The Staredown: Episode 1 - Starting Lineup

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Welcome to The Staredown. This crazy little idea has been rattling around in my brain for about two years and finally with the help and encouragement of some amazing family members Jaimee and Corey, who you might recognize as the hosts of some awesome Alabama Take podcasts, and friends and my non-sports loving husband Cody, I finally decided to jump in and do it. It sounds weird to some who maybe don't understand me and the way I think (yet), but I have viewed the planning process like preseason camp. And no, not the type where you get put on a bus and taken to Gettysburg College to bond with your teammates for two weeks (name that movie) or where there are hazing allegations (I see you Northwestern), or one where you have to watch people lose their jobs (ugh rip my heart out every time Hard Knocks!), but the fun ones. You know the ones where everyone gets a nickname and the depth chart shakes out. Except for me it was spending hours picking out a theme song and working with an amazing graphic designer to get the logo *just right*. And then there was the first uniform reveal of the season, also known as the trailer. I have to tip my hat to video teams all across the country for the insane amount of work they put in to get those just right every game. *Quick aside, Lane Kiffin, if you ever want to lend me Gin and/or Juice for an episode or promo, I'd be down!*

But here we are, preseason activities are done and it's game day! So let's talk first episode shall we?

I had said all along that I wanted this episode to be about me and a good tone setter for the podcast so I decided an easy opponent would be good, so I planned a solo episode. But shockingly, I changed my game plan last minute (trust me, I can make anything in to a sports reference so buckle up!). To get to know me you have to get to know my life from early on and that includes my undying love for the Ole Miss Rebels! And I truly mean undying. The joke with my husband (who I will say has finally grown not to hate sports and has found a love for tailgating and Ole Miss women's basketball) has always been that if Ole Miss had a chess team, I'd know everything there was to know about them and tell everyone everything that I know about them. But seriously, Ole Miss has been a big part of my life from early on. I was born in Mississippi and lived there until 1st grade when my mom and I moved to Alabama but I always got to go back for Thanksgiving break (can I get a hallelujah for the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving?!), spring break and summers. Mississippi runs through my blood and even living in the land of Bama and Auburn couldn't change my love for my Rebels.

My favorite Ole Miss football player of all time is Cory Peterson. Cory was part of the team that beat Mississippi State in 1997 on a two point conversion. Cory "Clutch King" Peterson caught the pass. That was the moment I knew I was truly hooked on Ole Miss football and it was not going away.

We all know what happened after the next year's Egg Bowl which leads up to my favorite Staredown in Ole Miss football history. Just listen to the episode and hear me and Mr. Peterson aka #85inyourprogram #1inmyheart tell you what happened.

If you're still reading at this point, thank you for being the type of fan that stays for all 4 quarters, no matter what is happening! I have a rule that you don't leave games early. Period. So congrats on being first team All Podcast junkie in my book!

I want The Staredown to be a place where women like me can talk sports. All sports. All things sports including plays, players, coaches, recruiting, work/life or school/life/athletics balance, the back office, the front office, and every other office water cooler in between. I want to hear from people who have never told their stories before OR who have never had a chance to see things from a female perspective. I want this to be fun and eye opening. Sports are a universal language and I'm here to help us all come together to sing We Are the World louder than we have in a long time.

I'm Mallory McCormack and this is The Staredown.

This week's lineup: