Bad News from Tuscaloosa

As an Alabama alum, I'm still interested in what is going on with the institution.

First, I must say that I enjoyed the Tide's win over Texas A & M yesterday hugely.  I notice that the story line emphasized by the sportswriters is Saban winning out over Manziel.  Talk about oversimplification!  Oh well, there are not great thinkers on most sports columns.

But for the bad news. 

Earlier, apparently the sororities had gotten involved in the local Tuscaloosa School Board elections, even to the point of members signing up to vote in the month before and being driven to the polls.  Has the goddam Machine entwined into local county politics?  Anyway, it read bad.  Somehow, I don't feature the average university student from elsewhere having that must stake in a local school board election.

Unless one candidate was a UA grad.

The other news is even worse:   Apparently sorority alumnae successfully blocked  African-American students from pledging into at least three sororities.  I thought we were past that crap long ago.

Doesn't anyone on the administration there pay attention to things like that; or are they all mesmerized by football?

http://blog.al.com/tuscaloosa/2013/09/university_of_alabama_suspends.html#incart_river

http://blog.al.com/tuscaloosa/2013/09/university_of_alabama_responds_1.html

Neither of those stories makes me proud to be a UA grad.

Football Predictions Week Three

There's just one headliner this week; but some good games.

Alabama  38   Texas A & M  31 -- This is the big 'un.  Alabama outlasts A &M in a wild game if they can contain Johnny Manziel.

LSU  38   Kent State  7 -- An easy one for the Tigers.

Louisville  40   Kentucky 14 -- No end of misery for the Wildcats.

Oregon  42   Tennessee  21 -- The silly-outfitted Ducks are too much for the Dreamsicle-colored guys.  Still, UT played two warmup games and is finally going against a competititve opponent.

Arkansas  28    Southern Mississippi  14 -- The Eagles should be tough for the Hogs.

South Carolina  28  Vanderbilt  14 -- Vandy has gotten better; but this should be a win for the Cocks who have had their ups and downs.

Mississippi State  28   Auburn  24 -- A painful one for the Tigers.

Mississippi  31    Texas  24 -- This game will show whether Ole Miss is Top 25 material or not.

Football Predictions Week Two

Arkansas  44   Samford  7 -- Did Arkansas have that much trouble filling out a 12-game schedule?

Kentucky  20  Miami (Ohio)  16 ==Let's face it; Kentucky's not too good this year.  The Hilltoppers almost handed them their asses last week.

Florida  35    Miami  24 -- Florida plays the real Miami.

Tennessee  35   Western Kentucky  20  -- When does Tennessee's football season begin?  The Hilltoppers may have something to say, like they did against the Cats.

Missouri  48    Toledo  7 -- Holy Toledo!

South Carolina  26  Georgia  21  -- The Cocks prevail over Georgia.

Mississippi State  35   Alcorn State  7 -- Rather pissed off Bulldogs take it out on outmatched opponent.

LSU  48   UAB  0 -- No holding those Tigers on this one.

Texas A & M  50  Sam Houston State  0  -- No stopping Manziel

Auburn  38    Arkansas State  28 -- A wild game with the P.C.-named Red Wolves

Vanderbilt  40  Austin Peay  6 -- Vandy in an easy one.

Football Predictions: Week One

So, let's look at Week One:

Alabama  22  Virginia Tech 14 -- An interesting match.

Arkansas 35  UL Lafayette 24 -- The Hogs are too much for the Ragin Cajuns.

Auburn  28   Washington State 20 -- Tigers in a close one.

Florida   40  Toledo 6 -- Shouldn't Florida be ashamed for scheduling this one?  This is a joke.

Georgia  35   Clemson 30 -- This is the headliner game of the week, with the Dawgs prevailing in the long run.

Kentucky 28  Western Kentucky 14 -- Kentucky, though the rock bottom team of the SEC, should win this one.

LSU  35   TCU 20 -- TCU is no longer a patsy; but LSU should win.

Ole Miss 21   Vanderbilt 14

Mississippi State 27   Oklahoma State 21

Missouri  35  Murray State 10 -- A rebuilding year for MO

South Carolina 40   North Carolina 24 -- An ACC headliner, with South Carolina coming out as Best Carolina.

Tennessee 35   Austin Peay 14 -- One of those ridiculous games to schedule that I'm refraining from using caps. 

Texas A & M 40  Rice 7 -- A & M is strong this year; might give Bama competition for the championship

Realism or Honesty in Ticket Pricing

Recently the University of Tennessee announced that they will offer for sale 6,700 seats in the upper deck of the south end zone of Neyland Stadium based on market demand.  In other words, dpending on the attraction of the game, the cheap seats (relatively speaking!) will be sold for less.

These seats would otherwise be likely to go empty.

Here are the seat prices for the seven home games of the Tennessee Volunteers:

Austin Peay: $20

Western Kentucky  $20

South Alabama  $20

Georgia:  $80

South Carolina:  $80

Auburn:  $70

Vanderbilt:  $55

These ticket prices can be adjusted throughout the season to squeeze some more money out of the 'cheap' seats.

I have a few observations:

1.  The relative pricing is kind of a testimony of respect, or lack of it, for the different opponents.  Might Vanderbilt be pissed enough  that their tickets go for less than Auburn or Georgia ones, and be motivated further to thrash the Vols?

2.  By pricing some games at a mere $20, UT is tacitly admitting that these are breathers, not real games in which there is true competition.  They're no longer even pretending.

Maybe Alabama ought to do the same for the Chattanooga Mocs game!  Seriously, scheduling that one is an embarassment!

Sometimes I wish one of these D-1AA teams should teach the Godalmighty SEC a lesson! 

Hubris is often followed by Nemesis in classical Greek drama.  It ought to be in football also.

SEC Predictions --- 2013

Since football season will begin in a little over two weeks, it's time for me to give my strictly non-expert predictions as to the outcome.

 

First the SEC EAST: 

1.  Georgia --Should eke it out over SC and Florida                        
2.  South Carolina -- Close               
3.  Florida -- Close, but no cigar                     
4.  Vanderbilt -- Should pull some surprises
5.  Missouri                       
6.  Tennessee
7.  Kentucky -- Not likely                      

Now for the  SEC WEST: 

1.  Alabama -- Clearly the favorite
2.  Texas A&M -- A contender 
3.  LSU -- Also a contender
4.  Auburn
5.  Mississippi State
6.  Arkansas
7.  Mississippi

But I could be wrong. 

Misty Fiord

Misty Fjord is a National Monument near Ketchikan, Alaska.  It's accessable by boat of floatplane.  I think that it is one of the most scenic places in the United States.

 

It is misty there usually; it lives up to its name.

 

 

 

 

Ketchikan is probably the rainiest town in the United States, but a nice place to live.