Jagger's Friday Mailbag - 6/14/2024

Good morning everyone and welcome back to another edition of the mailbag as we head into the summer season and all that goes with it. What exactly goes with it? Beats me. But I’m required to put words down and you’re required to read them, so that’s what we are doing here. I won’t even waste any more time so let's open some mail and see what you had to say! 

The season is full of ups and downs, but the offseason can have some slow news days. How do you keep yourself from getting stagnant? How do you stay locked in? Doc Rhino 

You can’t get complacent out there. Go to WrestleStat and peruse some lineups. My man Dan has a finger on the pulse and another finger on Instagram for all those transfer announcements from guys you’ve never heard of and he’s constantly updating rosters for you. The IM gang is breaking into the video world and putting up some nice interviews to keep you tuned into what’s going around the country. Holmes and the conference guys are still doing their thing to keep you sharp. Our mystery man at Fantasy Championship Wrestling is locked into all the breaking news from CLAW, so you can see who Billy Baldwin might draft, while he ignores my challenges. Richard Mann is still out there letting you know what former wrestlers are fighting so you don’t miss Austin O’Connor slamming a dude’s head into the canvas. Wrestling has no offseason anymore and if you just flop on the couch and look away you’ll get left in the dust. Do you think I want to be writing all this on June 14? Of course not. But if you want Scott Green to mention you in his year-end roundup, You have to be able to put in the work during the summer. 

Will this (Christian Carroll) swing the CyHawk dual ISU’s way? Redacted 

It’s way too early to tell but as of now, I don’t think so. Iowa had a bit of a down year in 2024 by Iowa standards but I do believe they will be very good next season. So since it’s mid-June and there is nothing else going on, we shall take a gander at both teams and see what’s cooking. Drake Ayala is a title contender for his remaining two years. Next topic. At 133, State found a live one in Evan Frost and he should be too much to handle for the redshirt frosh, Kale Peterson. Cullan Schriever moves up to 141 for Iowa and it appears that the other Frost brother, Jacob, will be the guy for the Cyclones. You have to take the Hawkeye veteran as he finally gets a chance to start for a full season in what should be his final year of eligibility. 

Now is where things start to get interesting. Anthony Echemendia appears to have called 911 on his career just in time and resuscitated it to grab a fifth-place finish last March. He moves up to 149 just in time for Iowa to bring in that weight’s fifth-place finisher in Kyle Parco. For now, I’m giving the edge to Parco but it’s really a tossup in my book. 

In a sentence I never thought I’d write, we see the returns of two guys off of gambling suspensions in Cobe Siebrecht and Paniro Johnson. I like Cobe but my money is on Paniro right now. For those keeping count, I have it 9-7 Iowa State at the break but the second half is where Iowa starts to flex their muscle. Michael Caliendo is a finals contender in the new-look 165 class and while Connor Euton and Manny Rojas look to have some promise, I have to go Iowa here possibly with bonus points. Whatever combo of Arnold and Brands we get at the next two weights I still feel is too strong for State to overcome. And now we get to CC2. Who I assume is going 197, thus pushing fellow transfer Evan Bockman to 184. 

Even if Carroll comes as advertised, he still has to deal with Zach “The Clincher” Glazier in yet another clinching situation as I have it 17-9 Iowa at the moment. For argument’s sake, I’ll give CC2 the win and set up last year’s breakout star of the regular season in Yonger Bastida with a chance to possibly win the dual if he can pin…Ben Kueter. Yeesh. A tough enough task if Ben walked onto the mat straight out of football practice but now, even if it’s for one year, we are getting a fully-realized Ben Kueter and it will be a massive difference maker for Iowa throughout the year. Final score Iowa 20 Iowa State 12. Sorry Cyclone Nation and I’m on your side in this rivalry, so take solace in the fact that I don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, and hopefully very wrong as usual. 

And now to the Burger King of Kings portion of the show. My most loyal reader gets his own section now. 

Aside from talking about wrestling, what hobbies do you do? 

None, and I should get some. But entertaining you folks is a full-time job so it's a hobby enough for me. I also enjoy knitting, watching my baseball team lose, and watching my WNBA team win. Go Liberty! The current best player on Earth, Breanna Stewart, has the Libs rolling right now as she attempts to break the Jagger curse and get me a title. It will happen. 

Should high schools move to shorter time post weigh-ins? 

Matside scales for all levels if you ask me. Would be enormous drama.

What is a Met & why are they a mascot of NYC?

If you must know, Met is short for Metropolitan which is what we call New York City and the surrounding area. The colors blue and orange represent the two teams they replaced in the Dodgers and Giants who both moved west in 1958 and were never heard from again. It’s a stupid name for a stupid team who plays a stupid sport. A man with four balls cannot walk. 

Have you ever found a wrestling celeb using a chat-bot? because I have.

Is it Billy Baldwin? 

Who is the scariest assistant coach you've ever seen (in person) and why is it Frank Molinaro? 

I have not been in the same room as Frank Molinaro or many other coaches for that matter. I did go see Iowa wrestle Princeton a few years ago so Terry Brands wins by default. 

We need more young people in the trades. What is a good trade for former wrestlers to get into? 

Welding. Metal will always need to be bonded to other metal and you have to have some grit to do the job. It’s the perfect job for former wrestlers. Tough people who are able to work in tough conditions. Or you can just start a YouTube page and see how that goes. Work sucks and you’ll likely make more money being a fool on the internet because this world is a ridiculous place now. 

And with that, it’s a wrap for this week. Have a good weekend, all! If I didn’t get to your question, there’s always next week.