Rippee Writes: Thursday Scoop
Ole Miss Baseball notes, Alabama scout and spring football
Happy Thursday. A big baseball weekend lies ahead. We’ve got a new podcast out with Collin Brister previewing the Alabama series, spring football and a little Ole Miss Pro Day discussion. It’s available on on Apple and Spotify. As always, if you get your podcasts elsewhere, let me know the platform and I’ll get mine added. We had influx of new subscribers in the last two days. Thank you and welcome. I knew that deal we are running — half off the original subscription price of $0.00 — was too good to pass up.
Plenty to dive into today. Let’s roll.
Alabama Scout:
Ole Miss traveled to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday for a Thursday-Saturday series with the Crimson Tide. We’ve already had a schedule change due to weather and there will now be a Friday doubleheader.
Here’s an Alabama primer that’ll make you a little smarter.
The Tide have been without surefire first round pick Connor Prielipp since the second week of the season. The left-hander threw five shutout innings on opening day and then apparently shut it down with an undisclosed injury. Weird situation, but certainly good news for the Rebels that they won’t face a first-round talent from the left side.
Seriously impressed by @AlabamaBSB freshman Connor Prielipp. Phenomenal poise and confidence on the bump. Sitting 93-94, touched 95 and has breezed through his outing so far. Lights out breaker down. @PGCollegeBallAlabama can pitch it pretty well. The Tide has a team ERA of 3.14 and a 1.09 WHIP. Their rotation has managed okay without Prielipp and they’ll run out righty Tyler Ras in game one, righty Dylan Smith in game two and left-hander Antione Jean in game three. You’ll see pretty typical SEC arms in the first two with a fastball in the mid 90s and decent secondary stuff. Jean won’t touch 90 and will be a different animal in the finale. I am interested to see how this Ole Miss team, that’s hit surprisingly well against left-handers this year, fairs in game three.
The Tide cannot hit. Name the offensive category and they’re in the bottom fourth of the league. It’s a young lineup that has struggled to drive in runs. In short, it’s a similar Alabama team to what you’ve seen for the better part of the last decade — one that matches up fine on the mound but cannot score runs.
Alabama had a weird series at Arkansas in which they actually outscored the Razorbacks but lost two of three. The Tide won the first game 16-1 and then proceeded to score two runs over the final 18 innings. The latter is more of what you’ll see this weekend.
What I am looking for from Ole Miss
If there’s one thing Mike Bianco loves, it’s questions about the weather. Just ask him. He’s a meteorology savant that’s chipper to share the latest storm cloud patterns. In all seriousness, the weather-induced schedule change could serve as a pretty significant disadvantage to Ole Miss. My podcast partner Collin pointed this out last night. With tonight’s game is washed out and a double header looming, that eliminates the possibility of Taylor Broadway closing out the first two games (he’s not throwing twice in one day) and it also changes how you use guys like Drew McDaniel out of the pen. Keep an eye on the bullpen and how it is used.
It’s not a truly original Doug Day if this remains on the current schedule and Nikhazy throws on Friday, but I am interested to see how he fares as he returns from injury, back into the role in which he ascended to stardom as a freshman. Not the best example with Alabama having a future millionaire on the shelf, but I wonder if Nikhazy pitches any differently now that he doesn’t have to shoulder the added pressure that accompanies the razor thin margin for error on Friday nights (game one, whatever) in this league — like Gunnar Hoglund going eight shutout innings last Friday and Ole Miss needing every pitch just to have a chance against a pedestrian Auburn club. I am making it sound like Nikhazy wasn’t up to snuff as the team’s ace. That’s not the case at all. I just think he could be a real pain in the ass to opponents as a number two. I look forward to watching him pitch again.
With Nikhazy’s return, Bianco has a new high leverage toy in Drew McDaniel. How is McDaniel used this weekend? Of course the flow of the games will dictate this, but is he held at all costs from the opener and used as Doug’s Insurance in game two? Will one of the first two starters labor and he’s needed in long relief? Can they get to Sunday without him and use him as the knockout blow behind Derek Diamond? There are tons of options and they’re all good ones.
Ole Miss is on a tear offensively. It should demolish this Alabama pitching staff that features a right-handed heavy bullpen behind an average rotation.
How many starts does T.J. McCants get this weekend and where? With Bianco seemingly content with Bench at third base and Elko at first, my bet is two and both are in center field.
Same deal from LBs:
I called Greg last night and he told me he’d like to stick with the free pound of spicy ribeye sausage deal because he still has a lot of it. This is free to all subscribers to go WITH any other purchase in the store. In other words, if you go get the free sausage, snag something else delicious from the store to go with it. There are tons of options. If you received last week’s promo code, that is still valid. If you’re a new sub, show him the automated email you got for subscribing and that will work too. We will change it up soon, but for now, go buy some meat and enjoy the sausage.
Spring football is back
OleMiss hit the field on Tuesday to open spring ball and returns today for its second practice. There’s not much to opine on in this space yet, so here’s a couple videos from Ole Miss Athletics from earlier in the week.
Here’s Corral talking about having the consistency he’s never had in his football career. This is the first time he’s gone into a season with the same head coach and coordinator. Oh, and this coordinator isn’t going to have him run QB sweeps on first down nine times in a row either. Good for him. Corral saying he blocks out the hype and chatter is very cliché, but I actually believe it considering the instability around him for three years. I don’t think he feels like he’s arrived as a player yet.
Here is the always energetic Lane Kiffin on injuries, depth and more.
Ole Miss Pro Day is Thursday:
I highlighted this yesterday. Chad Kelly is throwing at Ole Miss Pro Day. That will be cool. Pro Day is sort of boring to cover beyond talking to guys afterward about which teams they have heard from. I remember one time watching the 40-yard dash and thinking a defensive lineman (I don’t remember who) had just crushed it on one of his attempts without yet seeing the official time, only to hear a scout behind me mutter something about the guy having cinderblock shoes. That’s when I decided my presence there was pretty useless.
I can’t wait till tomorrow to see @e_moore03 @Kenny_Yeboah84 @RoyceNewman4488 @LukeLogan92 put on a show at @OleMissFB Pro Day! Proud of y’all dudes!!One of these is not like the others is all I will say.
Who doesn’t love a good hockey scandal:
An NHL referee was caught on a hot mic basically admitting what we all knew — that makeup calls are a real thing. He also sounds exactly like what I want a hockey referee to sound like.
#NHL referee Tim Peel was caught on a hot mic last night basically admitting that he was “looking for a penalty” for a make up call from earlier in the game. EXACTLY what the league has sworn over and over they don’t do. This is not a good look for NHLThis guy was fired. I get why. You can’t have that as a professional sports league, but it does kind of suck for the referee. Clearly this isn’t an uncommon thing and it’s not like he was fixing games for the mob.
Now, can we get the crew chief in any Alabama game ever on a hot mic? Please? The world needs to hear it.
March Madness continues this weekend
Here’s a schedule of all the games. Enjoy them.
Let’s try that again. Sunday’s tip times, announcers and venues are in. Here is the entire Sweet 16 schedule.
Oh and you might as well turn it into a profit by using my friends at SkyBox Sports Picks. These guys are tearing up the tournament. I have a phrase the pays: promo code “Rippee” gets you 20 percent off any package purchase. Take advantage.
On the Horizon:
No traditional People’s Holiday podcast. We will instead do a Mailbag Sunday after the baseball series. Truthfully I didn’t plan the potential baseball early start out well, but will make up for it with an extra pod next week.
Newsletter tomorrow with plenty of baseball, football, golf and a social dilemma I encountered.
Have a great Thursday. More to come. Forward to your friends to join in on the fun.
