Mizzou-West Virginia gets the sportswriter’s delight kick-off
Missouri’s home opener against West Virginia is now set for an 11 a.m. kick on Sep. 7, which is fantastic for the reporters covering the game but not as great for the fans attending the game.
(Other good news: Missouri’s Week 3 game against SEMO is set for a 6:30 p.m. CT kick, to be televised by an SEC Network alternate channel, or as I call it, #TheAlt.)
Anyway, I’m going to take off my once well-worn sports reporter glasses (where these kickoffs literally made my week) and put on my well-worn fan jeans for this one.
Advantages of an 11 a.m. kickoff for the fans
- The Saturday Morning Scaries are short-lived. You don’t have to spend all day worrying about whether Missouri will win or lose. Instead, it’s a mere hours (or minutes, depending on your Friday night) from wake-up til kick-off. Can’t overthink those match-ups if you don’t have time to think.
- You’ve got a full day on tap even after the game. After a three, three-and-a-half hour Mizzou game, you’ve got from 2:30 pm on to do whatever you need to. Get outside, enjoy the weather, do yard work, continue to binge drink, cook up a nice dinner, run errands, whatever.
Disadvantages of an 11 a.m. kickoff for the fans
- Tailgating time is cut short. This is the big one. I’m not even going to say “Oh, boo hoo, you can’t drink as much” because tailgating is more than drinking for a lot of people. But with lots that open at 8 a.m. that leaves fans less than three hours for the pageantry of the tailgate in order to get to the game on time.
- You’ve got a full day to be potentially ruined. An 11 a.m. loss can really put a damper on the rest of the day that’s freed up by the early kick. Nothing like that rain cloud of heartbreak and disappointment to follow you around for the rest of your waking hours.
- It’s an inconvenience for the commuter fans. If you live in Columbia, great! Early kicks are little issue at all. If you live in Kansas City or St. Louis, though, it means an early morning drive to get there, and even earlier if you want to tailgate. Or, you’ve got to add a night to your trip on one end, an added expense. As a Kansas Citian myself, this is the area where I can especially commiserate.
Anyway, I totally get why 11 a.m. games tend to suck. But, it’s the home opener, it’s Kelly Bryant’s first start in Columbia and it’s against a Power 5 opponent. Let’s make sure the place is packed before 11 a.m. that morning.
Another note: Missouri is 4-4 in 11 a.m. games in three seasons under Barry Odom.
Yesterday at Rock M
- What kind of year can we expect out of Albert Okwuegbunam?
- Rock M Radio: Missouri’s place in the SEC pecking order
More Links:
- TJ Sikkema’s stellar 2019 season unfortunately ended with him on the bench — but he’s getting the honors he deserves. Collegiate Baseball named Sikkema a third-team All-American, the first time since Kyle Gibson in 2009 that Missouri’s had a first, second or third-team All-American. Sikkema is almost certainly bound for the MLB after next week’s draft, but it’s nice to see him honored on the way out.
- Highly sought-after 2021 St. Louis (Mo.) defensive end Travion Ford took a visit to Missouri on Thursday, and based on this tweet, seems like that visit went pretty dang well. While the 6-foot-3, 210-pound defensive end from Lutheran North is unranked by Rivals, he already has 18 offers, including Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio State. Mizzou’s clearly prioritized Ford in its 2021 class, however, and early returns seem to be promising.
- Mizzou men’s basketball announced jersey numbers for its newcomers on Thursday:
Jersey numbers for the guys hitting the floor for the first time next season
— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) May 30, 2019
2️⃣ @_Trayjacks
1️⃣1️⃣ @Boog341
1️⃣2️⃣ @dru_smith_12
2️⃣4️⃣ @TheKobe24Brown #ToTheFinishLine pic.twitter.com/PiMQ0QtUsJ
For the less-than-Twitter savvy, Tray Jackson will wear No. 2, Mario McKinney gets 11 (his cousin, Jimmy McKinney, wore 1), Dru Smith will wear 12 and Kobe Brown will wear 24, fitting for a dude named Kobe.
- On the hoops recruiting front, Cam’Ron Fletcher will reportedly be announcing his final five schools on Friday.
- Meanwhile in Destin — the alcohol sales vote will take place on Friday, per multiple reports. If it passes, individual schools would be able to decide a policy to sell (or not sell) alcohol at games
- Dave Matter takes a look at how minority hiring in college hoops is behind the times.
- Finally, this is not sports related, but please read this fantastic article: My Grandfather’s Secret D-Day Journal via the Washington Post