Cotton Bowl update, 12/28

Hey everyone. I arrived in Dallas on Wednesday night, rested and made my way to Southern Methodist University (Auburn's practice home) for today's workout. It was blustery, winds consistently in the 25mph range and gusts to 40, which made it seem colder than 65 degrees.

A couple things to note so far:
*The Montgomery airport is phenomenal now. It's been totally upgraded and, let me tell you, it's a pleasure to be there. If I had to quibble, I'd say the security checkpoint is way too small. Other than that, the place is perfect. Definitely makes the city look more prestigious.

*I worked out at Gold's Gym this morning. Rule No. 1 is: Don't drop weights. That's a rule.

*I saw OL Andrew McCain today for the first time in a while. His body has changed dramatically. He already looks like an OL. Now he needs to get the footwork going. I'm upgrading him from "could be useful" to "probably will be at least useful."

*CB David Irons seemed distraught today when told players will be receiving new iPods as a gift from the Cotton Bowl. Irons already has an iPod. When K John Vaughn happened to overhear Irons' complaints, he just shook his head. "I can't believe he'd complain about free stuff," Vaughn said. I think Irons was just being funny. I think.

*The SMU president, Gerald Turner, rolled into Ford Stadium this afternoon to talk with Tommy Tuberville. The guy doesn't seem to have an ego. He approached Auburn assistant SID Brad Gust and said: "Hello, I'm the SMU president. Is there any way I could say hello to Coach Tuberville?" Stuck me as funny.

*I laugh every time I see Brandon Cox come lumbering in for interviews now. He's been overexposed this season from a media standpoint. Too many questions on too many days from too many people. Cox has had enough. He does his best to be pleasant about it. Yet he's always trying to move the interviews along. His line from two weeks ago is one of my favorites. After a very brief pause in a group interview, Cox said: "What else you all got? Nothing?" He's definitely a smart alec. I like that about him. I'd be a little testy, too.

* Offensive coordinator Al Borges said he was hoping to get one of the Cotton Bowl jackets his fellow coaches received on Wednesday night. One caveat: He said "Elmo The Tent Maker" would have to be the one to make the jacket. I don't know where he comes up with this stuff, either.

*There's a lot of money in Dallas. The downtown area is big like you'd expect, but almost all the buildings look brand new. It's so alive. The arena that is home to the NBA team, the American Airlines Center, has a real retro look to it. I brought along a little camera. I'm hoping to get a few shots tonight. I'll be attending the Dallas-Phoenix game ... provided I get my work completed in time.

*The bowl media (Auburn and Nebraska) are staying in a suburb called Las Colinas. There apparently is or was an overhead tram system here. There are tracks connecting several nearby buildings -- the tracks go into the buildings a la Disney World -- but I haven't seen a single tram. It's like someone came up with this bright idea, then it all fell apart after the project was really far along. I'll ask around for more information. I'll try to get some pictures, too. Believe me: It's bizarre.

UPDATE: I found a little website that explains the tram situation in Las Colinas. It's a "monorail" system that basically went belly-up a couple times. It's definitely dead right now. What an incredible waste of money. That ... and it makes the place look creepy.