Rock M Nation

Mizzou Links, 5-17-12

2012-05-17T10:26:19Z

Mizzou Football Links

Well ... saw this one coming...

Berkstresser
The Trib: Berkstresser suspended after arrest

Missouri quarterback Corbin Berkstresser will indefinitely sit out team activities per a university policy that states athletes who have been charged with a felony or face a possible felony charge are automatically suspended, team spokesman Chad Moller confirmed Wednesday. […] If Boone County prosecutors decide to charge Berkstresser with a misdemeanor, he will have to apply for reinstatement before rejoining team activities, Moller said.

According to UM System rules for student conduct, if an athlete pleads guilty or is found guilty of a felony charge, the athlete is barred permanently from participation in athletics at any campus of the UM System.

KC Star: MU suspends Berkstresser
Post-Dispatch: MU suspends QB who was arrested
2013 Recruiting
PowerMizzou: Tiger Mailbag

JoeDec89 asks: Who do you think is the most underrated commit in the 2013 class so far and why? Also who do you think from the 2012 class besides DGB can have a impact as a freshman?

GD: I've never professed to being a talent scout. But the guy I hear the most about from people around Mizzou who isn't getting a ton of attention nationally is Jeff City linebacker Joe Burkett. I've heard some say they think Burkett is the best linebacker in the state of Missouri this year, even though he won't get the hype that Nick Ramirez and Eric Beisel will. As far as last year's guys, I think either Russell Hansbrough or Morgan Steward definitely plays as a freshman. I think Evan Boehm has a great shot to play. And partially because of the relative lack of depth at defensive tackle, I'm keeping my eye on Evan Winston, who certainly has the physical look of a D1 player.

Rivals.com: Rivals Spotlight: Anthony Sherrils
USA Football: Quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends selected for 2012 U.S. Under-19 National Team (look for a certain player whose name rhymes with Mint Mosick)
Gabs
SB Nation (Tampa Bay): Blaine Gabbert Has To Be The Jaguars Starter

Mizzou Basketball Links

2013 Recruiting
PowerMizzou: PMTV: Zach Coleman in action
PowerMizzou: Georgia duo hearing from Tigers

EXPANSIONAPALOOZA™ 2012

It Continues...
San Jose Mercury: Action/reaction: USA Today strikes again, Florida State to the Big 12 (?), Boise State's dilemma and non-news on Pac12Net

Mizzou Diamond Sports Links

Looks like there are a couple of Stubble Drive radio appearances in the works for this afternoon. Stay tuned!

Mizzou Softball
The Trib: Pressure is no problem
Mizzou Network: 1 on 1 with Ehren Earleywine
Mizzou Baseball
SimmonsField.com: Game Day: MU @ Kansas Jayhawks
SimmonsField.com: HI NOTES: The Numbers Game, MU Past & Future
MUtigers.com: Six Tigers Land on Academic All-Big 12 Team

Other

Making Sure Everybody Saw This...
SB Nation (Matt Ufford): Military Veterans: What's Your Favorite Sports Memory From Deployment?

Rock M Roundtable!

2012-05-16T20:55:21Z

Hey, hey! It's Wednesday!

1. Corbin Berkstresser is probably suspended, and Tavon Bolden is off the team. Which one of these two developments troubles you more?

2. So the Tremendous Stubble movement (okay, it's probably not actually a "movement," but it's fun to say) arose from a random Roundtable answer. What's the next Roundtable-based movement that will emerge? (And no, it cannot involve Jenna Haze.)

3. What's the greatest Tremendous Stubble prop bet you can think of that nobody has made yet?

4. It's Relegation Week at SB Nation! Not that it will ever happen in America, but if you had to bet your life on one sport adopting a promotion-and-relegation system in the States, which would it be?

SleepyFloyd7: 1 - Well, both. But the Berkstresser kerfuffle probably sets off more alarms for me. Mizzou has GOT to have a quality QB to play in the SEC. Monday night showed me that Corbin might not be the sharpest sandwich on the tree. Get well, Frank!

2 - "Sundresses for Co-Eds"?

3 - If Coach Earleywine gets tossed from a game, then rips 3rd base from the ground and throws it into center field, I will shave my beard like this:

4 - It should be Baseball. Might give some owners (ahem, Blavid Flass) the incentive to spend some cash.

ZouDave: 1 – Bolden, simply because it sounded like he had a great spring and we were counting on him to be a fixture at our weakest position. We’re just going to need someone to step up huge at safety at this point. We’ve had to move safeties up to play linebacker in past years (God bless Jarrell Harrison), maybe we have to consider formations where Gooden is lined up as a safety. I don’t know, I’m not a Dr. The Berkstresser thing certainly bothers me but not in a big way. The kid did something very stupid, and he’ll be punished, but in the end nobody is really any worse for the wear. He’ll pay a much bigger penalty that he would have had he just been honest, and he’ll learn from that, and this is his strike one (and in Pinkel’s mind, everyone starts with a 1-1 count. Pinkel’s system is rec league softball, apparently).

2 – Well if it can’t involve Jenna Haze then I don’t want to play.

3 – I haven’t looked to see what has been laid out there yet…is there anything like paying $50 per EE ejection?

4 – It would work best in baseball since there’s already so many teams. Really the thing holding it back is the stadiums of the smaller teams. If the Omaha Storm Chasers were all of sudden in MLB, they just can’t support those kinds of games and it would take too long to get the stadiums up to muster. By the time they did, Omaha would be back in AAA and would have this bigger stadium they can’t fill. But if the farm systems hadn’t been thought up in the 30s by Branch Rickey (top 3 most important non-players in professional baseball history, you can make the argument for #1) then I think that’s exactly where we’d have ended up.

Bill C.: 1. I really wanted to say Bolden, simply because it is the less-expected of the two answers. But as long as "Starting quarterback Ashton Glaser/Maty Mauk" is on the table for the Georgia game, my answer has to be Berkstresser. Bolden certainly had potential, but he was still only on the third string when spring practices ended. I think Kenronte Walker and Braylon Webb were going to be the starters anyway. But until we know that James Franklin is healthy, Berkstresser's absence is larger, even if Glaser looked good in the spring game.

2. I guess "Michael Atchison becomes Music Snob Laureate" is too obvious?

3. Since the seal has already been broken on the Fibbonacci sequence, I say we need something related to weekend attendance.

4. Before this week, my answer would have been MLB. But the simulation I did for a RELEGATION WEEK piece tomorrow has changed my mind. It would be absolutely perfect in both college football and college basketball. It would cut the bad weight from the top conferences (sorry, Indiana, Kansas and Washington State) and open up the door for higher levels of competition. It won't ever happen -- unless it was a decree straight from the top of the NCAA, it would require conferences to sign off, and the top conferences wouldn't -- but the structure, as defined today by Jason Kirk, would be incredible.

ZouDave: Did you just apologize to kansas (follow-up question, did you just capitalize kansas)?

For shame, William Rehnquist Shatner Connelly. For shame.

The Beef: Good morning all...all is quiet currently in "Two kids under 2" land...

And sorry if my response puts a ton of these > things into the email string...not sure what is going on with these stupid things.

I will side with Bill on this one. While I liked what Bolden may have ended up offering (first string nickel-back I believe at this point while being second string safety), the mere thought of Glaser/Mauk vs. UGA is tough. And considering Franklin will be coming off an injury...even if he is healthy, there is so much potential PT in that SELA game that it would be a shame for Berk to miss it.

The Tailgate Princess and The Veal College Fundraiser?

I am sure MCBoomofDoom (hey Boom) is sitting on some ridiculous prop bet, like offering $0.24 for every time Chelsea Thomas goes to the rosin bag

Baseball makes the most actual sense, but Dave is right about the stadium situaiton. I like the idea in college, but I imagine the conference TV deals would have something to say about it

Bill C.: The funny thing about the conference TV problem is, the more I think about it, the more I realize it isn't a problem. Major conferences would lose teams like Duke, Kansas, Iowa State and Ole Miss, teams that almost never play in a nationally-televised game anyway. The Pac-12 would lose USC-Arizona and gain USC-Boise State. The Big 12 would lose Iowa State-Oklahoma in favor of, UCF-Oklahoma (which is, at worst, a wash). Et cetera. The argument is one of many reasons why this will never happen, but it only feels like a problem.

The Beef: Though obviously we are speaking hypothetically, it is not a conference issue, but a school issue. You are right about the conference not caring, but since so much money is tied to the school via the conference TV deal, that is where the relagation would hurt the schools.

ghtd36: Happiness is starting your computer, flipping on TweetDeck, and having 18 "#TremendousStubble" Tweets waiting.

1- I think you've got to do with Berkstresser here. I'm not sure if you guys have heard, but the quarterback position is pretty important. That's not to say Mizzou is swimming in quality safety talent, but the prospect of throwing Ashton Glaser or Maty Mauk (with all due respect to those two gentlemen) out there in the SEC opener makes me want to curl up in the corner and nurse a bottle of your finest spirit.

2- ZouDave's sister and a soup kitchen. That's all I've got so far, come back to me.

3- I'm still waiting for someone to offer one insane jackpot prop bet. For example, for the longest time, I remember the longest odds on the Super Bowl being for a safety, because safeties never happen. And, sure enough, when Tom Brady was called for intentional grounding in the end zone in this year's Super Bowl, it paid off at 60-1, a huge amount for any NFL game. So, I'm waiting for someone to put something like a $1,000 prop on Jenna Marston hitting a walk-off homer off the foul pole.

4- I think college football is your obvious choice here. Anyone who watched the FCS title game between Sam Houston State (GO KATS) and North Dakota State has to think that they can beat New Mexico, Akron and Florida Atlantic.

ZouDave: I think instead of the relegation stuff we should do the College Football Championship like a title belt.

Fortunately, someone has already done this starting from 1972. Mizzou held the belt for 5 glorious defenses. Right now the belt is in West Virginia’s hands, so it’s likely going back to the Big XII for a spell.

KU Doug: 1 - There's a surname out there of "Berkstresser"? I think that's the development that troubles me most, because how did I not know that?

2 - Can it involve Jenna's lesser-known sister: Jessica Smog?

3 - Which softball player will grow tremendous stubble first.

4 - Maybe... MAYBE... relegation could work with hockey. But, only if the NHL gives up this pipe dream of having teams in the Sunshine Belt. You're a cold-weather sport, THE cold-weather sport for God's sake, it's okay! Embrace your inner-north, you know you want to. Have the core teams in Canda, the Northeast and Great Lakes region. You want to keep LA, St. Louis? Fine. But, seriously: Phoenix, Florida, Carolina, Nashville, Anaheim, Dallas, San Jose, Tampa Bay. Who are we trying to fool? Hockey's future lies in regional interest and strength. Granted, a region with a foot-print many times the size of England, but one where relegation might be a possibility.

ZouDave: /starts typing in Google Image Search: Jessica Smog

/realizes joke

/shakes fist towards Albuquerque

KU Doug: /exults

Michael Atchison: I’m not a snob, I’m an enthusiast.

1. Berkstresser.

2. Greg’s wedding registry.

3. First, I need to go and read all the prop bets.

4. How about soccer? There’s already a second-tier pro league, and those guys don’t look foolish when they’re on the field with MLS teams.

ZouDave: Relegation in soccer? Will never catch on.

KU Doug: Is it just this year that the MLS has started using the European/FIFA style where the home team is listed first on the schedule/box score/ticker crawl? Because, I'll be honest, I find that incredibly stupid.

(An hour later…)

Bill C.: Huh. This thing died BEFORE D-Sing could kill it.

Michael Atchison: In an effort to liven things up, enjoy Zeus, playing my new favorite tune of the moment:

SleepyFloyd7: That's some quality stuff, and a quality "McCartney 'Stache" right there.

Michael Atchison: I like it mostly because that’s what everyone looked like when I was a kid.

SleepyFloyd7: "... that’s what everyone looked like when I was a kid." - Michael Atchison

Michael Atchison: My, I say, that looks like Colonel Angus!

SleepyFloyd7: That guy sometimes overstays his welcome.

Michael Atchison: Here’s my other major crush of the moment, Allo Darlin’:

D-Sing: /looks up from want ads

/goes back to job search

ghtd36: I'm surprised Atchison didn't dust off this gem from his youth:

ZouDave: OH MY GOD DO THIS (actually not sure why I think this is so funny, but I do)

Do This

Go to Google Translate; Copy this text:

pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk bschk bschk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk bschk bschk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk bschk bschk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk bschk bschk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk bschk bschk

Pick German as the "from" language; Press the "Listen" button.

Bill C.: Yeah, we have the same sense of humor.

The Rafters, Class Of 2012 (Vote No. 5)

2012-05-16T16:06:56Z

May means two things at Rock M Nation: Tremendous Stubble and votes. The former will come soon enough; it's time to begin the latter. We start with the third class of inductees into The Rafters, Rock M's celebration of Mizzou's finest basketball players from different eras.

Class of 2010: Willie Smith, Steve Stipanovich, Doug Smith, Kareem Rush, DeMarre Carroll

Class of 2011: Norm Stewart, Jon Sundvold, Derrick Chievous, Clarence Gilbert, Arthur Johnson

Eras for the Class of 2012

Tier I: Pre-Norm (pre-1967)
Tier II: Norm Era I (1968-82)
Tier III: Norm Era II (1983-94)
Tier IV: Norm Era III
Tier V: The 2000s

Today, we make our final selections. Who joins Kareem Rush, Clarence Gilbert, DeMarre Carroll and Arthur Johnson as representatives from the past decade of Mizzou Basketball? Read the bios, do your own research ... and place your votes.

Rickey Paulding (2000-04)

One of the great aerial acrobats in Missouri history, 6’5" Rickey Paulding came to Columbia from Detroit and made an immediate impression with his extreme athleticism. In his sophomore season, Paulding helped key Mizzou’s run to the 2002 Elite Eight, earning a spot on the All-West Regional team after leading the Tigers with an 18.3 point average in their four NCAA Tournament games. The next season, after the departures of Kareem Rush and Clarence Gilbert, Paulding became Missouri’s dominant offensive player, averaging 17.4 points on the year. He capped his junior season with a remarkable 36-point performance in an overtime loss to Marquette in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In his senior year, Paulding averaged 15.1 points per game and wrapped up his career with 1,673 points, good for ninth place on the Tigers’ all-time list.

Linas Kleiza (2003-05)

His time in Columbia may have been brief, and Mizzou's performance may have been disappointing while he was here, but Linas Kleiza lived up to most of his five-star billing in two years. Mixing a small forward's agility with a center's brute strength, Kleiza was one of the more unique recent Mizzou stars. He was supposed to be the missing piece on the 2003-04 team that started the season ranked in the top five, and while the team underachieved, Kleiza averaged 11 PPG and 8 RPG in an injury-shortened season. After the departure of Arthur Johnson, Travon Bryant and Rickey Paulding, Kleiza gave Mizzou's 2004-05 NIT team star power, averaging 16 PPG and 8 RPG. Against 1st-place Oklahoma in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament, Kleiza was amazing. He scored 33 points (he went a staggering 17-for-19 from the free throw line) and grabbing 7 boards in a near-upset. He declared for the NBA draft after his sophomore year and was drafted in the first round. Honestly, his resume is no worse than Keyon Dooling's, but his two-year stay was marred by team disappointment. That shouldn't take away from the perceptions of his own quality of play. He was a bull with finesse, and he was very fun to watch.

J.T. Tiller (2006-10)

It just wouldn't have felt right using a picture of Tiller on offense. Mike Anderson's first four-year recruit at Missouri, Tiller was the quintessential Anderson player. He played outstanding defense (2009 Big 12 Defensive Co-Player of the Year), scored key points (with an injured wrist, he scored 23 points in the 2009 Sweet Sixteen against Memphis), and exchanged skin for floor burns in every square inch of Norm Stewart Court. Tiller lacked natural offensive talent, but the effort level he showed in every second on the court was inspirational for teammates and fans, and off-putting for opponents. You weren't comfortable when Jesus Tyrannosaurus was on the court with you, and his growth from energy guy and role player to starter and difference-maker on teams that won four NCAA Tournament games in two seasons was both unlikely and fun as hell to watch. His was the perfect blue-collar mentality, and he was one of Mizzou fans' favorite recent players.

Marcus Denmon (2008-12)

For four years, Marcus Denmon was whatever Missouri needed him to be. A defensive specialist during Missouri's 2008-09 run, Denmon averaged nearly a steal per game in minimal minutes. A 3-point specialist in 2009-10, he nailed 41 percent of his long-range shots and threw in defense and three rebounds per game. And in two years as his team's heart and soul, he averaged 17 points per game in 2010-11 and 18 points per game in 2011-12. He played hurt, he finished in traffic, he made 42 percent of his 3-pointers over his last two seasons, and he mastered the art of The Moment, especially at Mizzou Arena, where his steal and and-one against Vanderbilt won a key game early in his junior season, and where he nearly blew the roof off with his nine points in 60 seconds late against Kansas. From March:

As difficult as 2010-11 was for everyone associated with the Missouri basketball program, it was doubly hard for Marcus Denmon, who had to deal with excruciating personal loss (the shooting death of his cousin) for virtually the entire season. We almost know less about Denmon's story than we do about anybody else's in this storied class. All we know is, life has occasionally been quite difficult for this senior from Kansas City, and life has been infinitely more rewarding for all Missouri fans because he chose to play his college ball here. He doesn't speak, and he rarely smiles; all he does is score, hit the ground, and, quite simply, lead. His legacy was already undeniable before he scored nine points in a minute against Kansas, and before he all but gave Mizzou a Kansas sweep in Lawrence. This team is great because it doesn't need him to come up big in every game, but when they have needed Marcus to come through, he has.

Kim English (2008-12)

Kim English scored over 1,500 points and made almost 250 3-pointers in his career in a Missouri uniform, but he will be remembered as much for what he accomplished off the court, serving as thoughtful spokesperson and personality for the Missouri basketball program, as what he accomplished on it. That said, he was pretty damn good at the game of basketball. He forever defined himself as part of Mizzou's history with his incredible performance against Marquette in his first NCAA Tournament, and he was named the most valuable player of his final Big 12 Tournament. Whatever Mizzou accomplishes moving forward, English helped to set the table. Again from March:

A once-precocious freshman, destined to become an all-time Mizzou great, Kim English spent 12 months struggling, disappearing at key times, and weighing the thought of finishing his Missouri story after just three years. Now, he is averaging 15 points per game and coming off of the best weekend of his Mizzou career. He has gone from outspoken to thoughtful, from a points-only contributor to a master of little things, a 48-percent 3-point shooter and a masterful drawer of charges. He has been so important to this season's success that Mizzou fans have openly wondered if Frank Haith will include an "English 4" in his lineups well into the future.

Captions:

1. SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 23, 2002: Rickey Paulding #23 of the Missouri Tigers goes in for a slam dunk during the West Regional Final of the 2002 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Oklahoma Sooners on March 23, 2002 at Compaq Center in San Jose, California. The Sooners won 81-75. (Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)

2. COLUMBIA, MO - MARCH 6, 2005: Linas Kleiza #41 of Missouri gestures as he celebrates after he makes a free throw in the final mintues of the game on March 6, 2005 at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri. The Missiouri Tigers defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 72-68. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

3. COLUMBIA, MO - FEBRUARY 09, 2009: Mario Little #23 of the Kansas Jayhawks battles J.T. Tiller #4 of the Missouri Tigers for a loose ball during the game on February 9, 2009 at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

4. COLUMBIA, MO - FEBRUARY 04, 2012: Marcus Denmon #12 of the Missouri Tigers shoots past Elijah Johnson #15 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the first half at Mizzou Arena on February 4, 2012 in Columbia, Missouri. Missouri won 74-71. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

5. BOISE, ID - MARCH 22, 2009: Forward Kim English #24 of the Missouri Tigers takes a shot against the Marquette Golden Eagles during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Taco Bell Arena on March 22, 2009 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Caption This 5-16-12 Someone posted this photo over on PM last week, but it came without a...

2012-05-16T14:29:50Z

Caption This 5-16-12

Someone posted this photo over on PM last week, but it came without a caption. Please give James Franklin a winning caption.

Congratulations to SEC Supremacist for dropping a cluster-bomb of a winner on Tuesday. Denmoney to you!

Captions!
RECs!
Gold!

Mizzou Links, 5-16-12

2012-05-16T10:30:49Z

Mizzou Football Links

There are good weeks, and there are bad weeks. It appears Mizzou Football is having a bad week. Corbin Berkstresser is almost certainly suspended, and Tavon Bolden has been dismissed. This, of course, won't matter if James Franklin is healthy in September, and if other safeties continue to develop. Still ... the safety net has developed a couple of holes.

Berkstresser
The Trib: Missouri QB arrested for leaving scene of accident
KC Star (Campus Corner): Missouri QB arrested for leaving scene of accident
Post-Dispatch: Mizzou's No. 2 QB is arrested
Bolden
The Trib: Missouri safety dismissed from team, again
KC Star: Missouri safety Tavon Bolden dismissed from team

But in happier news...

Thanking God 4 another opportunity 2 pursue my dream. Thank u all 4 ur prayers and support. I'm a Kansas City Chief!! Good 2 b home!!
— Martin Rucker (@RuckerSouthSide) May 15, 2012

Basketball Links

Incredible, incredible piece by Luke Winn, especially considering how much time we spent thinking and talking about this topic a couple of months ago.

3PT Defense
SI.com (Luke Winn): A study of percentages and philosophies

SEC

.@MU_Volleyball's w/ SEC logo added! Some special 'finishing touches' will be added tomorrow twitter.com/ShawnDizzle77/…
— Shawn Davis (@ShawnDizzle77) May 15, 2012

WE'LL BURN YOUR TOWN DOWN
Dawg Sports: Why the Georgia Bulldogs Should Not Want To Become The Missouri Tigers' New Rivals

Mizzou Diamond Sports Links

And a tip of the cap to trripleplay for the Tip of the Cap series...

Mizzou Softball
The Missourian: Missouri prepares to host NCAA regional
MUtigers.com: Mizzou Wins Pitcher, Defensive Player of the Year Awards
Big 12 Sports: Missouri and Oklahoma Lead Big 12 Softball Postseason Awards
Mizzou Baseball
SimmonsField.com: A Tip of the Cap to Kansas Baseball
MUtigers.com: Tigers Close Big 12 Play at Kansas
SimmonsField.com: HI NOTES: Little League Recruit, Big 12 Leading Tiger

Other

God Bless Bo
SB Nation (Bomani Jones & Jon Bois): A Miracle Squared: Celebrating The Greatness Of Bo Jackson

The RMN Tremendous Stubble Pledge Drive, Vol. II

2012-05-15T19:15:00Z

[Bumped back to the top of the page for the first of many times.]

This is one of my favorite times of the year, and not just because we're going to donate a bunch of money to a worthy cause for a second consecutive year, but because once again, I get to tell the Tremendous Stubble story. And, to me, the Tremendous Stubble story represents everything that is alternately awesome-then-silly-then-awesome about the Internet.

So, once again, let's start from the beginning:

THE TREMENDOUS STUBBLE STORY

It was May 26, 2010, in a Rock M Nation Roundtable much like every Rock M Nation Roundtable: a rambling, incoherent, tangential and generally fruitless way to satiate the growing Rock M Nation community's demand for content with little to no effort. Wait, what's that? I'm not supposed to explain the purpose of the Roundtable? And I shouldn't be typing out the directives you're issuing to me? Oh. My bad.

Anyway, the question posed by our leader Bill C. was a simple and silly one: "Name the person from your school (current or former player/coach/whatever) that you wish was on Twitter more than anybody else, just for the potential day-to-day entertainment prospects."

Most Mizzou grads would say something like "Norm Stewart" or "Chase Daniel" or "dean of journalism Brian Brooks" or "What's a Twitter?" or something similar. I chose to go off the beaten path, to a guy I'd only known about on a very cursory level: Mizzou softball coach Ehren Earleywine.

A quick Google Image Search later, the wheels of one of Rock M Nation's defining memes began to turn in the matter of 24 words.

"Hey. I'm Ehren Earleywine. Yeah, my name's spelled a little funky, but what I lack in normal namehood I make up in tremendous stubble."

Now, I'm going to post a picture of Ehren Earleywine, then issue a couple of important disclaimers about Rock M Nation's relationship with Coach E. Be forewarned: the power of The Stubble has been known to short-circuit computers, so please use a surge protector when looking at this photo.

Important disclaimer No. 1: C'mon, admit it, that stubble is pretty awesome.

Important disclaimer No. 2: This is exclusively a bromance. Nothing more.

Important disclaimer No. 3: Good merciful God, that stubble is awesome.

So began our silly quest to get Coach Earleywine to acknowledge our existence and thus make our Internet bromance a reality. "tremendous stubble" became Tremendous Stubble became #TremendousStubble became a playoff beard pact for the Mizzou softball team in the Women's College World Series became Coach Earleywine becoming our super-best friend by lowering himself to the whims of Internet dorks on public airwaves.

And all of this happened in the span of, like, three days. No, seriously. That is how insane this meme is.

But -- and you can read more about what I mean by this in the story that Dave Matter wrote about the matter (PUNS!) in the Columbia Daily Tribune, and yes, I do feel bad that an esteemed journalist like Dave Matter had to write about an online community's fascination with a college softball coach's facial hair -- I think Tremendous Stubble goes a little deeper than just Coach E's whisker wizardry. This whole thing (not necessarily by design, but not totally by accident) became a kind of rallying cry for the Mizzou softball team, a way for people to easily associate with one of the most under-appreciated athletic teams that MU has to offer. And if what it takes for people to get fired up about Mizzou softball is us talking about a dude's face, well, I think Rock M Nation will proudly shoulder that burden.

All of this led to the next step in the Tremendous Stubble empire: last year's inaugural RMN Tremendous Stubble Pledge Drive. All of a sudden, it became not only a way for the RMN community to support the Mizzou softball team in the Women's College World Series, but also a way to raise money for a very worthy cause.

In the end, the Rock M Nation community donated $4,268.34 to the MU Children's Hospital. Let that sink in for a moment. Think about where this started. Now think about where it finished. Oh, Internet: you so crazy.

So that's the Tremendous Stubble (#TremendousStubble) story. Now, we're doing it again, bigger and better.

THE CHARITY DRIVE

Once again, we're going to be raising money for the MU Children's Hospital. Why? Because like a true bearded badass, Coach Earleywine likes helping out sick kids. The MU Softball team often volunteers their time and energy there, and I think we all know a family or two who relies on organizations like the MU Children's Hospital.

Not sure what the MU Children's Hospital is? Allow their website to melt your cold black heart into a puddle of awwwww:

University of Missouri Children's Hospital serves patients from every county in Missouri. With over 30 pediatric subspecialties, a pediatric ICU, adolescent unit and child life therapy, as well as teams equipped and dedicated solely to transporting infants and children, MU Children's Hospital is mid-Missouri's largest and most comprehensive pediatric health care facility.

You hear that? Kids. And they're sick. And they need your help. Don't act like you're impervious to this. You have a soul, I just know it.

WHAT WE'RE ASKING OF YOU

We're asking that you pledge a certain amount for every game that the Mizzou softball team wins in the Women's College World Series (which begins Friday, May 18th when Mizzou takes on Illinois State in Columbia).

Now, before you decide how much money to give, consider that should Mizzou win the national championship, they will have won no less than ten (10) games and no more than twelve (12) games. This, I imagine, is important in your math calculations.

In addition, one of the awesome organic wrinkles that came from the community last year was the idea of prop bets. Rock M Nation absolutely, 100% endorses and encourages charitable wagering. So, if you want to pledge $5 for every Chelsea Thomas strikeout, or $10 for every Ashley Fleming home run, or $0.10 for every foul ball (A BOLD STRATEGY IF THERE EVER WAS ONE), by all means, do it. Go nuts. I don't want to get in the way of your creativity, especially in the name of helping sick kids.

We're asking that you announce your pledge in the comments of this story. And if you're not a member but you're reading this and would like to donate...well, let's just say that if your first post on Rock M Nation is to pledge money to sick kids, that's going to earn you some major message board respect. Much more than I have, let me tell you what.

Here, I'll go first.

I, ghtd36, pledge $5 for every Mizzou victory in the Women's College World Series and an additional $1 for every Chelsea Thomas strikeout.

See? Awesome. And it doesn't matter how much you pledge. Whether you're like me and can only give a little, or you're like Bill and you have millions upon millions of Internet dollars with Spencer Hall's face on them, it doesn't matter. It's not how much you give; it's that you give.

HOW TO DONATE

We'll get more into this at the end of Mizzou's run through the Women's College World Series (meaning when Mizzou is hoisting the national championship trophy, natch), but we are changing the way that we're going to ask you to donate. Instead of collating the funds into a PayPal account, we're instead going to have you donate directly to MU Children's Hospital. In short, it's just a lot easier that way. That, and handling other people's money makes me tense. We'll get to that later, but there is one more important side note...

THE GOAL

Look, I'm not saying we have to get there...but...well, here's this:

...if we raise $5,000, there may be an opportunity for us to name a cancer unit treatment bay or an on-call bedroom. I REPEAT: IF WE RAISE $5,000, THE "#TremendousStubble Cancer Unit Treatment Bay" COULD EXIST. If this doesn't excite you to no end, I mean, please donate, but then leave the blog premises.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP

-Blow this thing up on Twitter and Facebook. Link it and link it and link it, then link it some more. And try to get powerful people on Twitter -- you know, ex-Mizzou athletes, current Mizzou athletes, that Sarah Phillips girl -- to get on board with this, too. Use the hashtag #TremendousStubble, of course.

-Tell your friends. Remember when there wasn't such a thing as "viral," but instead relied on "word of mouth"? Let's try that thing again.

-Root for Mizzou. Duh.

IN CONCLUSION

If you ask me (and I'm admittedly biased), this is a great way not only to support the MU softball team (one of Mizzou's best teams), support our partner in bromance Coach Earleywine, and get some help to sick kids who could really use it. Sounds like a win-win-win to me.

And now, a photo from the MU Children's Hospital to guilt you into donating.

Go Mizzou softball. Go sick kids. Go #TremendousStubble.

Caption This 5-15-12 Missouri pitcher Chelsea Thomas prepares for another pitch against Oklahoma...

2012-05-15T14:46:17Z

Caption This 5-15-12

Missouri pitcher Chelsea Thomas prepares for another pitch against Oklahoma State.
Photo: August Kryger CDT

Please go donate to the Tremendous Stubble pledge drive, then give this photo a winning caption.

Congratulations to RPT for winning the Monday Contest. Your Denmoney will help prevent you from leaving the scene of an accident.

Captions!
RECs!
Stubble!

Corbin Berkstresser Arrested For Leaving The Scene Of An Accident

2012-05-15T14:23:06Z

Corbin Berkstresser Arrested For Leaving The Scene Of An Accident

Hits a parked car, leaves the scene, is arrested a little while later, admits involvement. Good times. Evidently both Tristen Holt and Jimmy Burge were arrested for similar incidents in the past; Holt was dismissed from the program because it was not his first disciplinary issue. Burge was disciplined but remained on the team.

Naturally, this news is uncovered as we gear up for the Stubble Drive...

Rock M Nation

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EXPANSIONAPALOOZA™ 2012

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Rock M Roundtable!

The Rafters, Class Of 2012 (Vote No. 5)

Rickey Paulding (2000-04)

Linas Kleiza (2003-05)

J.T. Tiller (2006-10)

Marcus Denmon (2008-12)

Kim English (2008-12)

Caption This 5-16-12 Someone posted this photo over on PM last week, but it came without a...

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The RMN Tremendous Stubble Pledge Drive, Vol. II

Caption This 5-15-12 Missouri pitcher Chelsea Thomas prepares for another pitch against Oklahoma...

Corbin Berkstresser Arrested For Leaving The Scene Of An Accident

Corbin Berkstresser Arrested For Leaving The Scene Of An Accident