SEC Media Daze
Well, that took a turn.
Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze is set to take the podium today in what will be a packed house on the final day of these SEC Media Daze.
If all the swirling NCAA stuff and the self-imposed one-year postseason ban was not enough fodder for the 1,000 or so of us still here looking for news, well, now Houston Nutt has sued Freeze and several Ole Miss administrators for blaming the NCAA violations on Nutt.
Giddy-up.
The details of Nutt's lawsuit are exceedingly specific, even down to going through Freeze's cell ph0one records and finding calls between Freeze and some college football writers who went on to write stories about Nutt's involvement in the Ole Miss NCAA violations.
Yep, we may have reached a college football version of "Fake News." Someone get Megyn Kelly on the blower. Where's Anderson Cooper? Or Kirk Herbstreit?
Anyhoo, the level of detail and intel that Nutt has in his lawsuit are impressive, and certainly will be interesting to follow.
(Although not really today. If Freeze and the Ole Miss message team are smart, they discuss this right out of the gate with his opening remarks. Hit something along the lines of "We are aware of the lawsuit that was made known this week and while I would love to discuss its lack of merit, because it is now an on-going legal case, under the suggestion of counsel I can not and will not speak on it until we are found completely innocent of these bogus claims. Thank you for your understanding and not asking about it because, again, I can't speak even remotely about it. As for this year's Rebels")
But there are deep ripples to this.
First, Freeze's has pushed his truth chips in the middle and we now believe his seat is every bit as hot as Kevin Sumlin's. In fact, if you had $1,000 in Vegas and someone said, "You have to bet on the next SEC football coach to get fired," you go Freeze, right? It's pretty much a coin flip.
(Side note, II: Happiest guy in the building Thursday in Hoover was probably Gus Malzahn. Yes, he and Freeze are tight, and he likely hurts for his buddy. But Auburn's every-other-year "contender" tag and Malzahn dodging hot seat and Jarrett Stidham expectation talk was going to be the talk of this day.
Now it's some Nutt and a guy in a deep Freeze.
Media Daze 4 primer
Yes, Nutt-Freeze/Freeze-Nutt talk will be everywhere today.
As for the others, well, let's preview what we also believe will happen today.
Malzahn will do his best to deflect the discussions of Stidham, who was not even on the preseason ballot for all-SEC QB. (Side note, III: We think Stidham is going to rip it up in the SEC. Seriously. But, we thought the same thing about Jeremy Johnson and Cam Newton, so who knows right?)
It makes sense for Malzahn to downplay Stidham and try to temper the expectations. Auburn has consistently overachieved to national levels when little is projected and underwhelmed on catastrophic levels when much is expected.
Still, the presence of a legit threat at quarterback give the Auburn offense a look it has not had since Nick Marshall left.
South Carolina coach Will Muschamp will take the podium and discuss the steps made in year one, and this time it's hard to not agree with him. Muschamp's bunch went .500 with a quarterback that should have been at pep rallies and playing on Friday nights. Plus, we know that Muschamp will recruit some dudes.
Then there is Freeze and his side-stepping of just about every lawsuit and NCAA-related question out there. Here's betting Mr. Freeze will do everything possible to talk about every aspect of his football team.
And the media will want very little of it.
FILE - In this July 13, 2016, file photo, former NFL football player Peyton Manning accepts the icon award at the ESPY Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Peyton Manning will take the stage to host the ESPY Awards. The retired two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback will preside over the July 12 show honoring the past year's best athletes and sports moments. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File) So there's that
Peyton Manning took to the center stage and handled a tough gig with some creativity.
For the most part the ESPYs are part root canal, part self-congratulatory exercise.
And that's OK. Hey's it's not like much else is happening in the sports world right now. (Side note, part IV: If you think the SEC scheduling their Media Daze during the slowest four days of the sports calendar is an accident, well, we have some gulf front property in Arkansas to sell if you are interested.)
Credit the ESPY folks for giving the MC duties to Manning. It created interest for a variety of reasons.
And for the most part, Manning delivered.
His monologue was OK - and his joke with Kevin Durant has generated a good amount of PR buzz - and the skits that we saw (like the one with Brad Paisley) were fine.
He even got a zinger from Julian Edelman, which is part of the deal.
"You know, I never thought I'd say this, but Peyton Manning's kind of killing it," Edelman said.
Pause.
"We are indoors, though."
Ah, the ESPYs.
This and that
- Lonzo Ball wore Nikes Wednesday. That's how slow this time of year is. Lonzo Ball's footwear is news.
- Did you see the numbers that had the Home Run derby only 600,000 viewers short of the actually All-Star game? Here's betting sooner rather than later, the Derby will pass the event once known as the Midsummer Classic.
- The Conor McGregor-Floyd Mayweather circus is, well, just that, a circus.
- Quick question: In an attempt to stockpile talent, the Rockets are looking to acquire Carmelo Anthony. Why? Is there a worse addition for a team that knows it has to get through Golden State than Anthony, considering he can't guard anyone on the Warriors during crunch time?
Today's question
Does the McGregor-Mayweather back-and-forth generate any interest in the fight for you?
As for the day, in 1985, Live Aid took place.
In 1923, the "Hollywood" sign is officially dedicated. (It started as "Hollywoodland" but the last four letters are dropped in 1949.)
As for birthdays, Harrison Ford is 75 today. Yes, Han Solo is 75.
Julius Caesar would have been 2117 today.
We have to go with Ford, though, right?
Rushmore of Harrison Ford movies. Go.