Hello, Computer. How's the Internet today?

Morning Linkage, etc.

Kicking us while we're down - Not only did State's men's basketball team lose to Florida State on Wednesday, but we may have temporarily lost the only interior presence on the entire squad. Gavin Ware has a bone bruise and is doubtful for the weekend game vs. Tulane. A quick perusal of the interwebs does not make me hopeful for a quick recovery, either. Bone bruises take a while to heal. Take Ben Rothlisberger, for instance. A bone bruise kept him out for the entire month of October this season in Pittsburgh. Nuts.

But hey, the ladies are still rolling - The ladies' basketball team picked up another double-digit win on Wednesday. Hit the link to read the recap, and watch Coach Schaefer and a couple of players talk to the media after the win:

And they're getting a well-deserved reward for their efforts—they get to spend their pre-Christmas weekend in Puerto Rico playing basketball against three teams they should handily beat. Enjoy your trip, ladies. Maybe Florida Gulf Coast or Western Michigan will just concede beforehand so y'all can get in some snorkeling.

Belk Bowling - Plenty of player and coach interviews to digest this week as the football team continues its extra bowl-season practices.

Mullen is, what can I say, very Mullen as he responds to the kinds of questions that Mullen always gets:

Billy Gonzales, meanwhile, fields the kind of questions you get when you're in charge of the deepest and most productive unit on the team:

Coach Hevesy, who's probably gotten more internet venom spewed his way since the Egg Bowl than any other member of the staff, talks about the young guys getting reps now and gives an honest appraisal of Jamal Clayborne's play at center this season:

More of the Hevesy interview is available here in transcript form.

And then there's Dak talking about end-of-the-road Dak stuff:

Come on back, Ross - Fred Ross had a hell of year. Hit the link to read his reflections on the season. Not sure if he's just being coy, but it sounds like he's planning on being around next year. Yes, please.

Recruting! - Couple of football recruiting blurbs for you. First, we got a commitment from four-star defensive end Emmit Gooden yesterday. Dude had offers from Alabama, LSU, and Ohio State, among others. Helluva get for next year's class. (Oh, and randomly enough, he is Jarvis Varnado's younger brother.) And second, our 2017 class now includes a commitment from four-star quarterback Keytaon Thompson, who 247Sports has rated as the No. 8 dual-threat QB in nation in next year's class. He chose State over offers from Florida, LSU, Tennessee, and Miami, among others.

Two sports at the same time - Bob Carskadon's piece on Elijah Staley's drive to be a two-sport star at Mississippi State. I really do hope it works out for him. I've heard a lot of people say how he'll be over-extended and his position with football team will suffer. And maybe they're right. But if he is that motivated to give it a go and the coaches remain positive, more power to him.

Context

When you're out this weekend being blown away by the new Star Wars movie, take pause to count your blessings. The last time someone tried to re-kindle the flame, the results were a massive downer. It was like we finally got to meet Santa Claus, and he sucker punched us when we reached out to shake his hand.