Alabama held its last practice session of spring Thursday in preparation for the annual A-Day game set for 2 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN with Chris Fowler and Todd Blackledge in the booth and Wendi Nix on the sideline.

“I think it (the A-Day Game) is very positive in a lot of ways,” Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. “I think the positive energy and enthusiasms that our fans show, the exposure of being on television, all those things work to enhance the program. I also think that it’s something that our fans can look forward to be a part of and have a fun day. It’s very much appreciated by our players who get a lot of positive reinforcement by having a lot of people interested in watching them during A-Day.”

The A-Day roster was released. You can check it out here at the Rap Sheet along with some additional information on the Crimson Tide’s roster situation at the end of spring drills. You’ll read that Mark Ingram, Earl Alexander, Roy Upchurch are out for A-Day, the Rap Sheet reported.

SEC players and Heisman talk
Chris Low of ESPN names a few players in the SEC who deserve to be in Heisman chatter, but won’t be. Low writes, “Again, these are guys that are fabulous football players, but won’t generate enough hype to win college football’s most coveted individual award.” Alabama’s Terrence Cody makes Low’s list.

The Capstone Report has been touting Cody for Heisman. It is an injustice for a superb player to be excluded from the award just because he plays in the trenches.

John Madden retires from NBC’s NFL broadcast
John Madden retired from NFL broadcasting after 30 years in the booth. Madden was an entertaining and informative analyst who brightened ordinarily dull NFL games. If anyone deserves to retire, Madden does; however, he’ll be greatly missed by football fans. You can read more from NBC Sports and Awful Announcing. While we are talking about the NFL, Awful Announcing has a list of ESPN’s draft coverage and it reports that Erin Andrews “will conduct green room and post-pick interviews with the prospects invited to the Draft.”