Weekend testing
Welcome to the weekend. We are testing out several new items on the website this weekend‚ don’t worry much if you find something you hate because this is only a test. But feel free to share your feedback. If something is annoying or slows down the website loading then let us know. We need to know what works, what doesn’t and what annoys you.

On to the weekend news items.

ADs reject early signing period
SEC football coaches bid for an early signing period was setback by league athletic directors and presidents, the Athens Banner-Herald reported.

Presidents wanted recruits to be able to visit their campuses and get to know people there, Slive said, although many recruits take unofficial visits to campus in the spring and summer before their senior years.

Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton was concerned that early signees who did not take official visits before making their decision would miss out on getting a full picture of the university.

“I think that’s part of the experience of going out and visiting the professors and others on campus in terms of making their decision,” Hamilton said. “Because 85 percent of our student-athletes are not from the state of Tennessee, I think it’s sometimes helpful to have that little bit of extra time on the recruiting process.”

Oddly enough, the presidents might be right. You can’t forget players are selecting a college. They should be able to take a visit and sign early. Hopefully, the proposal can be adjusted for next year’s SEC meeting.

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Auburn to get new beat writer
The Ledger-Enquirer plans to adjust its beat writers, and word leaked on a blog that David Ching will move from the UGA beat to the Auburn beat for the McClatchy newspaper.

Ching posted about the move on his blog, but deleted the post since it was a “premature” announcement. However, Ching’s post was preserved (thanks to the Internet). Here’s a portion for our Auburn readers.

I guess I should go ahead and break the news that I won’t be returning to Athens this fall for the Ledger-Enquirer. Because of a variety of factors within our newspaper and our chain, I’ve been told I’ll be moving from our Georgia beat to the Auburn beat for the upcoming season.

It’s something of a bittersweet move for me in many ways, but it’s the safest, smartest move for me as a Ledger-Enquirer employee. I love covering college sports and any beat covering a Southeastern Conference school is going to be a lot of fun (and, of course, a lot of work). But I’m most certainly going to miss covering Georgia. I loved working next to and competing against the other writers on the beat and enjoyed interacting with the folks at UGA. I have many more positive than negative things to say about the people I dealt with there, from the sports communications staff to the coaches to the players. It was by far the most fun job I’ve had, and I hope that came through in the stuff I posted here.

Ching is highly regarded by UGA fans for his insight and access.

Fans critical of Arkansas media
Houston Nutt visited an Ole Miss alumni meeting in Little Rock, and reporters interviewed the former Hawg coach. As you probably could anticipate, Razorback fans didn’t care for it.

According to Mike Irwin of KFSM, fans voiced outrage for two reasons:

I ran into several fans last week who either (a) didn’t like what Nutt had to say or (b) didn’t think reporters had any business talking to him. Permit me to address both issues.

Iriwn said that as long as fans emotions are stirred by Nutt, local media will make sure to get comments from him. He’s right. That’s how the media works. When fans stop caring—that is when the media moves on to another story.

If Houston Nutt’s seven minutes in front of those Little Rock reporters was controversial what is going to happen when he returns in November as the head coach Of the Ole Miss Rebels ? He’ll be interviewed extensively both before and after the game. For those who say the media in Arkansas should avoid the man I say it’s not going to happen. Reporters cover the news and Nutt is news. If that makes somebody mad they’ll just have to be mad.

Saban to speak at YMCA event
Nick Saban is set to address the Cleveland Avenue YMCA June 6 at 2:30 p.m., the Montgomery Advertiser reported.

Crimson & White Roundtable Round-up
Tide Druid led the Roundtable this week, he proposed some interesting questions and has compiled the most interesting responses into this post. You’ll find wisdom from throughout the Bamasphere.

Auburn fans call Alabama fans delusional
It is one thing for Auburn fans to hope Tony Franklin’s system energizes the Tigers. That is what all fans do—they hope for the best. I know Alabama fans hope the new OC in Tuscaloosa repairs the problems the Tide faced last year. It isn’t delusional to believe the future will be better than the present.

What is delusional is to believe anything your coach says.

From the War Eagle Reader:

Buried deep in the feminine furor lies the reason for it all: a solder (sic), a Bama fan, asked him to.

Gross.

So broken is the Bama Nation, so used to it, their relationship with Tommy Tuberville has officially blossomed into full-tilt masochism.

“One guy said, `I’m an Alabama guy, but go ahead and put up seven anyway,’” Tuberville said.

Any suggestions for a safe word?

If you believe an Alabama fan told Tuberville to do that—I have a bridge to sell you.

That is the biggest lie since, “I didn’t inhale.”

And Auburn fans are buying it. I guess Phillip Marshall has done his job well.

5 thoughts on “Weekend SEC Notebook”

  1. It’s classy to visit the troops overseas, and it’s classy to hold up seven fingers at the troops who aren’t unfortunate enough to be a fan of your team, said the backwoods Barnie to the other.

    Tuberville once admitted the reason behind his “Iron Bowl” success, but seeing how, after six consecutive victories, he’s too caught up in it to realize ‘Bama saved his job. That same logic will be used against him when ‘Bama is also the reason he is forced to retire.

  2. what i find particularly piquant about the whole ordeal, is not mr. ears’ classless and teenage-ish taunts, but the razorback fans and their feelings toward houston nutt. honestly, if i were in their shoes, i’d hate my university more for wanting to retain him an extra year. seriously, the guy left you and he was replaced by a guy that only lost 9 games at louisville. i’d be thankful and i would also rejoice if he walked out on my team, even if he headed the opposition’s direction. who really would’ve cared?

    count this as my signature:

  3. Uncertainty is the only explanation. Hog fans may or may not be completely sold on Bobby Petrino just yet. His record at Louisville was astonishing, but the key word is: LOUISVILLE. I think Petrino is a better coach than Tuberville and I’m thankful he never replaced Tuberville or else Alabama would be in deep trouble. But Tubervilles pre-Alabama sanctions record is what he once was and is what he will be once again.

  4. Tommy Tuberville is paving the way to his farewell tour. He knows that he doesnt have sanctions to soften up Bama anymore. He knows that he wont beat Bama at recruiting as long as Saban is there. And even with the best of effort he knows that it cant be done. So he is framing his exit, but being the great guy he is, he is going to make sure that the cupboard is bare on talent before he goes, That way it makes him look like a better coach than whoever his poor predecesor will be.
    If Tennessee has a bad year this year, Tommy will come-a-calling on ol’ rockytop.
    The sad reality for Tommy T is that no other school in the SEC would have him… not even Vanderbilt.

  5. So what happened to that Al Borges worshiping wildebeest, Christina Turner? I lived in Columbus and I was a frequent reader of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, and it seemed she couldn’t go a sentence without mentioning, “Offensive Coordinator Al Borges, Offensive Coordinator Al Borges, Offensive Coordinator Al Borges.” Did she leave when he left?

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