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What 2009 recruits could start?
Nick Saban loves when fans and the media put pressure on recruits, but it is only natural to try to anticipate who could help the Crimson Tide the most when fall camp begins.

Earlier this week, Chris Low of ESPN speculated that at least two of Alabama’s recruiting class could make big contributions. According to Low, “OT D.J. Fluker, Alabama: Hey, Andre Smith started from the time he set foot on campus,” and “RB Trent Richardson, Alabama: Nick Saban likes to play multiple backs, and Glen Coffee bolted for the NFL.”

Low also provides a list of other SEC signees you may see on the field this fall. Take a look. Are there any players you think will start in 2009?

Tide softball atop poll
Alabama Crimson Tide softball is in a familiar place—ranked number one in the nation. The Tide sits atop the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Top 25 polls.

“We appreciate the recognition this early in the season,” head coach Patrick Murphy said. “All of us are excited about this team’s potential. This senior class has now been ranked No. 1 three straight years. It’s a credit to the players and all of their hard work.”

Where will Rashad Johnson go in the draft?
The Rap Sheet provides a few clues on how Alabama Crimson Tide players could go on draft day. Players like Rashad Johnson, Andre Smith and Antoine Caldwell are discussed with analysis provided by Mel Kiper.

And since it isn’t spring practice yet, I can go way off topic.

Good news for the national debt
Luo Ping delivered good news for Americans Wednesday and you might not have heard about it. Luo just might be more powerful than Barack Obama or any American in shaping the future of the US economy. Why is Luo Ping so powerful?

He is one of the guys who will pay for the trillion or so dollars worth of stimulus spending on the table in Washington. Luo is a director-general of the Chinese Banking Regulatory Commission, and China is the world’s largest holder of US Treasury debt. Luo said in a speech that China would continue buying US debt, the Financial Times reported.

Luo isn’t holding the debt because of great belief in the stimulus package or a turnaround in the US economy. Luo will continue buying treasuries because there isn’t anything else safe enough to buy, but the new spending doesn’t make China happy.

“We hate you guys. Once you start issuing $1 trillion-$2 trillion [$1,000bn-$2,000bn] . . .we know the dollar is going to depreciate, so we hate you guys but there is nothing much we can do,” Luo was quoted as saying in the Financial Times.

How much longer China will bankroll US debt is anyone’s guess. At least for now, America’s plan to solve its credit crisis by embarking on a new round of national debt can proceed.