2023 Macadoodles Mailbag: 6th Edition
The Tigers' season is over, but there's still one football game left and there's only one place to get set for game day. Macadoodles does game day like nobody else. Get your crew ready to watch all the big games with a stop at Macadoodles. Whether it's beer, wine or spirits you're looking for, Macadoodles will make your house or tailgate the game day place to be in Columbia this season. Who does game day like nobody else? Macadoodles does.
Every week, PowerMizzou.com publisher Gabe DeArmond answers questions from Tiger fans in the mailbag. This format allows for a more expansive answer than a message board post. Keep your eye out each week to submit your question for the mailbag or send them to powermizzou@gmail.com. On to this week's inquiries.
TigerCruise asks: What's the total NIL paid to players on these teams(estimate):IowaMizzouKentuckyFloridaAlabama
GD: I don't honestly have any idea. None of the numbers are really public and even the ones that are, I don't tend to believe. I'm pretty confident the sum total of the roster is multiple millions. But I don't know numbers and I don't know who's paying more or less.
firsttiger asks: The Tigers lost a wrestling match to Okie Lite 17-16. The was tied 16-16 after the final bout, but OSU was awarded the win by criteria. What was the criteria, if you know.
GD: I have no idea. I thought I would be able to go to MUTigers and have it explained to me. This is the description of the match: "The No. 8-ranked University of Missouri wrestling team lost a close dual to No. 11 Oklahoma State 16-17 Sunday, Feb. 5. The match was tied 16-16 after the final bout, however OSU won based off criteria."
That's bizarre. What is "criteria?" Did they have more pins or more falls? Did their uniforms look better? Did they get a point for cheering louder? No idea. Never heard of that.
nicku87 asks: Would you give it a 50/50 chance that both Kobe Brown and Isaiah Mosley are back next year?
GD: Probably right around there. I think I might give Kobe Brown a slightly higher percentage than Mosley, especially after Mosley didn't play again on Tuesday night. Kobe has been here four years. He's the face of the program. If they make the tournament this year and then are just as good or better next year, he's got a chance to put up numbers that will put him on some all-time lists at Missouri and he would probably be the most popular player here in a decade. That's worth something. Mosley has been here for six months. That doesn't mean he's less invested or his contributions mean less, but there's probably a little less deep feeling for the program. And Mosley's year has been, well, bizarre. I don't think either one is a sure-fire NBA player. NIL could keep them both here. Or they could both just be ready to go try things out at the next level, whether that's the NBA or not.
tigerfever00 asks: IF the baseball team has another dud season, is Bieser gone? Understand that baseball isn’t a revenue generator, but if a change is needed so be it….a new coach might bring some life into the program.
GD: It's definitely possible and I would maybe even say likely. Bieser is under contract through the 2024 season. He is making $400,000 a year so even if he's guaranteed the full amount, that's not much of a price tag for a buyout. In seven seasons (one that was just 16 games due to COVID), Bieser is 158-131-1. That includes 57-92-1 in SEC play. Missouri has never been .500 in the league and has never made an NCAA Tournament. He wasn't hired by Desiree Reed-Francois. So, yeah, the seat's hot.
wehrli_22 asks: if you had to just one word to describe the following coaches, what would it be?
GD: Drink: Potential
Dennis Gates: Guarded
Nick Saban: Greatest
Sam Pittman: Yessirrrrrrrr
Brad Underwood: Fiery
Eric Musselman: Shirtless
Deion Sanders: Flashy
John Calipari: Polarizing
zoutiger22 asks: Is it crazy to say HCLA seat should start to get warm next year if this isn’t a WCWS team? This is year 5 for her.
GD: Yes it's crazy. Larissa Anderson is 134-71, has made the NCAA Tournament every year it's been played, hosted a regional twice and a Super Regional once. Her seat is nowhere close to warm.
mpeeples asks: The guys who opted to transfer out from football, did they leave school before the new semester started?
GD: I would assume so.
WashMoTiger49 asks: Why do you openly root for 11am kick offs, but then complain about attendance?
GD: I root for 11 a.m. kickoffs for purely selfish reasons. And I haven't complained about attendance all year. In fact, during the football season I said that I wasn't going to knock Mizzou's attendance anymore because it's up to the teams to give them a reason to show up. And Missouri fans have shown up this year. No more knocking the fans from me. They've shown they'll be there if you give them a decent product.
Assault Avocado asks: If Blake Baker puts together and even better defensive team than this year do you think he gets offered a HC job worth taking?
GD: I definitely think it's possible. I thought he might get some looks last year. Had Willie Fritz ended up leaving Tulane, I think that could have happened. I thought USF should have given him a look.
vegastiger2 asks: Now that we are assured (barring complete disaster, knock on wood) of going to the NCAA Tourney, if you could pick which 1st/2nd round site to cover for Mizzou to play in, which would you choose? Ranking 1st, 2nd , 3rd?
GD: Here are my picks in order:
Des Moines: I can drive
Columbus: I can drive
Denver: It's a pretty easy flight
Birmingham: Easy flight
Greensboro: Affordable
Albany: Surprisingly affordable
Orlando: Not nearly as affordable and I have to go to Orlando
Sacramento: Even less affordable
And, yes, again, these are purely selfish answers. But you asked where I would pick, so that's my reasoning.
tunnel asks: A 12" anchovy and sardine pizza, 24oz sour beer and 8oz glass of Jeppsons Malort. In what order would you chose to start/finish each and reason why?
GD: The first two sound disgusting and I had to google what the third one was. So I wouldn't have any of them. But if you forced me to have one, I'd take the sour.
becker3448 asks: I couldn't be more impressed with the job that DRF has done since she came on campus. She brought in Gates and raised the assistant money pool in both MBB and football. She cleaned house by firing Cuonzo Martin right away (despite a past connection) and brought in a new volleyball coach after a disastrous couple of season. What's your opinion of her and do you think she is on the radar of other schools around the country or is it still too soon to tell?
GD: She's done a very good job so far. I honestly don't know what complaints any fan would have. She's listened to the fanbase and implemented a lot of things they've asked for on game day. She's increased attendance in both sports. She's committed to them financially. So far, so good. Her name was on plenty of lists last year and I'm sure it remains on some. But I think it helps Missouri's efforts to keep her that her son is in school here and from what I can tell the family genuinely likes Columbia.
bmorrow23 asks: What day does spring football start and how many practices can they have up to the March 18th spring game?
GD: It's going to start sometime near the end of February. They can hold 15 practices over 34 days. I believe the spring game is March 18 and then Mizzou will have 2-3 more practices that following week after the spring game.
Carnell75 asks: Pre-season All SEC is basically a previous year award.. Can you guess who possibly makes it based on performance and returning? (Spring ball has no bearing, right?)... (Dom would have been a lock... does he get slotted based on Mizzou even though he is on a diff team in diff offense?)... I think Ennis and Abrams- Draine make one of the three teams... Javon Foster?
GD: I don't know for sure how many teams the SEC puts out in the preseason. I want to say it's two, but it might be three. I think Kris Abrams-Draine is a sure thing. He's the only guy I'd expect to be on the first team. I think Ty'Ron Hopper, Darius Robinson, Ennis Rakestraw, Jaylon Carlies, Luther Burden and Javon Foster could be second or third team candidates. Harrison Mevis could make one of them too.
rlt002 asks: What environment do you find the most exciting/electric/intense etc. to be at the game... A big matchup in college basketball or a big matchup in college football? Why?If you could go shoot 18 at any course in the world with any person (except your son or any family member), where and with whom would you choose?
GD: It's football, in large part because there are four or five times as many people at a big-time football game. Also, there are so many fewer games that every football game is just a bigger deal and the biggest basketball games are tournament games played at neutral sites where there are often more fans that may not be fans of either team playing. Basketball can get pretty crazy because it's inside and a much more compact space, but the football atmosphere is just different.
I'd play St. Andrew's with Tom Watson. This is not even a hard question.
djm023 asks: At this point everybody should understand it's difficult to win on the road in college basketball (or any sport really, but it seems more so in basketball). What's your feeling as to the why? As far back as I can remember, going on the road is always considered to be challenge unless there's a large discrepancy in talent. Even then, upsets will occur.
GD: The biggest reason is officiating. It's just so slanted toward home teams (some more than others, but almost every home team gets the benefit of the whistle). Secondarily, you throw in one team having to travel and sleep in a hotel, different shooting environments and the fact that we're dealing with 18-22 year-olds, it all adds up. But number one is definitely officiating.
Carnell75 asks: Casino or Goodfellas and why?
GD: Goodfellas because I'm not even sure I've seen Casino all the way through.
kwj7x2 asks: What is your most regretted question you ever asked in a interview?
GD: Nothing jumps immediately to mind. That's not saying I haven't asked stupid questions because I absolutely have. But I don't really remember asking one that stuck with me to the point I still remember it or that somebody was angry about for an extended period of time.
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