An interesting take on the SEC season here:
http://cfn.scout.com/2/875918.html

According to the Birmingham News, a compilation of the pre-season magazines has Bama at #8 Nationally and a very close #2 to Ole Miss in the SEC West. Those mags also have Ole Miss and Va Tech at #5 Nationally. Ole Miss' lack of defense, I believe, will be the major problem for them this year. Their best players are on offense in a league where defense dominates.

For Weekend Viewing

Alabama at Missouri 1978. Bama jumped out front and then Mizzou took the lead and then the Tide pulled away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIyyZZieQGk

1977 Alabama at Southern Cal. USC was ranked #1 and Alabama hung on for a thrilling 21-20 win.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKfgJppdx-Q&feature=related

Bear v. Woody Hayes in the Sugar Bowl at the end of the 1977 season (Jan 1978 Sugar Bowl). Bama won the game and should have been crowned No. 1 when Texas and Oklahoma ranked ahead lost but Notre Dame ranked fifth had beaten Texas in the Cotton Bowl and jumped Bama to No. 1 in the closest AP and UPI voting of all time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd6ewUJXS-0&feature=related

Alabama v. Virginia Tech September 5 in Atlanta

By Erik Stone

10 Weeks....that's all that's left between now and the much-anticipated beginning of the 2009 College Football season.

On the evening of September 5 about 73,000 fans will gather at the Georgia Dome for the season-opening tilt between Alabama and Virginia Tech, two teams that many across the nation will watch very closely. Alabama will begin the 2009 season in the same building where it began the 2008 season, but the expectations will be much different. Sure there were a lot of people that felt the Crimson Tide would be improved after limping home to a 7-6 finish in 2007 and barely getting by Colorado in the Independence Bowl, but the consensus among many was that Clemson, their opponent was a much better time and a favorite in the ACC under Tommy Bowden and would have little trouble with Bama. We all know what happened....Alabama blasted the Tigers 34-10 and went on to begin the season 12-0 and return to the Georgia Dome for the SEC Championship game which they lost to eventual National Champion Florida. As for Clemson, the Tigers had a hangover for several weeks after that game and it eventually led to Bowden's resignation. Bowden was replaced by Bama alum Dabo Swinney, who did a nice job in getting the team to rebound for a berth in the Gator Bowl which they lost to Nebraska. Certainly not the destination that Clemson fans had in mind, but it seems the Tigers are now headed in the right direction.

This year, Alabama coming off an appearance in the Sugar Bowl and bringing in another top-notch recruiting class under coach Nick Saban will be mentioned as a National Championship contender even though they'll have to replace the graduated John Parker Wilson at Quarterback. They still have many weapons returning including Julio Jones on offense and Terrence "Mount" Cody on defense. The Tide knew they could have very well been in Miami last year playing Oklahoma for the National Championship had Tim Tebow not willed the Gators to victory in the fourth quarter. Florida has Tebow and many starters back from the National Championship team but they showed they can be beaten, especially in their last two games, so Alabama coming back to the Georgia Dome on December 5 for the SEC Championship Game is a pretty good bet, especially if they can weather challenges from their top two SEC West pursuers, Ole Miss and LSU. Meanwhile, what do we make of Virginia Tech? The Hokies have been a very consistent program under longtime coach Frank Beamer who will one day be in the College Football Hall of Fame. They've been to a bowl game every year since 1993 and have played in the last two Orange Bowls, winning last season over Cincinnati. Some will say that Virginia Tech is overrated and plays in the weak ACC and that was spelled out two years ago when they came back to beat Matt Ryan and Boston College in the ACC Championship Game after losing at home to the Eagles in the regular season. Then, they were flat in the Orange Bowl against an opportunistic Kansas team that was having a season for the ages, but still a team the Hokies should have handled.

Looking at this game right now, a lot of people will say Alabama will win in a blowout, which could happen, but I think Frank Beamer will have Virginia Tech ready for this game and will prepare his players as best he can. He knows what's at stake here because a game like this can be the launching point for bigger things to happen later in the season. We may well see the road to Pasadena have its beginning point in Atlanta this year and come back through "the ATL" before the season is said and done.

Auburn having trouble selling their tickets

Not a real surprise with the state of the Auburn program and the economy but it offers an opportunity for Alabama fans who would like to see the Alabama-Auburn game in person. If, you purchase the Auburn season ticket package the Alabama game is included. You can likely sell the rest on stubhub. The cost is $395 per season ticket and here is the link:
http://ev12.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventList?groupCode=FB&linkID=auburn&shopperContext=&caller=&appCode=

Alabama is offering a contract extention to Nick Saban. It has the "Aubies" upset today saying that college is supposed to be about education. As most people know, football coaches salaries are Not paid through tax-payers dollars. The main recruiting tool against Saban is he will leave the school after only a few years. So, any extension makes perfect sense and especially if a buy out can be included in it.
http://blog.al.com/kevin-scarbinsky/2009/06/scarbinsky_raise_your_hand_if.html

Latest Fall Football on TV listings

We might as well be ready for some interesting SEC football start times this year because of the new CBS and ESPN contract. SEC officials have said essentially every game will be televised with each team allowed one PPV. That means a lot of early starts and night games for the ESPN family of networks. Here is the updated list so far:

http://cfn.scout.com/2/557860.html

More SEC game times named by ESPN
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/sec/0-7-79/More-television-times-set-for-SEC-games.html

Bert Bank

Alabama broadcaster Bert Bank died this week and a lot of people who knew him are telling of their friendship. I didn't know Bert Bank but I can certainly thank him in his role that helped me follow the Tide in the 70s. After moving from Alabama to Tennessee, it was even more important to hear the Tide on the radio each Saturday. Hard for many of the younger people to believe, there was only one or may be two games a week on television and the NCAA had limits of 5 appearances in two years on teams. So, radio was the main vehicle to follow the Tide. Alot this week has been made of Bert Bank's creation of the Alabama football Network in the 50s but it was his creation of what was called the "pic-o-dixie" network that affected me most. Before a Nashville station picked up all the Bama games in 1977, it was the "pic-o-dixie" network that carried a game to stations throughout the Southeast each Saturday. Usually, the station that carried, say, Tennessee, would cary the POD network game if it didn't conflict. So, many Saturday's in the fall(since Bama was usually the spotlighted game) as many as 200 stations in the region would carry the Alabama game. It was truly easy to find what Bear's Boys were doing on a Saturday in the South. It didn't hurt coverage back then that Alabama played top opponents in addition to SEC teams. I think of the 1978 season when Alabama played Nebraska, USC, Missouri and Washington in addition to the SEC games. That year the Missour(#10) and Washington (#19) games were on the radio only in addition to the SEC games that year.
Thanks to Bert Bank following the Tide was a lot easier for a misplaced Tide fan in the 70s!

Chad Scott

I was going to do all I could NOT to comment on the ridiculous statements made by so-called sports talk show host Chad Scott. However, Paul Finebaum's article recounting Scott's rantings led me to write a little.
http://blog.al.com/press-register-sports/2009/06/alabama_fans_are_stupid_they_h.html

Here is Chad's web site:
http://www.chaddscott.com/pictures/

He touts himself the sports guy "that sports fans love to hate." Don't know what you say about a guy who likes to be hated. Could that be a reason that in almost every picture on his page, he is by himself?

For a guy who says he lived in Alabama for 10 years(and went to Auburn) sure doesn't understand any thing about Alabamians. In fact, rather than the majority having low self esteem, the reality is 180 degrees the opposite. Most people in Alabama are very happy with the quality of life and have a "don't tread on me attitude" rather than the attitude expressed by Scott. Apparently, he thinks people in Alabama care about what the New York based national media has to say about a state 90% have never seen. That may be the most laughable comment made by Scott who apparently got indoctrinated during his time at ESPN radio under the infamous Colin "Alabama will never get a good coach" Cowherd. All you need to know is that Scott was the producer(i.e. coffee and donut getter) for Cowherd.

My almost 30 years in the broadcast industry have shown me one thing that keeps being reinforced. The sports media is the most childish of all. Scott has the idea that most Americans care what the media, and especially sports media, have to say about them. Even the highest rated radio show out there 90% are listening to something else.

The most ridiculous comment made by Scott on the Finebaum show the other day was that he had been denied jobs in Alabama because of Nick Saban. As if, Saban is consistently working on who gets hired in the various sports jobs in the state. As well as that statement being incredibly arrogant (that Saban is listening to comments Chad Scott is making about him), it is silly. If Scott didn't get hired from stations in Alabama, and he didn't give specifics, it is more than likely based on talent (or lack thereof) or could be that a station isn't real interested in hiring a negative sounding host. Since 99% of the sports listeners are Alabama or Auburn fans in the state, why put someone on that is going to constantly pound one side or the other?

One other note, I'm always amused by those based in the northeast looking down on any one else and especially those living in NYC. These are people who live in closets that they call a home, ride dirty subways to work and back, face crowds where ever they go, and they think we have it bad? LOL

NOW PLAYING

Alabama's come-from-behind win in the 1979 Iron Bowl when the game was actually played in Birmingham. Legendary radio announcer John Forney made the call in one of the most nail biting games in the series as Alabama kept the win streak alive against Auburn 25-18.
listen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGQoRkYlhsI

Or watch the Alabama-Tennessee game from 1991 at Birmingham...The Tide kept the streak going against UT.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6lo6FtRTWs

2009 and 2010 Bama and other SEC teams

The 2009 SEC composite football schedule
http://www.secsports.com/doc_lib/fbc_2009_schedule.pdf

Week by Week SEC schedule for 2009
http://www.secsports.com/index.php?s=&change_well_id=2&url_article_id=6780

A look ahead to 2010. Bama just announced San Jose State to open the season and Georgia State for the weekend before the Auburn game. Alabama will also play AT South Carolina during the 2010 season as well. San Jose will be Sept 4, Miss State at home will be Nov 13 and Georgia State on Nov. 20. The game at South Carolina will likely be Oct 9. The game AT Arkansas will be Sept 25.
http://www.secfootball.itgo.com/2010schedule.html

The NCAA is like the IRS

My on-going policy is that I wouldn't turn in my worst enemy to the IRS because sooner or later they start coming for you. Same thing, I believe, with the NCAA and the infractions committee. SEC teams that continue to turn in each other to the NCAA are only making the NCAA more interested in the competition going on in the Southeastern Conference. We saw what cheating accusations/penalities did to the Southwest Conference. Oops, you never heard of them? Well, they were in the league of the SEC, PAC 10, Big 8 and Big 10 back then. It got so bad that half the teams were on probation and they disolved the league and joined the Big 8 to start over. While I don't expect the same fate to fall the SEC, I see it severly hurting the prominence the SEC has in college football at a time when it is at the top without question. The latest CBS/ESPN TV deal is the seal of approval that the best football is played down south. However, the continued probation, penalties, and cheating allegations will tarnish the national image of the conference and the programs. These issues, if true, should be handled at the league office and not make its way to the NCAA. Even the most rabid Auburn fan shouldn't want to turn in Alabama because then the NCAA starts looking at exactly what Auburn is doing too.

As for the recent penalty handled down by the NCAA in the textbook case, my opinion is that it was too harsh. Alabama should appeal to return the so-called "vacated wins" and a reduction in the probation from three years to two. Alabama should do better monitoring athletes but there should be a major benefit in turning yourself in and cleaning up your own mess.

NOW PLAYING TODAY at the Bryant Museum live stream:

Alabama v. Georgia 1985 seasoner opener in Athens. Bama wins on last minute Shula to Bell pass.

LIVESTREAM-BRYANT MUSEUM

http://www.livestream.com/Bryantmuseum

Today, you can watch "The Block" of the 1989 Alabama-Penn State game in Happy Valley!

Other Bama news today include a column by Paul Finebaum regarding recruiting and cheater mongering by former Auburn football coach Tommy Tubberville.

http://blog.al.com/press-register-sports/2009/06/finebaum_as_sec_coaches_aim_fo.html

The Bear performance by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival is a hit again this year.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/college-football/story/769963.html

Livestream - Paul W. Bryant Museum

Livestream - Paul W. Bryant Museum

Watch Alabama v. Penn State in the Jan 1, 1979 Sugar Bowl and other great games from the Bryant Museum.

Shared via AddThis