| Monday, May 13, 2024 |
| MSU-Meridian bestows first ever honorary degree | |
 | Mississippi State University-Meridian held its spring commencement Thursday at the MSU Riley Center downtown, conferring degrees on its largest group of graduates since the campus was founded in the early 1970s. In total, 200 students earned specialist, master's and bachelor's degrees during spring graduation. In his keynote address, MSU President Mark E. Keenum congratulated the graduates for their journey to achieve their educational goals. "It's not easy earning a college degree, especially with all of the things many of you have to deal with," he told the graduates. "Some of you are even raising families at home and have a job full time and other obligations. "But you stayed focused and committed to your education for the betterment of your life and your community and all of those around you," he said. "For so many of you, it's a dream. You've dreamed of earning a college degree or a graduate degree, and it's really a joy to be here with you and experience your dream coming true." Keenum said helping students achieve their dreams is the goal of MSU-Meridian. "That's what this campus is all about, helping people live their dreams, earn their education, so you can go out and make a difference, having a positive impact in this world," he said. |
| Sound of Cicadas: Rare insect emergence brings buzz 'unlike any in nature' | |
 | What's that sound? Is it the eerie sound of an alien spaceship landing nearby? A white-noise soundtrack for people who have trouble falling asleep? Or is it the distinctive chorus of millions of cicadas emerging to culminate their life cycle? The answer is C, and Mississippi State insect experts say the unusual ambient noise will likely be gone by summer. In addition to the insects themselves, the emergence of a periodical 13-year cicada brood has brought with it extra noise across the Magnolia State as males search for mates before dying off throughout June. "It's unlike any sound you hear in nature," said Blake Layton, an entomology specialist and Extension professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology. "To me, it sounds like the sound effect you hear from spaceships in an old Star Trek movie." "It's a whirring sound," added JoVonn Hill, MSU Entomological Museum director and insect taxonomy assistant professor. "It's a cacophony all through the day. Yesterday, I heard more of a buzzing noise, but today reminded me of white noise." Cicadas generate these mating calls by expanding and contracting hollow structures on their bodies called tymbals. The passing of air during this exercise helps reverberate the drum-like structures, which produces the sound. Hill said the current brood has four different species, all having different calls, and Layton said cicadas "sing all day," from morning to late afternoon. Nighttime insect noises are likely made by katydids, crickets and other bugs, the professors said. |
| A solar storm like the Carrington Event could knock out the Internet | |
 | Mississippi State University's David Wallace writes for Astronomy Magazine: On Sept. 1 and 2, 1859, telegraph systems around the world failed catastrophically. The operators of the telegraphs reported receiving electrical shocks, telegraph paper catching fire, and being able to operate equipment with batteries disconnected. During the evenings, the aurora borealis, more commonly known as the northern lights, could be seen as far south as Colombia. Typically, these lights are only visible at higher latitudes, in northern Canada, Scandinavia and Siberia. What the world experienced that day, now known as the Carrington Event, was a massive geomagnetic storm. These storms occur when a large bubble of superheated gas called plasma is ejected from the surface of the Sun and hits Earth. This bubble is known as a coronal mass ejection. The plasma of a coronal mass ejection consists of a cloud of protons and electrons, which are electrically charged particles. When these particles reach Earth, they interact with the magnetic field that surrounds the planet. This interaction causes the magnetic field to distort and weaken, which in turn leads to the strange behavior of the aurora borealis and other natural phenomena. As an electrical engineer who specializes in the power grid, I study how geomagnetic storms also threaten to cause power and internet outages and how to protect against that. |
| Starkville Academy, Mississippi College partner to bring students dual enrollment options | |
 | Starkville Academy has officially partnered with Mississippi College (MC) to offer dual enrollment options for students. The school held a signing event to commemorate the occasion on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. The partnership will provide Starkville Academy students with the chance to take classes to earn college credit while still in high school. Some courses that will be offered are dual credit Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, English Composition I and II, and American Government. "We are super excited to have this partnership with Starkville Academy," Mississippi College's Provost and Executive Vice President Michael J. Highfield told The SDN. "I know Starkville Academy and what it produces in terms of scholars that are going to do well in college, and this is a great partnership for MC to help grow our allegiance with Starkville Academy and hopefully to encourage some of the students to give MC a look when they graduate." Starkville Academy's Head of School Jeremy Nicholas explained the decision to partner with MC and his hopes that this decision opens up new doors and possibilities for students. "We believe this partnership with MC is a good one...the missions of the schools align quite nicely. Obviously, it's a great reputation with MC and academically is a good fit and should open up some doors for our students and some opportunities for our students that maybe they haven't had knowledge of before and will provide a different path for some of them if that's what they choose to do," commented Nicholas. |
| Future bill could push rural water areas into city systems | |
| A local and private bill that would have made some rural water associations in Oktibbeha County vulnerable to city takeover died this legislative session without a vote. A renewed effort next session, though, could affect rural water associations across the state that have territory within a municipality. "I'm not backing away from this. We're going to move forward with something," said District 43 Rep. Rob Roberson, R-Starkville, who sponsored the local and private bill, then let it die on the calendar. "The water associations out there, there are good people on them who are trying very hard to do a very hard job. But we're living in a day and age where if we don't look at some consolidation ... we're going to have people lacking throughout the state." Utilities have certificated monopolies in their service areas, with the Mississippi Public Service Commission overseeing rural power and water associations. When a city annexes territory, those rural utilities still hold their certificate unless they surrender it. Roberson's bill, as proposed, would have allowed the PSC to "find" if a water association inside Starkville could adequately cover its territory. If it cannot, then Starkville Utilities can take over the territory in question as long as it is inside the city limits. The onus, he and Starkville officials said, is Clayton Village Water Association's embargo on new service. The state Department of Health's Bureau of Public Water Supply ordered the association to halt new connections in 2023 because it is 8% over capacity. |
| Lawmakers may have to return to Capitol May 14 to override Gov. Tate Reeves' potential vetoes | |
| Legislators might not have much notice on whether they will be called back to the Mississippi Capitol for one final day of the 2024 session. Speaker Jason White, who presides over the House, and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who presides over the Senate, must decide in the coming days whether to reconvene the Legislature for one final day in the 2024 session on Tuesday at 1 p.m. Lawmakers left Jackson on May 4. But under the joint resolution passed during the final days of the session, legislators gave themselves the option to return on May 14 unless Hosemann and White "jointly determine that it is not necessary to reconvene." The reason for the possible return on Tuesday presumably is to give the Legislature the opportunity to take up and try to override any veto by Gov. Tate Reeves. The only problem is the final bills passed by the Legislature -- more than 30 -- are not due action by Reeves until Monday, May 13. And technically the governor has until midnight Monday to veto or sign the bills into law or allow them to become law without his signature. Spokespeople for both Hosemann and White say the governor has committed to taking action on that final batch of bills by Monday at 5 p.m. |
| Governor vetoes bill over concerns with Jackson city ordinances | |
| Late Friday afternoon, Governor Tate Reeves announced that he had vetoed SB 2180 over concerns related to the Capitol Police enforcing certain Jackson ordinances inside the Capitol Complex Improvement District (CCID). "Today I vetoed SB2180, an 'act to amend Section 45-1-19 to require the Department (of Public Safety) to enforce any city ordinance' of the city of Jackson, among other things," Reeves shared on social media. The Governor outlined his reasoning by saying the Capitol Police has been a lifeline for law and order in the state's capital city. While there is a compelling state interest to ensure the citizens of Jackson have a safe living environment, Reeves said the Capitol Police was created to focus on the enforcement of state criminal laws. "Any time or attention -- from an already under-resourced police force -- on dealing with city ordinances (of which there are hundreds and none of which have been contemplated, much less approved, by the State) and code enforcement is an unnecessary diversion of personnel from their mission of finding and arresting the criminals," the Governor said. State Senator Joey Fillingane, the bill's author, told Magnolia Tribune that he understood why Governor Reeves took issue with the bill after reading the fine print. Fillingane said he and other lawmakers shared similar concerns during session deliberations. "The veto message highlights our concerns with those municipal ordinances, for sure," Fillingane said. Senator Fillingane noted that the intent of the bill was to provide an additional resource for citizens who may need assistance when Jackson Police could not readily respond. Such examples could include loitering or other nuisances law enforcement is often called upon to address. |
| Justice Kavanaugh says unpopular rulings can later become 'fabric of American constitutional law' | |
 | Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh said Friday that U.S. history shows c ourt decisions unpopular in their time later can become part of the "fabric of American constitutional law." Kavanaugh spoke Friday at a conference attended by judges, attorneys and other court personnel in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi and is one of the most conservative circuits. In a question-and-answer session, he was not asked about any of the current court's nationally divisive rulings, such as the overturning of Roe v. Wade federal abortion protections in 2022 that has become a key political issue in elections across the country this year. He was part of the conservative majority in that ruling. However, he was asked how judges and the courts can help boost public confidence in the judiciary. In his answer, Kavanaugh said some high court decisions from the 1950s and '60s on monumental issues spanning civil and criminal rights, free speech and school prayer -- including the iconic Brown v. Board of Education case that ended legal segregation in public schools -- were unpopular when they were issued. "The Warren court was no picnic for the justices. ... They were unpopular basically from start to finish from '53 to '69," Kavanaugh said. "What the court kept doing is playing itself, sticking to its principles. And you know, look, a lot of those decisions (were) unpopular, and a lot of them are landmarks now that we accept as parts of the fabric of America, and the fabric of American constitutional law." |
| Looming TikTok Ban Gives Young Voters Another Beef With Biden | |
 | Rep. Jeff Jackson knows what it is like to feel the wrath of TikTok. The North Carolina Democrat built a following of millions on the video-sharing app with his wonky, accessible explanations of legislation. But when he took to the platform to say he supported a bill that could lead to a ban of the app, the blowback was so intense that he deleted the post and apologized. "I did not handle this well from top to bottom," the lawmaker said in his March 16 follow-up post, acknowledging he had been "completely roasted" for his stance. "I get it." When a revised version of the TikTok bill came up for a vote on April 20, Jackson was nowhere to be found. (His office blamed a schedule conflict for the missed vote and said Jackson, who declined to be interviewed, still supported the measure.) Now that President Biden has signed the TikTok legislation -- which eventually would ban the app unless its U.S. operations are sold---the question is whether he or other politicians will face similar blowback in November. The move has led to an outpouring of anger on the platform, where as many as one-third of voters under 30 get their news. Though the legislation is popular overall, some Democrats fear -- and Republicans hope -- that the law could damage Biden because the minority opposing it is passionate and overlaps with a critical part of his base. There are reasons to doubt that the TikTok legislation will hurt Biden politically. The bill had broad bipartisan support, passing the House by a 360-58 margin and the Senate 79-18, meaning both Republicans and Democrats were responsible for its passage. It won't take effect until after the election, if at all. |
| Ole Miss celebrates graudation in peace, after politically charged week | |
 | As thousands of University of Mississippi students left the school's famous Grove following its annual graduation ceremony, they were left with key pieces of advice from commencement speaker and famous author Wright Thompson. Most notably, Thompson urged Ole Miss's graduating students who were choosing to stay in Mississippi to shed the yoke of the state's politically questionable past and forge a path toward a progressive future. "To exist means you must hope," Thompson said at Convocation. "Throughout the history of our state, and if you went to Ole Miss, it's your state too, there have been brave men and women, some of them famous, like Governor William Winter, Fannie Lou Hamer, others anonymous like Willie Reed or Moses Wright, who didn't let the math or cynicism deter them from reaching for a future and still awaits us all. Be one of those people." On Saturday, many of the 5,000 Ole Miss 2024 graduating class gathered in the Grove to listen to the seldom heard campus Lyceum bells ringing in celebration and for final words from campus leadership, as well as a speech from Thompson. While neither Thompson, nor Chancellor Glenn Boyce, nor any other speaker directly addressed it, those words came right on the heels of a campus pro-Palestine protest that occurred May 2, which quickly turned aggressive and is now under investigation by the school and the Ole Miss NAACP chapter. |
| 1,900 graduating from Southern Miss in Spring 2024 | |
 | More than 1,900 students are graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi this weekend. Graduation ceremonies started May 9 and continued May 10 at Reed Green Coliseum. An afternoon ceremony was held for undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Nursing and Health Professions. "It's been a long ride, but I've made a lot of good friends and we're ready to go make a difference," said Jared Seimears, a graduate of the College of Nursing and Health Professions. "I'm very excited, very happy," said Merche Corbacho, a graduate who studied biological sciences. "(Everyone was) very nice, great professors, great classmates, everything was great. It's been a long ride, a lot of long days and nights, but me and my friends we made it through," said Robert Lockhart, another graduate who studied nursing." Graduation wraps up at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum on May 11. |
| Mississippi Speaker of the House Jason White addresses ICC graduates | |
 | Mississippi Speaker of the House of Representatives Jason White challenged Itawamba Community College graduates to live by the words he shared with his colleagues as they began the new term in January. He addressed the graduates at the Friday, May 10, 10 a.m. commencement ceremony at the Davis Event Center on the Fulton Campus. White was elected as Mississippi's 62nd speaker of the House in January 2024. The Kosciusko native began his service in the Mississippi House of Representatives, District 48, which consists of portions of Attala, Carroll, Holmes and Leake counties, in August 2011 and was reelected in 2016. "To whom much is given, much is expected," White said. "I would tell you graduates the same message applies as you enter this new chapter of your lives. Hurdles and challenges certainly await you; don't get bogged down by the small things, focus on the big picture and make an impact. Don't be trepidatious to do something out of the ordinary, challenge conventional wisdom, and even push yourself to a zone of discomfort." White said that when he was in law school at Mississippi College a couple of blocks away from the Mississippi State Capitol, he never once dreamed that he would be elected as a representative or become involved in politics. "Be open to where life takes you," White advised. "Surround yourself with people who will give you a positive push, and don't shy away from an opportunity that requires a little bravery and a little courage." |
| UGA partners with Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste to test compost pilot program | |
 | A three-month compost pilot program has revealed several benefits and strong interest in the Athens community. "We launched the program during the first week in February and ended the first week of May," said Evan White, assistant research scientist in the New Materials Institute at the University of Georgia. "We had two-days-a-week pick up that included three neighborhoods in Athens representing 2,200 homes." White said more than 400 people volunteered to participate in the program. "We wanted to get an idea of how much demand there was for such a program," he said. "We also wanted to know how much people are willing to pay for it. Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste is running a survey for us. We're really anxious to see the results. We're going to come out with a full report probably at the end of the summer." Composting offers a way to use microbes to break down for organic matter, thus reducing the amount of methane released into the atmosphere. Composting can also enrich soil health and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. |
| Mun Choi reports to MU Faculty Council for final time this semester | |
 | Mun Choi, University of Missouri chancellor and system president on Thursday reported to the MU Faculty Council about record numbers of student applications and acceptances. Choi also faced questions about the university's financial support of athletics. Choi said applications have reached 24,255 even before deadline. "Our applications are continuing to go up," Choi said. The university has accepted 6,268 first-time students -- a 19% increase over this time last year -- and 867 transfer students -- a 22% increase. It's good news, but the university needs enough faculty and classrooms to serve all the new students, Choi said. "Once they're here, we want to retain them for the following year," Choi said. Faculty research expenditures totaled $204 million in 2024, up from $111 million in 2016. The search for a new provost also was addressed by Choi. "We have four very strong candidates," Choi said. "All of them understand what is required to lead at that level." A choice may come late this month or early next month, he said. |
| As Seinfeld Receives Honorary Degree at Duke, Students Walk Out in Protest | |
 | Jerry Seinfeld knows his way around handling awkward moments onstage. Even so, the initial reception he faced at Duke University's commencement on Sunday reflected a more complicated audience than usual. As Mr. Seinfeld, who has recently been vocal about his support for Israel, received an honorary degree, dozens of students walked out and chanted, "Free, free Palestine," while the comedian looked on and smiled tensely. Many in the crowd jeered the protesters. Minutes later, as the last of the protesters were filing out, he approached the mic. His first words were: "Thank you. Oh my God, what a beautiful day." In his commencement speech, Mr. Seinfeld was mostly cautious, opting for a tight comedic script interspersed with life advice instead of a full-on response to the protests against his presence. Still, in one part of his speech, he defended various types of privilege and appeared to hint at the elephant in the room. "I grew up a Jewish boy from New York," he said to applause from the crowd. "That is a privilege if you want to be a comedian." |
| Thomas Jefferson University announcer goes viral for mispronouncing graduates' names | |
| A Thomas Jefferson University commencement announcer is going viral following a series of verbal misfires at Thursday's commencement. Pronouncing names like "Elizabeth" as "Lee-Zoo-Beth," the unidentified speaker mispronounced the monikers of several nursing graduates, who hesitated to walk across the stage at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The verbal mishaps were due to "the way phonetic spellings were presented on the speaker's cards, which was noted when the presenter apologized during the ceremony," according to university officials. The TikTok video has amassed over 8 million views and has been posted to various other social media platforms. Thomas Jefferson graduate TJ Canevari said it was far from a lighthearted moment. "I honestly felt very disrespected and unappreciated after all the hard work, money, and time we gave to the university," Canevari said. "It was just really disappointing." Canevari corrected the speaker, who pronounced his first name "Thomas" as "Too-Moo-May," said the mispronunciation of names continued for about 30 minutes. After announcing the first three rows of graduates, Canevari said there was a wave of boos from the crowd, and the speaker was eventually replaced. "It was one of the worst moments I could have imagined," Canevari said. |
| A New Push to Get Community College Students to the Polls | |
 | Major companies and voter registration groups have formed a new coalition to increase voting among community college students, whose voting rates historically have lagged behind their four-year college< and university peers. The nonpartisan initiative, called the Community College Commitment, hopes to turn out 500,000 new community college student voters by 2028, starting with this presidential election cycle, largely by funding and facilitating voter registration events on community college campuses. It is spearheaded by Levi Strauss & Co. along with Lyft and SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Global, in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition (SLSV) and other organizations dedicated to getting students out to the polls. "This is really just the start," said Clarissa Unger, co-founder and executive director of the SLSV Coalition. "And we're not just thinking about community colleges [during] this major presidential election, but we'll be continuing to focus and support them throughout the years to come." The initiative centers on doling out grants, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, for community colleges to host voting drives and other projects that could encourage students to vote. |
| If you didn't like MAEP, you may not like the new public school funding formula | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: House and Senate members often adjourn a legislative day in memory of a constituent or other well known person who recently died. On the day the Mississippi House took its final vote to adopt a new school funding formula, Rep. Karl Oliver, R-Winona, asked "to adjourn in memory of the Mississippi Adequate Education plan...the failed plan." Oliver continued: "It has always failed and never met its expectations. Today we laid it to rest." House Speaker Jason White, R-West, gleefully responded that all House members might want to sign onto Oliver's adjourn in memory motion. Of course, the Senate went on to pass the bill rewriting the Adequate Education Program and Gov. Tate Reeves, a long-time opponent of MAEP, signed the legislation into law this week, no doubt stirring much celebration for folks like Oliver and White. But for those celebrating the demise of MAEP, be warned with a paraphrased song lyric: Meet the new school funding formula, same as the old school funding formula. The core principle of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program lives in the new funding formula, named simply the Mississippi Student Funding Formula. |
| Cheap drones may dramatically change naval warfare | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, employing over 11,000 workers, is the largest shipbuilder on the Gulf Coast and is currently constructing Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock. Sen. Roger Wicker has risen to the position of Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In that role, Sen. Wicker, a strong advocate for a 355-ship Navy, will play a key role in keeping America's shipbuilding infrastructure relevant. "The focus from Washington on producing a stream of new warships is also creating a fleet that some inside the Pentagon think is too wedded to outdated military strategies," said a NY Times article entitled Faced With Evolving Threats, U.S. Navy Struggles to Change. Due to the emergence of sophisticated drones, the Navy may need "to recalibrate its fleet to rely more on smaller surface vessels," suggested an article by the Center for the National Interest. "What we're seeing in Ukraine may end up revolutionizing naval warfare," argued Drones and AI are rewriting the rulebook on naval warfare -- with uncertain consequences published by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. "The transformation of naval warfare by drones, driven in part by artificial intelligence, is happening at breathtaking speed." |
SPORTS
| How series loss at Arkansas affects Mississippi State baseball's hosting hopes | |
| While taking one game at No. 3 Arkansas likely will be enough to boost Mississippi State baseball's hopes of hosting regionals in the NCAA tournament, the Bulldogs failed to take advantage of an opportunity to make a splash. Coach Chris Lemonis' squad held a lead in all three games. However, an eighth-inning lead in Friday's opener resulted in a 7-5 loss, and a 6-0 lead Sunday flipped into a 9-6 loss. But with an 8-5 win Saturday, Mississippi State earned a top-10 victory to add to its postseason résumé. A year ago, Mississippi State was at LSU facing off against top prospect Paul Skenes. With the Bulldogs not having a surefire ace, Lemonis elected to pitch then-freshman Evan Siary in the series opener while saving his better arms for games MSU had stronger hopes of winning. The strategy worked as Mississippi State, a team that failed to make the postseason, won a series against the eventual national champions. Facing Arkansas' Hagen Smith -- whose numbers entering Friday were comparable to Skenes' -- Lemonis could've taken a similar approach. Instead, he elected to trust starter Khal Stephen to match up against Smith. Though the Bulldogs lost, Stephen cemented himself as an ace in the SEC who can match up against any opposing pitcher. He allowed four runs in seven innings, while Smith lasted just five innings. |
| Mississippi State softball is regional No. 2 seed in 2024 NCAA Tournament | |
| Mississippi State softball is back in the NCAA tournament, selected as the No. 2 seed in its regional, which was announced Sunday. MSU is part of the Stanford Regional, where national No. 8 seed Stanford is the host, and includes No. 3 seed Cal State Fullerton and No. 4 seed Saint Mary's. The survivor of the double-elimination pod will advance to super regionals. For Mississippi State and coach Samantha Ricketts, the return to the NCAA tournament comes after one of the best regular seasons in program history. After finishing 33-18 overall and going 12-12 in SEC play, the Bulldogs are part of the postseason for the first time since their 2022 super regional appearance. The 12 conference victories are the most for MSU since 2012. This year also marked the first time Mississippi State finished .500 or better in SEC play since 2007. MSU started its season hot with nonconference wins against notable opponents such as Louisiana, Clemson and Utah. In conference play, it secured series victories against Ole Miss, Arkansas, South Carolina and Georgia. |
| Mississippi State women's golf advances to NCAA Championships | |
| For the third consecutive year, Mississippi State is heading to the national championship tournament. The Bulldogs backed up their first-ever Southeastern Conference title with a fourth-place finish at the Bermuda Run (N.C.) regional, good enough to advance to the NCAA Championships. Charlie Ewing has now guided MSU to the biggest stage in women's college golf in each of his three full seasons as head coach. At three strokes under par over the three-round regional, MSU finished well behind Ole Miss (-21), Texas (-20) and Wake Forest (-18) but survived a somewhat shaky final round and held off Oregon State -- which also advanced as the fifth-place team -- and Tennessee. Junior Julia Lopez Ramirez, the No. 3 ranked amateur in the world, finished third individually at -8. She was under par in all three rounds but saved her best round for last, shooting four under par on Wednesday and finishing four strokes back of the co-leaders, Ole Miss' Caitlyn Macnab and Wake Forest's Rachel Kuehn. Lopez Ramirez was also named to the watch list for the ANNIKA Award, presented to the top Division I women's golfer, on Friday. She is the first Bulldog to be named to the watch list in three straight seasons. The winner will be announced on May 21 and will receive entry into the Amundi Evian Championship in July in Évian-les-Bains, France. For now, though, the Bulldogs will head to the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. -- just north of San Diego -- for the NCAA Championships from May 17-22. MSU is one of seven SEC teams heading to the event, along with Auburn, South Carolina, Ole Miss, LSU, Vanderbilt and Arkansas. |
| 'At the end of the day we've got to win' Zac Selmon interview Part II | |
| Second in a two-day series speaking with athletic director Zac Selmon, beginning yesterday with a look at his first full year on the Mississippi State job; the master plan for Bulldog sports facilities, what was finished and what is beginning; the survey of fans for their own ideas; and how the timing is right for State to upgrade and reinforce facilities as long as the plan is right. Today completes the interview with Selmon. |
| Doug Barron claims first PGA Tour Champions major with bogey-free finale at Regions Tradition | |
| Doug Barron outlasted the series points leader, Hall of Famers and the two-time defending champion. Barron won the Regions Tradition on Sunday for his third PGA Tour Champions victory and first major title, shooting a 4-under 68 to hold off Steven Alker by two strokes. Barron finished at 17-under 271 at Greystone in the first of the season's five senior majors. He ended a victory drought dating to the 2021 Shaw Charity Classic. Wins eluded him throughout his PGA Tour career, where he didn't finish higher than third in 238 events. But there wasn't a lot of drama in this one as he held off some of the tour's biggest names with a bogey-free round and a casual tap-in finish. Hall of Famers Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington ended up being the ones offering congratulatory hugs at the end. Barron called it "a dream come true to beat all these great players." Barron, who played a few hours away at Mississippi State in college and lives in Tennessee, was coming off a tie for second at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic and one-upped that. "I have a good life. I don't judge myself on my golf," he said. "If I did, I'd have a nervous breakdown, because my career's been like a roller coaster. I judge myself on just trying to enjoy life, and this is just an honest-to-god bonus." |
| Nick Saban says pro-UAW ads use his words out of context, wants them pulled | |
 | Former Alabama Coach Nick Saban has released a statement on the eve of this week's union election at the Mercedes-Benz factory in Tuscaloosa County, saying some comments of his have been used without his approval in support of the union. Saban said he does not endorse the union and has asked that ads featuring his words be pulled. "I recently learned the United Autoworkers (UAW) union has taken the liberty of featuring my comments in advertisements released as part of its campaign to organize workers at Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc. (MBUSI)," Saban said. "Not only were these comments taken entirely out of context, they were also being used without my knowledge or permission," Saban said. "I do not personally endorse the UAW or its campaign and have asked the UAW to remove any advertisements featuring me from circulation. I encourage all Team Members to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming election," the former Alabama football coach's statement read. Saban's comments refer to television and radio commercials by a pro-union group using his past comments on unions for college football players, made in interviews over the last year. The comments are intercut with images of Saban and auto workers. |
| Baseball's Most-Hyped Pitching Prospect Gets the Fast Track | |
| For the Pittsburgh Pirates, hope has arrived in the form of a 21-year-old right-hander with high socks, a thick mustache and a blistering fastball. Paul Skenes, whom the Pirates drafted first overall just last year, took the mound for the first start of his major-league on Saturday. And over four innings, he offered a near-sellout crowd of 35,000 at PNC Park glimpses of the stuff that has made him the most-hyped pitching prospect of his generation. Skenes struck out seven batters, his signature fastball averaged 100 miles an hour, and reached as high as 101.9 mph, the fastest pitch recorded by a Pirates pitcher in the pitch tracking era. "I thought he did a good job," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. "The fastball command, you know, wasn't as sharp as we'd seen it in Indy, and understandably, I mean the crowd was into it. That was fun, but overall the stuff plays." For Major League Baseball, however, the most astonishing number in Skenes's big-league debut wasn't the speed he generated off the mound, but how quickly he wound up there in the first place. Since being drafted No. 1 out of Louisiana State University last year, he has started just 12 games in the minor leagues, for a total of 34 innings. Skenes's rapid ascent is partly testament to his prodigious talent. But it also speaks to a wider trend taking hold in baseball: Players are generally matriculating faster through the minor leagues. According to research compiled by Stats, the number of games a player appears in before his MLB debut has been on the decline since at least 2015. |
| With House settlement looming, schools try to answer the '$20 million question' | |
| With a landscape-shifting settlement in the House v. NCAA case in sight, power conference schools are providing glimpses into how they must operate in a world where they will be sharing as much as $20 million annually with athletes. What is entering the college sports world via the expected settlement is permissive legislation in which schools can essentially opt-in to a revenue-sharing model at their discretion. But everyone knows the reality: Failing to opt-in almost certainly means failing to remain competitive in an increasingly cutthroat, high-dollar ecosystem. And thus, schools and conferences are convening to discuss university-specific playbooks for financial viability in a new world order. "That is certainly the highest priority conversation right now," a prominent industry source told On3. Late last month, Texas A&M Athletic Director Trev Alberts announced cuts of more than 12 staff members in a "reorganization related to existing and emerging threats to our business model." At Missouri, the contract for new athletic director Laird Veatch includes a force majeure provision related to "potential changes to the financial model for collegiate athletics given pending litigation and legislation." Such changes to the collegiate model would prompt compensation to be renegotiated. |
| Could a new college compensation model be the end for football walk-ons? | |
| Can you imagine a world without college football walk-ons? Well, it's at least under consideration. As part of a proposed new athlete compensation model, power conference leaders are considering significantly reducing football rosters, potentially moving from a roster of more than 115 to as few as 85-95 players. That figure (85) aligns with the maximum scholarship number permitted under NCAA rules. The concept, circulated across administrative meetings over the last week, is part of what could be a sweeping and historic transformation of the industry in the coming few months -- all of it rooted in a settlement agreement of various antitrust lawsuits. Any settlement of these cases -- House, Hubbard and Carter -- is expected to feature as much as $2.9 billion in back damages for former players, a future revenue sharing model with current athletes and an overhaul of the NCAA scholarship and roster structure. Negotiations over a settlement are deep enough that NCAA and college executives are socializing plans of a new compensation model, including a permissive revenue-sharing concept that could see schools distribute to athletes more than $20 million annually starting as soon as 2025. An overshadowed but impactful piece of the proposed new model is the addition of roster limits by sport and the expansion of scholarships. While the model features new roster limitations, it removes scholarship restrictions by permitting schools to expand financial aid to the entirety of a sport's roster positions. |
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