Your Daily Fix, 6/26

Hey everyone. And we're BAAACK from the District and feeling great about our decision to live in Alabama. I know this place has its drawbacks, but I don't regret aiming my professional career away from big-city work. Almost everything I need is within five miles of me here. Plus, I know many of the people in my neighborhood and most of 'em are pretty cool.

Some things I can do in DC that I cannot do in Montgomery:
a.) Walk to the store
b.) Walk more than 1,000 feet without sweating
c.) Use a convenient mass transit system
d.) Buy (good) food from a street vendor
e.) Hang out with my friends Marty and Jennifer J., who live near DC

(Today's picture was shot from Rosslyn, Va., at the Iwo Jima Memorial.)

OK. We have Auburn stuff to discuss.

I was in D.C. when coach Tommy Tuberville et al. snagged their 17th commitment earlier this week. He is DB Reggie Taylor, who is from the same high school (Peach County in Georgia) that produced HABOTN fave Chris Slaughter. Taylor considered offers from Iowa State, Ball State and Memphis. Some other big-name schools (ie Alabama and Florida) have shown interest ... but not the super-serious kind.

Taylor, like many of his future classmates, attended one of Auburn's camps earlier this summer.

Here is your updated Auburn 2009 Commitment Tote Board:
HIGH SCHOOL
LB Harris Gaston, Birmingham (Bessemer Academy)
WR Brandon Heavens, Birmingham (Bessemer Academy)
QB Raymond Cotton, Mobile (Faith Academy) ... though he's moving this summer
DT Terrence Coleman, Mobile (Williamson)
DE Jamontay Pilson, Greenville (Greenville)
TE Philip Lutzenkirchen, Marietta, Ga. (Lassiter)
TB Rodney Scott, Cross City, Fla. (Dixie County)
LB Jonathan Evans, Mobile (Blount)
WR Travante Stallworth, Leesville, La. (Leesville)
WR Ladarius Perkins, Greenville, Miss. (St. Joseph)
OL Andre Harris, Hampton, Ga. (Lovejoy)
WR LaVoyd James, Mobile (Williamson)
OL Aaron Moore, Frisco, Texas (Centennial)
DB Reggie Taylor, Fort Valley, Ga. (Peach County)

JUNIOR COLLEGE
LB Eltoro Freeman, Alex City (Miss. Gulf Coast CC)
DE Wilfred Journet, Lafayette, La. (Copiah-Lincoln CC)
DL Nick Fairley, Mobile (Copiah-Lincoln CC)
*all three signed with Auburn out of high school in Feb. 2007.

There is an outside chance that Quan Prowell, a senior this past season, will be selected in the second round of the NBA Draft tonight. Maybe 5%. There are three teams that have shown accelerated interest, but word is that Prowell probably will play for someone's Summer League team in an effort to make a roster in the fall. He's such an intriguing player. If Prowell could swap personalities with Doc Robinson, you'd have one hell of a player. As it stands, Prowell doesn't show a lot of fire. If he was more laid back, he'd be asleep.

This isn't Auburn sports per se, but an AU student has qualified for the World Series of Poker main event. We're talking about ESPN, Vegas, the whole thing. His name is Adam Mills and he's a 2004 St. James graduate.

I talked with him earlier today for a story that will run later. He's the ultimate casual player ... who just happened to win a pair of important online tournaments. There are approximately 8,000 players qualfied for Vegas. None of them was a bigger longshot than Mills.

I'll share more later.