News of the day, 9/24

Hey everyone. I rose early this morning eager to watch my DVRd Foo Fighters concert from HDNet's Sunday afteroon lineup. Dave and the boys were outstanding as expected. It's all acoustic. If you're a Fooey, it's must-see TV.

Mondays generally are pretty slow. I'll take care of you, though, with some carefully timed updates through the day. There are a lot of interesting little things happening with the team right now. Tons.

Thanks to all the HOTTIES who gather 'round this fine publication, the HOTTEST Auburn blog on the 'net, simply for the warmth it provides.

Auburn's Oct. 6 game against Vanderbilt will be televised by Lincoln Financial Sports. You know what that means: Another 11:30 a.m. kickoff. That's what everyone wanted, I'm sure.

You know who's moving up my list of "Most Intriguing Auburn Player" list? It's the fella immortalized by photographer David Bundy above. Pat Sims. He's playing with that fire coaches have been seeking for years. He plays at a high level almost all the time, which is why I think he'll be an all-conference player at season's end. Good players come and go, you know, but Sims is one that will stick out long after he's gone. He quit football in 2004. His sister's death nearly wrecked him. It took a long time, but Sims has emerged this season. He also is a master of dry-wit humor. He and Jae Wilhite.

I often end interviews by asking players if they have anything else to discuss. It gives them a forum. Sims always greets that with: "It's your job to ask questions." Makes me laugh every time.

It sounds like top punter Ryan Shoemaker is ready to roll. He suffered a dislocated elbow during the South Florida game and missed the Mississippi State game as well. He attempted Auburn's final punt of the New Mexico State game. It went for 62 yards. Eddie Gran said Shoemaker will be the starter against Florida. Still, Gran noted that he's exploring the idea of letting Patrick Tatum -- who punted well in Shoemaker's absence -- handle finesse kicks. That's an interesting idea.

On a personal note: I geeked out today and pre-ordered two copies of Halo 3 -- one for me and one for my homeboy -- at my local video retailer. I enjoyed the puzzled look I received from esteemed Huntsville Times scribe Phillip Marshall after asking him about Halo 3 on Sunday. At 55 years old (give or take), he's apparently not a big XBox player. Anyway, I'm going to snatch my copies at 8 a.m. Tuesday. The store will be open at midnight. I can't stay up that late anymore.

Several Auburn players are similarly geeked. I know CB Pat Lee and TE Cole Bennett are planning to pick up copies on Tuesday for most-of-the-day playing. Both of those guys already have graduated. As Pat Sims so eloquently noted on Sunday: "They don't have anything else to do but play football and video games."

Quentin Groves also plays a lot of XBox 360. He's on a Rainbow Six: Vegas kick right now.