Abrams Suspended

It appears Running Back Alan Abrams has been suspended from the Ole Miss football team. The rumors I have heard is that Alan was moved to play running back with the scout team and became fed up with practice and walked out during the team practice. Abrams is supposedly going to have a meeting with Coach O on Monday concerning his status with the team. I saw Alan on Saturday and he was not his normal self. He was not in a good mood and did not talk much to anyone. I hope Coach O and Alan can work things out, cause he is a good person and a good running back. Will try to get more details Monday.

Not So Fast

It appears my previous post was false. Jada Brown will not return to join the Rebel football team. My guess is Coach O would not allow him to return to the team after quitting and missing numerous two-a-day practices. Do you blame him??

Blow...Blow... Seminole Wind

The NCAA staff review committee has removed Florida State University from the list of colleges and universities subject to restrictions on the use of Native American mascots, names and imagery at NCAA championships.“The NCAA Executive Committee continues to believe the stereotyping of Native Americans is wrong. However, in its review of the particular circumstances regarding Florida State, the staff review committee noted the unique relationship between the university and the Seminole Tribe of Florida as a significant factor. The NCAA recognizes the many different points of view on this matter, particularly within the Native American community. The decision of a namesake sovereign tribe, regarding when and how its name and imagery can be used, must be respected even when others may not agree.“The NCAA position on the use of Native American mascots, names and imagery has not changed, and the NCAA remains committed to ensuring an atmosphere of respect and sensitivity for all who participate in and attend our championships. This decision applies to the unique relationship Florida State University has with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Requests for reviews from other institutions will be handled on a case-by-case basis.”

Ward Not In

With no football practice today the news was slow. However it appears Juanita Ward will not be playing for the Lady Rebs this year. Rumors are she did not qualify to enroll at the University and was several points short on her ACT. The news of Ward coming to Ole Miss was big time for the Lady Rebs basketball team, she was a McDonalds All-American and sister to Jerod, a former Mississippi High School standout.

Other news for students, paper tickets are being issued this year and can be picked up in the Union this week.

Jada Is Back

Jada Brown the 3-star defensive lineman that left the team several days ago has decided to come back and join the Rebels. It is being reported that Brown will return to the program on Monday morning. Brown confirmed this rumor with Grant Gannon via cell phone on his drive back from his native state of Georgia. It also appears several more scholarships have been given out to current members of the Ole Miss football team to fill the void left by several departures from the program recently. I have heard Matt Hinkle, Ryan Jones, Dontae Reed and several others will be receiving scholarships this year for their work ethic and commitment to the program.

Ole Number 38

A Dead Goose

The time has come for a post I have dreaded for quite sometime. It appears Michael "the Goose" Wakefield is hanging up the cleats after three years with the Ole Miss baseball team. Wakefield who was beginning to see mid-week action last year on multiple occasions has decided to focus on his studies. The Jackson Academy alumnus stuck it out for three years and was able to be a part of the most succesful baseball team in Ole Miss history. "The Goose" will now have more time on his hands for those of you that need a good conversationist. While the staff of Worldclassglass is sad to see Wakefield leave, we salute him for the time and effort he has given the Ole Miss baseball team.

Wednesday Scrimmage

The football team wrapped up two a days with a 70 play scrimmage in the Vaught on Wednesday. The team was in very high spirits and seemed to be coming together well. Spurlock looked good at QB and McKinley Boykin continues to dominate to defensive line. He put a hard lick on Pittman breaking his helmet in the process during the scrimmage. The kicking game continues to suffer. The offense was gelling well yesterday, overall the team had a good practice. At the end of practice Coach O called the team together and made the freshman do up-downs while the upperclassmen gathered around them. The upperclassmen proceeded to dump all the water jugs on the freshmen and then capped it off by soaking Coach O with water. The team spirits were high and they seem to be getting along well as we move into a new schedule of practices. The team returns to the practice fields at 3:00 today.

For the Worldclassglass faithful that were in attendance at practice with me, it appears Chris Bowers did not die, as he was brought back to life in the locker room.
(this is a joke for those that were not there)

Baseball Schedule Announced

The Rebels will open up the season with 14-straight at home as Ole Miss will host St. Louis (Feb. 17-19), Samford (Feb. 21-22), Maine (Feb. 24-26), Arkansas State (Feb. 28), Illinois-Chicago (Mar. 3-5) and Murray State (Mar. 7-8), before hitting the road for the west coast and a three-game series with the Bruins (Mar. 10-12).
Ole Miss will travel for a single game at Arkansas State (Mar. 14) and then jump into the 30-game Southeastern Conference schedule with a home series against Vanderbilt (Mar. 17-20). The Rebels will host the Commodores, Auburn (Apr. 7-9), LSU (Apr. 21-23), Tennessee (Apr. 28-30) and Arkansas (May 12-14) in conference, while traveling to play Alabama (Mar. 24-26), Georgia (Mar. 31-Apr. 2), South Carolina (Apr. 14-16), Kentucky (Apr. 5-7) and close out the season at Mississippi State (May 19-21). Florida was replaced on the schedule by Kentucky for the 2006 season per the rotating schedule established by the Southeastern Conference

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

I attended practice for the first time yesterday and man is it hot outside. I stayed out there for about 2 hours to see how practice was run and to see what the team was like. First of all the practice lasted three straight hours with non-stop moving. When I say non-stop I mean non-stop the players did not take a group break, however they were allowed water and resting time while others were filling in at their positions. This is a mean practice and is a big change from previous years. As for the talent we have our ups and our downs. The defense looks REAL good, linebackers and tackles are going to dominate. I think we still are missing one end to play along with Mitchell. As for the offense that is another story. I was a little dissapointed to see that our quarterbacks have not developed as I would like them to. But I also understand I was at only one practice and we have a while to go, I have confidence someone will turn up as a leader. The offensive line has a few nagging injuries and seem to keep diminishing as the days go. Traxler went down midway through practice with I think a neck injury, but not positive. Mico McSwain is being tested at running back and I personally like this move, he looked good at practice the few times they put him in there. The kicking game is AWFUL. I have seen better punts at a pee-wee game. We are really struggling in the punting market. Field goal and PAT are coming together with the competition of Matt Hinkle and Will Moseley. There is a scrimmage this afternoon at four.

The Good: Defense
The Bad: Not a true QB
The Ugly: PUNTING

I have been away for a while. I am back in Oxford and once VistaIII decides to come hook up our internet. I will be back posting regularly. Be patient Nathan I will be back.

Where Am I??, You Say

I am sure the 6 readers that read this site are wandering where I am. I have not posted in over two weeks. Well after taking a quick break from the world relaxing at a lake, I am back in "God's Country", no not Greenwood, Oxford. So I will be trying to post some more. However I have also moved and that means I am forced to use VistaIII internet. So there is no telling how long it will take them until they come set up my internet. Until then I will be posting from guest computers around Oxford, I am going to try to get out to practice and catch some scrimmages and to get some news to those not in Oxford. Sorry for the let down.

Sign the Dotted Line

CHENEY, Wash. – First round draft choice Chris Spencer has signed a multi-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks and is expected to be on the field on the Eastern Washington University campus Wednesday morning.
Spencer, the 26th overall pick of the first round, is a 6-3, 310-pound center from the University of Mississippi. When he steps on the field, the Seahawks will have every player under contract and a full compliment of players other than a handful of minor injuries and players on the verge of returning to practice.
Spencer, 23, holds the Mississippi state record in weightlifting and started every game his senior year for Ole Miss and started four games his junior year, snapping to Eli Manning.

Just A Reminder

For you students that do not check your Ole Miss email, don't forget to order your tickets before school. Go ahead and get the $100 deal.


If you are currently enrolled for a class during the fall semester, register now for the Student Rebel Athletic Foundation (SRAF), Season Football, and Season Basketball Tickets. For a discounted price of $100, get your season football and basketball tickets, as well as all of the benefits that come with membership to SRAF.


JOINING SRAF IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET YOUR SEASON FOOTBALL TICKETS BEFORE AUGUST 27TH!

Benefits of joining SRAF:
Priority to purchase football and basketball season tickets
Avoid long lines and having to wait until August 27th to purchase football tickets
SRAF T-shirt
SRAF Decal
Build your priority point total before you graduate
SRAF Events during fall, winter, and spring

*** Football Season Tickets, SRAF T-shirt, and SRAF Decal will be available for pick up at the Student Union during the first week of school, August 22 – August 26. Students must be enrolled for fall semester classes at time of pick up.

*** Building your priority point total will make a difference when you begin to order season tickets as an Ole Miss Alum. The SRAF ($25 value) membership makes it look like you actually gave $250 to the Ole Miss Loyalty Foundation. Take advantage of this incredible benefit!
*** Beginning July 1, students who join SRAF will have the option of purchasing football OR basketball season tickets, and can continue to purchase discounted season tickets for both football AND basketball.

Do not miss out on the opportunity to see Coach Orgeron, aka Coach O, and his energetic coaching style guide your Rebels thru an exciting season. Also be the first to witness this year’s nationally ranked men’s basketball recruiting class guided by Coach Rod Barnes. It is going to be a great year to be a part of SRAF and Ole Miss Athletics. Get your membership and tickets today!

Questions about SRAF membership, contact: Questions about season tickets, contact:
Coleman Barnes Athletic Ticket Office
Ole Miss Loyalty Foundation 662-915-7167

A New Show Is In Town

The Ole Miss coaches call in show on Thursday nights will be something new and exciting this fall. The dull David Cutcliffe show was broadcast from the SouthEndzone with no fan interaction. The plans for this years show will take place at the Oxford-University Club. The show will be full of fan interaction, and will include a tailgate like atmosphere. Supposedly the show will be on the atrium and there will be speakers set up throughout the club for everyone to hear. The capacity will be around 700 people, so they are expecting a much larger crowd than the old Downtown Grill days. A time change is also in store, the show will now start at 7:00. Looks like many of us will be having some long Thursday nights, hopefully everyone will come out and support this new part of the Ole Miss experience on September 1st.

TV on the Move

OleMissSports.TV, the often troubled internet tv service provided for a fee by the Loyalty Foundation, is on the move. DotTV, as it has been called, is moving to the official Ole Miss sports web site. You ask why I am writing about this. Well for those of you like myself who are not regular subscribers, they are offering a free two week trial period. The site included previous Hotty Toddy's (including PA's own Stewart Patridge) as well as past football games and taped discussions with A.D. Pete Boone. Click on the link below to spend your afternoon watching Ole Miss sports like I did.

http://olemisssports.collegesports.com/multimedia/ole-multimedia.html

From U.M.A.A. web site:

This year we are launching a brand new OleMissSports.TV which will now live exclusively on our Official Athletic Site, www.olemisssports.com. We will be utilizing new and improved streaming technologies which will allow for faster downloads and will feature an enhanced media player. For the next two weeks, we will be offering a free trial period to allow Rebel fans to experience OleMissSports.TV first-hand before deciding to subscribe with the subscription element going live on Aug. 15. We're confident that you will find this to be the ultimate multimedia experience for fans that can't get enough of Ole Miss Athletics.

Practice Schedule

For those of you that will be in Oxford over the next several weeks and are wishing football was here. I am posting the practice schedule below. Notice a new twist this year. Coach O and staff will be splitting up freshman and varsity practices. I think this is a good idea. They will be able to give freshmen more hands on experience in the transition, than they could in normal practice. If I am not mistaken Pete Carrol and Nick Saban did the same things. Were these coaches succesful in their plans??? Anyway here it is:

August 6 - Varsity 8:45 a.m. (helmets)Freshmen - 3 p.m. (helmets)
August 7 - Varsity 8:45 a.m. (helmets); frosh 3 p.m. (helmets)
August 8 - Varsity 8:45 a.m. (helmets); frosh 3 p.m. (helmets)
August 9 - Varsity 8:45 a.m. (helmets); frosh 3 p.m. (helmets)
August 10 - Varsity 8:45 a.m. (helmets and shoulder pads); frosh 3 p.m. (helmets and pads)

August 11 - Team Practice 9:30 a.m. (Full Pads) Media Day in the afternoon.
Agust 12-15-17 (two-a-days) 9 a.m. team practice; 4 p.m. team practice. Full pads.
August 13, 16, 18, 19, 20 - (One-a-day) 3 p.m. practices (Full pads)* A scrimmage is scheduled for August 13
August 20 is Meet The Rebels Day

Palmeiro Perfomance Enhancing Facility

"The House That Drugs Built"

Rafael Palmeiro, one of Mississippi State's most admirable alumni will be suspended from Major League Baseball for reportedly violating the substance abuse policy. Palmeiro is also the main contributor behind MSU new hog barn, I mean their new indoor practice area. Guess BALCO is the real person paying for it.

Here is the ESPN article.

Baltimore Orilole first baseman Rafael Palmeiro will be suspended by Major League Baseball for violating the league's steroids policy, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney has confirmed with a league source.
Palmeiro, who recently got his 3,000th career hit, was noted for his emotional denial of steroid use before a Congressional panel in March, would be the latest player suspended under the league's new drug policy.
The image of Palmeiro taking a sweet swing from the left side of the plate has been replaced in some minds by the sight of him testifying before a House committee investigating steroids in baseball.
The hearing included testimony from Jose Canseco, who in his book cited Palmeiro and several other players as steroid users. Palmeiro emphatically denies using the performance-enhancing drug, but the Baltimore Orioles' first baseman can't deny how perceptions have changed.
"In my opinion, everyone that plays baseball in this era has been tainted," Palmeiro said during spring training. "Not just the people that he has named in the book, I think this whole era over the last 10, 15 or 20 years has been tainted. Regardless of whether you did or you didn't do anything, this whole era will have that label."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Remember When

Submitted by a longtime and loyal reader of Worldclassglass from Mobile.

Remember When

Oxford is unique. It's the only place I know where sofas belong on front porches, golf visors are worn at night, and Waffle House has a waiting list.

Ole Miss is about much more than classes, it's an experience that you will treasure your entire life. What is it about Oxford that gets in your blood and intoxicates you with its sweet Southern comfort?

Maybe it's the beauty of the Grove and the way it feels to sit on its grass and halfway study before that big test. Or could be....piling in a jeep with six of your friends and riding around town on a sunny afternoon heading out to Sardis....catching your favorite local band downtown and knowing one day soon they'll be famous....hanging out on the porch of City Grocery until sundown on Friday....spending more time trying to figure out the library than you do actually researching....scanning the Oxford Town to see who got a DUI, and laughing at the guy who was arrested for singing Dixie in his boxers drunk on a roof....stopping and realizing when you're out with your best friends that these people are the people that will one day be in your wedding.

I never realized how much a T-shirt could hold when it spoke of Oxford, saying, it'll "get in your blood and stay forever". Maybe it's the football games, finding a date, dressing up, trying to stomach a Beam and coke at 9 a.m. after a Friday night that began at Proud Larry's happy hour, and recognizing that same excitement in the eyes of older alumni who keep coming back year after year, joining their old friends and hoping to catch a glimpse of their youthful times at Ole Miss.

Our time there was short, but we made the best of it. We were only there four or five years (some people six or seven, if they knew how to work their parents). Now we're making road trips TO Oxford instead of FROM it, joining our old college buddies still dressing up for the games and still scanning the crowd for familiar faces.

But one day, we'll be dressing differently and the familiar faces will be a little more scarce. We'll look over into that student section and remember when....when it was our time here and how quickly it came and went. We'll wonder about all those people we used to know; Where are they now? Are they successful? What about that cute person I had a crush on? Yes, we'll lose touch with a lot of people and names will be forgotten, but you'll ALWAYS have your close friends from OLE MISS. You'll email, talk on the phone, play golf or have supper clubs on Tuesday nights and most of the conversations will begin with these two special words which will have the power to make you laugh orcry or simply smile - "remember when"