News of the day, 2/11
Hey everyone. I spent Sunday afternoon at the AUM baseball complex hoping Q.V. Lowe could win his 1,000 game and, therefore, allow me to write a story about that. The Senators instead lost to Cumberland University. So it goes ... another story about Q.V. being "stuck" at 999.He'll get The Big One on Wednesday against Martin Methodist. I think it's kind of a big deal because Q.V. is a cool dude, he's an excellent coach, he takes care of his people and he handles business on the field and off the field.
I'll keep you updated. I'm sure I'll be at the ballpark on Wednesday.
FYI: Today's art is of Foo Fighters lead singer Dave Grohl, who played with the boys at Sunday's Grammys broadcast. The HOTTIES know I love all things Foo, and I'm somewhat sure Dave comes here for his daily Auburn fix.
Thanks for taking visiting our little eclectic enclaves we call the HOTTEST Auburn blog on the 'net.
On the recruiting piece: The HOTTIES knew where I was going with that column and that's pretty much where I went. I suspect that this class, the 2008 class, will be regarded more highly in a few years because public perception tainted things on signing day. Alabama did an outstanding job this season and deserves the lofty rankings it earned. I'm still not sure it's the No. 1 class, but it's up there. Auburn's class was less impressive on paper, which created a perception that Auburn's haul was less useful. Time will tell. On the tailback situation: In the weeks leading up to the Chick-fil-A Bowl, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden was asked about how running a spread offense affects things. Bowden ran a spread until a few years ago, when Clemson implemented a more traditional power approach. Anyway, Bowden said his staff had a very difficult time signing high-quality tailbacks to play in the spread. They all wanted to be somewhere they could get 25+ carries with ample blocking. With Auburn losing out on Enrique Davis the other day, is that foreshadowing or an anomaly? Davis was very clear that he signed with Ole Miss because Ole Miss afforded him a better offensive opportunity.As an aside, I believe Davis made the right decision for him. Houston Nutt needs a franchise back over there, he runs an offense that made Darren McFadden a sensation and that's exactly the kind of place I'd go if I was a coveted tailback.
On Jeff Lebo: Sometimes things don't make sense to me. Lebo's current situation is one of these funky deals. His team is 2-7 in SEC play. It's again flawed, undermanned and generally a non-factor. I have been told by People Who Know that Lebo is safe. I do not understand why. There is a $100 million arena opening in a few years and its pointless to open said arena with a lame program.Auburn's average home attendance (4,714) is the SEC's lowest. The next best? Ole Miss with an average of 7,294.
The team isn't good. Fans aren't attending games. This is Lebo's fourth year. I don't get why Auburn feels so bethrothed to Lebo. I think he's a good strategist and definitely keeps his nose clean, but Auburn should be competitive every once in a while. The situation seems terminal.
On ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill: One of the HOTTIES, telecommunications ace Bo from Dothan, mentioned that Luginbill was on Paul Finebaum's show the other day showing some diluted love for Alabama's signing class and gently defending Auburn's class. I don't listen to Finebaum. I do use Google. I found this clip, which peaks when Alabama fans call in at the end, and something he wrote in late January about Auburn's class."The Tigers are like Virginia Tech in that they know what a football player is regardless of hype."
He ranked Auburn No. 19. He put Alabama at No. 3.
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Photo credit: Chris Pizzello of the Associated Press
posted by Jay G. Tate at
11:59 AM
35 Comments:
The Foo Fighters are a great, great band. Besides playing incredible music, they do a great job of not letting their stuff become too pop. That's not easy to do and you forfeit revenue along the way. But, you certainly last a lot longer. They've been doing this at a high level for a long time and they look very energized.
Recruiting National Championship. I kid you not. The shirts are out there. Incredible. So fickle. So stupid. So lame. Recruiting National Championship...
The sad thins is bamaonline coined it.
those bammer callers are rediculous! why do they care if someone didnt rank them #1? rankings and stars etc are OPINIONS. like mr tate here says, wins and losses are what matters.
i wonder how many times LSU or USC has declared a "recruitng national championship" to me, it just an illustration of how desperate and delusional bammers are to think that at the slightest hinto of success they are back and belong on top no matter what anyone says
i hope they keep on building those expectations. the bigger they are, the harder they fall
I personally think Georgia has a better class than Alabama. Not that it matters that much, I hate them too.
Clemson has a monster class as well.
I wrote the Luginbill note while I was listening to the Finebaum clip. The best part was yet to come: Dude asking Luginbill to come to Birmingham to take a lie-detector test to prove an allegation that Luginbill once said he hates Alabama.
I had tears in my eyes. And the caller was so serious about it. Goodness gracious.
As for the tailback thing, I see what you are saying Jay, and it could very well turn into a clemson situation. I have a hard time believing that Tuberville will get that far away from the run. If tony franklin is the spread guru that i've been hearing about he will find a way to incorporate the run. We are talking 85 plays here. Auburn will need to have some success running the ball within the next two years though or our running back crop will be slim pickens.
For the record I like Tony Franklin so far. He looks like my drunk uncle.
I bet finebaum milked that for all that it was worth. The guy pisses me off but he knows what good radio is.
I thought Luginbill was making a great point about these other recruiting services.
How do they make money? SUBSCRIPTIONS! Who can provide them the most subscriptions? FAN BASES LIKE ND, BAMA, etc!
Seems pretty elementary to me. Please the largest fan bases and keep them coming to your site.
How bad do you have to feel about yourself to coin recruiting Nat Champs? Does anyone think Saban can kind of look like Stuart Smalley from those old Sat. Night Live skits? He does hold his mouth that way in press conferences.
Wow, that reminds me why I don't listen to Paul. I loved the question about "Why would a recruiting service be biased to Alabama?" The lie detector thing was funny as well. It reminded me how sad a lot of UA fans are.
I haven't paid any attention to Finebum since the the Alabama game. I think he made the season his personal mission to get Tubberville to go. He first said at the begining of the season that he was going to be fired because there was no way he would turn the season around. Then he said that thre was no way that he was going to stay. I really think he has taken the beating by Auburn over the past few years person since the great quote from Tubberville "You know, the thing about Paul is that he really doesn't know a lot about football." Classic.
Those sites are subscription-based, no doubt, but some of them are run by people who have a basic concept of balanced journalism. A lot of what I read on those sites, and I peruse sites covering several teams, is dreck I would've cut while co-sports editor of my college paper. It's laugh-out-loud bad at times. And these are the guys making thoughtful assessments on these prospects?
I'm not going to name names or anything.
With that said, it doesn't change the fact that Alabama did a bang-up job this year. Or that Auburn signed some low-profile guys.
FYI: Franklin as the drunk uncle is funny ... except that I'm pretty sure he's not a drinker or a hell-raiser.
personally, i like the foo fighters. ever check out the tragically hip? huge in canada but, except for one radio hit, not much in the usa. just curious, jay, does the advertiser pay you some sort of hazardous duty pay to cover au basketball? that has to be hazardous to one's love of the sport.
Though Auburn is not a good team, I enjoy watching them play. Effort isn't the problem. Most of those kids really bust their butt out there.
It's just so odd to me that Auburn can't get enough players to compete. Why can Ole Miss do it? Mississippi State? Vanderbilt has had better talent for years.
A month ago, I said get rid of Lebo. Y'all said I was an idiot.
Now, you're talking getting rid of Lebo. I don't get it.
no doubt they play with effort--just look at the minutes they play. the starters have got to be near or at the top of minutes per game played in division 1. it is strange, given au's history, that they can't attract (or keep) talent. of course, here in tucson, they get plenty of talent yet seldom gel as a team. go figure.
I wasn't a player in that fight, really.
Time is ticking and that arena isn't far off.
they have the players! they are just injured or inelligible. i cant wait for dollard/sylla/babrer combo next year. having all those big men is gonna really open it up for everyone else. we will have a legit shot blocking threat and post defense. not to mention the post offense which opens up the perimeter game. having big men makes it so much easier.
these guys play so hard though. they are fun to watch. especially hargrove
OK. Boubacar Sylla, a 7-foot center, averaged 2 points and 2 rebounds last year in a California private-school league.
Was he going to help?
Even with Barber and Dollard, I'm not sure Auburn would be an NCAA Tournament team. You have to have A, as in ONE, shooter. Where is he?
Our one shooter is the 06 version of Rasheem Barret.
What has happened to that kid??
They are going to have to find someone dynamic. Good coaching skills sure, but dynamic personality above all. Something that attracts success.
They need to find another scott pohlman. Rasheem barrett can hit a jumpshot but if he is not on, you might as well sit him down for the whole game.
Great quote by one of my least favorite players ever, Antoine Walker, on why he shoots so many threes (he led the NBA by 100 attempts at the time):
"3 pointers are worth more than 2 pointers if there were 10 pointers i'd probably shoot them too."
I've joked many times with people about how there are so many Scotty Pohlmans out there who don't get major-school scholarships because they're not fast. So what? If the other guys are fast and the kid works hard on defense, sharp perimeter shooting will offset those problems.
A lot of coaches think so, anyway. I'd say Rasheem Barrett is in that class. He's just not a three-point shooter. He's a 12-foot pullup shooter.
Jay, did you hear the comment the Vigor High School coach said abouth Auburn and its recruiting effort. Something to the degree that Tubs needs to get more involved instead of his a.coaches, or Saban is going to do this every year. What do you think? How involved is Tubs?
I haven't seen that quote.
Tuberville, based on everything I've heard from assistants, is on the road as much as any head coach. I don't think time on the job is a problem.
I thought I saw last week where the Vigor coach alluded to the fact that AU had been racking up in Mobile simply because Bama's recruiting was non-existent in the area under Shula.
Might be a different quote.
In regards to basketball. The students need to be next to the court to generate some excitement. I know that scholarship seats are needed, but the students are the ones that need to be next to the court.
The students are right next to the court.
First of all, there are like 500 students max at these games. So it's not like the section needs to be huge. There are students along 75% of the front row on the side opposite the benches.
The band and students generally populate the front row behind the basket near the opponent bench.
That's plenty.
Does Billy Donovan have a younger brother?
Jay do you like to sit behind the basket?..... I didn't think so.
There is an article in the Press Register today saying Julio Jones testified in a murder case of his 33 year old friend that he had been with earlier on the day he got shot. He didn't have anything to do with it, but the whole situation ought to tell you a little bit about his character.
Before this year, everyone was saying that he was a quiet polite kid. I don't hear those things anymore.
T.O. in the making... "get your popcorn ready"
When I was a student at Kentucky, I frequently attended games with student tickets.
I was in the upper deck 75% of the time.
The other 25% was spent at least 25 rows up in a corner.
I now love sitting behind the basket. It lets me hear the opposing coach and, last weekend, let me see plenty of Meo Stansbury. She's the best coach's wife ever.
Just listened to the Finebaum clip. He's attacking Luginbill from the start and the Bammer callers are freaking hilarious. Actually pretty surprised the word "blasphemy" wasn't used once.
I absolutely cant stand watching Luginbill talk.. he took ESPN 101 anchor classes where they tell you to move your arms at every slyabal. WOrst is that money chick on CNBC Susie Orman. I cant get past 3 minute with either.
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