This book has been in my “to read” stack for quite some time. Typically, if I find that other books keep leapfrogging a particular book, I’ll realize that I’m just not that interested in reading it and I have no problem setting it aside. For some reason, Play Their Hearts Out stuck around. I’d read too many good reviews and too many recommendations to abandon it. I think it’s time.

Yes, baseball has started, but we’re nearly a month in and the excitement of the new season has waned a bit as we settle into the long grind of the regular season. Meanwhile, the NBA playoffs have started after a bizarre shortened season, so what better time to read a good basketball book?

But this book isn’t about NBA millionaires, nor college athletes. The subject is youth basketball, specifically the AAU leagues where all of the very best young players face off. These aren’t school-affiliated teams; these are teams constructed solely for the purpose of developing and promoting the most promising young talent. You can imagine the effect this has on the style of play; AAU games are notoriously devoid of defense, and the offensive strategies tend to highlight individual ability rather than passing and teamplay.

As a result, AAU leagues have received widespread blame for the decline in the quality of basketball at the college and professional level. The best players aren’t receiving solid fundamental instruction at an early age, so goes the argument. There’s some legitimacy to this line of thinking, but it understates the problem. It’s bad that young talented players are learning bad basketball habits; it’s indefensible that these same players are being roped in by coaches, promoters, and shoe companies, and then discarded when their future dims in comparison to their peers. One bad injury, one bad decision — and all the promises are yanked away.

If you want to understand the current state of basketball, read this book.

Somehow Opening Day has come and gone and I haven’t recommended any baseball books yet, and it’s time to remedy that. There are are quite a few new baseball books this year, but so far just two have made it into my “to read” stack.

R.A. Dickey’s new book Wherever I Wind Up looks like a typical baseball memoir at first glance. You might expect some well-worn stories about Little League success, long bus rides in the minors, and that first cup of coffee in the majors. Instead, Dickey leaves no embarassing secret untold — his childhood in a broken home, molestation by a babysitter, long-lasting depression, and an extramarital affair. The early reviews have been stellar — Dickey is a smart, well-educated guy, with a capable co-author in Wayne Coffey. I’ve read a few excerpts and I’m looking forward to reading this one.

The writers at Baseball Prospectus have been at the forefront of baseball research and analysis for years now. Extra Innings is a collection of new essays from different writers about all kinds of baseball topics, including the steroid era, player scouting and development, and pitching injuries. I was especially pleased to see that one of the chapters was written by Derek Carty, who is one of my favorite baseball writers. I started reading Derek’s articles back when he was writing his own blog, and it’s been nice to see his excellent work recognized.

A Guest Blog by Author Mike Frascogna

How did JUCO football begin?

Mississippi’s Junior College (now called community colleges) began in the 1920s, when the State Legislature approved agricultural high schools adding a thirteenth and fourteenth grade. The typical junior college in those days was a boarding school, still with a concentration on agricultural studies.

Most of the students grew up working hard in tough environments–helping make crops or cutting timber on their family farms or taking odd jobs if they lived in town. These raw-boned farm boys were naturally drawn to the rough sport of football. Almost as soon as the first classes began, these young men began playing football among themselves.

They soon mastered the basics and grew tired of playing against each other. So they sent an invitation–probably more like a challenge–to the boys from the junior college a few counties over. The winners of the first game would seek out yet another opponent to play, while the losers were honor bound to avenge their loss through a rematch. Soon these matches became more frequent and this led to the need for schedules.

Schedules led to fixed seasons, which in turn led to the naming of champions. Football fever took hold and has never let up. The result is Mississippi’s current system of junior/community college football referred to as “JUCO ball.”

JUCOS: The Toughest Football League in America

Signing TODAY at 6:00

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When Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College was first established in 1925, it was known as Perkinston (Perk for short), the namesake of the town where it is located. Later the official name of the school was changed to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (also known as Gulf Coast).

Just 28 miles down Highway 26 from Perkinston is another small town named Poplarville the home of the Pearl River Junior College Wildcats. The two schools are neighbors from a geographic standpoint and both are members of the South division of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges.

However, beyond these general comparisons any references to similarities between the two schools must be approached very delicately. Perhaps the best way to express the feelings the students at each of these fine institutions have for one another is to be candid. As many communication experts, psychologists and therapists recommend, openness, honesty and candor can often lead to better understanding between two parties whose opinions differ on certain topics. Or, as expressed in a more colloquial style, “Just put the hay down where the goats can get it.” So here goes; the Wildcats of Pearl River and the Bulldogs of Gulf Coast cannot stand each other. Their level of dislike soars to even higher altitudes when the two schools meet on the gridiron.

To try to put their mutual feelings for each other in perspective consider that the Bulldogs at Gulf Coast are referred to by their friends at Pearl River as “coast scum.” Conversely, the Wildcats at Pearl River are affectionately called “river rats” by their buddies at Gulf Coast a/k/a Perk. These two terms represent the most sanitized references one school has for the other after deleting all the colorful, descriptive, but unnecessary adjectives attached to these names.

JUCOS: The Toughest Football League in America

Signing: Thursday, December 15 at 6:00

 

A Guest Blog by Author Mike Frascogna

Played November 7, 1964 at Scooba, the undefeated Lions were beaten by arch-rival Jones County Junior College 32-13 to spoil East Mississippi’s trip to the Junior Rose Bowl and a shot at the National Championship.

During the game Scooba’s All-American quarterback, Bill Buckner, was sent to the hospital with a severely broken jaw. Public opinion seemed to favor the notion that the incident on the field involving Buckner’s injury was an intentional act of violence to get him out of the game. The teams discontinued playing each other for ten years before resuming play.

JUCOS: The Toughest Football League in America

Signing: Thursday, December 15 at 6:00

A Guest Blog by Author Mike Frascogna

Love it or hate it, Mississippi JUCO football is unique. The League, while considered by some to be rogue, has produced literally thousands of players who have gone on the compete at the Division I and professional levels.

Hidden in all the glamor of big-time college and professional football are the staggering number of high school and college coaches produced by the JUCO system. Not much attention is given to the players who ended their playing careers at the JUCO level but used their experience to advance their skills as coaches.

Additionally, little attention is given to the student side of the player’s experience. For many of the players in the past, as it is today, JUCO ball allowed them an opportunity to continue their education simply because it was financially affordable. After completing two years of community college, many of the students, whether or not they continue to play football, go on to complete their degree requirements at four year colleges and universities.

JUCOS: The Toughest Football League in America
Signing: Thursday, December 15 at 6:00

 See all JUCO blogs.

A Guest Post by Editor Neil White

In researching, Mississippi’s 100 Greatest Football Players of All Time, we discovered some fascinating statistics. Consider this about our state:

• 588 native-born Mississippians have played professional football

• 726 professional players attended Mississippi institutions of higher learning.

Here’s the breakdown:

No. of NFL Players by College or University

University of Mississippi 181

Mississippi State 127

University of Southern Mississippi 97

Jackson State University 89

Alcorn State University 51

Mississippi Valley State University 26

Delta State University 8

Mississippi College 7

Millsaps 2

Rust College 1

Mississippi’s Community College System 137

 Total 726

Breakdown by position:

Receiver/Tight Ends 18

Running Backs 14

Defensive Backs 14

Quarterbacks 12

Defensive Linemen 11

Offensive Linemen 10

Linebackers 8

Special Teams Players 6

Played both ways 3

Breakdown by colleges/universities

University of Mississippi 33

Mississippi State 14

Jackson State 14

U. of Southern Mississippi 9

Alcorn State 4

Mississippi Valley State 4

Jones County Jr. College 1

Itawamba Community College 1

Mississippi College 1

Out-of-state Colleges 19

*

*

Breakdown by race:

African American 58

Caucasian 42

 See the complete list in Mississippi’s 100 Greatest Footbal Palyers of All Time, Nautilus Publishing, Nov. 2011

Neil White, Editor

A Guest Post by Editor Neil White

In preparing the coffee-table book, Mississippi’s 100 Greatest Football Players of All Time, we at Nautilus Publishing have gone to great lengths to create an accurate system of measurement. However, we are the first to admit that any attempts to rank football careers are subjective.

Our system is based on a combination of points for induction into The Pro Football Hall of Fame and The College Football Hall of Fame. We gave points for All-Pro selections, All-American selections, NFL records, NCAA records, division records, team records, Super Bowl championships and Collegiate National Championships. We considered career longevity, dominance at a particular position, impact on the game, as well as intangibles like excitement on the field, impact on a team and leadership. We also took high school play into consideration.

All this said, it is impossible to compare, statistically, the impact of a quarterback against the impact of a defensive tackle. It is also futile to measure player performance (even at the same position) from different eras. Players in the 1930s-‘60s spent nearly every minute on the field — playing on offense, defense and special teams. In many cases, prior to the 1980s, statistics weren’t kept for many positions (particularly on defense). The few active players who made our list are still mid- to early-career. In another decade, Eli Manning or Patrick Willis may be at the very top spot.

Above Right: Quarterback Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants walks off the field after the Giants defeated the New England Patriots 17-14 during Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.  (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

In our ranking, professional players have a certain advantage over those talented Mississippians whose careers ended prematurely. For example, Brookhaven star Harol Lofton’s professional career was cut short by war. Ole Miss star Raymond Brown (the only unanimous choice for Sugar Bowl MVP) left a promising career with the Baltimore Colts because he found a higher paying job in the legal field (boy, times have changed).

All-American quarterback Jake Gibbs (who ranked #45 in our list) chose a spot on the New York Yankees over professional football. Had Gibbs chosen professional football, we’re certain he’d have been in our top ten. If this had this been a ranking of the top Mississippi high school players of all time, no doubt Marcus Dupree would be at #1 (instead of #68). If we had been ranking the top college players of all time, Steve McNair or Archie Manning or, perhaps, Willie Totten would have perched atop the ranking.

Below: Tennessee Titans QB Steve McNair (9) in action, making pass vs Cincinnati Bengals, Nashville, TN 9/12/1999  (Photo by Patrick Murphy-Racey/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)

For Mississippi’s 100 Greatest Football Players of All Time we considered each player’s career in its entirety. Those who excelled in the professional ranks fared better on top 100 list.

Finally, we have defined Mississippians as anyone who played high school football in the state, anyone who played football for one of Mississippi’s universities, colleges or community colleges, anyone who grew up in Mississippi or anyone born in the state — with one exception. We have given Louisiana full credit for Philadelphia-born Billy Cannon.

The entire list — along with the All Time Mississippi Offense and Defense — will be revealed at Lemuria on November 15th!

Neil White, Editor

Mississippi’s 100 Greatest Football Players of All Time, Nautilus Publishing, Nov. 2011

Click here for an Introduction by Neil White.

 

A Guest Blog by Author Mike Frascogna

Legend has it that Bozo arrived on the Hinds campus sometime in the mid-40s. While there is no evidence to pinpoint the exact date of Bozo’s arrival, or birth, albeit whatever manner he, she or it, was created, the date of its origin still remains a mystery. There is some sketchy data indicating that Bozo and its descendants, Bozo II and Bozo III continued to reside in and around the Raymond area until the ‘70s. But again, credible information regarding the Bozo clan’s dates of comings and goings at Hinds is nonexistent.

After decades of investigation by local historians, amateur sleuths and several law enforcement agencies some credible facts, although quite unimaginable, have slowly emerged about the metal pachyderm and its offspring.

For reasons that remain unknown, Bozo was at the center of numerous brawls between students at Hinds and their counterparts at Holmes Junior College in Goodman, Mississippi. Oddly, the brawls inspired by Bozo always occurred in the fall before, after or during football games between the two schools.

Why, or how, Bozo was able to instigate such violent behavior between the Hinds and Holmes students remains one of the many unanswered questions surrounding the mascot’s mysterious powers.

Journals kept by some students at Hinds during the “reign of Bozo” indicate that it was originally used as a porch ornament, or doorstop, at the old Shangri-La athletic dormitory. But due to Bozo’s powerful influence on the Hinds campus, it became the target of night raids by Juco terrorist, especially those located in Goodman who attended Hinds’ arch rival institution, Holmes Junior College.

Holmes students took great delight in kidnapping Bozo and removing it to Goodman, or some other unknown destination for imprisonment. Sometimes Bozo would remain a captive for a few weeks, to months or for several years. During those times Bozo was held captive, Hinds students would plot rescue operations to regain possession of their beloved metal mascot. Unfortunately, the custody battle over Bozo got ugly in 1954.

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JUCOS: The Toughest Football League in America

Signing: Thursday, December 15 at 6:00

 See all JUCO blogs.