On an island

Two of the co-defendants in the dogfighting case involving Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick entered guilty pleas today.
That leaves Vick isolated and puts some serious pressure on him.
Apparently, federal prosecutors have entered into evidence a photo that shows Vick and the other three defendants with a pitbull they entered into a dog fight. There's been non-stop speculation about whether Vick would try to enter a plea rather than go to trial and risk a five-year prison sentence (and possibly more if racketeering charges are added on).
Do you think Vick’s NFL career is over no matter what course of action he follows?

Barrypalooza

ATLANTA — It’s 11 p.m. here at Turner Field. The Braves beat the Giants 5-4, Atlanta manager Bobby Cox cursed his way into the recordbooks, Barry Bonds remains stuck on 758 career homers and Hank Aaron left town to avoid the circus.
Here's a possible talking point for loyal blog readers (OK, this one’s for you, Mom) -- Does the fact that Aaron headed out of town for the duration of the Atlanta-San Francisco series do anything to diminish his reputation for class?
Aaron congratulated Bonds when he hit No. 756, although it was done via videotape and more than likely through gritted teeth. But it was a nice gesture and Aaron was universally applauded for reaching out to Bonds even though the Giants’ slugger has been universally painted as a test subject for BALCO chemists.
This isn't intended to be a referendum on Bonds' guilt or innocence. The book ''Game of Shadows'' lays out some pretty interesting -- and credible -- information, but Bonds has insisted he never knowingly took performance enhancing drugs. The Mitchell investigation will hopefully answer questions about the authenticity of his record.
But I'm wondering whether Aaron missed an opportunity tonight as a baseball statesman.
Should he have stuck around, welcomed Bonds to Turner Field, shaken his hand and posed for photographs?
Would doing so have marked another step for Aaron on the high road or would it have been seen as a false front?
What do you think?

History at the Ted

ATLANTA — Barry Bonds’ first visit to Atlanta as Major League Baseball's career home run leader was a bust.
He’s still stuck on 758 and still hasn't spoken with Hank Aaron face-to-face since passing him on the home run chart.
Bonds drew a pair of walks and hit into a fielder’s choice before being replaced by Rajai Davis in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The most exciting moment of the night thus far came after the fifth inning, when Atlanta manager Bobby Cox got ejected for the 132nd time in his career. Home plate ump Larry Young rang him up a few moments after Chipper Jones went down looking at a called third strike to end the inning.
They didn't stop the game and memorialize the moment, but they should have.
Cox became Major League Baseball's all-time leader in ejections.
Maybe one day, after Cox’s eventual enshrinement in Cooperstown, the hall of fame display will feature an audio file of his favorite profanity.

Avoidance issues

ATLANTA — The Barry Bonds Watch here at Turner Field as allowed me to witness the following:
A lead-off walk on a 3-1 pitch in the second inning.
An intentional walk with two outs and a runner on second in the third inning.
Atlanta right-hander John Smoltz hasn't given Behemoth Barry anything to hit so far, but the strategy hasn't worked out in the Braves' favor. They’re down 3-0 in the top of the fifth, with Bonds having scored twice, and are absolutely getting handled by San Francisco righty Kevin Correia, who came in with a 1-6 record and 4.14 ERA. He’s had excellent command, but the Braves' free swinging approaches at the plate are making him look like Jake Peavy of a lesser god.

Junk Bonds

ATLANTA -- Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I don’t think folks at Turner Field are especially enthusiastic about Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants being in town for a three-game series.
The pre-game festivities included a tribute to fallen law enforcement officers that included a 45-member procession of motorcycle policemen, complete with revving engines and flashing lights. As the group rode around the perimeter of the field, the stadium speakers blared the old Inner Circle reggae song ‘‘Bad Boys.‘‘
Wonder if that was intended as some sort of commentary on Bonds, the subject of so much steroid speculation.
Just before first pitch, the congratulatory message offered by Hank Aaron on the night of Bonds’ 756th career homer was played on the Turner Field scoreboard. The crowd gave an enthusiastic ovation to Aaron, but booed lustily when Bonds was pictured waving from the dugout.

B*nds, Barry B*nds

I really should use this forum to discuss college football, but I'm interested in your thoughts about Barry Bonds.
I'll be heading to Atlanta to cover Tuesday night’s game against the Braves and look forward to chatting with the always-cheerful Mr. Bonds at some point. Who knows? If I'm lucky, maybe he'll let me break out the calipers and measure his ever-growing cranium.
Barring an indictment for perjury or tax evasion, Bonds will probably be able to wring a few more years out of his major league career. It's entirely possible he could finish his career with upwards of 830 homers, leaving A-Rod will some serious work.
My question to you is this: If conclusive evidence surfaces that Bonds used steroids, how should Major League Baseball treat his status as the home run record-holder?
Do you think it should disqualify him from hall of fame consideration?
Do you think that the record should stand since steroid use may have been rampant among pitchers and power hitters in the 1990s?

Predicting the SEC

HOOVER, Ala. — The 2007 Pre-season All-Southeastern Conference Football Poll and All-SEC team just came out this morning.
Here’s how I picked the SEC East and West to play out:

EAST
1. Florida -- The Gators lost the teeth of last season's defense, but I think they will plug the holes adequately. I also think quarterback Tim Tebow can do more than run to his left.
2. Georgia -- Last year's performances against Kentucky and Vanderbilt represent an aberration. The closing wins against Auburn, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech showed that QB Matthew Stafford is starting to get it. The Dogs will miss NFL supplemental draft pick Paul Oliver.
3. Tennessee -- Coach Phil Fulmer and offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe righted the ship last season. Defense should be solid with LB Erik Mayo and DB Jonathan Hefney.
4. South Carolina -- The Head Ball Coach says this is the year to challenge for the East title. I'm thinking he's off by one year.
5. Kentucky -- The Wildcats will be better than last season, but you might not see it in the record.
6. Vanderbilt -- QB Chris Nickson and WR Earl Bennett are dynamic, but that’s not enough to get the Commodores to a bowl game.

WEST
1. LSU -- Coach Les Miles doesn't get much respect, but he's 22-4 since arriving. The defense will be nasty, thanks to Glenn Dorsey and Ali Highsmith. The offense will have an abundance of speed.
2. Auburn -- There are questions about the wide receivers, the offensive line and the kicking game. But the Tigers have learned how to win close games and win ugly. The defense should be more aggressive now that defensive coordinator Will Muschamp is in his second year.
3. Alabama -- A potential surprise time. Love the combo of John Parker Wilson and DJ Hall. Andre Smith will be a dominant force up front, but these guys are a year away from really scaring folks.
4. Arkansas -- Sure, they have D-Mac and Felix Jones in the backfield. Check this out: The Razorbacks ranked 108th nationally in passing last season.
5. Ole Miss -- Coach O has upgraded recruiting. This program could make strides.
6. Mississippi State -- I think Sylvester Croom is a better coach than perceived, but it's tough to win here. Limited recruiting base and one of the two smallest athletic budgets in the league.

SEC Champion: LSU

Here's how the media vote actually went:

EAST
1. Florida (41 first place votes)
2. Tennessee (16)
3. Georgia (12)
4. South Carolina (11)
5. Kentucky
6. Vanderbilt

WEST
1. LSU (63 first place votes)
2. Auburn (5)
3. Arkansas (5)
4. Alabama (7)
5. Ole Miss
6. Mississippi State
SEC champion: LSU (54 votes), Florida (7), Arkansas (5), Auburn (4), Alabama (3), South Carolina (3), Tennessee (2), Georgia (2).

Feel free to contribute your own SEC rankings to the Blog discussion.

More from Saban

HOOVER, Ala. — Just gave up my Nick Saban vigil in the lobby of the Wynfrey Hotel.
The few dozen people who were there early this morning swelled to a couple hundred.
I met a nice fellow from Phenix City who was playing hooky from work today in an effort to get Saban's autograph on an Alabama mini-helmet. I'll withhold his name to keep his boss from dropping the hammer on him, but my conversation with him and another with former Alabama star Jeremiah Castille helped explain why so many fans are so ga-ga over Saban.
Simply put, Saban arrives more credibility than did Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione, Mike Price and Mike Shula. He won the Bowl Championship Series title at LSU and, despite being in over his head in the NFL (hey, so was Steve Spurrier), his approach seems to be in harmony with the challenges of the college game.
After Saban's press conference this morning, my impression of the guy changed somewhat. Sure, he's an autocrat and can be unnecessarily brusque at times. But he also revealed more about himself than he probably wanted to on Thursday. He's an interesting guy (Did you know he pumped gas for $1 an hour as a youth in West Virginia?) and he allows a sense of humor to surface every so often.
Perhaps the most surprising answer of the day came in response to the following question:
What do you think the biggest misconception is about Nick Saban?
We've all heard stories about how he's yelled at secretaries and various athletic department underlings. The players heard all sorts of horror stories before he arrived, some of them so sensational that you'd have thought Saban was a modern day Vlad the Impaler.
‘‘I don’t know,’’ Saban said. ‘‘That's one you should ask my wife. She says I have a huge blind spot. What you think you are compared to how you're perceived to be. She said mine's as wide as the Grand Canyon.
‘‘I think probably the biggest misconception about me is I've never adapted very well to the position I'm in. I'm a country boy who grew up in West Virginia and pumped gas from the time he was 10 years old until he graduated from high school. Made a dollar an hour providing service to other people, cleaning windows, checking oil and changing tires.
‘‘To me I'm still that way, but maybe sometimes I don't realize that sometimes the things I say mean a lot more than what I would intend them to be. Sometimes, because I’m a little bit shy, maybe that's misinterpreted as not being very outgoing. But I try my best and I'm getting better and I'm trying to improve every day.’’
Hopefully he will continue to let his guard down every so often in the future.

Grand entrance

HOOVER, Ala. -- I had a little help disengaging myself from a coma-like sleep state this morning.
Just after 8 a.m., the fire alarm began raising a racket in the hallways of the Wynfrey Hotel. The intercom repeated the same insistent message: ‘‘Attention! Attention!’’
There were no additional instructions given, but we got the message.
Alabama football coach Nick Saban had arrived on the scene.
It's always a big deal when an Alabama football coach comes to SEC Football Media Days for the first time. Crimson Tide fans swarm the lobby, genuflect for the new coach, cheer him, try to get autographs and tell themselves that this coach is The One.
They did it when Mike DuBose came here. They repeated the process for Dennis Franchione and Mike Shula.
But the reception given to Saban may have been a little more crowded and a little more optimistic than those before. He’s won a national championship, at least, and he’s getting paid $32 million over eight years for a reason.
Dozens of fans huddled near the escalators to catch a glimpse of Saban, almost as if they were lined up to receive absolution from the Pope.
No autographs, but they received the thrill of a ''How ya doing?’’ from the coach.
His presence in Tuscaloosa will certainly make this season and the Nov. 24 Iron Bowl more compelling.
I'll check in later to fill you in on what Saban says during his press conference. He's making the rounds with radio and TV reporters before joining the print reporters.
Right now, I'm listening to Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson. Vanderbilt hasn't made a bowl game since 1984, so he's fielding a familiar question about the drought and whether the Commodores can do more than come close.
‘‘When you play in this league, you have to scratch and claw to get the victories,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘The people at the top of the SEC East and the SEC West are there for a reason. For somebody to come in and work themselves up the leader, you look to see how tough it is to pass those teams that are ahead of us. We have been close. We feel like we're making progress. It may not be fast to all of ya'all. Our confidence is pretty high right now, but we also have to look at our schedule every once in a while and be realistic.’’

Howling in Hoover

HOOVER, Ala. — The best part about the Southeastern Conference Football Media Days is that the league’s coaches can’t duck you.
They all have to stand at the podium at some point, front and center in a second floor ballroom at the Wynfrey Hotel.
Arkansas' Houston Nutt, the first coach to speak in the three-day football bender, just stepped down from the stage and I’m sure he’s glad to be done.
Most of the questions centered around a tumultuous spring that saw a faction of the Razorback fan base turn on him after a 10-4 season. During the spring, he was forced to respond to a flurry of Internet critics who accused him of driving away prized quarterback recruit Mitch Mustain and of having an extramarital affair.
One enterprising fan (or bored and voyueristic, depending on your point of view) received copies of Nutt's cell phone records through a Freedom of Information Act request and posted the contents on the Web. The records showed an exchange of 1,063 text messages between Nutt and local TV anchor Donna Bragg from Nov. 30 to Jan. 11.
Nutt sent a letter denying the rumors last April, but they remain a topic of discussion around the league. He said Wednesday that his family and team have remained staunch in their support of him.
‘‘To have someone get so personal, to have so many things written and starting in your home state, sending things to an editor, things are starting to spread and it kept going and going,’’ Nutt said. ‘‘The toughest thing is your family. It's your family. One of the reasons why you're able to go home at night ... they know the truth.’’

Sick with Vick

You probably know my feelings regarding quarterback Michael Vick already.
I think the Falcons should cut him at the first opportunity and unburden themselves of the $130 million contract and the embarrassment he’s heaped upon the franchise since last fall.
The Falcons will pay a price far higher than the $130 million if he stays.
Too many fans have been alienated by the details of the 18-page federal indictment.
While Vick has been told to stay away from training camp, the NFL has yet to decide if it will take any disciplinary action. Commissioner Roger Goodell has the discretion to punish as he sees fit for violations of the league's personal conduct policy.
Atlanta owner Arthur Blank has been told by Goodell that the franchise should not take any disciplinary action against Vick for the moment.
We'll be hearing more from the Falcons today at a 4 p.m. press conference.
Do you think the league has handled the Vick case wisely thus far?
What would you consider an appropriate level of punishment for Vick?

Cutting bait

The Columbus Catfish have seemingly had a fin out of the water since owner David Heller moved his minor league baseball franchise here three weeks before the start of the 2003 season.
There has been a series of almosts, of moves planned but not ultimately executed to such places as Evansville, Ind., Bay City, Mich., and Columbia, S.C.
When multi-million dollar stadium deals subject to government approval are involved, a lot has to happen before possibility evolves into finality. In the case of the Catfish, it’s obvious that they plan to be gone after their Golden Park lease runs out in Sept., 2008.
They could get snapped up by Art Solomon, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats owner who wants to put a Class A team in a new stadium Bowling Green, Ky., although there is one other South Atlantic League team up for sale. They will undoubtedly go somewhere, however.
A team employee told me on condition of anonymity Friday that it boils down to attendance. The Catfish are well ahead of last year’s pace, but still bring up the rear in the South Atlantic League. It has been a continual struggle to average more than 1,000 fans per game to a 5,000-seat stadium.
When the Catfish leave, it’s doubtful the stadium would remain empty for long. Macon and Albany lost SAL franchises, but wound up with independent teams. Even with this city's multiple minor league sports failures, another investor will come along, convinced that he has the market all figured out.
‘‘On each and every occasion that is has been in the news that the Catfish are thinking about going to Columbia or wherever, the calls start to roll in from others lining up wanting to come to Columbus and others thinking that this is a great stadium,’’ Columbus city manager Isaiah Hugley said. ‘‘Columbus will not have a problem attracting a minor league team.’’
A few changes have to happen for a minor league baseball team to be successful.
Golden Park has to be made into a social hub. I've heard from readers time and again who run off a lengthy list of excuses as to why they don't attend baseball games. There are faulty assumptions made about geography, race and crime. Having left Golden Park and the Civic Center well after everyone else has gone home, I can assure you it’s perfectly safe there at midnight.
People, who apparently have never been to Atlanta, L.A. or Washington, D.C., complain about the traffic and moan about how long it takes to get from the north end of Veterans Parkway to South Commons.
It has been suggested that attendance would be better in a new stadium on the north side of town. Not necessarily. You're always going to battle Little League ball, youth soccer and church.
‘‘It’s been kind of disappointing to see the sparse crowds we’ve had,’’ Catfish manager Jim Morrison said.
He’s the perfect sort of fellow to lend perspective to what’s going on in this community. He’s paid by the Devil Rays rather than the Catfish ownership. He’s an intelligent baseball man who has seen the game at multiple levels.
‘‘The largest disappointment is the Devil Rays have put a nice product on the field,’’ Morrison said. ‘‘I know the struggle of wanting to move, not moving. Me against you doesn’t get anything done. We go on the road and we’re playing in front of 6-8,000 people a night.
‘‘What I see in Columbus, it’s a great town. The town is clean, it looks like it’s upbeat. People care about the way things look. There are nice folks, but there’s a lot going on here too. Baseball is just a continuation of quality of life.’’
I asked one team source if local ownership represented a panacea. Catfish owner David Heller owns a political consulting firm with offices in D.C. and Miami. He has rarely been seen at Golden Park and doesn’t hold a stake in the community outside of the baseball team.
‘‘It has to be the right kind of local owner,’’ the source told me.
Somebody with connections in addition to a sound financial profile. Somebody who knows the bank presidents, preachers, politicians and potential advertisers. Somebody who can successfully reach out to Fort Benning, church groups and youth leagues and fill a stadium. Somebody who can thaw out the chilly relationship that has existed between the team, local government and an untapped fan base.
My dealings with Heller and Catfish general manager Ken Clary on Thursday and Friday say plenty about the management of the franchise and its intentions. Hopefully you read my column in today’s paper.
I gave them every opportunity to address the issue of whether Solomon had expressed interest in buying and moving the team. Their inaccessibility and the nature of their responses amounted to a confirmation that they plan to move.
The 2008 season will amount to a good-bye party, but I doubt it will be well-attended.
‘‘The Columbus market is certainly worthy of a baseball club,’’ South Atlantic League president John Moss told me recently.
Maybe so. But baseball might have to leave for a little while in order for people in this community to decide if they really want it.

Soccer's savior

My column about David Beckham's arrival in America provoked a slew of responses from folks who are under the misguided impression that I'm soccer-phobic because I'm not buying into the hype.
I'm not anti-soccer, just anti-misappropriated hype.
I played soccer from the age of 6 through high school and briefly considered playing the sport in college. As a youth, my family regularly attended North American Soccer League games. I enjoy watching Major League Soccer and the World Cup. I wish MLS a long, healthy life, but I have a difficult time believing it will ever gain traction outside of a few metropolitan enclaves. To the average sports fan, it occupies the same territory as the NHL.
My problem with the whole Beckham thing is that it seems so contrived. There would be more credibility if his wife, Victoria, aka Posh Spice, didn't already have a reality TV show.

Extending the Vick discussion

Obviously, the federal indictment of Michael Vick produced strong reactions from folks on both sides of the issue.
If you read my column on the front page of this morning's Ledger-Enquirer, you know where I stand.
Some readers have raised the question of whether it's fair for the NFL or the Falcons to punish Vick before he even goes to trial. Some ESPN talking heads were flapping their gums about the NFL player conduct policy, saying there's no precedent or provision for league commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend a player on the basis of one indictment.
Actually, there is.
The NFL Players Association signed off on a basic agreement that gives Goodell carte blanche to impose penalties against players who run afoul of the law and/or league rules. When or if there’s an appeal of league-imposed discipline, guess what? Goodell gets to determine the outcome of it. He’s judge and jury.
NFLPA president Gene Upshaw hasn’t raised a stink about Goodell’s handling of Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson or Chris Henry. There are plenty of players on the team, and probably a significant number in Vick's locker room, who are tired of having their collective reputations soiled by the actions of a few.
The Vick apologists in their No. 7 replica jerseys have occasionally laid the race card on the table as the reason for the indictment and extensive news coverage it has received. That's a fallacy. Atlanta defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, who is black, was arrested for allegedly killing his girlfriend's dog last winter and the story received little play in the press.
This is about celebrity to some degree. Vick has a $130 million contract and he plays quarterback. The Falcons have wagered their future on him. Their corporate identity, their brand, is synonymous with Michael Vick.
Being linked to a dogfighting investigation, to gambling and a criminal conspiracy, put Vick in a kettle of hot soup.
Being named in an indictment put Vick, the Falcons and the NFL in front of a blast furnace. The trio could get scalded worse than those Nazis who stupidly opened the Lost Ark in that Indiana Jones movie.
Vick blamed family for his troubles a few months ago. He met with Goodell in April and promised to keep his nose clean.
‘‘It’s unfortunate I have to take the heat. Lesson learned for me,’’ he said then.
Uh, not so much. According to the indictment, he killed underperforming fighting dogs by hanging, shooting or slamming them that same month.
The outrage over such senseless destruction isn’t defined by racial boundaries. On Wednesday, the mostly-white People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the Rev. Al Sharpton and hip-hop music impressario Russell Simmons released a joint statement condemning animal abuse and expressing hope that Vick and the three others named in the indictment will be punished if found guilty.
The Falcons can -- and should -- take pre-emptive action. As I wrote today, they would spare themselves much embarrassment by releasing him. They wouldn't necessarily lose much on the field as a result. Vick is 15-16 as a starter the last two seasons.
If you think my proposal is too harsh, pretend you're a business owner.
Let's say you have an employee who has made a series of irresponsible but not necessarily illegal choices that have embarrassed the company. You've told him to straighten up.
Suddenly, you learn that this employee, in charge of a $130 million account for your firm, is under federal indictment.
Would he or she still have a job tomorrow?

Yep, still blogging

I'll be the first to admit that I deserve a public flogging for being AWOL on the blogging for almost a month now.
Basically, I pulled over at a rest stop on the information superhighway and took a nice long nap.
Taking two weeks of vacation and battling awful allergies that just won’t subside haven’t exactly helped matters either. Plus, it’s that time of year when ennui replaces enthusiasm.
There really isn’t much to talk about in the South between spring football practice and the start of summer drills the first week of August.
The Braves are tanking, so there isn't much point in discussing the possibility of a return to the postseason.
The Hawks made at least one savvy draft pick by scooping up Florida's Al Horford third overall (Not sure if Acie Law represents an answer at point guard. I would have liked to see them take a chance on Georgia Tech's Javaris Crittenton, even though he might have been a reach with the 11th pick). But the Hawks are consistently stale, so who really cares?
Columbus native Frank Thomas hit his 500th career home run while I was on vacation and celebrated by getting ejected at the end of the game. It was in keeping with his reputation for balancing immense talent with flareups of surliness.
Other than that, all we have to talk about this month is the possibility that Larry Munson might not last as Georgia's radio announcer for more than another season and whether Nick Saban could beat Chuck Norris in a steel cage match.
Southeastern Conference football media days start a week from Wednesday, so there will be much cause for rejoicing and blogging in the near future. Stay tuned.

On Sheff, Aubie, Mikey and Fred

I've been a delinquent blogger lately because of a herculean spring cleaning effort at home. While the basement definitely looks better, I've let the cobwebs, dust and boxes accumulate on this here blog for far too long.
With that, let's grab a broom and sweep up some blogworthy talking points:

And the Al Campanis Racial Insensitivity Award goes to ...

First and foremost, let's get this out of the way: Gary Sheffield couldn't have done a better job exposing himself as an idiot this week if he'd put on a dance cap and floppy clown shoes and danced the Macarena in the dugout.
GQ gave Sheffield a forum to discuss the decline of African-American players in Major League Baseball. But instead of receiving real insight into why blacks comprise just 8 percent of MLB rosters, the magazine received this tripe:
‘‘I called it years ago,’’ Sheffield said. ‘‘What I called is that you’re going to see more black faces, and there ain’t no English going to be coming out. [It’s about] being able to tell [Latin players] what to do — being able to control them.
‘‘Where I’m from, you can’t control us. You might get a guy to do it for a while because he wants to benefit, but in the end he’s going to go back being who he is. And that’s a person that you’re going to talk to with respect, you’re going to talk to like a man. These are the things my race demands. So, if you’re equally good as this Latin player, guess who’s going to get sent home? I know a lot of players that are home now can outplay a lot of these guys.’’
Sheffield picked the wrong targets here. There are more Latin players now because baseball has exploded in popularity in the Carribean and Central America. Soccer is the only other sport of prominence, but baseball represents the most immediate and significant payday for them.
Now go to an urban recreation center in America and tell me what game you see the children (white and black) playing. They'll be in the gym shooting 3-pointers and slashing to the hoop. There's no activity on the sandlot.
Sheffield's claim that Latin players wield no power is ludicrous.
Atlanta would probably like to trade slumping center fielder Andruw Jones right now, but he can veto any deal he doesn't like. That means he'll be a Brave for the rest of the season.
Apparently Sheffield has failed to notice that Albert Pujols, Manny Ramirez, Pudge Rodriguez, Pedro Martinez, Carl Pavano, etc., aren't exactly working for minimum wage.

They did a LOT of extra credit ...

The eligibility of two Auburn football recruits could be in jeopardy due to questionable high school transcripts.
According to the Mobile Press-Register, B.C. Rain’s Ryan Williams had 10 grades changed and Williamson’s Nick Fairley received seven favorable grade changes without the knowledge of his teachers.
Rumor has it that they were both planning to major in sociology.

Hair of the dog

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution's Web site shows a before and after photo comparison of Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who traded in his braids for a short haircut.
Vick once stated that he wouldn't cut his braids until he led the Falcons to the Super Bowl, but he was wise to get clipped.
Given the franchise's outlook at this point, Vick would have been able to uses his locks as jumpropes if he heeded his original promise.

Scrapple gift baskets for everyone ...

You probably saw the front page newspaper photos of the 1,000-plus-pound pig that an 11-year-old boy in Alabama recently killed.
The initial story made it sound as if the kid fended off a snarling predator who would have surely eaten him like an hors d'oveure if he hadn't shot at him something like 38 times with his pistol and chased him for three hours through the wilderness.
Come to find out the 9-foot long pig wasn't some sort of wild beast. The Anniston Star tracked down Alabama resident Phil Blissitt, who bought the animal when it was a few weeks old as a gift for his wife.
They nurtured it and treated it as a family pet before selling it to Lost Creek Plantation.
They fed it sweet potato pies and called it Fred.
Congratulations, kid, you killed Fred.

Smitch’s ship comes in

As reversals of fortune go, it’s difficult to top the turnaround done by Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell.
In just a few months, he made the transition from ‘‘Might Get Fired’’ to ‘‘Gimme My Money.’’
Mitchell, a former Columbus High School basketball star, just doubled his annual salary this week thanks to the transformation he engineered with his career and his team.
Before this season, Mitchell was one of the league's lowest-paid coaches and seemed to be on his way to lame duck status. Part of the problem was that he was saddled with a roster full of head cases and malcontents in his first two seasons, but it's amazing what you can do with some coachable guys.
Toronto went 47-35 and won the Atlantic Division for the first time in franchise history, making Mitchell a no doubt-about-it pick for NBA Coach of the Year.
His reward: A contract extension and a pay bump from $2 million to $4 million.
The Raptors locked him in to avoid an inevitable bidding war since his current contract was set to expire June 30.
Too bad the Hawks didn't get a chance to make him an offer.

We're talking baseball

Some observations about high school baseball talent in our region after covering Columbus and Russell County in postseason play last week:
* Russell County senior right-hander Danny Danielson should enjoy a long, lucrative professional career.
He’s 6-foot-4, about 215 pounds and throws a heavy fastball in the 91-92 mph range. His presence on the mound is intimidating to say the least. He's been projected as a third to seventh-round draft pick in June and will almost certainly sign instead of taking a baseball scholarship offered by Alabama.
Danielson’s stock may not be quite as high as his teammates from last season, left-hander Kasey Kiker and right-hander Cory Rasmus, who accumulated a combined $3 million-plus in signing bonuses. Kiker went 12th overall to the Rangers, while Rasmus was chosen by the Braves in the sandwich round with the 38th overall pick.
Kiker has been on the radar of pro scouts since his sophomore season. By those standards, Danielson may be a late bloomer. But don't be surprised if he equals or exceeds the accomplishments of his former teammates at the pro level.
Consider this: In last weekend's Class 6A state championship series, Danielson held a heavy-hitting Hillcrest team to one run on four hits. Without him, the Warriors surrendered 31 runs in Games 2 and 3.
* Whatever major league team that drafts Henry County (Ga.) outfielder Jason Heyward in the first round will have a once-in-a-generation athlete at its disposal.
At 6-foot-5 and 215, he looks like Calvin Johnson in a baseball uniform.
Against Columbus High last week, he hit a freakishly long home run to the opposite field, drew a spate of intentional walks afterward, hit a laserbeam of a single that very nearly decapitated a pitcher and showed off the cannon that passes for his throwing arm. Oh, he also stole home.
He's been rated by one magazine as the ninth-best prospect in the nation. I can't imagine there are that that many players better than him.
* Columbus senior catcher Chase Weems probably raised his profile considerably by sharing the same field as Heyward last week.
The Blue Devils beat Henry County in a second round best-of-three series. More than 20 scouts were there for the opener and it's safe to say at least two-thirds of them were there to watch Heyward.
So Weems gets their attention by jacking a three-run homer early in the game. Heyward followed with a two-run homer, but Columbus won the game 3-2.
Weems hit another homer in the series, hit for contact and showed off some solid defensive skills.
He could go as early as the third round or as late as the seventh.
After last week's effort, it's safe to say his wait won't extend into the latter round.

The blogger is in

By now, some of you might have started wondering if anything had happened to the author of this sporadically updated sports blog.
I didn't join the FBI Witness Protection Program. I didn't join the Merchant Marines. I didn't get traded to another newspaper for a sports columnist to be named later.
Just got back from a much-needed vacation. Took an ultra-relaxing four-day cruise to the Bahamas and tooled around Florida afterward. It was blissful. A synopsis: My wife and I swam with dolphins at a training facility in Freeport and took a tour of Nassau. No, we didn't check out Anna Nicole's digs. We did see the courthouse where CNN and every other news outlet in the world camped out to bring us all the gory details of her death and the ensuing paternity/custody issues.
One tattoo parlor there continues to try to capitalize on all the tawdriness. It has a sign board with Anna Nicole's picture on it, declaring that the former TrimSpa spokesmodel went under the needle in their establishment.
Lovely.
While the Anna Nicole saga acts as a powerful appetite supressant, we summoned enough intestinal fortitude to sample ''cracked conch,'' one of the local Bahamian delicacies. We also drank surprisingly powerful beverages with little paper umbrellas in them. They were so strong, in fact, that I started eating the little paper umbrellas after about the third re-fill.
The best part of being on a cruise is that you really lose touch with the world. There's satellite TV on the ship, complete with CNN, but nobody is there to watch it because they're too busy gambling, swimming with dolphins, playing shuffleboard on the Lido deck or ordering another daquiri.
I'd thought some news stories would have run their course in my week of absence.
Doesn't work that way.
I get home and Paris Hilton is still complaining that she doesn't deserve to go to jail, that she signs whatever is put in front of her, that she's the most gullible person on the planet and that she's afraid Big Shirley, her possible future cellmate, might shank her just for giggles.
Then there’s Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who just can't stay out of the news. Police in Virginia raided an estate he owned but did not live in and find evidence of animal abuse and illegal dog fighting activities. Vick claims he had no idea what activities were taking place on the property even though he'd set his cousin up with the big, expensive house. Sure, it sounds silly to give a mansion to a 20-something with questionable judgment and not, you know, check in to make sure he hasn't built a meth lab, put piranhas in the swimming pool or set the kitchen on fire.
All I know is I'm gone for a week and the story still hasn't died. Vick puts the property on the market to distance himself from the situation and it sells maybe 10 minutes letter for nearly 60 percent less than its market value.
I know obvious similarities between Vick and Hilton aren't apparent, but bear with me here.
They seem to be kindred spirits in the sense that they (A) can't stay out of the news and (B) blame their problems on publicists or members of their respective posses.
I just know that I'm tired of reading about both of them.
Is it too early to schedule another cruise?

Making the grade

The NCAA released updated Academic Progress Rate information today.
I know what you're saying: ''Woo-hoo! I've been waiting all week for those!''
Here's why you should care if you're a fan of a Division I or I-AA team.
Schools that fall below the acceptable NCAA standards lose scholarships.
Alabama, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Georgia and Troy University are all safe. The football teams from Auburn and Georgia scored 967 and 963, respectively, which is quite good. Spare us the sociology jokes, please.
Georgia Southern isn't so lucky.
The Eagles will be penalized for poor academic performances by their baseball, basketball and football teams. The football team stands to lose 4.6 scholarships, a whopping total for a Division I-AA team.
To take a look at how your favorite school did, go to www.ncaa.org.