Shows
Crooked Letter SportsThe Open goes to Northern IrelandRandy Watkins returns to the Crooked Letter pod to discuss The Open, where the weather will be wet, windy and coolish at Royal Portrush. Scottie Scheffler will be the betting favorite, but the Europeans, including Rory McIlroy, definitely will have a home-course advantage. The recent Major League Draft also will be discussed. 2025-07-1629 minCrooked Letter SportsThe Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Class of ‘25The MSHOF will induct eight new members on Aug 2. Rick Cleveland has covered them all and he and son Tyler talk about what makes them all special. 2025-07-0924 minCrooked Letter SportsSoon to be Hall of Famer Mike Justice joins the podcast.Before he became a Hall of Fame football coach and won 297 games, Mike Justice played on Mississippi’s first integrated high school football team in Fulton. Justice talks about that and a lot more.2025-07-0234 minCrooked Letter SportsSoon-to-be Hall of Famer Scott Berry joins the podcast.We begin a series of podcasts with Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025, which will be inducted the first weekend in August. First up is highly successful baseball coach Scott Berry, who won big first at Meridian Community College and then at Southern Miss. 2025-06-2539 minCrooked Letter SportsSo much to discuss…This week’s pod touches on a number of subjects: the grit of J.J. Spaun, Cam Akers to the Saints, the College World Series, the NBA playoffs and tomato pie.2025-06-1824 minCrooked Letter SportsWhen golf becomes a horror show…With the U.S. Open returning to diabolical Oakmont, Jackson’s Mr. Golf, Randy Watkins, returns to Crooked Letter to discuss what golfers will face. Watkins, who once played in the US. Open at famed Winged Foot, knows a thing or two about high rough, slick greens and fairways only slightly wider than hallways. The Clevelands and Watkins also discuss the college baseball phenomenon also known as Murray State2025-06-1138 minCrooked Letter SportsCollege baseball wrapSo much to discuss, including bitter endings Monday night to the Ole Miss and Southern Miss baseball seasons, a new baseball beginning with Brian O’Connor at Mississippi State, the SEC’s surprisingly poor showing in NCAA regionals, and the success of the little guys (Murray State, UTSA, Little Rock, Wright State, etc.) Also, a salute to LSU-Shreveport and a 59-0 season…2025-06-0425 minCrooked Letter SportsMichael La Sasso of Ole Miss claims NCAA individual golf championship, while Ole Miss, Southern Miss and Mississippi State enter NCAA Baseball Tournament playLa Sasso becomes the second Rebel ever to win the NCAA golf title, which qualifies him for the U.S. Open in two weeks and next April’s Masters. Also, the Clevelands discuss how Mississippi’s baseball coaches should address pitching in the upcoming NCAA Regionals.2025-05-2822 minCrooked Letter SportsBaseball, baseball, baseball … and Davis RileyThe best baseball teams in Mississippi, high school and college will be busy in post-season tournament play this week. Meanwhile, Davis Riley was pretty busy and pretty successful last weekend.2025-05-2124 minCrooked Letter SportsBelhaven softball coach Kevin Griffin, father of 19-year-old baseball prodigy Konnor Griffin, makes a return Crooked Letter appearanceGriffin talks about his Blazers team, which enters the NCAA softball championship tournament this week, and about his famous son who is killing it in his first season of professional baseball in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organization. The Clevelands also size up Mississippi teams entering the final week of college baseball season and also discuss next Monday’s Ferriss Trophy presentation. 2025-05-1428 minCrooked Letter SportsPine Belt News sports editor Andrew Abadie joins the pod to talk all things Southern Miss, Bobby Halford’s latest achievement and high school baseball excellence in the Hattiesburg areaAbadie, who might be the busiest man in Misssissippi sports, is always especially when the high school, junior college and college baseball seasons move into playoff mode.2025-05-0724 minCrooked Letter SportsWhat next for Mississippi State baseball?Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation. 2025-04-3021 minCrooked Letter SportsWhat should the Saints do? Jaxson Dart?The Clevelands take a comprehensive look at this weekend’s NFL Draft, assessing Mississippi prospects and what the New Orleans Saints should do with the ninth pick. Many experts believe the Saints will take Ole Miss quarterback Dart, but the Clevelands are not so sure. It would not be the first time the Saints have taken an Ole Miss QB in the first round as Rick remembers and recounts the circumstances. 2025-04-2323 minCrooked Letter SportsBasking in the glow of The Masters…Has a sporting event ever produced more drama than the 2025 Masters? Has any network ever displayed it better than CBS? No and no, say the Clevelands, who also opine on the sad case of former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, Mississippi’s college baseball teams, and what the Saints should do at quarterback.2025-04-1627 minCrooked Letter SportsMasters week is back and so is Mississippi’s Mr. Golf, Randy WatkinsFormer SEC golf champion and PGA touring pro is Crooked Letter’s resident expert on all things golf. He’s back with us to tell us who might win this week’s Masters and why. 2025-04-0935 minCrooked Letter SportsSpringtime in MississippiThe Ole Miss basketball season draws to a close in the Sweet 16, just as college baseball (and the weather) heat up. Rick opines on how the season is shaping up, while Tyler wonders whether the Braves will ever win.2025-04-0223 minCrooked Letter SportsHow sweet it is for Ole MissFormer college and NBA coach - and friend of the pod - Tim Floyd joins the show to talk about Ole Miss’ success in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. 2025-03-2625 minCrooked Letter SportsAt the intersection of basketball and baseball…We cover a busy Mississippi scene in both hoops and hardball with a little Jaxson Dart to the Saints projection thrown in for good measure.2025-03-1925 minCrooked Letter SportsRaymond basketball coach Tony Tadlock joins us to talk about high school basketball championships and this week’s SEC TournamentOne of the state’s top basketball coaches, Tadlock overcame the loss of all five starters from last year’s championship team and losing his leading scorer this season, to win a second straight state championship and the seventh in school history. Tadlock talks about how he works with a 40-man basketball roster and maintaining a remarkable winning culture at Raymond2025-03-1230 minCrooked Letter SportsJackson suburbs rule in high school hoops … and a whole lot more.Germantown, Ridgeland, Canton and Raymond all won State Championships, showing how the power has shifted in Mississippi high school hoops. Plus we get up to date with college basketball, college baseball and the amazing Konnor Griffin story. 2025-03-0526 minCrooked Letter SportsThe week begins with three Mississippi teams in the Top 25 D-! Baseball poll.Southern Miss and Ole Miss got some welcomed news as both joined Mississippi State, giving the Magnolia State three teams in this week;s college baseball poll. Otherwise, the college basketball grind continues and the best high school basketball teams converge on Jackson for the annual MHSAA boys and girls state tournament.2025-02-2620 minCrooked Letter SportsState finishes the sweep, college baseball returns Mississippi State makes a statement with a quality win over Ole Miss, improving their NCAA Tournament resume. Rick pontificates on the importance of the Dawgs win, as well as the opening weekend of college baseball and the direction of the new Saints regime.2025-02-1924 minCrooked Letter SportsSouthern Miss football coach Charles Huff joins the show.Charles Huff left the Sun Belt championship Marshall football program to take over the job at Southern Miss, which finished last. He talks about the difficult task ahead of him in his Crooked Letter debut. Also, the Clevelands discuss the Super Bowl, college basketball and the up[coming weekend of college baseball.2025-02-1236 minCrooked Letter SportsNoland “Super Gnat” Smith, who still bleeds Kansas City Chiefs red, joins the pod.What do the Super Bowl and Jackson’s own Noland Smith have in common? Both got their nicknames from Lamar Hunt, for whom the Super Bowl winners’ trophy is named. Super Gnat, all 5 feet, 6 inches and 154 pounds of him, took the NFL by storm in the last 1960s with his blazing speed and quickness on kick returns.2025-02-0528 minCrooked Letter SportsQuestions: Can the Eagles get the Chiefs this time? Can anybody block Chris Jones?The Clevelands discuss a familiar Super Bowl matchup and whether or not the Philadelphia Eagles – or anyone else – can block Chris Jones, the NFL’s most intimidating defensive player. The seesaw fortunes of Ole Miss and Mississippi State in the SEC basketball race, Jackson State basketball and Southern Miss are also part of today’s discussion, along with the still-open New Orleans Saints coaching job. 2025-01-2921 minCrooked Letter SportsOhio State won it all, but where would Ole Miss been with Quinshon Jundkins?Lots to talk about on the days after the national championship game, but im Mississippi, especially in Oxford, much of the talk is about what might have been had Judkins stayed at Ole Miss. Also, the Clevelands discuss Egg Bowl basketball, the grueling SEC schedule, the NFL playoffs, and the John Wade’s saga at Southern Miss.2025-01-2219 minCrooked Letter SportsMississippi’s college hoops revival (and rivalry)Don’t look now, but the Magnolia State has two ranked teams on a collision course for a Saturday showdown in Starkville this weekend. Rick and Tyler talk about what makes both Ole Miss and Mississippi State so solid, and check in on a JSU squad that is 3-0 to start SWAC play. Plus, Rick’s NFL playoff picks and a sneak peak at the CFB National Championship.2025-01-1526 minCrooked Letter SportsPutting a wrap on the Saints and Rebels, and lots more.Following a holiday break, the Clevelands put a lid on the Ole Miss and New Orleans Saints football seasons. Also in the discussion are Southern Miss’s 25-player haul in the transfer portal, including 16 from Marshall. Rick also gives his memories of Magnolia State football heroes Jerald Baylis and Dontae Walker2025-01-0826 minCrooked Letter Sports2024, the Mississippi sports year in review…The Clevelands review the year that was in Mississippi sports (and take a brief look forward to 2025).2024-12-3129 minCrooked Letter SportsOle Miss basketball coach Chris Beard joins the pod…Chris Beard has his second Ole Miss basketball team ranked No. 17 nationally in the latest Associated Press basketball poll. Beard, whose first Ole Miss team won 20 games, has lost only once and that by two points to Purdue, which lost in the national championship game last season. Beard talks about his team’s early success and what it faces in the SEC, which boasts five of the top seven ranked teams in college basketball.2024-12-1829 minCrooked Letter SportsJeremy McClain talks Huff HireSo much to cover on this week’s podcast but Southern Miss’s surprising hire of Marshall coach Charles Huff tops the list, and USM athletic director Jeremy McClain joins the podcast to discuss. Also, a recap of the high school state championships, more college football and, in case no one has noticed, we have two Top 25 basketball teams in Mississippi. 2024-12-1127 minCrooked Letter SportsState Championship Week and more…Seven high school championship football games will be played Thursday through Saturday at The Rock in Hattiesburg. There are intriguing matchups, involving some of the top recruits in the state. Also, the Clevelands discuss last week’s Egg Bowl, the college football playoffs, the job vacancy at Southern Miss and violence in the NFL.2024-12-0429 minCrooked Letter SportsThe Egg Bowl editionOle Miss is a whopping 26-point favorite. A State victory likely would be the biggest upset in Egg Bowl history. As the Clevelands discuss, despite the old saying that you can throw the records out in a rivalry game, the better team almost always wins. The most memorable Egg Bowls are discussed at length.2024-11-2722 minCrooked Letter SportsMississippi College football is no moreMonday’s news that Mississippi College will become Mississippi Christian University and discontinue the sport of football caught everyone off guard, including the Clevelands. Fred McAfee, the most famous player in M.C. history, heard the news on the radio and said he felt like he had lost a family member. The Saints, Ole Miss-Florida, and college basketball are also discussed.2024-11-2032 minCrooked Letter SportsNewly elected Hall of Famer Mike Justice joins the podMike Justice, who won state championships at Calhoun City, Louisville and Madison Central, joins the Clevelands to talk about his Hall of Fame career, Ole Miss-Georgia, the Saints, the high school playoffs and Jeff Lebby’s Mississippi State program.2024-11-1337 minCrooked Letter SportsRod Walker joins the pod to talk Saints, Dennis Allen. Yazoo City native and former Jackson sports writer Rod Walker, who writes his columns in New Orleans now, wrote last week that if the Saints did not beat Carolina, Dennis Allen would not keep his job. The Saints lost and Allen was fired. Walker talks Saints and also discusses Ole Miss’s chances against Georgia and the state of football at his alma mater, Mississippi State.2024-11-0631 minCrooked Letter SportsHattiesburg’s Tony “The Tiger” Vance joins the podcast.Highly respected and highly successful Hattiesburg High football coach Tony Vance, whose Tigers are 8-0, joins the podcast. Vance’s Tigers head to the metro area this Friday to face Terry. Hattiesburg is ranked No. 1 in Class 6A and led by quarterback Deuce Vance, Tony’s son. Tony will also coach Mississippi in the annual Misssissippi-Alabama All-Star football game.2024-10-3032 minCrooked Letter SportsMcDonald’s All American, All-SEC, NBA All-Star, NBA champion, Mississippi Sports Hall of Famer … and now Mo Williams joins the Crooked Letter podcast.So much to discuss with the great Mo Williams: His JSU basketball team, his marvelously talented sons, growing up in Jackson, his NBA basketball career, playing with Lebron, playing against Allen Iverson, NIL, the transfer portal … and so much more.2024-10-2334 minCrooked Letter SportsIn the immortal words of Casey Stengel: Can’t anybody here play this game? It was a lost weekend for Mississipp’s college football teams and the New Orleans Saints. Ole Miss lost in overtime to LSU. Mississippi State again showed improvement in a loss to Georgia. Southern Miss lost again at Louisiana-Monroe. And the Saints dropped a division game to the Tampa Bay Bucs. Tyler Cleveland: “Every team I pull for loses.” So, is there a fix in sight? 2024-10-1621 minCrooked Letter SportsAll hail Vanderbilt! And, meanwhile, another big Ole Miss-LSU game…So much to discuss and dissect this week: Vandy toppling Bama, Ole Miss righting the ship and preparing for LSU, a banner Sanderson Farms Championship that now has new life, and how injuries killed the Atlanta Braves and are ruining a promising Saints season. All that and more… 2024-10-0933 minCrooked Letter SportsGoff week in Mississippi. (Hopefully not the last).The Sanderson Farms Championship returns to Country Club of Jackson, and Randy Watkins, who played in the tournament and later was the executive director, returns to the Crooked Letter Podcast. We also discuss Ole Miss’s first loss and perhaps Mississippi State’s best showing of the football season. 2024-10-0228 minCrooked Letter SportsOle Miss stays hot, hot, hotUndefeated and fifth-ranked Ole Miss prepares for its SEC opener, as Mississippi State and Southern Miss suffer increasingly frustrating losses. Plus, the Saints crash back to earth and the Braves head into the biggest series of the season against those who loathe some Mets. 2024-09-2521 minCrooked Letter SportsNew Orleans sports columnist and author Jeff Duncan joins the podcast to talk about his new Steve Gleason book and the new-look New Orleans SaintJeff Duncan went from the Mississippi Book Festival in Jackson on Saturday to Jerry World in Dallas on Sunday where he watched and wrote about the Saints’ total dismantling of the Dallas Cowboys. We talk about both events and also about what happened in high school and college football last weekend and what’s coming up this weekend.2024-09-1839 minCrooked Letter SportsThe Clevelands pay tribute to native Mississippian James Earl Jones and also discuss a full weekend of football, from high schools to the NFL.James Earl Jones, from Arkabutla, Mississippi, leaves behind a body of work in film and theater that will be remembered for decades, if not forever. He has been part of the sound track our lives, whether he was Darth Vader, Hamlet, Mussafa or Terence Mann in Field of Dreams. Of course, football is always part of the September discussion in Mississippi. Question: Are the Saints as good as they looked Sunday? 2024-09-1127 minCrooked Letter SportsFormer Mississippi sports writer David Brandt, who now reports and writes for the Associated Press in Arizona, joins the podcast with the inside scoop on the Arizona State Sun Devils who face the Mississippi State Bulldogs Saturday night.The Clevelands review the first big weekend of college football and look forward to the second weekend, headlined by the Mississippi State visit to Arizona State. Brandt, one of the AP’s two national Major League Baseball writers, covered the Sun Devils’ impressive opening victory over Wyoming. 2024-09-0431 minCrooked Letter SportsBrandon High football coach Sam Williams joins the podcast to to discuss the upcoming football season.Both the high school and college football seasons open this week with a huge slate of games, including the top-ranked Brandon Bulldogs playing at always powerful Picayune. The Clevelands also discuss the Mississippi college football openers. 2024-08-2825 minCrooked Letter SportsOver or under on victories? The Vegas line on Ole Miss is 9.5, compared to 4.5 for both State and Southern Miss.The Clevelands take their annual crack at forecasting the coming Mississippi college football season. Also, where to the Braves go from here (without Austin Riley). Also, there’s a discussion of the New Orleans Saints and Gardner Minshew. 2024-08-2128 minCrooked Letter SportsFather of the Year? Kevin Griffin would definitely be a candidate.Kevin Griffin, father of Konnor Griffin, joins the pod to discuss the behind-the-scenes story of how his 18-year-old son signed the the largest Major League Baseball signing bonus in Mississippi history.2024-08-0738 minCrooked Letter SportsEli Manning joins the Crooked Letter podThis weekend, Eli Manning joins his daddy in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Manning joins the podcast to talk about his latest honor, fatherhood and a whole lot more. 2024-07-3127 minCrooked Letter SportsA slow time in the world of sports? Don’t tell that to Xander Schauffele, the Summer Olympics, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame or the Atlanta Braves who now use ambulances instead of a team bus.Today’s discussion involves The Open Championship, the Atlanta Braves hospital ward, next week’s big Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame celebration and the Paris Olympics.2024-07-2426 minCrooked Letter SportsMississippi’s big night at the MLB DraftRick and Tyler are brimming with pride after two Jackson Metro Area prospects went in the Top 12 picks of the Major League Baseball Draft, and the Cleveland boys make picks for this week’s Open Championship at Royal Troon. 2024-07-1721 minCrooked Letter SportsTop 10 Major League prospect Konnor Griffin and his dad, Belhaven softball coach Kevin Griffin, join the podcast just days ahead of Sunday’s MLB Draft.Jay Powell was teammates with such Major League stars as Alex Rodriguez, Chipper Jones and Todd Helton, but he says Konnor Griffin of Jackson Prep is the best athlete he has ever been around. Griffin, the Gatorade National Player of the Year, will likely be one of the first names called in Sunday’s MLB Draft Draft. Griffin and his dad, who has also had an eventful spring and summer, join the Clevelands.2024-07-1037 minCrooked Letter SportsNow boarding for Boston and the Dot Burrow BandwagonRick ducks into an abandoned Boston Logan Airport terminal to tell us about the National Federation of High Schools Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Fulton’s own “Dot” Ford Burrow, and the boys recount a fun weekend on the coast at the annual Mississippi Press Association, where Rick picked up some hardware of his own. Plus, Tyler rants about stoplights on Hwy. 49 and newly minted Texas Longhorns baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle2024-07-0316 minCrooked Letter SportsChris Harris, the excellent communications director and play-by-play broadcaster of the Mississippi Braves joins the pod to talk about the last season of the Mississippi Braves.A veteran of 15 years in the business of minor league baseball, Tennessee native Chris Harris is experiencing perhaps the most unusual year of his career. We talk Mississippi Braves baseball, Atlanta Braves baseball and the College World Series.2024-06-2640 minCrooked Letter SportsA U.S. Open to remember (and one Rory McIlroy surely would love to forget)For three rounds and 15 holes of the fourth round, Rory McIlroy made every single short putt he stood over. Then, he didn’t. And when McIlroy faltered, Bryson DeChambeau came through with one of the greatest sand saves in U.S. Open history. The Clevelands also discuss the SEC-dominated College World Series, the trials and tribulations of the Atlanta Braves and the NBA Champion Boston Celtics.2024-06-1924 minCrooked Letter SportsIt’s U.S. Open Week and Mr. Golf Randy Watkins joins to discuss whether anybody on the planet can beat Scottie Scheffler right now.The U.S. Open will be played at Pinehurst No. 2 this week. It’s a golf course with which Randy Watkins is extremely familiar. Watkins says it will be a test, even for Scottie Scheffler. Today’s discussion also covers the College World Series, the bidding war the L.A. Lakers lost to UConn, and Hurston Waldrep’s debut with the Atlanta Braves. 2024-06-1237 minCrooked Letter SportsThe NCAA Regional wrap-up podcast.NCAA Super Regionals are this weekend but Mississippi will not be represented for the first time in a while. Both Mississippi State and Southern Miss lost out in the finals of their prospective regionals. The Clevelands discuss all that, plus venerable Coastal Carolina coach Gary Gilmore’s parting words to college baseball. 2024-06-0521 minCrooked Letter SportsMatthew Russo of the red-shot Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles joins the pod.After one of the busiest baseball weekends of the year, Southern Miss first baseman Matthew Russo – one of the hottest players on one of the hottest teams in college baseball – joins the podcast to discuss the Golden Eagles’ Sun Belt Conference championship and upcoming NCAA Regional at Knoxville. There’s plenty more to discus, including Davis Riley’s PGA Tour victory.2024-05-2926 minCrooked Letter SportsTournament Time for Mississippi Baseball.The SEC Tournament is underway in Birmingham. The Sun Belt Tournament has begun in Montgomery. And, closer to home, the MHSAA State Tournament has begun at Trustmark in Pearl. The Cleveland boys have thoughts on all of it, but not before Tyler tells his dad, “See, I told you so.”2024-05-2222 minCrooked Letter SportsIn or out (of the NCAA Tournament)? Ole Miss baseball Rebels, hot of late, have some work to do. State’s in, and could host. Southern Miss looks solidly in as well barring a collapse. College baseball’s regular season is in its last week, which means baseball bracketology is a popular activity. State needs to finish strong to become a Regional host. Southern Miss probably has already punched its ticket as a 2- or 3-seed. Ole Miss, playing its best baseball presently, needs victories, period. Meanwhile, the State High School softball tournament is this week in Hattiesburg, and the state baseball tournament comes to Trustmark Park in Pearl next week.2024-05-1519 minCrooked Letter SportsIt’s crunch time in both college and high school baseball.We are into the second week of May, which means the college and high school baseball seasons have reached the point where every pitch matters. At present, Mississippi State is a likely 2-seed, Southern Miss is a 3-seed and Ole Miss is on the outside looking in. The Rebels, however, can change that this weekend in when No. 1 ranked Texas A&M comes to Oxford. Also, Tyler gives the lowdown on all the high school baseball playoff action. 2024-05-0824 minCrooked Letter SportsNFL referee and Pascagoula native Sarah Thomas talks football, family and healthIt’s been a wild ride for Sarah Thomas since she first walked into a high school football officials’ meeting. The first woman to officiate a college football game, a college bowl game, an NFL game and a Super Bowl joins the show to talk about her career, the grind of working in pro football and the pressure of being a trailblazer. 2024-05-0134 minCrooked Letter SportsMississippi Sports Hall of Famer Jay Powell joins the pod to talk – what else? – baseball.Mississippi State baseball great Jay Powell won Game 7 of the World Series, among many other career highlights and then had his career ended by one of the most gruesome arm injuries in baseball history. Who better to talk about the alarming rate of pitching injuries in MLB and college baseball than Powell?2024-04-2436 minCrooked Letter SportsIt’s Scottie Scheffler’s world and the rest of us golf in it, plus college baseball, the WNBA draft and Lane Kiffin’s brand of spring football.His Masters performance reinforces Scheffler’s role as golf's No. 1 guy, but watch out for Ludvig Aberg. Plus, Ole Miss baseball team shows that reports of its early demise were greatly exaggerated. And Kiffin shows what many of us have suspected all along: Spring football games are a waste of energy.2024-04-1729 minCrooked Letter SportsIt’s Master’s Week, so, naturally Mississippi’s Mr. Golf, Randy Watkins, joins the podcastFormer PGA Tour player and national junior champion Randy Watkins talks Masters favorites and joins in a discussion about the recent NCAA naitonal championship basketball games. 2024-04-1041 minCrooked Letter SportsTalking Final Fours, college and high school baseball and Mississippians on PGA Golf Tour….We’ve got two compelling Final Fours coming up this weekend and the women’s version might be the more interesting of the two. It certainly has more star power. There’s also plenty to talk about with college baseball, college baseball recruiting and a good week for Mississippians on the PGA Tour. 2024-04-0320 minCrooked Letter SportsThe Women Take Center StageWith both the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments in full swing, it feels like the women are stealing the show. Caitlin Clark, Juju Watson and Mississippi’s own Madison Booker are quickly becoming household names nationwide. The Cleveland boys weigh in from Breckenridge, where it won’t stop snowing. 2024-03-2718 minCrooked Letter SportsExploring the baseball factory known as Lewisburg.The Desoto County town of Lewisburg can lay claim to being the baseball capital of Mississippi. The defending state champion Lewisburg High Patriots, with a roster that includes 13 Division I baseball signees, currently rank No. 10 nationally and play a regional schedule of national powerhouses. Coach Rusty Cagle joins the podcast to discuss his team. 2024-03-2028 min
Terry’s Talkin’Who the Cavs should want in the first round; predicting the Guardians lineup; why Tyler HuntleyHighlights:
00:00 Introduction
01:31 State of the Cavs
04:10 Cavs' Playoff Hopes
05:17 Cavs' Roster and Marcus Morris
06:22 Cavs' Playoff Matchups
20:24 Listener Question and Guardians' Lineup
25:18 Guardians' Bullpen Concerns
28:23 Guardians' Starting Rotation
29:59 James Winston and the Browns
34:10 Tyler Huntley and the Browns' Quarterback Situation
35:18 Why the Browns Didn't Go After Justin Fields
36:48 Preparing Deshaun Watson for the Season
37:28 The Importance of Having Multiple Quarterbacks
38:34 Joshua Dobbs' Signing and the Browns' Quarterback Options
42:02 The Importance of Pre-Snap Motion in the Browns' Offense
43:16 The Perception of Kevin Stefanski
44:35 Terry's Faith & You column: Memories of a Student in Cleveland
48:21 Another in our series of letters...2024-03-191h 07Crooked Letter SportsTouching all bases: football, baseball and basketball with interesting news all around.We’re at that time of the sports year when all sports seem to converge. In Mississippi, there are big doings in all three major sports.2024-03-1324 minCrooked Letter SportsOut of the gym and into the yardRick and Tyler recount the week that was at the MHSAA and MAIS state basketball championships and take a look ahead to the upcoming college baseball and basketball weekend2024-03-0630 minCrooked Letter SportsBalls are bouncing all over town…The MHSAA and MAIS State Tournaments are in the Jackson metro area this week and the Crooked Letter Cleveland boys are all over it. Every game is an emotion-packed passion play in which dreams are both realized and dashed. And that’s not all. This week’s discussion includes college basketball, college baseball, and the amazing story of Jackson Prep baseball phenom Konnor Griffin, who could be a multi-millionaire soon after he turns 18.2024-02-2822 minCrooked Letter SportsEgg Bowl Basketball With their sneakers planted firmly on the NCAA Basketball Tournament bubble, the Ole Miss Rebels and Mississippi State Bulldogs meet Wednesday night for Round 2 of Egg Bowl basketball. The game is always important, but this one really matters to each team’s post-season hopes. Also, the high school basketball championship tournament heats up and college baseball is officially underway. 2024-02-2120 minCrooked Letter SportsMississippi at the Super Bowl.Patrick Mahomes was the MVP and the cameras were often on Taylor Swift, but there was plenty of Magnolia State on display at the Super Bowl. Mississippi State alum Chris Jones dominated for the victorious Chiefs on the defensive line. Jackson State’s Sonic Boom made a surprise halftime appearance with Usher, and there was more. Also, all hail Patrick Williams, Pro Football Hall of Fame-bound. 2024-02-1423 minCrooked Letter SportsA busy February in Mississippi sports…plus a Taylor Swift/Super Bowl rant…It was a bad weekend to be a Mississippi college basketball fan, and it’s a bad week to be an NFL fan, if you hate Taylor Swift, as apparently many do. 2024-02-0726 minCrooked Letter SportsAnd then there were two, the Chiefs and the 49ers…The Clevelands recap the NFL conference championship games and look ahead to the Super Bowl, plus some college basketball thoughts. Father and son agree on two things: Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the game, and all the fuss about Taylor Swift is comical. 2024-01-3124 minCrooked Letter SportsIt happens every 32 years or so, an amateur wins a PGA Tour Tournament, and Nick Dunlap just did it.Just-turned-20-year-old amateur Nick Dunlap shot 29 under par this past weekend to win the PGA Tour’s American Express Classic in the desert this past weekend and Jacksonian Wilson Furr had an up close and painful look at history being made. Randy Watkins joins us to discuss the achievement and also Furr’s medical issues in his first event as a PGA Tour pro. 2024-01-2432 minCrooked Letter SportsRemembering a frigid day in Chicago with Walter Payton and his sweet mama, plus a whole lot more.The arctic temps in mid-Mississippi bring back some memories, plus a college basketball update, a look at the NFL playoffs, an homage to Nick “The GOAT” Saban, the college coaching merry-go-round, and Wilson Furr’s PGA Tour debut.2024-01-1725 minCrooked Letter SportsSmash-mouth football rules the day as Michigan claims national championship.Most college football teams play an offensive style that pundits have started calling basketball on grass. They spread the field, go fast, and throw it constantly. But Michigan showed Monday that old school smash mouth football, on both sides of the ball, still can win games and championships. The Michigan offensive and defensive lines mauled Washington. The Clevelands also discuss the Saints winning – and losing – on the same day and a promising college basketball season in Mississippi. 2024-01-1028 minCrooked Letter SportsHappy New Year: It’s Michael Penix’s world, and we get to watch.Like most of America, we watched college football all day and all night on the first day of 2024. The takeaway: Washington quarterback Michael Penix stole the New Year’s Day show. Meanwhile, Ole Miss will be in the hunt in 2024. 2024-01-0337 minCrooked Letter SportsStories from the sports writing road, holiday edition.For sports writers, sometimes the trips to cover the games are more interesting than the games themselves, especially for two sports writers named Cleveland with classic cases of attention deficit disorder.2023-12-2735 minCrooked Letter SportsSigning Day story lines, an Ole Miss-Southern Miss basketball preview, and how ‘bout dem Saints?The high school football season is in the history books, which means it’s time for the best, biggest, and fastest to decide where they are going to play college ball. The Cleveland boys discuss National Signing Day, as well as Saturday’s Ole Miss-Southern Miss basketball game at Biloxi, the New Orleans Saints’ playoff hopes (yes, they still have some), and a whole lot more.2023-12-2026 minCrooked Letter SportsCatching up on basketball; getting ready for Mississipppi-Alabama All-Star footballWe’re nearing Christmas and Ole Miss basketball is undefeated. Nevertheless, Mississippi State, with freshman sensation Josh Hubbard, is ranked higher despite two losses and Southern Miss is playing better with two straight victories. Meanwhile, Mississippi will be a decided underdog in the Mississippi-Alabama high school all-star game Saturday in Hattiesburg. 2023-12-1327 minCrooked Letter SportsOak Grove state championship coach Drew Causey joins the podcast, which covers so much going on in Mississippi sports.The Oak Grove Warrior defeated Starkville in an exciting Class 7A State Championship game to cap a huge weekend of high school football. Warrior coach Drew Causey, who hasn’t slept much since, joins to discuss the big game and his second state title. The Clevelands also discuss the college football playoffs, the Ole Miss-Penn State Peach Bowl matchup and a whole lot more. 2023-12-0633 minCrooked Letter SportsSo much to talk about: Lebby, the Ole Miss-Missouri controversy, the Southern Miss overhaul, the Iron Bowl Miracle, Georgia-Alabama, Patrick Shegog and a fabulous State Championships slate.This might be the most newsy week of the football season, so the Cleveland boys have plenty to cuss and discuss. 2023-11-2932 minCrooked Letter SportsEgg Bowl: Anything can happen but history tells us the best team usually wins.The Egg Bowl Thanksgiving night headlines a huge week of football that also includes Delta State going for its second win in the DII championship playoffs, Southern Miss hosting Troy, and the semifinal games of the State High School playoffs. And then comes the C Spire Conerly Trophy, which the Clevelands see as a two-person race. 2023-11-2222 minCrooked Letter Sports“They are paying him how much not to coach?” Last Saturday night, Texas A & M slaughtered Mississippi State 51-10. On Sunday, Texas A & M announced it was firing head coach Jimbo Fisher, who the Aggies will have to pay $76 million not to coach. On Monday, Mississippi State fired Zach Arnett. The Clevelands discuss college football’s crazy season, the upcoming weekend games, and the high school playoffs. 2023-11-1524 minCrooked Letter SportsOle Miss-Georgia: Biggest game in years.Tenth-ranked Ole Miss plays at top-ranked Georgia on Saturday in the biggest game involving a Mississippi football team in years. The Cleveland boys take a look at the game from a historical standpoint and at the various matchups. When it comes right down to it, how do you pick against 42 and 1? Other topics include Southern Miss and Mississippi State football, as well as the Saints and the high school football playoffs. 2023-11-0825 minCrooked Letter SportsThe Mississippi high school football playoffs are underway, and that makes the two Clevelands happy boys.The Mississippi high school football playoffs, which will wind up in Oxford later this month, are underway. The Clevelands talk about all the possibilities in play this year and who some of the favorites are. We also talk college football and the local Fox affiliates' decision to not show the New Orleans Saints. Hint: We did not like it. 2023-11-0130 minCrooked Letter SportsSo much happening: Football, baseball, volleyball and, now, basketball…Volleyball is on the rise in Mississippi, as witnessed by the state high school championships this past weekend. Ole Miss and State get big football victories and look for more. And both the World Series and the basketball season are upon us. And maybe, just maybe, Covid is behind us in the Cleveland family. 2023-10-2532 minCrooked Letter SportsWelcome to the Big League, Wilson Furr…Jackson, Mississippi’s own Wilson Furr recently became one of the 30 newest members of the PGA Tour with his play over the last two months on the Korn Ferry Tour. Furr joins the podcast to discuss what it feels like when a life-long dream comes true. The Cleveland boys also discuss the college football season and pivotal matchups this Saturday for Ole Miss and Mississippi State.2023-10-1825 minCrooked Letter SportsBuying or selling the Rebels?The Ole Miss Rebels are 5-1 at the midway point in the season, climbing as high as No. 13 in the national polls. With Rick on vacation, Tyler is joined by WJTV sports anchor Blake Levine to discuss the Rebels’ rise, the Saints’ latest win and the Atlanta Braves’ post-season prospects. 2023-10-1123 minCrooked Letter SportsA fall sports bonanzaWith the fall in full roar, it’s hard to touch on everything going on in the Mississippi sports world, but the Cleveland boys will try. Ole Miss picks up a huge win over LSU, the Sanderson Farms Championship returns to Jackson and Rick reflects on his late friend Willie Morris and his induction into the Southern Miss Alumni Hall of Fame. 2023-10-0425 minCrooked Letter SportsDelta State is 4-0, and Coach Todd Cooley joins the podcast…It was a dark Saturday for Mississippi’s Big School football teams. Ole Miss, State, and Southern Miss all lost, but Todd Cooley’s Delta State Statesmen won again to move to 4-0, headed into the meat of their Gulf South Conference schedule. Patrick Shegog leads the way for the high-scoring Statesmen. 2023-09-2726 minCrooked Letter SportsFootball, football, football…From a big night of high school football on Friday night, through the Saints victory over the Carolina Panthers on Monday night, there was plenty to cuss and discuss on a huge football weekend. And guess what? The Saints are 2-0 for the first time in 10 years and the Ole Miss Rebels are 3-0 headed to Alabama.2023-09-2033 minCrooked Letter SportsDavid Eckert joins the podcast to talk Ole Miss football.David Eckert, the Clarion Ledger’s excellent Ole Miss beat reporter, and Rick Cleveland both attended the Ole Miss-Tulane game in New Orleans Saturday. Tyler C. watched on TV. The three discuss the Rebels’ closer-than-it-sounds 37-20 victory and what the future might hold for Lane Kiffin’s Rebels.2023-09-1329 minCrooked Letter SportsRemembering Jimmy Buffett; hailing Oak Grove WarriorsThe Oak Grove Warriors last weel became the first Mississippi football team to ever knock off perennial Alabama powerhouse Hoover. Oak Grove coach Drew Causey joins the podcast to talk about the victory and his talented Warriors. Also, the Cleveland boys remember Jimmy Buffett, the Mississippian who parleyed his passion and his talent into billionaire status and made people smile all along the way.2023-09-0629 minCrooked Letter SportsFootball is here!The Cleveland boys watched their first high school football games of the season last week and head full throttle into college football this coming weekend. At first glance, Oak Grove and Picayune look like powerhouse teams, which is nothing new for either.2023-08-3022 minCrooked Letter SportsLegendary Mississippi high school football coach Mike Justice joins the pod.Mike Justice coached in north Mississippi, central Mississippi and south Mississippi. He coached tiny schools and big schools. One constant: Wherever he went, wherever he coached, he won and won big. With the 2023 season fast approaching, the football coach-turned-champion golfer and bass fisherman joins the Clevelands to talk football.2023-08-1638 min
Press Box Access: A Sports History PodcastRick Cleveland: “They Didn’t Seem to Have as Much Fun as Sportswriters.”We head down South on this episode with Rick Cleveland, who has been named Mississippi Sportswriter of the Year a record 14 times. He discusses how sports helped to finally end segregation in his home state during his career of nearly 60 years. Rick shares anecdotes about Walter Payton, Brett Favre, and Archie Manning – father of Peyton and Eli – before and after they left Mississippi and became NFL stars. He recalls witnessing Tiger Woods winning the Masters for the first time. He tells us about point guard Ruthie Bolton, one of 20 children in her family, winning an Olympic gold medal. And Rick...2023-03-0157 min