Mike VI Found!

LSU announced that they have located a replacement for Mike V, who died this summer. The new mascot is a 2 year old Bengal tiger that should arrive on campus in August when it will be named Mike VI.

Highly upset by this news was Japanese wrestling sensation Tiger Mask who really wanted the job. "I would have growled many, many times if selected."

SEC Media Day Three: Continuing Coverage

GEORGIA: Mark Richt gave the shortest Q&A session of Media Days. Evidently the Dawgs are just as boring as Richt was. Only two things really stood out in Richt's comments. First, he enjoys being discounted this season. No one is really talking much about Georgia. South Carolina and Kentucky are resurgent programs. The Gators are the defending national champ. No one is really paying attention to the Dawgs. Richt said he understood why the attention is on those story lines and doesn't mind being virtually ignored in Hoover. He also said he didn't mind that not one of his players was selected 1st team All-SEC by the writers in Hoover. Second, when asked what effect the text messaging ban will have on UGA's recruiting, he said they would "text the heck out of 'em" until the ban takes effect. UGA will try to make sure they don't get "outworked" for a recruit during that period. Contact is severely limited after the ban comes into effect, so Richt said the period before the ban is crucial.

OLE MISS: Coach O thought the Rebs "are starting" to act like the championship teams he coached at USC. Like Sly Croom, Orgeron talked about the Rebel's close losses last year and hoped to make more plays this year to win tight games. Coach O had some curious sayings. He said his new defensive coordinator, John Thompson was a great coach of the "back end" and he was good at coaching the "front end." I'm not sure if I want to know what that means. As a side note, why did Orgeron pick Thompson, a guy who was essentially fired by Spurrier two years ago because his defense was so bizarre and ineffective?

Coach O admitted that naming Bret Schaeffer was a mistake and it was done for "recruiting purposes." The QB race at Ole Miss is now "open." The O line should be strong for the Rebels and Orgeron was excited to have some "three hundred poundas" up front on the defense.

LSU: Miles was in the crosshairs for his previous comments about Alabama and the Pac-10. Les wasted no time apologizing for his Bama f-bomb and was conciliatory toward Bama. He insisted that the Bama game was simply another game that LSU would prepare for it as it would any other. One reporter asked how Les would convince his fan base of that. Les also attempted to clarify his Pac-10 comments. They were meant to bolster the now downtrodden reputation of the SEC in the offseason, not to slight the Pac-10, and that it's easier to win a conference that doesn't have a championship game. Uh, OK, Les.

Miles has a reputation of being a buffoon, but I thought he did a good job. He down played his prior controversial comments even though he was asked about them repeatedly. Nick Saban was mentioned in about half the questions asked of Les. He deftly deferred when asked who would win a boxing match between he and Saban. Les seems to realize that he should beat Saban this year and maybe he should just shut up and coach.

Like Bobby Johnson, Les said he was in favor of an early signing period for football. Those are the only two coaches that support the early signing period, although I don't think Mark Richt was asked about it. Miles also said the Tigers enjoyed "getting to the back end."

One last note, expect LSU to return some kicks for touchdowns this year. The new kickoff rule should really help LSU's dwarf burner, Trindon Holliday, to blaze on kickoffs because he will get more returns.

TENNESSEE: Phil sounded like a coach that is still looking for something in his team. Other than Erik Ainge, his skill position players are still largely unproven. Phil talked about his relationship with Pat Summit and that her success is tied to superstar players. Does UT have a superstar to ride to a championship? Phil said Ainge has a chance to be a superstar, which means he isn't one.
Phil sounded like he recognized that receiver is a weak link. UT will emphasize the run, but Phil sounded unsure. He liked his backs, but he didn't sound confident in his line. The defense, however, sounded solid. The only think Phil was concerned about was D tackle. Look for the old style UT strategy: run it effectively, grind it out, and play good defense.

Saban Speaks

Nick Saban was at his passive aggressive best today in Hoover before the SEC media. It was a typical Saban appearance: terse, tense, and professional. Saban does his best to both ingratiate himself to the viewer and deftly conceal the considerable cracks in his image. Today was no different. If you had never heard of Nick Saban, he would have come off as professional and diligent, like your doctor or priest. He began by thanking the media for the job they do. He also said he welcomed the outrageous expectations he faces on the Capstone and enjoyed being at a place where the standards were high.

The reporters, having heard of Nick Saban, quickly pounced on the obvious questions. What happened with Miami?

Saban gave what every lawyer would have told him to say: at the time he had no intention of leaving the Dolphins and he believed all his statements were true. The problem is that that is a lawyer's answer. If you were even considering, even for a moment, that you might leave for another job, you don't use the future tense. Hell, no coach should ever talk about his job, past, present, or future, in the future tense. It invites problems. Plus, if he even thought he might be the slightest bit interested, you don't make those kinds of statements. The Dolphins job isn't like a college job where you have to maintain the illusion of stability for recruiting, so he doesn't have a ready made excuse for lying. He said he wasn't going to be Alabama's coach in dramatic fashion and should pay the price for it. Tubs got hammered for his pine box comments at Ole Miss, but Saban is a bigger deal because of his past success. Saban just messed up and he deserves the flack.

What about LSU? Saban gave the same response to every LSU question: I respect the people of Louisiana, LSU, and the he loved his time there. He would have loved to come back to LSU, but the job wasn't open. Well Nick, it doesn't matter. LSU fan hates everything that isn't LSU. You've known this and you've now taunted the irritable, angry, and crazy LSU fan base. Get ready for batteries, rolls of pennies, urine, and raw meat when you come to Baton Rouge. Nick also had a line about Miles saying that he had "arguably the best team in the conference" (that Nick thinks Nick built).

Is it me or does a Saban press conference sounds like a management consulting speech? The terms chemistry, responsibility, mission statement, positive energy, and buy-in were all used today. Does Nick have an MBA?

One other surprise. Nick talked about his golf game today. Saban plays golf? Doesn't golf require time that Nick could spend watching tape or ignoring administrative staff?

RIP, Skip Prosser

Man, this sucks. Wake Forest basketball coach Skip Prosser apparently dropped dead of a heart attack today while jogging. He was 56. Prosser was one of the good guys, universally respected as a competitor, teacher, and all-around person. Even during some of the chippier games against Duke during the Chris Paul era, no one really had anything bad to say about Prosser himself.

Skip Prosser was an instant success everywhere he went -- he was the first coach in NCAA history to take three different teams to the NCAA tournament in his first season. He had a fantastic tenure at Xavier, and maintained the success of the Demon Deacon program after Dave Odom left. In the years since Paul went pro, Wake has struggled a bit. But things were looking up. Wake fans were already gleeful with the 2008 recruiting season early commitments. For more on those signees, check here and here and here (all those links via DBR, and their message board thread, with some nice stories about Prosser, is here).

It's a real shame that Prosser's last season was such a disaster, given how much optimism he had for the future of the program. I know that when ACC fans saw that recruiting news, they knew Wake wasn't going to be down for long. Now one has to wonder if those recruits will stick with the Deacs. Much will surely depend on who the next coach is, and it's way too early to even begin speculating on that. But Skip Prosser made sure that he left the program in good shape, and it will be a great opportunity for someone else, thanks to all the effort he put in. Skip's son Mark Prosser is an assistant coach at Bucknell, and the Bison are scheduled to visit Wake Forest in December. I wonder if they'll cancel that game now (although it's a great game for both teams), but if they do play, I'm sure it will be a bittersweet moment, as it should have been an on-court matchup of father and son.

I heard Fran Fraschilla talking to John Siebel on ESPN Radio a bit ago about Prosser. Fraschilla was part of a group, including Prosser, who went to Kuwait this summer to hang out with some troops and play some basketball. He wrote about the experience here and here. Fraschilla said that Prosser was a teacher to everyone he met, and a good person on and off the court. A lot of people in college basketball, and fans of the game, are going to miss him.

SEC Media Day Two: Continuing Coverage

VANDERBILT: Bobby Johnson was pretty dry. He stated that Vandy is trying to become more competitive and has come a long way in recent years. Usually, you could count on Vandy making a mistake late in a close game to lose it. Johnson said that was not the case last year. He talked about Vandy's big road wins recently, but that they need to do better at home. He mentioned that they have sold more season tickets this year than ever before, so that should help the atmosphere in Nashville.

Johnson also said he favored an early signing period for recruiting, a view that has so far been in the minority of SEC coaches. Johnson liked the idea of letting a kid sign if his mind was made up. The coaches can stop "babysitting" the recruit and the teams can find out which early commitments are genuine. Also, the football program doesn't have to spend more money to keep track of signed prospects, a concern that is acute with Vandy's athletic budget.

ALABAMA: Too much good stuff for a few paragraphs. Saban will get a whole entry later.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: For all the problems in Starkville, Sly Croom gave a surprisingly upbeat and positive press conference. He noted that they open the season with preseason behemoth LSU and said he wouldn't have it any other way. Sly noted that State is making some progress. Last year State was close to winning some games in the fourth quarter (including against my Bulldogs) just to come up short late. Sly tells his team that he just wants to have a chance in the fourth quarter and if they do, he thinks they'll start winning some of those close games. Sly, the SEC coach closest to a pink slip, recognized that MSU still has a ways to go to be the competitive team State fans want. Sly needs a big win this year and the Egg Bowl.

FLORIDA: Urb described a team of mystery. The Gators return some exciting offensive skill players and a good line, but he doesn't know how consistent they will be. As for his defense, he didn't know much. The defense is skilled and talented, but Urb doesn't really know how the defense will play together or how tough they'll be. One thing Urb knows for sure, he loves Percy Harvin. He said he could talk hours about Harvin. I prefer to block him out of my mind, numb with fear. Urb has the talent, but even he acknowledges that the development of that talent will tell the story of the Gator's season.

Urban was predictably upset about the text messaging ban. He thinks its akin to telling coaches they can only call with rotary phones. Urban doesn't think letters and phone calls are enough these days to develop a relationship with potential recruits. Urb will be breaking keys on his phone until August 1 to develop those relationships.

Urban did request that Pat Dooley punch a reporter in the mouth for asking what will happen if Timmy Tebow gets hurt.

SEC Media Day One: Continuing Coverage

After Arkansas and South Carolina time slots, here are a few short notes from the proceedings in Hoover:

ARKANSAS: Most of the questions were about the turmoil that has engulfed Nutt during the offseason. I thought Nutt held up pretty well with his usually pulpit fervor. Nutt batted away most of the questions by saying how enthusiastic the Razorback Club meetings were this summer and how excited they were about the upcoming season. He tried to put all that stuff behind them and move on, but I figure it will follow him around until they get a big win.

Nutt did reveal that Darren McFadden still dresses up for Halloween. I need pictures, please.

Nutt also thinks Marcus Monk will break the Arkansas receiving touchdown record. I think he only needs six. I would say that is a safe bet, but given the Arkansas air attack last year, maybe it isn't. I don't see Casey Dick suddenly morphing into Dan Fouts and I don't think he'll have too many chances to show his arm off even if he did. Nutt did say that Monk is one of the best receivers he's seen while covered because he can go up over the defender. That is certainly true and may be Dick's saving grace. He doesn't have to throw a perfect pass to Monk to get a reception. Monk will break the record, but it won't come early in the season.

SOUTH CAROLINA: First, Shiny Pants was late by about thirty minutes. No surprise. His theme was that the Cocks now have a team that matches up with the talent of the jean shorters, the coon dogs, and the Bulldogs. He said repeatedly that this is the first team he's had at Carolina that he thinks can compete for a conference crown.

Spurrier had a good quote on the NBA referee betting scandal. When asked if anything like that could happen in the SEC, Spurrier responded (I'm paraphrasing), "I don't think I've ever said 'That guy called the game like he had money on it,' but I've been involved in some that I thought deserved investigation."

AUBURN: Tubs talked about his offense mostly. He is excited about his stable of running backs and senior quarterback Brandon Cox. But, not all is peachy on the plains. They are still looking for a dangerous receiving threat and their "starting over" on special teams. A theme in Tub's slot was how physical the LSU game was last year and how Cox was never really the same after that game. It sounded like Tubs has enjoyed playing second fiddle to Nick Saban over the past few months. He sounded fresh and ready to start the season.

Tubs did note how brutal Auburn's schedule is with games at Florida, at LSU, at Arkansas, and at Georgia. He talked about how difficult it is to get the entire team ready to play big road games. Tubs identified momentum as the single biggest factor in road games. He'll have his work cut out for him this year.

KENTUCKY: Rich Brooks was cracking them up with his opening line: "I'm baaaaaaack." He said his goal every year is to make it back to SEC Media Days the next year and was glad to get back after everyone questioned his job security last year. Brooks said this was his best football team at UK and that this would be an interesting year for his club. UK's offense will put up some points and Brooks said his defense should be improved, unlike most years.

Broussard Hits the Books

If you didn't pick up a paper this morning, bruising and oft-injured LSU running back Alley Broussard has decided to leave the LSU football team to concentrate on getting his degree. Broussard was a key backup on LSU's 2003 team and was, at the time, thought to be LSU's next great back. Mostly because of this run in 2003.

In 2004, Broussard broke the LSU single game rushing record with a 250 yard performance against Ole Miss. Then in 2005, Broussard tore up his knee and was never the same. He spent most of last year on the bench, trying to rescue some playing time after getting on Les Miles's bad side. He evidently decided that football wasn't that important and life offered other things.

I've never torn up my knee, but I think it takes a special type of person to come back from such an injury and compete again at the college level. We often take for grated that these players come back to form, but it is more difficult than it looks. Broussard acquitted himself well during his playing days and I wish him luck.

As for the Tigers, Broussard isn't going to slow them down. They have a solid stable without him in Scott, Murphy, Williams, and Hester.

ACC Thoughts and Assorted Items

Kyle checked in on this week's SEC Media Days, and I thought I'd toss in a couple of words about this week's ACC meetings in Pinehurst, North Carolina, along with a couple other sports thoughts. I'm getting more excited every day the season gets nearer, and I'll start posting regularly when news starts happening more regularly.

1. The media voted Florida State and Virginia Tech as the winners of their divisions, with Tech being named as the overall winner. Tech has a ton of talent, and a (mostly) favorable schedule. They get Boston College, FSU, and Miami at home. The big on-field hurdle is a humdinger of a match September 8 at LSU. Of course, the bigger hurdles may be dealing with off-field distractions like dealing with the continuing aftermath of the April massacre on the Tech campus, and whatever happens in the Michael Vick dogfighting case.

(I'm not saying that should be pinned on VT, unless evidence comes out that Vick was involved with dogfighting while he was in school. But I said last September that Tech has some dirty players, and they need to avoid developing a reputation for condoning thuggery. My point here is the first time a Hokie commits a personal foul, it will give the announcers an excuse to bring up the Vick deal, if they even need an excuse at all.)

2. Anyway, the big stories in the Atlantic Coast this season will be the Tech narratives and the coaching carousel. Four new coaches take over (at UNC, BC, Miami, and NC State), and at least a couple others (Al Groh at UVA and, I think, Tommy Bowden at Clemson) are on the hot seat.

3. Should Duke's Ted Roof be on the hot seat as well? The Devils have lost twenty dadgum games in a row, and as SMQ says in one of his excellent ACC preview posts, "A more competitive team [than last season's] could still be 0-12." They return a lot of players -- they started a bunch of freshman and very few seniors last year -- but the schedule takes a step up. I would be willing to sell my soul to the devil and/or convert to Catholicism if Duke could win at Notre Dame on November 17th, but it ain't gonna happen when wins over UNC, Navy, and UConn might be too much to ask for. Still, Duke appears to be hanging in there with Roof. The Blue Devils were competitive in a few games last year, and I think as long as they win a game and look decent in a few others, Roof will get at least one more try. So there's an iota of optimism, but it'll be a long fall in Durham.

4. One fun note about the Duke team -- they have some great names! Check it out:

• Vince Oghobaase, DL
• Ayanga Okpokowuruk, DE
• Greg Akinbiyi, DE
• Michael Tauiliili, LB
• Adrian Aye-Darko, S
• Chris Rwabukamba, CB
• Ifreke Okpokowuruk, DL
• Zack Asack, QB
• Pontus Bondeson, DL (from Sweden)
• John Gutekunst, DB Coach
  

I'll take that lineup up against anybody's. I'll be eager to hear some opponents' radio announcers tackle a couple of those. Sadly-appropriately named Asack, of course, won't need any help getting tackled.

5. In other conferences, Missouri was picked to win the Big XII North, and I was pleased to see this quote from QB Chase Daniel: "We're honored to be picked to win it, and we'll definitely use that as motivation. We've worked really hard over the last few years to earn some respect, and now that it's coming we need to work even harder to keep it." (link via Bruce Feldman) Finally! An athlete isn't complaining about "being disrespected" or asserting that polls don't matter. Daniel's quote is still mighty bland, but he still becomes one of my favorite players for not automatically resorting to "you don't respect us!" faux-motivation (fauxivation?) or Holtzish poormouthing.

6. Don't look now, but we might be getting a four-team college football playoff once the current BCS contract is up. I think the law of unintended consequences will foul that scheme up, too. But I still remain opposed to a playoff system. Yes, I'm a bowl man. And I am convinced that we can have either bowls or a playoff, and any rigged-up hybrid will be a disappoint to fans of both. I guess we'll find out if I'm right in 2011. Maybe.

7. Finally, in other sports, this gambling NBA referee story is fascinating in a train-wreck way. Here's my guess on the contrarian theme that will crop up soon: Some people will say that if referee Tim Donaghy was betting or manipulating the over/under in games, but not necessarily the outcome, well, maybe that isn't so bad. I mean, who doesn't like high-scoring NBA games, right? If he didn't care who won, and if he called a lot of fouls on both teams to drive up scores, where's the harm? After all, a legitimate referee could call a game tightly and run up the score without cheating, so is what Donaghy (allegedly) did so bad? Note that I don't agree with this line of reasoning, but I'll bet (!) we hear someone take this stand soon.

SEC Media Days Preview

The SEC beat writers, columnists, coaches, and players will hit Hoover, Alabama this week to attend SEC Media Days. Media Days are the first budding of the baby college football season. It's the first palpable sign that our long, difficult wandering through the wilderness of the offseason is near an end and that the manna of reporting freshmen, then fall camp is only a few days away. Other than a signal of timing, Media Days is usually a woefully boring exercise. The coaches don't say anything interesting. They don't reveal anything you don't know already if you have read a decent preseason magazine. The players the coaches bring along are selected for their leadership and abilities no doubt, but I imagine that they go through a Clockwork Orange training camp that beats any originality out of anything they might say. Plus, all the writers have their stories canned and ready to go, all they need is just the right quote to stick in paragraph 4. Here are the stories every local paper will have a story on:

The most effeminate water drinker that can make d-linemen cry and chew you ass like a champion.

1. Nick Saban - Alabama's new savior will be the headliner, but it's hard to imagine why. The guy never says anything interesting. But, the way Saban says nothing is classic: tense, impatient, every syllable given up begrudgingly. The only good quote that has come out of a Saban presser was when he asked the press what The Weather Channel was and a reporter replied that it was "MTV for old people." Saban has reasons to say something interesting this year. You know someone will bring up how much credit he deserves for LSU's recent success, how the situation in Miami has affected him, and how he feels regarding Les Miles's comments about Bama. It should be fun to see Nick deftly dodge controversy, something he has continually courted since his final days at LSU.

2. Speaking of LSU ... Les Miles - The Pac-10 stinks. Bama is our new f%#*in' rival. SEC #1! Les is always good for at least one wacky quote every two months. With such a concentration of media in Hoover, I'm betting the next bizarre quote is coming Friday, 11ish while defending his prior statements

3. Rich Brooks - After years of coming to Media Days listed on everyone's group of coaches on the hot seat, Brooks can come in with a semblance of respect. Many prognosticators pick his quarterback as the SEC's best. He's widely thought to have the best Wildcat team of his tenure. We've seen Brooks with the "give it our best shot" presser. Now, let's see Rich when he has a little momentum to his program.

I also predict that the media will anoint LSU as the SEC champion this year. The media will pick Florida as the SEC East champ.

As a note of interest to all TiVo owners or Slingboxers, ESPNU will provide live coverage of SEC Media Days. Be sure to tune in.

I hope to have some continuing coverage as Media Days progresses.

I now pronounce thee Man and Tide

Everybody who read Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer probably remembers the story of the couple who skipped their daughter's wedding to watch an Alabama football game. Well, via the Fanhouse, here's an awesome clip from the upcoming movie A Fall in Dreamland about a guy who was late for his own wedding so he could watch the end of a Bama game.

Also, a clip from the same film demonstrating just how much more rational Auburn fans are. It's not much, but I'm dedicating this post to our favorite Tide fan. We miss you, buddy.

Summer Hiatus

I know I haven't posted much lately and unfortunately, that trend may continue. The summer is a desert for college sports and I really don't have the time to keep up given the need to earn money for my bosses and to hang out with Georgia Herschella.

I'll be back soon, but probably not for a couple of weeks. By then, I should have a conference preview ready, a few predictions, and coverage of the fall practices. Stay tuned.