MEDIA WATCH & Division crown within reach

MEDIA WATCH:
In a two-part series on Nick Saban’s coaching philosophy the Huntsville Times’ Paul Gattis interviewed the coach, and while the Huntsville Times is not the most accurate paper in the state, it is worth reading because it provides an interesting look at Saban and a look at the Times biased viewpoint.
Column 1: The first-part of the series is a mostly useful picture of Saban’s outlook on leadership at the program. He’s process-oriented.

Column 2: The second-part details how Saban views fans and the program. Saban says fans play a role in a championship football program and wants the fans to do their part.

Of course with any Huntsville Times story, you get biased words. Numerous times in the second column Gattis drops words with strong negative connotations. First, it doesn’t “reek” of propaganda but it ”…also seems that maybe there is a level of absurdity to it as well.”

Then Gattis lists a lot of questions (that we are supposed to assume he was too lazy a reporter to ask the coach himself) for fans to answer. These questions then let him drop the word propaganda again.

This is an old rhetorical trick.

When was the last time a newspaper writer (other than Paul Finebaum) compared coachspeak to absurdity, or even asked if it might be propaganda?

It is opinion like this, when combined with the shoddy reporting during the Shula firing or all the anti-Alabama leaks printed in the Huntsville paper before Saban was signed, which shows just how low media standards have fallen. Newhouse or whatever they call themselves now, should fix the sports desks in its Alabama papers. With all the errors made by the Times and the Birmingham News, how long until we have a Gannett-like Opelousas Daily World fiasco here?

With biased reporters and editors, it is only a matter of time.

DIVISION CROWN WITHIN REACH
But will Alabama’s grasp falter? The game has major implications (as everyone knows.) It is amazing Alabama has an RPI ranking of 38 despite its pathetic season. The only good win was over Kentucky. However, this game and the SEC tournament begin a new season.

One troubling report from the world of Alabama basketball came following Alabama’s victory over Ole Miss.

“We could be 2-12, but if we won the division championship I’d be happy,” Gottfried was quoted as saying by the Birmingham News. “It’s still a division championship. If we win Sunday, I guarantee you we’ll raise a banner out there saying we won another championship. If you finish first, 10 years from now I’m not sure anyone will care what the record was. Just win.”

Paul Finebaum does a very good job explaining why this type of statement is absurd.

In other basketball news, the AHSAA held its annual Final Four in Birmingham and crowned its basketball champions. 
Here are the final scores from the entire week at the BJCC.
Ray Melick talks about the big names and lesser known players who were stars in the arena.
Ron Ingram writes about an exciting comeback victory by J.F. Shields.
The Birmingham News lists its Best & Worst of the Final Four in Sunday’s paper.