Due to the low demand for COVID-19 vaccines in Mississippi, the state has returned 871,950 of the doses it was allocated to the federal vaccine pool, sent them to other states or rejected the federal allotment.
This startling figure underscores the problem facing health officials and vaccine advocates across the state: getting people to take the shots that are now widely available for anyone 12 and older.
Mississippi continues to rank last in the nation in the share of its population that has been vaccinated. Less than 30% of Mississippians have been fully vaccinated despite significant gains made in recent months in vaccinating the most vulnerable and making vaccine access moreequitable.
The issues of vaccine access that existed during the early stages of the vaccine rollout have largely been eliminated over the past few months. The Mississippi State Department of Health will now come directly to the homes of people who want to get vaccinated but don’t have reliable transportation. They’re also offering this option to businesses or other local organizations that want to host vaccination drives. People are simply declining to take the shots and that’s keeping the state’s vaccination rate low.
Over the past two weeks, only 26,710 Mississippians got their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The 15,073 shots given last week represent a decrease of over 88% from February’s peak.
Beyond the doses that have been returned to the federal government, just because a dose stays in Mississippi doesn’t mean it will be used. A total of 7,850 doses have been wasted because a vaccination site couldn’t get enough people to get vaccinated before the remainder of an open vial expired. A majority of this dose wastage has occurred in smaller clinics, vitally important to the states vaccination efforts, but also at a higher risk of leaving allocated doses unused.
Mississippi is also the state furthest behind in reaching President Joe Biden’s goal of getting at least one COVID-19 shot into the arms of 70% of adults by July 4. If trends hold, only 46% of Mississippi adults will have received a shot by then. If vaccination rates don’t improve significantly, the state wouldn’t reach that 70% threshold for well over a year.
The Department of Health reported on Monday that 1,043,030 people in Mississippi — over 35% of the state’s population — have received at least their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. More than 911,00 people have been fully inoculated since the state began distributing vaccines in December.
If the Mississippi Legislature does set the date for a special election this year to reinstate the ballot initiative process that was invalidated last month by the Supreme Court, it would cost the state or local governments and perhaps both.
In a statement to Mississippi Today, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Michael Watson, whose office oversees elections on a statewide basis, said she could not provide an estimate of the cost because it is normally borne by local governments. But in an interview last month on SuperTalk Radio, Watson estimated the cost statewide between $1 million and $1.5 million.
After contacting multiple local circuit clerks, Mississippi Today estimated an average cost of $20,000 each for the state’s 82 counties to conduct a special election for the sole purpose of voting to fix the ballot initiative process.
That would be an estimated total of $1.64 million or, if one million people voted in the special election, about $1.65 per voter.
The Mississippi Constitution and precedent confirm that a vote to reinstate the initiative would not have to be delayed until the next statewide general election in November 2022 as some have maintained. But it would be less expensive to delay the vote until the next regularly scheduled general election.
In November 2022, Mississippi already has elections scheduled to vote on judicial candidates and on the state’s four U.S. House members. So the cost to add a constitutional amendment to reinstate the initiative process should not add much — if any — to the cost of the election.
There would be a cost, of course, to schedule an election this year just to vote on a fix for the ballot initiative.
Even after Watson’s comments on the radio two weeks ago, the Secretary of State’s office said it could not provide an estimate statewide of a special election cost.
“Since Mississippi is a bottom-up state where the counties are in charge of administering elections, county election officials would be the best resource in determining an estimated cost for a potential statewide special election,” said Kendra James, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Michael Watson. “Our office cannot speculate on an estimated cost, and we do not have the necessary information available to provide an accurate cost estimate.”
Mississippi has 82 counties. The cost would vary, of course, depending on the size of the county. Through a spokesperson, Harrison County Circuit Clerk Connie Ladner estimated the special election would cost about $50,000 in the Gulf Coast county — the second most populous in the state.
Wayne County Circuit Clerk Rose Bingham estimated the cost at $20,000 in her rural southeast Mississippi county that has 22 precincts.
Prentiss County Circuit Clerk Michael Kelley in rural northeast Mississippi and Washington County Circuit Clerk Barbara Esters-Parker in the Delta both estimated the election would cost their counties about $10,000.
“There would not be a lot of workers with just one issue on the ballot,” said Esters-Parker. The main cost for the counties would be the poll workers.
Kelly said Prentiss County has 14 precincts and it is mandated that each precinct has three poll workers, though he said having four was more realistic. The poll workers normally make $100 or $125 per day.
The proposal to fix the ballot initiative process would be an amendment to the state Constitution. Since voters approved the initiative process in 1992, there had been two methods of amending Mississippi’s 1890s Constitution.
The first is the traditional method, where legislators approve a proposal amendment by a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate. It then must be approved by voters in a statewide election. This is the method that would have to be used to fix the initiative process.
The governor plays no official role in amending the Constitution, though he would have to call a special session for the initiative fix to be considered this year, In 2022, legislators could take up the issue as part of the regular session.
Before the Supreme Court ruled in May that the initiative language process in the Constitution was unconstitutional, the Constitution could be amended by gathering the mandated number of signatures to place an issue on the ballot for the voters to decide.
In a lawsuit filed to thwart the medical marijuana initiative approved by voters in November, Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler argued the initiative language in the Constitution should be struck down. The language requires the initiative signatures to be gathered equally from five congressional districts. The state now has four districts, losing one based on the 2000 Census.
The Supreme Court in a 6-3 landmark decision agreed with Hawkins Butler’s argument.
In 1991 the Legislature set a date for a special election on whether to keep the 1890s flag that included the Confederate battle emblem in its design or to adopt a new banner. The election, held in April, was not to amend the Constitution but to potentially change state law. The Legislature provided $724,144 in state funds to help with the cost of the election where the only item on the ballot was the flag.
And then in 2020, the Legislature appropriated $250,000 for a vote where people had the option to adopt or reject a flag design proposed by a specially appointed commission. The Legislature had earlier in the year retired the 1890s flag. The flag election was part of the regularly scheduled November election where multiple items, including the presidential candidates, were on the ballot. The $250,000 was appropriated because the flag issue required the ballots to contain color, which added to the cost of printing.
The flag election in 2020, like in 2001, was to change state law, not the Constitution.
Mississippi Today’s Editor-in-Chief Adam Ganucheau discusses the newsroom’s latest project to dig into why young people are leaving Mississippi in droves or are stuck here wanting to leave. He joined WJTV’s Byron Brown on their Sunday political show “Mississippi Insight” to explain the rationale behind the new project.
Southern Miss pitcher Tanner Hall (28) pitches shut out Ole Miss over five innings, allowing only one hit . (Bruce Newman)
OXFORD — Trailing Florida State 4-1 Sunday afternoon in the third inning of an elimination game, their season on the brink, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles needed some relief — and, man oh man, did they get it.
Then, trailing Ole Miss 4-0 in the first inning and facing elimination again, the Golden Eagles needed still more relief. They got it — in spades — again.
The bullpen delivered for the Golden Eagles in a 7-4 victory over Florida State and then a 10-7 victory over Ole Miss. Thus, the Golden Eagles and Rebels will play again Monday at noon with the Oxford Regional Championship and an NCAA Super Regional berth at stake.
Rick Cleveland
For one Mississippi team, the road to Omaha will reach a dead end Monday.
Last weekend, in the Conference USA Tournament, the bullpen failed Southern Miss. Otherwise, they would have hosted a regional this weekend instead of playing on the road. But first Ryan Och and then true freshman Tanner Hall provided two of the best long relief performances you will ever see Sunday. This is no exaggeration.
Och, a hard-throwing sophomore lefty, struck out 11 Florida State Seminoles in 4.2 innings of one-hit, shutout relief to get the win and move to 8-0 on the season. As his record and a 1.47 earned run average will attest, this was nothing new.
Ryan Och dominated Florida State hitters for Southern Miss, striking out 11 over 4.2 innings of one-hit relief. (Bruce Newman)
But then came Hall, seemingly out of nowhere, when the Eagles needed him most. Hall pitched five innings of one-hit, shutout baseball, striking out five Rebels to pick up a five-inning save. You just don’t see many of those.
So, if you’re keeping score, Och and Hall pitched a combined 9.2 innings of scoreless baseball, striking out 16 batters. Throw in fireballing right-hander Hurston Waldrep, who closed out the FSU game, the Eagles got 11.1 innings of shutout relief from pitchers who fanned 18 batters.That’s impeccable relief work.
And that was the story of the day, even when Southern Miss batters pounded out 12 hits against Florida State and then 13 against Ole Miss.
Said Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco, “Man, they were on fire offensively, especially early. We ran into a buzzsaw. Give them credit. It was a long day for them and they played incredibly.”
The Southern Miss pitching plan against Ole Miss was to throw several guys, an inning or two at a time. Hall changed that plan when he took over to start the fifth. Understand, Ole Miss had already roughed up three previous pitchers for seven runs on six hits. Hall not only stopped the bleeding, he stitched the wound. He did it mostly with a two-seam fastball that moved all over the place.
Southern Miss centerfielder Reed Trimble had a great view from behind. “It’s fun to watch 90 and 91 mile per hour fastballs that are moving a foot,” Trimble said.
Hall’s performance had more value than numbers. Said Berry, “What he did was keep us from having to use a lot of fresh arms in our bullpen.”
That might prove critical.
What Hall also did was keep the huge Ole Miss crowd from ever getting into the game the way it had the night before against Florida State. You can’t put a value on that.
Neither Bianco or Berry wanted to discuss their pitching plans for Monday night. I’m guessing that Ben Ethridge, normally the Golden Eagles’ No. 3 starter, figures prominently in Berry’s plan. He threw 40 pitches in a Friday loss to Florida State. Two days rest after 40 pitches should be plenty.
Cody Adcock (0-0, 5.12 ERA), a freshman right-hander, would appear the most likely starter for Ole Miss. He pitched well against Arkansas at the SEC Tournament last week.
But here’s the deal: Win, you advance. Lose, the season’s over. It’s all hands on deck.
The momentum would appear to be with Southern Miss, which has scored 38 runs in three straight victories. The home field advantage, of course, goes to the Rebels.
Said Ole Miss catcher Hayden Dunhurst: “We’ll get it going and we’ll win tomorrow. There’s no doubt in my mind about that.”
Gov. Tate Reeves, House Speaker Philip Gunn and others who tout eliminating Mississippi’s personal income tax as a way to reverse the state’s population loss must explain DeSoto County.
They cite growing states with no income tax like Texas, Florida and even Tennessee as what can happen if Mississippi would only eliminate its income tax.
“Mississippi needs to make a bold move to attract new business and residents,” Reeves said late last year in proposing the phase out of the income tax.
But the question of DeSoto County remains. DeSoto County is unique in that it has gone head-to-head against an area with no income tax on wages and has won in terms of population growth.
DeSoto has been one of the fastest growing counties in the state for decades. At one point, it was the state’s fastest growing county and for a sizable portion of time earlier this century was one of the fastest growing counties in the nation.
Yet, DeSoto County in the extreme northwest section of Mississippi borders Tennessee where there is no income tax. To be precise, during much of DeSoto’s growth, Tennessee did tax some dividends and interest, but did not levy a tax on wages. And that tax on dividends and interest has been phased out recently.
DeSoto’s growth has far outpaced its neighbor across the border to the north in Tennessee.
It has been well documented that much of the growth in DeSoto County has come from an exodus of people from across the state line in Memphis — people moving from a state with no income tax on wages to a state with an income tax.
Between 2010 and April 2019, DeSoto County grew by 14.7%, according to the Census Bureau, while Shelby County, Tenn., home of Memphis, grew by 1%.
Between 2000 and 2010, DeSoto County grew 50.4%.
People were not exactly scared away from DeSoto County because of its income tax rate. No, according to most accounts, people were attracted to DeSoto County because of its good schools, affordable housing and overall quality of life.
Many have argued that schools, health care and other services that the government plays a role in providing are more important to most than a tax rate as long as that rate is reasonable. And, it should be pointed out, while Mississippi does have an income tax like 40 other states, it is one of the lowest in the country.
Overall, Mississippi was one of three states nationally to lose population during the past decade. The other two— West Virginia and Illinois — like Mississippi, have an income tax. The governor in West Virginia, like in Mississippi, is proposing eliminating the income tax as a method to attract residents to his state. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said eliminating the income tax could result in an amusement park — the next Disney — locating in his state.
Mississippi’s tax system already is set up to lure retirees to the state. Most retirement income, including Social Security, is not taxed by the state, and on the local level people age 65 and over also get a sizable break on the taxes they pay on their residence.
Reeves proposed late last year phasing out Mississippi’s income tax, which accounts for about one-third of the state’s general fund revenue. Speaker Gunn, who often has touted the elimination of the income tax, proposed a far-reaching restructuring plan during the 2021 legislative session that entailed increasing Mississippi’s already high sales tax rate while reducing the tax on groceries and eliminating the income tax.
Gunn has been traveling the state since the 2021 session ended in April touting his proposal. Some observers believe that Gunn as he travels the state also is lining up to be a potential challenger to Reeves in the 2023 Republican primary for governor.
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who presides over the Senate, has said in theory he supports reducing taxes, but has only committed to the Senate Finance Committee studying the state’s tax structure before the 2022 session begins.
As part of that study, lawmakers should look at the history of DeSoto County, one of the few Mississippi counties to experience population growth during the past decade.
And for those who will contend that much of the movement from Memphis to DeSoto County was white flight: That’s too simplistic an answer. Between 2010 and 2019, DeSoto County’s Black population grew from 21% to 30%. In 2019, DeSoto County elected its first African American to the Legislature.
People of all races have been leaving a state with no income tax on wages to a state with an income tax. Perhaps DeSoto County spoils the claim that cutting the income tax is the answer to population loss.
Doug Nikhazy reacts to one of his 16 strikeouts in a masterful pitching performance for Ole Miss Saturday night. (Ole Miss Athletics)
OXFORD — In a game dripping with drama – until, and even after the last out – Ole Miss defeated Florida State 4-3 Saturday night to take a huge step toward the championship of the Oxford regional.
It wasn’t over until it was over and then, well, it wasn’t over. Umpires needed a lengthy review of a bang-bang play at first base for the last out to go into the record book. The game had it all: marvelous defensive plays (mostly by Ole Miss), long home runs (by Florida State) and uncommonly good pitching.
Rick Cleveland
Mostly, it had Ole Miss pitchers Doug Nikhazy and then Taylor Broadway. Nikhazy, the Rebels’ All-American left-hander, was heroic, striking out 16 Seminoles over seven innings before handing over a 4-3 lead to closer Broadway, who retired six straight Seminoles, including the last three on strikeouts.
So Ole Miss pitching combined for 19 strikeouts of the free-swinging, feast-or-famine Seminoles who take all-or-nothing swings in each at bat.
Ole Miss now waits to see who wins Sunday’s 1 p.m. rematch of Florida State and Southern Miss. The Rebels will play the winner at 6 p.m. Should Ole Miss lose that one, a winner-take-all championship game will be played Monday at 6 p.m.
Whatever happens Sunday and Monday, it will be difficult to match Saturday night’s suspense. With a packed house of 10,830 often standing, shouting and clapping in unison, both Nikhazy and then Broadway delivered clutch pitch after clutch pitch under high pressure.
Nikhazy threw 119 pitches, but seemed as strong after seven innings as he had in the first.
“When the game is on the line, he can take it to another gear,” coach Mike Bianco said of Nikhazy. “Some pitchers hit a wall at 90 to 95 pitches, but with the game on the line, Doug can always reach back and get a little extra.”
Someone asked Bianco if it might have been Nikhazy’s best performance as a Rebel. Bianco smiled. “I’m not going to go out on that line because he has pitched a ton of great games,” he said. “But we needed every bit of it tonight.”
Nikhazy, who pitches with his emotions on his sleeve, often was ready to pitch before the batter even stepped into the box. For the most part, he had the Seminoles off kilter. If a batter was looking for a fastball, he got a nasty curve. If the batter looked for curve, he got a 90 mph fastball in on his hands. He was masterful.
Nikhazy made only two mistakes, both in the fifth inning. Logan Lacey deposited the first deep into the left field bleachers for a solo home run. Two batters later, Isaiah Perry ripped a two-run homer over the left centerfield fence.
“It was a kick in the gut,” Bianco said.
But the Rebels responded two innings later, taking advantage of a Florida State throwing error to score two and take the 4-3 lead. You’d never guess who hit the ball that led to the error. Oh, you did: Tim Elko.
Really, when you get right down to it, that was the difference. Florida State pitched well, too. Both teams managed only four hits. But Ole Miss played better defense. Three of the four Rebels runs were the result of three FSU errors and were unearned.
Nikhazy and Broadway had a little help from their friends. Freshman shortstop Jacob Gonzalez, the latest in a long line of amazing Rebel shortstops, made one sensational play in the eighth inning when he charged in to barehand a ball that went off Broadway’s leg, scooped the ball and threw in one motion to nail the diving runner at first. Gonzalez also scored two of the four Rebel runs.
“What an incredible college baseball game,” Bianco said. “It was one of those games where it comes down to a couple of plays and we made a couple more plays than them.”
They did. And the Rebels also had Nikhazy and Broadway, who were a one-two punch FSU could not overcome.
Walker Powell delivers a pitch for Southern Miss during the Golden Eagles’ 21-0 rout of SEMO Saturday at Swayze Field. (Bruce Newman)
OXFORD — Score three or four runs for Southern Miss pitcher Walker Powell, he will almost always win. Score 21, which the Golden Eagles did Saturday against Southeast Missouri, Powell’s day will be like a stroll in the park.
And it was on a rainy afternoon at Swayze Field when Southern Miss pounded out 24 hits, 12 extra base hits and six home runs in a 21-0 thrashing of the Redhawks. The only detriment for Powell was an 80-minute rain delay that ended his day early after six innings of a typical Walker Powell performance.
In what possibly could have been the last performance of his Golden Eagle career, Powell allowed four hits and no runs over six innings. He struck out four and walked zero, which is nothing new. Some guys are throwers and some are pitchers. Powell is a pitcher. He commanded five pitches — a fastball, a cutter, a slider, a curve and a changeup — using both sides of the plate.
Rick Cleveland
The odds are against Powell ever pitching again in a Southern Miss uniform. Even after Saturday’s cakewalk, the Golden Eagles still must win three straight games over two days against Ole Miss and Florida State. It’s not impossible, but it’s a chore times three.
If it was Powell’s last game in gold, it was a fitting end for a guy who has overcome so many obstacles to become one of college baseball’s best pitchers. He is, you know — a second-team All-American, Conference USA Pitcher of the Year and the winningest active pitcher in Division I baseball.
Obstacles?
Well, let’s start with not one but two Tommy John surgeries. Powell was a senior in high school in Fayetteville, Ark., when he suffered his first severe elbow injury. He had already committed to play at Southern Miss.
Said Scott Berry, “I’ll never forget his dad calling me and telling me about it and then asking me if we were still going to honor his scholarship.”
Berry told him that of course he would. And, man, is he ever glad he did. But that wasn’t the end of Powell’s arm woes. Near the end of his freshman season, after becoming the Eagles’ Sunday starter, he tore the elbow ligament again. That required another Tommy John surgery. That was the spring of 2016. He had to sit out all of 2017, mending and rehabbing.
Not sure what the percentage is of pitchers who come back from two Tommy John surgeries to pitch again. It is not high. Powell did it. Man, did he do it.
If Saturday was Powell’s last game, these will be his career stats: 30 victories, 10 defeats, a .750 winning percentage, 272 strikeouts and just 55 walks over 338 innings. He is the second winningest pitcher in Southern Miss history, trailing only the great Todd McInnis, who had 33.
“Walker is just a remarkable young man,” Berry said. “His record speaks for itself but then when you consider all that he has had to overcome. He’s special and he’s been a great model for our young pitchers.”
He has been a terrific student, too. He graduated with honors over a year ago. He is one credit short of a master’s degree now.
When someone reminded Powell that Saturday might have been his last college performance and how it felt, he didn’t hesitate. “I can’t put it into words,” he said. “It’s been such a blessing for me and my family to play for these coaches and with these guys. It’s just been incredible. I couldn’t ask for a better place to play.”
Charlie Fisher (22) congratulates Chris Sargent on one of his three Saturday home runs. (Bruce Newman)
Saturday, he couldn’t have asked for better support. Highlights: Chris Sargent slammed three home runs. Both Gabe Montenagro and Reed Trimble, the two guys at the top of the USM order, pounded out five hits apiece. Both had a pair of doubles. Danny Lynch, Will McGillis and Dustin Dickerson also homered.
You can bet Berry would love to be able to parse some of those hits and runs over a subsequent game or games.
You can also bet he wishes he had a rested Walker Powell to pitch again Sunday or possibly Monday.
INDIANOLA — Members of the public can now visit the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center’s new exhibits and the newly enhanced pavilion that encloses the site where King is buried.
The 4,500 square foot addition and new exhibits at the museum, which first opened in 2008, showcase the final years of King’s life. Items acquired after King’s death in 2015 that are part of the addition include two of his personal automobiles, a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow and a custom painted Chevy El Camino. The largest item inside the new space is King’s tour bus, which was filled with the latest music technology and served as his home on the road.
Other artifacts include King’s most cherished guitar, a Les Paul given to him by Paul himself, as well as the last two Gibson Lucille guitars signed by King, which were carried on a riderless black horse in his funeral procession. There is also a life-sized bronze statue of King holding his guitar near the burial site.
“This addition has been in the works for several years now, and everyone associated with the project is thrilled that it is finally time to welcome B.B. King fans from all over the world to see the new pieces,” said Bill McPherson, museum board president. “It gives people who have formerly visited a good reason to come back, and for those who have never been, I believe they will have the same response we hear over and over and read in the guest book — that this is an extraordinary place that does justice in honoring a special man.”
Below is a gallery of photos from the museum. Performers from around the country are helping unveil the updated museum to the public on Saturday.
Bronze sculpture of blues legend B. B. King at his interment site outside the B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center. The sculpture was created artist Toby Mendez.
The B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola. 4800-square-feet has been added to the facility, documenting the last decade of King’s life.
To complete the story of blues legend B. B. King, a 4800-square-foot expansion documenting the last decade of his life was built at B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, connecting current exhibit space with the AT&T Learning Center.
The final resting place of blues legend B. B. King. The memorial garden is the last stop after touring the B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
The final resting place of blues legend B. B. King. The neewly designed interment pavillion is the last stop after touring the B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola.
Visitors can enjoy one of the many videos playing throughout the facility.
A visitor strolls through the “In the Studio” section of the newly completed 4800-square-feet of exhibit space added to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
Album covers grace the wall of the “In the Studio” section of the newly completed 4800-square-feet of exhibit space added to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
Visitor watch a video in the “IOn the Road” section of the newly completed 4800-square-feet of exhibit space added to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
A section of the newly completed 4800-square-feet of exhibit space added to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
A section of the newly completed 4800-square-feet of exhibit space added to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
B B.King’s Rolls Royce Shadow on display in the newly completed 4800-square-feet of exhibit space added to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
B B.King’s Rolls Royce Shadow on display in the newly completed 4800-square-feet of exhibit space added to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
B B.King’s Rolls Royce Shadow on display in the newly completed 4800-square-feet of exhibit space added to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
Visitors watch a video inside the theater newly completed 4800-square-feet of exhibit space added to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
A legend in his own right, bluesman Bobby Rush tours the new expansion exhibit at the B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center. Kng’s tour bus is visible in the background.
B. B. Kng’s tour bus and El Camino on display in the new expansion exhibit at the B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
A visitor tours the newly completed 4800-square-feet of exhibit space added to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
B. B. Kng’s El Camino on display in the new expansion exhibit at the B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
One of B.B. King’s renowned “Lucille” guitars.
The day B. B. King came home for the last time.
“I am trying to get people to see that we are our brother’s keeper. Red, white, black, brown, or yellow, rich or poor, we all have the blues,” reads the B.B. King quote on a floor-to-ceiling mural of King near his tour bus inside the Indianola museum that honors him.
Scenes from B. B. King’s going away celebration.
B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center Director Malika Polk-Lee (center) chats with visitors.
B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center Executive Director Malika Polk-Lee, inside the AT&T Learning Center that connects with the new expansion of the King museum.
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram is amused as Bobby Rush sings, and plays an impromptu tune on a harmonica, during an international question and anwer session at the B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.
This was Tim Elko’s grand slam swing that gave Ole Miss all the runs it would need Friday night. (Ole Miss Athletics)
OXFORD — An athlete’s anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) has always been considered vital to performance. Back in the old days, a torn ACL was often career ending. Even now, it can be career threatening. Normally, it takes nearly a year for an athlete to return to action.
Little wonder: The ACL runs diagonally down the middle of the knee. Simply put, it connects the thigh bone to the shin bone and provides rotational stability to the knee.
So, how to explain Ole Miss’s bionic slugger Tim Elko? Elko has a torn ACL in his right knee, the one he uses to push off his back foot and launch home runs. He suffered the tear on April 5, a severe blow to the Rebels’ high hopes for the 2021 season.
Rick Cleveland
But there Elko was Friday night, under the bright lights before a packed house at Swayze Field, launching a grand slam home run in the third inning to break a scoreless tie and launch the Rebels to a 6-3 victory over Southeast Missouri in the first round of the Oxford regional. It was one more thrilling chapter in what has become almost a fairy tale story starring Elko.
Afterward, Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco was asked if he could have dreamed back on April 5 that he would still be getting this kind of production from Elko. “No,” he answered. “I don’t think anybody could. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
What has happened since April 5 is fairly mind-blowing. It’s hard to explain how much different the Ole Miss batting order looked without Elko in the middle of it. He led the SEC in RBIs at the time of his injury. Twelve games later, having not played a lick since, he still led the Rebels in RBIs. Elko knew the injury would require surgery, but once the swelling receded, he wanted to try and play. Once the ACL is torn, you can’t really hurt it any worse.
Elko points to the Ole Miss student section as he circles the bases with a torn ACL in his right knee. (Ole Miss athletics)
The Rebels were 22-6 at the time of his injury. They lost seven of the next 13 games, before a still-gimpy Elko returned as a pinch-hitter against South Carolina on May 1. He popped out in that first at bat, but seven days later he slammed a three-run home run against Texas A&M. He returned to the starting lineup as a designated hitter May 20 at Georgia. Since then he has hit four more home runs and managed to jog around the bases each time. Robert Redford, in “The Natural,” has nothing other than a bloody jersey and blonde hair on Elko.
Elko entered Saturday’s game hitting .331 with a team-leading .669 slugging percentage and a team-leading .448 on-base percentage. The grand slam tied teammate Kevin Graham for the team lead in home runs. Those are insane numbers for a guy essentially playing on one leg.
But let’s get back to Friday night’s heroics. This was no slouch on the mound Elko and the Rebels were facing. SEMO starter Dylan Dodd, just this week named a second team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, entered with a 9-1 record and 113 strikeouts in 90.2 innings. The tall, lanky left-hander looked every bit that good over the first two innings, blanking the Rebels on one hit while striking out two.
And then Elko, who had struck out in his first at bat, stepped to the plate with Ole Miss runners at every base. Elko deposited Dodd’s first pitch over the right field wall for an opposite field home run into the Ole Miss student section, which resulted in no telling how many gallons of beer showers.
Elko said he was looking for a first pitch fastball and got it. “I knew it was gone off the bat,” he said. “It was crazy. I wish I could have heard the crowd going around the bases. I think I had too much adrenaline.”
Said Dodd, “I tried to throw him a fastball away and I thought I got it away. He just put a good swing on it.”
Said Bianco, “I was like everybody in the crowd, hoping for another one of those Elko moments, and we got it. It was a no-doubter.”
So now the Rebels, 42-19, move on to play Florida State in the winners’ bracket at 5 p.m. Saturday. Which brings up two questions: One, what more can Elko possibly do? Two, are ACLs overrated?
