1. You're not supposed to cheer in this business. It's a bad idea to get emotionally attached to a team. I'm pretty good at not caring one way or the other. In my opinion, it helps me do my job better than others can.
Saturday night, however, I failed miserably. It's Andrew Ritter's fault. He's a great guy, one of those kids you cover for years who lets his guard down a little and lets you get to know him.
I've known Ritter since he was starting his senior season at Jackson Academy. He's always been a first-rate guy. I've run into him at various Oxford establishments, and he's always greeted me by name and said hello. Still, on Saturday night, I was surprised when I got down to the field minutes after his 29-yard field goal attempt was blocked, walked past the fifth-year senior on the Ole Miss sideline and looked down to see his extended hand.
Ole Miss had the football after LSU had tied the game at 24-24 and Ritter was being polite, saying hello and greeting a reporter who's covered his entire Ole Miss career. Seriously. Who does that? Ritter does.
"I knew I hit that low ball," Ritter said. "I had enough time to hit those practice balls into the net and I was hitting those solid, so I felt confident and comfortable."
As he trotted out to kick a 41-yarder to beat No. 6 LSU Saturday night, I wanted him to make it. I thought he deserved it. A kid who agreed to delay his graduation by a year so he could redshirt in 2012 and play in 2013 got to have a moment he will never forget and he'll always be remembered for. I thought it was cool.
Ritter, it turns out, did too. A lifelong Ole Miss fan, Ritter said he was thinking about family, friends, teammates and fellow fans as his moment neared.
"Other people are counting on me," Ritter said. "That helped me to be confident. I knew I wasn't going to let them down. After the low kick, I knew I was going to have another chance. I just knew I was. I was thinking, 'I've got to make up for that. That was all my fault. I can't let my teammates and this fan base down.' As we got the ball, we had some third-and-longs and we came through. The offense did its job. I had to do mine.
"Once I hit it, I knew it was good. For me and my career, this was the greatest moment. Finally being able to achieve my dream of kicking field goals and kicking a field goal to beat LSU, I couldn't draw it up any more perfect. I'm so thankful and so blessed. I'm just glad people have something to celebrate."
2. Jared Duke and Patrick Junen got some serious camera time Saturday night as they carried a large Gatorade cooler around Vaught-Hemingway Stadium looking to dump the contents on Hugh Freeze. The video, frankly, was hilarious. Early Sunday, Duke tweeted that he and Junen "found him. We were just waiting until after his interview so we didn't get you guys' fancy cameras wet."
The ESPN SportsCenter twitter account responded, thanking Duke on behalf of the network and its cameramen. It was funny stuff and a nice moment for a pair of offensive linemen who have more than paid their dues during their college careers.
3. Hugh Freeze has said it so many times, but some fans just have a tough time accepting it: Ole Miss is still very much in rebuilding mode. It's a process, one with no quick fixes. The Rebels' roster is thin, something that was painfully obvious Saturday night as injuries took their toll. At one point late Saturday, the Rebels' didn't have one available stinger (weak-side linebacker). Serderius Bryant didn't dress. Keith Lewis was out for the rest of the game and Denzel Nkemdiche was trying to recover in time to get back to the action.
Ole Miss went to a lineup that utilized D.T. Shackelford and Mike Marry at the linebacker slots until Nkemdiche returned, but let the record show the Rebels were one injury away from having to completely scrap their defensive schemes. That's thin, and right now, that's Ole Miss.
Clifton Garrett was in attendance Saturday night. The Rebels would love to sign the Rivals100 linebacker. Nyles Morgan was in South Bend, Ind., one week after taking an official visit to Ole Miss. The Rebels would love to sign Morgan, another Rivals100 linebacker, too. The last two weeks have shown prospects that Freeze and Co. have energized the fan base and rebuilt the program to the point that it's thisclose to reaching the upper echelon of the SEC. Last weekend, the Rebels were a play or two away from beating Texas A&M. On Saturday night, despite all their handicaps, Ole Miss beat LSU.
A win over the Tigers doesn't erase the challenges in front of Freeze. Ole Miss still needs running backs, tight ends, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers and cornerbacks to get to the level where it can compete for a conference title. Alabama doesn't appear to be going away. But the last few weeks have shown prospects that Freeze will win big at Ole Miss and early playing time is readily available. My guess is when it's all said and done, we'll see that some of the planks for Ole Miss' next couple of recruiting classes were put in place over the past two weeks.
4. Leftover thoughts from Ole Miss 27, LSU 24:
A. On the heels of a week where his decision-making was questioned again (and justifiably so, I might add), Bo Wallace was terrific. He was fantastic. Wallace looked poised, made one strong decision after another and delivered some big-league throws. Zack Mettenberger, on the other hand, had a night he'd like to forget, I suspect.
B. Jeff Scott should enter "Wally Pipp" into his Google search engine. I'Tavius Mathers and Jaylen Walton have been terrific in his stead. Frankly, they've been better than Scott.
C. I felt bad for Korvic Neat. He's simply shaky on punt returns. Someone else will have to give it a go. Look for Jordan Holder to get the next shot if Scott can't return in time for Saturday's game against Idaho.
D. I don't know what's been "wrong" with Donte Moncrief this season, but I know he was a beast against LSU.
E. Laquon Treadwell. Really, there's nothing to add. He's that special. He hasn't touched his ceiling yet, and he's already a dominant college receiver.
F. Laremy Tunsil played the best game of his young career. Enjoy these two, Ole Miss fans. They're not going to be in Oxford all that long, at least in my opinion. In a couple of years, guys like Treadwell and Tunsil are going to be first-round draft choices, occurrences that will help make recruiting in the future even easier for Freeze.
G. Nights like Saturday will only help youngsters like Derrick Jones and Bobby Hill in the future. Facing Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr., in an environment such as the one in Oxford Saturday night had to be intimidating. They survived it. It will be a building block for the future.
H. Kudos to Cameron Whigham. With Robert Nkemdiche and C.J. Johnson out, Whigham generated consistent pressure on Mettenberger. Lavon Hooks and Issac Gross helped out, too. It was a total team effort up front.
5. It was a crazy weekend in the SEC. My thoughts:
A. How good is Nick Saban? His robots (rumor is they're really human, but I'm not so sure) just keep rolling. In five games against teams not quarterbacked by Johnny Manziel, Alabama is beating its opponents, 201-16. Think about that a minute.
B. After beating Texas A&M in College Station Saturday, Auburn was voted as high as No. 6 and as low as No. 23 on voters' Associated Press ballots Sunday. Yeah, the league _ and the country, for that matter _ is that topsy-turvy this year. Auburn is now up to No. 11, by the way, and as crazy as it sounds, the Tigers have to at least be considered in the national title race at this point. Auburn still faces Tennessee and Georgia (more on both in a second) before its annual Iron Bowl showdown with the Robots. Win all three of those and the Tigers would be in the SEC Championship Game. (No, it's not going to happen; I'm just saying the Tigers still control their own destiny.)
C. Butch Jones is getting it done at Tennessee. Two weeks after a heartbreaking loss to Georgia, the Volunteers knocked off South Carolina. Recruits are loving what they're seeing in Knoxville. Insiders say the Vols will fall off next season with what will be a small, thin offensive line. If that's true, these last few weeks will help Jones get the recruiting momentum one must have to win in this league. Up next: Alabama. Uh-oh.
D. Georgia lost at Vanderbilt and lost more players in the process. Some poor bowl is going to get stuck with the Bulldogs, a team that once contended for a title and saw its season fade away in October. Fans won't travel, and the players won't care. Again, some bowl is going to get screwed.
E. Steve Spurrier's fourth quarter Saturday was inexplicable. The Gamecocks are still very good, and they get a shot at Missouri this weekend, but the loss in Knoxville was one that could haunt the program for a while.
F. F is for Florida. F is also for Failure. I've said it before; I'll say it again. If Will Muschamp can somehow land the Texas gig, he should jump. "We're just not a good football team," Muschamp said following the Gators' 19-point loss at Mizzou. "At it all falls on my shoulders. …We're inept offensively. We have a hard time running it and certainly can't protect very well. It showed today. I'm just very disappointed that we haven't made more positive strides offensively this season. We regressed again from last week." …Memo to Muschamp: Hush. Blame Bush. Call Texas. Beg. This has Ron Zook, Part II written all over it.
G. Bret Bielema goes home to Jen Bielema. He's making millions. I still feel sorry for him. That's how bad Arkansas is.
H. Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk, filling in for injured James Franklin, was18-of-36 passing for 295 yards against the SEC's No. 1 pass defense Saturday. He ran for a 17-yard touchdown for the game's final points with 6:30 remaining. The Tigers are now up to No. 5 in the AP Top 25, very much in control of their own destiny and a national title contender in every sense of the word. Still, no one seems to be taking them seriously. I have watched them extensively for the past two weeks, and I'll admit it: I have no read on them whatsoever. Nothing would surprise me at this point.
6. My bowl projections:
BCS National Championship Game --- Alabama
Capital One --- Auburn
Outback --- South Carolina
Cotton --- Missouri (this could be Ole Miss if the Rebels win out)
Chick-Fil-A --- Texas A&M
Taxslayer.com Gator --- Ole Miss
Franklin American Mortgage Music City --- LSU
Autozone Liberty --- Tennessee
BBVA Compass --- Vanderbilt
Advocare V100 --- Georgia
7. Prepare for the national outcry coming in the next few weeks. If Alabama, Oregon, Ohio State, the Florida State-Miami winner and the Baylor-Texas Tech winner all remain unbeaten, all three teams left out of the BCS National Championship Game are going to have every reason to be livid. If one of those teams is Texas Tech, every female football fan is going to converge on NCAA headquarters and demand Kliff Kingsbury receives justice.
Seriously, the makings of a mess are in place. Alabama's road to a third straight title game looks easier each week. Oregon still must face Stanford, but the Ducks will be heavy favorites. The Big Ten is atrocious, and of the teams remaining on the Buckeyes' schedule, only Michigan looks even slightly formidable (and that's a stretch). Texas Tech still must face Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas. Baylor still has Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, TCU and Texas left on its schedule. These things typically have a way of sorting themselves out, but this season has public relations disaster written all over it.
I know it's not feasible until other issues are addressed, but can you imagine how awesome a 16-team playoff would be this year? Sounds like fodder for a podcast debate, if you ask me.
8. Eli Manning and the New York Giants will look for their first win of the season tonight against the Minnesota Vikings. The rest of the NFL wrapped things up on Sunday. My thoughts:
A. Seattle's win in Arizona was impressive. Those who try to classify the Seahawks as a home bully and a road weakling do so at their own risk.
B. Detroit's 27-24 home loss to Cincinnati could end up being a killer for the Lions. If Matthew Stafford and Co. are going to take the next step, they've got to find a way to win games like Sunday's.
C. Jacksonville should draft Johnny Manziel. Why not? Sell some tickets. The franchise is deplorable.
D. What a huge win for Geno Smith, Rex Ryan and the New York Jets over the New England Patriots. How fitting that the Patriots have a game decided by an obscure ruling.
E. The Chicago Bears lost late to the Washington Redskins and a suddenly mobile Robert Griffin III. Not only that, but Jay Cutler left with an injury. The NFC North suddenly appears to be tilting toward Green Bay. The Packers, via a 31-13 win over Cleveland, appear to be in control of the division.
F. Kansas City defeated the Texans, 17-16, at Arrowhead. The Chiefs are undefeated. Go figure.
G. This was written with Andrew Luck and the Colts leading Peyton Manning and the Broncos in the third quarter in Indianapolis. No matter the outcome, it's obvious the Colts did the right thing by letting Manning walk and going with Andrew Luck. The second-year pro from Stanford is special, maybe every bit as special as Manning was when he matriculated from Tennessee to the NFL.
9. It pains me to say it, but I'm taking the St. Louis Cardinals over the Boston Red Sox in six games in the World Series. The Cardinals have so much pitching. When Adam Wainwright isn't your best pitcher, you're stacked. St. Louis' Michael Wacha has just been phenomenal the past couple of months. He dominated Pittsburgh in a critical Game 4 of the NLDS and then was fantastic against Los Angeles in the NLCS clincher. It's hard to imagine Boston, as gritty as the Red Sox are, having the pitching to match the Cardinals.
10. Speaking of Boston, I have to admit it's going to be cool on a personal level for me to see Red Sox pitcher Jake Peavy work in the World Series. I've known Peavy since he was a senior in high school at St. Paul's Episcopal School in Mobile. He signed with Auburn but elected to begin his career with the San Diego Padres' organization instead. I've spent time with Peavy at several levels, ranging from minor league spring training to his season at Class AA Mobile to the major leagues in San Diego and onward. He was a frequent guest on my radio show in Mobile and is a salt-of-the-earth guy. I can only imagine how proud Mobilians will be this week when Peavy toes the rubber in a World Series game.
11. A quick extra: As you know, the Park Stevens Memorial Golf Tournament presented by RebelGrove.com will be held Friday morning at the Ole Miss Golf Course. The cause is a wonderful one, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. However, I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout-out of sorts to my friend and colleague, Chase Parham, for his extraordinary efforts to put this venture together. Chase has worked countless hours, made innumerable phone calls and stepped way out of his comfort zone to make the tournament happen. I've been incredibly impressed. He should be commended.
This post was edited on 10/21 8:29 AM by Neal McCready
Saturday night, however, I failed miserably. It's Andrew Ritter's fault. He's a great guy, one of those kids you cover for years who lets his guard down a little and lets you get to know him.
I've known Ritter since he was starting his senior season at Jackson Academy. He's always been a first-rate guy. I've run into him at various Oxford establishments, and he's always greeted me by name and said hello. Still, on Saturday night, I was surprised when I got down to the field minutes after his 29-yard field goal attempt was blocked, walked past the fifth-year senior on the Ole Miss sideline and looked down to see his extended hand.
Ole Miss had the football after LSU had tied the game at 24-24 and Ritter was being polite, saying hello and greeting a reporter who's covered his entire Ole Miss career. Seriously. Who does that? Ritter does.
"I knew I hit that low ball," Ritter said. "I had enough time to hit those practice balls into the net and I was hitting those solid, so I felt confident and comfortable."
As he trotted out to kick a 41-yarder to beat No. 6 LSU Saturday night, I wanted him to make it. I thought he deserved it. A kid who agreed to delay his graduation by a year so he could redshirt in 2012 and play in 2013 got to have a moment he will never forget and he'll always be remembered for. I thought it was cool.
Ritter, it turns out, did too. A lifelong Ole Miss fan, Ritter said he was thinking about family, friends, teammates and fellow fans as his moment neared.
"Other people are counting on me," Ritter said. "That helped me to be confident. I knew I wasn't going to let them down. After the low kick, I knew I was going to have another chance. I just knew I was. I was thinking, 'I've got to make up for that. That was all my fault. I can't let my teammates and this fan base down.' As we got the ball, we had some third-and-longs and we came through. The offense did its job. I had to do mine.
"Once I hit it, I knew it was good. For me and my career, this was the greatest moment. Finally being able to achieve my dream of kicking field goals and kicking a field goal to beat LSU, I couldn't draw it up any more perfect. I'm so thankful and so blessed. I'm just glad people have something to celebrate."
2. Jared Duke and Patrick Junen got some serious camera time Saturday night as they carried a large Gatorade cooler around Vaught-Hemingway Stadium looking to dump the contents on Hugh Freeze. The video, frankly, was hilarious. Early Sunday, Duke tweeted that he and Junen "found him. We were just waiting until after his interview so we didn't get you guys' fancy cameras wet."
The ESPN SportsCenter twitter account responded, thanking Duke on behalf of the network and its cameramen. It was funny stuff and a nice moment for a pair of offensive linemen who have more than paid their dues during their college careers.
3. Hugh Freeze has said it so many times, but some fans just have a tough time accepting it: Ole Miss is still very much in rebuilding mode. It's a process, one with no quick fixes. The Rebels' roster is thin, something that was painfully obvious Saturday night as injuries took their toll. At one point late Saturday, the Rebels' didn't have one available stinger (weak-side linebacker). Serderius Bryant didn't dress. Keith Lewis was out for the rest of the game and Denzel Nkemdiche was trying to recover in time to get back to the action.
Ole Miss went to a lineup that utilized D.T. Shackelford and Mike Marry at the linebacker slots until Nkemdiche returned, but let the record show the Rebels were one injury away from having to completely scrap their defensive schemes. That's thin, and right now, that's Ole Miss.
Clifton Garrett was in attendance Saturday night. The Rebels would love to sign the Rivals100 linebacker. Nyles Morgan was in South Bend, Ind., one week after taking an official visit to Ole Miss. The Rebels would love to sign Morgan, another Rivals100 linebacker, too. The last two weeks have shown prospects that Freeze and Co. have energized the fan base and rebuilt the program to the point that it's thisclose to reaching the upper echelon of the SEC. Last weekend, the Rebels were a play or two away from beating Texas A&M. On Saturday night, despite all their handicaps, Ole Miss beat LSU.
A win over the Tigers doesn't erase the challenges in front of Freeze. Ole Miss still needs running backs, tight ends, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers and cornerbacks to get to the level where it can compete for a conference title. Alabama doesn't appear to be going away. But the last few weeks have shown prospects that Freeze will win big at Ole Miss and early playing time is readily available. My guess is when it's all said and done, we'll see that some of the planks for Ole Miss' next couple of recruiting classes were put in place over the past two weeks.
4. Leftover thoughts from Ole Miss 27, LSU 24:
A. On the heels of a week where his decision-making was questioned again (and justifiably so, I might add), Bo Wallace was terrific. He was fantastic. Wallace looked poised, made one strong decision after another and delivered some big-league throws. Zack Mettenberger, on the other hand, had a night he'd like to forget, I suspect.
B. Jeff Scott should enter "Wally Pipp" into his Google search engine. I'Tavius Mathers and Jaylen Walton have been terrific in his stead. Frankly, they've been better than Scott.
C. I felt bad for Korvic Neat. He's simply shaky on punt returns. Someone else will have to give it a go. Look for Jordan Holder to get the next shot if Scott can't return in time for Saturday's game against Idaho.
D. I don't know what's been "wrong" with Donte Moncrief this season, but I know he was a beast against LSU.
E. Laquon Treadwell. Really, there's nothing to add. He's that special. He hasn't touched his ceiling yet, and he's already a dominant college receiver.
F. Laremy Tunsil played the best game of his young career. Enjoy these two, Ole Miss fans. They're not going to be in Oxford all that long, at least in my opinion. In a couple of years, guys like Treadwell and Tunsil are going to be first-round draft choices, occurrences that will help make recruiting in the future even easier for Freeze.
G. Nights like Saturday will only help youngsters like Derrick Jones and Bobby Hill in the future. Facing Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr., in an environment such as the one in Oxford Saturday night had to be intimidating. They survived it. It will be a building block for the future.
H. Kudos to Cameron Whigham. With Robert Nkemdiche and C.J. Johnson out, Whigham generated consistent pressure on Mettenberger. Lavon Hooks and Issac Gross helped out, too. It was a total team effort up front.
5. It was a crazy weekend in the SEC. My thoughts:
A. How good is Nick Saban? His robots (rumor is they're really human, but I'm not so sure) just keep rolling. In five games against teams not quarterbacked by Johnny Manziel, Alabama is beating its opponents, 201-16. Think about that a minute.
B. After beating Texas A&M in College Station Saturday, Auburn was voted as high as No. 6 and as low as No. 23 on voters' Associated Press ballots Sunday. Yeah, the league _ and the country, for that matter _ is that topsy-turvy this year. Auburn is now up to No. 11, by the way, and as crazy as it sounds, the Tigers have to at least be considered in the national title race at this point. Auburn still faces Tennessee and Georgia (more on both in a second) before its annual Iron Bowl showdown with the Robots. Win all three of those and the Tigers would be in the SEC Championship Game. (No, it's not going to happen; I'm just saying the Tigers still control their own destiny.)
C. Butch Jones is getting it done at Tennessee. Two weeks after a heartbreaking loss to Georgia, the Volunteers knocked off South Carolina. Recruits are loving what they're seeing in Knoxville. Insiders say the Vols will fall off next season with what will be a small, thin offensive line. If that's true, these last few weeks will help Jones get the recruiting momentum one must have to win in this league. Up next: Alabama. Uh-oh.
D. Georgia lost at Vanderbilt and lost more players in the process. Some poor bowl is going to get stuck with the Bulldogs, a team that once contended for a title and saw its season fade away in October. Fans won't travel, and the players won't care. Again, some bowl is going to get screwed.
E. Steve Spurrier's fourth quarter Saturday was inexplicable. The Gamecocks are still very good, and they get a shot at Missouri this weekend, but the loss in Knoxville was one that could haunt the program for a while.
F. F is for Florida. F is also for Failure. I've said it before; I'll say it again. If Will Muschamp can somehow land the Texas gig, he should jump. "We're just not a good football team," Muschamp said following the Gators' 19-point loss at Mizzou. "At it all falls on my shoulders. …We're inept offensively. We have a hard time running it and certainly can't protect very well. It showed today. I'm just very disappointed that we haven't made more positive strides offensively this season. We regressed again from last week." …Memo to Muschamp: Hush. Blame Bush. Call Texas. Beg. This has Ron Zook, Part II written all over it.
G. Bret Bielema goes home to Jen Bielema. He's making millions. I still feel sorry for him. That's how bad Arkansas is.
H. Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk, filling in for injured James Franklin, was18-of-36 passing for 295 yards against the SEC's No. 1 pass defense Saturday. He ran for a 17-yard touchdown for the game's final points with 6:30 remaining. The Tigers are now up to No. 5 in the AP Top 25, very much in control of their own destiny and a national title contender in every sense of the word. Still, no one seems to be taking them seriously. I have watched them extensively for the past two weeks, and I'll admit it: I have no read on them whatsoever. Nothing would surprise me at this point.
6. My bowl projections:
BCS National Championship Game --- Alabama
Capital One --- Auburn
Outback --- South Carolina
Cotton --- Missouri (this could be Ole Miss if the Rebels win out)
Chick-Fil-A --- Texas A&M
Taxslayer.com Gator --- Ole Miss
Franklin American Mortgage Music City --- LSU
Autozone Liberty --- Tennessee
BBVA Compass --- Vanderbilt
Advocare V100 --- Georgia
7. Prepare for the national outcry coming in the next few weeks. If Alabama, Oregon, Ohio State, the Florida State-Miami winner and the Baylor-Texas Tech winner all remain unbeaten, all three teams left out of the BCS National Championship Game are going to have every reason to be livid. If one of those teams is Texas Tech, every female football fan is going to converge on NCAA headquarters and demand Kliff Kingsbury receives justice.
Seriously, the makings of a mess are in place. Alabama's road to a third straight title game looks easier each week. Oregon still must face Stanford, but the Ducks will be heavy favorites. The Big Ten is atrocious, and of the teams remaining on the Buckeyes' schedule, only Michigan looks even slightly formidable (and that's a stretch). Texas Tech still must face Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas. Baylor still has Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, TCU and Texas left on its schedule. These things typically have a way of sorting themselves out, but this season has public relations disaster written all over it.
I know it's not feasible until other issues are addressed, but can you imagine how awesome a 16-team playoff would be this year? Sounds like fodder for a podcast debate, if you ask me.
8. Eli Manning and the New York Giants will look for their first win of the season tonight against the Minnesota Vikings. The rest of the NFL wrapped things up on Sunday. My thoughts:
A. Seattle's win in Arizona was impressive. Those who try to classify the Seahawks as a home bully and a road weakling do so at their own risk.
B. Detroit's 27-24 home loss to Cincinnati could end up being a killer for the Lions. If Matthew Stafford and Co. are going to take the next step, they've got to find a way to win games like Sunday's.
C. Jacksonville should draft Johnny Manziel. Why not? Sell some tickets. The franchise is deplorable.
D. What a huge win for Geno Smith, Rex Ryan and the New York Jets over the New England Patriots. How fitting that the Patriots have a game decided by an obscure ruling.
E. The Chicago Bears lost late to the Washington Redskins and a suddenly mobile Robert Griffin III. Not only that, but Jay Cutler left with an injury. The NFC North suddenly appears to be tilting toward Green Bay. The Packers, via a 31-13 win over Cleveland, appear to be in control of the division.
F. Kansas City defeated the Texans, 17-16, at Arrowhead. The Chiefs are undefeated. Go figure.
G. This was written with Andrew Luck and the Colts leading Peyton Manning and the Broncos in the third quarter in Indianapolis. No matter the outcome, it's obvious the Colts did the right thing by letting Manning walk and going with Andrew Luck. The second-year pro from Stanford is special, maybe every bit as special as Manning was when he matriculated from Tennessee to the NFL.
9. It pains me to say it, but I'm taking the St. Louis Cardinals over the Boston Red Sox in six games in the World Series. The Cardinals have so much pitching. When Adam Wainwright isn't your best pitcher, you're stacked. St. Louis' Michael Wacha has just been phenomenal the past couple of months. He dominated Pittsburgh in a critical Game 4 of the NLDS and then was fantastic against Los Angeles in the NLCS clincher. It's hard to imagine Boston, as gritty as the Red Sox are, having the pitching to match the Cardinals.
10. Speaking of Boston, I have to admit it's going to be cool on a personal level for me to see Red Sox pitcher Jake Peavy work in the World Series. I've known Peavy since he was a senior in high school at St. Paul's Episcopal School in Mobile. He signed with Auburn but elected to begin his career with the San Diego Padres' organization instead. I've spent time with Peavy at several levels, ranging from minor league spring training to his season at Class AA Mobile to the major leagues in San Diego and onward. He was a frequent guest on my radio show in Mobile and is a salt-of-the-earth guy. I can only imagine how proud Mobilians will be this week when Peavy toes the rubber in a World Series game.
11. A quick extra: As you know, the Park Stevens Memorial Golf Tournament presented by RebelGrove.com will be held Friday morning at the Ole Miss Golf Course. The cause is a wonderful one, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. However, I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout-out of sorts to my friend and colleague, Chase Parham, for his extraordinary efforts to put this venture together. Chase has worked countless hours, made innumerable phone calls and stepped way out of his comfort zone to make the tournament happen. I've been incredibly impressed. He should be commended.
This post was edited on 10/21 8:29 AM by Neal McCready
