What I've missed and what's ahead.

So after a month off in June, it's time to get back to the blog.

Between my own personal need of a break and some other things that were necessary to put before writing, the break turned into a month long without me even noticing it.

During this break, here is what I have missed, and its just a nice little refresher for everyone:

• The Braves used their "16 games to define the season," as I had dubbed it on Twitter, to pull within two games of the Phillies, before dropping three games, in real life and in the standings, over the past four days. You can read below about Tommy Hanson's call up and his strong opening run for Rookie of the Year, and would have been best pitcher in the NL still if 1) Tim Lincecum didn't start destroying teams and 2) if the Braves hadn't blown his last start. Thanks, bullpen.
• Before Alabama even kicks off in 2009, the 2010 schedule is already together. The schedule includes out-of-conference games with San Jose St., Penn. St., Duke, and Georgia State. Every game but Duke will be at home, but the Blue Devils have yet to announce whether or not Alabama will travel to Durham or only to Atlanta for a "home" game for Duke in the Georgia Dome based on their high alumni count in the Atlanta metro area. As for conference games, Alabama will host, Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Auburn and travel to Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, and LSU. Of course, dates aren't set in stone, but just based on typical Bama schedules, you can expect Arkansas to be the first SEC game and road trip, more than likely followed by Florida at home, trip to South Carolina, home with Ole Miss, to Tennessee, to LSU, Miss. St. at home and Auburn at home. Its a bit rougher than this year's schedule, for sure.
• Not to be overlooked, especially by me, is what has leaked out about this year's basketball schedule for the Crimson Tide. Coach Anthony Grant has hinted at a game with VCU, but nothing has gone beyond rumor with that game yet. What we do know is that Alabama will be in Orlando for the Old Spice tournament right after Thanksgiving, Mobile for the Coors Classic against Kansas State, and I have found a rumor that Alabama will get a visit from Purdue on Dec. 12th in Coleman Coliseum. Even if the Boilermaker rumor doesn't hold water, Alabama's non-conference basketball schedule already looks better than last year.

So that is what I missed over the past month, but here is what to come in the next month:

• In preparation for football season, I will start a "Best of the SEC" series based on my experiences on all twelve of the campuses of the SEC. They will cover basketball and football as well as general things concerning the trips and looks from Fayetteville to Columbia.
• SEC Media Days are approaching in the next few weeks, and I will be dissecting what each and every coach and player has to say and what it may mean as far as their outlook of the upcoming season.
• For anyone who hasn't noticed, four of the pre-season football magazines are on news stands, and I will go through and pick them apart. Sports Illustrated's preview will come around in August, so I will catch up with that one then.
• SEC Basketball coaches should be releasing non-conference schedules in the next month, according to the twitter pages of Billy Donovan and Bruce Pearl. I will look at what's out there for these teams as well as how Alabama stacks up if the schedule comes out this month.

If anything else catches my eye, I'll stick it up here as well. Don't be surprised if there is a response to this coming in the next day or two.

It's time to get back to work and back in shape. Football is less than two months away!!!