Mississippi

"Confederate nostalgia" has been around since at least the days of WWI, and perhaps even before that. I have done enough microfilm research on that time period to know there were hundreds of 50th-anniversary "celebrations" held in small towns, both North and South, that were noted in contemporary newspapers between 1911-15.

There's never been a time -- really, since the end of the Civil War/Between the States -- when that era wasn't looked back on with a little romanticism by somebody.

And FWIW, you might not see a lot of Stars and Bars on the Oxford campus itself, but drive around much of the rural South and it won't take you long to find a flag somewhere on the road ...

 

Well, if you're in the southern part of the state, you've got the New Orleans Saints (for a little while longer, anyway) and the New Orleans Hornets (assuming they ever come back from Okie City). In the northern part of the state, you've got the Memphis Grizzlies. Jackson has Double-A baseball, although you have to cheer for the Minions of Satan's spawn. There's Triple-A baseball in NOLA and Memphis (the Z's have cheap beer nights in a fine, current-generation stadium and the Redbirds play in what's supposed to be one of the best parks in the country). There's Double-A ball in Mobile, again in a fine ballpark. And I won't waste your time with how great SEC baseball weekends are at Dudy Noble Field or Swayze Field, two great college environments.

On Saturdays, you can see at least one good SEC football team play in Starkville and Oxford. (Insert your own professional student-athlete joke here.) You can see a tough mid-major team in Hattiesburg every home game, although the big boys rarely visit. Again, in the southern part of the state, you're a couple hours from Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. Tuscaloosa's less than an hour east of the state line in the central part of the state. Mobile has the Senior Bowl, the premier college all-star game (although practices are more important than the game).

Other than that, you're right. Not much going on.

 

LIAR! When they play Kentucky, Vandy (usually) or each other, that's a false statement and you know it!

 

Del's got a good point. I would rather watch top-level college baseball than minor-league ball. The games all mean something and the atmosphere is really laid-back.

 

I've lived in your area, Gold ... and I grew up in the South.

I'm a pro sports guy myself, not so much college, so I do appreciate having all the major sports leagues around, where I'm at now. But if you think you can't get much of a sports fix, pro or otherwise, in Mississippi or anywhere else in the South, you gotta be kidding.

 

Aren't there good and bad things about every state?
New Jersey — Good: Jersey shore; Bad: Bon Jovi.
New York — Good: Papaya King; Bad: Hillary Clinton.
Pennsylvania — Good: Yuengling's; Bad: Scrapple.
California — Good: In-N-Out; Bad: Californians.
Delaware — Good: The wing-T; Bad: Everything else.
Nevada — Good: Las Vegas; Bad: Loughlin.
Florida — Good: St. Petersburg Beach; Bad: Disney.
Ohio — Good: Pro Football Hall of Fame; Bad: Chilli on spaghetti.
Alabama — Good: Alabama-vs.-Auburn; Bad: Mayonaise-based barbecue sauce.
West Virginia — Good: Morgantown; Bad: Wheeling.

You get the point.

 

Beg to fucking differ, other Buck.

Cincinnati-style chili is treeee-mendous.

 

sorry Buck, you're 0-for-2 with food. While I wouldnt eat it every time, that BBQ sauce isnt bad... and chili on sketti is good..

 

“To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi." -- William Faulkner

 

Nobody's stepping up to defend scrapple, though.

 

Is that similar to pork rinds?

 

No, chicharrones/pork rinds are good.
Scrapple is a disgusting pork mush made with pig scraps and corn meal. Here's a pretty complete description:

Scrapple is typically made of hog offal, such as the head, eyes, heart, liver, bladder, and other scraps, which are boiled with any bones attached (often the entire head), to make a broth. Once cooked, bones and fat are discarded, the meat is reserved, and (dry) cornmeal is boiled in the broth to make a mush. The meat, finely minced, is returned, and seasonings, typically sage, thyme, savory, and others, are added. The mush is cast into loaves, and allowed to cool thoroughly until gelled. The proportions and seasoning are very much a matter of the region and the cook's taste.