Hey, welcome to Tuesday. It's Independence Day Eve, and I've got some stuff for you to read.

Let's start with today's opinion offering (CLICK HERE), which looks at the three first-round draft picks from MSU and their respective programs. I tried to look at the issue logically, examining the degree to which these first-rounders (Fletcher Cox, Arnett Moultrie and Chris Stratton) reflect the health of their respective programs.

As I discussed with co-host Tabora Cook on today's Bulldog Beat, this tells only part of the picture, but having three first-rounders in one year does jive with the feeling among MSU faithful that a new era has begun. The football and baseball programs are respectable again, and while the basketball team has fallen on hard times, this is a program that should be able to right itself before too long.

• ON THE LINKS: Also in today's Journal, we have a story about Missouri's enthusiasm for joining the SEC (CLICK HERE). … Texas A&M is also pumped about joining the SEC, as evidenced by this video they put together (CLICK HERE). Very, um, interesting. … Here's a Q&A with Anthony Dixon (CLICK HERE).