Las Ciudades Gemelas (Or, Teddy Takes Over).

I've been listening to this song obnoxiously. It's my favorite right now, and anything Don Omar touches is gold.

These few days I have before the internship officially begins are being put to use as R&R. I spent the last six weeks in Syracuse in high gear, and I've finally had the chance to relax after two 11-hour drives. I finished my pushup training program—just doing 100 straight. I'll probably repeat that a few times.

About the Midwest: I was raised in it, and I'm certain that I wouldn't mind settling down in it. Being that I like to experience all the culture I can, in as many scenic locales as possible, being here for the next six weeks is fine by me. There's plenty in the way of sports here, of course. I took a walk in the Mall of America yesterday (it's massive, and better constructed than DestinyUSA), and every few minutes, I saw another youth league team coming for a visit at one of the dining locations—or the amusement park...right in the middle of the thing. I've been here for 48 hours, and this city is all about its sports. That's a good thing.

I read today about the Minnesota Vikings' training camp, and where the prospects could fit in. Naturally, being from Louisville, I took keen interest in Teddy Bridgewater and the quarterback competition. Watching him develop under Charlie Strong, it became apparent that Bridgewater can certainly become the threat Minnesota needs him to be, especially now that the NFL now heavily favors the passing game. Slot receivers are the scalpel in an offense's arsenal, and the QB, more than ever, must be a surgeon. In that case, Louisville might as well have been Johns Hopkins, as they generally rely on a pro-style offense. Also, simulation is a good learning tool, and studying the playbook is the best excuse for playing video games that I've ever heard.

This is probably Christian Ponder's last shot at the helm, and it won't be pretty. He was drafted from FSU in 2011 to replace Matt Cassel, and had a large role in the Adrian Peterson show that was the playoff run in 2012...until he got hurt. After that, Ponder in 2013 was just dismal enough that Minnesota resigned Cassel. It's been a short three years, but there's not much room for patience at QB for NFL teams.

Speaking of Cassel, it makes sense to claim that the competition for the starting spot is just between him and Bridgewater; the franchise won't wait to see if they get boom or bust from Ponder, and he knows the team better. Mike Zimmer knows this, and it's likely Cassel will stay around anyway. If Bridgewater gets the starting job, Cassel will be an excellent backup. If he doesn't, Cassel can stay in the driver's seat while Bridgewater is groomed to take over.

Regardless, this is my prediction: Bridgewater will take over. The question is when. He proved, especially in the 36-9 beating the Cardinals handed to Miami, that he is ready for the next level. Cassel is the veteran support. He'll teach the rookie, and will get his due gratitude, but his days as the franchise QB are long, long gone. Ponder... might want to follow Ochocinco's lead. He's close enough to the border to do it, and even then... may not start.

My (30 Second) Interview with New Ole Miss Athletic Director Ross Bjork

Pardon the blatant SEO'd headline (Search Engine Optimization).

Monday night, April 16th, was the Rebels' Choice Awards. I was out on the red carpet in front of the Gertrude C. Ford Center with my fellow Athletic Department Productions interns, preparing to interview some predetermined figures. Of the interviewers, I was the only male. Which is fine with me; I got to track down and interview candidates for coach of the year.

Side note—I find that I'm not too bothered by women standing taller than me. Most of my co-interns are my height or shorter (there is one exception, and she's pretty tall anyway). Now, I'm 5'10", 21 years old, and having growing pains again, but it was a change of pace to see things from the view of my *ahem* shorter friends.

Anyway, in between locating and interviewing coaches, and operating the camera for the ladies as they also interview, one of the other cameramen spots our new AD. He lets me know and, of course, I man up and approach the man dead-on.

...Okay, sort of.

He was in conversation, so I just stood within earshot, close enough for him to look me in the eye before continuing to talk. I stood for a moment, then decided to come back later. I moseyed around the carpet before noticing that he was done talking, then approached him again.

Within about 10 seconds of actually meeting Ross Bjork, I was elated that Ole Miss had chosen a strong leader for our athletic department.

Firm handshake, strong voice, eye contact...all things you would expect from a professional. But you can also notice his resolve. He's around my height, and has a powerful presence. It made me even more confident in our athletic program.

The interview went solidly. It was his first time ever being at the awards show, and he had only arrived in Oxford the night before. He told me that he understands why no one ever wants to leave Ole Miss (I'll update this post with video when it becomes available).

In the end, I was again overjoyed that the University found a strong leader for the job and has avoided charges of nepotism in hiring him.

#TSUN and #MSU (Or: Why I Don't Unilaterally Hate All Mississippi State Fans)

At last nights disheartening loss to the Dogs in Starkville, there were at least 90 Rebels at The Hump, with about 60 of us concentrated exactly opposite from the student section. Of course we, being Rebels, were more than happy to raise merry hell in Starkvegas, screaming out the Hotty Toddy cheer every time it was quiet enough inside to hear us.

Understandably, every "Are You Ready" was immediately met with the roaring, hatred-laced disapproval of every State fan within earshot. We expected and welcomed this, because we know that every time we set foot in Starkpatch, there's a high chance of drawing the ire of every Bulldog in sight (except the mascot, who decided to grace us with his presence—no idea why).

We enjoy the rivalry, of course. It is clearly a time-honored tradition that Bulldogs and Rebels never get along. I shared a laugh with an elderly State fan who, following our Hotty Toddy cheers, would retort with "Flim Flam, Bim Bam, who the hell gives a damn!?" But it's all in the sport of competition.

This clearly drunk couple, however, made the experience slightly unbearable (but a whole lot more fun to watch).

We'll start in on the woman.

1: That haircut (as one of my female friends so eloquently explained to me) would only be requested by someone who is currently drunk. Ouch.

2: Classless. Sure, we trailed the entire game. Sure, we didn't play so well. It isn't necessary, however, to turn around after every play, call us bears (we're still Rebels, ma'am), and flip us off.

2 (continued): At one point, this woman screamed:

"I make more money than you!"

Ma'am, you are clearly approaching your forties, so it is expected that you generate an income that is substantially larger than a college student in their early 20s. And she seemed so proud of herself while hugging up on her man (seen to her right), whose hair could truthfully be violently detonated with the obscene amount of ozone-layer-destroying product he had slopped into it.

Speaking of this man:

1: He's too old to be irresponsibly hammered at a sporting event. Yes, this opinion comes from students at a school where, stereotypically, drinking heavily for sporting events is expected (read: required).

2: He was looking for a fight. His unstable feet struggled to turn him around every time he wanted to jeer at the "basketbears," in our faces. He wanted a fight with nearly 60 young, sprightly bodies. I have no idea why.

3: Seriously, in a blackout, light this man's hair. If you searched anywhere in Starkghanistan for hair product, you won't find any. Because of this man.

4: The high point of this man was him screaming:

"Go to hell, Ole Miss!"

Still in our faces, mind you. We "politely" reminded him that, "sir, this is Starkhole. We are, in fact, in hell. Unlike you, sir, we're just visitng."

Interestingly enough, after the game, we shared a laugh with the other State fans who apologized for the behavior of their drunken compatriots.

So, while still paying no mind to "The School Beneath Us," I can confidently say that we have a begrudged human respect for each other.

Faithful Rebels.

I live in Indiana. Many people I know here have no idea what Ole Miss is. All they see is our dismal football record and tend to just dismiss us. When I try to explain how and why we are so strangely passionate, all I get are confused looks, and then I'm redirected to our football record.

And then it hit me.

This confused sports fan *often* goes where the wins are—regardless of the school—just to be proud to stand behind something he probably doesn't even understand.

Ole Miss fans tend to encompass everything. Ask an Ole Miss fan their favorite thing about their beloved school, and you'll get answers ranging from "the grove" to "the people," "Oxford," and "we know how to have a good time." We don't just love a single sport; we know better than to hinge all of our happiness on one aspect of the university.

We love everything. Consider a typical game day. We're in the grove all day, regardless of when the game is. We enjoy each other's company. Yes, even if you're from LSU. Just don't overstay your welcome. Oh, what about Mississippi State, you ask? No, we don't talk about them.

We'll then file into the stadium, probably drunk, but nonetheless overjoyed to see our team take the field, hear the band play the well-known anthems of football season, watch the expertly crafted promo videos that put fire in our eyes, and jeer at the infinitely-less-classy-in-our-minds visiting fans—all in good fun, mind you, as we go back to our friendly selves after the 4th quarter (or whenever we have decided to leave the stadium).

Game day is all about pure enjoyment. Some leave the game early under the pretense of preparing for after-dark activities. We're ecstatic when we realize that even though it's Saturday, the bars have elected to remain open an hour later. Visitors decry our establishments closing so "early," but it's just right for us. We'll find other ways, without fail, to enjoy ourselves after 1:30am.

Our campus is beautiful. Don't try to tell us otherwise, or you'll get an earful about careful groundskeeping. See any cigarette butts on our campus? Never. How about you?

Our past, present, and future students are, overall, the nicest people you'll ever meet. Don't believe me? Come to Oxford and I'll put money on the fact that someone will make you feel right at home. Not even on game days, either, where you'll outright feel like family.

But I have to resign myself to realize the fact that it just doesn't make sense to some.

My favorite thing is just sharing experiences, like watching the clearly-jaded Oxford police department deal with college student antics. A girl had fallen on her face one night in a bar. The cops detained her outside. Between her face streaming blood, and her drunken sobbing about God-knows-what, the officers threatened to cart her off to jail just because she was just aggravating them. Oh, and the officers had to deal with other bar-goers trying to take pictures with their camera phones.

Non-sequitur aside, we love everything about our school. Good, bad, and ugly. If it looks like their's nothing to love about Ole Miss, you're not even looking at Ole Miss.

As long as the SEC wins, we're happy.

Geaux (to hell) Tigers. Roll (to hell) Tide... Pretty much sums up the roar on newsfeeds and timelines. We can agree that the BCS champion (and runner-up...whatever that's worth) comes from the SEC. Yeah, we like that. The next best thing to a localized apocalypse depends on which bandwagon we just hopped on (and right back off again).

It's cause for a debate that Jarrett Lee was benched during this match, as he might have saved a little face for LSU. Yes, Les, it's Jefferson's last season. He had an impressive season. Lee floundered in the last meeting with the Tide. But when something isn't working...It isn't working. There's something to be said for letting a savior finish his final season at the BCS championship, but it simply isn't winning at all costs by exhausting all options. Granted, Miles would have taken heat either way, so it's open to debate as to whether or not he should have played Lee.

The Tiger defense performed...just fine, all things considered, forcing the Tide to rely on field goals to take and hold the lead. We take solace in the fact that, although LSU decisively asked us who our daddy was—and proceeded to show us—we at least managed to eke out a field goal. They can't say that about this match.

Yes, the very same team that showed it's rear end by intentionally turning the ball over on downs to let the defense run over the suspension-crippled Ole Miss line has just been spanked by an equally cocky team ("We beat ourselves" isn't a valid excuse in the SEC). Not to say the ego is completely unjustified—look at their seasons...

The point is, we're just (im)patiently waiting (read: salivating at the chance) to let loose a bear on the sideline for our own shot at the BCS title. Please?