Jagger's Friday Mailbag - 11/10/2023

So I started doing the whole doctor thing this week. That thing you do when you get old and have to actually put in an effort to stay alive. I don’t even know what else to say about that. It’s just this reluctant acceptance of the beginning of the later stage of life that has been on my mind lately. Then I think about how I want to live as many of those later years as I can. So why should I let the thought of it affect me negatively? I’d rather just enjoy life in the moment. I’m just getting warmed up, baby! It’s week two of wrestling and my football team fired that jobber Josh McDaniels. Things couldn’t be better. Now to your questions! 

Which weight class do you feel is the most wide open this season for a new NCAA champ? Kevin Claunch, Michigan Spymaster 

Well, I’ll narrow it down by picking any weight that doesn’t have a returning champ. So that takes out three, but I’ll just substitute 197 for 184 and make it four classes out. You can also toss out heavyweight because Kerk is a returning finalist and Gable apparently located his shoes. Let’s also toss out 141, 157, and the aforementioned 184 since they also have returning finalists in the mix. That leaves us with 125 and 149. And they are intriguing! 

149 is a bit top-heavy but 125 is just a mess of guys. You’ve got a mix of guys who have gutted out the Spencer Lee-era and a nice crop of fresh faces ready to make the leap. Literally, any of the top ten guys can make the finals. And that’s not counting Brayden Palmer, who beat the high school kid, who just beat the top-ranked guy, who beat Spencer friggin’ Lee just under eight months ago! Noto-Figs-Ventresca-Peterson-Poulin-Ungar. These guys want to show everyone that they are the guys here now. Guys like Barnett, McKee, and DeAugustino have been stalwarts here for years and they know damn well they have a chance at that title this year. 125 will be the most wild and unpredictable bracket this March. Not a doubt in my mind. 

If takedowns are now three points, why aren’t escapes 1.5? Doesn’t the sport need more decimals? Regular Guy 

Good question. We do need more decimals. And more decibels while we’re at it. I’m still not sold on the new scoring, but there’s certainly more scores of 14-5 than there used to be. 

Which freshman debut most impressed you last week? Dr. Rhino 

None of them. Alright, maybe a few. For starters, I’m fully on the Rocco Welsh wagon. I actually wish I was Rocco Welsh. I also sometimes wish I was Raquel Welch. Rutgers freshman 133 Max Hermes also had a nice little run at the Princeton Open and put up 41 points in four wins while falling to Rider veteran Richie Koehler 6-2. Kannon Webster had a nice debut with a tech and folks will be certainly keeping an eye on his five-date redshirt rule thing or however that works. Of course, the big story was the performances of a trio of high school kids who had runs through the Clarion Open. In a record-setting 14-hour-long tournament without a break, Bo Bassett, Marcus Blaze, and Jax Forrest made it one of the most fun opening tournaments in years. My guess is that Bo probably slept in until about 5:15 on Monday morning. He certainly earned it.

With the first women’s dual meet happening in Carver-Hawkeye, how long before we see a Scuffle/Midlands men’s and women’s division tournament? The Kid Smoke Drip Costanza 

Midlands had one last year, and would’ve had one the year before had they not canceled. Seton Hall Pirate 

Bad look for me. The Kid Smoke Drip Costanza 

Don’t beat yourself up over Pirate sticking his nose in there. The truth is that I forgot that they had it last year. But I also forgot what I had for lunch yesterday, so that might be a problem on my end. It’s possible I’ve also had too much smoke drip Costanza. I’m sure as the sport grows on the women’s side of the D1 level we will see more tournaments co-hosting them and even some more Opens of their own. 

Headed to England for the Phillies-Mets games next June? Kevin McGuigan 

Oh jeez, I don't even want to think about baseball and forgot this was even happening. Bryce Harper and Pete Alonso should show American unity by parading the Liberty Bell around the Brits like a trophy. 

Thoughts on Rutgers’ 2024 signing class. Dan Seifring 

Not bad. My guys are doing a good job hitting the other states and I’ve heard a lot of good things about Conner Harer. Alex Nini has always been a guy I thought had immense talent and should fit in nicely. Ryan Ford is Coach Dom trained. That’s good enough for me. 

Will Steveson get his head or his retired shoes cut off in the first episode of college duals? JP Pearson 

It would be funny if he just wrestled the entire season barefoot as a bit of a nod to the sacred tradition of leaving your shoes on the mat as a way of saying goodbye. Then he can still honor tradition while still wrestling. Sort of like a loophole. I also want multiple backflips after every match now. No more leaving us wanting more. It’s the last chance we will get to see the show. Give ‘em the works. These are my terms.