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From The Ring To The Pen

3-time boxing champion Hector "Macho" Camacho has been on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, training for a fight later this month. Apparently that's not all he's been doing. On Thursday, he was arrested in connection with a burglary in Gulfport. And then the cops found Ecstasy in his room. Doctor S is sure there's a good explanation for all of this. You can't buy publicity like this for a fight.

Dawgs Call On Jackson

Jackson fans will get a chance to see the man behind the mask Wednesday, Dec. 22—or the man who was behind the mask. The Mississippi State men's basketball team plays Jacksonville State at 7 p.m. at the Mississippi Coliseum. When the Bulldogs last played in Jackson, in 2002, an overflow crowd of 6,592 watched Mario Austin and company crush Georgia State.

Rebels Getting Warmer

Ole Miss will probably offer its football coaching job to someone on Wednesday and announce the hiring on Thursday, The Clarion-Ledger reports. But the new coach won't be Dennis Erickson of the San Francisco 49ers.

Sports Dopes

Why do athletes cheat? And why don't fans care? Slate's Bill Gifford gives you the inside dope.

Is Dale Worth Watching?

ESPN's Dale Earnhardt biopic "3" debuts on Saturday night. The reviews have been good and bad. Doctor S has heard from reliable sources that Barry Pepper is convincing as the Intimidator, but otherwise there's lots of comedy, almost all of it unintentional. It can't be as bad as "Hustle" can it?

Rebels Look West

Doctor S updates you on the Ole Miss coaching search: According to radio reports, Ole Miss Chancellor Robert Khayat and AD Pete Boone were in Dallas on Friday to interview Dallas Cowboys assistant (and former Ole Miss assistant) David Lee. Then they flew to Los Angeles to interview Southern Cal assistant Ed Orgeron.

Breaking: Ole Miss Does Nothing

Ole Miss AD Pete Boone told reporters Thursday that the school probably won't hire a new football coach until next week. The gossip is that Rick Neuheisel, one of the NCAA's prime whipping boys, remains a strong candidate for the job. The Rebel brass is just trying to figure out how to spin the most notorious hire since State put Jackie Sherrill on its payroll back in 1990.

NCAA Smites God Squad

The NCAA is cracking down on recruiting shennanigans in Division I men's basketball. Instead of doing something that might actually correct the corrupton, the NCAA has banned exhibition games with non-collegiate teams like Athletes In Action and Marathon Oil. Which is a pity, says Slate Magazine, especially in the case of AIA, because the God squad wrapped some excellent basketball around its Gospel message.

Rebels Shopping In Miami

Ole Miss officials reportedly interviewed Miami defensive coordinator Randy Shannon on Wednesday. Interestingly, Shannon's name also surfaced in connection with the Mississippi State job a year ago. Southern Cal assistant Ed Orgeron has also expressed public interest in the job. We should all know on Saturday, which is when Ole Miss reportedly plans to name the new coach.

Some More Ole Miss Candidates

Two more names have surfaced in the Ole Miss coaching search. One is David Lee, an offensive assistant with the Dallas Cowboys. Lee has Ole Miss ties as he coached quarterbacks in Oxford from 1978-82. His other coaching stops include Arkansas and Rice. The other is Southern California assistant coach Ed Orgeron, who's also the Trojans' recruiting coordinator. Orgeron, a Northwestern (La.) State grad, has also coached at Nicholls State, McNeese State, Syracuse and Miami.

Ole Miss Coaching Search Update

Scratch Ron Zook off your list of Ole Miss coaching candidates. The former Florida coach was hired by Illinois on Monday, ESPN reports. ... The top two candidates for the Oxford post appear to be Louisville coach Bobby Petrino and former Washington/Colorado coach Rick Neuheisel. Louisville is reportedly ready to double Petrino's salary to keep him in the Cardinals' nest. And Neuheisel had run-ins with the NCAA at both Washington and Colorado.

Who's The Next Head Rebel?

The search is on at Ole Miss for a new football coach. Some are calling this the most critical coaching hire at Ole Miss since John Vaught left. The reported front-runners are Ron Zook, who was fired by Florida effective the end of this year, and Tommy West, who has revived Memphis.

Delusions of Grandeur in Oxford

Congratulations to David Cutcliffe for showing class and grace under pressure when he met the media on Wednesday after Ole Miss fired him. His former bosses, Chancellor Robert Khayat and AD Pete Boone, meanwhile, demonstrated they have limp grip on reality when it comes to college football and Ole Miss' place in it. Khayat said he expected the Rebels to contend for a championship every season. This for a team that has seriously contended for an SEC title just three times in the last 35 seasons.

Breaking: Cutcliffe Fired

Ole Miss fired football coach David Cutcliffe on Wednesday. This comes on the heels of a 4-7 finish, Cutcliffe's first losing season in Oxford. In 2003, the Rebels were 10-3 and Cutcliffe was named SEC Coach of the Year. On Tuesday, Cutcliffe issued a cryptic statement which seemed to indicate that he was staying, but would make changes on his staff. Perhaps his bosses thought a fresh start was best for the Rebels. (You're wrong, Colonel Reb). The front-runner to replace Cutcliffe: Ousted Cleveland Browns coach Butch Davis, who rebuilt the U. of Miami's probabtion-ravaged program in the 1990s. Stay tuned ...

Insanity In Oxford (Updated)

David Cutcliffe is apparently still the football coach at Ole Miss. On Tuesday, after two days of meetings with his bosses, Cutcliffe met with reporters and issued a Kremlin-style statement. Allow Doctor S to translate: "I get to keep my job, but some of my assiistants need to start packing."

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