Morning folks.

I feel like I'm making some progress with the knee. I attended the Rebels' scrimmage Saturday morning with no physical or emotional setbacks. I have improved from two crutches to one crutch as I hobble around the house.

Because Saturday's visit to VHS was only a scrimmage I was able to pull right up to the elevator and park, a luxury that won't be available on game day Sept. 1 against Central Arkansas, so I need my doc, Phil Jones, to be on the mark with his assessment that I'm back in the game in two weeks - beginning with my visit to his office Friday morning. Phil, I'm counting, and I remain optimistic.

Even so, I've begun to think of what covering a game at less than 100 percent might look like. A plan is developing.

In the scrimmage it was easy to spread out in a pressbox that included only a handful of people. I was able to hand off the iPhone to Jeff Roberson of The Ole Miss Spirit, my representative at interviews. He brought back quotes from coaches and players, so I didn't have to maneuver the stadium steps with crutches. The videos were compliments of Jake Adams, a Madison resident, attorney, blogger and former DJ sports writer.

So the scrimmage wasn't that bad, a short walk to the elevator, then from the elevator to the glass at the 50. What a deal! The season is different though, and then the road beckons.

In other news ...

I noticed on Twitter yesterday this from former Ole Miss pitcher R.J. Hively, who was remembering fondly his two years on campus.

#RebsBSB sad i wont be in the first meeting tonight. New guys get ready. Best place in college baseball. Enjoy it. #proudoldguy

It's always good to hear that guys have a good experience in any sport, that they can sign, play a role and leave feeling that their college experience was time well spent. You only get one chance to make that happen. Some guys transfer, maybe multiple times, and never find what they're looking for. Some guys, Robert Lane, an All-American QB signee comes to mind, go through changes in the program and never seem to fit in for whatever reason.

I had a great college experience and upon leaving, much like Hively, would have been one to use a hashtag #proudoldguy in an encouraging message had we had Twitter back then.

Way back then.

Hively was at Ole Miss for only two years, and the first one was frustrating as injuries limited his opportunities. He put it all together this season and was a crucial part of the run to the regional championship game at Texas A&M.

Hively, by the way, seems to be having a good experience with the Yakima Bears (Arizona Diamondbacks) of the Class A Northwest League. He's pitched 24 innings over 18 appearances and has an ERA of 1.13, 22 strikeouts, 8 walks and an opponents' batting average of .167.