Kristin_Tallent's Blog

I grew up in Big 12 country and was introduced to the SEC when I arrived at Mississippi State in 1998.   That year, Tennessee beat my Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta and then went on to win the National Championship.   My point is that my impression of the Big Orange since I came to the SEC has been that they are dominant.  I expect them to win, just like the Vols fans do.   That's why this year's 1-3 start is not something that is expected from a team with such a rich tradition.  

Phil Fulmer has proven he's a great coach, but are his days numbered at UT?   I think so.   He's done a lot of good on Rocky Top, but sometimes it's just time to move on.   I think it's time.   Tennessee fans shouldn't turn on a coach who gave them so much success and joy.  It's just time for something new, perhaps. 

Does it hurt me to say this?  Yes, it does.   The Ole Miss Rebels picked up quite an impressive win Saturday afternoon in The Swamp.  That just took a lot out of me to say!  haha 

Five games into his career at Ole Miss, Houston Nutt is proving he can coach-something that wasn't Ed Orgeron's strength.  But Coach O sure could recruit, and Nutt I'm sure, is thankful for that!   Texas transfer Jevan Snead, who initially committed to Florida, made big plays when his team needed them.  That to me is huge, because the Rebels haven't had a quarterback who could take over since the departure of Eli Manning.  Snead has been impressive after sitting out for a year.   Last weekend, I feel he got a little out of the game, but he was very good against Wake.   Today he didn't look great, but he proved his ability to "lead" his team.

The Rebs looked like a Houston Nutt-coached team.   They were never shaken and just seemed like they were there to take care of business.  I must say, the Rebs have impressed me this year.   There's never been a question of whether or not they have the talent, but coaching was certainly the problem.  And now they have a qb--they're dangerous!  

Congrats Rebels on your big win!

Marcus Hunter and I have read a lot of articles on our Bulldogs' slow start to the season.   And we've seen a lot of negative posts from fans about Coach Croom.  I'm sick of it all.   Fans have forgotten where Coach Croom took us last year.  It almost would have been better if we had never even gone to a bowl game and had a good year last season.  Coach Croom took over a program that was in bad, bad shape.   He is making the athletes listen and making them follow rules.  He's making young men behave like young men should.  I realize we are looking pretty dang bad, but come on people.   It isn't like we're going from where we were to being SEC Champs that fast!   Seriously!   We're forgetting what Coach Croom has done for us.   People are calling for his job...WHO are we gonna get better than Coach Croom?!   Seriously!   He's exactly the type of person we want setting an example for our young men.  

Marcus made a really good point the other day when we were chatting about this.  He said that fans wouldn't be as freaked out if MSU hadn't lost to LA Tech and I think he's completely right.  A loss to Ga Tech wouldn't be all that bad...niether would a loss to Auburn.  That loss to La Tech HURT big time for the fans!   Marcus, good point! 

Yes, our offense looks awful.   Yes, we've made some pretty bad calls.   But let's not give up hope just yet!   Coach Croom did some pretty special things for us last season and I'm confident he'll be able to do that again.   Fans just have to give it time and put out some good karma like Coach Cal is always preaching about!   haha  Go Dawgs!

What stood out to me this past weekend?   First, the Memphis Tigers win!   You heard right...the Tigers defeated Nicholls State and picked up win numero uno in 2008.   Now, comes Arkansas State-which could be dangerous!  

Second, my Bulldogs continue to struggle and were blown out by Georgia Tech.  It was painful to watch, so I can only imagine the view from the sidelines.   It doesn't get any better for us as we're looking at LSU for our next game.   This is not the start to the season I pictured for my Bullies...I thought we'd be undefeated at this point.  

How about Vandy?   The Commodores are off to a 4-0 start, 2-0 in the SEC!   That's pretty dang good!  

Outside of college football...the Americans bring the Ryder Cup back to the States!  That was pretty awesome!   It was great to see Boo Weekley acting like he was Happy Gilmore!  If you missed it, you need to check it out!   It makes me laugh everytime I see it.   It's amazing the Americans pulled it off without Tiger!   Wow!

I'm not very happy about the Cubs clinching the NL Central, considering I'm a Cards fan.   However, I admit I would get much joy out of Cubbies fans getting their hopes up that it is "fate" because it is 2008...the 100 year anniversary of their last WS championship...and then watching them tank in the postseason!  That, I  must admit, would bring me much joy.  haha  I'm evil, yes-but I love my Cardinals.  And any good Cards fan hates the Cubs!  Also in the world of baseball...farewell Yankees stadium!  That really makes me sad.   I don't understand the fascination with building up new stadiums and forgetting history.  I was extremely upset when St. Louis tore down the old Busch Stadium.  There was nothing wrong with it and it's where I grew up watching baseball, dangit!  

Three games into the season, I'm curious if Tiger fans are losing hope.  Memphis is off to an ugly 0-3 start and all I've heard concerning the Tiger football team is negativity and disgust.   The heat last week was on Tigers Head Coach Tommy West and I have a feeling fans are about to take it up a notch this week.  If you're a Tiger fan, are you fed up?  Have you lost hope?   Who do you blame?

I'm curious to hear what Coach West has to say at Monday's weekly news conference.   I do  however, think that fans are often times too quick to jump on a coach.   Sure, they're getting paid a lot of money to win, but in the world of college football, think about it...there just aren't enought wins to go 'round!   Every single coach in the NCAA is hired for one thing:  to win.   Can every program win?   NO!   It's not like Tommy West is coaching at LSU or USC.  He's coaching at a C-USA school right in the heart of the SEC battle ground for hs recruits.   Arkansas recruits Memphis.  Ole Miss recruits Memphis.   Tennessee recruits Memphis.   Miss State recruits Memphis.  Vandy even recruits Memphis.  No offense, but if I'm a kid being courted by a school with nice indoor practice facilities, nice outdoor practice facilities, game day tradition and that's in the SEC...and I'm also being recruited by Memphis, again no offense, but I'm going to the SEC school.   Tommy West is doing the best with what he's got.   Fans, let's be realistic, that's difficult.  

Maybe the NCAA should start having schools elect their college coaches.   It's worked out great for the United States (sarcasm).   But wait, in a sense, isn't that what's happening? The big money boosters have the most say in what happens at a university...hmmmmm...this sounds a bit familiar!   Basically, I'm saying if you're a fan and you don't like what's going on, hit up your big boosters and voice your opinion.  They're the ones calling the shots anyway.   If you're just your average Joe Schmoe, like most of us are, we don't really matter.   Money talks, it's evident.   So make your big money boosters put their money where their mouth is...if they don't like what's going on, tell them to cough up some change to improve the facilities and get in a different conference.  

Another wacky Saturday for college football!   My MSU Bullies lose a 3-2 game?!   That's no typo--the score of the MSU/AUBURN game was indeed 3-2.   Auburn kicked a FG in the first half to make it 3-0.   Then, a holding call in the Tigers own end zone served up a safety for the Bulldogs.   And that was the end of it!   3-2!   MSU had plenty of chances to make use of an Auburn miscue, but they didn't!   I was quite disappointed and am concerned for my Dawgs!  

The Memphis Tigers dropped their game at Marshall by just one point.   Last week, Tommy West was on the hot-seat after losing a 4th quarter 15 point lead.   Will he be back in hot water this week?  I'm anxious to see.  

Ole Miss beat Samford, as expected and the Rebs used their aresenal of RBs as three different guys scored.    That's impressive and a little scary for other teams in the SEC!   Of course, keep in mind they were playing Samford.   However, I think that OM is the real deal this year.   That Houston Nutt is quite crafty!

UT got back to its winning ways beating UAB 35-3.   Nothing new there...and now the Vols have to turn their attention toward Florida, which visits Knoxville this coming weekend!

The first weekend of college football came and went, leaving some of us feeling blue and others ecstatic.   Yes, you can notice I said "us feeling blue"...because my Mississippi State Bulldogs lost!   Tom Dees had me extremely nervous about this game for the last couple of weeks (thanks Deeser!).   I couldn't believe my eyes!   My bulldogs looked frazzled and frustrated.   Five turnovers for the game, three interceptions throw by our quarterback Wesley Caroll.   I'm trying to stay positive, however looking at Coach Croom on the sidelines, I don't think he was too positive.  Disgusted sounds more appropriate.   I'm not sure why we were playing La Tech in Rustin to open up our season.   I'm not trying to make excuses, we lost, but La Tech showed last season the Bulldogs (their mascot too) are no pushovers.   They showed us last night too!  Like I said, I'm staying positive, but it's a little tough after a loss like that.   Please, feed the ball to Anthony Dixon.   I'm not too confident in our passing game right now, so let's see if we can ride the Dixon-horse for now!

Memphis and Ole Miss turned out like I thought it might.  The Rebels have talent and are "high" on their new head coach, Houston Nutt.   I figured they'd come out swinging like they did.    Jevan Snead and Shay Hodge were pretty impressive.   I admit I had no idea what to expect of Snead but he seemed to handle himself well.   As for the Tigers, I don't think they should get down at all.    They were overpowered and playing a team that just has more talent.    I think they'll fair well in C-USA.

I didn't see any of the Arkansas game because it wasn't on tv, but from what I read Casey Dick was impressive...25-of-41 for 318 yards, 2 TD passes and 2 TD by ground!  Honestly, I didn't feel good about the game for the Hogs heading in.  It isn't that I think that Western Illinois is some powerhouse, but Arkansas lost so much from last season-plus it's the first game of the year!   I think it saved them that they were at home (my point for MSU).  

Michael Phelps' record 8 gold medals in a single Olympic Games proves him to be one of the best athletes of all time.  It has been amazing to me that in the South where football is king, swimming (because of Phelps) has been one of the top conversation-starters anywhere I go!   He and his teammates have represented the United States extremely well and made us all proud!   Phelps' swim to 8-Olympic golds has inspired me to take a look at some of the top athletes in history.   Let me know what you think and how you would rank them.

6. Michael Johnson-Track & Field.   Johnson won 4 Olympic gold medals and was the only male in history to win the 200m and 400m at the Olympics.   Johnson holds World Records in the 200m-19.32 and the 400m-43.18.  

5. Lance Armstrong-Cycling.  Armstrong won the hearts of Americans after battling and overcoming cancer on the ride to win the Tour de France seven times.   His story was an inspiration to all of us.

4. Muhammad Ali-Boxing.  Ali is the only man to win the linear heavyweight championship three times.   He also won Olympic gold as a light-heavyweight.   He won 56 times in a total of 61 fights in his career!  That's an amazing statistic!

3. Michael Jordan-Basketball.  Jordan was the NBA's golden boy. He was a six-time NBA Champion, won five NBA MVP awards, and was a 14-time NBA All Star.   Jordan also won two Olympic gold medals.

2. Tiger Woods-Golf.  Woods has brought attention to a sport that many would overlook.   He's the man who is always within striking distance and the man competitors don't want breathing down their necks!   He has a total of 87 tournament wins with 65 of those wins coming on the PGA Tour.  His win at the US Open this year was certainly one to remember.   Woods hobbled around on a torn ACL for 91 holes to beat Rocco Mediate!

1.  Michael Phelps-Swimming.   Phelps' performance at the Olympics is one I will remember forever.   I've never been a swimmer, but as a former track athlete I understand how difficult it is to win consistently in a sport where so many things can go wrong.   He won with water in his goggles for heaven's sake!   To win that many races in such a short amount of time is truly amazing.   He had to be up for every race.   There's no next hole, next quarter, next round...it's now or never!   Also, think about the number of races he swam in the Olympics...not finals but all of the pre-lims!   Whoa!   He's my number one right now, however all of these athletes were amazing! 

After a long struggle with the NCAA, Jerrell Powe will finally be eligible to practice and compete for Ole Miss this football season.   I've had the pleasure of getting to know Jerrell's family and friends over the past year while keeping track of this story.   I've also been fortunate enough to speak with Jerrell in person.   It's a story that I have been very passionate about and I am glad to see that finally Jerrell will get his rightful chance to compete for the Rebels.

This is a young man who completed all of his academic requirements while battling a learning disability, only to get denied down by the NCAA.    He and his family thought they had reached the end of the road last year, but were sadly disappointed when the NCAA said Jerrell needed to prove he could manage being a student-athlete.  This after he had already completed a list of "tasks" the NCAA had given him to complete.  

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the NCAA sure does let a lot of athletes slip through the cracks each year who clearly can't balance school-work and athletics.  Did they have something against Jerrell?   It almost seems that the NCAA thought if they kept denying him, he'd go away.  He was allowed to enroll at Ole Miss as a student and a partial qualifer.  Jerrell successfuly met academic requirements in his first year at Ole Miss, so he can now become a student-athlete.

Jerrell, well done!  You showed 'em and you've set a great example for all of us. When you get knocked down, dust yourself off and get back up!   I love my Mississippi State Bulldogs, but I admit I'll be cheering for a certain Rebel defensive tackle this season!

For whatever reason, Pau Gasol wasn't well liked in Memphis.   Fans wanted him gone.  They got their wish, but ironically, in exchange they got his little brother!   Marc Gasol was introduced today at a news conference at FedExForum.   He seemed excited to be here.  His mother was extremely excited.   She was smiling from ear-to-ear and snapping photos every chance she got.   She also blew kisses to her middle son during the news conference...an obvious sign she was thrilled to see Marc in Memphis. 

So, the Gasols are happy Marc's in Memphis, but are fans?   I hope that fans don't hold their feelings for Pau against Marc.   Several times Wednesday, we heard about Marc being his own man and different from Pau.   I hope fans welcome Marc with open arms and give him a chance.

Could Doneal Mack be heading back to Memphis?  According to several published reports, the former Tigers guard wants to make it a done deal.    The University of Memphis cannot comment on the issue until it is made official, but it appears  that  D-Mack wants to leave the University of New Orleans.     D-Mack played in  74 games and started 5.   He was concerned with playing time, which was his main reason for transferring.    I wonder why the change of heart?   I was curious when the news came down that he was heading to UNO, why he picked UNO!   It just seemed a little random after we had heard he was looking at programs like LSU and Clemson.

I respect a person's right to change his/her mind.   He never badmouthed the program.  He left very quietly, actually-in true D-Mack fashion.   He's a good kid.  He's always respectful and willing to talk after big wins, big losses...whatever.   I would have a hard time returning (if I were in his shoes) for the simple fact, I made my decision earlier.   But maybe it wasn't his decision.  Maybe it was his parents' decision.  It's just strange that he suddenly changed his mind.  

I think fans should welcome D-Mack back with open arms.  He's a young man who had a change of heart...a couple of times.   If Coach Cal is ok with it, we all should be.   

In the US, to make the team for the Olympics, a runner/field athlete must place in the top 3 at the trials and also must have met the "A" standard.   One meet, one chance, no matter who you are.

After Tyson Gay came up lame in the 200 m semi-finals on Saturday, I definitely think we need to come up with a different way to pick our team representatives.   Gay is the reigning world champion.  He's clearly the fast American and most-likely the fastest man on Earth.   Now, he did already qualify in the 100m.   But he won't get a chance to run in the 200m, which means Team USA could miss out on a gold.

I think it's fine to have the trials but I also think that if someon has run the fastest time in the world, that man/woman should get a pass.  What if you have an injury like Gay.  What if you have the flu or an illness?   It just doesn't seem fair.  Gay is the reigning world champion in the 100m and 200m and now because of one injury, Gay will not get the chance to bring home the gold for his country.   This is sad.  I think if you survey all of the athletes in the trials, they would agree that this is ridiculous.  

According to SI's website, Marc Gasol and the Grizz have agreed to a 3-year-deal worth 10-million bucks.   I've never seen the kid play.   I don't know much about him except for what is written.  I know he was the Spanish League's MVP last year.  He averaged 16.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.   I know he's tall.  I know he's Pau's little brother.  

After seeing how unhappy fans were  with Pau's performance, I'm curious to see how Grizzlies fans receive the younger Gasol.   I really hope that they give him a clean slate.  He's not his brother...and quite honestly, I don't know where the whole hatred for Pau Gasol came from anyway.   I understand that fans were not satisfied with just making it to the playoffs and they felt that Pau was soft-and that he choked in big games.   He did say last year he wanted to be traded, but who could blame him?  He was on a losing team!   Geez!  I would want out too!  

Maybe Marc Gasol is a big, take-no-prisoners type of guy.  Think of how opposite a lot of siblings are.  So, Grizz fans, before you write off Marc Gasol because you didn't like his big brother, give the guy a chance. 

Derrick Rose is drafted first by the Chicago Bulls...no big surprise!    Joey Dorsey is drafted 33rd by the Portland Trailblazers...no big surprise!   Sonny Weems 37th to Chicago...no big surprise!   Where's Chris Douglas-Roberts?!!!  BIG SUPRISE!   The Tigers swingman fell all the way to No. 40 in the NBA Draft, going to the NJ Nets.   Am I shocked his draft stock fell this low?  YES!   I did think he looked a little sluggish in his workout for the Grizzlies Wednesday morning, but I figured it was just because he had been traveling all over the nation, working out for NBA teams.   I am wondering what went wrong.  He seemed very confident in our interviews Wednesday.  Was he given bad information?  

Coach Cal just said that he wasn't impressed with CDR the first time he saw him (before he came to Memphis).   Of course, it didn't take long for him to learn how big of a playmaker CDR could be!   Clearly NBA teams weren't that impressed with him in individual workouts.   I hope things work out well for CDR and that he's one of those guys who becomes a superstar.   It's just tough for me to comprehend how an All-American doesn't go earlier than 40th.  

How great was it to see Derrick Rose go to his hometown team?   He just makes me smile because he is so humble and is still such a kid.   He's 19 years old!   That makes me feel really old!  haha   But he clearly is ready to take his talent to the next level and make it as a pro!   How adorable was Joey, smiling from ear-to-ear?  I was so happy that he was at the draft and he got to experience that!   And how funny is it that he's reunited with Greg Oden?!   Who's David and who's Goliath?!    That's just too funny to me! 

It could be and should be another big day in Tiger history!   Derrick Rose is expected to go No. 1 to the Chicago Bulls, which would make him the Tigers' first ever No. 1 draft pick!   But the fun won't stop there for Tiger fans.    Chris Douglas-Roberts is projected to be a late first-round draft pick.  Then, we're all anxious to see where Mr. Dorsey lands!   I will not even attempt to guess where CDR or Joey will be heading; there's absolutely no point.   I hate mock draft websites because there's no way of knowing exactly how the draft is going to play out.   It's just guessing.   However, I will say that I hope that all three of these young men have successful careers in the NBA.  It has been a joy to cover each and every one of them! 

Also, I'm hoping that my Bulldogs are well represented tonight!   I didn't see Charles Rhodes' workout when he came through for the Grizzlies, but Marcus says he did very well.   I did get to see some of Jamont Gordon's workout yesterday and he looked great!   Tony Barone even said he would make a great NBA player!   I really wanted Jamont to come back to MSU, but I wish him well in the league!

Alright, get your popcorn ready!   It will be a night of moving and shaking!