Of course there is never enough space in the printed edition of the newspaper to get everything we’d like to you, the reader. Here are a few of the notes that were hacked from Friday’s edition.
Mike Slive didn’t even try to hide the smile on his face.
Times are good for the Southeastern Conference commissioner. Speaking at the league’s basketball media day in Birmingham, Slive was more than happy to brag on the recent accomplishments.
From the television contracts to the high expectations surrounding the apparent return to glory for basketball in the conference, Slive had a reason to grin.
Even the excitement over a few off-field, seemingly non-issue stories speak to the SEC’s ability to capture the public’s imagination. Those issues include Tennessee football’s attempt to wear orange jerseys Saturday at Alabama and South Carolina’s complaint over the Tide kicker’s use of white tape to mark the spot for field goals and extra points.
“It just goes to show you the interest in the league, the competitiveness of the league,” Slive said. “There isn’t anything that happens in this league that doesn’t create interest, speculation, curiosity and further adds to the excitement that we have. In my office I tell my staff, ‘If you don’t like this, just wait five minutes. We’re going to have something else to deal with.’ ”
On the injury front, Alabama coach Nick Saban said the minor injuries that kept a few of his players off the field last Saturday are healing.
Javier Arenas (ribs), Josh Chapman (abdominal), and Dre Kirkpatrick (back) all practiced through the week and appear to be available for Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. CDT visit from Tennessee.
Saban also said linebackers Cory Reamer and Chris Jordan had “bumps and bruises, but working their way through it.”
The Daily Bama Blog 