Sports Editor

Like high school sports?

Good.

There’s going to be plenty going on in the Opelika/Auburn area (and around the state) this weekend.

Let’s see ... The Class 4A-Area 6 softball tournament starts today at Beauregard. Tomorrow, No. 1 Opelika will host McGill-Toolen in the quarterfinals of the AHSAA Class 6A playoffs in the best two-of-three. Also tomorrow, the Class 6A-Area 8 softball tournament begins at West Ridge Park in Opelika, the AISA state softball tourney gets cracking in Montgomery and the state track and field meets begin at Gulf Shores (4A-5A-6A) and Troy (3A-1A).

Oh, and Saturday, the Auburn High boys soccer team hosts Fairhope at Duck Samford for a quarterfinal playoff game, while the girls team travels to Mary Montgomery.

College baseball fan? Auburn hosts Mississippi State in a three-game series this weekend at Plainsman Park. First pitch of Game 1 is slated for 6 p.m. Friday.

There’s enough going on this weekend where if you don’t want to cut the grass or do any yard work, you can find plenty of excuses not to. And I here the golf courses are pretty nice this time of year.

So do yourself a favor, get out and take in a ballgame or two and save the yard work for another weekend. That’s what I’m going to do.

*** Well, we’re not going to have a playoff, or even a plus-one game, any time soon in college football.

Surprised? You shouldn’t be.

Money talks. And the BCS and bowls generate a lot of dollars for colleges and universities.

But it seems to me, the only schools and/or conferences who are for a plus-one or playoff are the schools/conferences who have been burned by the BCS. Maybe the reason the Big Ten and Pac-10 don’t want a playoff—and are using the Rose Bowl as a cover—are because whenever they have a team close to being “the best” they always get a nod into the national title game.

Did Ohio State really deserve to be there last year? Discuss.

Anyway, for now, we’ll have to deal with more bowls and less on-the-field problem solving.

Sports Editor

I was in Talladega this past Sunday for the Aaron’s 499. No, I wasn’t covering it. I was there as a spectator.

For the first time since, well, I can’t remember, I attended a sporting event with a ticket and not on a media credential. And it was fun.

My brother hooked my dad and I up with tickets ... actually, my brother’s fiance bought him three tickets for Christmas. Anyway, it was a boys weekend, and we took full advantage.

I took off Friday, and hung out with the guys on my back deck. Good times.
Saturday, we went golfing. Really good times. Although I couldn’t hit my driver to save my life, I still had a good time. And I didn’t walk, which is always, always a plus.

Sunday we went to Dega. We left out early to beat the traffic, and guess what ... we did. Seriously, on the way there and on the way back we didn’t sit in one bit of traffic. Jealous? I know you are.

My brother’s got GPS, and I don’t know what he did, if he tapped into some time-space continuum, but we zipped right in. It was glorious.

Our seats were even better. We were 19 rows up right at the entrance to pit road. We could see turns 3 and 4, the tri-oval and the start finish line. Plus we got a great view of the first (or last, depending on how you look at it) pit stalls. I’m still amazed at how those guys can change four tires in under 18 seconds.

The section we sat in was “Anniston” but I think it was a misprint. We were in, as the nice lady behind us said, “Junior Nation.” Actually, the entire Talladega Superspeedway is Junior Nation.

There was one guy in front of us who, and I’m not making this up, screamed “Go June Bug ... whaaaaaaaaoooooooo” and held up three fingers every time Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove by. I’m talking EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

And it got funnier every single time he did it. He was taking it so seriously, but even the die-hard Junior fans behind us were cracking up.

In all, it was a great time. No traffic. Good seats. And no sunburn. Extra bonus.

*** In 2009 NFL draft news (I know you can’t wait for that. You’re holding your breath already), Scout Inc.’s Todd McShay is picking Auburn University defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks to be the fifth overall pick to the Bengals. Don’t believe me, look.

Sen’Derrick is good. Really good. But the ‘09 draft is a long, long, long, long, long, long, way away. I could be the fifth overall pick by then. Hey, I’m eligible for the draft, it’s been three years since I was in high school.

Sports Editor

Let it be known that I’m a big NFL fan. Not as much as I used to be, but there’s levels of crazy when it comes to fanaticism (yes, it’s a word. I think) and I’m still in the double digits there.

I say that as a disclaimer for the next couple of thoughts ...

*** I still can’t believe the Seahawks cut Shaun Alexander. Period. And that was before I read about how much they were paying him. Two years after giving him an eight-year, $62-million contract, the 2005 NFL MVP was dropped. Just like that. Sure he’s suffered from injuries, but, come on, just two years ago he led the NFL in rushing and scored a record 28 touchdowns. 28!!!! Unreal.

Alexander, 30, still has some tread left on his tires. Remember that. He’s going to make an NFL team (cough, cough, Tampa Bay, cough, cough) a very happy franchise. 28 TOUCHDOWNS!!!!

*** What about Jake Long signing with the Dolphins. I’m for it. Heck, if you know who you want before the draft, why wait? Bill Parcells isn’t playing around in Miami, he’s there to turn that franchise around. And the way you do it is by building a solid offensive and defensive line. Long is a scary dude. Have you seen him?
Scary. That’s all I can say.

*** The NFL draft is Saturday ... and Sunday. I don’t know if you’ve heard. It’s been in all the papers. Oh, and this network called ESPN has been talking about it for like, I don’t know, months.
Here’s my take on the draft ... it’s fun ... for about an hour, maybe two. Then it gets old. But more than that, it’s frustrating. How can a guy who didn’t play well in college, or was “mediocre” all of a sudden be a “top pick” because of what he did in the combine?
I just don’t understand it. How can a 40 time, bench press, vertical jump, shuttle run and an interview make a middle-of-the-road guy a star? The proof is in the pudding as far as I’m concerned. Just because a guy does well in a bunch of “tests” doesn’t mean he’s any better than what’s on tape.
The tape doesn’t lie. One good day might.

*** But, still, the draft does have it’s moments. In tomorrow’s Opelika-Auburn News, I’m listing the top 32 reasons (one for every NFL team) to watch the NFL draft.
Here’s a sampling ...

3) Mel Kiper yelling at the TV. Is it me, or does he seem very angry when he talks? Who knew a right guard from Illinois State could make Kiper that upset, even if he did bench press 225 pounds 35 times.
4) The No. 1 jersey that all the first-round picks who are in New York hold up during the photo opt after being selected by whatever team. I wonder if Mr. Irrelevant gets to hold up a 252 jersey.
5) Mr. Irrelevant. Speaking of the last guy drafted, who knew it was such a glamorous distinction? Everyone remembers Mr. Irrelevant. Everyone. Heck, if I were the 251st pick, I’d be mad, because no one’s going to remember me, even though I was good enough to not be picked last.
6) The hats. Every player gets a hat from the team that just picked him. And they always seem to fit perfectly. I don’t know about you, but it takes a good two to three days for me to get the bill of my hat exactly the way I want it to look. Not only are these guys talented enough to be picked in the first round of the NFL draft over hundreds of others, they’ve got perfectly shaped heads. I’m jealous.
11) Kiper’s hair.
26) The phone call. Just before the selection, the team usually calls their guy. I can just imagine the conversation ... “Do I want to be a Ram? Umm, can I get back to you?”
29) J-E-T-S ... Jets, Jets, Jets.
30) Anytime Chris Berman says “The Raiders.”