Generally, we are the "authors" of "content" around here - "here" being a blog and not a message board. Recognize, we do, that you've come here not to contribute, but to consume. Nevertheless, there is the sporadic occasion where, either for our benefit or for to exercise the thinkifiers of the masses, we ask you a question. Today's question is . . .

I'm not asking if you personally want Mike Bianco fired, but if you're Ross Bjork, what do you do with the Bianco situation?

For yet another offseason, it is summertime. Fireworks, cold beer, smoky barbecue, and bikinis define the time. We're having fun, and we would like you to as well. While our Autumn weekends will be engulfed in the conflagration of college football fandom, those of our Summer will be fun and varied. As such, we Cuppers would like to share with you our Summer weekend plans, along with the weekend plans of a few others of note, in order to hopefully give you ideas as to enjoyably bide your time until kickoff. This weekend's theme song? "This Land is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie.

I wanna get me some of that fascist-killing machine.

Juco All-American - Smoking a Boston butt; Getting fat.

Ghost of Jay Cutler - The Outer Banks. If you're out thattaway and see a sunburned out of shape guy with an Ole Miss cap and a brown dog, that's probably him.

Nick Brassell - Asking Pat Patterson for advice.

Pat Patterson - Giving terrible advice.

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Generally, we are the "authors" of "content" around here - "here" being a blog and not a message board. Recognize, we do, that you've come here not to contribute, but to consume. Nevertheless, there is the sporadic occasion where, either for our benefit or for to exercise the thinkifiers of the masses, we ask you a question. Today's question is . . .

Which Regional would you like for the Rebels to attend?

PerfectGame.com projects the following sixteen teams will host:

What we all feared would be the case has finally become official. Nickolas Brassell, the athletically gifted receiver, cornerback, and return man for our Rebels, will not be a part of this football program this fall per a statement on the Ole Miss sports mothership. We have all heard for a while that Brassell was more than a long shot to maintain his academic eligibility to remain a part of the program for his sophomore year and beyond, something which was confirmed by head coach Hugh Freeze this morning. Freeze said that he and his staff did "all they could to help," which evidently was not enough.

His elite athleticism and big play ability will be sorely missed on a team which seems to be lacking in both. Brassell, as a true freshman, started six games at wide receiver and one at cornerback. He had 24 catches for 336 yards and two touchdowns on offense, 14 tackles and five pass breakups on defense, and saw action on return teams, even returning an 84-yard punt for a touchdown against Georgia.

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Yesterday, the football coaches released the Ole Miss Post-Spring depth chart. We, as you would expect, have some opinions and observations thereof. The depth chart as released by Coach Freeze is after the jump, with our annotations immediately thereafter.

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Generally, we are the "authors" of "content" around here - "here" being a blog and not a message board. Recognize, we do, that you've come here not to contribute, but to consume. Nevertheless, there is the sporadic occasion where, either for our benefit or for to exercise the thinkifiers of the masses, we ask you a question. Today's question is . . .

Is this finally the year we get to Omaha?

I asked this at the beginning of April and said I'd ask a few more times this year. Well, look at what people said then. Then talk about your expectations as of now.

Generally, we are the "authors" of "content" around here - "here" being a blog and not a message board. Recognize, we do, that you've come here not to contribute, but to consume. Nevertheless, there is the sporadic occasion where, either for our benefit or for to exercise the thinkifiers of the masses, we ask you a question. Today's question is . . .

What, if anything, does Mike Bianco need to do to ensure he is back next season?

Generally, we are the "authors" of "content" around here - "here" being a blog and not a message board. Recognize, we do, that you've come here not to contribute, but to consume. Nevertheless, there is the sporadic occasion where, either for our benefit or for to exercise the thinkifiers of the masses, we ask you a question. Today's question is . . .

With which player were you most pleasantly surprised in the Grove Bowl?

In looking forward to the Grove Bowl this weekend, I approached tGoJC about doing a sort of mock draft of our team. Essentially, we did what we hope the coaches will do- draft two teams and duke it out with them. I ultimately prefer this greatly over seeing how our scholarship players can decimate walk-ons who had great MPSA careers.

A brief note on eligibility: any player on roster (who will be healthy for the game) was eligible. Senquez Golson was not since he is not playing in the game to the best of our knowledge.

Before anyone asks, is this dorky? Yes.

My team is here. Analysis follows after the jump.

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Sorry it's late. Chat it up.

I have a theory that this is an attempt to get us used to the Bear mascot. TURDITSUN!

Generally, we are the "authors" of "content" around here - "here" being a blog and not a message board. Recognize, we do, that you've come here not to contribute, but to consume. Nevertheless, there is the sporadic occasion where, either for our benefit or for to exercise the thinkifiers of the masses, we ask you a question. Today's question is . . .

At this point in the season, with what, if anything, do you believe Cliff Godwin has helped the team when compared to last season?

ETA: Relevant to this is yesterday's piece on Cliff Godwin in the Daily Mississippian. Give it a read.

Tonight at 6:30, Jackson area Rebels (20-8, 5-4 SEC) get a chance to see what this team is made of at Trustmark Park in Pearl as the Rebels take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (16-12) for the second time this season.

We would all like to forget what happened on March 20th. The Rebels had just lost a weekend series to Auburn. Then they lost a 10-0 laugher to Southern Miss. Sam Smith suffered the loss, allowing just one earned run.... but four total. The Rebels were full of errors, and the game was never in question.

Since then, we appear to have gotten back on track. The question, of course, is whether our promising young midweek pitchers will be able to hold up in this game. If they pitch the way they're capable of pitching, we could really do well on the mound. Alternatively, if they pitch the way they're.... capable of pitching... we'll give up ten runs again.

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Generally, we are the "authors" of "content" around here - "here" being a blog and not a message board. Recognize, we do, that you've come here not to contribute, but to consume. Nevertheless, there is the sporadic occasion where, either for our benefit or for to exercise the thinkifiers of the masses, we ask you a question. Today's question is . . .

Is this the year we finally get to Omaha?

Don't worry. I'll ask this a few more times this year too. Just interesting to see how opinions may change through the season.

So this is it. The #1 Florida Gators (23-2, 5-1 SEC) come to Swayze field today to begin a weekend series that means a lot more to us than it does to them. The Rebels (18-7, 3-3 SEC) are certainly the underdogs against a team full of future major leaguers. Even one win in this series would be a good takeaway. Unfortunately, the Rebels need more than that.

After a disappointing series loss to the Auburn Tigers, the Rebs bounced back to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide but missed a sweep by a strike. With a 3-3 record and tougher teams ahead, this series could be a chance for the Rebels to regain momentum and get a signature series win to impress the committee later this season. It's going to be very difficult to do that, but the Rebels have had success recently against top-ranked opponents.

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Generally, we are the "authors" of "content" around here - "here" being a blog and not a message board. Recognize, we do, that you've come here not to contribute, but to consume. Nevertheless, there is the sporadic occasion where, either for our benefit or for to exercise the thinkifiers of the masses, we ask you a question. Today's question is . . .

"Are you happy that we appear to be keeping Andy Kennedy for a seventh season?"

Generally, we are the "authors" of "content" around here - "here" being a blog and not a message board. Recognize, we do, that you've come here not to contribute, but to consume. Nevertheless, there is the sporadic occasion where, either for our benefit or for to exercise the thinkifiers of the masses, we ask you a question. Today's question is . . .

What should Ross Bjork prioritize the most over his first two to three months on the job?

Sorry. No time for a preview. Gotta make dat money.

Do I have to do everything around here?

On the heels of an 18-8 offensive explosion against the Louisville Cardinals in Louisville, the Rebel baseballers will finish their spring breaks with an SEC play opening series against Auburn at Swayze Field. The Tigers are off to a rocky 10-7 start thus far on their season, but do have skilled players which should keep them competitive throughout conference play. Creede Simpson is one of the SEC's better batters, with a .439 batting average and 15 RBI. Also, as mentioned in today's earlier SEC baseball statistics post, "Auburn has been adept at small ball so far, with Dan Glevenyak leading the SEC with 6 sac buts and the duo of Jay Gonzalez and Simpson leading with 14 stolen bases apiece."

Auburn's Friday night starter, Derek Varnadore, is 1-1 with a 5.55 ERA, 15 earned runs, and 21 strikeouts. Statistically, their Saturday guy, Will Kendall, seems even more dangerous, as has not allowed a single earned run over his five appearances. Sunday, they'll trot out Daniel Koger who has a 1.83 ERA and a 1-1 record.

A win this series should be big, because our Rebels will face the Southern Miss To The Toppers in out of conference play on Tuesday before travelling to Tuscaloosa to open SEC road play against Alabama.

FRIDAY, 6:30 P.M.
AU - Derek Varnadore, Sr., RHP
OM - Bobby Wahl, So., RHP

SATURDAY, 1:30 P.M.
AU - Will Kendall, So., LHP
OM - R.J. Hively, Sr., RHP

SUNDAY, 1:30 P.M.
AU - Daniel Koger, Fr., LHP
OM - Mike Mayers, So., RHP

Generally, we are the "authors" of "content" around here - "here" being a blog and not a message board. Recognize, we do, that you've come here not to contribute, but to consume. Nevertheless, there is the sporadic occasion where, either for our benefit or for to exercise the thinkifiers of the masses, we ask you a question. Today's question is . . .

"Would you have rather seen Chris Warren or Zach Graham on this basketball team?"

I think it's a tough question. I'm interested to see the responses.

The Rebels (9-2) take on the Skyhawks (3-9) tonight at 6:30 CT. Freshman RHP Sam Smith (2.61 ERA, 1-0) draws the start for the Rebels tonight, and he's a pitcher on which to keep an eye. Smith has brought good stuff in his first two starts. If he can continue that trend and be a solid midweek starter for us, Bianco's job becomes a lot easier. These midweek games are pesky, and we have to find a pitcher with stuff that some of these lesser teams just struggle to hit. It appears, early on, that Smith fits the mold.

Freshman LHP Dalton Potts (24.3 ERA, 4 appearances, 3 IP) is the starter for UT-Martin and has a tough assignment. Eight regular rotation Rebel batters average over 300 with five of those averaging over 350. This is Potts' first career start, and it's not crazy for us to expect to explode from the beginning in this one. Of course, if he's a junk throwing lefty (I don't know his style), then we'll struggle to put runs on the board.

One thing to watch today is whether Senquez Golson draws the start in LF. In his only start versus a lefty (Sunday), he was 0-4. Does Bianco have the faith in him to put him back out there, or will we see Will Jamison again?

Prediction after the jump.

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Generally, we are the "authors" of "content" around here - "here" being a blog and not a message board. Recognize, we do, that you've come here not to contribute, but to consume. Nevertheless, there is the sporadic occasion where, either for our benefit or for to exercise the thinkifiers of the masses, we ask you a question. Today's question is . . .

How far will we go in the SEC Basketball Tournament?

Tonight, the 6-1 Rebels take on the 3-3 JSU Tigers in what has been dubbed a fan appreciation day. This is a last-second addition to the schedule after the Saturday game of the TCU series was rained out. Jackson State isn't very good on the year, but they do have a few players who have excelled. I have no idea who will be their starting pitcher tonight, but if it's Desmond Russell (1.23 ERA, 14 innings) or Chris Wingard (2.31 ERA, 11 innings), we might have a little trouble. I'm not high on our offensive firepower anyway, but I think that with this game in particular, we may be tired. The Diamond Rebs have faced four teams in five days. This makes five in six.

Click the jump for more information.

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Generally, we are the "authors" of "content" around here - "here" being a blog and not a message board. Recognize, we do, that you've come here not to contribute, but to consume. Nevertheless, there is the sporadic occasion where, either for our benefit or for to exercise the thinkifiers of the masses, we ask you a question. Today's question is . . .

Would you rather see Rod Barnes coaching this basketball team?

A lot of Ole Miss fans have quickly decided that freshman phenom Senquez Golson needs to be an everyday starter over fellow freshman Will Jamison in right field. While I realize it's incredibly early to get into this discussion, I do think there's merit in analyzing where the two currently stand and how they could potentially be used.

Will Jamison (.142 BA, 4 Ks) is the second fastest player on the team. He is a capable fielder who tracks the ball well on pop-ups. He has struggled at the plate so far this year, but his numbers being this low are simply a result of a small sample size. He'll increase his batting average steadily over the year and position himself well to be a full-time starter in the outfield next season. Jamison is also a talented pitcher. While not a starter, he could certainly end up seeing innings in relief during mid-week games. He pitched a lot in the Fall and Spring and could be useful for an inning or two during the postseason. Jamison bats and throws left-handed.

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Generally, we are the "authors" of "content" around here - "here" being a blog and not a message board. Recognize, we do, that you've come here not to contribute, but to consume. Nevertheless, there is the sporadic occasion where, either for our benefit or for to exercise the thinkifiers of the masses, we ask you a question. Today's question is . . .

Which home series are you looking forward to the most this season?