MSU News and Notes | Weekend Primer Edition: May 4, 2012

Here's your notes for today and the weekend. I'll be out fishing in the delta all weekend. While I'm gone, I've left CroomDiaries in charge, and he'll be analyzing all games from Croom's final season! Yay! (also, let me know if you guys like this format. Kinda a hybrid between a links post and just me rambling)

• Our friend Michael Wardlaw at BDJ wrote yesterday that Rodney Hood has been practicing and playing with the MSU team a bit ($ link). Wardlaw states to not make too much of this, which is smart, but to also not give up complete hope in Rodney possibly staying at home. Hood is practicing with the Dogs while he finishes up the semester. He will begin his visits next week, as finals wrap up today. Coach Ray allowed Rodney to practice with his team because well, duh, practicing against a talented player obviously helps. I am more optimistic about the possibility of Hood staying now than I was several weeks ago. I still hear that daddy Hood is driving the ship on this decision, so all this may be for not. We shall see.

• Matthew Stevens with the Columbus Dispatch had some more info on JUCO PG Trivante Bloodman, who is expected to sign with State on his official visit, which was yesterday. It is believed that Bloodman will be the final piece to this year's recruiting class.
• The May/June edition of Mississippi Sports Magazine is out. Pretty good stuff.
• "When we're old we'll look back on this mascoting thing and laugh while we roast bear kabobs by the fire" - possible caption for this picture we found yesterday.
• Missed this in yesterday's notes, but the financiables for the MSU men's basketball coaches have been set. Coach Ray gets $1,000,000, and all the assistants will get $155,000 a year. For George Brooks, that's an increase of $50,000 from last year! He may have had a beer while toasting ole Stansbury last night.
• Also, previous assistant coach Phil Cunningham, who declined an opportunity to be interviewed to remain as an assistant under Coach Ray, has accepted a job as an assistant at Western Kentucky. The Western Kentucky who is home to the greatest mascot ever.
• I guess I missed on all the former assistant news on yesterday's notes, but also over the weekend former assistant Robert Kirby left Georgetown and took an assistant position at LSU under new coach Johnny Jones. Yes, you read that correctly, left Georgetown for LSU for a lateral position. No offense to LSU, but that's not even a lateral career move. Was Kirby's welcome worn out in D.C.? We can only speculate, but his departure could have had something to do with the lack of Mississippi talent that he brought to the Hoyas in his short tenure there. Or, maybe he just likes gumbo ALOT.
• State has a big series this weekend. Why is it big? Because we're expected to win, and that doesn't always turn out so good. First pitch in Tuscaloosa is scheduled for 6:35 PM tonight.
  
• In news that we touched on yesterday but is now slightly more clear and defined today, it does look like CT Bradford will have to have season ending shoulder surgery. This is obviously a huge blow to State's hopes of finishing strong. They can still do it, but the hitting has already be sparse, so it's not the best time to lose your best hitter. This does however point to the fact that 2013 will CLEARLY be OUR year. Maybe. We do wish CT a speedy recovery.
• You may win the Golden Spikes award, Chris Stratton (and we hope you do), but you will never win it featuring a 'stache this majestic:

That's all the notes I have for today. Hope you guys have an outstanding weekend. I am heading to the delta to fish and possibly go hand grabbing, so my updates will be sparse, if any. And if you guys don't hear from me by Monday mid-morning, JUST ASSUME THE MOSQUITOES OR A CATFISH THE SIZE OF A TRACTOR HAS ME.

#HailState