Picture Me Rollin

Mark Schlabach, who typically does a pretty good job of analysis for ESPN, has his preseason Top 25 up with post spring-practice revisions. The thing that I found interesting about his rankings is that, if he is right, Alabama will face five teams in the top fifteen this year. That’s right five, and to make matters worse, four of the five will be faced outside of the friendly confines of Bryant-Denny Stadium.

I am learning quickly that it is much easier to tear someone else’s picks up than it is to make your own - that is unless you excuse some of them with your own personal bias. I am also aware that Schlabach’s picks will differ from what ends up becoming the actual preseason polls, but there are a couple of interesting things about his look into the crystal ball that are decent debate topics.

Schlabach has Georgia at number two, right behind his new number one, Ohio State, and it’s hard to argue with that pick. Alabama plays them in Athens and as I’ve already stated, I just don’t see the young Tide winning that game.

He puts Clemson in the seventh position and I concur, in as much as I believe they will be a consensus top ten. No one doubts the Tiger’s talent level but the interesting thing will be how their inexperienced offensive line comes together. I believe Clemson gets the benefit of the doubt that they belong in the top ten until they prove otherwise. Alabama plays them in the Georgia Dome, in a game that will draw a lot of national attention. I still think Clemson pulls this out because our defense will be inexperienced in this game and the first game is a great time to throw a few wrinkles in.

The first surprise of Schlabach’s rankings is found with Auburn in the tenth position. Even a homer like me finds it easy to imagine that Little Brother is a top twenty-five team, but tenth? They have two brand new coordinators and I just don’t think a team gets that kind of benefit coming off a less than stellar season. With the imminent decline of LSU this year, there is little doubt that Auburn has a great chance to win the West and play for an SEC Championship, but they have to prove that first. All admitted partiality aside, Auburn’s personnel are going to have to prove they have adapted to the new systems and leaders before I would rank them number ten to start the year. Seventeen to twenty-two, no problem, but not number ten. Alabama gets a good opportunity to end the streak at six when the Plainsmen visit T-Town the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

LSU finds themselves at number twelve in Mark’s preseason rankings. With a new defensive coordinator and the loss of their only relatively experienced, but fairly capable quarterback, it’s hard to give them the nod at twelve. They are the defending national champion and do have some talent coming back so I suppose that’s a decent place to start them, but we’ll see how the year unfolds. I’ve got a feeling it will be the purple and gold clad fans that are bitching about their own coach, rather than Alabama’s, mid-way through the year this season. But once again, until they prove otherwise, they get approval at number twelve. Thinking about the game in Baton Rouge on the second Saturday in November gets me excited even now, months ahead of time.

Alabama’s final opponent in Schlabach’s top twenty-five is probably the most troubling to me, especially in light of some of the comments I got about my preseason picks; he has the Volunteers at number fifteen. That’s third in the SEC East but still giving them a lot more credit than slipping in to Atlanta as co-champion of the East last year merits. First of all they have a new offensive coordinator. The same arguments that I had for Auburn come into play here but what makes me skeptical of the Vols this season isn’t the new coordinator, it’s the old one. Jon Chavis is leading a defense that has been depleted by the graduation and early entry into the NFL. The vaunted Vol defense was ninth or worse in the conference in every major defensive category last season: tenth in scoring defense (27.3 pts/game), 11th in pass defense (238.6 yrds/game), 9th in rush defense (164.6 yrds/game), and 11th in total defense (403.3 yrds/game). The secondary and tackle positions are the only positions with relative depth and the author of their spring outlook speaks of the need for the offense to carry the load as the defense rebuilds. First of all that puts a lot of pressure on a relatively inexperienced quarterback (I’m sure the staff will work to diminish that) and there is also the adjustment to the new system, which is pretty different to the old one and second of all, it is certainly not the type of football that Tennessee fans have come to expect. If the wins don’t come quick to sate the hungry masses, things will get pretty dicey in Knoxville. Either way, when Alabama comes to call on the Third Fourth Saturday in October, there will be a lot on the line.

I can’t wait for football season.

Here is an example of a hard working, intelligent, Auburn alumnus. In this case it’s Leeds own Charles Barkley.

(HT: The Noodle)

You stay classy, Auburn.

Have a great weekend. Make sure you call or visit your mother on Sunday.

Posting will be a little light next week as I get ready for a timely vacation, but be looking for Monday, May 19th (or thereabouts) as I team up with the fine folks at Alabama Gameday and accept their invitation to introduce a new series for this site on theirs.

When asked by several friends about the upcoming season’s schedule and Alabama’s prospects following spring practices, I had basically the following predictions to make:

Clemson (at the Georgia Dome): I just don’t see Alabama winning this game. The Clemson offense will be stellar and I don’t think that Alabama’s defense will be in sync yet because there will be a few starters for this game that won’t be starters later in the year. The Tiger’s (first of the three Alabama plays) defense will be just good enough to keep Alabama from getting going in the early season test. I believe Alabama makes it close in the end but Clemson prevails by maintaining their early lead. (Alabama’s Record: 0-1)

Tulane: Alabama comes in hungry and motivated after the opening loss. This one may be close early but Tulane can’t hang, even with the less than stellar Alabama talent; The young guys get to see the field a lot in the second half in this Alabama victory. (Alabama’s Record: 1-1)

Western Kentucky: The youth movement continues as the freshman, red-shirt freshman, and sophmores play a lot in this blow-out Alabama victory. (Alabama’s Record: 2-1)

at Arkansas: While Bobby Petrino will build a good program at Arkansas - if he stays long enough to do that - this will be a rebuilding, or should I say building year, and the talent just isn’t there yet. This is a game Alabama’s young-but-improving defense will need. Alabama covers the spread. (Alabama’s Record: 3-1)

at Georgia: My gut tells me that this could be one of those magical, season defining games, for Alabama, but my brain tells me otherwise. The only reason Alabama took this game to overtime last year was mistakes by Georgia - mainly the tight ends inability to catch passes. I think Alabama keeps this game close, because they will certainly be prepared for it but Georgia is just too talented on both sides of the ball. This could be a magical year in Athens and Alabama can take pride, for now, in the fact that they will play a national championship contender close - I just can’t see them winning it.  (Alabama’s Record: 3-2)

Kentucky: Alabama takes out their frustrations over the Georgia loss by taking a depleted Wildcat squad behind the woodshed. This is the game where after the road experiences and adversity of losing, you start to see the defense gain an identity and confidence. The offense may be a little slower to bounce back on this one. (Alabama’s Record: 4-2)

Ole Miss: After Alabama gets the off-weak to heal and rest Ole Miss comes in and shakes them back to reality. Houston Nutt has never been scared of Alabama and he will easily motivate a squad full of kids who have gone through great adveristy - not to mentioned lived with constant fear of having their limbs ripped from their bodies at any moment by The Orgeron - and played Alabama close enough to win every year. I see them jumping out to an early lead with outstanding defense and opportunistic offense (this is nothing new for Alabama vs. Ole Miss). How Alabama chooses to respond will define the rest of the season.  Since I’m an unabashed Alabama homer, I believe that the whole team responds and the second half is all Alabama. The Tide wins a game that should be even closer than the last few contests between these schools but won’t be. And if they don’t, pack your bags for Shreveport and dig in for the “I told you so’s”from every corner of the football world. (Alabama’s Record: 5-2)

at Tennessee: In this installment of the greatest contest in College Footballdom, the Volunteers will welcome the Crimson Tide into Knoxville with revenge on their minds and malice in their hearts. It won’t matter; the tide has turned (no pun intended) on this rivalry, and for all the talk about renewed offense and improvement, this is Phillip Fulmer’s last season as the head coach. I don’t know why I believe this - it could very well be my utter loathing of the University of Tennessee - but I think they are in for a tumultuos season. After losses to Florida, Georgia, and UCLA (yes- I said that) the Alabama loss will be the hammer blow to the wooden stake placed in the fat one’s doughnut glazed filled heart. Then again I could be blinded by hatred and have never picked UT (and never will). (Alabama’s Record: 6-2)

Arkansas State: Alabama guarantees at least a trip to Memphis and not a return to Shreveport in the lopsided win that sees the young guys -who will be noticeably improved by this point - play a lot and the streak of November defeats broken. (Alabama’s Record:7-2)

at LSU: I got an email from a friend last week in the minutes after Perrilloux’s dismissal was announced saying that Alabama might now have a chance to beat LSU  this season. Saban’s return to Death Valley will be epic and so will the contest as these games always seem to be here lately. Like Georgia and Clemson though, this team is just too talented. Ross’ brother has been mauled in this game the last two seasons and this year will be no different. It will be close, as it usually is, but the LSU defense will again prove to be too much late in the game. (Alabama’s Record: 7-3)

Mississippi State: There will be more pressure on this game than necessary but by this point in the season, Alabama should be a vastly improved team. State, as usual, will not challenge offensively, especially to a defense that is starting to get a good feel of itself (don’t laugh). If the offense can manage not to shoot itself in the foot (and it should by this point) Alabama wins a game that it will be favored in only slightly because of recent past performance (in the series). (Alabama’s Record: 8-3)

Auburn: This game certainly is worthy of its own post but for now I’ll keep it simple. “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last”. Alabama ends six years of frustration and wins this game coming into it as the favorite for the first time in six years. Alabama wins. Alabama wins. Alabama wins. There will be dancing in the streets and celebrating on the Quad until the wee hours. [editor's note: the day I predict an Auburn victory is the day I burn everything I own related to Alabama football (which would be a considerable inferno) and quit following football. Call we what you want; irrational, delusional, whatever. I will never, ever, under any circumstances, pick Auburn.] (Alabama’s Record: 9-3)

I intended to go into more detail on this and I probably will closer to the season, but prior to kickoff, because I want to use this as a reference to look at each week as the season progress. So there it is, a little bit of rational thought and a little bit of standard home-cooking. It’s simply my opinion and though Buzz Bissinger may not care what it is, maybe you do. Please feel free to give me your forecasts in the comments.

Also if your interested, Will Heath has taken a look at the SEC West, sans Perrilloux and I think he has some good points.

It’s a good thing that the BSC commissioners decided against implementing a playoff system for college football. Yeah, I know you’re saying that I’m crazy and that I don’t know what I’m talking about; only everybody in the country wants this to happen and it would be really good for college football. It’s like that time when you said you really wanted your girlfriend to bring that other chick home. What could be better than a threesome? Then it goes down and there’s the awkward next day followed by the three strange weeks where your girl just didn’t seem interested and concludes in a drunken, tear soaked incident when she kicked you out because she decided that Missy just, “totally understands me in a deep and fulfilling way.” The point is that just because something seems like it would really be great the results can be much, much worse than what you had to begin with.

On the surface it does seem logical that a playoff would make the game better but let’s really look at that. It’s not as if college football needs the playoff to pick up followers. It is a reasonable assumption that the game is at the highest point that it has ever been. Season tickets and television contracts are not going un purchased or unfulfilled because there isn’t a playoff. What the reason to do it? To appease the fans and pundits or make it fair for the athletes? When has college presidents ever worried about that?

“Let them decide the champion on the field.” I’m here to tell you that that statement is a fallacy. At least in as much as the champion is being decided on the field right now. If I’m not mistaken, didn’t LSU beat Ohio State on the field? Is there any doubt that the Bayou Bengals weren’t the national champion? I’d agree that USC probably would have given them a better game but there is no guarantee that USC would have won the game that it took to play them were there a playoff in place. The truth is, or at least a solid argument could be made that Georgia would have given them the stiffest competition but I am certain in my belief that because they didn’t win their conference, or even division, that they shouldn’t have the right to play for the national title. That’s deciding it on the field. What everybody forgets is that prior to the BCS Ohio State would have played USC in the Rose and LSU would have played Virginia Tech or West Virginia in the Sugar Bowl, not to mention Kansas in the Orange Bowl and we would still be arguing about who the champion was. The thing about the BCS is that, whether you agree with it or not, a champion is named. Just because a playoff exists doesn’t mean that you’ll agree with it, unless it is a comprehensive enough tournament (16 or more teams in my opinion).

You can also stop the comparisons to NCAA basketball or Championship Division (Division II) Football because they are no where near the same. There are twelve game (thirteen if you play in a conference championship) and that is a whole lot of games. The effects of adding two or more games in December on teams would be indescribable. Think of a major conference team that goes through the regular season undefeated- thereby virtually guaranteeing a shot at a title (I’ll discuss Auburn later)- and in their first round game against the lowest seed of the tournament their star, all-everything quarterback, tears his ACL How fair is a playoff to them? The fact that there are so many teams that play such a brutal regular season makes a comprehensive tournament so unwieldy that it isn’t worth doing. Even in this day of increased parity there is still a large enough gap between the haves and the have nots and a tournament would only highten that gap. I know the argument is made that anyone has the chance to win the NCAA Basketball tournament but why then has no one lower than a 6 seed (I think)ever done it? My point is that the five guys on a basketball court (and D-II) football are so much more evenly matched than a D-I football team that it isn’t even funny and even then the talent gap is mostly insurmountable. Most of the basketball teams are happy just to make the dance and they don’t entertain serious thoughts of winning it all (not realistically anyway). Well there already is a reward for a team that is good but isn’t good enough in college football, it’s called the bowls.

The big gripe every year about the BCS is that someone who deserved a chance got left out. A tournament does absolutely zero to fix that - zero. This year it was Georgia, or USC, or Kansas that felt they should have been in (enforced by witnessing what did happen in the bowls). Well if there are four teams in a playoff there will be weeping and knashing of teeth over who the got left out of the fourth spot. Same with the eighth and same with the sixteenth. There will always be someone who is upset about being left out.

I am certain the that the out-of-conference schedule will get weaker if a tournament, especially a “plus one” is installed. There will be little benefit to schedule anyone that could ruin your chances to make it unscathed to the tournament game, especially for the tougher conferences. We’ll call it the “Ohio State Factor”; just be from a major conference and win out - which is tougher in the SEC than say the Big Ten- and you’re going to get a chance to play for it. The upstart programs, like Boise State, Hawaii, TCU, and Fresno State are going to have a much tougher time finding teams to play them. If you were a coach and your fan base was crying out for a shot at the title, why would you risk that chance to play Boise State - that is fairly talented but can gamble and play as if there is nothing to lose? There is no way the reduced scheduling is good for the game.

Virtually every year you will have the champion of the SEC, Big 10, Big 12 in the game with USC (unless someone else challenges for Pac-10 supremacy), the ACC champion and the Big East champion clambering for the remaining spot. In that scenario, the Conference Championship Game Conferences are at a slight disadvantage, or really rather the Big 10 and Pac-10 champions have an advantage because neither has to face that quality competition in a late season game. It will serve to effectively shut out the independents from the mix (which is pretty much the way it is right now) and give advantage to schools that have good pre-season hype that are in weak conferences ( read: Ohio State, West Virginia, etc.) Don’t even get me started on what would happed if Notre Dame finishes with two losses.

One of the big arguments about a tournament is that it would diminish the “every game is important” mentality. I absolutely agree with that. It is one of the huge things that make the regular season in college football so spectacular; every game has immense importance. LSU put a damper on that argument this past season by getting to the championship game after two losses, but the losses were to quality competition and in overtime. Had they lost to a vastly inferior opponent or by a large margin then they would not have had a shot. Georgia’s blow-out lost to Tennessee (coupled with their failure to win their division) kept them out of the title game, West Virginia’s renowned late season collapse against Pitt killed their hopes, and USC’s loss to Stanford effectively ended their chances. Kansas perhaps had a good argument to be included but only their Orange Bowl victory over Virgina Tech gave them any real street cred with them being Kansas and their out-of-conference schedule being so weak. Now I realize that with a four-team or “plus one” type system the effect of “every game counts” won’t be diminished as much as a larger format tournament but if any type of tournament get implemented then it will only be a matter of time before the hand wringing starts and a more inclusive format is mandated.

In the current system you are rewarded for scheduling, and beating, quality competition. I would hate to see that go away - and it will most certainly if we get a tournament.

If we want the current system to work better - and who doesn’t- there needs to be a few more ground rules set in place.  First, if you don’t win the conference championship then you should not even be considered. That would have taken the arguement completely away from Georgia this year and would have made the Oklahoma and Nebrasks travesties form years back not possible. That is certainly winning it on the field.

Second, there should be no polls, or polls from the people that matter, until October. Too many teams get passes because pundits think they are going to be godo pre-season and won’t back off their votes even when performance doesn’t match the hype.

Although it would never happen I would like to see the flexibility to be there in case there was the “Auburn Scenario”. If there are three unbeaten- deserving-teams at the end of the year, let them play one more game. You need the possibility without the certainty because had Virgina Tech beaten Auburn there would have been no need for USC to play again; Virginia Tech didn’t deserve the chance.

In conclusion, a tournament isn’t going to happen anytime soon. The increased parity we are seeing might change the need for that but like the Big Ten, I’m alright with that, but for different reasons. The Big Ten might change their mind if they get shut out of the fun for a few years - the rise of Illinois, purported rise of Wisconsin, and Rich Rodriquez in Ann Arbor might make that happen sooner than later- and then have their precious Rose Bowl match up toyed with and then we’ll see what they say. This isn’t pro football, or division II, or even inter murals. It certainly isn’t basketball. It’s college football and it is the greatest event on the planet. A playoff isn’t going to change that one way or the other. I think it’s time that a lot of us came to grips with that.

After being blamed for the dearth of NFL talent at the Capstone and the assertions by Buzz Bissinger and Bob Costas that have hit the blogosphere ad nauseum I can no longer continue to operate this blog in good conscience. Therefore, I will no longer be blogging.

Just kidding! This is just starting to get fun.

There has been a lot said about the blogger bashing on Costas Now and Best Damn Sports Show Period by many that are smarter and better writers than me but there are a couple of things I’ll add:

Printed media was once a very hard thing to access and even harder to publish. With the outlets being so few, I believe that it was important to establish credibility and integrity when your voice was heard. Training- whether an apprenticeship, college degree, or combination of both - became important not only as a means to maintain credibility, but also as a means to make yourself standout in a competitive job market. As the outlets became more numerous, some integrity was lost for the sake of competition - the rise of sensationalism is how I like to refer to it. With the advent of blogs, literally anyone’s voice may be heard. Competition and subsequently sensationalism has risen to an all time high (and will only increase).   It is ultimately up to the consumer to decide where he (she) gets his (her) information. That will be the ultimate test for any media outlet; print, television, blogs, etc. I still read the paper on occasion but only because a.) it’s kind of comfortable to do so, like a well worn shirt and b.) I don’t have wifi and therefore can’t get my laptop to the john, where my serious reading takes place.

To discredit a voice as not worthy of being heard, simply because it is heard in what is considered by some as an unorthodox medium is simply wrong . To act sanctimonious about bloggers because you have a degree in journalism or are considered a writer is not only elitist it is also ignorant. I believe that it is fear (coupled with the aforementioned ignorance)  that they are becoming irrelevant (and they are) is what is driving people like Bissinger, Costas, Stephen A. Smith, et al to act the way that they are.

I, for one, do not claim to be professional about this. I do try to be honest and I do try to have some integrity with this. I try to legitimize my post by linking to “credible” media sources and I believe am in the process of establishing credibility.  Even though this blog is done anonymously I do try to write as if my identity will become known. I am proud of my name and don’t want to soil it. That and that alone is the reason I try not to say anything here that I would not say in person.

If you believe Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News everyone in and around the Alabama program, including bloggers, are responsible for the lowly state of Alabama football. Scarbinsky notes that no Alabama players taken in the NFL Draft this past weekend marks the low point of the program instead of  the loss this past season to Louisiana Monroe. You can read the article here.

So I decided that the best thing I could do is fess up and take my knocks for the lowly state of the program. I appreciate him bringing to light how tragic this weekend’s events really were. Here I was busy lamenting the Braves lack of middle relief and working on my golf game when all the time I should have been kicking small dogs and children like I did this past November when Alabama got shut out by the state of Louisiana. I’m going to go ahead and call the wife and let her know just how miserable it’s going to be around the house tonight. Might as well go ahead and let the folks at the office know that I’m going on a three-day bender to drown my sorrows as well. Maybe I’ll even take a whole week since it is my fault. Whose going to erect the billboard for this monumental defeat?

First off, this isn’t even news. Everyone should have known that the talent level was way down and didn’t compare to that in the rest of the conference, hence the dismal win-loss record. Didn’t someone mention that there were some telling statistics coming out of the combines? Yeah, that was me. But then again I am just a blogger.

Secondly, who gives a big red crap about draft day. College football isn’t about creating NFL talent. At least it isn’t the primary goal- if your school puts a lot of talent into the league it might be a small feather in your cap at best. Scarbinsky claimed that Mt. Union beat Alabama by virtue of its single draftee. Where is Mt. Union? That claim is tantamount to saying that Kevin Scarbinsky had more rush yards than the Notre Dame offense through the first three games last year. They’re both true and meaningless statements.

Let’s get this straight; the Alabama program has been in decline over the past decade. The bad moments have been in abundance more than the good moments. If you need to look to draft day as an indicator of that then you’re an idiot. I’m looking to things like the SEC record, the losing streak against Auburn, the records against LSU and Tennessee. The bowl games Alabama has been to. The losses to teams like Northern Illinois, ULM, and UCF. That’s what tells me the program is down.

But you know what else? In the same stretch Auburn has won just as many SEC championships and been to just as many BSC games. Why not do an article about how Auburn hasn’t capitalized on their opportunities? But hey, they won six in a row and that’s all that matters. I guess when you don’t have “history and passion” that’s acceptable.

The difference is no one associated with this program finds the last several years acceptable. There is a desire to win - every game. There is a desire to win championships - not just share SEC West crowns. There is an expectation to be the best, tempered by the knowledge that things are lean (at least by the majority of fans) and what is wrong with that? If you are satisfied with mediocrity then you will always be mediocre. If you expect and demand to be the best, you will be disappointed on occasion, but it sure beats an existence defined by mediocrity.

I know I’ve had too many posts that begin with the words “Nick Saban” lately, but I couldn’t pass this up. While the rest of the college football world has been either laughing about the so called “Saban” rule - that keeps head coaches in the football building instead of the recruiting trail during the spring - or celebrating the victory of Saban not being able to out recruit them, Nick Saban has been figuring out a way to keep up the face time with high school recruits. Video conferencing.

The NCAA allows for prospects to call, or in this instance, video conference with head coaches recruiting them. All they have to do is go to the distance learning lab, which is in most high schools now. Saban has a web cam in his office and can talk face-to-face with them even though he can’t step foot in their high school. In a rare instance Kevin Scarbinsky brings something other than lame-ass Dennis Miller wannabe metaphors to the table and actually does some reporting.

As we speak Urban Myer is having the web cam installed in his office, as is Ron Zook. Phil Fulmer on the other hand is still figuring out how to get his glaze encrusted finger unstuck from the rotary dial. Just when he though he had this telephone thing beat too.

(HT: Ian Rapoport)

In the build up to the NFL, which starts tomorrow, there was an article earlier this week in USA Today  stating that most NFL talent comes from California, Florida, and Texas. I’ll take “Shit I already knew” for $500 Alex. That makes sense right, I mean they are three of the four largest states, population wise. The article also points this out and increases the boast by stating that theses three states, “outperform their population.” Still not earth shattering news.

Well, my man Gerry Dorsey wasn’t satisfied with that and goes out and does some actual research (had their been the internet and Google when I was in high school and early in my college career I would have been a damn Rhodes Scholar). Gerry came up with some interesting facts that shed a little light on the states that produce the most talent. I’ll let you read it for yourself, here.

Speaking of Rhodes Scholars, I’m on my way to the Talladega Superspeedway this Sunday to witness the grand festival that is NASCAR. There was a time that I didn’t miss a race in Talladega but that was several years ago. My dad still attends the spring race as he has done for about the last decade and a half and I’m going this time as much for him as I am myself but in reality it’s not as fun as it used to be.

Instead of sleeping-in a little on Sunday, I’ll be up at some ridicuolus hour so that we can be in Birmingham by the time the sun in visible and in our parking spot by 8:00. Then we’ll tailgate for four hours, which is actually the best part of it, and be in the track with 100,000 plus of our closest friends for four hours plus of baking in the sun, sweating, drinking cheap beer, listening to half the rednecks call Jeff Gordon a “faggot” while the other half defend him before cramming our sweaty, stinky, beer seeping form out pores, bodies into the car, racing thirty feet to the line of traffic and sitting in the parking lot three hours before making about thirty-five miles per hour for the ninety mile back to Tuscaloosa, hopefully making it home by 10:00 so I can get eight hours of alcohol processing sleep and struggle to work Monday morning feeling like shit. So I got that going for me; which is nice.

I actually used to follow the sport quite a bit and have respect for the drivers. I also understand the appeal of it. The best thing I have ever heard said about it was from a guy I used to work for who said, “I don’t care who you are or what you do; when they crank all forty-three of those cars and accelerate for that first lap, everybody in that place is a little bit redneck.”

I just don’t follow it anymore. All the drivers I used to like are dead or retired and in that specail way that they have, Fox has beaten any fun out of the coverage and the sport by over-analyzing everything and making the event about an hour and a half too long. You watch, given enough time they’ll ruin college football if they let them show enough games.

Just let DW and that other redneck guy announce the race and start coverage as they fire the engines. There is plenty of time with the endless green flag lap racing to develop any story you need to. And no, I don’t want to see Kelly Clarkson or ZZ Top sing before the race. I’m going to a race not a concert. If I wanted to see Brooks and Dunn, I’d blow my fucking head off. I’m hear to see a race - which is long enough as it is. Every tune that whatever artist they have up there singing is five minutes taken off my sleep time Sunday night. I’ve got an iPod, I’ll be alright.

It’s about like starting the NBA season in December so that they can tell us about LeBron and Kobe for a month, mixed in with Beyonce (not that theres anything wrong with that) and Flo-Rida concerts. Entertainment is good. Sports are good. Live music is good. Put them together and it’s just fucking stupid and a waste of my time. Plus it’s not like I’m not paying extra to see Miss Independent shake her ass.

Gentlemen, start you engines.

I wasn’t quite sure where I was going with whole thing when I got started, or maybe, I did not intend to end up where I am when this began would be a better way of saying it.

At first, I was angered by what I considered negative press, from both the Wizard of Odds and the World Wide Leader, but then I became a little more understanding after I saw the video of Nick Saban and Ian Rapoport’s exchange. I did and still believe that situation – the answer to “the question”- could have been handled with more tact. There was the belief that Ian could shed more light on it. He did that, but also during this process- I’m starting to love that word- he did much more, or rather his answers to my question and his subsequent thoughts and anecdotes, whether intended or not, made me really dig deeper into this stew – which has many flavors and cooks very slowly – and think out a lot of things. I’m going to try to organize all that in the post and place it out there for your consumption.

First things first; I have really appreciated all the comments, which have been mostly positive, for the latest posts. I also appreciate the new readers that have stopped by for this. I hope you’ll return. I also would like to think those that added this site to their links. I’ve got a much busier day checking the blogs that linked me and catching up on my blog roll. I owe thanks to Orson and Holly at EDSBS – their links always generate a lot of traffic. Also thanks to the guys at RollBamaRoll and Gerry Dorsey at Uncle Rico’s Time Machine, who has been with me for a while now. To shorten this up, basically look at my blog roll and check those folks out if you haven’t. Finally, very special thanks to Ian Rapoport, who took a chance and placed his trust in someone he knew only as Picture Me Rollin.

Here is what I learned, in no certain order:

There is no such thing as good or bad news. There is only news and all of it is worth reporting. The news itself has no character or temperament. We, the consumer, add the connotation to it. A completely hypothetical situation would be Nick Saban yelling at a recruit’s mother. This would be horrible news to Alabama fans, whether they admitted it or not. Tommy Tuberville on the other hand would probably dance a jig if that happened, especially if it was the mother of a recruit he wanted. You could also be certain Auburn fans would rejoice inwardly and outwardly – after calling Finebaum and condemning Saban. Granted, Alabama fans and Saban would not want this publicized because of the reflection on the school but rest assured that it is news and would be reported. Just because we as don’t like something does not mean it isn’t newsworthy.

Some things are not news, or at least shouldn’t be. Jeremy Elder’s mother was upset about his arrest. That is certain and quoting her saying as much did nothing for anybody. If she said she didn’t care that he had been arrested that might be news.

I once knew someone (cough-cough) who did Jager shots with a former, high-profile, student-athlete who may or may not have been of legal drinking age. There are certain people who would call this news and would give it a negative connotation, but to me, it isn’t news. It was a college kid doing the same thing I did as a college kid. Would he have been better served being at home watching a movie? Probably, but then again, I would have been better off doing that as well.

The internet age is vastly different, as far as information dispersal, than any other time before. With the free flow of information and the ease with which it can be accessed there are bound to be changes in what we, the public, find out about. This certainly has not always been the case. I have heard stories about Joe Namath’s time on our campus that would make Jenna Jameson and Hunter S. Thompson blush. Those were not put out there for mass public consumption and none of us are the any worse for it, in spite of the fact that if any one of those instances happened to a college athlete today, his dismissal would be eminent (unless he played quarterback at LSU). I believe that some things, in regards to player’s personal lives specifically, should not be reported. Most of the time they are not, and brushes with the law should be fair game, but I do worry about the future. In the absence of real news there is tendency to “create” news out of things that are not.

Reporters are not fans. They view things completely different than we do. Despite my recent flirtations with what some consider journalism and no matter how my tongue-in-cheek paragraphs about firing Saban were perceived, I am a huge Alabama fan, and in that light is the way, I hope, that I always view things. I take pride in the accomplishments of the University of Alabama and it pains me when bad things happen to it, its reputation, and the people associated with it. When I consume news that concerns the program, whether I witness it in person or read or hear a report about it, my perspective is how it affects the program and ultimately me.

I’ll give a few examples: Alabama hired Nick Saban as a coach…they got a great recruiting class… depth was developed in the defensive lines… blue chip recruits are leaning towards Alabama; all these things increase the probability that Alabama will win on the football field in the future, and that makes me happy. It also makes it less likely that the rival fans of my favorite team will have real ammunition to tease me about – Trey Blackmon’s troubles with the law are good news to me (see above) but if I’m an Auburn fan, it is much more easily dismissed as taunting because of the win streak.

Conversely when Alabama has players arrested, or a recruit chooses UT or AU over Alabama, or Saban announces a decision to leave, the probability of wins on the field is diminished and that is not good in my mind.

Alabama has a large fan base and rabid support because it has a history of winning on the field and it has the potential to do that again. Vanderbilt (sorry – no offense) has support but there is a reason that Alabama puts more fans in their stadium when they play in Nashville; Vanderbilt, while a fine institution – perhaps better than Alabama in many regards – does not win football games. Fans want to see wins. End of story.

My desire is to see Alabama victorious on Fall Saturdays. To that end, I process all information concerning Alabama with its effect on that outcome. Ian, as a beat reporter, disseminates information to the masses about Alabama football regardless of its effect on game outcomes. If it’s news he’s going to report it because that is his job. I believe that the tough part for him is putting that information out there in truthful a manner as possible. I say that because his only request before he talked to me was that I represent him truthfully and that was harder than I thought it would be – in fact, I am still a little worried that I put my on spin on some of it. See, I heard what he said and I tried to write it as verbatim as I could but in the recall it was hard to be absolutely sure I was quoting him accurately. He said this but he did he mean it like this or maybe this way… those were thoughts as I wrote out the post.

The bottom line is that it is unfair to be angry or to even judge a reporter because he or she prints a story that you don’t agree with. As long as it is accurate the desired task was accomplished. Their job is to report. My job is to follow the team and support it.

Columns are a different matter. A column is by nature a matter of opinion. The personal spin of the columnist is put on it and there is a big responsibility in that. I stand by what I said about Ray Melcik (and Finebaum); their opinion is of no more value than mine or yours, as long as it based on the same information. To his credit I do believe that Melick does try to be somewhat objective (I don’t believe that about Finebaum). The difference between Melick’s opinion and mine are this: he has a bigger platform from which to speak (for now) and is heard by more people. Opinions are neither right nor wrong but they can be ill-informed and clouded by bias. Maybe as a fan I take criticism to much to heart and ultimately that is why I choose not to read Melick or listen to Finebaum. I know that I certainly don’t mind listening when Alabama is being praised and that may be a little hypocritical but I think it is just part of the human condition; you get farther with praise than you do criticism any day. You can ask my wife if you don’t believe me.

In conclusion, I now believe that I understand the role of a reporter better. Some of us get so emotional and passionate about the football team we are following that a message we perceive as negative sets us off. That should be expected but that should not make us angry at the message bearer.

I also believe that very few of us know Nick Saban. I’ll leave it at that. The history of his time in Tuscaloosa will determine what kind of coach he really is. I’m not sure that I will ever be able to tell you what type of man he is, and so I’ll leave that to the people that know him.

Oh, the joys of the off-season. This is the time of year where there is very little news about football and what little news does come across the wire is blown completely out of proportion. Such was the case last week when a video clip of Nick Saban becoming agitated with a reporter when questioned about the math involved in athletes currently on scholarship, incoming recruits promised scholarships and the NCAA limit of 85 total scholarships. The video ran on ESPN and a flurry of talk radio and blog pundits sprang into action to cover every possible angle of the event; what it means to the Alabama Program, college football at large, the sagging national economy, and the recent rise in gas prices.

At the center of the Saban “Press Conference Rant” storm last week was Birmingham News, Alabama Beat Reporter Ian Rapoport. He was the reporter that asked the question that made the news and I could think of no one better to ask about the event (and Saban refused to take my calls). Ian was gracious enough to spend about thirty minutes on the phone with me and answer a few questions about himself, Nick Saban and the actual event. His answers, specifically about Saban, were well thought out, thought provoking, and in some instances surprising.

Ian told me that he was from Westchester County, New York, “about thirty minutes from New York City.” Ian went to Columbia and has worked as a beat reporter for the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, covering Mississippi State. He is in his second year covering Alabama and seems to have embraced the South by adopting our passion for college football as his own. He claimed to love baseball but also stated that growing up, he never really pulled for a college football team because nobody else around him did. He also indicated that he would never have realized how great our favorite sport is unless he had come to the region and assured me football was now his favorite sport to cover, “without question.” He has grown to love it so much that on Fall Saturdays when his work is completed one of his favorite things to do is sit and watch college football on television.

I wanted to know how his experience as a reporter differed from my experience as a fan. Ian told me that he attends every game, practice, and any other opportunity for any nugget of news about Alabama. Say what you want to about him, but he gets paid to do what a large portion of fans would love to do but he certainly has a different perspective on things related to Alabama than I do, but that’s for another day.

When I asked Ian about the perception of Alabama fans as conspiracy theorist he replied, “all sports fans are conspiracy theorists.”

Now that we had talked a little bit I thought that it might be time to get to some of the real meat and I wanted to grill him about the obvious media agenda and bias. I tried to stage my question, “As someone who covers Alabama exclusively, you have been called everything from “homer” to an idiot. Do you have an agenda?”

His quick reply shocked me.

“Yes”

I have him now, I thought, this is where we find out how bad he wants to paint Saban as a maniacal tyrant.

“My agenda is to supply readers, accurately and fairly - regardless of loyalty – with the facts, content, and stories about Alabama athletics. Basically let the readers know everything there is to know.”

Well, that wasn’t what I expected but if he wasn’t putting an angle on it, surely someone was.

“What about other reporters?” I asked him.

“I try to focus on what I do,” he replied.

“So there is a bias out there.” Now I’ve got him.

“I don’t think so. Let me clarify. I focus on what I do and don’t try to worry with what others do but I don’t think there is anyone who is doing this with a bias.”

When we discussed the mass media outlets, he made the, what he called “the obvious statement”, that the big outlets focused on the bigger names and more successful teams. He did say that he thought Alabama was receiving much more attention now that Saban was here.

The focus of our conversation then shifted to Nick Saban. When I asked Ian if he thought Saban was rude to reporters or him specifically, he had this to say.

“I don’t really focus on his personality. Sometimes he sounds loud because he is being loud but I’m not focusing in on that. I’m thinking about the follow up question, not the tone he is talking in. I will say this; it’s a shame that people judge him based only what they see of him on television, because there is more to him than that and no one should be judged based solely on what the say in front of the camera. That’s not really who he is.”

I told Ian that in my opinion he had become kind of a lightning rod – that a lot of Saban’s zingers seemed to be directed at him. Ian agreed with that and when I pressed him about whether or not he cultivates that image he told me that he was just trying to ask good questions, “ I’m trying to get the most information I can because that’s my job.”

In my opinion, Ian had to know that Saban did not want to answer “the question” and it had to be tough just ask it knowing what kind of response he was going to get. Ian disagreed.

“I never try to think what the answer is going to be. That’s why I ask the question. With Saban you never know how he will respond but he always does respond. He gives very intelligent answers. He is really a good interview – so was Sylvester Croom. Their answers are very intelligent.”

When I asked him, if in his opinion, Saban cared about success or the players, he told me that “everything he does is to win but he is also all about building relationships, with the players now, with future players, and with past players.” Ian said that from his experience the past players really feel more welcome now and that is a credit to Saban. He also told me that Saban spends time in the press room talking with the reporters, building relationships with them. He was very clear in his belief that Nick Saban cares a great deal about his players and as an example told of the genuine remorse he showed when talking about Tremayne Cooger’s decision to leave the program and in the manner that he did it – before the end of the school term.

Ian told me that he really believed that Saban likes Tuscaloosa and appreciates the town. As does his wife and that helps the situation. He was certain that he is content with the job because he could have gone literally anywhere – citing Nebraska if he had wanted to wait a year.

When we discussed “the question”, Ian told me that, there again, the taped segment didn’t show the whole story. Ian insists that Saban had a crack of a grin as he was going through his answer and also that he was joking after he left the podium. He also indicated that because of his belief that Saban really does care about his players that the answer to “the question” must be very complex. He said otherwise he would have just given a quick answer but out of caring about the outcome he seems to be troubled by it and that is what Ian took away from the encounter.

To end on a good note, I asked Ian a few “no brainers” and even then he surprised me.

“Who has the better looking girls, Auburn or Alabama?”

“That’s easy,” he replied. “Mississippi State” He then explained that his girlfriend attended school there.

He refused to comment on Clay Travis’ “Hope Scholarship” theory and while admitting that he was going to Athens next weekend, which would give him a great opportunity to answer with authority, stated that he would still have no comment. I’m pretty sure that goes back to the girlfriend.

Ian had been really professional all through the process – refusing to comment on the supposition that Saban asked Gentry Estes to remove a recent blog entry, only stating that he would take Genrty’s comments at face value – so I was surprised when he took my offer to confirm or deny my claim that Ray Melick is an “ill-informed, verbal-diarrhea-spewing, douche bag.”

“Deny,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for Ray’s integrity and skill as a columnist.”

I got him to answer one final question: “Does Nick Saban indeed hold the key to the Fourth Circle of Hell?”

“It’s been a long time since I read Dante’s Inferno.”

[Editor's Note: I do not intend this blog to be a typical journalistic outlet. By that I mean, I don't anticipate interviews being a staple of what goes on here. However, I have been amazed at the coverage and opinions this incident has generated. I tried to be as truthful as I could with Ian's anwsers and comments. I greatly appreciate his time and trust in me, a virtually unknown blogger. I did not want to cloud his comments with my opinions, and therefor part 2 will be my appraisal on what Ian had to say. Look for it Tuesday or Wednesday. PMR]