So what's new with Alabama Basketball?

About a month has passed since Anthony Grant touched down in Tuscaloosa and was introduced as the new head basketball coach of the Crimson Tide.

It has been a busy month for the newest addition to the Alabama family, so here is a quick look back at what has transpired so far.

Of course, with the hiring of Nick Saban, plus the demands Mal Moore has placed on the program, the salary of Anthony Grant was very anticipated to be known publicly.

For those who missed it, Grant will be paid $1.83 million over the next seven years to coach the Crimson Tide. After three years, the contract must be negotiated to talk extensions or renegotiate the deal.

The contract also has incentives similar to Nick Saban's contract, such as for SEC ($25,000) and national ($50,000) coach of the year honors. Grant's base salary from the University also tops the head football coaches by about $20,000.

The salary, already almost double what former coach Mark Gottfried was making, puts Grant fifteenth nationally and fourth in the conference, behind John Calipari, his mentor,Billy Donovan, and Bruce Pearl.

During this month, Grant has been focused on two things: building his staff and recruiting.

Grant finalized his staff this past week after taking much time to pull it together.

He decided to keep Antoine Pettway, former Bama player and assistant to Mark Gottfried, on the bench while adding Dan Hipsher, Grant's college coach, and John Brannen, a former Grant assistant at VCU, to the mix.

The new director of basketball operations, Tony Pujol, was also on Grant's staff at VCU.

On the recruiting front, Grant said from the onset that he wanted to add another point guard to the team, and he had one available scholarship in order to do so.

Many fans in the Birmingham are expected Grant to go after Eric Bledsoe from Parker High School, but the odds on Bledsoe qualifying for college are bleak, with one source saying that he will not make it at all.

Grant looked elsewhere and pulled in his first commitment today, Ben Eblen, a former VCU commit, out of Florida. Eblen now solidifies Alabama's newest class of players for the 2009-10 season. As of this point, Eblen has not signed his letter of intent, but has until May 20th to do so.

Even in this first month, there have already been some parts of the schedule released, including Alabama's inclusion in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, FL from November 26th-29th. The Crimson Tide will join teams such as Marquette, Michigan, Florida State, Xavier and Baylor in the eight-team field.

Alabama also owes a return trip to Georgia Tech after the Yellow Jackets came to Tuscaloosa last year. There is also speculation that a home and home series with VCU is in the works, a former clause in Grant's contract with the Rams.

The final piece to the puzzle, which I must get asked this once a day, is what the new name will be of the student section.

Well, here is where we currently stand: the group still does not have a new name. We have hopes to meet with coach Grant before the end of school or shortly after to discuss names and discover one we can agree on.

If you have any suggestions, let us hear about them so we can throw them into the pile.

View from the Stands: April 27, 2009

Now that I have one final out of the way and have some time on my hands, I think it is fitting that I take a look around and see what is going once again. Time for another view from the stands!

Is this what Rich Rod had in mind? After a tumultuous first off-season between him, the fans and the media, Rich Rodriguez' second off-season does not look any better right now. Today, news broke that Steven Threet was transferring to Arizona State to continue his football career. The departure of Threet, who started eight games last season as a redshirt freshman, seems to leave the starter's position for Nick Sheridan, who started the other four games for the Wolverines. Sheridan finished last season with 618 yards in eight appearances with two touchdowns against five interceptions. Michigan will once again be facing a tough year under Rich Rod, who is still trying to find footing in Ann Arbor. It will be interesting to discover how long he lasts in Ann Arbor, because at this rate, he may not get his chance to go 0-4 against Ohio State.

Is your fence sturdy enough to restrict your car? By now, most people have seen the horrific crash from yesterday's race at Talladega. Carl Edwards' car was sent flying on the final lap of the Aaron's 499. The crash is all that anyone can talk about today, completely forgetting who won the race. Edwards had some very harsh and controversial comments after the race, saying "We'll race like this until we kill somebody. Then (Nascar) will change it." Edwards talked about those comments and the experience on ESPN's First Take this morning.



In watching the crash for two days now, the fence did its job by keeping the car on the track...this time. If Edwards got a few feet higher, the fence may not have held his car, and who knows how many people would have died. It normally takes a death to force change, but this was close enough that something should come of it.

Michigan State wants to take on all comers! That is the feeling today after the Spartans announced they have reached a deal with the West Virgina Mountaineers for 20014-15, the Alabama Crimson Tide 16-17, and extending their series with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish through 2025. For those of you doing the math, that means kids who have yet to step foot in a school hall will be playing for the Irish and Sparty in that final game of this contract. Besides that point, this creates great schedule opportunities for Alabama and Michigan State. For the Crimson Tide, they will be playing four games against Big Ten teams over the next eight seasons, including games in Happy Valley and East Lansing. For Michigan State, they will play Alabama and Notre Dame in 2016-17. The Spartans will easily have the hardest non-conference schedule in both of those season, but they at least scheduled it where only one of those games will be on the road each year.

Hey, Detroit, remember the last time the King visited?

The date was May 31st, 2007. It was just a regular playoff Thursday in the history of the NBA...unless your name was LeBron James.

That would be the night in which LeBron established himself as a true force to be reckoned with for the next twelve years in the NBA, scoring 48 points, including every Cavalier point in both overtimes and 29 of the team's final 30, to lead Cleveland to a 109-107 victory at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit.

Here is a quick refresher for those of you who may have forgotten.



Friday will mark the first time in the postseason that King James will return to the court he made his that night in May two years ago. Since that game, all LeBron has done is build up his legacy, taking the Cavaliers to their first NBA finals, win a league scoring title, and post 14 triple-doubles. Not bad for a guy who has yet to reach age 25.

That game against Detroit is one of many Cleveland has had in recent history, and it may have been the last one with any meaning.

If you look at the playoff history of Cleveland with LeBron, Detroit is the most common opponent, along with the Wizards, meeting three out of the past four seasons each. The Cavs have a 9-6 record against Detroit in the current four-year run of trips to the second season. The Cavs have a 1-1 record in the previous two series.

In those 15 games against Detroit, Lebron has led the team in scoring in 12 of them, including every victory over the Pistons. He averages 27.1 points per game.9.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists against them. All three numbers are just above or below his career playoff average and trounce his career averages.

While LeBron and Co. have fought the Pistons hard over the years, two more wins this year could spell the definite end of Detroit's reign in the East as well as the Central Division.

Sure, this years edition of the team from Motown can't hold a candle to the teams from season's past(the Denver Nuggets are thrilled to have Chauncey Billups), but the Cavs can become the first team to keep Detroit from the Eastern Conference Finals in seven years.

The meaning of these match-ups between the Cavs and Pistons is dwindling because Detroit, as well as Boston, have many prime players over 30(Detroit-Rasheed Wallace, Allen Iverson, Richard Hamilton and Antonio McDyess,Tayshaun Prince turning 30 next season. Boston-Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Stephon Marbury), while the Cavaliers are reaching their prime with LeBron James, Daniel Gibson, Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Anderson Varejao all 26 and under.

Sure, age is just a number, but the Pistons are starting to ware down, and Boston may only have a year or two left with their current line-up. Cleveland, if the front office is smart, can secure LeBron and his supporting cast for another six or seven years come next off-season, building up what could be the third consecutive Central Division dynasty from the Eastern Conference.

That is scenario is still a year away, but for now Lebron is a Cav, and come tomorrow evening, he will return to the court he was king of during crunch time two years ago.

Early season surprises signal 2009 as a memorable one for Major League Baseball

Through two weeks of the major league baseball season, there is already a sense that this year is going to be different than any other season previous.

Sure, it is easy to say that in a sport that has over 130 years of history, but all it takes is to look at what has already happened through two weeks.

Last week alone, three different players hit for the cycle: Orlando Hudson of the Dodgers, Ian Kinsler of the Rangers, and Jason Kubel of the Twins. In Major League history, there have been a total of 260 cycles, the first occurring in 1885. That is an average of two cycles hit PER SEASON since the first cycle was recorded by Dave Orr for the Giants. We just had three in one week.

In just two weeks, there have been four pitchers who have taken a no-hitter into the seventh inning or later, but none of them have completed the feat yet. The no-hitter is just as rare as a cycle, but no pitcher has been able to finish a team off hit-less.

The other side of pitching has also reared its ugly head so far this season. Chen Ming-Wang after three starts, currently has a 34.50 ERA. He is 0-3 right now and has only pitched six innings total on the season. He has allowed 23 hits and earned runs. In order to get his ERA down to 4.08, his career ERA number, Wang must pitch 48 straight scoreless innings. He won't get that chance on Friday, as the Yankees have already said they will bypass his start against the Red Sox this weekend.

The 2009 season has seen the best and worst starts by a team since the 2003 season.

The Florida Marlins, currently sitting at 11-1, are off to the best start since the San Francisco Giants started 13-1 that year, making a march for 100 wins and a division title. The Marlins are currently on track for 143 wins against 13 losses. In the same division, the Washington Nationals are currently 1-10, the worst start since the 2003 Tigers started 1-17 on their way to a 43-119 record. The Nats and Fish played last weekend in Washington, with Florida obviously taking all three games. Florida couldn't lose, even when they tried, and Washington couldn't win despite their best efforts.

These are just some of the story lines to watch as this season enters week three and the Marlins are working on that magic number of 142. Of course, in baseball, anything can change in a week, and the odds of that happening are always quite high.

Braves, Marlins hot starts lead to early season pivotal series

The Major League Baseball season may only be a week old, but both the Braves and Marlins are off to the best starts in baseball at 5-1.

Heading into week two, Atlanta and Florida meet in Turner Field for not only the best record in baseball, but also the lead in the National League East.

Not only are neither of these teams expected to win the division, neither are expected to even make the playoffs, but their early starts have many experts reconsidering both teams.

For the Marlins, many believe they may have the best young staff in baseball. This group of pitchers, averaging out at an age of 24, is currently 4-1 on the season and a 2.71 ERA through six starts. However, odds are you would not recognize one in the street, much less their names.

For the Marlins, still without a division title but two World Series titles, the pitching staff is not their brightest stars. That would belong to the best young infield in baseball of Hanley Ramiriez and Dan Uggla. Both players already have All-Star appearances under their belts and are the glue in the middle of the Florida order.

Expand to include the entire Marlins infield, bringing in Jorge Cantu and Emilio Bonifacio from the corners, and this quartet has accounted for all but one of the Fish's home runs on the season and driving in 27 of the team's 36 RBIs this season. It also doesn't hurt that this group is hitting .367 to begin the young season.

Across the diamond this week, the Braves are off to a not too shabby start themselves.

The Braves starting rotation, with three new additions this season, are 4-0 with a 3.06 ERA and are bit more recognizable, especially with Derek Lowe dominating opposing batters with a 0.82 ERA in two starts.

While the Marlins would rely mostly on their pitching staff for a rise to the top, the Braves will likely go as far as their offense will take them.

The Braves are leading the National League in average, slugging percentage and extra base hits so far this season, all while only playing six games while most of the league have played seven or eight games. Out of the everyday starters for Atlanta, five of them have an on-base percentage over .400 and seven of the eight are over .345. Easy enough to say when players get on base, it is a lot easier to score.

So, as these two teams prepare to battle for the early division lead, there is still the notion that no matter the outcome of the series, both teams will still have 153 games to sort out their seasons. However, the winner of the series will no doubt send a message to the rest of the division that their team will be around all year long to battle for the division title.

Some Ticket Gripers should settle down before writing.

Picking up today's Crimson White, I wasn't too surprised to see coverage of season ticket sales on the front page. It is the most reliable perennial story on campus, and every year, someone has something to say.

Most of the time, it's the same recycled stuff from the previous years, but there is always a few new things that stick out in the opinions of those on campus.

First, I'll start with the most repetitive complaint: Give the students more tickets.

I will begin this by saying that until four or five years ago, there was no complaint over students not getting tickets. Everyone who wanted tickets, got them.

In 2006, the student section expanded, as did the stadium.

Next year, the student section is expanding once again. Of course, if any of the four people who wrote to the paper would have paid attention, they would have known this to be happening in 2010.

One opinion suggested to take away tickets from season ticket holders to give them to students because "students will on day graduate and become alumnae, and a happy student makes a happy alumnus."

Sure, let's just forget the 10,000-person waiting list for tickets. Don't worry about the people who make it possible to gain two million dollars per home game. They won't be angry at all.

Another opinion even went as far to call out the athletic department to spend some money for the fans. Does this guy not notice the cranes and missing scoreboard at Bryant-Denny Stadium? The expansion is for the fans.

Speaking of students talking before researching, one person wrote in saying, "students should be reprimanded for letting them (their tickets) go unused or selling to make profits." This same person also said, "if one needs to sell a ticket, they should never charge over face value."

Ok, first, if you had read the page when you registered, it says that after 3 games of non-use, the student's tickets will be pulled and that student will not get the chance to order tickets next season. If one person upgrades their ticket thrice, they will not get post season tickets.

Now, this person has apparently never bought tickets to road games. If no one should sell tickets for a profit, then my Georgia ticket wouldn't have cost me $225 and my SEC Championship game would not have been $325. If someone wants to sell their tickets, it is not their fault that you don't have what they want.

Its supply and demand. This guy is obviously not a business major.

This same writer even went as far to use the laughable idea that "it is also indisputable that some were given priority ticketing, or at the very least notified of a faster way to finish this process."

Ok, let me stop laughing at this before I go on.

First, I am your average rising senior with no connections on this campus. I had my tickets by 7:05 am. I logged in just as everyone else did, waited in the waiting room, and got in.

Second, the one making this claim comes as close to contradicting himself as possible by revealing he is on the SGA ticketing committee. I'm sorry, but if anyone would know the loopholes, it would be someone not only in the SGA, but also on the ticketing committee.

Finally, my favorite opinion of the day had one final gem, complaining that friends could get tickets for other people once they were in.

Sounds like this guys needs some better friends, first off, and second, he obviously doesn't care enough about Alabama Football. I called people like crazy last season once my computer wouldn't let me in last season and I had to get three other people tickets this year because they couldn't get in.

Now, I'm not going to say the ticket purchasing process is golden, cause it is far from it, but I have a few thoughts myself.

First, if we are going to continue to purchase tickets in this way, why not use Ticketmaster or Stub Hub to control the purchasing. They have large enough servers to handle all the traffic that would appease everyone and keep people in line.

Second, I agree with Jesse that we should adopt the LSU system. I support more than just football on this campus, and I was not happy when I had to go somewhere else to get my SEC Championship Game tickets. This would bring more students to Volleyball and Baseball games as well as let me and then other twenty people who still supported basketball this entire season be in good shape for next year.

Third, if people on this campus care about football enough, you would think they would trek to Coleman Coliseum week after week to swipe for their ticket if need be. So, why not do that.

Monday through Wednesday, those who got tickets come to pick their tickets up. Those who don't have tickets can swipe to get in a lottery for those that are not picked up. Wednesday night, those who win the lotto will receive an e-mail informing them about this. Thursday night, they can pick up their tickets at Coleman. It may be a hassle, but it will keep tickets in the hands of those who use them and want them.

Anything that happens, it will definitely be an upgrade from the current system. For me, though, I will just enjoy being able to sleep in one more morning next April when tickets go on sale.

Riding the Carousel: Hey Bama, you wanted the Nick Saban of basketball? You got him.

It was a widely held opinion amongst Alabama basketball fans that the Crimson Tide administration should do just as they did with football when finding a new head basketball coach.

They wanted a high profile, quality coach who was the best out there for the taking.

Names such as Tom Izzo, Mike Anderson, Frank Haith, and Oliver Prunell were thrown around during the two month gap between Mark Gottfried's resignation and the new hiring, but one name was always in the running.

That name was Anthony Grant.

He was the first name thrown out on day one, and he was the man selected for the job.

He didn't have the Final Four experience of Izzo, or the local pull and pedigree of Anderson, but he is that "Nick Saban" hire.

For starters, if Nick Saban approves of the pick, you know he must be worth it. Grant and Saban met during Grant's tour of campus before his hiring, and Saban liked what he heard.

Grant has even said he is "a Nick Saban fan" and that he loves college football, so he is definitely in the right place.

Second, he talks like Nick Saban. He has that feel and look to him that when you are around him, you know he is a basketball coach. Go take a look at the picture on rolltide.com of Grant talking to the remaining players. He looks like a coach without even trying.

Listening to him speak, he has that commitment that Saban does as well to improving a program and was bred to put academics ahead of athletics.

Not only is Grant constantly thinking basketball, but he even uses Nick Saban phrases, mentioning he repeatedly uses Saban's line before LSU's 2003 National Championship game, "play to the identity that we've created all year," and he ended his speech at the Tuscaloosa Airport with the token Saban word...A'ight.

Third, he does everything methodically. A week after being introduced as head coach, he is still discovering who will be a part of his staff. He even sat on the job offer for two days in order to consider all parts of the offer before taking the job.

Even in recruiting, Grant seems to be Saban-esque. He has already hit the recruiting trial, talking to the best remaining uncommitted prospect in Eric Bledsoe, and will take a shot at DeMarcus Cousins when he is officially out of his letter of intent to Memphis.

Grant knows too many kids are leaving the state for other schools, and he will do his best to put a fence around the borders for a second sport.

So, for all of you who are complaining about not going after Mike Anderson at all or not extending the search for a while, you will learn to love Anthony Grant.

Just face it, Alabama got it right.

Riding the Carousel: Will Calipari fit the mold in Kentucky?

It has been called the Notre Dame of college basketball. The passion of the fans can only, possibly, be compared to that of Alabama Football fans. It is the winningest program in the history of college basketball.

Of course, I am talking about Kentucky.

Thirteen Final Fours, 50 NCAA Tournament Appearances, Seven National Championships. The most storied program in the SEC, by far, and argubly in the country.

It is no wonder when this coaching position comes open, that people take notice. Two years ago, the Big Blue had trouble securing the coach they wanted and in effect settled for Billy Gillespie, who never fully accepted the role as a high profile public figure in Kentucky, according to Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart.

The Wildcats were determined to get it right this time around, and in their mind, they have.

Enter John Calipari, keeping the blue but moving to the Northeast to undertake the position of head coach of the Commonwealth.

Of course, based on record, experience, and performance, Calipari is a no-brainer for this job, but will he fit the job?

According to Pat Forde of ESPN, he sees some possible risks that Kentucky has taken.

Calipari has a past with the NCAA, and so does Kentucky.

Calipari has made a Final Four at each of his stops, but his trip from UMass has been erased by the NCAA because of violations he committed when recruiting for the Minutemen.

Kentucky has been in trouble with the NCAA in every decade except for the 1990's concerning recruiting violations, but it has never cost them tremendously.

With these two now together, it raises the question of whether or not history will repeat itself during Coach Cal's tenure in Lexington.

Apart from Forde's only concern, he believes that Calipari will fit the mold. He thinks Kentucky needs a coach with an attitude and some swagger, and John Calipari is just that. He has a confindence about him that can be sensed by recruits as well as the media. He can handle any question asked of him, and he always does it with a smile.

He is already a media darling in Lexington, but he is no longer in Memphis or in a mid-major conference. This is the SEC, a power six conference, and maybe THE basketball program at the college level. How he handles his first loss and first tournament exit, it will tell a lot about how the pressure is getting to him, or not.

Personally, my own concern is whether or not Calipari will destroy the class of Kentucky basketball.

The Wildcats have always been a classy program, and the "thugs" of Memphis have been well documented in their actions, especially in Alabama with games against UAB. There is the notion that Calipari recruited in that fashion because of his location in Memphis, but it will be interesting to see if that holds true. He may still recruit in the same way, but different kinds of players go to Kentucky than Memphis, and which ones he accepts in Lexington will determine the off-the-court feel of his teams.