It’s the end of the weekend. Well, check that. There’s actually still one more day to go because of Memorial Day.
With a little bit of time to jump into the mailbag, let’s dive in and answer some of your questions today.
Q: Where do you think Nicholls will end up in the NCAA Tournament?
A: The safe bet is LSU, but I just am not sold. I think that’s too obvious. The NCAA Selection Committee swears that they seed teams 1-64 and does not pair teams based on geography. I think that is a lie, and there is a ton of evidence to support that. But with that having been said, I think Nicholls will end up at like Southern Miss or Tuscaloosa, Alabama or somewhere else that is quasi-local to Louisiana.
Q: What are the odds that Nicholls can win a Regional?
A: Look, I’m not going to stand here and tell you that the chances are stellar. To win a Regional would be a longshot. But it wouldn’t be the strangest, nor craziest thing to ever happen, for sure — not even in the slightest. Nicholls has excellent pitching, and when you can pitch, you have a great chance to hang around. If you can hang around, you can steal a game or two. If you can steal a game or two, who knows what might happen? It’s not a great shot, but if you told me that this time next week, we’d be celebrating their great weekend at a Regional, I wouldn’t in the least bit be surprised.
Q: On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely is it that LSU wins their Regional?
A: I would say probably like an 8.5 out of 10. I think LSU will be heavily favored to beat the 4-seed, then will have Skenes for Game 2. With the way Ty Floyd is pitching, he will be a great bet for the third game, too. The problem for LSU comes if they get off schedule. If the Tigers lose an early-Regional game, they’re going to be in for a huge struggle because they will not have the arms to battle all of the way back. But as long as things stay on schedule, I think there’s a great chance there.
Q: Will you guys be broadcasting events over the summer?
A: Absolutely. The grind will not stop. We have already done a Swampland game, have plans to do plenty others and we’re also going to do summer basketball, 7-on-7 football and other things to stay busy. And then in the fall, it’s full steam ahead. We will be rocking and rolling and making it happen.
Q: Who is the best player in the NFL, NBA, MLB and then in professional golf?
A: Oh goodness, what a question. This one is extremely difficult. Let’s start with what I believe is the easiest one: I think Ohtani is the best player in the MLB. The guy can hit like the best player in the sport and he can pitch like the best ace in the sport. We have not seen anyone like him before and we may not see anyone like him ever again. His contract this offseason will be ridiculous. In the NFL, I will go with Joe Burrow. I get that there’s some LSU bias there, but I think Burrow is just a winner. He’s won at every level and has won big. And he’s been winning in Cincinnati without an elite offensive line. I’m not sure any other quarterback in the NFL could be doing the things he’s been doing given the roster infrastructure. In professional golf, I go with Scottie Scheffler. There’s probably 10 guys you could go with here, but Scheffler is so steady. He is always going to be near the leaderboard on Sunday and professional golf truly is just a race to see who gives themselves the most opportunities to win. And lastly, in the NBA, I will go with Jokic. My answer would not have been Jokic 3 weeks ago. But this postseason, he’s just been different. He does so much and can impact the game so many different ways.
Q: What’s worse? Being swept or blowing a 3-0 lead like Miami is about to do?
A: Blowing a 3-0 lead is WAY, WAY worse than being swept. If you get swept, there’s a good likelihood that you’re just not good enough to compete, so the result that should have happened did happen. And there’s no shame in that. But to be up 3-0 means that you have the talent and can compete. And if that’s the case, then there’s no way that you should be losing 4 games in a row. But let’s not count out Miami just yet in Game 7. Something tells me they are going to fight their asses off and give themselves a chance on Monday.
Q: Your thoughts on an All-Louisiana Regional being floated on the internet?
A: It would be cool, but it won’t happen. Tulane and Nicholls are both 4 seeds. UL-Lafayette will struggle to get into the field at all. There’s no true 2-seed in that Regional. It’s just not going to happen. But if it did, sure, it would be a lot of fun.
Q: Who will be the best prep football team next fall?
A: Until someone locally beats E.D. White, I am going to be betting on the Cardinals. They have 9 returning starters on offense and have a lot of guys returning with experience on defense. The Cardinals are going to be a bear again. Those guys have it rolling right now.
Q: Why don’t American sports do relegation to punish bad teams like they do in International soccer leagues?
A: Because American fans, by and large, are not loyal and would just never go to a game ever again if their team got relegated. We are a nation that claims to be rabid and diehard for our teams, but that’s extremely conditional. If our teams lose, we bail and move on to something else extremely quickly.