The Birmingham News provided a look at the debate over athletic dorms for student-athletes. Who were the biggest proponents? Football coaches. Coaches like Pat Dye. Here’s what the Auburn legend had to say: “I don’t think you have to go any further than just look at the service academies,” he said. “I would say you [...]
Archive | June, 2008
Alabama baseball update
David Robertson Makes Major League Debut with Yankees (UA) NEW YORK – Former Alabama All-American David Robertson made his Major League debut Sunday afternoon at Shea Stadium as the New York Yankees played the final game of the 2008 Subway Series against the cross-town rival Mets. “David Robertson was a special pitcher with good makeup,†[...]
Time to separate the men from the boys
By Shane from Centerpoint The ugly incident involving former Alabama football player Jimmy Johns – his thug lifestyle and recent arrest for peddling cocaine – provides an excellent snapshot of the very image and perception issues that head coach Nick Saban is attempting to eliminate from his program. Johns not only hurt himself – he [...]
Source: NCAA at fault for discipline problems
Teams plagued by academic progress requirements, lack of athletic dorms One person familiar with SEC coaching told the Capstone Report that Nick Saban has been frustrated in his efforts to clean the Alabama program due to NCAA restrictions. “APR/graduation success rate rules would take scholarships away if Coach (Saban) kicked too many players (off the [...]
Hunter: Johns didn’t seem the type
Whoa, Alabama…your Cadillac has a wheel in the ditch and a wheel on the track…what’s going wrong? Hunter Ford Jimmy Johns has a website dedicated to selling Pit Bulls and nobody told him that might not be a good idea? It’s a free county, but did anyone suggest that he might keep it cool and [...]
Johns violated NCAA rules
The Jimmy Johns saga continues to be laughable and sad. The guy allegedly sold cocaine in the parking lot of the athletic department. And he broke NCAA eligibility rules with his dog breeding website. The website, jimmyjohnspitbulls.com, contained images of Johns in his Alabama uniform. Under NCAA rules, student-athletes are allowed to establish a business [...]
A letter to Nick about discipline problems
Dear Nick, I know you don’t have time for this shit, but I wanted to give you some helpful advice on how to run your football program. I have years of experience giving helpful advice on the Internet (just ask Mike Shula about all the helpful advice I gave him!), so I’m sure you’ll understand [...]
Richardson ‘strongly’ committed
Scuttlebutt last week had standout Trent Richardson’s commitment to Alabama being weak. But Richardson told Bama Online that he is strongly committed to the Tide despite the fact he will take visits to other schools. Advertisement: Story continues below Richardson pointed to his close relationship with Alabama commitment AJ McCarron, and Alabama players Julio Jones [...]
Johns case highlights discipline & punishment
Nick Saban has a sophisticated view of discipline; he believes discipline is a restorative process where a player who has done wrong is gradually returned to fellowship with the team. In this view, punishment is a tool, not an end. But sometimes players just cross the line. You can’t throw them a lifejacket. They are [...]
Ford: Bessemer HS football
Freeman’s dismissal doesn’t make sense By Hunter Ford Ten years ago Bessemer Academy was at a turning point. The school was broke. It couldn’t afford to pay teachers. According to an award-winning story “About Face: A New Game Plan†that ran in the New Orleans Times-Picayune in 2005, the school turned to football to help [...]
Prince Hall working to return
Prince Hall has returned to school for summer term, and continues to work hard to regain his spot on the Alabama team. According to the Riverside (CA) Press-Enterprise, Hall hasn’t been promised anything, but if Nick Saban left the door open for a return then Hall has a good chance. Provided he meets Saban’s requirements. [...]
Recruiting items to start the week
Rivals.com reports A.J. McCarron impressed in Las Vegas Elite 11. “He is a national player, and Alabama definitely did get itself a good quarterback,†Jeremy Crabtree said on Rivals video. You can watch some highlights of McCarron making throws. McCarron is ranked a four star by Rivals, and the sixth best quarterback in the class. [...]
Hypocrite: Luginbill
Paul Finebaum’s Saturday column provided details about Tom Luginbill’s recruiting analysis, and why the ESPN analyst ranked the Tide’s class #3 when everyone else placed the Tide at the top. “I don’t want to get into an ‘I told you so’ type of situation,” Luginbill said. “In our opinion, what you do in February with [...]
More $ for Moore
Mobile Press-Register: “It is my goal over the next two years, if possible, to move him (Mal Moore) either to No. 1 in the SEC or very close to it,” said UA president Robert Witt, who added, “His performance over the last six years has been exceptional.” Moore already earns $425,000 per year, or third [...]
Millionaires Club
Every coach in SEC (except Vanderbilt) makes more than $1.5 million this season. The Shreveport Times has provided this helpful list of who is making what in the SEC. Les Miles, LSU: $3.75M
Nick Saban, Alabama: $3.75M
Urban Meyer, Florida: $3.25M
Bobby Petrino, Arkansas: $2.85M
Mark Richt, Georgia: $2.8M
Tommy Tuberville, Auburn: $2.8M
Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee: $2.05M
Steve Spurrier, South Carolina: $1.75M
Sylvester [...]
PREVIEW: Alabama-Clemson 2008
Editor’s note: We are planning previews/scouting reports/analysis on all of Alabama’s 2008 games if there is an interest. We are also offering the preview as a PDF download if you would prefer reading it in a more attractive format online or to print it out for offline reading. You can get the three page downloadable [...]
Scholarship numbers still changing
As Nick Saban has said, and we’ve repeated, scholarship numbers work themselves out. Here’s the latest. Cornerback Lionel Mitchell was placed on medical scholarship due to a back injury, according to media reports. Ian Rapoport helpfully updates the on scholarship count—it is now 64. Advertisement: Story continues below Saban’s meeting with the local press today [...]
What they are saying about the Capstone Report
What they are saying about the Capstone Report: â€[T]he most mouth-breathing Alabama blog on the planet…—Brian Cook of AOL Fanhouse and MGOBlog. “Anybody can build a website, but it does not make the creator a crediable (sic) journalist. Hell you have Shane! You’re a lowlife and so is that P*ssy Fart Paul Finebaum.â€â€”Sixdownnow7 “I don’t [...]
Tide still the King
By Shane from Centerpoint Most reasonable SEC football fans would agree that the true measure of a team’s dominance over its conference foes can’t be judged accurately unless the overall record is used as the primary source. The historic records display the truth without spin. There is one team that holds a winning record over [...]
Saban will win Mobile
No matter how many recruits Auburn signs in Mobile, Alabama will win the Mobile area. Saban has so totally dominated in-state recruiting, that he is now able to take only the cream of the crop, while Auburn must find quantity instead of quality. From today’s Mobile Press-Register Mike Herndon column: “Nick was new and everybody [...]
Talking Bama basketball
Guest Column by Ray of finebammer.blogspot.com “gone like a freight train, gone like yesterday, gone like a soldier in the Civil War – bang, bang, gone like a fifty-nine Cadillac, like all the good things that ain’t never comin’ back, she’s gone.” The difference is Richard knows EXACTLY where he stands. (are we clear? Yes, [...]
ESPN: Richardson good RB and humble
ESPN’s recruiting experts have a profile up of Alabama’s recent RB commitment Trent Richardson (Escambia High School of Pensacola, FL). Richardson talks about football and his family. “We as a family never had much growing up,” Richardson said. “My mom [Katrina] always told me when you get an opportunity in life to take it and [...]
UA faces tuition increase
REPORT: UA SYSTEM CONSIDERS DOUBLE DIGIT TUITION HIKE The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees will consider a tuition hike at its meeting later this week. According to the agenda, all three UA system schools seek a major revenue adjustment. Advertisement: Story continues below According to the report, UA seeks a 12.3 percent tuition [...]
Gottfried lands recruit; sobering b’ball thoughts
Worried about point guards? Mark Gottfried has been hard at work filling that key position. Cully Payne of Schaumburg, Illinois committed to Alabama Tuesday. According to the Chicago Sun-Times website, Payne visited Tuscaloosa and liked the campus. “After a visit this past weekend, he fell in love with the school, its great campus life and [...]
More Marshall recruiting wisdom
From the desk of spinmeister Phillip Marshall: It should be obvious to anyone that players who receive firm offers in June, almost eight months before signing day, would have a lot of stars beside their names if the coaches who made the offers were doing those rankings. No shit Sherlock. I’m sure Windows rates Vista [...]
Best in the West: John Parker Wilson
Rivals’ Bamaonline.com ranks J.P. Wilson as the best quarterback in the SEC West. It isn’t surprising—Wilson is the only choice as the season begins. He is a multi-year starter, and a senior. All positives for him and the Tide. The other SEC West quarterbacks as ranked by Bamaonline below along with some helpful comments from [...]
MADE FOR TV: Logan Young
A new Discovery Channel series is expected to air a show examining the death of Logan Young. The series is unnamed, according to the Commercial Appeal, but examines cases with mysterious circumstances or unanswered questions. Production crews have talked with persons interested in the case, including attorney Philip Shanks. “Police have evidence that I wasn’t [...]
Barker weds
Jay Barker married country singer Sara Evans over the weekend in an informally, formal ceremony. According to People: Evans, 37, wore an ivory silk taffeta Vera Wang gown with a halter neck and Barker, 35, wore a Dolce and Gabbana suit. The black-and-white affair (guests were requested to wear black) was accented with hints of [...]
Snake is down but shouldn’t be out
By Hunter Ford My heroes have always been cowboys, you know, people who have an independent spirit and march to the beat of their own drum. It’s hard to watch when one of them falls out of the saddle. Such was the case last week when the news broke that Kenny Stabler got arrested for [...]
Gottfried’s good news
Monday brought good news for Mark Gottfried—basketball’s best chance for success announced he would stay in school. Ronald Steele was Mark Gottfried’s only (realistic) chance to retain his job. Without Steele, Alabama would suck in the 2008-2009 season. Now, Alabama has a chance to be above average with the talented guard back on the court. [...]
Hoover braces for baseball tournament without Bama
As the Southeastern Conference baseball tournament begins, Hoover businesses are getting ready to feel, well, not much of anything. Since [...]