Hotty Toddy Sports Blog

OLE MISS DEFEATS MEMPHIS 28-25

2006-09-05T14:40:00.000-05:00

The Skinny:
Ole Miss had a positive debut on sunday as the Rebels defeated the Memphis tigers 28-25 before a crowd of 55,000 in Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium. The highlights of the game included the consistent play of BenJarvus Green-Ellis and the razzle-dazzle that is Dexter McCluster. Schaeffer didn't pull much out of his College of the Sequoias "bag of tricks" but he got the first downs when they counted. The defense, well, let's suffice it with one word: underachievement.

Positives:
The number 22 lives on! Freshman Dexter McCluster's lowest statistical average on Sunday was 14.3 (recieving). He also averaged 15 yards rushing and 24.4 yards on kick returns. I remember the coaches repeatedly praising the abilities of this kid but they never said he was this good. How many people have done something like this on their first collegiate game as a true freshman? At 5'9" and 160lbs he doesn't have much of an intimidating frame, but what he lacks in size he makes up for in "wow."
BenJarvus Green-Ellis: get used to hearing that name. BJGE had 26 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns. He is everything on the ground that Ole Miss was missing last year. He's big (6', 215lbs) and physical and would rather run through you than around you. These two runners together are the one-two punch Ole Miss needs on the ground.
Although he didn't have big numbers or plays, Brent Schaeffer showed why he's the signal caller for our beloved Rebels. He made great decisions and got first downs when the the team really needed them. He brings an incredible amount of confidence and decision making ability to a position that has been vapid since dear ol' Eli left us. It seemed like there were some communication issues between Brent and his recievers but that is to be expected in the first game of the season.
Of course, none of this could be without the offensive line showing up to work. The run blocking up front was some of the best I've seen in years. Freshman John Jerry showed why he's worth his weight in gold (see: a shit-ton of gold) and Michael Oher continued to play like an all-American.
Also, the special teams didn't play as if they were actually "special," which is quite the treat considering last year's inconsistent play.

Negatives:
What on earth happened to our defense? Surely this can't keep up like this all season. I mean, 25 points? 11 in the fourth quarter? A successful two point conversion? Patrick Willis was a superhero as usual (12 tackes, 8 solo) but as a whole the defense allowed Memphis to nickel-and-dime their way into the endzone.
The secondary didn't play well at all which spread the linebackers too thin. The defensive line needs some serious help and has got to put pressure on the quarterback in future games if Ole Miss wants a bowl game. I'm certain that most of these problems are simply a result of inexperience, well, at least I hope so.

Looking ahead
Unfortunately for the Rebels, Mizzou runs the same style of offense as Memphis does. The real difference between Mizzou and Tiger High is simple: Mizzou is better. Their quarterback is a gunslingin' stud and their tight ends have gained a great deal of praise and press. For Ole Miss to snatch a win away from another band of Tigers the defense will have to improve drastically over the next week. The rowdy student section of VHS won't be there to fire up the players either. Look for another nail-biter on saturday Rebel fans.

On an additional note, Chucky Mullins' number 38 was retired in a ceremony before the game and a bust of him was moved from the field house to the tunnel entrance in VHS. Whether you admire the retiring of Chucky's jersey or not, the ceremony was very dignified and ESPN did a great job of covering it.

Despite what you may initially think, this is no photo-op. Apparently this was taken while Sir Willis himself was coming out onto the field for warmups, before the players were even supposed to come out together and rub his bust "Howard's Rock" style.

Until next week, Rebel fans!

Brent Schaeffer HAS qualified.

2006-08-01T14:46:00.000-05:00

You heard it here, maybe fourth or fifth. Ole Miss starting QB Brent Schaeffer has completed his coursework at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, CA and will report to Oxford later this week.

Chucky Mullins to be Forgotten

2006-07-25T18:04:00.000-05:00

In a very somber and respectful ceremony before the opening of the Ole Miss Rebel football season, Chucky Mullins' number 38 will be retired, becoming only the second number after Archie's number 18 to recieve such a distinction.

I'm not happy with this.

Shocking, maybe, but consider this. With this act, the Roy Lee "Chucky" Mullins Courage Award is hereby discontinued. No longer will Chucky have a memorial in the form of a living, breating, pain-delivering Ole Miss Rebel defender. Now his number will be simply that, a number.

Let's keep in mind why we retire jerseys: Impossibilities of duplication.
Archie Manning is the greatest player to ever call himself an Ole Miss Rebel. Hell, he's even the greatest college player to ever wear the number 18. We will never have another Archie Manning, therefore retirement of his jersey is quite acceptable.

However, we have had other Chuckys.

Let's be honest. Chucky wasn't the greatest player we've ever had. He wasn't even the greatest defensive back on the team when he played. However, he suffered for the game of football and vicariously, we suffered.
Becoming a quadraplegic former football player will ruin the spirits of a great majority of men... It couldn't hurt Chucky though. He said "although I may give in, I never give up." These words alone speak to not only what a courageous football player should embody, but what a courageous person should embody. Chucky, through his suffering, has enspired many of us.

By retiring his jersey, we will forget that inspiration. Rebel fans a few generations down the line will forget what it meant for a player to wear number 38. They will forget the uniquity it posessed in that it was distinctively "Ole Miss." They will forget Chucky's spirit of courage.

Everybody's got retired jerseys. Only Ole Miss had a Chucky Mullins. If anything can be done to keep him on the field, please do it.

Will Smith is a Liar

2006-06-23T02:11:00.000-05:00

Miami, why do you hate me so.

First you send your baseball Hurricanes to my fair Oxford and take a well deserved trip to Omaha away from my beloved Rebels.
Then your Heat commit the aggregious crime of defeating the Dallas Mavericks, MY Dallas Mavericks in Dallas to win the NBA title.

Oh, and way to lose to LSU in the Peach bowl. Nothing like giving people in Baton Rouge reason to gloat about, well, anything.

"Booooooooooo."

Note: I sorta expected the Mavs to win and I had this nice entry in mind about how these NBA Playoffs have been the best in recent memory. Eh, whatever.

Marc Cuban's Fine: a Drop in a Bucket

2006-06-20T17:56:00.000-05:00

Marc Cuban fined $250K by NBA

I don't wanna say I'm on the guys side, but after a post like my last one it's hard to lie.

It's ok Mr. Cuban, after game 5 I was pretty upset too. I wasn't saying exactly that the league is "rigged" (which Cuban denies, somehow I feel like I should believe him) but watching the Mavericks lose three obviously winnable games would frustrate anybody not living in Dade County Florida.

Poor rebounding, poor offensive execution, and what seemed like a lack of drive caused this pseudo-Texan to reach for the Pepto real quick-like.

I don't know what to say upon Miami's impressive home stretch. I guess I could say that Stackhouse's game 5 suspension was completely unwarranted (and the pro's agree!).

Oh, and D-Wade is incredible. I mean, really incredible.

Marc Cuban: An Owner Lacking Professionalism, or an Amazing Basketball Fan?

2006-06-15T20:14:00.000-05:00

Before I dive into this, let me answer the question in the title: both.

Dallas loves this guy.

Seriously, they REALLY love this guy. And they love him for the exact same reason that David Stern and every team in the Western Conference hate him: he's loud, he argues with every official who enters the American Airlines Center, he's rich and he's amazingly abrasive and outspoken.

That's also precisely why I love the guy.

Let me give you some quick background information here. I was born in Dallas. I lived there for the earliest part of my childhood. I can remember going with my father (a season-ticket holder) to the old Reunion Arena and watching the green-and-white clad Mavericks starring Mark Aguirre. I even still have a toiletry travel case with an "M-wearing-a-cowboy-hat" logo slapped on it (what an odd promo night).

Oh, and yea, I still use it.

I have been a Mavericks fan for as long as I could possibly care about basketball. That means I've been embarassed for almost as long as I could possibly care about basketball. That embarassment turned around when Mr. Cuban bought the Mavs.

Sure, they got Don Nelson, Michael Finley, Steve Nash, and Dirk Nowitzki before Cuban actually bought the team, but without an owner like Cuban the Mavs would still be one of "those teams." Once Cuban bought the Mavs he was already thinking big. The Mavs got new uniforms, a new arena, and most importantly a new attitude.

To say Marc Cuban is "unorthodox" is an understatement. How many NBA owners (or really any professional owners) wore jerseys or team-logo polos in their front row seats before Marc Cuban? How many publicy matched wits with the NBA higher ups? How many were as verbally abusive to referees as, well, I am?

Don't answer those, they're rhetorical.

Dallas has had the talent before, they've always had the fans, and they've even had the coaching. So how was Marc Cuban able to do what he's done? Jerry Stackhouse said it best: "It's like he has our backs."

Think about it, what professional basketball player wouldn't want to play for the Dalls Mavericks? The American Airlines Center is always sold out, Avery Johnson is a young and emerging head coach, and Marc Cuban is your boss! Who wouldn't work for a guy like that? Who wouldn't go to a basketball game with a guy like that? Who wouldn't want to live like that?

Marc Cuban gets the grief he gets because he lacks professoinalism. But is that a bad thing? So what he's not this boring old guy who quietly wears a tie while whispering into his coach's ear? Why do you people care?

I'll tell you why: The Mavs are winning.

Look at Marc Cuban this way: He's a HUGE fan, with a billion dollars. Honestly, think about your absolute favorite professional team. Now think of yourself with a billion dollars. Now, with a straight face, say you wouldn't be just like Marc Cuban... I thought so.

So when you hear all of those fans on that "muddy water" (San Antonio's RiverWalk per the words of Mr. Cuban himself) speak of their hatred for Marc Cuban, just think of the joy of being a billionaire basketball fan.

Go Mavs!
-Bob

Ricky Williams: The Highest Paid Back in the League*

2006-05-31T01:55:00.000-05:00

*The Canadian Football League

Forget a young lady smashing an egg on a stovetop.

You want to show kids a reason not to do drugs?

It's simple. Just show some footage of Ricky Williams' final season as a Texas Longhorn. Show him blowing past opponents while making opposing coaches sick to the stomach. Show him setting NCAA records. Show him hoisting the Heisman Trophy while an army of photographers blind him with their flashbulbs. Show the New Orleans Saints trading their ENTIRE 1999 draft for an opportunity for a player like Williams to wear their uniform.

Then have some voice-over say "this is your professional career."

Next, show Ricky Williams wearing a Toronto Argonauts uniform holding a piece of paper addressed to the Miami Dolphins which reads "IOU: several million dollars." Hell, for kicks have him holding his diploma (or certificate, or degree, or whatever it is) from some holistic medicine school in California too.

"This is your career on drugs."

I promise, kids will quit smoking pot.

Family Man

2006-05-26T14:11:00.000-05:00

The current icon of the Ole Miss defense is most obviously Patrick Willis, hell he's the icon of the whole team. To gain the national attention he recieved on an underachieving 3-8 Ole Miss squad takes talent. Really, there is nothing I can say that hasn't been said. So I will suffice with this:

Patcick Willis is the best linebacker in all of Division 1-A football. Period.

In a year, expect a collective "thank God" to escape the mouths of SEC West offensive coordinators when the surefire first round slection is propelled to the pro ranks. While Les Miles and Sylvester Croom are letting loose their sighs of relief, the Rebel faithful will simply focus their eyes on the next great Ole Miss defender.

This young man is the player who will shove that "thank God" back into their mouths and turn it into something more like "GOD #*%&*@!" Ladies and Gentlemen of the Southeastern Conference, meet Chris Strong.

Thanks to omspirit.com for the image

Here's an interesting statistic: The state of Mississippi has produced the most professional football players per capita.
A stranger to Mississippi football would ask "where do these kids come from?" Well, if you know anything about the Magnolia State's high school football, you know about South Panola High School. The Tigers of South Panola are currently looking to extend their 45-game win streak to 60 this year and win that (always elusive) fourth 5A title.
This is the USC (pre-Rose Bowl) of Mississippi High School Football.
And if this is USC, Chris Strong is Reggie Bush.

Well, he's not really a half back, but you get my drift.

Strong is the most talented player on the most talented team in (arguably) the most talented state for high school ball.

How talented? Well, for starters Strong was the only junior on the 2005 Clarion Ledger 1st Team All-State squad and the only junior to be named as a Prep Star All-American from the Magnolia State. In 15 games Strong had 94 tackles and 4 sacks on the season. His bench is around 350, his vertical is just shy of 40" and his 40 time is around 4.6 seconds. He is able to cram all of this ability into a 6'3" 240lb frame. He's got the size, strength and ability to play down on the line or in the box. I've actually seen him in action and he can really lay the big hits on anybody. There isn't an offensive player he will play all year that will be able to get past him.

Ok, if you're not impressed yet, check this out. Chris Strong has amassed 32 D1-A scholarship offers and is yet to play a single down as a senior. He's recieved offers from the likes of USC, Miami, and Notre Dame. He has even recieved an offer from every school in the SEC, well, almost every school. Mississippi State pulled his commitment when he apparently told one of their coaches "not to waste their time" recruiting him.

Good move Coach Croom. You don't want this guy anyway, right?

So how does a young man who committed very early to his first scholarship offer feel about recieving all of this attention? In an interview with rebelsports.net Strong said, "(my coaches) just told me that I had 32 scholarship offers. I do not even ask who. I got the one (Ole Miss) where I am headed. That is all I really need to know."

This is baffling, I'm certain, to many people who've offered the kid. They're probably wondering, "well why in the hell is this kid so damn fond of the Rebels?" I mean, surely with offers from Notre Dame et al he should just leave Oxford in the dust.
There is just one little piece of information these people don't know about Chris Strong: for him, blood is much thicker than water.

Rebel fans will remeber mister Eddie Strong, the #1 wearing linebacker who put 18 tackes worth of hurt on the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the 2002 Egg Bowl. Rebel fans are also very familiar with Jamarca Sanford, the hard hitting starting strong safety for the current Rebel squad. Also, Peria and John Jerry, two large linemen (Peria a DE, Jerry a G) will soon be making a name for themselves in Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium.
How does Chris Strong know these guys already?

Well besides being fellow South Panola Tigers, these young men are close family members to Strong (Eddie is his uncle while Sanford and the Jerrys are his cousins). The beaches of Miami, the tradition of USC, the crowds of Neyland, and the aura of South Bend will never be able to pull a guy like Chris Strong away from the people he love.

That's the kind of football player I want on my team. Hotty Toddy Chris.

-Bob

Statement of Purpose

2006-05-25T19:44:00.000-05:00

So I've had this blogger account for nearly a year now and have achieved the following:
1.) Uploaded a picture of myself
2.) Been spammed by bots who think my blog is "interesting" and want to give me a degree

This caused me to ponder as to what exactly I should do with this thing. Well after reading enough of espn.com's "Page 2" and other sports blogs I thought to myself, "hey I can do that!"

So here's my shot, hopefully once a week or so I'll fill you in on what is going on in my very own "Wide World of Sports." It will most likely be about teams or players you care little about but I guarantee I'll entertain you somehow, even if I must resort to juggling.

Until later.

-Bob

New Blog

2005-08-12T20:16:00.000-05:00

Why did I do this?