New Kid on the Block

In keeping with the tradition of hiring young baseball assistants, expect Mike Bianco to hire Rob Reinstetle. If all goes as I hear, Rob will be coming to Ole Miss from South Alabama. What it is about Ole Miss and trying to recruit coaches from South Alabama I do not know. But it looks like Reinstelte has had good success and has been a good recruiter. Bianco is looking for a good recruiting coordinator and based on the teams success, I believe he might have found one. Here is some info:

Rob Reinstetle enters his first season as an assistant coach for the Jaguars. Reinstetle serves as the teams recruiting coordinator and is responsible for coaching the infielders and hitters.

Prior to his arrival at USA, Reinstetle served two seasons as an assistant coach / hitting instructor at the College of Charleston. Reinstetle orchestrated the Southern Conference’s top offensive teams in 2004 and 2005.
In 2005, the College of Charleston led the country in 2005 batting with a .355 mark as a team. During the 2004 season, Reinstetle’s hitters finished second in the country with a .341 team batting average and set a school and Southern Conference record for runs scored with 553. For the first time in school history, the Cougars had five players reach the 50 RBI plateau. Reinstetle also had three players exceed 100 hits in a season.

Born: June 28, 1976, Columbus Ohio
High School: Upper Arlington High School
College: Okaloosa-Walton 1997, Ohio Dominican 1999
Playing Experience: Okaloosa-Walton, Campbell University
Coaching Experience:
South Alabama (first season) 2006-present
College of Charleston (2 seasons) 2004-2005
Okaloosa-Walton (1 season) 2003
Cincinnati (1 season) 2002
Ohio Dominican (2 seasons) 2000-2001

Musical Chairs

Well there is more saga in the baseball coaching ranks. It appears that Ole Miss assistant Kyle Bunn will not be going to Louisville along side Dan McDonnell. Bunn will stay in Oxford and become a "full time" coach. Bunn will take over the spot that was vacated today by Stewart Lake, Lake will be moving back to the Citadel to be the number one assistant. Why in the world someone would do that I have no idea, but evidently his wife has alot of say in what they do. Lord knows I would never move from the SEC to the Citadel for an assistant coach job.

So here is the new scenario the way I see it. Bunn will become a full time paid coach and will continue to handle the pitching. Carl Lafferty will be promoted from his administrative role to an assistant of some sort. That leaves another space, in which Bianco will probably hire a guy from South Alabama that will be in charge of infielders and hitting. If they hire another administrative guy, expect it to be a former player who has been in and out of independent ball.

Sparky's Town Getting Some P.R. on Leno

Below is a clip from Oxford resident/actor Joey Adams who was on the Tonight Show the other night. She talks about Oxford about 2 minutes into the show. Just adding some multimedia to the site courtesy of replayreb.

www.c-m-o.com/replay/060612_adams.wmv

We Told You So Cut

So many of us preached the past 4 years about Michael Spurlock and how he belonged on the field, but not necesarily at QB. Well the Arizona Cardinals have recognized this and Spurlock is making a name for himself out West. I am surprised, but not surprised at the same time that he might make it in the NFL. Check out this link:

http://www.azcardinals.com/news/detail.php?PRKey=981

Two Candidates for the Assistant Coach Job

Not picking these because of Mississippi ties, I could care less about that. This is just a quick search.

Butch Thompson, an assistant coach at Georgia for the past four seasons, finished his first season as an assistant coach at Auburn. Thompson, a native of Amory, Miss., served as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator from 2002-05 for the Bulldogs and will focus on recruiting while also coordinating the defense, working with outfielders, infielders and catchers for the Tigers.During his time at Georgia, Thompson guided a pitching staff that helped win the SEC Championship and earn a College World Series berth in 2004. The 2004 pitching staff posted the third-lowest opponent batting average in school history while also collecting a school-record 17 saves. During his time in Athens he coached two All-SEC pitchers, a Freshman All-American and had five Bulldog pitchers sign professional contracts following the 2005 season.

Entering his 16th year on Tennessee's coaching staff, Larry Simcox is saddled with a tremendous amount of responsibility. The 21-year coaching veteran wears many hats. He serves as the Vols' infield coach while also assisting with hitting instruction, defensive positioning and coaching third base. He also helps direct UT's overall recruiting efforts. In addition, he is the Tennessee baseball camp director and handles all scheduling and promotion of the camps.

Simcox joined Delmonico's staff July 25, 1990 after serving as an assistant coach with the Ole Miss Rebels under legendary coach Jake Gibbs from 1985-90. While at Ole Miss, he handled recruiting and coaching the Rebels infield, as well as being the first base coach and hitting instructor. Simcox played collegiate baseball at Ole Miss, where he graduated in 1982 with a marketing degree. As a senior, Simcox was named All-Southeastern Conference after batting a team-high .374, and posting a fielding percentage of .940. During that same season, he had a remarkable batting eye, striking out only one time in 194 plate appearances. The mark stands as an NCAA record for that many appearances. As a junior he hit .336, leading his team to the SEC Tournament and garnering all-tournament honors, as well as being named to the All-SEC West Division squad.

Word Is

The word now is that Kyle Bunn is also going with McDonnell to Louisville. I find it hard to believe Louisville pays more than Ole Miss. I got a feeling though Bianco told Bunn he would not be the number one assistant so he decided to go somewhere he would be the number one. Bunn was the former pitching coach for the Rebels. This leaves Stewart Lake and Carl Lafferty in the current coaching circle. Lafferty was serving as an adminstrative assistant. It appears he will be promoted to assistant coach. He was a former catcher for the Rebels in the late 90's. Does not have much coaching experience under his belt, but neither did Bunn when he first came. He was actually a volunteer coach in the beginning. I am not saying this is a good move by Bianco I am just throwing the point out there before people begin to bash this move. He will still hire one more assistant. I believe McDonnell was in charge of infielders. Should know more tomorrow.

HHEEEEEEEEE SCCOOOOOOOOOREEESSS

Stan Torgerson, the former long-time radio play-by-play broadcaster for Ole Miss football and basketball games, died tonight at Rush Foundation Hospital in Meridian, said John Johnson, the news director of Meridian television station WTOK.

Torgerson was 82. A cause of death was not immediately available.

Johnson said Torgerson had worked as a news reporter and talk-show host at WTOK up until May.

“He’d been ill off and on over the last two or three years but he always found his way back to the newsroom,” Johnson said. “He was a fighter.”

Update

As stated in the post and comments below. Dan McDonnell is going to Louisville to be the next head coach for the Cardinals. I hate to lose him, due to his recruiting abilities. I have no idea where you begin to look for an assistant in college baseball. However I prefer this not be an in house guy. Wherever there is another solid recruiter out there we need to get him. I would say the assistant salaries at Ole Miss are as competitive as anywhere in the nation. Time for Bianco to do some recruiting of his own.

Don't Look Now

Don't look now, but it appears the University of Louisville is looking for a new baseball coach. Who is one of the top candidates for the job? None other than Ole Miss head assistant Dan McDonnell. McDonnell is an all star recruiter and is one of the sole reasons we get the great players we do. McDonnell is going to leave one of these days. Not for the reason that he does not like Ole Miss or the reason for the money, but it is the idea of being in charge of your own program. This is something he has worked towards his entire life. He might leave, but I have a feeling he has one more thing he wants to accomplish at his current job before he goes.

Minor League Update from the C-L

Former Ole Miss right fielder Mark Wright went 1-for-10 with two RBIs in his first three games with the Brooklyn Cyclones.

Wright signed a contract with the New York Mets last week and reported to their Class-A, short season affiliate. He hit a two-run, ground-rule double in his second game with the club.

Wright was the only one of five former Ole Miss players to play in his team's season-opening series last week. Reliever Garrett White (Los Angeles Dodgers), center fielder Alex Presley (Pittsburgh Pirates), catcher Justin Brashear (Arizona Diamondbacks) and pitcher Tommy Baumgardner (Colorado Rockies) also signed professional contracts.

The True Story

From the Commercial Appeal:

It began to unravel on the 15th tee.

Not because of a shank into the trees or a hook into the drink, but because of a seemingly innocuous question.

"I shouldn't have asked," Bobby Hudson said. "I had been playing great all day."

Hudson's inauspicious inquiry affected his play.

He lost a 3-stroke lead after a bogey at No. 15 and double bogey at No. 16 and ended the final round of the Memphis Golf Association Amateur tournament tied at 1-under par with Brice Bailey, who shot a 3-under par 68 for the day.

Bailey finished the playoff with a par while Hudson stumbled to a double-bogey, allowing Bailey to claim the tournament title for the second consecutive year.

"(The win) feels really good because I didn't want anyone to come in and beat me," said Bailey, who was 2-over par coming into the final round at Ridgeway. "It feels really good because I played wild the first two days."

Bailey, who plays for Ole Miss, said he worked with his coach early in the morning to straighten out his game. He focused on improving his hole-to-hole strategy.

It worked, because on No. 4, a 406- yard, par-4 "something clicked," he said. With the tees advanced in the box, Bailey nailed his initial shot to within two feet of the pin. The eagle erased a bogey on No. 3. He would also birdie holes 7, 11 and 16.

"The last two days I was just trying to survive," said Bailey, who plans to turn pro after the summer. "I had never hit that badly and still been in a golf tournament. Yesterday was the toughest (round). Today was a shot easier."

Late Breaking News

Word out of Memphis is that Ole Miss soon to be senior Brice Bailey won the Memphis Amateur Golf Association Tournament in a playoff today. Bailey fired a 68 today to pull out the victory. Bailey came back from several strokes down in the three day tournament. This is the second year in a row that Bailey has won the tournament. No news yet as to whether or not the tips I gave my former roommate helped him win the tourney. Story is still developing and a full recap will be posted tomorrow.

The Ham

Not every article in Birmingham is about the Tide and the Bear. If I have one article about the Rebs every blue moon that I can read in print, I can make it here. Today. Kevin Scarbinsky wrote an article in today's Birmingham News about Schaeffer. Check it out here:

www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/kscarbinsky.
ssf?/base/sports/1150881682302570.xml&coll=2

Baseketball Recruit

Being reported that David Huertas will be visiting Ole Miss tomorrow. Huertas was on the Florida Gators NCAA Championship team last year and has asked for a release from Florida. He played a minor role in last years team but was a good shooter in high school. Any guy Billy the Kid recruits is more than likely a pretty good player. Huertas is also going to be visiting Clemson and Maryland. If he is granted a release he will have to sit out a year before playing.

Update

Updated: Well the rumors did not hold up. Mark Goforth, has decided to go to Mississippi State. It appears Goforth was on campus and was ready to play for us, but for some reason or another decided to go to MSU. A couple of scenarios are that Bianco could not offer him as much scholarship money as he wanted or he could not be guaranteed a starting position. I have a feeling it is the scholly money. Not sure if we will ever know. No reason to get down about this one, let's just move on.

Expect the announcement of a transfer to the Ole Miss baseball team in the next couple of days. Mark Goforth is rumored to be transfering to Ole Miss from Birmingham Southern. Due to BSC moving down in the NCAA he will not have to sit out a year. Goforth was named to the Louisville Slugger freshman All-American team this year.

The freshman from Covington, Tenn., led the Panthers with a .363 batting average and 27 stolen bases while starting in 54 games in centerfield. He also led BSC with 82 hits and 56 runs scored and had eight doubles, three triples and a .428 on base percentage.

Great Break Down

Copying this from one of the boards. Some guy did alot of research to find this, but here it is. Interesting to see where everyone is going to be. Some of the D.C. readers should go check out this Cal Ripken Sr. League.

Player Summer League Summer Team Position(s) Year Starting

Zach Cozart Cape Cod* If not Team USA Bourne Braves SS So N/A
Brett Bukvich Cape Cod League Chatham A's LHP/1B/OF RsFr N/A
Brett Basham Coastal Plains League Thomasville Hi-Toms C Fr No
Zach Miller Coastal Plains League Thomasville Hi-Toms 2B Fr Yes
Cody Overbeck Coastal Plains League Thomasville Hi-Toms OF Fr No
Rory McKean New York Collegiate League Saratogo Phillies RHP So Yes
JoJo Tann New York Collegiate League Saratogo Phillies Inf So Yes
Scott Bittle Texas Collegiate League Mineral Wells Steam RHP
Cullan Kight Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate League Maryland Orioles 1B/OF RsFr Yes
Michael Broyles Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate League Maryland Orioles RHP RsFr Yes
Evan Button Central Illinois Collegiate League Danville Dan's Inf Fr Yes
Devin Hicks Central Illinois Collegiate League Danville Dan's RHP/1B/3B RsFr Yes

Job Anyone??

There is a new job open in OM Athletics. I am wandering exactly who they are targeting for this position. It looks like they took a little bit off of everybody's job description from Jay Stern to Langston Rogers to Pete Boone and threw it all into one position. Like they do not have enough assistant A.D.'s already. Bobby Cook I think your years of experience at the Yerby center would qualify. Otherwise I do not think there are too many readers on this site that have the qualifications

Position Information
Job Title Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
Department Athletics

The incumbent in this position is responsible for assisting in the development and implementation of media strategies/plans across all forms of media for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. The incumbent manages and oversees the design and content of the Ole Miss Athletic Website as well as assisting in devising creative on-line marketing campaigns for athletics. Reports to the Director of Athletics.
Qualifications/Skills Bachelor's Degree from a college or university and three (3) years of experience related to the above described duties.
Job Responsibilities Assists in the development and implementation of media strategies/plans across all forms of media for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics; Creates and enhances relationships with national, regional, and local media sources; Creates and enhances relationships with bowl representatives; Coordinates the dissemination of information to external and internal constituencies; Plans and recommends strategic, integrated, short-term and long-term public relations and promotion programs that will enhance the department' identity and image; Implements approved media plans; Evaluates promotional campaigns for compatibility with athletic media relations efforts; Serves as the Media Right Holder by acting as a liaison to Ole Miss Athletic Communications Partner. Provides support on securing online advertisers and coordinating the placement of advertising; Assists in devising creative on-line marketing campaigns that meet the goals of the department and are consistent with the University mission; Serves as liaison to Internet Provider and on-line Ole Miss Team Store; Oversees and manages the design and content of the Ole Miss Athletic Website; Works with Ole Miss Sports TV to provide comprehensive on-line streaming package; Serves as liaison with SEC TV; and Performs similar or related duties as assigned or required.
Work Schedule Monday -- Friday 8:00 am -- 5:00 pm some evenings and week-ends

Leavin On A Jet Plane

OXFORD — Ole Miss center fielder Alex Presley and pitcher Tommy Baumgardner have signed professional contracts with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies, respectively.

Presley, a junior, was the Pirates' eighth-round selection in last month's Major League Baseball Draft.

Baumgardner, a senior, was selected in the 28th round by the Rockies.

Another Honor for Cozart

OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss shortstop Zack Cozart continued to receive honors for his play on the field in the 2006 season as the Rebel sophomore was named as an All-America Second Team selection by the American Baseball Coaches Association on Monday.

It marks the third All-America selection for Cozart this season and second time the sophomore has been recognized by the ABCA. Cozart was also named as an All-Region selection by the ABCA last week.

"This is a tremendous honor for Zack," said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. "It's great to be recognized by coaches around the nation for your efforts on the field and Zack has certainly had a great season for us. He deserves the recognition he has received this season and we could not be more proud of him."

AS PREDICTED

(Clarion-Ledger) OXFORD — Ole Miss reliever Garrett White and catcher Justin Brashear said today they have signed professional baseball contracts.

And right fielder Mark Wright's father, Cliff, said his son will sign one soon.

White agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who selected him in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball Draft last month. Brashear, a 44th-round selection, signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. White and Brashear will begin their careers in the Pioneer League, playing for Single-A, rookie teams in Ogden, Utah, and Missoula, Mont., respectively.

Wright, who wasn't drafted, is in New York finalizing a deal with the Mets, according to his father. Cliff Wright said his son is scheduled to play for the Mets' minor league team in Brooklyn as early as Tuesday night.

Two other Ole Miss players, third baseman Chris Coghlan and center fielder Alex Presley, also are considering pro deals after being selected in the first and eighth rounds, respectively

Basketball Notes

-Transfer point guard Justin Cerrasoli has broken his wrist. Cerrasoli who transfered from Setan Hall appears to be a good player and will be the number one for the Rebels next season. He will be in a cast until August, so this should not affect him to much.

-I believe I have already posted this but the Rebels will be playing UCONN in some tournament next year. The tournament has something to do with the Hispanic College Fund or something like that. Not sure why we are going to this tourney or what good P.R. this will get for the team. But at any rate it is a big step up from playing Chicago like we did last year. The full schedule is not complete yet but the Rebels will add South Alabama to their schedule for all you Mobile people.

Baseball Notes:

- Former Rebel T.J. Beam was called up by the Yankees yesterday and pitched a couple of innings in a loss to the Washington Nationals. It appears Beam will be used as a reliever to replace a Yankee pitcher that has been put on the injured roster

-Mark Wright has signed with the Mets and has already reported to their organization. This is probably a good thing, because all clues pointed towards Wright not being much of a scholar and going to class seemed to be a problem. Next year was questionable academically anyway.

-The note I hate to report is that Justin Brashear will be going pro and sign a contract in the next couple of days. I truly feel like Justin should stay another year, but I wish him the best and hope this does not turn out to be a mistake for him. The only Rebel left to decide is Alex Presley.

Frank the Tank

I love and have loved everything this guy has said since he was doing his. "that's the bottom line" speeches on WLBT:

Melton said he is looking for drugs and guns as part of his campaign against crime in the capital city.

In a news conference before the mission began, Melton said he is weighing a number of options for ramping up that fight, including lowering a juvenile curfew to 7 p.m. and approaching Gov. Haley Barbour to use the National Guard.

“We’ve got a war in Jackson,” he said. “I’m thinking through signing a state of emergency (order).”

ROBBED

Well two weeks into the city of Birmingham and our house was broken into yesterday. I lost a couple of things including my laptop. So posting could be a little sporadic until I get a new one, but am going to try and keep it up. Also lost a bunch of pictures that I regularly post on here, so we might be with pictures for a good time until I can build my library up. I will have plenty of time to find the infamous broom for next year's baseball season. But if you see some bum walking down the street with cuff links with JCC engraved on them, knock him out and get my cuff links and ask him where my computer is.

Surprised

Just read the Clarion Ledger's blog on a story about Rebels going pro. I was shocked to see that Brashear was quoted as saying he thinks he is "ready to make the next step." He was drafted in the 44th round 16 rounds later than he was in high school. I do not know what 44th round money is like, but it can not be anything like the emotion that was around Ole Miss baseball the past 3 weeks. I will be really surprised if he takes it, and a little mad.

Aint Going Nowhere

Personally I was never worried. Did not think he was going to leave


OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss Athletics Director Pete Boone announced Wednesday a one-year contract extension for head baseball coach Mike Bianco, which runs through the 2010 season. Four-year contracts are the longest granted in Mississippi by the Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning.

"We are excited to be able to announce this contract extension and feel fortunate that Mike, Camie and their children love Oxford, Ole Miss and the Rebel fans," Boone said. "We expect them to be here for years to come.

"Based on his outstanding conference record over the last four years, Mike has proven to be one of the best coaches in the SEC, if not the best," Boone said. "We believe he will be one of the highest paid baseball coaches in the SEC."

Don't Know What To Say

Well the 2006 season has come to an end. Once again the Rebels have come up one game short. This time unlike last many thought the Rebels would coast in to Omaha. They came back from being down and beat Miami on Saturday night to prove they should be in Omaha. Two days later the Rebels are again missing out on a trip to Omaha. Rebel fans everywhere were once again packed and looking for a ride to Nebrasa this year. Instead of Omaha these Rebs will be going to the Lake, fishing, and to the golf course this weekend. Once again the Rebels were so close yet so far away.

The game tonight was one of the better games I have watched for about 6 innings. We basically could not get it done with our pitching. Poor performances by our starters led us to go deep into the bullpen earlier than normal in each of our games. A couple of costly errors by an infielder really really hurt us tonight. I could question some moves by the coaches on starters and other decisions, but I am sure they are questioning themselves on the exact same moves.

When I was in LA for the UCLA series a little over three months ago I would have never dreamed the Ole Miss baseball team would have reached this point. This team really played their hearts out and over performed. They won an SEC Championship, something no major Ole Miss had done in a long time. Not that this is any consellation for them losing by all means, but they did out perform their talent level.

The Ole Miss baseball program is only going to get better. The amount of talent returning plus the new signees should have us at a top ten program next year. We will have the opportunity next year to once again play that final game to get into Omaha. All we can do is hope it turns out better next year.

This post was not meant to be an "its ok wait until next year post". Because I am sick of waiting. But at the same time I recognize what Bianco and staff have done, and I will wait, because I know he will lead us there one day.

Greenwood - Keeping Jackson on the Map

With Southern Farm Bureau pulling out as the sponsor of Mississippi's PGA Tour event after this year, the state could lose the tournament if a new sponsor isn't found.
Advertisement
Greenwood's Viking Range Corp. may be willing to fill the $900,000-a-year sponsorship. "There are talks about Viking being a major sponsor for next year," said Dale Persons, vice president of public affairs. "We want to keep the tournament in Mississippi because it's a great deal for the state."New SFBC director Randy Watkins said he couldn't discuss any negotiations. "We need to get a contract before we can talk about any potential sponsors," Watkins said.

Final Attendance Figures From Regional

We had more people at one game than some of these places had all weekend. I find that amusing.


1- OLE MISS 35,166 (and the Monday game wasn't played!)
2- Texas 27,306
3- Arkansas 26,7624
- Clemson 26,287
5- Alabama 25,562
6- Nebraska 24,820
7- Rice 20,477
8- Kentucky 17,786
9- Virginia 17,771
10- Oklahoma 16,333
11- Georgia 13,914
12- Cal State Fullerton 12,822
13- North Carolina 12,011
14- Oregon State 10,962
15- Georgia Tech 9,350
16- Pepperdine 6,005

I Absolutely Hate This

OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss and University of Memphis athletics officials announced Thursday that they have agreed to move their scheduled September 2 season opener at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field to Sunday, September 3, in order to accommodate a national telecast by ESPN. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. CT.
"Getting national TV exposure through ESPN is important with a rising program like ours," said Ole Miss Athletics Director Pete Boone.
The game will mark the fifth televised contest in the series, which dates back to 1921. The ESPN family carried last year's Labor Day encounter and the 2003 meeting from the Liberty Bowl, while Jefferson Pilot Sports did the 1998 and 2002 games from Oxford

More Players Drafted

This is great news for the Rebs as far as next year goes. To be honest I am kindof surprised Brashear did not go higher and the Wright did not get drafted. Looks like things will be good in Oxford next year once again. Concerns about Wright's attitude have been addressed on other boards, hopefully things will straighten out before next year.

Does anyone know if Baumgardner was drafted last year?

(UMAA Release) - Three more Rebels were added to the list of drafted players on Wednesday as Major League Baseball completed the 2006 edition of its First-Year Player Draft.Tommy Baumgardner, Will Kline and Justin Brashear were selected on the second day of the draft.Baumgardner was taken in the 28th round by the Colorado Rockies, while Kline was tabbed by the Houston Astros in the 39th round and Brashear was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 44th round.

Boone Talks

AD Pete Boone talked more about the renovation of O-U Stadium. He announced that the stadium will add about 2500 seats and box seats. However the box seats that will be Rebel Club style will be behind home plate by the press box. In the first rendition that was published the box seats were going to be down the foul lines. Now they will be taking out about three rows on the top of several sections to make room for the sky box seats. They will also be adding some regular seats and lower box seats along the lines also. In addition they will be re-doing the outside of the stadium to give it more of a traditional baseball look. I would love to see us make it look like an old timey ball park on the outside while keeping it in style with the rest of the facilities. This renovation will take place after the 2007 baseball season.

Renovation to the outfield terrace in left and right field should take place sometime before next season. Several rows will be added below the current seating as well as extending both terraces. In addition they will be constructing some kind of restrooms/concessions in the outfield. I can not wait to see what this is going to look like.

The athletic department is truly putting some money into the program. This is going to be a great addition to the facilities of our campus. Hopefully we will have a rendition of what it should look like in the next several months.

Rebels In the Draft Thus Far

Chris Coghlan #36 Florida Marlins; Comp A Round
Garrett White #173 Los Angeles Dodgers; 6th Round
Alex Presley #230 Pittsburgh Pirates; 8th Round


Rebel signee Justin Reed was drafted in the fourth round by the Cincinnatti Reds. Reed has announced he will not be attending Ole Miss and is going to go pro. I truly believe this is a mistake. I am not a believer in guys that come out of high school and go pro.

Coghlan Quote

Chris Coghlan was the first Ole Miss player drafted in the first round by the Marlins. Here is the quote Coghlan released to the media:

"I'm very excited about being drafted, and to be selected in the
supplemental first round is a tremendous honor. It's the sort of
thing you dream about as a player. Certainly this is a great
opportunity and gives me something to think about, but we have a
great opportunity in front of us this weekend with Miami coming to
Oxford for a Super Regional. Our goal all season has been to host a
Regional, a Super Regional and to advance to Omaha. That's what is
ahead of us right now as a team, and that's where my focus is right now."

Update

I have just started my job in Birmingham that is why posting was late today. It will probably be sporatic over the next several weeks as I get adjusted. However I will try my best to keep it up as long as people are still reading.

Kline is Fine in Oxford

Glad to see this on Will Kline. For those of you that read this often, you know that I was not a believer in Will Kline early this year. He has definately come together and is dominating pitching over the last month or so. He has made the right decision to stay in Oxford.

Tomorrow is the MLB Draft and I expect several Ole Miss players to get drafted. Chris Coghlan and Justin Brashear will get drafted along with others. Expect Coghlan to go real high in the draft. Who will leave and who will stay I dunno, but I have a hunch Brashear will not leave.

From the Clarion Ledger below:

Ole Miss pitcher Will Kline has informed Major League Baseball teams he has no interest in playing professionally next season.
The redshirt sophomore, who is eligible for Tuesday’s draft because he is three years removed from high school, said he has sent a letter to professional teams informing them he will return to the Rebels for his junior season.
The decision means Ole Miss should have its top pitcher back in 2007. Kline, who is 5-2 with a 3.02 earned run average, will start the first game of the NCAA Super Regional against Miami this weekend.
“I felt like this was the best thing for me,” Kline said. “I didn’t want to
get out into pro ball and feel like I had any doubt in my mind that I wanted to be back here. Why leave somewhere that I love?”

Smoked Out

It was announced yesterday that LSU skipper Smoke Laval was fired/resigned from the Louisiana school after not making the NCAA Tourney. LSU faithful have been talking about the dismissal of Laval for quite sometime. AD Skip Bertman has not named any finalist yet, but I expect someone to be named soon and it will either be a coach in the SEC or from Tulane. No chance it is Bianco. No need to even talk about it, the guy is going nowhere.

Rebels Keep On Rollin

The Ole Miss Rebels squeeked by Bethune Cookman and South Alabama on Friday and Saturday to advance to the championship game of the Oxford regional. The Rebels then rolled by the Tulane Green Wave late Sunday afternoon in a game that the Green Wave never really gained alot of momentum. The Rebel baseball team looked great on Sunday and Justin Brashear looked even better. This guy had an awesome three games throwing out players and getting hits. For his actions he was named Regional MVP.

This weekend the Rebel faithful dominated the attendance figures in all the regional sites across the nations. There were people in the trees, jumping over fences, and sitting in all sorts of places just for a chance to see the Rebels play. The Sunday game was my first regional experience since the Friday night 2005 regional game against Maine. I have got to say it is quite impressive to see that many Ole Miss fans packed into every square inch of O-U Stadium.

The Rebels will now host Miami in a Super Regional this weekend in Oxford. This is the second all time Super Regional in the state of Mississippi and it is back to back Super Regional hosts for Ole Miss. The U will come to town after winning the Nebraska regional.

The fact Ole Miss will host back to back Super Regionals legitimately puts Ole Miss on the map as a baseball powerhouse. I do not have the research on hand but they are one of the few that hosted last year and this year. Coach Mike Bianco has built something in Oxford and he is going nowhere. It is amazing what Bianco has done in six years in Oxford.

Am I The Only One That Did Not Know This???

From an article in the DM today regarding Will Kline:

"My arm was just worn out and one night my elbow was really sore and I was in a Legion double-header game," Kline said. "I ended up catching the first game and my coach asked if I could start the second game and I said 'Yeah, sure.' In the third inning, I threw a slider and my elbow just snapped in half. My buddy at shortstop said he heard it."A week later, he went to Birmingham where he was diagnosed with a 100 percent tear, and was told he would need Tommy John surgery."It was kind of demoralizing because I knew I was going to miss my senior year of football and most of my baseball season was going to be over. I guess it was all worth it now."Tommy John surgery involves replacing a ligament with a tendon from another part of the body. Kline, a month after meeting with Dr. Andrews, had the surgery. Over 11 months later, Kline was back on the mound.

TV Update

It appears the games will be on some local tv stations. Vista III is currently working out the problems and might have the games on in North Mississippi. Also long time Jaguar supporters like Robert Cook will have access to the games in Mobile. As well as those of you in the Jackson market, Nathan and Drew, you should be able to pick up the games on the tv also. Not sure what stations they will be on but some people across the state will be able to view the games.

The World of College Baseball

You will not be able to watch the regionals this weekend on your normal ESPN. Instead ESPN will be showing one of the following softball championships, paintball, bowling, spelling bee, or poker. However you can watch the games on a satellite if you can pick up ESPNU or the Jumbo Sports Network somewhere. You can also watch the game on the internet by going to this web site http://espnu.xosn.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5907&ATCLID=288775 The Ole Miss video crew will be using their feed on this web site.

I think it is absurd that even ESPN2 does not show the college baseball regionals. These other so called sports they show on there are pathetic. If a regional is in the future hopefully they will give us a shot at being on tv.