Mizzou Links, 7-3-08

MAILBAG!!!

Actually, this mailbag is interesting in that it's a testament for just how much Mizzou fans find themselves needing to worry about...well, something, anything. With the 2008 team carrying with it the fewest built-in uncertainties of any Mizzou football squad ever, half the questions in the bag are...about just how much of a struggle 2009 could be.

After his Bandwagoner's Guide to Mizzou Gear post that I linked to yesterday, Mizzourah's Big Head describes to you exactly why you should be jumping on the bandwagon if you haven't already. This part in particular is funny:

On a 4th down, Scott Frost tosses a lame duck rope (the only one I've ever seen) to Shevin Wiggins, who boots the ball to Matt Davidson. Touchdown Cornies. Remote meets TV in the Big Head house. Years later, now in Omaha, I got to Frost's bar wearing a Mizzou jersey. Frost comes up, sits down, and buys me a beer. Sucks because the bar kicked ass, and Frost was a nice guy...not the deuschbag I was hoping for so I could trash his bar. Matt Davidson (sic), on the other hand, haunts me like three-week-old Chinese food. He is the color commentator on any radio/TV sports programming all over this damn state. I hate you.

A couple recruiting articles for you: Midwest City (OK) DB Daytawion Lowe has named a Top 5, and Mizzou's on it--he's supposedly been favoring Oklahoma State and Texas Tech in particular, but hey...being in the Top 5's better than not being in it.  Midwest City's two high schools (Midwest City HS and Carl Albert HS) have produced many a Mizzou starter, including Julian Jones, Lorenzo Williams, and (assuming he starts at some point) Dain Wise, which I find pretty cool, as MCHS happens to be my parents' alma mater.  So they've got THAT going for them...which is nice...

Other recruiting news: while recruiting stud WR Jheranie Boyd, Mizzou stumbled across another potential stud from Gastonia (NC)--5'11 safety Willie Kennedy (that just SOUNDS like the name of a great safety, doesn't it?).  And hey...offering him sure can't hurt our chances with Boyd.

Speaking of Boyd, it appears that geography is our biggest opponent with him right now--he's visiting all sorts of schools up and down the east coast, but he hasn't been able to figure out how to get here despite previously expressing major interest in doing so.  Guess we just have to hope to make his official visits list in the fall.  Geography will not, however, prevent PA WR Jaleel Clark from visiting soon.

And speaking of mailbags, SI's Stewart Mandel discusses the teams he thinks will make the biggest losers-to-winners turnarounds this year.  In order, it's SMU, Pitt, North Carolina, Ole Miss, and Notre Dame.  I'm with him on SMU and probably Pitt...still not quite sold on UNC...I think Ole Miss will be much improved, but it might not matter...and I just don't know about ND.  They'll probably improve simply because they were so bad last year, but I'm not sure if I see them going better than 6-6 (cue "that will still get them in the Fiesta Bowl" joke).  I realize they were young, but they were so freaking bad last year...

Finally, we'll find out Sunday if Mizzou will have a presence in the MLB All-Star Game--that's the day of the MLB All-Star Selection Show.  Cross your fingers for Ian Kinsler.  And hey...Harold Reynolds has a job...that's all I care about.