Friday, May 11, 2018   
 
Murals gaining popularity around Starkville
Look around Starkville and it's clear to see that murals are becoming an increasingly popular way to add flair to the city. Several new murals have popped up around the city in recent months, including on the side of the future Gondolier Italian and Pizza restaurant on Russell Street, on a retaining wall by First United Methodist Church on Lampkin Street, the side of the Spruill Property Management office building and notably on the side of Restaurant Tyler. The mural on the side of Restaurant Tyler, which was temporary art put up in pieces like a billboard, rather than a traditional painted mural, is starting to peel, and is expected to be removed soon. However, the mural, which focuses on Mississippi State University's men's and women's basketball programs with the message "Together we are Stronger," helped spark the mural movement around the city.
 
MSMS Students Present End Of The Year Capstone Research Projects
A year's worth of work comes down to one day for students at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science. After spending countless hours gathering information and data, on Thursday, students had the chance to present their end of the year capstone research projects. Twenty-nine students presented projects. During the showcase, students presented their work to their fellow classmates, teachers and faculty, and their mentors who helped them during this project. MSMS partnered with the Mississippi State University during this year's Research Symposium.
 
City to consider parking ordinance for residential areas
The Starkville Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to hold a public hearing to consider an ordinance pertaining to parking in residential areas during its last meeting. Due to advertising the public hearing for residents, the first public hearing won't be held until the June 5 meeting. The public hearing came to fruition after Ward 5 Alderman Patrick Miller hosted town hall meetings with his constituents. He said during those town hall meetings, parking in residential areas was a "consistent point of discussion." Miller said he has seen a problem with parking across the board in residencies, and felt it was time to address the issue. In particular, Miller said residents were seeing problems in areas like Oktibbeha Gardens, Briarwood, Edgewood Drive and East Pointe Drive.
 
Housing Authority reveals location of potential new Pecan Acres
The Starkville Housing Authority revealed the location of the potential new Pecan Acres development during its meeting on Thursday. The location, which was previously undisclosed due to a confidentiality agreement, is located on Highway 182 across from Longs Lake by Talley Ho Road. Attorney Johnny Moore proposed a plan to the Starkville Board of Aldermen in April where a 70,000-square foot replica of Pecan Acres could be built in an area approved by the Fair Housing Administration. Moore said the plan would be to take Pecan Acres' previous location and put approximately $150 million worth of infrastructure and development on the property. As for the residents, Moore said the units would be built before moving the residents in. Residents will not be displaced for any period of time.
 
OCH concludes presentations with potential affiliates
The OCH Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees took another step closer to reaching a decision on a potential affiliate after hosting its last presentation on Thursday. The three potential affiliates Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation, University of Mississippi Medical Center and North Mississippi Health Services Inc. each gave a presentation in executive session to answer a list of questions provided by the trustees. Chair of the OCH Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees Linda Breazeale said the presentations from each entity provided the opportunity for them to answer questions and to clarify their role as an affiliate. "We were listening for what's in it for us, and for our community and what's in it for them," Breazeale said. "If a hospital wants to affiliate with us, basically we want to know why."
 
GOP congressional candidates to attend forum in Meridian
East Mississippi residents will have an opportunity to hear from the six Republicans who are seeking to represent Mississippi's 3rd Congressional District in the House of Representatives during a Republican candidate forum planned Wednesday, May 23. The forum is sponsored by Lauderdale County Republicans and presented by WTOK-TV and The Meridian Star. Republican candidates Sally Doty, Morgan Dunn, Michael Guest, Whit Hughes, Perry Parker and Katherine "Bitzi" Tate have accepted invitations to attend the two-hour forum, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. May 23 in Meridian Community College's McCain Theater. Candidates will each make opening and closing statements and be questioned by reporters from WTOK and The Meridian Star and two political analysts. Syndicated columnist Sid Salter will be the moderator.
 
Lynn Fitch to run for AG as David McRae eyes Treasurer
Two Madison countians announced this week they are seeking statewide office in 2019. State Treasurer Lynn Fitch announced Tuesday during a meeting with the Madison County Republican Women that she will run for Attorney General in 2019. Meanwhile, David McRae announced this week plans to run again for State Treasurer. McRae lost to Fitch last cycle for the GOP nomination. Fitch said her current focus is on her job as Treasurer, and that a formal announcement will be made at the appropriate time. "But today, I can confirm that I am running for Attorney General," she said. McRae says he'll bring his private sector background in finance to promote fiscal responsibility.
 
Trump Administration cools on Mississippi Medicaid work requirements
For months, Mississippi's application for a program that would require certain Medicaid recipients to work has been considered a lock by supporters and opponents of the program. But last week the Trump Administration walked back support for the waivers in states like Mississippi that have opted out of Medicaid expansion, placing a question mark over a controversial program that has the strong support of Gov. Phil Bryant. Last week Seema Verma, administrator for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, warned non-expansion states that their waiver applications would need to include a plan to avoid the "subsidy cliff," in which a person earns too much to keep their Medicaid coverage and too little to qualify for a tax credit on the insurance exchange.
 
Mississippi Book Festival: Pulitzer Prize-Winner Jon Meacham to appear with Karl Rove
Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize winning author, and Karl Rove, political strategist, author, and commentator, will discuss Meacham's optimistic message for a divided America in his newest book, The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels, at the Mississippi Book Festival Aug. 18. The new work, in which he takes an encouraging look at the nation's resilient past, is Meacham's eighth book. Citing America's current cultural and political rifts and the roles of past Presidents who guided the country through earlier difficult periods, Meacham draws on their challenges to make his case for hope for America's present day, as well as its future. During his forty-plus years in politics, Karl Rove has been a major factor in the rise of the Republican Party. In addition to the many campaigns he has run and candidates he has advised, he was tapped by President George W. Bush to serve as his Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor.
 
Mississippi blasts federal report saying Diamondhead Water should repay $20M in Katrina aid
The Office of Inspector General says FEMA should force the Diamondhead Water and Sewer District to repay $20.4 million in Hurricane Katrina recovery grant money. But Lee Smithson, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, called the report "yellow journalism" and "sensationalism" by OIG based on a partial audit. "I feel very confident FEMA will go in and examine things and not recommend the money be de-obligated," Smithson said. "... It's frustrating. Nowhere is the $20.4 million specifically questioned in the (OIG) report, yet they recommend it be deobligated." Diamondhead Water and Sewer District Chairman David Boan did not immediately return a call for comment late Thursday.
 
Loyalty, uneasy in Trump's Midwest
After eight years of displeasure with the presidency of Barack Obama and faced with a choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, Dennis Schminke of Austin, Minn., didn't have to think hard about how he would vote in 2016. A retired corporate manager, a staunch conservative and a county Republican official, he supported the New York businessman. Since then, there has not been a day that Schminke wished that Clinton, rather than Trump, were president. But week by week, month by month, as he has watched the events of Trump's presidency, he has become increasingly conflicted and concerned about what he has seen. Schminke lives in a section of the Upper Midwest that responded enthusiastically to Trump, as a candidate and an incoming president. In this region, the Trump presidency is viewed as both reassuring and exhausting, a welcome poke in the eye at elites and the Washington power structure coupled with endless and often self-inflicted distractions. What is also apparent is that, 16 months into Trump's presidency, many voters here have recalibrated their feelings and intensity of support for the man they backed in 2016.
 
Federal Employees Face Cuts To Retirement Benefits And Pay Freezes
Federal employees can be forgiven for feeling whiplashed by the Trump administration. The president has proclaimed this to be Public Service Recognition week, acknowledging the nations' civil servants for "their hard work and willingness to serve their fellow citizens." A group of outstanding federal workers were recognized at a breakfast this week, sponsored by the Partnership for Public Service. Among them was Dr. Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, a 37-year employee at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, who now works in autism research. She said she's had a rewarding career, working for the government. While Yeargin-Allsopp feels rewarded by her work, the Trump administration is considering changes that might make federal work less rewarding, including a $143.5 billion cut in federal retirement benefits that would affect current and future retirees. In addition, the administration wants to freeze salaries next year, and is considering a broader overhaul of civil service laws, all of which has public-employee groups nervous.
 
Gulfport man inspired by daughter follows her lead after becoming 'dad' to 14 USM students
As a 54-year-old "nontraditional" student, Brian Henrie has become a father figure to the 14 students in his social work cohort at The University of Southern Mississippi. Within his own family, though, he's just trying to keep up with his daughter, Sam -- and ahead of his granddaughter, Hayley. Henrie, a Gulfport native, will earn his master of social work degree later this week, a year after graduating with his bachelor of social work. Henrie took classes at both the main campus in Hattiesburg and the University's Gulf Park campus in Long Beach. Though he won't attend this year's ceremony in Biloxi because of a family commitment, he can look back at last year's commencement, a family affair in which Sam received her MSW one year after her BSW.
 
Mother, son to share Itawamba Community College graduation stage on Saturday
Sometimes, life gets in the way. There are circumstances beyond our control and family commitments take priority over personal goals. This is what happened to Joanne Weith when she attended Itawamba Community College the first time, about 20 years ago. After her mother passed away suddenly, Weith took care of her father and soon became a newlywed herself. With these additional responsibilities, she set her books aside. On Saturday, Weith will have the opportunity to do something she could not have imagined possible back then, all thanks to an email she received unexpectedly a few months ago. Weith will receive her diploma. Making the occasion even more special, she will receive the diploma alongside her son, Joshua Sisk, who is also graduating from Itawamba Community College.
 
Local octogenarian graduates from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
She's a family matriarch, a devout Christian, a world traveler, and on Thursday she graduated from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. For Vancleave's Barbara Smith, graduation is about pomp and circumstance and perseverance. Barbara is getting her Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College diploma as the epitome of a non-traditional student at the seasoned age of 81. "My mother died in April of 2010. So, I had no responsibility, and I wanted to go to college. So, I went," Smith said. As you can imagine, the journey wasn't easy. But Barbara took a few classes at a time at the Jackson County Campus until she had enough credits to graduate.
 
Auburn School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences to offer degree in biomaterials packaging
Auburn University's School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences will launch a new biomaterials and packaging degree this fall to prepare students for in-demand careers using sustainable forest biomaterial for product packaging and more. Alabama's forest production and processing industry contributes nearly $21 billion to the state's economy and positions it to be a leader in the development of a sustainable bio-based economy that includes wood processing, chemicals and energy, and bioplastics. "Environmental concerns and evolving technologies are moving companies toward the use of sustainable forest biomaterial for everything from packaging, cosmetics and automobiles to appliances, pharmaceuticals and commercial construction," said Janaki Alavalapati, dean of the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.
 
Davenport's firing: Do female higher ed leaders face uglier, more public terminations than men?
When University of Tennessee President Joe DiPietro hired Beverly Davenport in 2016 as UT-Knoxville's first female chancellor, he praised her as "a talented woman who has lots of experience." He shared confidence in her ability to handle diversity and Title IX issues, and her ability to hire good leaders. She was the most experienced and qualified candidate, he said. DiPietro had no such praise when he issued a termination letter two weeks ago, ending her chancellor tenure after 14 ½ months. DiPietro criticized Davenport's communication skills and her lack of accountability, organization and strategic vision, among other things. "This is a train wreck," said Jack Stripling, senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education. "This is a really bad look for the university, and there may be some method to the madness that I'm not privy to. But the national reaction is that you have a woman leader who made some big mistakes, no question, but who seemed to be beloved by a lot of people on her campus, and she's been kicked to the curb in a profoundly undignified way."
 
Outgoing U. of Tennessee board stands by Joe DiPietro
The outgoing members of the University of Tennessee board on Thursday stood with the system president Joe DiPietro after his controversial decision to fire Beverly Davenport, the chancellor of UT's flagship campus in Knoxville. DiPietro cited communication and management problems when he fired Davenport last week, a move that was met with derision from some corners of UT Knoxville. Students protested and the Faculty Senate on Monday voted to censure DiPietro's actions. During a special called meeting in Nashville, the board upheld their long-standing support for the system president. It was one of the last acts from this 26-member board. A completely new, smaller board will start work in less than two months, part of a massive leadership shift at UT.
 
U. of South Carolina graduates will need grit, adaptability, to survive in gig economy, experts say
This year's graduates of the University of South Carolina may not have the word "business" written on their degrees, but experts say they'll need an entrepreneur's mind if they want to succeed in the modern economy. That's because employers are increasingly relying on contractors, freelancers or consultants for work that was once done by full-time employees. And workers who once would have been employees working a nine-to-five shift are now entrepreneurs working for multiple "clients." It's a model referred to as "the gig economy" or "independent work," and between 20-30 percent of the working age population in America and Europe partake in it, according to a study from The McKenzie Global Institute.
 
Online Programs Gain Users in Arkansas
LaTonya Cockrell is one of Michael Moore's favorite success stories. The success, of course, is Cockrell's, but Moore loves what her story illustrates about the power of online learning. Moore is chief academic and operating officer at eVersity, the University of Arkansas System's online-only university, and loves to show how the availability of online education can change lives. The whole campus thing wasn't going to work for me," Cockrell said. "I'm a single mother and was working a full-time job." Cockrell mentioned her college dream to Chris O'Cain, who manages the IT department at the Rockefeller Institute. O'Cain told her to check out eVersity, and Cockrell realized she could manage the tuition and the time demands. Cockrell, who had attended college in the early 1990s, earned an associate's degree and will graduate with a bachelor's degree in information technology in December.
 
No gun troubles yet, say Arkansas colleges; lawmakers hear mixed opinions
Guns on Arkansas college campuses haven't caused any notable problems during the first semester they've been allowed, a variety of administrators from the state's largest universities said at a legislative hearing Thursday on campus safety. Still, some campus law enforcement officials and lawmakers remain concerned about the pitfalls of allowing firearms at universities and inside dorm rooms. The college semester now winding down is the first since state firearms instructors began offering courses for the new enhanced concealed-carry licenses. The permits -- created by Act 562 of 2017 -- allow guns to be toted at public colleges and other public places previously off limits. "We have not seen an issue yet on campus -- I'm gonna knock on some wood here," Capt. Chris Bentley of the University of Central Arkansas Police Department told lawmakers on Thursday. Officials from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; Arkansas State University and a handful of other colleges from around the state echoed the same sentiment Thursday.
 
Amal Clooney charges Vanderbilt University's 2018 class to be courageous
Amal Clooney charged Vanderbilt University graduates on Thursday to be courageous, like Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. "Courage, as they say, is contagious," Clooney, a British international human rights lawyer, told Vanderbilt's 2018 senior class. "People who have had the courage to change their societies, in India, in South Africa, in the United States, inspire each other and create rights for future generations ... there is still much to do." During her 30-minute speech as the headliner of Vanderbilt's Senior Day celebration, Clooney shared it was her first-ever commencement speech and that there are many areas where Vanderbilt's graduates will be needed. Those included in the fight for women's, LGBT, press and immigrant rights. "Courage is needed more than ever," Clooney told the packed auditorium.
 
UGA workers turn out for fun and food at Staff Appreciation Day
Thousands of University of Georgia workers got a break from their routines Thursday as the university staged its fourth annual Staff Appreciation Day at the UGA Intramural Fields. Carpenters and computer techs, receptionists and research assistants mingled with high-profile administrators such as UGA Athletic Director Greg McGarity in the four-hour event as temperatures edged into the 80s on a sunny day. Young men and women who might have played on their college or high school sports teams a year or two ago lined up to try their hands at throwing baseballs, kicking soccer balls, shooting hoops or tossing touchdown passes at bouncy targets. Nearby, couples played miniature golf on a course painted in day-colors. Some also took the opportunity to see if they could ride a mechanical bouncing bulldog. As usual, the lunch line was long but fast-moving as people queued up for barbecue or a hamburger with sides from a Southern lunch spread laid out by Trump's Catering.
 
Loftin pay cut after critical 2017 audit of U. of Missouri
Former University of Missouri Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin was quietly relieved of administrative duties and took a pay cut of about $50,000 a year in July following a state audit critical of the deal he was given after resigning as chancellor in November 2015. The university never announced Loftin was being dismissed as director of National Security Research Development after state Auditor Nicole Galloway questioned the job's $35,000 stipend and $15,560 annual vehicle allowance in a report issued in March 2017. After July 1, Loftin became a professor of physics and is paid $344,250, 75 percent of his salary as chancellor, as stipulated in his separation agreement. In a follow-up report, Galloway praised the decision as an example of how the university responded to save money after her report questioned incentive payments, car allowances and other non-salary payments to top administrators.
 
Colleges are turning to women philanthropists as source of new money for fund-raising campaigns
Mildred Topp Othmer is not a household name, but the late benefactor enjoyed some renown in philanthropic circles. When she died in 1998, she left the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, her alma mater, $125 million in her will. The bequest made headlines back then because it was the largest ever single, private donation given to the university. But left unsaid was that Othmer had created her own wealth, independent of her husband. Last month, Dartmouth College announced a fund-raising campaign targeted at women donors. It has a goal of raising $1 million apiece from 100 alumnae. The launch of the gender-specific campaign, which is part of the college's overall $3 billion fund-raising campaign, reflects the growing "influence of women's philanthropy," according to the college. It's also an example of the increased recognition of a new and still largely untapped pool of money for institutions seeking to expand their donor base.
 
Federal panel's take on industry-recognized apprenticeships
President Trump last year issued an executive order calling for an expansion of apprenticeship opportunities while also increasing federal funding for such programs by roughly $100 million. The U.S. Department of Labor subsequently pulled together a 20-member task force of experts, including the secretaries of education, labor and commerce, to develop recommendations to make that expansion a reality. Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter and a senior White House adviser, was on the task force. Representing traditional higher education were Walter Bumphus, president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges, and Mark Rosenberg, president of Florida International University and chair of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
 
Duke's President Apologizes for Barista Firings That Followed Administrator's Complaint
Duke University's president, Vincent E. Price, apologized on Thursday for the recent firing of two baristas at a campus coffee shop, according to the student newspaper. In a written statement, Price noted "that we are not where we want to be as a university." The baristas, Britni Brown and Kevin Simmons, were dismissed last week after a complaint by the vice president for student affairs, Larry Moneta. He said that when he visited the coffee shop, they were playing a profane rap song "loudly," which was "inappropriate for a working environment that serves children, among others," according to a statement he released. In an email message to the campus, Price said several racially charged incidents there had played a role in the "absence of respect for others."
 
Report finds rapid growth in foreign-student work program
The number of international students taking advantage of a program that lets them stay in the U.S. and work after graduating increased dramatically between 2008 and 2016. A new report from the Pew Research Center found that the number of international students with degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics fields who participated in the optional practical training program grew by 400 percent after 2008, when the George W. Bush administration used executive rule making to extend the period for which STEM graduates could work from 12 months to 29 months. The Obama administration subsequently issued a rule extending that period by an additional seven months, so foreign graduates in STEM fields from American colleges can now work in the U.S. for up to three years after completing their programs while staying on their F-1 student visas.
 
Madison Central $500 student parking fee scheme so idiotic as to defy belief
The Clarion-Ledger's Geoff Pender writes: "Madison Central High School and the Madison Central Parent Teacher Organization came up with the biggest, most asinine kick in the teeth, punch in the gut, extended middle finger to taxpayers, parents and students to come down the pike in a long while. Here's the scheme, which they've sort of amended after outcry from grown-ups with some sense: Students at this PUBLIC, taxpayer-funded school would have reserved parking spaces based on how much money their parents pay to a PRIVATE organization. Let that sink in. I'll wait. ...Is this even legal -- a private organization being allowed to lease out public land to others at a profit? The attorney general's office said it could find no issued legal opinions that covered this. I understand that other public high schools in Mississippi are charging students for parking. That, in itself, seems wrong."


SPORTS
 
Strictly business: Gary Henderson returns to Lexington
Gary Henderson spent 14 years at Kentucky, serving as pitching coach and head coach of the Wildcats from 2003-16. Henderson returns to Lexington this weekend and the Mississippi State interim head coach emphasizes it will strictly be a business trip for his Bulldogs. "You'll see some friends and I had good relationships up there and it'll be nice to see some of those people for sure," Henderson said. "I'm proud of what some of the kids have done that we recruited while I was there. Those relationships are important and remain intact and are precious but you've got to go win baseball games." Henderson had his initial meeting against the Wildcats in Starkville last season while serving as MSU's pitching coach. The Diamond Dogs won the final two games of that series after losing the opener.
 
Mississippi State baseball continues postseason push at Kentucky
With postseason possibilities very much on the line, things aren't complicated for Mississippi State heading into the baseball season's final two regular season weekends. MSU (27-22, 11-13) battles No. 21 Kentucky (31-17, 11-13) on the road in a three-game series starting Friday night at 6:30 p.m. and Bulldogs center fielder Jake Mangum said the goal is incredibly simple, both for this weekend and in the days to come. "Just win every game," Mangum said. "We take every game one by one." It wasn't all that long ago that postseason baseball looked like it might not be in the cards for MSU this season. Headed into the month of April, Mississippi State sat at 14-15 overall and just 2-7 in Southeastern Conference action. The Bulldogs are 13-7 since, including a 9-6 mark in SEC games. Mangum credits much of MSU's resurgence to an improved offense that has been fueled by better approaches at the plate.
 
Familiar faces return to Lexington for UK's final regular-season series at The Cliff
The University of Kentucky baseball team returns to Lexington this weekend to host the final regular-season series in the history of Cliff Hagan Stadium, a three-game set with Mississippi State beginning Friday. The Cats are coming off a four-game road trip in which they went 2-2, dropping two of three games at Tennessee before edging nationally ranked Indiana 7-6 in Bloomington on Tuesday. UK and Mississippi State are currently tied for the No. 8 seed in the 12-team Southeastern Conference Tournament with 11-13 records in league play. If they win this weekend's series, the Wildcats should still have a shot at a top-four seed in the tournament, which would give them a bye into the double-elimination portion. There will be a familiar face in the Mississippi State dugout this weekend. Former University of Kentucky Coach Gary Henderson, who was replaced by Mingione before last season, is the Bulldogs' interim head coach.
 
Zach Neff enjoying best year yet at Mississippi State
Zach Neff was not happy with the way his career was going at Austin Peay. Neff pitched for the Governors for three seasons posting a 2-10 record and an earned run average of 6.55. Having graduated last spring, Neff decided to look around after a successful summer where he was named Pitcher of the Year in the Coastal Plain League with the Fayetteville SwampDogs. "I started to explore my options because my numbers at Austin Peay were not star-shining," Neff said. "But the summer that I had was more indicative of who I am and what I can do." Neff reached out to former Austin Peay teammate A.J. Gaura, who was named coordinator of player development last summer at Mississippi State, and the rest is history. The left-handed pitcher decided to play his final season for the Bulldogs.
 
How Jake Gautreau related to Mississippi State's early struggles, and helped fix them
The white No. 12 jersey with the blue letter U, red-striped S and blue A across the middle of it hangs inside a frame on the wall near the window of Jake Gautreau's office. A framed photograph of Gautreau in the blue version of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team uniform for 2000 sits atop a shelf a few inches away. On the other side of the room inside Mississippi State's Hall of Champions, there's a poster hanging on the wall from the 2001 college baseball world series, which featured Tulane, Gautreau's alma mater. What doesn't exist inside the Bulldogs' first-year hitting coach's office are any mementos from the time between the summer of 2001 and 2008. Empty prescription pill containers don't make for great décor, and no one frames jerseys of sub-.250 hitters in Triple-A. Discussing those days is essential, though. to understanding how Gautreau related to the struggles of Mississippi State's hitters earlier this season because his problems, like theirs, mostly stemmed from something he couldn't control. Gautreau was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis within a year after he was drafted.
 
Tennis anyone? Mississippi State men host NCAA regional
Every championship run has to start somewhere. For Mississippi State, the Bulldogs hope theirs is about to begin right on their own front porch. The 2018 NCAA Tennis Championship begins today and MSU is hosting first and second round matchups at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The first round opens at 10 a.m. Friday with second-seed Memphis (18-5) facing third-seeded South Alabama (14-9). Top-seed Mississippi State (20-2) will take on fourth-seeded Tennessee Tech (10-11) afterwards with a start time no sooner than 1 p.m. The Bulldogs believe playing amidst familiar surroundings gives them a decided edge headed into the weekend's action. "Courts play different when you go to different places, but we know this court so well that it gives us a really big advantage," MSU junior Travis Foshey said.
 
Lineup depth powers Mississippi State men's tennis team
Last year, Nuno Borges was a top-five player and the Mississippi State men's tennis team was on the road for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. This year, Borges still is one of the nation's best players and No. 6 national seed MSU is gearing up to play host to the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. MSU (20-2, 11-1 Southeastern Conference) couldn't have accomplished everything it has this season by relying only on Borges. The depth of coach Matt Roberts' lineup has been a key in the team's success. It will be on display Friday when top-seeded MSU plays host to Tennessee Tech not before 1 p.m. A win would move MSU into the second round against Memphis or South Alabama at 1 p.m. Saturday.
 
Nuno Borges can help Bulldogs in tennis with smarts, athletic ability
Nuno Borges has the athletic ability to beat most opponents that cross his path on the tennis court. If there are days when the Mississippi State junior may not be at his best physically, he can use the mental part of the game to his advantage. Borges can out-think other players as well as out-play them. The Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men's tennis has been one of the main reasons the Bulldogs have had such a successful season. MSU head men's tennis coach Matt Roberts calls Borges "a machine," but said he hasn't reached that status overnight. "He believes in himself, but it's been a process," Roberts said.
 
Mississippi State football coach Joe Moorhead visits with Vicksburg fans
Mississippi State made its first stop on the 2018 Road Dawgs tour on Thursday, coming by the Vicksburg Convention Center for a lunchtime stop. New football head coach Joe Moorhead was the headlining speaker, and reigning Miss Mississippi Anne Elizabeth Buys, opened the conference up with a short speech and a prayer. Moorhead said he was very excited to begin the tour in Vicksburg. The caravan continued on to a dinner in Cleveland later Thursday, and will include eight more stops around the southeast over the next week. "I'm excited to meet some Mississippi State alumni, fans of the program, spread the good word of Bulldog football, and this is a great way to kick it off," Moorhead said. Moorhead talked about his transition from offensive coordinator at Penn State to becoming the Bulldogs' head coach, and from living in the north to the south.
 
Phillip Fulmer on Beverly Davenport firing: Vols are 'moving forward'
Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer and Vols coaches offered a similar message Thursday in regard to last week's news that Chancellor Beverly Davenport had been fired: The Vols are moving forward. Fulmer said during a Big Orange Caravan stop the change in chancellor "won't affect" the athletic department. "I appreciate the contributions Beverly Davenport made," Fulmer said. "We had a good relationship, but that doesn't affect us. We're moving on as an athletic program." Women's basketball coach Holly Warlick said the news caught her by surprise but reiterated a message similar to Fulmer's. Fulmer and football coach Jeremy Pruitt have for the last several months talked about the importance of consistent leadership and having everyone at the university and around the program pulling in the same direction.
 
Former LSU star Booger McFarland to join Monday Night Football
The Monday Night Football broadcast will have some LSU flair this season, as former Tiger defensive tackle Booger McFarland is joining the new team. McFarland will be the broadcast's first field-level analyst, joining a group of Joe Tessitore and Jason Witten in the booth and Lisa Salters doing sideline reporting. McFarland was a four-year starter at LSU who was first-team All-America his senior year and ended his career No. 6 all-time in LSU history with 17 sacks. He was then a first-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played nine seasons in the NFL, winning two Super Bowls. In 2014, he joined ESPN as one of SEC Network's first commentators. His success there led to him working as a studio analyst for the ESPN on ABC college football team. The team's debut will be Sept. 10 when the Oakland Raiders play the Los Angeles Rams.
 
The Social Media Genius of Keith Hernandez
Before we get to Keith Hernandez and what a former sports star is to do after the glory of the field and, of course, the viral videos of his cat on social media, consider a few things. Hernandez, a first baseman, accomplished a lot on the baseball diamond: two World Series rings (with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982 and with the Mets in 1986), a Most Valuable Player Award in 1979 and other accolades. He has grown into a respected, amusing analyst of the team for broadcasts of their games on SportsNet New York. And, at 64, he has followed so many of his brethren into the book world, with a memoir coming out next week. But lately people really want to know about the cat.



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