WAPT The Better Half

Oh, when the Saints Jeremy Shockey comes marching in…

It’s the hottest week of the summer -  must mean Saints training camp is here!  The New Orleans Saints are back in Jackson with some extra baggage - Jeremy Shockey.

He’ll be lining up at the tight end position bringing his catching talent, solid blocking and his over-confident attitude. Fans are sure to flock to Millsaps despite the high heat, to watch the man with fire in his belly catch passes from his new QB, Drew Brees and watch his interaction with his new teammates. 

I think brining Shockey to the Saints is a sure thing.  Yes, he marches to the beat of a different drummer, but that’s what New Orleans is all about.  He’ll bring the excitement back to the dome and raise jersey sales.  So much for that Northeast weather…welcome to Mississippi Shockey, where it’s as hot as your temper.

p.s. Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister will be at training camp too.

America the Beautiful, often our country is referred to as a female and she is the essence of freedom.  So that is why I choose all female athletes as my All-American Sports Hero.

There are so many to name: Mia Hamm, the face of women’s soccer; The Williams sisters dominating the tennis circuit; Lisa Leslie, the first woman to dunk a basketball; and Danica Patrick racing against the boys and beating them!

Even further back in history women were making their stand as American Heroes, including; Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Florence Griffith Joyner, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, and Bonnie Blair.

And let me not forget, Patsy T. Mink who was the principle author of Title IX.  

So here’s to all the women out there playing American sports – you are ALL my hero.

Venus or Serena? Potato or Potato? Tomato or tomato? There’s really no difference when you’re talking about the Williams’ sisters. They both dominate the tennis court, they have a flair for style the sport has never seen, they are both coached by their dad, and they could both be playing in the Wimbledon finals this Saturday…against each other.

As a reminder, Serena is the rather muscular, big earring wearing, long haired sister… Venus is the taller, leaner, fashion designer sister.

If they make it to the championship round, I would have to say Venus is going to win that fancy European platter. This year, Wilmbledon is different than in years past. All the top-seeded players are losing and history is being made; Zheng Jie of China became the first Asian woman to reach a grand slam event semifinal. So with that being said, I think Venus will win. She has only beaten her little sis once when they’ve played each other in Grand Slam finals, but this year change is in the air. Venus is going home with some new cookware!

Once upon a time in 1972, the Ole Miss Rebels played in the College Baseball World Series.  Rumor had it they were going to make it back to Omaha this year, but that didn’t happen.  They buckled under pressure and found a way to beat themselves…again.  It didn’t help that they were playing the mighty Mizzou Tigers in the first round (my alma mater).

But I really don’t think they’ll be back anytime soon, and they definitely won’t be in championship contention in the near future.  The competition isn’t what it used to be…36 years ago!  Players are bigger, pitches are faster, and bats are better.  The one dominator that can’t improve over time is Talent.  That is a pure component of the game - if you got it, you got it.  If you don’t, you don’t. 

Plain and simple; Ole Miss doesn’t.  Maybe one day they’ll make it back when we have a female for President.

Now here is a story to give your opinion on.

Jeremy Bibbs, 21 a former football player at Northwest Rankin High School was a star on the football field, but more of a trouble maker off the field.  In 2004, he was charged with selling cocaine and spent six-months in jail.  In 2006, while getting a second chance to play at Copiah-Lincoln Community College he violated his parole with possession of an armed weapon and has spent the last year and a half behind bars.

Now he is out and he wants a another chance to play football.  But will he get one?  Will coaches risk taking a player with a troublsome past or will they give him a future of opportunity and a new slate? 

With all the dramas of the Michael Vick scandals in the NFL, teams are starting to distance themselves from potential cancers that bring bad headlines instead of good ones.  I personally think he will have a very hard time finding a place to play again.  Unfortunately, he has more experience as a criminal than he does as football player.

But The Jackson Mayor, Frank Melton who mentored Bibbs, thinks he deserves a chance to play football again and he is making it his personal mission to get him on a team…even an NFL team!  Not only is Melton a mayor he’s a football agent too!  I think there’s some more important things going on in this city that Melton should be concerned with. 

SO What do you think?  
Does Bibbs deserve another chance to play football?  
If you were a coach would you recruit him to play on your team? 
What are your thoughts on Frank Melton acting as Bibbs’ agent?

My take on this Polk pity party is this; the guy just got his feelings hurt.  My marriage to my lovely husband has given me some insight to what might be really going on here.  Polk and MSU were married for 29 years and then BAM, the relationship ended.  The MSU baseball program was (and still is) Polk’s child and he was fighting to gain custody.

It’s like a headline out of Hollywood. “Polk wants sole control of the coaching hire or else he’s taking his name off the house he built”.

There are so many analogies I could go on forever, but what happened on Friday is simple.  A man’s ego is fragile and the male species is an emotional being.  “It all boils back to this: I think I deserve the right to be in the position to name the coach,” Polk stated.  He felt entitled, like he was owed for taking care of his kids for so many years.  He doesn’t want to split things 50/50, he wants the car and the house, “I would love to be part of John’s family, but we’ve got to get over this somehow.”  He’s become a STATE step-dad of sorts.

I can sympathize with Polk, (as I do with another man in my life); he didn’t get the respect he deserved.  He, by choice, poured his life into the program and it became his identity.  I think Greg Byrne should’ve had the decency to include Polk in the hiring process at some level and not lead Polk or Tommy on. 

Once the homeplate dirt settles, I think you’ll  see Polk back in the stadium that will always bear his name; only he won’t be the head of the household anymore.

Mississippi is well represented in the 2008 NCAA Softball Championship tournament.  Both Mississippi State and Mississippi Valley are once again in regional play around the country.  

Baton Rouge Regional - May 16-18 at Baton Rouge, Louisiana
*No. 9 seed LSU (42-16) vs. Mississippi Valley St. (28-26)
East Carolina vs. La.-Lafayette

Tempe Regional - May 16-18 at Tempe, Arizona
Mississippi St. (40-20) vs. Hawaii 
Stony Brook (33-21-1) vs. *No. 6 seed Arizona St. (56-5

After first round play the Lady Bulldogs suffered a loss to Hawaii, 9-7.  They will play Stony Brook in an elimination game Saturday at 6:30 PM.

Mississippi Valley State was denied access to the winners circle when the LSU Lady Tigers came out swinging and beat the Lady Devils, 8-0.  They will play East Carolina Saturday @ 5PM.

Since he’s not one to brag, I’ll tell you…My humble husband hit his first hole in one last week!  But he wasn’t the only one.  Mississippi High School Girls Golf program did too.  This year the MHSAA finally sanctioned a championship for girls golf…about time if you ask me.   Congrats to Sixteen year old Esther Huffman who became the first to win a Girls State Golf Title.

Another youngin’, Fourteen year old Kechinye Didia defeated two-time defending Class 5A champion Catherine Holliday of Tupelo in the 5A girls Tennis Singles Title.  She’s fourteen! 

Congrats to all of the ladies who competed recenctly in Softball, Tennis, and now Golf state championship tournaments.  Title Nine is in full effect - keep dominating!

- Christi