Editor’s note: Submit emails for Joe’s mailbag to [email protected]. Any and all questions, observations, rants, musings, recipes and news tips are welcomed. Ask him anything.

This is an opinion column.

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The mailbag is back after a couple weeks away. When Taylor Swift is at the Super Bowl, priorities shift and manifest brilliance in new and incredible ways. After reading my column on Swift, one observant reader suspected that I found a way to sneak into the popstar’s Super Bowl suite. I was even presented with a picture as evidence.

We’ll dissect the photo in question at the end of the mailbag, but first there’s a debate among readers about the coaching chops of Auburn’s Bruce Pearl. The latest AP men’s basketball poll ranks the Tigers at No.14. With a record of 20-6 and 9-4 in the conference, Auburn is having another incredible season. As we learned over the weekend, however, things can change in a hurry.

THE GOOD

Doug Wingard of Huntsville writes:

Your subject article about Bruce Pearl’s ability to develop players was on point. I understand your praise of Johni Broome because of his phenomenal development and improvement between last season and this season, however, I think a lot of credit should also go to Auburn’s Jaylin Williams. Together, Broome and Williams were almost unstoppable against Alabama. If Broome is Batman, Williams should be Robin. Williams has been at Auburn a long time and has played in more games than any player in Auburn history. I like what Bruce Pearl said about Broome and Williams:

“They’re both unique because we were able to switch and guard Alabama’s guards with our bigs. I think we have one of the better frontlines in our league. I think Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome could get some discussions about frontlines in the country right now.”

ANSWER: This question arrived after Auburn’s big victory against Alabama. We included it in this week’s mailbag because it demonstrates how quickly things can change in a season. Broome and Williams went on to combine for 44 points in the Tigers’ historic 101-61 victory against South Carolina with Broome making 4 of 5 from 3-point range and Williams hitting 5 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc. Auburn’s frontcourt absolutely did look like one of the best in the country. Unfortunately for Auburn, Williams went down with a knee injury in the Tigers’ next game against Kentucky. Everything is now in question this week as Auburn prepares for its final five games of the regular season. I’m interested to see how coach Bruce Pearl adjusts to the injury. I suspect he’ll come up with a quality plan. Our next reader…ehh…not so much.

THE BAD

Raymond Griffin writes:

Mr. Goodman, you are a good writer, but you are incorrect on Bruce Pearl. I have played and followed basketball nationally and in Alabama for over 60 years and know a thing or two about the game. In addition, I have a masters degree from the school of journalism. You should have focused on Bruce Pearl being the absolute best promoter and recruiter in basketball, which he hands down is! He is absolutely middle of the pack when it comes to game day floor coaching. If you cannot see that you need to slow down and watch carefully. Let’s tell it like it is. Keep up the good work.

ANSWER: As a doctor of journalism, I commend you on your pursuit of truth. Let’s take a look at some facts before we render an informed opinion. At 63 years old, Bruce Pearl is approaching 700 career victories as a coach. Those numbers suggest that Pearl knows what he’s doing. I would argue that the most impressive of those victories came when Pearl had to make a sudden adjustment to his lineup during the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Future NBA forward Chuma Okeke went down with a knee injury in the Sweet 16 against North Carolina. Not only did Auburn knock off UNC despite the injury, the Tigers went on to take down Kentucky in the Elite 8. That Wildcats’ team featured five future NBA players, including Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat. In one of the deepest leagues for coaching in the country, Pearl stands out as arguably the best. He has built Auburn into a basketball Mecca by winning games. That he’s also an incredible promoter qualifies him as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time.

THE UGLY

Robert Kilpatrick of Stapleton, Ala., writes:

Ryan Grubb follows Debo to Bama and publicly announces on National Signing Day, I’m the offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama.” Scott Huff follows him there and signs on as the offensive line coach. Days later each bolt for the NFL, abandoning a coach they both appear to have a favorable history with. Is this a simple case of coincidental timing for a “better opportunity” or does something about this smell foul and signal trouble?

ANSWER: Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Are we now suggesting that Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer was hired under the false pretense that Grubb and Huff would be joining him in Tuscaloosa? Is the Crimson Tide hive brain already looking for ways to discredit DeBoer, a coach who is 2-0 against Steve Sarkisian and 2-0 against Dan Lanning? While I admit that the timing of Grubb’s departure to Seattle might have helped Alabama land a couple players in the transfer portal, there was always a possibility that he could leave Alabama to remain in Seattle. Put it this way. Why in the world would the Seattle Seahawks wait to hire its offensive coordinator to help out Alabama’s transition from Nick Saban to a new coach? Let’s face it. New Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald is a Georgia grad. He’s not about to help Alabama for one second. Grubb called the opportunity to coach the Seahawks “a unicorn event.” Alabama hired a great coach regardless of assistants. That DeBoer’s assistants are so coveted just feels like a sign of good things to come for Alabama.

RICKWOOD TICKETS

Plenty of baseball fans in Birmingham and nationally are eagerly anticipating MLB at Rickwood: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues. The game is on June 20. Leading up to the event, AL.com has been dedicating time and resources to highlighting the impact of Black baseball on Birmingham’s history. Expect Rickwood-related content every Sunday.

Tom Fanning writes:

I did very much appreciate your article about some of the history of Black baseball and players in the Birmingham area. It is a rich history! My interest in MLB began in the summer of 1946 as the St. Louis Cardinals battled Brooklyn for the NL pennant and beat the Red Sox in a seven-game World Series. Where may I purchase tickets, if available, to the June 20th game at Rickwood? Thanks for your body of work!

ANSWER: The wait continues for official word from MLB for when tickets will be made available for the game. AL.com will continue reporting on ticket availability, but this website by MLB was created to inform fans about tickets. I have heard that a lottery system for tickets will be created for the game, but sources also tell me that the event continues to evolve as it grows bigger and bigger. Rickwood will seat 8,500 fans after the renovations. I suspect that tickets will be tough to come by and that’s why I dedicated my column on Sunday to advocating for displaced Birmingham high school baseball players. The MLB game is on June 20, but the Rickwood Classic featuring the Birmingham Barons will return to Rickwood for a game on June 18. My feeling is that local baseball fans wanting to attend a game at newly renovated Rickwood Field will have an easier time getting tickets to the Rickwood Classic.

BUCKY BALL AND BAMA

Samford is one game away from setting a school record for wins in a season. In one of the bigger regular season games in Samford basketball history, the Bulldogs take on rival Furman at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Pete Hanna Center. I’ve enjoyed covering coach Bucky McMillan’s rise from the high school ranks to Division I basketball. Mostly recently, one of my columns referred to McMillan as the best young college coach in the country.

William Cox writes:

Bucky has a coaching tree. Just look at Mountain Brook’s assistants under him. Cullman is dominating 6A [with coach Stu Stuedeman] and Christian Schweers is dominating 7 A at Huntsville. Proof his system works.

Richie Ambrose writes:

I remember watching Bucky coach Mountain Brook against a much better Vestavia team that eventually won the state title. The constant adjustments that he made were incredible. Especially after a timeout and he looked like he was 16 years old. I actually thought he might get a shot at coaching Auburn or Alabama but that was before Bruce Pearl and Nate Oats. He will continue to succeed.

ANSWER: There’s already plenty of speculation out there about McMillan and the SEC. He would be a great coach at any level. I’m going to enjoy McMillan’s run at Samford for as long as it lasts. Let’s also keep in mind that not everyone is motivated by money. McMillan, with backing from his strong base of support throughout the Birmingham area, could build a mid-major powerhouse at Samford. I’d love to see a Gonzaga of the South one day in Homewood.

TAYLOR SWIFT PARTY CRASHER

Keeping with tradition here at the mailbag, we’ll end things this week with a message from a reader that made me smile. This screenshot from the Super Bowl found its way to my inbox on Facebook messenger.

Megan Humphries Hoskin writes:

Is that you [laugh emoji]?

ANSWER: Everyone knows I’m a huge fan of the Grateful Dead. There are artists and bands throughout history who help us define this thing we call America, and the Grateful Dead is one of those taproot gifts to the country and the world. The Dead song “Terrapin Station” delivers one of the greatest lines ever written about journalism. “The storyteller makes no choice. Soon you will not hear his voice. His job is to shed light and not to master.” It looks like a Dead Head found his way into Swift’s suite at the Super Bowl. In the spirit of the Dead, I can neither confirm nor deny my cosmic location on Super Bowl Sunday.