Ole Miss Football: Grove Grinder, Hello NCF, Goodbye Freeze
As a Ole Miss football fan the past week and a half has been incredibly rough. Thankfully it ended much better than it began.
Thursday July 20 was particularly bad for most Ole Miss football fans. It would be the same for me. Although it began with my week of vacation at the Neshoba County Fair, it soon turned ugly. Of course, the fact there are Miss State fans everywhere surely didn’t help. Many Ole Miss fans there caught pure hell over the Freeze exit from Oxford.
When I first received word of Freeze’s resignation it was by word from a MSU fan who luckily is a friend and pastor. Thankfully he was nice about it and said something which has resonated with me the past week plus. “Don’t forget your friends. He was just a coach. It will be alright.” He was absolutely correct in everything he said. And now a week later, I still have my friends. Hugh Freeze was just a coach and it will ultimately be alright.
Fun At The Fair
Ole Miss Rebels Football
Of course, despite the news of on the eve of the beginning of the fair, it was still a lot of fun. It always is. This year we had about 20 people staying in our cabin, the majority of which were friends of my two sons.
We also had a legendary Neshoba County Fair jockey and trainer Barry Frank Spears stayed with us which made the races extra exciting. Barry Frank was one of two Alabama fans which stayed with us. The other was my oldest son’s best friend Kaleb. The antics of the two Tide fans were the main thing which made the MSU fans more tolerable.
Hot Weather, Cold Brew, Freeze Talk
Anybody who has ever been to the Neshoba County Fair knows there will be plenty of heat and humidity. It was sweltering as usual. Of course, there are always plenty of ice-cold beverages to go around to cool down with.
However, as there always is there will inevitably be that one guy who might have had a few too many. Although there were a number of fights I witnessed, thank God I wasn’t that guy. I did in fact get a number of single finger “FUNS UP” from a few Miss State fans. “Hotty Toddy” was really the only comeback I had at the time. At that time I still had not really wrapped my mind around what was happening in Oxford from a fan standpoint.
There were more than a few conversations with many of my friends who happen to be Miss State fans. I was surprised when there was actually very little ‘smack’ talk from them. In fact one prominent MSU fan who stays a few cabins down said he really wanted to see the MSU fan-base act more respectful of the situation. He said he didn’t want to be included in the portion of that fan-base which was trying to ‘bring down’ Ole Miss football. He also said he wanted to see MSU admin and fans distance themselves from certain MSU media members.
Surprise Visitors
One of the greatest parts of the fair for me is getting the chance to see people I haven’t seen in a year. Also it’s having a chance to meet new friends. When my buddy Robert and Andrew from the WAOM message group popped in this past Friday night it was awesome.
As we sat inside discussing the Hugh Freeze resignation and the state of Ole Miss football we were granted another surprise. In walks West Lauderdale standout and Ole Miss baseball right-hand reliever Will Stokes. He is a very nice and respectful young man and Ole Miss baseball fans can expect more good things from Will on the mound. Thanks for the signed Ole Miss baseball Will.
Next: What's Next For The NCAA Case?
So now fair week is finally over. I didn’t forget my friends nor did I not make plenty of new ones. Freeze is still just a coach and things are actually better than they were a week and a half ago. Hotty Toddy!