Rippee Writes: the latest DeChambeau antics, transfer news
Umana transfer official, a pair of baseball transfer and Bryson DeChambeau putting his foot in his mouth.
A happy Friday to you all. We have a new podcast out with LBs Greg in what is a hybrid Grill Corner-Mailbag Friday edition. We hit a number of different topics, from ribs to searing, as well as some Ole Miss-related questions at the top. Check that out here or anywhere you get podcasts. We’ve got some golf and transfer news to dive into today. Let’s go.
DeChambeau blames equipment
Bryson DeChambeau made headlines after his Thursday round at The Oopen Championship. He stumbled to a one-over par round of 71 after hitting just four of 14 fairways and had some thoughts about his driver.
“The driver sucks,” DeChambeau told reporters. “It’s not a good face for me, and we’re still trying to figure out how to make it good on the mis-hits. I’m living on the razor’s edge, like I’ve told people for a long time.”
Captain Physics strikes again an as the workman with 200 mph ball speed and 130+ clubhead speed blames his tools. What made the story wilder was a Cobra rep (DeChambeau is sponsored by Cobra) fired back at DeChambeau’s comments.
“It’s like an 8-year-old that gets mad at you,” Cobra’s Tour Operations Manager, Ben Schomin, said. “They might fly off the handle and say, ‘I hate you.’ But then you go. ‘Whoa, no you don’t.’ "
Schomin went on to talk about DeChambeau’s perpetual unhappiness with equipment and his desire to find a perfect solution that doesn’t exist. The reaction to this spat was predictable. DeChambeau became the target of the internet’s collective ire, which prompted him to release an apology.
Look, if nothing else, DeChambeau is an endless stream of content, from his cringeworthy Instagram posts, to the countless tone-deaf press conference gaffes and his newfound distance obsession last summer. He is never dull, if nothing else. I guess one thought I will leave you with on this matter is this: most of you probably rolled your eyes at the entire thing as yet another example of this faux-physicist’s antics and you’d be right to do so. But at the risk of sounding like a Bryson apologist — which I am not, and that is well documented, but I do admit he has grown on me over the last 12 months because this entire thing seems to be genuine rather than a schtick, and part of me appreciates that — is it possible that he’s misunderstood here? Could he have possible articulated his point poorly without intending to malign his biggest sponsor? Think about it: this guy prides himself on creating a competitive advantage with equipment that he believes to be superior than anyone else’s because of how finely tuned it is to his game. Hell, all his clubs are the exact same size. By saying “the driver sucks right now, it’s not a good face for me,” could he have been directing blame to himself — the self-proclaimed physicist and master of all things angles and speeds? Maybe I am sounding like a Bryson apologist, and that’s fine if I am, but I don’t necessarily buy into him intending to crucify his equipment manufacturer because he hit four of 14 fairways in a single round. But the problem is, he comes off as an insufferable mix of arrogant and dorky, so if he is misinterpreted, he’s not getting the benefit of the doubt.
That’s the only real thought I have on the matter. I don’t necessarily like DeChambeau, but I think he is genuine, harmless and entertaining, which is better for golf than some of the other guys on Tour. We spent two years on the narrative of “Patrick Reed is the villain golf needs,” only to realize he is actually just a cheater and an asshole. Maybe THIS guy is the villain golf needs, even if he isn’t the one we want. He just happens to act like Jimmy Neutron, rather than The Joker.
Current Deal: For being a loyal subscriber, show him proof of subscription and you’ll get a 16 oz. prime strip for $15 and a pack of sausage for $5. That’s a hell of a dinner on the grill for 20 bucks. Go check him out, it’s the best place in Mississippi to get meat and Oxford is lucky to have it.
Hoglund signs with Blue Jays
Gunnar Hoglund is officially under contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He signed for slightly under slot value.
Good for Hoglund. He’s a had a lot of bad luck and this has to feel pretty sweet. Chase Parham wrote a good column on Hoglund’s happy ending through a series of misfortune that you should read.
LaFleur, Adcock transfer
Sophomore pitcher Cody Adcock and freshman outfielder Trey LaFluer are transferring, per Chase Parham (just another reason you should sign up for RebelGrove for the latest information).
Adcock made 14 appearances in 2021 including a start in the SEC semifinal game against Arkansas. Him leaving is a little more surprising to me given the fact that there is nothing but opportunity on this pitching staff heading into 2022, but I don’t have much insight on this beyond that.
LaFleur is a talented kid with a lot of upside, but never really got going this season due to contracting mononucleosis and a high swing-and-miss rate. Talent-wise, this is probably the bigger loss, but Ole Miss has so much depth within its lineup, it makes sense to me as to why he would leave.
It should be noted that LaFleur announced he is headed to Louisiana-Lafayette, while Adcock is simply in the portal, so I guess Adcock could still potentially decide against leaving the program.
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Umana transfer official
Not that there was any reason to doubt the reporting, but Utah transfer Orlando Umana is officially on the Ole Miss roster now and has arrived in Oxford. Umana is a great pickup for the offensive line’s depth heading into 2021.
He was an All-PAC-12 honorable mention two years ago and figures to be in the mix for playing time at guard and center. This is a nice addition for a unit that helped the Rebels lead the SEC in rushing in 2020.
On the Horizon
SEC Media Days are next week, marking the unofficial start to the college football season. We have some exciting podcast and writing content in the works that I think you will enjoy. I’ll have more on that next week, but be expecting more football stuff from this point on.
That is all from me today. Have a wonderful weekend.