wore eye patches, and all of this is part of Mike Leach's ploy to get a role in Pirates of the Caribbean 3: The Quest for the Big XII South. Anyway, the Pirate's Guild recently named Mike Leach as the coach "most likely to be run through with a sword and be fed to the sharks."
The guild is trying to send the same message the Texas Tech administration was trying to send a month ago: we don't want you either.
In other news, the never ending search for the 12th game for THIS fall's football season was thought to have found some new life. Chris Low reported earlier this week that some schedule shuffling had freed up September 12th for Colorado, and that would have been a perfect match for Ole Miss. I was initially writing this post to encourage Pete Boone to book the game because of this article I found that shows the QB position for Colorado is still up for grabs and will be until August.
As I sit writing this post, Lowe has made another report...
Colorado not a likely foe for Ole Miss.
Dang't Pete Boone. Dang't.
Could scheduling a 12th game really be that hard?
Houston Nutt Reacts to Middle Eastern Scenes
As you all know, Houston Nutt will soon be visiting the Middle East to deliver his own special brand of rah-rah to our nation's fighting men and women. In an effort to prepare coach Nutt for this noble trek, the Cup sat down with him to show him the types of scenes he may encounter. What you see below are the images we showed him. Clicking them will allow you to see his reactions as documented by our crack staff of internet wizards.
As you can see, Houston Nutt is a very spiritual, sensitive, and emotional man. Godspeed, Houston.
As you can see, Houston Nutt is a very spiritual, sensitive, and emotional man. Godspeed, Houston.
Rebel Tennis Weekend Preview
The #3 Ole Miss Men's Tennis Team is on an SEC road-trip this weekend, visiting #23 Alabama today and Auburn on Sunday. Chadwick's team is rested and ready, since their last action, a 6-1 decision over then-#5 Tennessee.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Today, 2:00
The Tide boast a gaudy 11-1 record thus far, but have not played the type of competition Ole Miss has faced. Of Alabama's competition that has even sniffed the top twenty-five, they beat Miami (4-0) and lost to Pepperdine (3-4) at the Malibu Qualifier for ITA Nationals. Since then, Alabama has slain a row of baby kittens, except for their reasonable wins at Indiana (4-3) and Clemson (5-2), neither of which, though, is particularly good. To open up SEC play, they beat Arkansas 6-1 and #44 LSU 5-2. All three of the Tide's doubles teams are ranked in the Top 80, a claim not made by Ole Miss, who generally fields strong doubles. And Junior Syketh Myeni is currently the #66 player in the nation.
The rankings would seem to indicate that the Rebels might struggle at doubles, however, earlier in the season the Rebels dominated the doubles point against Florida, who currently boast 3 teams in the top 60. My gut feeling is that our #2 and #3 teams (Britton/Vorster and Norber/Sauer) just have not been together long enough for the ITA to take notice, especially of Norberg and Sauer, who have been business-like in their winning ways, as of late.
The X factor is the forecast of rain in Tuscaloosa. Ole Miss is, usually, a better team outdoors. The difference, though, is slight, and will unlikely be enough to make up for Alabama's talent gap against the Rebels.
Prediction: All Day Rebs 4-1 with wins at doubles and by Norberg, Britton, and Thiemann.
Auburn Tigers
Sunday, 1:00
The Tigers are currently #20 in the nation, 7-2 overall, and 2-0 in the conference. Their loss against #1 Stanford is certainly understandable.
I'd say more, but it's time to go to the match.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Today, 2:00
The Tide boast a gaudy 11-1 record thus far, but have not played the type of competition Ole Miss has faced. Of Alabama's competition that has even sniffed the top twenty-five, they beat Miami (4-0) and lost to Pepperdine (3-4) at the Malibu Qualifier for ITA Nationals. Since then, Alabama has slain a row of baby kittens, except for their reasonable wins at Indiana (4-3) and Clemson (5-2), neither of which, though, is particularly good. To open up SEC play, they beat Arkansas 6-1 and #44 LSU 5-2. All three of the Tide's doubles teams are ranked in the Top 80, a claim not made by Ole Miss, who generally fields strong doubles. And Junior Syketh Myeni is currently the #66 player in the nation.
The rankings would seem to indicate that the Rebels might struggle at doubles, however, earlier in the season the Rebels dominated the doubles point against Florida, who currently boast 3 teams in the top 60. My gut feeling is that our #2 and #3 teams (Britton/Vorster and Norber/Sauer) just have not been together long enough for the ITA to take notice, especially of Norberg and Sauer, who have been business-like in their winning ways, as of late.
The X factor is the forecast of rain in Tuscaloosa. Ole Miss is, usually, a better team outdoors. The difference, though, is slight, and will unlikely be enough to make up for Alabama's talent gap against the Rebels.
Prediction: All Day Rebs 4-1 with wins at doubles and by Norberg, Britton, and Thiemann.
Auburn Tigers
Sunday, 1:00
The Tigers are currently #20 in the nation, 7-2 overall, and 2-0 in the conference. Their loss against #1 Stanford is certainly understandable.
I'd say more, but it's time to go to the match.
Ole Miss vs. Vandy: Weekend baseball preview
Basketball season is over for the Rebels. Any of you die hard, face painted, wig wearing, AK's Army generals can come on over to Swayze now. Don't get me wrong, I love basketball, but it just wasn't our year.
This weekend the Rebels load up the Callahan charter buses and head to Nashvegas for a weekend series with Vandy. Just looking at Vandy's overall record(10-4) they seem to be a solid baseball squad yet again. Last season they won 41 games and choked miserably during the Tempe Regional losing to OU twice in a few days.
Ole Miss was 4-1 against Vanderbilt last year sweeping the 'Dores in Oxford and then knocking them out of the SEC tournament. I would hate to say there's any animosity between the two teams, because while Vandy knows the meaning of the word animosity and can probably give you a dozen synonyms, they've never given me a John Cohen type of feel. "NICHOLLS STATE, GET OFF YOUR DAMN BUS AND PLAY US! FINE! WE WIN!"
Vandy has only lost one game at home to powerhouse University of Illinois-Chicago. As a team, they are batting .334 and holding opponents just above the Brashear line at .248. Aaron Westlake is batting .500 with a .550 OBP after 52 PA. Just walk him.
Ole Miss has only played one game on the road, losing to South Alabama in extra innings. I would wager that if they get all three games in, this will be the greatest test our team has faced all season. Kevin Mort is batting over .400 with Logan Power and Matt Smith batting .364 with a combined 5 HRs and 28 RBI.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday:
Drew Pomeranz: Soph. LHP
Mike Minor: Jr. LHP
A battle of Southpaws with Minor sporting a 2.21 ERA with a 1-0 record. Pomeranz has an almost identical 2.58 ERA with a 1-0 record. Bianco made the right move taking Aaron Barrett out of the Friday position. He had three mediocre starts and didn't seem to be improving. Pomeranz has pitched in big games before, but this is the biggest stage: SEC Friday night baseball.
Saturday:
Phillip Irwin: Jr. RHP
Caleb Cotham: Soph. RHP
Cotham has a microscopic 1.29 ERA with a 3-0 record whilst Irwin has compiled a 1.72 ERA with a 2-0 record. I don't think their ERAs will continue to stay this low in SEC play. They've both had great seasons thus far, but it's just not possible to get out of conference play with an ERA like this. Up until now, Irwin gave us our best chance to win, and I'm going to stick with that opinion until he proves otherwise.
Sunday:
Aaron Barrett: Jr. RHP
Nick Christiani: Sr. RHP
This should be one of Barrett's last chances to make the weekend rotation. He's got an ERA over 9, and surprisingly Bukvich has been more serviceable this season. Christiani has a 3.71 ERA with a 2-0 record. He's struck out 21 in 17 innings while only walking three. The Rebels should be ready to swing. Fans have been clamoring for THE BITTLER to start, but I'd rather have a 99 percentile bullpen with Bittle. If he starts, who comes in at the end of the game? It's a question Bianco wouldn't have a comfortable answer for.
Predictions:
Friday: Vanderbilt 5 Ole Miss 2
Saturday: Ole Miss 6 Vanderbilt 4
Sunday: Vanderbilt 8 Ole Miss 7
This weekend the Rebels load up the Callahan charter buses and head to Nashvegas for a weekend series with Vandy. Just looking at Vandy's overall record(10-4) they seem to be a solid baseball squad yet again. Last season they won 41 games and choked miserably during the Tempe Regional losing to OU twice in a few days.
Ole Miss was 4-1 against Vanderbilt last year sweeping the 'Dores in Oxford and then knocking them out of the SEC tournament. I would hate to say there's any animosity between the two teams, because while Vandy knows the meaning of the word animosity and can probably give you a dozen synonyms, they've never given me a John Cohen type of feel. "NICHOLLS STATE, GET OFF YOUR DAMN BUS AND PLAY US! FINE! WE WIN!"
Vandy has only lost one game at home to powerhouse University of Illinois-Chicago. As a team, they are batting .334 and holding opponents just above the Brashear line at .248. Aaron Westlake is batting .500 with a .550 OBP after 52 PA. Just walk him.
Ole Miss has only played one game on the road, losing to South Alabama in extra innings. I would wager that if they get all three games in, this will be the greatest test our team has faced all season. Kevin Mort is batting over .400 with Logan Power and Matt Smith batting .364 with a combined 5 HRs and 28 RBI.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday:
Drew Pomeranz: Soph. LHP
Mike Minor: Jr. LHP
A battle of Southpaws with Minor sporting a 2.21 ERA with a 1-0 record. Pomeranz has an almost identical 2.58 ERA with a 1-0 record. Bianco made the right move taking Aaron Barrett out of the Friday position. He had three mediocre starts and didn't seem to be improving. Pomeranz has pitched in big games before, but this is the biggest stage: SEC Friday night baseball.
Saturday:
Phillip Irwin: Jr. RHP
Caleb Cotham: Soph. RHP
Cotham has a microscopic 1.29 ERA with a 3-0 record whilst Irwin has compiled a 1.72 ERA with a 2-0 record. I don't think their ERAs will continue to stay this low in SEC play. They've both had great seasons thus far, but it's just not possible to get out of conference play with an ERA like this. Up until now, Irwin gave us our best chance to win, and I'm going to stick with that opinion until he proves otherwise.
Sunday:
Aaron Barrett: Jr. RHP
Nick Christiani: Sr. RHP
This should be one of Barrett's last chances to make the weekend rotation. He's got an ERA over 9, and surprisingly Bukvich has been more serviceable this season. Christiani has a 3.71 ERA with a 2-0 record. He's struck out 21 in 17 innings while only walking three. The Rebels should be ready to swing. Fans have been clamoring for THE BITTLER to start, but I'd rather have a 99 percentile bullpen with Bittle. If he starts, who comes in at the end of the game? It's a question Bianco wouldn't have a comfortable answer for.
Predictions:
Friday: Vanderbilt 5 Ole Miss 2
Saturday: Ole Miss 6 Vanderbilt 4
Sunday: Vanderbilt 8 Ole Miss 7
Keeping Tabs: What Are Your Favorite Rebels Doing for Spring Break?
There are a couple of things in which we here at the Cup have always taken great pride - our strong journalistic credibility, non-medically-enhanced manhoods, and multi-continent singing tour are just a few of them. It takes a special kind of trust and work ethic to offer you the absolutely factual look into the real lives of Ole Miss scholar athletes - a term I use with equal seriousness - that has become a hallmark of our little operation. So, we hope you will appreciate the great sacrifices we made to publish for you this annotated list of the spring break plans of some of your favorite Rebels combined by our sources deep inside the athletics department for whom you may mourn in your own way.
Jerrell Powe, in a compromise with Tracy Rocker, is taking his motor scooter down to Panama City Beach for one of those old-fashioned motorcycle parades. Rocker insisted, though, that it be this particular parade - the 14th Annual Mark Mangino - Little Debbie West Florida Obesity Awareness Ride. Said Powe, "I haz an appetite ... for the open road."
Dexter McCluster is in the unfortunate position of having to complete a research project over the break. Not for school, though. McCluster is flying out to Los Angeles to view an advance showing of X-Men Origins: Wolverine in order to gain more information on something called an adamantium skeleton.
Jevan Snead, always the responsible one, has taken a job babysitting a kid for an old friend who is really busy next week.
Greg Hardy is going to wall-paper his room at home with his Sports Illustrated cover picture. And then tear them all down as a sign of his angst. And then wall-paper his room at home with his Sports Illustrated cover picture. And then tear them all down as a sign of his angst. And then wall-paper his room at home with his Sports Illustrated cover picture. And then tear them all down as a sign of his angst. And then wall-paper his room at home with his Sports Illustrated cover picture. And then tear them all down as a sign of his angst. And then wall-paper his room at home with his Sports Illustrated cover picture. And then tear them all down as a sign of his angst. And then wall-paper his room at home with his Sports Illustrated cover picture. And then tear them all down as a sign of his angst. And then have coffee. And shame.
It's Spring Break at Oxford High School, as well, so Coach Houston Nutt has decided to take the wife and daughter Haven on a trip to Fayetteville to visit some old friends and plan ways to sabotage the lives of his former players as part of his grand scheme to ruin the University of Arkansas, leading, inevitably, to the collapse of the Natural State and its annexation by Generalissimo Chuck Norris of the Republic of Texas. Oops! Kinda let the cat out of the bag on that one.
Marshay Green will attempt to recreate the excitement of his most recent football season by telling everyone that he is going to Cancun, but spending most of the break bathing in the cool, brown waters of lovely Galveston, before actually showing up in Cancun at the end of the week and being so hot that he hooks up with fifty Spanish chick and buys MTV.
And, finally, Rebel-to/may-be Jamar Hornsby will be exactly where you guessed - on tour with Dent May and his magnificent ukulele.
Jerrell Powe, in a compromise with Tracy Rocker, is taking his motor scooter down to Panama City Beach for one of those old-fashioned motorcycle parades. Rocker insisted, though, that it be this particular parade - the 14th Annual Mark Mangino - Little Debbie West Florida Obesity Awareness Ride. Said Powe, "I haz an appetite ... for the open road."
Dexter McCluster is in the unfortunate position of having to complete a research project over the break. Not for school, though. McCluster is flying out to Los Angeles to view an advance showing of X-Men Origins: Wolverine in order to gain more information on something called an adamantium skeleton.
Jevan Snead, always the responsible one, has taken a job babysitting a kid for an old friend who is really busy next week.
Greg Hardy is going to wall-paper his room at home with his Sports Illustrated cover picture. And then tear them all down as a sign of his angst. And then wall-paper his room at home with his Sports Illustrated cover picture. And then tear them all down as a sign of his angst. And then wall-paper his room at home with his Sports Illustrated cover picture. And then tear them all down as a sign of his angst. And then wall-paper his room at home with his Sports Illustrated cover picture. And then tear them all down as a sign of his angst. And then wall-paper his room at home with his Sports Illustrated cover picture. And then tear them all down as a sign of his angst. And then wall-paper his room at home with his Sports Illustrated cover picture. And then tear them all down as a sign of his angst. And then have coffee. And shame.
It's Spring Break at Oxford High School, as well, so Coach Houston Nutt has decided to take the wife and daughter Haven on a trip to Fayetteville to visit some old friends and plan ways to sabotage the lives of his former players as part of his grand scheme to ruin the University of Arkansas, leading, inevitably, to the collapse of the Natural State and its annexation by Generalissimo Chuck Norris of the Republic of Texas. Oops! Kinda let the cat out of the bag on that one.
Marshay Green will attempt to recreate the excitement of his most recent football season by telling everyone that he is going to Cancun, but spending most of the break bathing in the cool, brown waters of lovely Galveston, before actually showing up in Cancun at the end of the week and being so hot that he hooks up with fifty Spanish chick and buys MTV.
And, finally, Rebel-to/may-be Jamar Hornsby will be exactly where you guessed - on tour with Dent May and his magnificent ukulele.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Kentucky Preview
Well, it's Mississippi day at the SEC tournament again. The Rebels play the Wildcats, and the Bulldogs play ... the Bulldogs.
Ole Miss won the regular season game against Kentucky, due primarily to holding Jodie Meeks to 2-13 shooting until the game was out of reach. We were unable to keep Patrick Patterson in check, and he made us pay going 8-12 from the field and 8-9 from the charity stripe. The Rebels will have to contain Patterson in order to win today, but I think that's possible.
Malcolm White has emerged as a legitimate player since that game. Against Kentucky, Malcolm was also 8-12. While no one would argue that Malcolm is the player that First-team All-SEC selection Patrick Patterson is, he has been a good presence of late, playing great defense and putting the ball in the hole (though inconsistently). Malcolm scored 20 points against a Mississippi State team that boasts the best interior defender in the country. I think that Malcolm will provide the post presence needed to match up against Patterson in the zone. Of course, they don't really play the same position since Patterson is more of a 4. So a power forward will have to step up as a defender against Patterson. That's why I'm hoping Kennedy puts Murphy on Patterson.
While Patterson has three inches on Holloway, we don't have a player on our team that plays the game harder than Murphy. He will fight for every ball and come down with a load of rebounds regardless of who he's paired against. I can't comprehend why he isn't starting games right now. He leads our team in double doubles and is a force coming off the bench. He's our second best interior defender, and he's a good offensive threat as well (leading our team in field goal percentage by ten percent). I want Murphy Holloway on the court for 30 minutes a game. Not 22.
In the end, I think that Kentucky is a pretty good matchup for us. They have no depth whatsoever and only have two players who are serious scoring threats. If we can contain either of those, we've got a good shot of winning. If Zach Graham can hold Meeks to 2-13 shooting again, it's in the bag. That's a big if though.
Ole Miss won the regular season game against Kentucky, due primarily to holding Jodie Meeks to 2-13 shooting until the game was out of reach. We were unable to keep Patrick Patterson in check, and he made us pay going 8-12 from the field and 8-9 from the charity stripe. The Rebels will have to contain Patterson in order to win today, but I think that's possible.
Malcolm White has emerged as a legitimate player since that game. Against Kentucky, Malcolm was also 8-12. While no one would argue that Malcolm is the player that First-team All-SEC selection Patrick Patterson is, he has been a good presence of late, playing great defense and putting the ball in the hole (though inconsistently). Malcolm scored 20 points against a Mississippi State team that boasts the best interior defender in the country. I think that Malcolm will provide the post presence needed to match up against Patterson in the zone. Of course, they don't really play the same position since Patterson is more of a 4. So a power forward will have to step up as a defender against Patterson. That's why I'm hoping Kennedy puts Murphy on Patterson.
While Patterson has three inches on Holloway, we don't have a player on our team that plays the game harder than Murphy. He will fight for every ball and come down with a load of rebounds regardless of who he's paired against. I can't comprehend why he isn't starting games right now. He leads our team in double doubles and is a force coming off the bench. He's our second best interior defender, and he's a good offensive threat as well (leading our team in field goal percentage by ten percent). I want Murphy Holloway on the court for 30 minutes a game. Not 22.
In the end, I think that Kentucky is a pretty good matchup for us. They have no depth whatsoever and only have two players who are serious scoring threats. If we can contain either of those, we've got a good shot of winning. If Zach Graham can hold Meeks to 2-13 shooting again, it's in the bag. That's a big if though.
Anyone else think this guy got juked out of his shoes?
Prediction:
Ole Miss 75 - Kentucky 78
Baseball Schadenfreude
So, you think losing to Mercer, South Alabama, and TCU before cancelling a doubleheader due to weather is bad, huh?
Well, yeah... it is.
But, don't worry, we're certainly not the only ones who have had to endure early-season baseball embarrassment. Behold, my quickly compiled list of shitty things that have happened to 2009 SEC baseball programs thus far.
Alabama
Dropped 2 of 3 to Southeast Missouri
Two games against Illinois-Chicago cancelled
Lost to Troy
Arkansas
Lost to Kansas
Two games against Western Illinois cancelled
Auburn
Dropped 2 of 3 to Elon
Game against Florida State cancelled
Florida
Swept by in-state rival Miami
Lost to FAU
LSU
Dropped 2 of 3 to Illinois (during the new Box's opening weekend)
Mississippi State
Lost to Northern Illinois
No contest against Nicholls State
Dropped 3 of 4 to Hawaii
South Carolina
Game against Clemson cancelled
Tennessee
Game against Oregon State cancelled
Lost to Austin Peay
Game against FIU cancelled
Lost to USC upstate
There are plenty of losses I've left out, but they're not so much embarrassing (losing to Coastal Carolina, Long Beach State, Oregon State, and other "baseball schools.") Keep it all in perspective, Rebels. Few SEC teams have gone through this still young season without a few "omgwtf's."
Well, yeah... it is.
But, don't worry, we're certainly not the only ones who have had to endure early-season baseball embarrassment. Behold, my quickly compiled list of shitty things that have happened to 2009 SEC baseball programs thus far.
Alabama
Dropped 2 of 3 to Southeast Missouri
Two games against Illinois-Chicago cancelled
Lost to Troy
Arkansas
Lost to Kansas
Two games against Western Illinois cancelled
Auburn
Dropped 2 of 3 to Elon
Game against Florida State cancelled
Florida
Swept by in-state rival Miami
Lost to FAU
LSU
Dropped 2 of 3 to Illinois (during the new Box's opening weekend)
Mississippi State
Lost to Northern Illinois
No contest against Nicholls State
Dropped 3 of 4 to Hawaii
South Carolina
Game against Clemson cancelled
Tennessee
Game against Oregon State cancelled
Lost to Austin Peay
Game against FIU cancelled
Lost to USC upstate
There are plenty of losses I've left out, but they're not so much embarrassing (losing to Coastal Carolina, Long Beach State, Oregon State, and other "baseball schools.") Keep it all in perspective, Rebels. Few SEC teams have gone through this still young season without a few "omgwtf's."
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Buk for Sunday?
Tonight's pitching preformance by Brett Bukvich (0 runs, 2 hits, 6 k) has left this blogger and the rest of the Rebel Nation wondering, "Why isn't Brett Bukvich a weekend starter?" Yes, I'm kidding.
Anyway, I really have decided that we should give Brett a look on Sundays. He couldn't be any worse than Barrett, and the Left, Right, Left weekend rotation would be kind of cool.
The whole deal that started this debate was the 3-0 Rebel victory that was acheived by signature Bianco style of play: pitching and defense. Buk only allowed two hits in six innings, and Barbeck and Goforth combined in three innings only allowed one hit. Goforth struck out the side in the ninth.
Believe it or not, the same team that struggled in Mobile and at home with TCU is now on a six game win streak heading into the weekend stint with Vandy in Nashville. One Man to Beat will no doubt have a weekend preview for you, and I will provide you with game recaps.
By using the comments function, let the debate begin on who should be our Sunday starter. I vote Bukvich for now (let your commenting occur in a vacuum, meaning do not take into account that the six innings pitched by Buk tonight hindering him from starting on Sunday).
Anyway, I really have decided that we should give Brett a look on Sundays. He couldn't be any worse than Barrett, and the Left, Right, Left weekend rotation would be kind of cool.
The whole deal that started this debate was the 3-0 Rebel victory that was acheived by signature Bianco style of play: pitching and defense. Buk only allowed two hits in six innings, and Barbeck and Goforth combined in three innings only allowed one hit. Goforth struck out the side in the ninth.
Believe it or not, the same team that struggled in Mobile and at home with TCU is now on a six game win streak heading into the weekend stint with Vandy in Nashville. One Man to Beat will no doubt have a weekend preview for you, and I will provide you with game recaps.
By using the comments function, let the debate begin on who should be our Sunday starter. I vote Bukvich for now (let your commenting occur in a vacuum, meaning do not take into account that the six innings pitched by Buk tonight hindering him from starting on Sunday).
Walk it Out
Last night, David Phillips slapped a solo shot walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to notch one for the good guys against Austin Peay 8-7. The move to insert Phillips in the ninth was a strong one by Bianco. He wanted out of that game that inning, and that was the best way to do it.
I'm confused about why a guy with such power is sitting on the bench while Mike Snyder, batting a whopping 0.125 is batting as much as he is (only two more at bats than Phillips, but still). Let's give Phillips a legitimate shot in the order and see what he can do. I like Mike Snyder as much as the next guy, but maybe this year isn't his year.
At this point in the season, headed into SEC play, I want our order to be as follows:
1. Jordan Henry CF
2. Tim Ferguson 2B
3. Matt Smith 1B
4. Logan Power RF
5. David Phillips DH
6. Kevin Mort SS
7. Zach Miller 3B
8. Taylor Hashman LF
9. Brett Basham C
All nine of those batters are batting over 300. I don't see a glaring weakness in the order. What do you all think?
BTW, if any of you are planning on calling me out for the baseball recruiting article I did almost a year ago that mentioned David Phillips would get lost in the shuffle because of Mike Snyder, please don't. Being wrong makes me cry.
I'm confused about why a guy with such power is sitting on the bench while Mike Snyder, batting a whopping 0.125 is batting as much as he is (only two more at bats than Phillips, but still). Let's give Phillips a legitimate shot in the order and see what he can do. I like Mike Snyder as much as the next guy, but maybe this year isn't his year.
At this point in the season, headed into SEC play, I want our order to be as follows:
1. Jordan Henry CF
2. Tim Ferguson 2B
3. Matt Smith 1B
4. Logan Power RF
5. David Phillips DH
6. Kevin Mort SS
7. Zach Miller 3B
8. Taylor Hashman LF
9. Brett Basham C
All nine of those batters are batting over 300. I don't see a glaring weakness in the order. What do you all think?
BTW, if any of you are planning on calling me out for the baseball recruiting article I did almost a year ago that mentioned David Phillips would get lost in the shuffle because of Mike Snyder, please don't. Being wrong makes me cry.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Something Confirmed; Something Unconfirmed
I have confirmed from publicly released sources that the Ole Miss Men's Tennis Team has moved up to #3 in the country. The full rankings are available at the ITA website.
This is great, right? No this is bullshit.
We remain ranked behind Stanford, simply because they have only dropped one match. However, that one match was to Georgia, who, you might have noticed, we beat. Our schedule has been demonstrably more difficult. And we just came off a crushing defeat of the #5 team in the country. Their only claim to the #2 spot over the Rebels would be their win over USC, to whom we lost. Of course, we had the stomach flu. Anyway, Virginia is the top-ranked team in the country, and that is legitimate. But, Stanford, I have my eye on you.
On the unconfirmed front, I have it on pretty good authority that a member of the Ole Miss Men's Tennis team will be named the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year. The criteria for the award are pretty straight-forward - be super-smart, good at your sport, and a senior. This means that the recipient is almost certainly fellow blogger Bram ten Berge.
Every year, each SEC school nominates a male and female athlete. One previous from Ole Miss is Calvin Thigpen, the All-American Track Athlete who was elected president of the student body and awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. I say "nominee" because Thigpen - again, Rhodes Scholar - was passed over for Kentucky's Jeff Zurcher because, altogether now, "We are Ole Miss."
Sour grapes aside, if this rock-solid rumor does not turn out to embarrass me, Bram deserves it because he is the man.
This is great, right? No this is bullshit.
We remain ranked behind Stanford, simply because they have only dropped one match. However, that one match was to Georgia, who, you might have noticed, we beat. Our schedule has been demonstrably more difficult. And we just came off a crushing defeat of the #5 team in the country. Their only claim to the #2 spot over the Rebels would be their win over USC, to whom we lost. Of course, we had the stomach flu. Anyway, Virginia is the top-ranked team in the country, and that is legitimate. But, Stanford, I have my eye on you.
On the unconfirmed front, I have it on pretty good authority that a member of the Ole Miss Men's Tennis team will be named the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year. The criteria for the award are pretty straight-forward - be super-smart, good at your sport, and a senior. This means that the recipient is almost certainly fellow blogger Bram ten Berge.
Every year, each SEC school nominates a male and female athlete. One previous from Ole Miss is Calvin Thigpen, the All-American Track Athlete who was elected president of the student body and awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. I say "nominee" because Thigpen - again, Rhodes Scholar - was passed over for Kentucky's Jeff Zurcher because, altogether now, "We are Ole Miss."
Sour grapes aside, if this rock-solid rumor does not turn out to embarrass me, Bram deserves it because he is the man.
Rebs to host Gardner-Webb... Wow.
The oh-so-wackily elusive 12th opponent on our 2009 football schedule will almost certainly be Gardner-Webb. Who/What exactly is Gardner-Webb? They're a Division II school from Boiling Springs, North Carolina. Their athletic teams are the Runnin' Bulldogs which is a creative stupid twist on the all too popular canine mascot.
This is, of course, a damned embarrassment. We shouldn't ever play two Division II (do NOT comment with the whole "omg it's FCS now u dumb@$$lmao" bit) teams in one season. Ever. Ever, ever, ever. The blame for this can be placed at the feet of two groups:
- Our athletics administration (who's shocked by this one?). This should have been taken care of months, if not years ago.
- TCU, UVA, Indiana, and other puss-ass schools who didn't want to schedule the Rebels despite having similar open-dates and scheduling issues. I'm especially tiffed with you, Horned Frogs, with your whole "BCS Buster" persona. If you want to "bust" the BCS you should schedule a team that's worth a damn. Some "people" may scoff at this notion, but those teams were simply viewing a matchup with the Rebs as a probable loss and didn't want that on their schedule.
This just in....
The new weekend rotation for the Rebel Baseball team will be:
Drew Pomeranz on Friday
Philip Irwin on Saturday
Aaron Barrett on Sunday
The Rebels will take on the Governors of Austin Peay at 6:30 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Drew Pomeranz on Friday
Philip Irwin on Saturday
Aaron Barrett on Sunday
The Rebels will take on the Governors of Austin Peay at 6:30 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Huertas, White Honored by League Coaches
Terrico White and David Huertas are members of this year's All-SEC Team (second-stringers, but who's counting?), and White was selected as the freshman of the year and one of three unanimous selections to the All-Freshman Team.
The release from the league indicates that each team, except the all-defensive team, had eight players on it - which takes a little of the honor out of being the sixth-man of the year, I suppose. Feel free to offer your dissenting opinions or contradictory observations, but it seems silly to me to expand the all-league teams to eight. This expansion means that five of the first teamers were unanimous selections.
Georgia has all the shame. With just one selection - Trey Thompkins is a member of the freshman team - has not as much reason for optimism as their congratulatory release will likely indicate.
In the SEC Coach of the Year race, Trent Johnson was able to edge out Billy Gilli ... Gilli ... Gilletmejustdiebeforeimissthetournament as SEC Coach of the Year. Upon winning, basically by default, Johnson said, "Someone please remind me why I left Palo Alto to coach in the Sun Belt Conference?"
For their outstanding valor in being so awarded, and because we at the Cup bestow the distinction of "Rebel of the Week" irregularly and have space on the rolls - Huertas and White are, even on Tuesday, proclaimed the preeminent Rebels of the seven-day period beginning Sunday and concluding Saturday.
Justified.
The release from the league indicates that each team, except the all-defensive team, had eight players on it - which takes a little of the honor out of being the sixth-man of the year, I suppose. Feel free to offer your dissenting opinions or contradictory observations, but it seems silly to me to expand the all-league teams to eight. This expansion means that five of the first teamers were unanimous selections.
Georgia has all the shame. With just one selection - Trey Thompkins is a member of the freshman team - has not as much reason for optimism as their congratulatory release will likely indicate.
In the SEC Coach of the Year race, Trent Johnson was able to edge out Billy Gilli ... Gilli ... Gilletmejustdiebeforeimissthetournament as SEC Coach of the Year. Upon winning, basically by default, Johnson said, "Someone please remind me why I left Palo Alto to coach in the Sun Belt Conference?"
For their outstanding valor in being so awarded, and because we at the Cup bestow the distinction of "Rebel of the Week" irregularly and have space on the rolls - Huertas and White are, even on Tuesday, proclaimed the preeminent Rebels of the seven-day period beginning Sunday and concluding Saturday.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Who Exactly Is This Person?
Remember how that first year in Oxford was a particularly perilous time for you with regard to responsible decisions while consuming alcohol? Well, Andre Sterling, who the Cup has yet to confirm is actually a member of the Ole Miss Football team, feels your pain.
In his defense, Sterling claimed that he had to drive to pick up Ryan Mallet, who, somewhere, was way more trashed.
A DUI is an awful petty offense for consideration on the All-Perilloux Team. I will be opposing his admission into that august group. But, if this nameless, faceless Hargrave graduate is, in fact, on the team, then his greatest (which is to say, his last and his only) achievement for the Rebels will be the recognition we deserve in the gold standard of intercollegiate delinquent reporting - the Fulmer Cup. Huzzah!
In his defense, Sterling claimed that he had to drive to pick up Ryan Mallet, who, somewhere, was way more trashed.
A DUI is an awful petty offense for consideration on the All-Perilloux Team. I will be opposing his admission into that august group. But, if this nameless, faceless Hargrave graduate is, in fact, on the team, then his greatest (which is to say, his last and his only) achievement for the Rebels will be the recognition we deserve in the gold standard of intercollegiate delinquent reporting - the Fulmer Cup. Huzzah!
Rebel Roundup: A Slow Monday Afternoon
Rebs Best the Dawgs and Vols, Few Notice - Ivory Tower, as soon as he steps down from his aptly named feat of engineering, will likely fill you in on how all of this went down. Suffice it to say, we could be a shoe-in for the overall SEC title.
Terrico White Named SEC FotW, Again - Despite the agonizing home loss to the LEGhumpin//BULLFRAUDS, Terrico put in another solid slew of performances to earn his third SEC Freshman of the Week award.
We Swept Vermont - Whoooooooo.... I guess. Thanks for the maple syrup, ice cream, and zany liberals, Vermont. You're really holding your own up there.
SEC Tournament Bracket Announced - My prediction: TOURNAMENT CHAMPS WHOOOOO HFT Y'ALL!!!
Terrico White Named SEC FotW, Again - Despite the agonizing home loss to the LEGhumpin//BULLFRAUDS, Terrico put in another solid slew of performances to earn his third SEC Freshman of the Week award.
We Swept Vermont - Whoooooooo.... I guess. Thanks for the maple syrup, ice cream, and zany liberals, Vermont. You're really holding your own up there.
SEC Tournament Bracket Announced - My prediction: TOURNAMENT CHAMPS WHOOOOO HFT Y'ALL!!!
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