Getting back in gear

Hey everyone. It's been a few days, I know. It happens sometimes.

GAZING INTO THE DISTANCE: Thanks, as always, for making the HABOTN one of your stops on the Interwebs. As Auburn's athletic season winds down and there is less SUBSTANCE to what I can write here on a daily basis, I'm open to ideas about what we can do for the next two months or so.

I plan on doing player-by-player scouting reports on the team's top 25 players as we get into late June and July. Until then, though, it's all negotiable.

A-DAY THOUGHTS: I haven't had a chance to talk with coaches about how things went Saturday. While I believe Neil Caudle has a real shot at this job, his superior performance at A-Day doesn't change much. This is at least a two-player race and, in my opinion, will remain that way until late August. Don't yet forget about Chris Todd.

I was interested to hear that Mario Fannin played wideout last weekend. He's been discussed as this hybrid player, but I think Onterio McCalebb is the preferred player for that role. When McCalebb told me last week that nobody else was being groomed for a TB/WR role, I figured something was up.

BASEBALL LOSES TWO AT USC: Auburn (25-15, 8-10) played well at times, but again struggled on Sunday because of pitching problems. The bottom line is that a third weekend starter doesn't exist. Grant Dayton is consistently good and Jon Luke Jacobs oscillates between good and below average. Without a third guy, though, the Tigers will struggle to finish .500 in the league.

WOMEN'S GOLF WINS THE SECs: It was Auburn's seventh league crown. The Tigers opened the final day three strokes back, but pulled away with an eight-stroke win. Arkansas and Alabama finished second. Auburn, currently ranked No. 6, will play in the NCAAs beginning May 7.

Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn University

Questions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com.