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Big 3 Out ... But The Game Goes On Right Here

One of the greatest weekends in Mississippi college baseball history came to a sad end on Sunday. Mississippi State and Southern Miss lost, joining Ole Miss, which was eliminated on Saturday. Still, it was a remarkable year for the state college teams on all levels.

"A Night at the Ballpark" with MS. Roads and MS. Outdoors

Don't miss MEB's night at the ballpark on June 5! Gates open at 6 pm. Game time is 7:05.

Come out to the ballpark and meet Mississippi Outdoors and Mississippi Roads hosts Walt Grayson, Melvin Tingle, Karen Jones, Patrick Smith and John Sullivan, Thursday, June 5 at Smith Wills Stadium on Lakeland Drive in Jackson, home of the new Jackson Senators. Join Mississippi Educational Broadcasting for an evening of baseball, giveaways, games and entertainment. The first 500 fans through the gate get a free Mississippi Outdoors and Mississippi Roads car tag. There will be a special treat at the seventh inning stretch.

Premature Prognostication?

Proving it's never too early to think about college football, the Birmingham News has released its 57th annual preseason poll of Southeastern Conference sports information directors. The short version: Auburn is picked to win the SEC championship. Not a bad pick, in Dr. S' estimation, but choosing Georgia to repeat as East champ looks shaky. In the SEC West, Ole Miss is picked to finish fifth and Mississippi State sixth. State will be terrible (again), but Ole Miss is rated too low.

Sens Return

Fresh off a road trip to Texas during which they won four straight games and seven of eight overall, the Jackson Senators open a six-game homestand on Tuesday night at Smith-Wills Stadium. Game time against Edinburg is at 7:05 p.m. Now, Dr. S wishes the Sens would update their Web site (it's been almost a week, guys). But never mind the cyber slacking, the Sens are the Central League's best team right now.

Play (Postseason) Ball!

It's been a great season for Mississippi's Big 3 Division I baseball teams. Two of them, Southern Miss and Mississippi State, will host regionals, while Ole Miss will play in Houston. That means there will be plenty of great baseball within easy driving distance of Jackson. (Complete NCAA schedule).

Egg Ball in Hoover, Ala.

Mississippi State and Ole Miss played an instant classic on Thursday night in the first round of the SEC Tournament. The Bulldogs finally won 5-4 on Thomas Berkery's homer in the bottom of the 12th. Check out how the papers in Starkville, Tupelo and Biloxi covered the game.

A Sweet Tribute

Columbia honored the late Walter Payton, the small town's favorite son and one of the all-time greatest football players (in the NFL and at Jackson State) with the unveiling of a statue of Payton on Saturday. Fittingly, it stands in the end zone at Columbia High School's football field, a place where Payton spent lots of time in his schoolboy years.

Eagles Strike Gold

Congratulations to the Southern Miss baseball team for winning its first Conference USA championship. The Golden Eagles will be the No. 1 seed at this week's C-USA Tournament in New Orleans. Then look for USM to be the No. 1 in the regional hosted by Mississippi State (provided the Bulldogs win at least two games in the SEC Tournament).

Sens At Home

Dr. S apologizes for letting the Jackson Senators' home opener slip up on him without putting somethng on the Sportsblog. Well, it's still not too late to talk about their SECOND homestand, which starts against Rio Grande Valley on Friday at 7:05.

Championship Weekend in Clinton

Mississippi College will play host to a historic NCAA Division III baseball regional starting on Thursday. It's MC's first trip to the NCAA tournament in almost 50 years. And it's the first time the Choctaws and cross-town rival Millsaps College have been in the same postseason tournament. Dr. S rates this a definite must-see.

COPS meets Sportscenter

http://badjocks.com/

Is your favorite player or coach breaking the law or just plain acting dumb? Read all about it at Bad Jocks, a site that's a Smoking Gun for the sports crowd. Plus, it links to numerous other cool sites. Check out the naughtiness at

Hunting the Jackal

The NCAA might have finally caught up with Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill. Allegations surfaced this week that an MSU assistant paid for summer school classes for a Brandon recruit ... who ended up signing with Southern Miss. Dr. S prediction: Jackie won't be coaching the Bulldogs this fall. Which might be a good thing, especially if you are Bulldog QB Kevin Fant. Take solace State fans, at least your coach hasn't allegedly allowed a prostitute to run up $1,000 in room service charges on a University of Alabama credit card. Stay tuned.

Whatever Happened To ... ?

Remember Mississippi State quarterback Wayne Madkin, the guy who set all the school passing records before his career crashed and burned, just like every other quarterback Jackie Sherrill has coached in Starkville? Wayne has recovered from his injuries and found work in the CFL. Dr. S predicts that Wayne Madkin will have a job in football this fall and the Jackal won't.

Running Of The Bull

yers have had a lot of trouble with the law in the past year, but the school is thinking of changing its fight song to "Jailhouse Rock." ... You can't blame Jerry Krause for quitting as Chicago Bulls GM due to health problems. Watching that team is enough to make anybody sick. ... Dr. S is still surprised that Jackson State didn't select Lanier High coach Thomas Billups to be the Tigers new men's basketball coach. After all, Billups has extensive recruiting experience. ... The Iraqi high command calls a secret meeting of Saddam Hussein's doubles. "Men," one official says, "I have good news and bad news. The good news: Saddam is alive. The bad news: He's lost an arm." .... Overheard on Jackson sports talk radio: "The State Fair Commission doesn't care about having anything in the Coliseum that doesn't crap on the floor."

No more hockey in Jackson

The Jackson Bandits announced on Friday that they would be suspending operations for the 2002-03 season. They say there will be no more hockey in Jackson unless a new stadium is built to meet their scheduling needs. And lawmakers are reluctent to build the stadium because there is no guarantee that attendence would pick up. Attendence has stedily dropped since the Jackson Bandits first season.

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