News of the day, 2/14

Hey everyone. It was a COLD one on Wednesday afternoon for the big AUM-Martin Methodist game. I was surprised to see none of you out there in the balmy 42-degree warmth. Q.V. Lowe, former Auburn ace pitcher and graduate, won his 1,000th game.

That's pretty cool. Q.V. definitely is one of the good guys.

I've got the Auburn-Alabama women's game tonight, which will preclude me from seeing LOST live. I'll have to settle for DVR a few hours later. I also have the women's game on Sunday, which will preclude me from watching the Daytona 500. Nell, you're killin me.

Yes, I like NASCAR. I may even love it. That and European soccer. Not many around naming those two as faves -- particularly in Alabama.

I know you all want to chat about Auburn football and whatnot.

I'm gearing up for what surely will be one of the most intriguing spring practice periods in Auburn history. You've got an offensive coordinator with one game and like two weeks of practice time under his belt. New defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads has none. I'm sure some players will be changing roles. I also expect a few to leave. I'm planning to cover those practices as I would two-a-days. I hope basketball responsibilities don't interfere too much.

I've received a few emails about the Chris Todd vs. Kodi Burns situation. I think it'll be Todd as the starter with Burns in his (familiar) changeup role. Todd has been Franklin's guy for a long time and has college experience in the spread. He's going to play a lot -- barring a Daniel Cobb-esque fall from grace.

I had a reader email me to ask about Chris Slaughter's offseason weight regimen. I hope that was a joke.

You should know that Zac Etheridge is going to be a first- or second-team all-conference player this fall. I have it on good authority that he's really good. He was a lightly regarded recruit, too.

Auburn demolished Alabama in women's hoops Thursday night. It was 74-49. The band was going through the whole "we just beat the hell out of you" chant, which seemed laughable considering how awful Alabama is this season. We're talking 1-and-8 bad.

News of the day, 2/13

Hey everyone. I spent the last couple days working on a big feature surrounding the baseball team and its support of Barbara Sanders. She is the mother of second baseman Joseph Sanders.

I put a lot into it. It was incredibly nice for Barbara Sanders to talk so openly with me about something so private. She liked the story. I'm really happy about that.

I hope you all like it, too.

I'm (again) covering Q.V. Lowe's bid for a 1,000th career victory this afternoon. I'll try to sneak in some dazzling Auburn-related insight before then.

UPDATE: I hope they have internet service over there because time eluded me ...

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